Dear Devotees,
Hare Krsna. Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada. All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
We are so happy to inform the devotees that Guru Maharaja safely arrived to
Mayapur today. Guru Maharaja reached Kolkata airport at 11am and there were
many hundreds of local devotees receiving Guru Maharaja at the airport. At
12 noon Guru Maharaja was brought in his vehicle to Mayapur assisted by Dr.
Acyutananda prabhu, Ekanath Gaura prabhu, Maha Varaha prabhu and Bhadra
Balaram prabhu. Guru Maharaja had a lunch break on the way.
Guru Maharaja first stopped at Rajapur. He took a shower and had darshan of
his beloved Deities Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi. Guru
Maharaja always recommends devotees’ to pray to these powerful Deities as
They perform many pastimes.
Since more than a week devotees in Mayapur and the devotees who have arrived
for the Gaura Purnima festiva kept on asking us when Guru Maharaja would
arrive to Mayapur. All of them were eager to have his darshan and especially
today. As it was announced that Guru Maharaja would be arriving at 4 pm
everyone was anticipating his arrival. Couple of times it so happened that I
got the news that Guru Maharaja already arrived. Later we found out that the
devotees mistakened the Harinam party for Guru Maharaja’s arrival.
We heard the siren of the temple ringing announcing Guru Maharaja’s arrival.
The devotees rushed to the main gate to receive Guru Maharaja. The
atmosphere was fully surcharged and vibrant with ecstatic kirtan and
dancing. The temple court yard and the main gate was decorated with big
colorful Rangolis. Some devotees were holding a banner which had a sign
welcoming Guru Maharaja back to home. Laksmipriya, our Radha Madhava’s
elephant carrier was by the main gate along with Gaura Nitai Deities of
Harinam Party to welcome Guru Maharaja. Outside the main gate were the GBCs,
Sannyasis, Godbrothers and Godsisters of Guru Maharaja awaiting to receive
Guru Maharaja. It was so overwhelming to see the love and affection of the
devotees!
Just before arriving to the main gate Guru Maharaja was received by the
Bhaktivedanta National school kids with a plate of flowers, flags,
inspirational quotes auspiciously welcoming Guru Maharaja while blowing
conch shells by the National school. Then when Guru Maharaja arrived at the
Nama Hatta building, the Nama Hatta devotees also welcomed Guru Maharaja
with kirtan and arotik.
As the time kept passing by devotees got more and more eager to have Guru
Maharaja’s darshan. They were unable to wait longer. Finally all the
devotees faces became jubiliant when they saw Guru Maharaja’s car
approaching nearer. As Guru Maharaja entered the main gate the devotees
showered flower petals from above. With the prayers of all the devotees
worldwide Guru Maharaja was victoriously entering his home back after his 5
months of being physically away from Mayapur. HG Pankanjanghri prabhu was
dancing in the front and the devotees were also chanting and dancing
following him.
Guru Maharaja was seated on his wheel chair and was taken inside the temple
to have the darshan of the Deities. Guru Maharaja was first taken to Srila
Prabhupada, then to Sri Sri Panca Tattva and then to Sri Sri Radha Madhava
on the platform closer to the Deities. Govindam prayers were played. After
Guru Maharaja had the darshan all the devotees who had gathered at the
temple were requested to be seated by HG Hari Sauri prabhu. The temple was
fully packed.
Guru Maharaja delivered the arrival speech which was repeated by Shiromani
Mataji and then translated into Bengali by HH Bhakti Purushottam Swami
Maharaja.
I have received the following links to hear and download today’s speech by
Guru Maharaja.
URL to listen.
http://www.jayapatakaswami.com
URL to download in Winzip.
http://www.jayapatakaswami.com/gm_in_mayapur_20feb09.zip
Or you can also download at http://mayapur.com/downloads
The transcription of the lecture is as follows:
Guru Maharaja first led a small kirtan singing,
Nitai Gauranga Nitai Gauranga
Jaya Radha Madhava Radha Madhava Radhe
Jaya Panca Tattva Jaya Panca Tattva
Jaya Prahlad Nrsimha Jaya Prahlad Nrsimha
Jaya Prabhupada Jaya Prabhupada
Nitai Gaura Hari Bol Hari Bol Hari Bol
Sri krsna caitanya prabhu nityananda sri advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura
bhakta vrnda
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama
Rama Hare Hare
Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Hari Bol
Then Guru Maharaja chanted om ajnana…, Srila Prabhupada Pranam mantras,
namo maha vadanyaya, he krsna karuna sindu, tapta kancana gaurangi, panca
tattva mantra and hare krsna mantra.
I am taking a medicine which dries my mouth up. So that’s why it is hard for
me to speak clearly. On October 23rd I was very sick with a haemorroid
stroke on my lower stem area of my brain. With such a stroke normally one
doesn’t survive. But GBC’s gave me their blessings, devotees prayed all
around the world and somehow I survived.
My normal memory is there. I am still having some other problems which
resulted from the stroke. My right side is very weak. My face is frozen. I
have a vision which doesn’t go left and right. They said that by Krsna’s
mercy everything can be cured. I am doing theraphy now so that I can be
active again in preaching.
I told doctors that I haven’t missed Gaura Purnima festival since 1972. Also
I have attended all the GBC Meetings. So they gave me permission for a week
to come out here. So that I will be able to see the GBC Meetings, may attend
the seminars, see Panca Tattva Maha abhishek and attend a couple of days of
the parikrama. So it is a good use of time. I have to do some excercise
during this period also. They said if I walk every day with a walker that
will be a good theraphy. They asked me not to walk in the night tonight
because the people will be too excited and might push me over.
So we hope all of you attend Gaura Purnima Festival with full enthusiasm. I
am very happy to be here back home and to see my Godbrothers and to see all
of you.
I want to especially thank Radhanatha Swami and Gopal Krsna Goswami Maharaja
who took special care of me and to all those devotees who prayed for my
recovery. Radhanatha Swami had 4000 devotees at the Vrndavan yatra praying
for me. Three doctors were around the clock watching over me when I was at
Hindhuja hospital. Now I am at the Bhaktivedanta Hospital and they are
taking nice care of me. So I am doing some therapies there. Every Sunday I
go out preaching to some nearby temple. Although I can’t speak very well, I
can’t stop preaching. I am addicted.
They told me in the Bhaktivedanta Hospital they have a spiritual care
department. They make about 25 to 30 devotees every month. They said one
patient was admitted into the hospital in bed number 16 of the economy ward.
He had diarrohea. His boss had told him to read Bhagavad Gita. He had
purchased Bhagavad gita during a marathon from some devotee in Bombay. But
he never read. So then he started to read the book and he also brought other
books. He came to the Monday lecture. There instead of Sunday feast they
have on Monday. So that day I gave class and he heard it. So then he started
chanting japa. So like this so that was when I was involved in the new case.
The kindness of the Bhaktivedanta hospital doctors they are also coming to
Gaura Purnima parikrama to give treatment to devotees freely. So this is
enough now as it is now almost time for arotik.
Class ended and Guru Maharaja was taken to have darshan of Narasimhadeva
while Narasimha prayers were sung. After the darshan Guru Maharaja was taken
to the newly reconstructed room at the conch building ground floor.
Your humble servant,
Ratnavali dd