On the occasion of Sri Krishna Janmastami on Wednesday, August 28, 2013, there was a continuous stream of visitors here at ISKCON Baroda from morning until almost two am in the middle of the night!
The beautifully decorated Deities of Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar, Sri Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadradevi, and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai, were the center of attraction for the crowds of visitors, estimated at over two lakhs (2,00,000/200,000 - two hundred thousand)!
The grounds and the temple room were decorated with a number of banners, many full size freshly cut banana trees, with the unripe bananas hanging from them, profuse flower garlands with decorative trimming, and with the leaves of ashoka trees.
There was continuous kirtan in the temple room throughout the day. At midnight there was “panchamrita abhishek”, bathing the Deities with the five nectars, milk, yoghurt, ghee, honey and sugar water.
VIPs, including the District Collector, Sri Vinod Rao, IAS, Police Commissioner Sri Satish Sharma, IPS, and a number of political leaders and leading businessmen came for darshan of the Deities.
Throughout the day bananas, peda (traditional sweet prepared from condensed milk and sugar), and sugar rock candy prasad (foodstuffs offered to Lord Krishna) were distributed free of charge to all the visitors.
There was a brisk sale of books, CDs, paraphernalia, and various type of “phalaahaari” (non-grain) prasad, in both temporary booths set up along the exit route created for the festival, as well as at the regular temple gift shop, sweet/snack stall, and also at Govinda's Restaurant, on the first floor, above.
On the day after Janmastami, Thursday, August 29, 2013, which was celebrated both as “Nandotsava” -- the festival of Lord Krishna's father Nanda Baba -- as well as the 117th annual observance of the appearance of ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, there were two massive feasts served, one at mid-day for ISKCON life patrons and donors, and then in the evening for the general public (an open “bhandara”, mass distribution of prasad).
Due to heavy rains experienced in Gujarat during this current monsoon, there was the very real threat of rain on the festival days.
However, as it turned out, there wasn't a drop of rain during the two days of the festival! Therefore, due to the extraordinary rush of visitors, extra rice and kadi (spiced yoghurt soup eaten with rice, popular throughout India) was cooked on the spot to satisfy the huge crowds that gathered to take Krishna prasad, during the open bhandara on the Nandotsava day!
Almost two thousand pictures of the Deities, temple, temple grounds, booths, visitors, and mass prasadam distribution, have been posted on the internet at the link above (on the Google plus webpage). Seeing the pictures will give you a deep, detailed look at the festival here that was a “smashing success” by all accounts! Local Gotri area Police Inspector Sri Banker commented that “the flow of visitors to the temple here was continuous from morning to night”!
ISKCON Baroda was easily the most visited temple in Baroda, and there are many, temples here of Lord Krishna here. Lord Krishna has been worshipped in Gujarat for thousands of years, ever since the Lord came here from Mathura while displaying His transcendental pastimes on Earth, five thousand years ago!
As Lord Krishna declared to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita (Bg 4.8):
paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca dushkritam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge
“To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.”
Since Lord Krishna's transcendental appearance five thousand years ago, the system of observing his appearance day on an annual basis was established and is followed throughout India till today.
Thanks to the main organizer of the festival, ISKCON Baroda Vice President, Nityananda Ram Das, the main sponsors, Sri Shivlala Goyal, Smt. Kanta Shivlal Goyal, Sri Surendra Goyal, ISKCON Baroda General Manager Ram Das, Dwarakadish Das, ISKCON Baroda Bhakti Vriksha Director Mantresh Gauranga Das and his team, Lalit Govinda Das, , Mohan Vamsidhari Das, Bhakta Dhirubhai Patel and his group, Ketanbhai Patel, Mayurbhai Shah, and all the volunteers and donors who were the support team for the festival. Without their dedication and tireless work, the festival would not have been possible.
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