Guru Purnima !

Guru Purnima Celebration!

International Pure Bhakti Yoga Society Phils., Inc

July 25, 2010

It was a rainy Sunday! Quite heavy rain! Roads are flooding almost impassable! But it did not hamper the devotees desire to go on with the Sunday Program in Adir Krishna’s ashrama! As soon as we get out of the van we need to step on a watery road and bear the heavy drops of water from the skies. Half of our saris and prabhus dhotis are soaking with water but needless to say the spirits are still HIGH!

As soon as we enter the ashram, you’ll could see  everyone was busy ! Radhika was pounding the roasted yellow unpeeled mongo for the famous  “Ginatan” (a glutenous rice porridge cooked in fresh coconut milk mixed w/ this roasted and crushed yellow mongo ). This will be the Food for Life preparation for that Sunday! Saksi Gopal prabhu from Australia was kind enough to sponsor the program for the whole month of July! Very nice engagement of him. Lavanga lotika dasi was busy cooking for the Sunday feast… her famous Bihon (stewed rice noodles mixed w/vegetables).tofu curry, eggplant sabji, and spring roll!

We started the program by offering pranams to the Guru  Parampara, then bhajans which lasted an hour with different devotees leading the kirtan!   Jadunath prabhu and the rest of the devotees arrived .

Sensing that we need to proceed now to one of the main program of that day which was to hold a meeting with the  local trustees  and discuss very important issues. Meanwhile the rest of the devotees headed by Saksi Gopal Prabhu and her wife Revati didi w/ Adir Krishna Prabhu went to do the Food for Life in the neighborhood . Alas in less than thirty minutes the pots ran out of prasadam!People are really hungry  nowadays!

The meeting lasted for three and a half hour. It was a pleasant  interaction on issues which need to be tackled and eventually by the mercy of Guru and Krishna things turn out nicely and the atmosphere became more cordial!

Then the Main event for that particular day was the Guru Purnima! It was my first experience to attend to such an event. I never had  it in my previous affiliation. We sang Sri Guru Carana to the big picture frame of Srila Gurudeva. It goes on with an ecstatic kirtana while Gadadhara Prabhu did the Guru Puja Arati. After  that  ecstatic kirtana  Jadunath Prabhu was requested by Isvara Puri prabhu to start the glorification of the Gurus in our line. It was followed by isvara Puri Prabhu.  What was emphasized on their  speech was  the importance of understanding  the mood of the Guru in our line .. what  they are teaching  that differ us from other Vaisnavas.  The following is a brief summary of the content of their speech:

That our line is teaching exclusively how to attain manjari bhava.And why manjari bhava? Because all of the gurus in our line are actually manjaris. And that manjari mood  does not compete for the love    and attention  of  Krishna towards them , rather  they share the joy of the pastimes between Radha and Krishna .This is the topmost of all. Besides that mood is achievable by the jivas through the mercy of Guru. 

 And that Srila Narayan Gurudeva  is so special because at  his very advanced age still he chooses to travel around the world to share this knowledge to all of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada disciples and grand disciples and even to the grand grand disciples. He alone has the most number of devotees being inspired after Srila Swami Prabhupada departed. He travel all around the world doubled than Srila Swami Prabhupada had done for  the sole intention which is to retrieve those withering spirits  that are scattering around threatened to become maya’s victims again. His compassion is unfathomable. He never discriminates regardless of you’re affiliation or qualification he freely gives mercy. Besides that it is only Srila Narayan Gurudeva who has the most translated books from the goswamis which broadened our understanding what pure bhakti really means. Personally before I took shelter to His Divine Grace I thought  that what makes us different from the other religion is that we are worshipping Krsna which I fully accept as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that the hare krishna’s are vegetarian and they offer their food before taking it. As simple as that otherwise not much difference from other religion in terms of piety.. But when I met Srila Gurudeva’s very sincere siksa disciple Syamarani didi, through her explanations and inspiration slowly I was able to digest something which I would say  made a vast of difference.. This is not something  just  religious but its real spiritual cultivation. Then I read Srila Gurudeva’s books and here I find that my heart was melting within with  bliss that I could not explain. Something that made me smile even alone and when I scan my memory to what I have read its still there bringing so much warmth and bliss. It’s a long way to go for me to come to pure bhakti but I am very thankful for  being  allowed in this  association regardless of all my disqualifications. 

More or less this is what transpired last Sunday  and everyone is committed to exert more effort to share this knowledge by doing book distribution and keep hari katha  regularly everytime there is sanga.

Srila Gurudeva ki jai!

Aspiring to serve,

Mitravinda dasi