This year in Sridhama Mayapur between the 16^th of May and the 13^th of June, the resident devotees will make their way to the temple each evening through the summer heat for an opportunity that only comes once every three years.  At the temple, the twilight will be illuminated by hundreds of handheld lamps moving in circular motions as they are offered to the Deities by the devotees.  Simultaneously, songs written by the Vaishnava acharyas in glorification of Radha and Krishna will be sung.

An observer will notice other changes in the usual activities of Māyāpur’s residents during the period of time between the 16^th of May and the 13^th of June.  Many will take on vratas, or vows, for this month.  These vratas generally involve restriction of material activities and an increase in spiritual activity.  For example, some devotees will bathe in the sacred Ganges River every day.  Some will eat only havishya, a simple preparation of unspiced, boiled rice and dahl.  Many will increase the amount of japa they chant and the time they spend reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. The devotees make a concerted effort to increase the performance of sadhu-seva or serving the devotees, and hearing and chanting by assembling together for the performance of Hari-bhajan, or glorification of Lord Hari and His associates.

Starting on the 16^th of May and ending on the 13^th of June 2018, the month of Purusottama takes place.  This month is an unusual one, for it does not come every year.  Every three years or so when the full moon occurs twice in less than 29 solar days, the extra or leap month of Purusottama occurs.  This month is also known as Adhik mas or Adhimasa.

This month is especially dear to Lord Krishna and the performance of spiritual activities during this month is extra potent.  The glories of this month are described in the Skanda Purana, the Padma Purana, and the Naradiya Purana.  Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has also described the glories of this month.

However, this month was not always considered auspicious.  The history and glories of Purusottama month are described in the 31^st chapter of the Naradiya Purana, and there it is explained that Purusottama month used to be known as malamasa, or the impure month.  Because no holy days occur during this irregular month, the people of the world used to consider it to be useless and inauspicious.  The personification of this month was upset by this.  She went to the Lord to explain her difficult situation to Him, and the Lord took pity on her and showed her His mercy. 

The Lord stated:

“Just as I am celebrated in this world by the name Purusottama, similarly, this Adhimasa too will be renowned in the world by the name Purusottama. Now I offer all My qualities to this month. Becoming like Me, from today onwards this Adhimasa is the monarch of all the other months, and is the most worshipable and most adored in the world.

“All other months are sakama, that is, they will grant worldly desires. This month, however, is niskama. Those who worship this month, either without any desires (akama) or with all types of desires, will have all their karmas burnt. Then they will achieve Me.

“My bhaktas sometimes commit offenses, but in this Purusottama month, they will be protected from committing any offense. In this adhimasa, those greatly foolish persons who neglect to perform auspicious activities, such as japa, giving in charity, visiting and bathing at the holy places, and who are envious of the dvijas (brahmanas) are deemed wicked, unfortunate and living at the cost of others. Thus, they will not attain a scent of happiness, even in their dreams. Conversely, those who are filled with bhakti will take advantage of this Purusottama month to perform arcana to Me. After enjoying worldly happiness, such as wealth, sons and so on, they will eventually attain residence in Goloka.”

There are many recommendations in the scriptures for how Purusottama month should be observed.  Some of the main recommendations are as follows:

– Devotees should worship the Deity or picture of Radha Krishna. 

– Every day, devotees should offer a ghee lamp to Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. 

– Devotees should increase their reading of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Especially, Chapter Fifteen of Bhagavad-gita, “Purusottama-yoga, the Yoga of the Supreme Person,” should be read.

– Devotees should give in charity to qualified brahmanas, serve the cows, and distribute prasadam.

– Devotees should bathe in holy rivers and associate with saintly devotees.

The Lord provides many opportunities for the fallen souls to easily attain Him, and the benefits derived from observing Purusottama month are an example of this.  Whether one observes this month while residing in a holy dhama like Māyāpur, at any temple around the world, or in one’s own home, immense benefit can be obtained. 

Sri Sri Radha Madhava enjoy various wonderful water pastimes in Mayapur, such as the boating pastimes They enjoy during the Candan-yatra season. Following the Candana-yatra festival another festival of water pastimes, known as Salila Vihar, is celebrated. The Salila Vihar festival is meant for the pleasure of the Divine Couple to keep Them cool during the hot summer season. In the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila,Chapter 10, texts 41-52, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami describes the water pastimes of Sri Krishna Caitanya:

“...When they met the Lord, they began to cry loudly in ecstatic love. Because of the pastimes in the water, there was great jubilation on the shore, with music, singing, chanting and dancing creating a tumultuous sound. Indeed, the chanting and crying of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas mixed and created a tumultuous sound vibration that filled the entire universe. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu entered the water with His devotees and began His pastimes with them in great jubilation.”

In Sridhama Mayapur, Sri Sri Radha Madhava enjoy the Salila Vihar festival by sitting in the middle of a beautiful lotus shaped pond filled with hundreds of blossoming lotus flowers, each containing sacred tulasi leaves. This lotus pond is constructed in the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir on the platform below Sri Sri Radha Madhava’s altar, and is covered by a fragrant flower canopy.  A fountain sprays cooling lotus-and-tulasi-scented water on the transcendental bodies of the Divine Couple.

When Sri Sri Radha Madhava are comfortably seated in the lotus pond, devotees are given scented flowers and tulasi leaves to offer to Their Lordships. The devotees are each individually given a name of Sri Radha, from the Radhika-Ashtottara-sata-nama stortam, or Sri Krishna, from the Krishna-Ashtottara-sata-nama stotram, to offer with the flowers and tulasi.  These are the 108 names of Sri Radha and Madhava.

Once the offering of over 216 names is complete, Their Lordships retire for the night and the devotees line up to receive the maha lotuses from Radha Madhava’s lotus pond.  Generally, the lotuses are distributed by the head pujari of Mayapur, His Grace Jananivas Prabhu, who relieves the devotees from the summer heat by placing the wet lotus flowers on their heads.The devotees are left blissfully drenched.  The festival concludes with the distribution of maha fruit from Radha Madhava’s bhoga offering.  Handfuls of mangos, bananas, apples, and a variety of other summer fruits are honoured by all present.

Every evening for just over two weeks Sri Sri Radha Madhava thus enjoy Their summertime water pastimes, and blissfully engage and enliven Their devotees. Despite the sweltering heat, the Mayapur residences are always enthusiastic to serve and please the Lords of their hearts, even at the cost of their own comfort, because when the Lord is pleased, His devotees are automatically pleased and satisfied within themselves.

om namo bhagavatesrimaha-nrsimhaya
damstrakaralavadanaya
ghora-rupayavajra-nakhaya
jvalamaline mama vighnanpacapaca
mama bhayanbhindibhindi
mama satrunvidravayavidravaya mama
sarvaristanprabhanjayaprabhanjaya
chatachata, hanahana, chindichindi
mama sarva-bhistanpurayapuraya mam
raksaraksa hum phatsvaha

 "O Nrsimhadeva, whose form is terrible, by sharp and long teeth, very fearful to see, with strong large nails, garlanded by flames – destroy, destroy my obstacles, and kick out, kick out my fear. Scatter, scatter my enemies. Destroy, destroy my karma. Flash, flash! Kill, kill! Cut, cut! Ever fulfill all my desires to serve You. Safeguard, safeguard me and all around me!"
-Sri Nrsimha-kavacastotram

The fearsome half-man, half-lion form of Lord Nrisimhadeva inspires terror in the hearts of non-devotees and especially those who oppose the Lord and His devotees. And rightfully so, for Lord Nrisimhadeva is the most ferocious form of the Lord, a manifestation of the utmost anger of the Lord in response to the mistreatment of His dear devotee Prahlada Maharaja. What to speak of non-devotees, even servants of the Lord like Lord Brahma and the other demigods were afraid to approach Lord Nrisimhadeva.

This form of the Lord is so fearsome that when the devotees of ISKCON Mayapur wanted to install a Deity of Lord Nrisimhadeva, they could find no sthapati willing to carve the Deity for them.  As soon as the sthapatis heard that the Deity to be carved was one of UgraNrisimha, they would refuse to make the Deity.

The devotees of the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir had decided to install a Deity of Lord Nrisimhadeva after being attacked by a group of 35 dacoits in March of 1984. Lord Nrisimhadeva is the protector of His devotees, so what better way could there be of protecting the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir than by inviting Him to reside there? 

It took many months until a sthapati was found who was willing to carve UgraNrisimhadeva.  Even then, he did not agree at first.  The sthapati’s guru forbade him from taking on the commission, and warned him, “Don’t do it. Your family will be destroyed.” His guru told him that such Deities had not been carved for thousands of years, and that there was a place where such a Deity had been installed long ago that had faced many difficulties and become a ghost town after the standard of worship declined.  He said that the specific form of the Lord that ISKCON Mayapur wanted carved, that of Ugra Sthanu  Nrisimha, was not even worshiped in the heavenly planets by the demigods. However, shortly thereafter, the sthapati received word from his guru that for ISKCON Mayapur, he could carve the Deity.

 

Now Lord Nrisimhadeva resides in the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, protecting and reciprocating with His devotees.  Although the entire universe trembles in fear due to His formidable anger, in Sridhama Mayapur, His devotees experience the sweetness of His loving protection and mercy.  Because Deities take on the mood of the presiding Deity of the dhama in which they are situated and because the most merciful incarnation, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, presides over Sridhama Mayapur, in Mayapur Lord Nrisimhadeva takes on a very merciful mood.  Many devotees, from Mayapur and all over the world, have experienced very tangibly Lord Nrisimhadeva’s reciprocation to their prayers. 

Nrisimha Caturdasi, the day on which Lord Nrisimhadeva appeared to save Prahlada Maharaja from the wrath of his father, is celebrated in Mayapur by thousands.  And all over the world, devotees tune into Mayapur TV to participate.  From His altar in Mayapur, Lord Nrisimhadevaprotects not only ISKCON’s headquarters at the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, but also all ISKCON devotees and temples as they endeavor to spread the mission of Lord Caitanya. 

The festival is spread over three days. Two days prior to Nrisimha Caturdasi devotees travel to the banks of the Ganges in procession. There, they worship Ganga Devi and collect her water in clay pots to be used to bathe Lord Nrisimhadeva in His grand abhiseka on Nrisimha Caturdasi.  This water is deposited in a huge water drum at the temple.  Some devotees make multiple trips to collect water, and due to the enthusiasm of the devotees the water drum inevitably begins to overflow.  That afternoon, a Deity of Laksmi Nrisimhadeva is taken on procession around the Mayapur campus in a palanquin.  Devotees decorate the pathway with beautiful rangoli designs in preparation for the Lord’s passing and prepare offerings for the Lord to enjoy along His way.

