By Aseem Krishna Das
This year’s Sadhu Sanga program, organized by disciples of HH Subhag Swami Maharaja, was held from 30th December 2023 to 4th January 2024 at Janardan Swami Ashram in Nashik, Maharashtra. Each year, Maharaja selects a different place for the Sadhu Sanga program, and this time, it was the Nashik Dham.
Disciples of Subhag Swami Maharaja gathered from different parts of India and abroad to receive the association and celebrate the 84th Vyasa Puja ceremony of their beloved spiritual master, as well as nurture their devotional lives. About 1,000 devotees participated in the gathering.
Lord Rama, Lord Laxmana, and Mother Sita spent part of their exile at the Panchavati Forest located in Nashik. Panchavati was the most beautiful forest located beside the holy river Godavari. We can read its description in the Ramayana. The Supreme Lord displayed various pastimes at Nashik Dham. The devotees got an opportunity to visit some of these pastime places, which included the Kalaram temple, the cave where Mother Sita lived, and the place where Lakshmana cut the nose of Shurpanakha, the sister of Ravana. Devotees also took a bath in Godavari.
Organization of an event on such a large scale is always a challenge. Many devotees had been visiting Nashik for many months in preparation. Many guest houses, hotels, and dharamshalas were booked to accommodate all the devotees. Buses were hired to take devotees to and from the venue. The monumental gathering required different departments like the cooking department, decoration and stage setup department, fund collection department, purchasing department, devotee care department, accommodation department, and transportation department. Different devotees volunteered to serve in these different areas. All of these services went on smoothly.
The devotees started their day with the mangal arti followed by japa. We were fortunate to hear daily the morning Bhagavatam class from our spiritual master, Subhag Swami Maharaja. Maharaja also wanted to check if his disciples were following correctly the regulations of devotional life. He promptly answered all our doubts. During the daytime, seminars were delivered by other senior devotees on topics like book distribution and Vaishnava etiquette. Programs for children, like drawing competitions and sloka recitations, were also arranged. Maharaja gave all the young participants special gifts. A wonderful drama performance in the evening on Ramayana stole the show. The devotees immersed themselves in their roles and brought Ramlila alive. Everyone, along with Maharaja, sat with their eyes glued to the stage. Their performance had no parallels.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/nashik-sadhu-sanga-2023/
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