दक्षिणा

I am in mood today to share you some stories that I have never shared with anybody. It was around 1989. I was back to Kathmandu that time and my guruji [Prem Chetan] insisted that I perform the ritual of life-installation for one temple. I was actually commissioned by Aishwarya Shaha, the Queen of Nepal. And for the days long life-installation prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā ritual ( Krishna temple in Bhimsengola, Purano Baneshwar), the queen gave me six rupees [about a dime] for dakṣiṇā. I do not know how many of you have felt vanity this close.

NRs. 6/- was not a low paying by the royals in 1989. The government paying was low because the revenue was low and Royal Palace was aware about economic asterity. Chance of getting Royal Dakshina was a recognition by the palace. That was cultural capital than the economic.

(Rupee 6.00 back in 1987 is worth Purchasing Power Value of Rupee 74.58 (~ .6 USD) in 2021 as per https://www.creatifwerks.com/nepal-inflation-calculator/ . )

by the way, Aishwarya was also the president of Pashupati Vimash Trust and she used to charge one lakh rupees for attending every single meeting. And I know this from the then secretary himself.

I do hereby attest as the Founder Member~Secretary of the PADT, that Queen Aishwarya as the Chairperson of the Trust received no remuneration, period no remuneration, for her services ! ॥ॐ॥ - Jagadish Aruna Sharma

please talk to Devi Prasad chapagain

Devi Prasad Chapagain was a colleague of mine as Chairman of the PADT Working Committee while I served as the Member Secretary of the Governing Council !

Royal initiation

the king was fully initiated by Dhana Shamsher JBR. I believe she became part of the same initiation but I have no knowledge about it. In the case of Nepal, when a king would receive Rajyabhisheka, he would also have a purna abhisheka, as he would not only be a Bhattaraka or the king of the worldly domain, he would also be a Parama Bhattaraka, the king of the spiritual domain.