The day before Nrisimha Caturdasi, the Maha Sudarshana Homa is performed.  This fire sacrifice is performed in the courtyard in front of Lord Nrisimhadeva and lasts for over three hours.  It is performed for the pleasure of Lord Nrisimhadeva and, specifically, for the protection of ISKCON.  Sudarshana manifests from Lord Nrisimhadeva and thus shares His same nature: fiery and protective of the devotees of the Lord.  Sudarshana is invoked and worshiped in this yajna with the offering of 10,000 ahutis (oblations) and, finally, with the offering of tarpana to Sudarshana.  The tarpana offered is water infused with and empowered by the maha-mantra.  Several months before the festival, devotees are invited to chant extra rounds of japa to be offered in the Maha Sudarshana Homa, and the names chanted by the devotees are then infused in the water.  In 2017, 21000 rounds of japa were offered.  This year, the organizers of the yajna are hoping to double that number – already, 6000 rounds have been collected.  

Narahari Nama Kirtan Utsava also begins the day before Nrisimha Caturdasi, and kirtan is performed all day for the pleasure of Lord Nrisimhadeva and the assembled devotees.  After the Deities’ altars close at 1 PM, Lord Nrisimhadeva is given an oil abhisekaby His pujaris. The pujaris bathe His divine form with 16 different types of essential oils, such as sandalwood, kusha, rose, jata,mansi, camphor, aguru and others. They use almost 50 liters of oil to bathe the Lord. That evening, an ecstatic adivasceremony is performed to invoke auspiciousness for the following day and to prepare the hearts and minds of the assembled devotees for the festival.

The highlight of Nrisimha Caturdasi day is the magnificent abhiseka of Lord Nrisimhadeva that takes place at 4 PM.  Despite the sweltering summer heat, devotees crowd into the temple room hours before the abhiseka begins, hoping to find a seat where they can take darshan of Lord Nrisimhadeva during His opulent bathing ceremony.  Sweating profusely but caring for nothing but the imminent darshanof their Lord, devotees chant loudly and wait for the Lord to be revealed.  Then abhiseka begins and the crowd goes wild, jostling to get a glimpse of Lord Nrisimhadeva’s beautiful dark form as He is bathed in what seems to be a never-ending number of auspicious substances.  The fragrance of aromatic oils, flowers, ghee, honey, fruit juices, and many other items fills the air.  The kirtan seems to reach a permanent crescendo.  The abhiseka lasts for hours, and the mercy of Lord Nrisimhadeva is palpable to many of those gathered before Him. 

After abhiseka, Lord Nrisimhadeva is dressed in an armor-like outfit of shining metaland He is offered arati while kirtan continues.  The devotees chant and dance until late in the evening, filled with love for their merciful protector.

In his Navadvipa-bhava-taranga, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written:

“In my heart reside duplicity, insincerity, the desire for fame, and the six enemies: lust, anger, envy, fear, illusion and intoxication. Therefore I will pray at the feet of Lord Nrsimha to purify my heart and give me the desire to serve Krishna.

“Weeping I will beg Lord Nrsimha that I may worship Radha-Madhava in Navadvip, free from obstacles. Although this form of the Lord is terrible for the evil, He is exceedingly auspicious for the devotees headed by Prahlada. When will Lord Nrsimha become pleased to mercifully speak to me, a worthless fool, and remove my fears?

‘Dear child, stay here happily in Gaura Dham. Worship Radha-Madhava, and develop attraction for the holy name. By the mercy of My devotees, all obstacles are transcended.’ After speaking like this, when will that Lord joyfully place His feet upon my head? At that moment, by Lord Nrsimha’s mercy, I will exhibit symptoms of ecstatic love for Radha and Krishna, and will roll on the ground by the door of Lord Nrsimha’s temple.”

All glories to Sri Nrisimhadeva!

“My Dear Jayananda,

Please accept my blessings.

I am feeling very intensely your separation. In 1967 you joined me in San Francisco. You were driving my car and chanting Hare Krsna. You were the first man to give me some contribution ($5000) for printing my Bhagavad-gita. After that, you have rendered very favorable service to Krsna in different ways. I so hope at the time of your death you were remembering Krsna and as such, you have been promoted to the eternal association of Krsna…as you were hearing Krsna-kirtana, I am sure that you were directly promoted to Krsna-loka.

janma karma ca me divyam     evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janmanaiti man eti so' rjuna

(BG 4.9)

Krsna has done a great favor to you, not to continue your diseased body, and has given you a suitable place for your service. Thank you very much.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Breaking the Bonds of False Fatherhood’”

- Letter to: Jayananda, Bombay, 5 May, 1977

Sriman Jayananda Thakura left his body in full glory during the auspicious time of brahma-muhurtaon May 1, 1977, listening to a tape of his beloved spiritual master chanting in his ear, and with a maha garland from Lord Jagannatha cradling his neck and resting on his chest. Srila Prabhupada remarked that “Jayananda’s death is glorious,” and instructed all the devotees from all over the world to commemorate the auspicious disappearance day of Jayananda Thakura as we do for the other great Vaishnava saints in our Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya. He also instructed that Jayananda Thakura’s picture be placed in the Ratha-yatra cart of Lord Jagannatha, and to this day, a picture of this Vaishnava saint is always seen on Lord Jagannatha’s cart.

Jayananda Thakura, formerly known as Jim Kohr, was born in a good, upper middle-class family and was a strong, handsome and intelligent man. Even though he got a degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University, he surprisingly ended up being a cab driver in San Francisco, and when asked why he didn’t get a better-paying job, he’d say that he “didn't fit in with the upper class crowd.”

Jayananda Thakura was always introspective and compassionate by nature. His sister Gaynelle Kohr Pietrangelo recalls the one time when they went on a family holiday to the beach in California, Jim (Jayananda Thakura) spent hours on the beach picking ticks and fleas off a homeless dog because he simply “couldn’t stand to watch its suffering.”

During his college years, Jayananda always felt unsatisfied within himself. He felt empty and dejected to the point that his depression became almost suicidal. He later frequently stated that he was “never happy” before joining Krishna consciousness. In 1967, when Srila Prabhupada was in the Bay Area, Jayananda Thakur came across an article in the San Francisco paper about an Indian Swami who had come to the Bay Area to preach and spread the chanting of the names of God. This gave young Jim the feeling of a “ray of hope”, as he recalled it, and he decided to attend the Swami’s classes. He very much preferred and enjoyed the early morning classes with the Swami, and would sometimes be the only person there in the morning Bhagavatam class.

It was quite apparent how fond Srila Prabhupada was of Jayananda Thakura. Srila Prabhupada made a comment once during an initiation lecture in San Francisco in 1968. Chuckling, he said “Jayananda looks like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu...Yes. He was tall and stout and strong, Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”He would constantly ask for Jayananda Thakura when he came to the temple, and sometimes even make repeated requests for his disciple. When finally located in some distant place, engaged in service, Jayananda Thakura would refuse to go, saying "No. I can't go to see him. I'm too dirty. I'm too fallen.” Srila Prabhupada would sometimes invite his budding disciple to take prasadam with him in his room. Jayananda Thakura recalled, “Srila Prabhupada would cook prasadam and serve me. He didn't say anything - he just kept feeding me, and I kept eating."

Jayananda Thakura’s humility was true and genuine – everyone who associated with him knew that it was his most prominent quality. He’d stay back after festivals to do work so others could go see Srila Prabhupada. He would let others lead kirtan, do arati and give class, and would do menial work like cleaning toilets, taking out garbage, washing dishes or fixing cars and sankirtana buses instead because he felt himself unworthy. Once a new boy came to the temple to help out and he was directed to Jayananda Thakura, who was taking out the garbage. He told the boy, "I'm the garbage man around here. For years I've been watching garbage men carry out trash, and now Krishna is giving me a chance to do this for Him." The boy helped Jayananda Thakura collect the garbage and take it to the garbage dump, and he later became a devotee. He recalled thinking, "If the garbage men at this temple can be so blissful, just imagine what the rest of the devotees are like!"

Jayananda Thakura was always very conscious of Krishna being present in everything. Whenever a little prasadam would fall on the ground, Jayananda Thakura would bend down on all fours and lick it up – to him, prasadam was worshipable. He was well known for always being very enthusiastic to cook, offer and distribute prasadam on a grand scale. Whether he was out buying bhoga, or arranging park permits, or going out on Harinama, or working on the Ratha-yatra carts, he would always carry some prasadam with him and distribute it to everyone. He even said “prasadam” in a special way that would make whoever he was speaking to want to immediately take it.

Jayananda Thakura’s glories are endless, and it was obvious that he not only understood the philosophy but realised it as well. Srila Prabhupada wrote a letter to Jayananda Thakura in September of 1967 saying, “Your service attitude for Krishna and your sincere attempts at being advanced in Krishna Consciousness will work with you and make your life more and more glorious and a happy state. I've been very glad that you are appreciating by yourself the effects of sincere Krishna Consciousness. I've nothing new to instruct you, the same old instruction namely constant chanting and attentively hearing the transcendental vibration Hare Krishna is the only process for self realization in this age. In San Francisco while you were driving your car and I was sitting by you hearing your transcendental vibration, this very sincere attempt has enriched your consciousness and my only instruction is that you may constantly do this habit without fail.”

In 2012, a memorial for Jayananda Thakura was established in Sri Rajapur Jagannatha Mandir in Sri Mayapur Dhama, where he is honored by all who visit. His Grace Prahlada Priya Prabhu (ACBSP) donated Jayananda Thakura’s jacket and it is kept in Jayananda Thakura’s samadhi.

Sriman Jayananda Thakura was, as many devotees say, ISKCON’s first saint. He exemplified the qualities described in the Bhagavad-gita:

“For one who worships Me, giving up all his activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, who has fixed his mind upon Me, O son of Pritha, for him I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.”
(Bhagavad-Gita 12.6-7)

“One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me –he is very dear to Me.”
(Bhagavad-Gita 12.13-14)

All glories to Srila Jayananda Thakura!

Sri Navadvipa Dhama has long been a center of learning and education. In the time of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, people would come from all over India to Navadvipa – the educational center of the world. Now, Sri Dham Mayapur has three esteemed schools for children’s education, one of which is the Bhaktivedanta National School (BVNS).

His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami was the main inspiration behind the school, as he understood the need for the local children to have a basic education so that they can attend good local colleges and universities. With the help of his Grace Prasun Prabhu and Ram Chakraborty Prabhu from the Bhaktivedanta Manor in London, Maharaja gathered sufficient funds to establish this school, which became a reality in 2003. Named after the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Conciousness, the Bhaktivedanta National School has been prospering wonderfully for the last fourteen years, running under the Sri Dham Mayapur Township Trust.

The BVNS is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and offers a good education that is open not only to devotee children, but to the local children of the surrounding communities at an affordable price. Children from the surrounding cities come to this school for a balanced education in an English medium school. There are children who come from as far as Krsnanagar and Navadvipa, as well as the children of the military officers from the border of Bengal. This English medium school gives a good educational foundation and so it is very appealing to many parents. Children from any cultural background or religion may join the school, and Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and ISKCON children learn and grow in harmony, having equal respect for each others’ religion and background.  

In this school, spirituality is taught as a science and thus on a completely non-sectarian basis. Out of the seven hundred and thirty students, the school has around one hundred and twenty students of different faiths. They all learn the science of Krishna Consciousness in a friendly and conducive atmosphere. The BVNS also regularly invites ISKCON sannyasis and senior devotees to give spiritual classes to the students. 

The teachers at the BVNS are all very dedicated to their service to the children. They follow a rigid curriculum according to the CBSE, and work very hard to ensure that all the students have a clear understanding of the subject matter. A former student remarked that “the teachers cared a lot about our character development…the studying there [at BVNS] was quite vigorous, so it put me into a tight schedule, but in quite good association. I had a very good learning experience. The teachers are very thorough and determined, and very dedicated...it helped me a lot.”

The school aims to impart quality education through a comprehensive, structured curriculum using innovative classroom methodologies and cater to a holistic all round development through co-curricular activities that weave values and tradition into them.

Currently, the Bhaktivedanta National School has seven hundred and twenty students. As testimony to the quality of education, out of forty-two thousand eight hundred (42,800) schools spread over twenty-five countries, one student from the BVNS ranked first in an English International Olympiad examination. The school is currently planning to expand, by constructing additional classrooms and a large assembly hall.

The Bhaktivedanta National School offers a comprehensive education to every student, and in addition to a good academic education, aims to provide a strong foundation in Krishna Consciousness.  

In 1968, Gordon John Erdman was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in Montreal, Canada, and given the name Jayapataka dasa. The name Jayapataka is translated as “victory flag,” and has proved to be truly befitting of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja, who has ceaselessly championed the cause of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu undeterred by any kind of challenges. 

On Kamada Ekadasi, which falls on the 27^th of March 2018, His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s 69^th Vyasa Puja will be celebrated.  Jayapataka Swami Maharaja is the longest-standing Sarasvata Gaudiya Vaishnava sannyasi currently serving on this planet, for Srila Prabhupada gave him sannyasa in 1970 when he was only 21 years old.

Jayapataka Swami had his first encounter with the devotees while he was attending university, after he had begun planning to go to India to search for a spiritual teacher.  After meeting the devotees briefly, he then spent some time trying to again find the devotees, but did not succeed until he was in San Francisco.  There, Jayananda Prabhu engaged him in making the cart for Lord Jagannatha’s Rathayatra and on Rathayatra day Jayapataka Swami, then Gordon John Erdman, joined ISKCON.  He then traveled to Montreal to meet Srila Prabhupada, and took initiation from him there and immediately took on the post of temple president of the Montreal center.

Jayapataka Swami helped open temples in Toronto and Chicago before Srila Prabhupada sent him to India in 1970, where he served as the temple president of ISKCON Kolkata for a year and a half before Srila Prabhupada sent him to Mayapur and gave him sannyasa. Srila Prabhupada gave him and a few others the task of developing the Mayapur project, saying, “I have given you the kingdom of God. Now develop it and enjoy it.”

ISKCON Mayapur’s development and success stand testament to the dedication of Jayapataka Swami in serving Srila Prabhupada by making his vision for Sridhama Mayapur a reality.  Srila Prabhupada once remarked in a letter to Jayapataka Swami: “You are the best man for this task of being responsible for our world headquarters at Mayapur, thank you very much for helping me in this way.” (Letter to Jayapataka – 22 October 1972, Vrindavan).

Jayapataka Swami has served Srila Prabhupada in innumerable ways, including book distribution; temple construction; agricultural development; establishing bhakti-vriksha and namahatta; large-scale pandal programs; establishing Food for Life programs; serving as chairman of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust which Srila Prabhupada established to renovate Gaudiya Vaishnava temples and holy places; translating books; and serving as a GBC, Zonal Secretary, and ISKCON India Bureau member, among many other things.  Jayapataka Swami travels continuously, always preaching the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, despite the serious health difficulties which would have put a stop to any ordinary person.

Despite his many other responsibilities and services, Jayapataka Swami remains a foundational support for the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir and the ISKCON Mayapur community.  His ongoing guidance, support, encouragement, and inspiration affect almost every aspect of ISKCON Mayapur, and despite his hectic travel schedule and serious health issues, he visits Mayapur often.

The life and service of Jayapataka Swami serve as an inspiration for any aspiring devotee of the Lord, for he shows through his example what it means to have true dedication to devotional service, to have unshakable determination to spread the sankirtana movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to have genuine compassion for every living being, to have completely transcended the bodily consciousness, and to be firmly attached to the lotus of feet of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.

All glories to His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja!

All of the devas, ṛṣis, and tīrthas congregate in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur to worship the Supreme Lord, for in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur – the center of the universe – Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa eternally reside and bestow Their benediction and mercy to those who worship Them there.

Is it any wonder, then, that Śrīla Prabhupāda stated that Māyāpur, the World Headquarters of his ISKCON movement, was his place of worship?  It is described in Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta that “[h]e and his devotees would worship the Supreme Lord there in such a magnificent style that the whole world would be attracted to Prabhupāda’s place of worship, the Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir.” And this is indeed the case, for the opulence and devotion of Śrīdhāma Māyāpur’s Deity worship attracts and inspires devotees worldwide.

In 1972, it was hard to imagine that the Deities of Māyāpur would be served in the grand style in which They are now worshipped. When the Māyāpur project was just beginning, the original Rādhā-Mādhava Deities were housed in a simple thatched hut and worshipped by only one pūjārī.  His Grace Jananivāsa Prabhu, the head pūjārī of ISKCON Māyāpur, recalls that in those early days the devotees could afford to offer only one piece of sandeśa per day, and this one piece had to be cut up to be used in each of the day’s bhoga offerings. Yet, Śrīla Prabhupāda spoke about housing Rādhā-Mādhava in a marble palace and offering Them the most elaborate worship. Śrīla Prabhupāda assured the devotees that since Mādhava is the husband of the Goddess of fortune, all facility would be provided. They must simply continue to serve Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava with love and devotion, and Mādhava would take care of everything.

Today, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and Their Aṣṭa-sakhīs, Śrī Śrī Pañca-tattva, and Śrī Śrī Prahlāda Nṛsiṁhadeva are worshipped with the opulence of kings and queens, and the Deity Department is so large that it is split into seven subdivisions, each of which is responsible for a different aspect of Their worship.  Overseeing all of these aspects are His Grace Jananivāsa Prabhu and His Grace Paṅkajāṅghri Prabhu, who have been the pūjārīs of Māyāpur since the beginning and are among the most senior pūjārīs in ISKCON.

The Deities of Śrī Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir are worshipped on the altar by approximately 60 pūjārīs, who wake Them, dress Them, perform seven āratis throughout the day, offer Them bhoga, dress Them again in the evening, and put Them to rest.

Assisting the pūjārīs to opulently dress the Lord are over 40 devotees who make garlands, bouquets, and flower arrangements for the Lord’s worship.  In Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, most of the flowers that are offered on a daily basis are grown in two flower gardens that are maintained on the temple grounds.  These gardens are cared for by 20 devotees.  In addition to this, many devotees grow flowers in their own homes and pick flowers from the surrounding area to offer to the Deities.  Every day, 100 garlands are made and offered.  In the mornings and evenings, groups of local devotees gather to string the beautiful – and very large! – garlands that are offered to the Deities, to create bouquets to be held by the Aṣṭa-sakhīs and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and to fashion flower arrangements to beautify the altars.

The opulent outfits offered to the Deities are all designed, stitched, and embroidered by a team of 28 local devotees who work year-round to create the Lord’s beautiful clothing.  Resident devotees also hand make most of the jewelry worn by the Māyāpur Deities.

Approximately 35 devotees are engaged in caring for the Deities’ paraphernalia rooms and paraphernalia.  These devotees clean, polish, organize, and in other ways ensure that the Lord’s belongings are maintained nicely.

Deity worship could not be complete without opulent bhoga offerings, and Śrīdhāma Māyāpur is renowned for the delicious preparations offered to the Deities.  The Deities receive eight bhoga offerings a day, which are cooked by at least 10 devotees and on festivals days by 40 devotees or more. In the early days in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur devotees could only afford to offer the Lord one piece of sandeśa a day, but now the Deities are daily offered an abundance of the most delicious sweets: milk sweets like sandeśa, barfī, and rasamalai, and cakes, cookies, and other varieties of sweet preparations.  There is even a separate kitchen used as a confectionery for the preparation of some of these items.  And of course, the sweets are only one aspect of the opulent meals.  The Lord’s rāja-bhoga offering alone consists of 25 different preparations, each expertly prepared for the Lord’s pleasure.

It is said that in the spiritual world, every day is a festival, and in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, it truly seems as if a festival is always being celebrated.  More than 150 days per year are celebrated as festivals for the pleasure of the Lord and His devotees!  These festivals are performed in a grand and opulent manner to please and glorify the Lord and to submerge the Vaiṣṇavas in an ocean of bliss. The Māyāpur Festival Committee’s sole purpose is to plan and execute festivals for the pleasure of the Lord and the Lord’s devotees, and working under their direction are many other devotees who assist in the hours, weeks, and sometimes months of planning and preparation that are required for Māyāpur’s elaborate festivals.  The number of devotees who assist with the festivals is difficult to calculate, for the entire ISKCON Māyāpur community comes together to help, along with devotees from around the world and local residents from the surrounding areas.

Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and Their Aṣṭa-sakhīs, Śrī Śrī Pañca-tattva, and Śrī Śrī Prahlāda Nṛsiṁhadeva are the proprietors of ISKCON Māyāpur, and all who reside there are Their servants. They are the center of the Māyāpur community, and all residents of ISKCON Māyāpur engage in Their service in one way or another – and as Śrīdhāma Māyāpur is the World Headquarters of ISKCON, the Lords of Śrī Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir have a special relationship with ISKCON devotees from all over the world.  Many thousands of devotees take darśana of the Deities in Māyāpur every year, and many more take darśana regularly through Māyāpur TV.  It is said that Deity worship is at the heart of any Vaiṣṇava community, and this is certainly true of ISKCON Māyāpur.

jaya jaya śrīvāsādi gaura-bhakta-gaṇa
sarvābhīṣṭa-pūrti-hetu yāṅhāra smaraṇa

All glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura! In order to fulfill all my desires, I remember their lotus feet.  – Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 9.3

What is the significance of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura to devotees in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is one of the five Pañca-tattva, and worshipable to all aspiring servants of the Lord.  Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is the leader of all the devotees of Lord Caitanya; the general of Mahāprabhu’s army. 

He is the leader because he represents the perfection of devotional service to the Lord manifested in jīva-tattva. Of the five Pañca-tattva, it is Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura alone who is jīva-tattva, or a manifestation of the marginal energy of the Lord.  Thus, in terms of tattva, he is of the same category as all the souls in this world.  But because he eternally engages in the worship of the Supreme Lord, he is described by Śrīla Prabhupāda as being worshipable and in the same category as the other four Pañca-tattva.

“Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Lord, and Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu are manifestations of the Supreme Lord. All of Them are viṣṇu-tattva, the Supreme, and are therefore worshipable by the living entities. Although the other two tattvas within the category of Pañca-tattva — namely, śakti-tattva and jīva-tattva, represented by Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa — are worshipers of the Supreme Lord, they are in the same category because they eternally engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.” (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 7.15, Purport)

If Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, as the perfect devotee, is the leader of all the followers of Lord Caitanya, then how should devotees look to him as their leader? One way Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura performs his role as a general in Mahāprabhu’s army is by providing an example of how devotees should fight against māyā. 

Śrīla Prabhupāda describes in his purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.11.1: “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also given us a nice weapon for this age, as stated in the Bhāgavatam: sāṅgopāṅgāstra—in this age, the nārāyaṇāstra, or weapon to drive away māyā, is the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in pursuance of the associates of Lord Caitanya, such as Advaita Prabhu, Nityānanda, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa.”

This weapon of the holy name was utilized perfectly by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. He took complete shelter of the holy names of the Lord. It is described by Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura that Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and his brothers were constantly absorbed in singing the names of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It was in the home of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed His most intimate saṅkīrtana pastimes. Those nocturnal kīrtanas are compared to the rāsa-līlās of Lord Kṛṣṇa, for they are the topmost and most ecstatic of the Lord’s pastimes.

Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura also exemplifies complete faith in and surrender to the Lord. Śrīvāsa and his brothers are described thus: “These four brothers and their family members fully engaged in the service of Lord Caitanya. They knew no other god or goddess.” (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 10.11). Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and his family did not engage in anything other than the service of the Lord and His holy names. Day and night, they would simply chant. In fact, they did nothing to maintain themselves.

Lord Caitanya once asked Śrīvāsa how he maintained his family, and Śrīvāsa merely clapped his hands three times. The Lord asked him to explain the meaning of this clap, and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura explained that if for three days no food came to his family, he would drown himself in the Ganges. Lord Caitanya became agitated and reminded Śrīvāsa of Kṛṣṇa’s promise in Bhagavad-gītā that for those who worship Him with exclusive devotion, He will preserve what they have and carry what they lack. Lord Caitanya asserted that Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura would never be lacking – even if the goddess of fortune herself became poverty-stricken, the house of Śrīvāsa would never lack anything, because He, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, would personally provide whatever was needed.

Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura had such faith in the Lord that the Lord Himself promised to personally care for him and his family. This cannot be imitated, as faith and surrender cannot be falsely manufactured, but it demonstrates the greatness and devotion of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura.

Honoring Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura on his appearance day is important to all who are or are aspiring to be gaura-bhaktas.  In the ISKCON Śrī Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir, on this day Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is decorated with many items of flower jewelry lovingly made by community devotees.  In the morning, devotees hear about the glories of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and take darśana of him.  Around midday, devotees again gather at the temple to witness the wonderful mahā-abhiṣeka offered to him.  Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is bathed with many auspicious substances, such as milk products, honey and various sugar waters, fruit juices, and flower petals, as an ecstatic kīrtana takes place.

All glories to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, the leader of the devotees of Lord Caitanya!

“The best time and place is Mayapur on Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day. That is not only the best for me but for everyone. Mayapur is meant for that. If possible all devotees from all our centers should go for 8 days at that time.” – Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Tamal Krishna, Bhaktivedanta Manor 20 July, 1973

A few hours north of Kolkata is the holy land of Navadvipa, also known as Sri Dham Mayapur, which is celebrated and worshiped by Gaudiya Vaishnava devotees because it was in this very place that Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared approximately five hundred years ago.  Among all holy places Sri Dham Mayapur is especially significant, for in this fallen age of Kali Yuga the Lord incarnated here in His most merciful incarnation to deliver the suffering souls of this world.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared on the 23rd of the month of Phalgun, corresponding to the 18^th of February, in the year 1486.  At the time of His appearance, it is described that all the constellations were perfectly situated, and Mother Earth was experiencing great happiness.  Transcendental joy manifested in everyone’s hearts although they did not know why.  Due to the Lord’s desire there was then a lunar eclipse, and everyone in Navadvipa went to bathe in the Ganga and began chanting the Lord’s holy names.  At this auspicious moment the Lord appeared.

It was in order to spread the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, traversed the globe and during his lifetime established 108 temples.  But among all of these temples, one holds special significance: the World Headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, located in Sri Dham Mayapur.

Approximately five thousand ISKCON devotees, hailing from almost seventy different countries, live and worship Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu here.  Yearly, ISKCON Mayapur is visited by many people, both those who have long been practitioners of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, those who are new to it, and those who are experiencing it for the first time.  In 2017, the number of visitors to ISKCON Mayapur was approximately 6 million. 

Srila Prabhupada especially wanted all ISKCON devotees from all over the world to visit Sri Dham Mayapur every year for the annual Sri Gaura Purnima festival.  Gaura Purnima is the appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and to celebrate the anniversary of the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the land where He appeared, Srila Prabhupada instructed that a grand festival should be held every year in Sri Dham Mayapur.

Starting in 1972, this annual ISKCON Mayapur Gaura Purnima festival has been taking place every year between the months of February and March.  The festival initially spanned a period of two weeks, but now lasts for just under a month.  Devotees and visitors from all over the globe come to take part in the festivities, and become spiritually enlivened, enthused, and uplifted. The mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has reached the far corners of the world, but it is especially available and tangible in His eternal home of Sri Dham Mayapur. 

The 2018 Mayapur Gaura Purnima festival season began with the International Leadership Sanga (ILS), which takes place every second year prior to the official start of the Mayapur Gaura Purnima festival.  ISKCON leaders from all over the world came to participate in the eight days of seminars.

The Gaura Purnima festival then officially begins with Sravana Utsava.  The Sravana Utsava consists of four days in which devotees have the opportunity to hear about the pastimes and glories of the Lord from many senior devotees.  By hearing about the qualities and activities of the Lord, devotees become immersed in remembrance of the Lord and increasingly eager to celebrate His appearance day.

Following the Sravana Utsava is the Kirtan Mela festival.  For four days, from morning until evening and sometimes late into the night, devotees engage in the congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy names, following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates.

Immediately following Kirtan Mela is the Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama.  For eight days devotees circumambulate the nine islands of Navadvipa, camping each night in a different location, and visit the various places where the Lord performed His pastimes.  Each day of parikrama is a festival in itself, with ecstatic kirtan, Krishna katha, delicious prasadam, and Vaishnava sanga.

There are many other features of the Gaura Purnima festivities:

• Sri Sri Radha Madhava’s Boat Festival, in which the deities of Radha Madhava travel to Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi Mandir and ride in a boat around the Samadhi’s lake;
• Radha Madhava’s Elephant procession, in which Radha Madhava travel around the ISKCON campus while riding atop Their two elephants Lakshmipriya and Vishnupriya;
• the immersion of the ashes of departed souls in the sacred river Ganga;
• the grand festival in Shantipur, in which prasadam is distributed to thousands of people;
• Ganga Puja;
• the Ratha Yatra festival of Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra Devi;
• the feast of Jagannatha Mishra celebrating the birth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the day after Gaura Purnima;
• and every day there are cultural presentations of dance, drama, music, etc.

The day before Gaura Purnima day itself, the Kirtan Purnima festival commences, a two-day festival of kirtan celebrating the birth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.  The day before Gaura Purnima the all-day kirtan climaxes with the ecstatic adhivas ceremony, wherein many senior devotees speak and a variety of auspicious items are offered to the Lord to invoke auspiciousness and prepare the mood for the next day’s festival.

Gaura Purnima day is the culmination of the month of blissful activities which leads to it.  Mangal arati is a crowded affair, filled with pilgrims who have traveled by plane, bus, boat, car, and foot from near and far to have darshan of the Lord on His most auspicious appearance day. 

Before darshan arati, devotees listen for over two hours as senior devotees such as His Holiness Jayapataka Swami speak on the glories of Mahaprabhu and Gaura Purnima.  Then the Deities are revealed, dressed in new clothing and Their altars decorated elaborately with many sweet-smelling flowers.

Kirtan continues throughout the day, and many devotees go to bathe in Mother Ganga and receive her mercy on the occasion of her Lord’s birthday. 

In the afternoon, devotees gather for a maha-abhishek of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.  This abhishek takes place in a pandal in a large field behind the temple to allow for the thousands who come to watch and participate.  The Lord is brought on a decorated palanquin and then seated upon the snana-vedi, where He remains for over two hours as He is bathed in a variety of auspicious substances.  Devotees hardly notice the moon rising in the sky behind the Lord, for He, Mayapur Chandra, is the only moon of Mayapur they have eyes for.

Many who attend ISKCON’s Annual Mayapur Gaura Purnima festival experience a surcharge of transcendental enthusiasm, and they carry this enthusiasm with them after the festival completes and it inspires them to continue serving Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON movement in whichever city, state, country, or continent they call home.  All devotees are encouraged to come and participate each year in the annual ISKCON Mayapur Gaura Purnima festival!

In the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, it is described how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu along with His associates in the Panca-tattva broke open the sealed storehouse of love of Godhead, and became so intoxicated by it, that they simply couldn’t keep it to themselves, and decided to freely distribute it. Sri Nitai opened the marketplace of the holy name, allowing anyone and everyone to purchase the holy names for the price of faith.

Sri Nityananda Prabhu is understood be the most merciful - even more than Patita-pavana Sri  Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself! Sri Nitai risked His life trying to save the most wretched of people, and saved the offender Kazi from the wrath of Sriman Mahaprabhu, such was His mercy and compassion.

In his song “Madhur E Harinama”, Bhaktivinoda Thakura states: “Sri Nitai is more merciful than Sriman Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Sri Gaurasundara (Lord Caitanya) is wonderfully merciful. Sri Nitai is more merciful than Sri Gaurasundara. Sri Nitai is so merciful. He saw that the jivas have been suffering here, drowning in this ocean of materialistic existence from time immemorial. His heart bleeds, so Sri Nitai felt love, affection and compassion for them. He became sympathetic for the suffering souls, so He brought the Holy Name from Sri Vrajabhumi for those Kali-yuga people.”

Lord Nityananda is the embodiment of service in separation – the ultimate sacrifice of love. He only met Mahaprabhu after 32 long years in separation. He stayed by Lord Gauranga’s side until He was instructed by Mahaprabhu in Puri to go back to Bengal to get married so that he could preach to the householders. This broke Nitai’s heart. Lord Gauranga was His very life; how could He possibly live without Him? However, Nityananda took that instruction to heart and went back to Navadvipa, got married and preached.

No one can even begin to imagine the burning pain of separation the Nityananda Prabhu felt, but it was His sacrifice of love. His sacrifice of not having the Lord’s physical association was for the benefit of all the struggling conditioned souls, and ultimately for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. He followed the Lord’s instructions without complaint, all the while enduring the burning pangs of separation.

The acaryas say that no one can get the mercy of Lord Gauranga without the mercy of Lord Nityananda. Sri Nitai is Adi-guru (original Guru), and only by the mercy of the Guru can one make progress on their spiritual path. With determination and faith in Guru, who is the representative of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, we must push on with our sadhana and service.  Every endeavour for the pleasure of the Lord is a sacrifice that one has to make in order to execute his or her duty.

heno nitai bine bhai, radha-krsna pāite nāi
dṛḍha kori' dharo nitāir pāy

“Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, it will be very difficult for him to approach Radha-Krsna.” 

Srila Locana Das Thakura, in Caitanya Magala, writes a beautiful song which describes the magnanimity of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

“The noble Lord Nityananda is never angry, for He is the personification of supreme transcendental bliss. Devoid of any concept of false ego, Nitai wanders about the town.

“Going from door to door in the residences of the most fallen and wretched souls, He freely distributes the gift of the Hari-nama mahamantra.

“He exclaims to whomever he sees while holding straw between his teeth, ‘Please purchase me by worshipping Gaurahari!’

“Saying thus, Nityananda Prabhu rolls about on the ground, appearing like a golden mountain tumbling in the dust.

“Locana Dasa Thakura says, ‘Whoever has not experienced the awakening of affection for such an avatara as this, that sinful person simply comes and goes uselessly in the cycle of repeated birth and death.’ ”

 
“Krishna Consciousness is so nice that if one takes part in it in either ways, like hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, praying, or even simply by eating prasadam, the transcendental effect will be visible...If you continue like this I am sure you will make rapid progress in Krishna Consciousness.”

- Letter to: Lynn, Calcutta, 23 November, 1967

Prasadam plays a vital role in everything we do as devotees. From preaching out on the streets, to a huge festival in the temple, to a personal function, prasadam has to be there, otherwise the activity is considered incomplete. It is our sustenance – materially and spiritually. It carries the nutrients the body needs, as well as the mercy and purity that the soul needs. What more could we want?
 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami recalls that one time, after a big feast in Mayapur, Srila Prabhupada retired to his room and not long after that heard some dogs barking. He went to the balcony and saw the big pile of leaf plates with leftover prasadam, and there were children fighting off the dogs with sticks to get the leftover prasadam from the dirt pile. Srila Prabhupada literally began to cry. His Holiness Jayapataka Swami remembers Srila Prabhupada saying, “How hungry they must be! They are picking the prasadam from the pile – they must be so hungry! We must arrange for their prasadam! If you want to make this a mandir, a house of Krishna, then you must see that within a 10 mile radius, no one goes hungry. That will be your success. Krishna is everyone’s father. How can the son go hungry in the presence of the father? Immediately arrange to distribute prasadam.”


To this day, the ISKCON Mayapur Food for Life strives and, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, succeeds in fulfilling this instruction. Over the last eight years, the ISKCON Mayapur Food for Life program, under the Sri Mayapur Food Relief Trust, has distributed over three million, nine hundred and twenty-five thousand, seven hundred plates of prasadam (3,925,700 plates). By the end of this year, the number of plates will have reached four million.

The Mayapur Food for Life program’s mainprasadam distribution programs are, namely:

 GaurangaPrasadam: This is primarily for the visiting pilgrims who attend mangalaarati, and stay in the temple to chant one round of japa. They are all given a set of chanting beads and are taught how to chant. Once they have successfully completed one round, they are encouraged to take some of Srila Prabhupada’s books home, and are then given a free coupon for prasadam at the Bhaktivedanta Annadan Complex. This program distributes at least three hundred free meals per day.

 Pilgrims Prasadam: Everyday near the ISKCON Govinda’s restaurant, there is a Brahma Jignasa class, which is a Question and Answer session that teaches the basics of Krishna Consciousness. They conclude the classes with one round of japa and a bowl of fresh, hot, and delicious kitchari. This kitchari distribution starts around 11am and finishes around 5pm, serving about eight hundred bowls of kitchari per day.

 DhamvasiPrasadam: This program serves the devotees living in and around Sri Mayapur Dham. This project was initially started by Srila Prabhupada himself and has continued until this day. This program distributes around seven hundred full meals two times per week, which adds up to about thirty-six thousand, four hundred meals per year (36,400 plates). 

NagaraSankirtanPrasadam Distribution: With the support of the Sri Mayapur Food Relief Trust, the famous NagaraSankirtan party travels to the surrounding villages two times a week by boat and distributes the holy names of the Lord and prasadam. On average, they distribute three hundred to four hundred full meals of prasadam.

Once during an evening darshan in Mayapur, on February 15, 1977, Srila Prabhupada said: “Make arrangement for prasadam distribution, any center.For that, we have to work hard, we have to collect, we have to beg, borrow, steal—everything. Prasadam distribution. And kirtan…They must hear kirtan…that must be done.”

Endeavoring to fulfill the teachings and instructions of Srila Prabhupada, the ISKCON Mayapur Food For Life not only provides free prasadam, but also assists in emergency flood relief, medical aid, educational help, providing clothes and purified drinking water, as well as teaching and encouraging environmental awareness to the local villagers and farmers. This project is recognised and supported by the Government of India.

The Sri Mayapur Food for Life project also distributes over one hundredand twelve thousand (112,000) more meals throughout the year during every major festival, such as Gaura Purnima, Sri Krishna Janmastami, Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja, Shantipur festival, and many more. In these ways and others, the Sri Mayapur Food for Life project endeavours to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s instruction that no one should go hungry within a ten mile radius of the Sri Mayapur ChandrodayaMandir.

“So by distributing food, the spiritual food, simply by eating, he will be in Krishna consciousness, even if he does not do anything. But actually, we are inviting persons to come, sit down, chant with us Hare Krishna mantra and take prasadam and go home. That's all. This is our program.”

- Lecture at Christian Monastery, April 6, 1972, Melbourne

“Parikrama is a revival of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes.”

- His Holiness Lokanatha Swami

Since its inception by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada in 1918, the Gaudiya Vaisnavas have been performing parikrama around Sri Navadvipa Mandala. 2018 will mark the one hundred year anniversary of performing Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama.

In 1972, Srila Prabhupada and some of his disciples went on parikrama around Sri Navadvipa Dham, and since that time ISKCON Mayapur has been performing Navadvipa parikrama. The ISKCON Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama has been steadily increasing in size – from seventy devotees to ten thousand devotees and beyond – and is continuing to grow, not only in size but in activities, destinations and transcendental bliss.

In 1996, the year of Srila Prabhupada’s centennial, the ISKCON Mayapur Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama was divided for the first time into two groups – Gauranga and Nityananda – which comprised of the English and Russian speaking devotees, and the Bengali and Hindi speaking devotees respectively. To facilitate the growing numbers of participants, the parikrama is now divided into six groups, allowing for smoother coordination and facilitation.

Serving under the direction of His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami, who is the parikrama coordinator, and His Grace Sankarsana Nitai Prabhu, who is the manager, each group has a supervisor and staff who assist in coordinating the participants, classes, kirtans, prasadam distribution, deity worship, as well as the participants’ sadhana by organizing a full morning and evening program.

The parikrama day begins with mangala arati, Nrsimhadeva puja, announcements and Tulasi arati. The devotees then get ready and prepare for the blissful day ahead. As the parikrama moves from one place to another, enthusiastic devotees lead kirtan and engage all of the parikrama participants, as well as the local Bengali onlookers who the parikrama party passes by. Once the parikrama arrives at its destination, the devotees absorb themselves in the nectar that flows from the mouths of the various senior devotees who speak on the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. Sometimes, the devotees perform dramatic narrations and dramas of various pastimes, at the very locations where the pastimes took place, for the pleasure of the Lord and His devotees. This brings the pastimes to life and leaves the devotees with a deeper appreciation of the dham.

Nectar flows all throughout the day with hours of katha, kirtan and wonderful sadhu sanga. But the nectar does not stop there. In the evening at the campsites, the devotees gather for an evening program that begins with Sandhya arati and kirtan. Thereafter, the devotees listen to more katha and engage in a question and answers session. After an enlivening evening, the devotees are served a light dinner and hot milk, and retire for the night, dreaming of the day’s events and the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The first parikrama organized by ISKCON Mayapur took place in 1974, under the guidance of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami. The parikrama would take place over a period of seven days, and the devotees would go early in the morning and come back to Mayapur every evening by bus. From the year 1990, with the assistance of His Holiness Lokanath Swami, the parikramas began to stay the night in different camp sites which were constructed for the devotees to stay in. Different facilities such as pandals for sleeping at night and for prasadam, bathrooms for the Prabhus and Matajis, and transportation of prasadam to the meal locations were made to facilitate the devotees on their pilgrimage.

The Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama team engages approximately five hundred volunteers in various services such as speaking at the different places, performing kirtan, cooking the prasadam, transporting the prasadam, serving the prasadam, providing security, caring for any medical needs, broadcasting the parikrama, and so on. The combined effort of these devotees makes the parikrama possible.

Over the last three years, the Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama organisation built three new campsites, and they are planning on building permanent facilities in different places to better facilitate the parikramas in the years to come.  Some of the permanent facilities they hope to build are sleeping facilities, bathrooms, kitchens, office spaces, traversable roads and proper housing facilities for the senior devotees. The Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama has obtained the use of six pieces of land all throughout the nine islands, and hopes to acquire the use of more land.

Sri Navadvipa dhama is a place where everything is all auspicious. Even sleeping in the dham is considered to be the same as doing dandavats. In the dham, every step is a dance, every word is a song, and everywhere one may look, there are kalpa vriksa wish fulfilling trees and cintamani touchstones. The Lord appeared in this very place and performed numerous wonderful pastimes; the dust raised from the ecstatic dancing of Lord Gauracandra still hasn’t settled, and if one absorbs oneself in the names, qualities and pastimes of the Lord, they will feel that ecstatic bliss. By participating in Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama, the devotees are able to honour and visit the pastime places of the Lord, and thus become absorbed in meditation on and worship of the Lord’s holy dham. Everyone who has attended the parikrama has experienced this bliss in one way or another, and they can testify to it. It is a feeling that compares to no other than itself.

Bhakti Caitanya Swami once said that “…we worship Lord Caitanya through Sankirtan, we worship Jagannath through Ratha Yatra and we worship the Dhama, Sri Navadvipa Dhama…through Parikrama.”

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu predicted:

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma

“In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.”

– Sri Caitanya-Bhagavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 4.126

To fulfil the desire of Lord Caitanya, Srila Prabhupada globalized the chanting of the Hare Krishna mahamantra and his disciples spread it in cities and villages far and wide.  The chanting of the holy names continues to spread, reaching even the most remote areas.  In India, one example of this is ISKCON Mayapur’s Tribal Care Initiative, started by His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami (GBC).  The Tribal Care Initiative reaches out to the tribal communities of India, which comprise around 9% of India’s population – over 104 million people. 

India’s tribal people are currently undergoing a crucial phase of identity crisis. Their homes are built on land they do not own; they live in the forest but every tree in it belongs to the government; a river flows through their area, but its water is impure and therefore undrinkable. Uprooted from their own land and neglected by the government these tribals are unwillingly forced to move to towns in search of a dignified lifestyle, but in return they pay a heavy price for doing so: they have to give up their cultural identity in order to fit into society.

In order to help the tribal people in their time of difficulty, ISKCON Tribal Care Initiative has stepped in.  The tribal community is very close to nature and believes in honest and simple living, and ISKCON Tribal Care Initiative recognizes that this is a lifestyle very suited for Krishna consciousness.

Inspired by the teachings of Sri Krishna Caitanya, as presented by Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON Tribal Care works to uplift the physical, social, cultural and spiritual well-being of tribal communities throughout India while enabling the preservation of traditional spiritual values of harmony with God and nature.  ISKCON Tribal Care envisions a pleasing, prosperous, healthy, educated and culturally rich life for tribal communities built on advanced spiritual foundations and appropriate technologies that can sustain and nurture future generations and prevent the destruction of tribal culture by modern materialism.

 In order to help the tribal people and to introduce them to Krishna consciousness, ISKCON Tribal Care Initiative has been working to provide them with educational, health, emotional, social, and spiritual care. 

ISKCON Tribal Care Initiative has constructed prayer halls for the tribal people for japa sessions, daily discourses on Srimad Bhagavad Gita and other spiritual activities.  Tribal Care Initiative has also arranged yearly book distribution marathons, pandal programs, and weekly harinams.  In addition, ISKCON Tribal Care is working on opening schools in different states of eastern India, and also provides free coaching for students of different standards and different syllabuses.  Tribal Care Initiative is planning to establish a fully residential engineering college in Kharagpur, West Bengal to be feeless from standard VIII.  In Sri Dham Mayapur, the Initiative has acquired land to construct a tribal guesthouse so that people from the tribal communities can easily visit ISKCON Mayapur.

So far, amidst the forests of rural India, ISKCON Tribal Care has reached approximately 12,000 people through this initiative, and they plan to continue to expand their activities into more areas and thus continue to improve the standard of living, maintain the values and culture, and increase the spiritual practice of the tribal people of India.

In the midst of the lush, green Grihasta Para housing area of ISKCON Mayapur the Sri Mayapur International School is situated.  The school campus features an idyllic combination of brick buildings, pathways, and tree-filled grounds, and those living nearby can often hear the children at play, performing kirtan, or practicing mridanga. 

The Sri Mayapur International School, one of the educational institutes of ISKCON Mayapur, has been educating the children of Mayapur since it was founded in 1988.  Students of many different countries study together here and receive a quality academic and spiritual education.  The Sri Mayapur International School, or SMIS as it is commonly known, aims to be an inspiration to both ISKCON and the Vaishnava community by practically demonstrating how spiritual principles positively contribute to the quality of education and the lives of children and young people.

Many ISKCON devotees want their children to be taught to be Krishna conscious from an early age, and also want their children to receive certified academic training.  The Sri Mayapur International School caters to these needs.  The school is affiliated with Cambridge, and all students who graduate receive certified academic diplomas which will allow them, if they so wish to serve Srila Prabhupada in this way, to continue their studies at the university level.  But students do not have to study outside of the association of devotees to receive their academic accreditation; instead, they are taught in an environment where Krishna is always the focus, where teachers and students alike are devotees of Lord Krishna, and where they receive the opportunity to reside in Sri Mayapur Dham.

“My time at SMIS was absolutely amazing,” a former student recalls. “When I first came to Mayapur and joined SMIS, I was actually taken aback by how different it was from the schools I had previously gone to in the West. At SMIS, students and teachers alike all basically had the same values, same goals, same lifestyle, and I felt at peace and harmony within myself. Everyone was welcoming, everyone was encouraging, everyone was a devotee. I was able to get a very good material education with Cambridge, so I could go to any international university in the world if I wanted to, and besides having that really high standard of material education there was also a very high standard of spiritual education. I was able to do Bhakti Sastri and get my Bhakti Sastri degree at SMIS before I graduated.” 

Teachers at SMIS often use Srila Prabhupada’s books to fulfill the learning criteria of the Cambridge curriculum, so that even the study of so-called material subjects is related to Krishna consciousness.

In the past few years, students at the Sri Mayapur International School have participated in and won several national competitions, engaged in book distribution and various kirtan programs, organized a number of festivals and other activities, gone on parikramas, and have regularly done service at the Mayapur temple.  In addition, students graduate with Bhakti Sastri degrees and a thorough knowledge of Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, and the bhajans of the Vaishnava acaryas.

The school is working on a more systematic approach to sadhana development for its students, with the aim to ensure that all students attend the morning program either in the temple or at school.  The school has already developed a Bhagavatam curriculum, and teaches sastric topics to Primary School students on a daily basis, but the school is currently developing further sastric curriculums in order to expand the sastric study in the school.  In 2017, SMIS also introduced Sanskrit as a compulsory second language for all students.

Currently, the Sri Mayapur International School has one hundred and sixty-nine students and forty-four teachers.  Srila Prabhupada wanted his ISKCON movement to establish schools and educate its children in a Krishna conscious environment, and this school is a thriving example of the execution of his instruction.

“It is necessary for the leaders of the Krsna consciousness movement to start educational institutions in different parts of the world to train children, starting at the age of five years. Thus such children will not become hippies or spoiled children of society; rather, they can all become devotees of the Lord. The face of the world will then change automatically.”
– Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.12.23 Purport

I have come to Mayapur many times over the years.  The first time was in 1974. Between then and the 90’s I went on the Nabadwip Mandala parikrama six times without shoes!  But in all the times I’ve come to Mayapur and all the parikramas I’ve gone on, I have never felt so close to the Dham as I do when I go on the Kartik Parikrama with the Mayapur Chandra’s and the 200 or so others that come along on this transcendental pilgrimage.

Small and intimate, this gathering of serious devotees, from many corners of the world, travel together in cars and wingers, busses and boats, moving to various places hearing and chanting about the glories of Sri Sri Nitai Gaura and Their associates.

Srila Prabhupada told us that we could chant any name of God and then added, “We have got everything: Krsna's name, Krsna's address, Krsna's form, Krsna's activities. We know everything.”  On this yatra Srila Prabhupada’s words become a tangible reality, because each day we visit Lord Caitanya’s family and associates, see their homes and learn so much about their lives.

As the pre-dawn mist rises above the Ganga we begin our travel, muri (puffed rice) bags and water in hand; we go to each well-planned opportunity to relish the glories of Nimai and Nitai as narrated by Jananivas and Pankajanghri Prabhus, various Maharajas and Naru Gopal Prabhu, the leader of the Mayapur Chandra’s and our guide for this event. We hear the plea of Binoy Gouranga over the murmur of chanting pilgrims, “Get in the busses!  Chalo chalo we have to go.” ….and so we are off, to one sacred place after another, hearing wonderful pastimes and sharing the realizations of these senior Mayapurvasis, who have entered deeply into these lilas, with devotees from all over the world year after year.

At the samadhi of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, the power of Srila Prabhupada’s guru becomes self-evident. No-nonsense preaching tempered by real compassion.  He kindly recreated Vrndaban in Mayapur and so we can circumambulate Govardhan Hill, take ceremonial dips in Shyama Kunda and Radha Kunda, and reflect on how fortunate we are that our Srila Prabhupada took His Divine Master’s orders so seriously and went to the West to preach the message of Lord Caitanya to the English-speaking population. On the 5^th day of our parikrama some of us reminisce about our experiences with Srila Prabhupada, and daily everything is simultaneously translated into Russian, Chinese and Spanish – a living testimony to the successful preaching of our Srila Prabhupada and his spiritual master.

Hearing about the tears of Mata Saci and Vishnupriya Devi brings tears to my eyes, and causes me to meditate on the maturity and devotion necessary to apply the examples of the Lord’s activities to our own lives.  Premature renunciation is dangerous.  Let us pray to Dhamesvara Mahaprabhu to remove false pride from our hearts and allow us to learn from the Lord’s behavior without imitation.

With each stop another lila unfolds. In Srivasa Angan dukhi turns to sukhi by the mercy of the Lord, we beg for mercy where our Lord appeared, hear of the glorious, long awaited meeting of Nityananda with His Spiritual Brother, touch the ground where the Chand Kazi surrendered to Lord Caitanya and gave the order that the Sankirtan Movement would never be stopped in Nadia, float down the Holy Ganga and relish Her glories, and watch in awe at Champahati as Krsna’s gopis plot together and manage to steal His flute.  During all six days, various events are enacted spontaneously by the men and women in our party, delighting and enlightening everyone. Jananivasa and Pankajanghri Prabhus, along with Kavicandra Maharaja, beautifully portray the wonderful exchanges between Lord Caitanya and Kolavecha Sridhar – typecasting at its best.   

Lamps are lit each day in celebration of Kartik Mas and sweet bhajan and Kirtan are offered by Sri Hari Kantha Prabhu, Visakha Mataji and others. The beautiful vibration evokes the power of the Holy Names and the blessings of the previous acaryas.

Twice a day we stop to honor wonderful prasadam served by hard working, humble sevaks – in proper Bengali order – organized by Bhaktivinodanuga das with utmost care and served with love by people who come from everywhere.

Now this year’s parikrama is over, but another is already planned, with more sharing, more chanting, more hearing and praying, in the association of inspired Vaisnavas coming together to experience the nine processes of devotional service, on the nine islands of Nabadwip immersed in the innumerable pastimes of Lord Gauranga and His associates.

 – by Laxmimoni devi dasi

Experience it for yourself!

Kartik Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 2018: 6^th, 7^th, 9^th, 10^th, 12^th, and 13^th of November 2018

“My Guru Maharaja used to say that these literature are the ‘Brhat Mrdanga,’ that is to say, the big mrdanga, because like the mrdanga which can be heard from a long distance, simply a few words can have a tremendous effect on millions of people if they are propagated widely.”

– Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Niranjana, Los Angeles 21 May, 1972

Sri Dham Mayapur is the birthplace of the sankirtan movement, the place where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates first began to broadcast the message of Krishna bhakti, and the place where their pastimes continue to go on eternally.  It is here that the brhat mridanga, or propagation of transcendental literatures, has its heart, and the waves caused by the beating of this brhat mridanga have now spread all over the world.  ISKCON devotees worldwide spread the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu through the distribution of transcendental literature, and in the epicenter of the sankirtan movement in Sri Dham Mayapur, the residents of this holy place continue to do the same.   

Since the early days in Mayapur, residents of ISKCON Mayapur have made book distribution a priority, knowing how pleasing book distribution is to Srila Prabhupada.  In the 1970s, His Holiness Jayapataka Swami and other Mayapur devotees used to set out from Mayapur in a van to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books, as well as in the Nitai Pada Kamala boat.  They would travel from village to village, distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books and spreading the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.  In these early days, only one of Srila Prabhupada’s books was published in Bengali: the Gitar-gan, Srila Prabhupada’s poetic translation of the Bhagavad-Gita into Bengali.

Srila Prabhupada encouraged Mayapur’s devotees thus:

“Take this opportunity for preaching in Bengal. Especially please go from village to village with a party of 5, 6 men and preach the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu with great enthusiasm.” Letter to Bhavananda – Vrindavana, 10 November, 1976

Over the years, the success of Mayapur’s book distribution and travelling sankirtan parties has continually increased, and ISKCON Mayapur now has an official Sankirtan Department which oversees all of these preaching efforts.  The Sankirtan Department has only one purpose: to please Srila Prabhupada by distributing more and more of his books.  And they have been incredibly successful in this regard, as ISKCON Mayapur has achieved one of the top three yearly book distribution scores every year for over ten years.  For the year 2016 alone, Sri Dham Mayapur scored 684,775 book points.

ISKCON Mayapur’s Sankirtan Department operates ten travelling sankirtan bus parties, as well as eight of the approximately twenty book tables within the ISKCON Mayapur campus.  They also manage a storehouse where their many books are kept, and have a building, Sankirtan Bhavan, where most of the one hundred brahmacharis who serve within the department reside when they are in Mayapur.    

The book tables managed by the Sankirtan Department are an important feature of Mayapur’s preaching. Today, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to Mayapur every year – all candidates to receive Srila Prabhupada’s mercy in the form of his books!  The book tables successfully introduce many of these visitors to Srila Prabhupada’s books, and have been so successful that recently an additional book table was inaugurated. A portion of the devotees who serve within the Sankirtan Department are engaged to make sure Mayapur’s visitors receive books, but the majority of the sankirtan devotees travel and preach on the ten bus parties, bringing the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to those people who do not visit Sri Dham Mayapur.

The ten sankirtan bus parties travel year-round, throughout many different areas of India, including Assam, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Tripura, Bihar, and all over West Bengal. Six or seven devotees travel in each bus party, as well as Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.  Every day, the devotees rise early and perform mangal arati together, chant their japa, have darshan arati, attend Srimad Bhagavatam class, and then honor prasadam and go out to distribute books for the rest of the day. 

Their preaching is not without challenges.  Sometimes, the devotees preach in dangerous areas.  Once, while a devotee was distributing books inside of a bank, a group of dacoits entered and robbed the bank.  When the police arrived, they thought that the devotee was one of the bank robbers, and arrested him!  By the Lord’s mercy, everything was resolved and the devotee was set free.  This is just one example of the challenges faced by the sankirtan devotees, who despite such challenges, remain unperturbed and enthusiastic in their service to Srila Prabhupada.

Currently, the Sankirtan Department is preparing for their book distribution marathon, which takes place every year in December.  This marathon was first started in 1992 by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami and other senior devotees, and it has been incredibly successful ever since, with Mayapur scoring 251,888 book points in December of 2016.

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami is a continual source of inspiration and guidance for the Sankirtan Department, and throughout the year gives much thought and time to the ongoing success of the department.  Despite the immense services he does for ISKCON worldwide, he is still regularly involved with Mayapur’s Sankirtan Department, encouraging the devotees in their service and ensuring that their service is effective and progressive. 

Another instrumental supporter of Mayapur’s Sankirtan Department is His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami, who helped found the department and who stays with the sankirtan devotees when he is in Mayapur and offers them continual encouragement in their service.

His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami giving encouragement to the

 sankirtan devotees before their departure from Mayapur.

Many thanks to the devotees who serve within ISKCON Mayapur’s Sankirtan Department, who are surely greatly pleasing Srila Prabhupada with their successful distribution of his books.

“I am most pleased especially to hear that you are distributing many books. Go on increasing books, and go on increasing my pleasure.” -- Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Giriraja, Bombay 28 December, 1971

“Wandering in Navadvipa is the best of all opulences, the best of all religious principles, the best
of all kinds of worship, the best of all perfections, the best of all glories, and the best of all
oceans of sweetness.” – Sri Navadvipa Sataka by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura

Day One Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Mayapur.Chandras/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1536469286413494

Day Two Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Mayapur.Chandras/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1538662012860888

Day Three Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Mayapur.Chandras/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1540833975977025

Day Four Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Mayapur.Chandras/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1541531529240603

Day Five Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Mayapur.Chandras/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1545189405541482

Day Six Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Mayapur.Chandras/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1544434865616936

krsnasyoccaih pranaya-vasatih preyasibhyo ’pi radha
kundam casya munibhir abhitas tadrg eva vyadhayi
yat presthair apy alam asulabham kim punar bhakti-bhajam
tat premedam sakrd api sarah snatur aviskaroti

“Of the many objects of favoured delight and of all the lovable damsels of Vrajabhumi, Srimati Radharani is certainly the most treasured object of Krishna's love. And, in every respect, Her divine kunda is described by great sages as similarly dear to Him. Undoubtedly Radha-kunda is rarely attained even by the great devotees; therefore it is even more difficult for ordinary devotees to attain. If one simply bathes once within those holy waters, one's pure love of Krishna is fully aroused." 
- The Nectar of Instruction verse 11

Sri Radha Kunda manifested on the eighth day of the waning phase of the moon in the month of Kartik. This day is observed by bathing in the holy waters at midnight, which is said to be the time Radha Kunda manifested. At this time, thousands of devotees gather at the banks of Radha Kunda in Vrndavan. The devotees assembled there not only offer various gifts and offerings such as water, milk, fruits, sweets, garlands, lamps and money, but they also offer their minds, bodies and souls. Unified in prayer, they glorify Sri Radha Kunda, which is non-different from Srimati Radhika Herself. In the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 10.36.16, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura beautifully describes the pastime of the appearance of Radha Kunda.

The appearance of Radha Kunda is commonly referred to as Bahulastami. Bahulastami is a beautiful pastime wherein the cow Bahula takes shelter of Krishna. On the bank of Krishna Kunda, in Vrndavan, are deities of a cow and her calf, a brahmana, a tiger and Krishna, all of which remind pilgrims of the beautiful pastime of Bahula.

Once, the cow Bahula was peacefully grazing, when a tiger attacked her.  Bahula requested the tiger to allow her to return to her calf, feed it, and bid it farewell before it made a meal of her. Agreeing to her proposal, the tiger waited for her return. In the meantime, the cow went to her master, a brahmana, and to her calf and told them what had happened.

When they heard her pitiful story, they volunteered themselves to go in her place as the tiger’s meal. Bahula declined their selfless offer, but in the end all three – cow, calf and brahmana – returned to offer themselves to the tiger, who was delighted by this exceedingly favourable turn of events.

While the tiger contemplated which victim to eat first; who should appear but Lord Krishna, the presiding Deity of Dharma and the guardian of all the residence Vraja. Holding His chakra in one hand, Krishna assured the tiger of everlasting fame if he were to show leniency to the cow and its kin for their truthful and honorable conduct. The tiger released Bahula from her promise, and the calf and brahmana rejoiced on their mother being spared and felt blessed by Krishna’s merciful intervention.

Being so pleased with Bahula’s truthfulness and integrity, Krishna named the forest after her – Bahulavan – and blessed her to become His consort, thus in her next birth, Bahula became one of Krishna’s wives. This day was also named after her - Bahulastami.

Bahulavan is considered by some Vaisnavas as the most sacred forest of all, for it includes the most sacred place of all – Sri Radha Kunda. Srila Rupa Goswami writes in his Upadesamrta the following verse which confirms the superiority of Radha Kunda above any place else:

“The holy place known as Mathura is spiritually superior to Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to MathuraPuri is the transcendental forest of Vrndavan because of Krishna’s rasa-lila pastimes. And superior to the forest of Vrndavan is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Sri Krsna and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcellent Sri Radha Kunda stands supreme, for it is over flooded with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Sri Krishna.”

In Sri Navadvipa Dham, Sri Radha Kunda has manifested Herself in two places: in the island of Rtudvipa and Antardvipa.

In the Navadvipa Bhava Taranga, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes the mood and activities of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as He came to Rtudvipa.

ritudvipam tato gatva
drishtva sobham vanasya ca
radha-kundadikam smritva
ruroda saci-nandanah

“Arriving at Ritudvipa and seeing the beauty of the forest, Saci-nandana started crying while remembering Radha-kunda and other sacred places.”

In the island of Antardvipa, at the house of Candrasekar Acarya the maternal uncle of Mahaprabhu, is the Sri Caitanya Math, which is the headquarters of Gaudiya Math established by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Under guidance and instruction of Sarasvati Thakura, his disciples brought the sacred waters, Giriraja silas from the sacred Govardhana Hill, and the Tamala and Keli Kadamba trees from Vrindavan.  Being constantly absorbed in meditation, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura saw these holy places to be manifested and present in the Math.

In Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, on the day of Bahulastami, Radha Kunda and Syama Kunda are manifested in two beautifully constructed ponds on the platform below the alter of  Sri Sri Radha Madhava. The kundas are decorated with lotuses, lamps and many beautiful shrubs and plants. Devotees are given the opportunity to bathe in these kundas, by sprinkling drops of this sacred water on their heads.

All glories to the appearance of Sri Radha Kunda, the holiest of holy places!

*references: - Sri Upadesamrta, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.36.16, purport, Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Pramana-khanda 4.44, Nava Vraja Mahimamrta Vol 2 by HH Sivarama Swami and Vedabase. 

 “Because mother loves the most…in this material world, there is no comparison of mother's love. Without any exchange. Even in this material world. Mother loves the child without any expectation of return generally…that is called unalloyed love. Anyabhilasita-sunyam, free from all material gain.”

- Srila Prabhupada Srimad-Bhagavatam1.8.31 lecture, Los Angeles, April 23, 1973 

Mother Yasoda’s love for her beloved Krishna is more than anyone can imagine. Just imagine how great her love must be if she thought that she can catch and bind the Lord of the Universe! To her, Krishna is just her little darling boy...her mysterious darling boy. She is aware of the miraculous feats her son performs, but her love ‘blinds’ her from knowing the truth of His majesty. Srila Visvanatha Cakravati Thakur likens this to a piece of straw in a boiling pot of milk. Sometimes it rises to the surface, and the magnanimity of the Lord is revealed within the mind, but then it goes back under the foam, and it is forgotten again, and Krishna is just a naughty little boy.

Her love for Krishna is unlike any other. It is so pure and unalloyed, that even the infinite Lord who pervades the entire creation is no match. Her entire being is devoted to the comfort, pleasure and happiness of her darling little boy. Mother Yasoda sacrifices her own comfort and happiness for the pleasure of her son.

“(Yasoda) thought, "By the grace of my husband our household has become famous for sheltering Gopala, and I in turn have become famous as Yasoda, one who gives fame."

But there was more to it than that! The truth of the matter is that by her love for her son, Mother Yasoda is so great that she gives fame to Krishna, to her noble husband, and to their family lineage.

…It is difficult to describe the transcendental exchange between Yasoda and Krishna. Although resembling a mother breastfeeding her child, it was much, much more than that. Krishna was not just drinking ambrosial milk, He was drinking the liquid form of maternal love, and Mother Yasoda was not just breastfeeding Him, but pouring the very essence of her heart into Him.

In the mundane variant of such a relationship, the infant is the recipient and the mother the benefactor, but in this sacred exchange— the original maternal relationship— Krishna fully reciprocated with Yasoda, giving as much as He was taking.

While touching Yasoda Devi’s breast with the devotion that a pujari touches a deity, a current of love passed from son to mother, increasing her bliss immeasurably. And although laying on her lap, Krishna also entered His mother's heart, wherein she not only felt the bliss He was enjoying but also the love for her that He was radiating.

As a result they both became ensnared in a kind of spiritual rivalry in which each spontaneously outdid the other in mutual offerings of ever-ascending love. This contest of love filled the kitchen with auspiciousness, and with its rays it invoked the highest ecstasy in all creatures nearby.

Finally love reached the stage at which both Yasoda and  Krishnas’  hearts melted, and in that condition they both thought that one could not be without the other for even a fraction of a moment.

Yasoda Devi thought, "I shall die if I am ever separated from Him." Krishna looked at His mother, "How could I ever be without her?"

…Although Krishna had descended to earth to broadcast His unlimited qualities, especially His submission to His devotees, it was His love for His mother and her love for Him that were the deciding factors in His agreeing to be bound. That reciprocity of love was so intense that it erased from His mind the purpose of His incarnation. Krishna agreed to be bound. Not because being bound was a part of an eternal pastime, but because His mother wanted it”.

(Adapted from HH Sivarama Swami’s Sri Damodara Janani)

The Lord was bound due to the unprecedented love of Mother Yasoda. There is nothing greater than love; love conquers all. Damodara was not bound by ordinary ropes, but with the ropes of His mother’s unmatched love. She is the perfect example of maternal love; she cantered her life around her Damodara. With every action, word or thought, her only concern was the comfort and happiness of her son.

Despite the entanglements of the material world, we should strive for even just a fraction of the love Mother Yasoda has for her Madhava. This Kartik month is the perfect opportunity to try our level best to make the Lord the center of our lives. The benefits of the Kartik month are endless. Let us take this opportunity to capture that naughty little boy and keep Him bound in our hearts.

How will you capture the Lord this Kartik?

Sri Ramacandra Vijayotsava, or Vijaya Dasami is a festival commemorating Lord Ramacandra’s victory over King Ravana.  When Ravana kidnapped Sita Devi, Ramacandra set out to Lanka to punish Ravana and rescue His beloved wife Sita, and this day marks the occasion of Ravana’s defeat.

In Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila, 15.32-35, it describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mood during this festival:

“On the victory day celebrating the conquest of Lanka – a day known as Vijaya-dasami – Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu dressed up all His devotees like monkey soldiers. Displaying the emotions of Hanuman, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took up a large tree branch, and, mounting the walls of the Lanka fort, began to dismantle it.

In the ecstasy of Hanuman, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu angrily said, ‘Where is the rascal Ravana? He has kidnapped the universal mother, Sita. Now I shall kill him and all his family.’ Everyone became very astonished to see the emotional ecstasy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and everyone began to chant, ‘All glories! All glories!’ again and again.”

In Mayapur on this day, the festival is celebrated in many wonderful ways.  In the morning, a salagram sila of Lord Ramacandra is brought from Lord Nrsimhadeva’s altar, and a wonderful reception and abhisek takes place. The Lord is bathed with various auspicious items and is then showered with flowers.

During the early evening, there is a Ramacandra Rathayatra, in whichSrimati Sita Devi, Lord Ramacandra, Laksmana and Hanuman go around the Mayapur campus on a bullock cart on procession.  An ecstatic kirtan leads the way, while devotees throw flowers and make offerings along the way.The procession stops at various spots to accept offerings made by devotees from the community, the Mayapur kitchens and Nama-hatta devotees. Decorating the pathway for the pleasure of the Lord are beautiful rangolis made by the devotees; these colourful displays are made with coloured powders, glitter, flowers and lamps. The procession concludes with prasadam distribution.

In addition to this, the Mayapur youth from the Sri Mayapur International School (SMIS),under the guidance of their mentors His Grace Sri Harinama Prabhu and Sri Haripriya Mataji, organize and host a wonderful festival in honour of Lord Ramacandra later in the evening. Preparations for this festival begin three weeks prior to the festival, and the result is outstanding. The SMIS youth work tirelessly every day organizing and planning the festival to come – organizing the event, cooking the prasadam, and building a fifteen foot effigy of Ravana which is burned to commemorate his defeat at the hands of Lord Rama.

The Ramacandra Vijayotsava festival hosted by the youth is called the Ayodhya Fair, where there are many different fun activities for devotees of all ages.  The different fun activities, such as bows and arrows, face painting, throwing the hoop, and many more, are each headed up by an individual youth. These activities raise funds for the festival itself.

Starting the day before, the girls prepare and cook delicious prasadam for the fair. They make veggie burgers, delicious spongy cakes and a cool refreshing drink. The funds they get from the prasadam go towards the festival.

The boys make a fifteen foot Ravana out of bamboo, papier-mache, dry hay and other flammable materials. This takes them about two weeks to complete. They meet almost every day after school in their free time to work on the large effigy of Ravana. Aside from working on Ravana, the boys also work on a drama. For the past two years, this drama has been a highlight of the festival, which everyone eagerly looks forward to. Replicating the pastime of Ravana’s defeat, two boys engage in hand to hand combat and fight. To conclude the fight, the boy playing Lord Ramacandra lights an arrow on fire, and shoots the figure of Ravana, which immediately bursts into flames. The devotees jump and throw their hands into the air, shouting “Jai! Haribol!”with almost the same enthusiasm as the monkeys had the day Ravana was defeated.

In the evening, to conclude the festival, an ecstatic kirtan is held in the temple hall after Sandhya Arati until late in the evening.

“Ravana was made a very powerful man by worshiping Lord Siva…he became so powerful by the grace of Lord Siva that all the demigods were afraid of him, until he at last challenged the Personality of Godhead Sri Ramacandra and thus ruined himself.

- Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.2-7, purport