Dear All
Please accept my humble obeisance
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Here is a detailed activity from Guru Maharaj on the safari and post safari. Very interesting read.
On the 24th March 2011 we flew from Kolkata to Delhi and took rest at Gurgaon. We left Gurgaon for Kuruksetra before noon. It was supposed to be a 2 hour trip but it took about 3 hours to cross Delhi from South to North and we only reached the outskirts of Kuruksetra by 6pm where we were greeted by a harinama party of devotees who showered flowers on us. Then I had dinner and we left for Ambala. We reached Ambala at 8pm and there was more than one hundred devotees waiting for us. There was about 6 sets of Gaura Nitai which are going to be worshiped by different devotee families in their homes. I did arati for the deities and then abishek and then I took little rest. I then gave class at 9pm and crowd was very enthusiastic. At 10pm we returned to Kuruksetra reaching there around midnight. So its ended up taking us 12 hours from Gurgaom to Kuruksetra when it was supposed to be a 2 hours trip.
On next day we reached place where Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita. Srila Prabhupada visited this place and wanted to build the temple here to focus on Lord Krishna spoking the Bhagavad Gita. Srila Prabhupada said to have Gaura Nitai deities and Their Lordships Jagannath Baladeva & Subhadradevi deities which are already there and we also had Their darshan.
We also saw the place where Bhishma layed down on the bed of arrows and where Arjuna brought the Ganges with his arrow by the mercy of Lord Krishna. The Ganges and Temple for Bhismadeva and Hanuman is still there.
That evening I met a group of students of at Kuruksetra University who are all chanting Hare Krishna and also some devotees from Ambala. After that we went for an evening program with the Safari devotees in downtown Kuruksetra.
Next day we went to stay at ISKCON Delhi- Sri Sri Radha Partha Sarati Temple and in the evening I went for the Noida Rathayatra. I joined the procession and His Holiness Lokanath Swami insisted that I lead the kirtan. That was my first rathayatra kirtana I lead in over 2 years. I also sat on the stage with HH Gopala Krsna Goswami , His Holiness Lokanath Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Dhira Damodara Swami , Jagat Jivan Prabhu and one member of parliament.
On 28th of March, the safari devotees saw the Vedic Expo in our ISKCON Delhi Temple. Then they performed a stage program in the temple auditorium. I spoke at end of program. The detailed diary of the Safari is uploaded regularly at
www.jpsdisciples.com
We reached Vrindavan on 29th, they had a big reception with the Safari and I visited Sri Sri Radha Damodar Temple, Srila Prabhupada room, Rupa Goswami Samathi etc.
I meet the Safari on 30th in ISKCON Govardhan and circumbulated Govardhana Hill, had darshana of Radha kunda and Shyama Kunda. This day was Aindra Prabhu’s 58th Appearance Day, so we sponsored and dedicated prasad to Aindra Prabhu and I went to the second floor to see his room and samadhii with his Sri Sri Nitai Sacisuta and 2200 Saligram silas, Govardhan Silas and various other deities. We were explained some nectars of Aindra Prabhu and then I gave Srimad Bhagavatam class in the Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir and I gave initiations. Afterwards the Temple President Pancha Gauda Prabhu welcomed me back to Vrindavan after the long gap of 3 years.
On April 2nd I visited Varsana – the birth place of Srimati Radharani with the Safari group. There I received a chadar from Srimati Radharani.
On the 3rd I stayed overnight in Gaurgon at Sandip and Radha Kisori’s home and many devotee came to visit me.
Then I went to Guwahati. From the 4th-8th I stayed at J.p. Jaiwals house who is a live member and chants 5 rounds. He had Sita Rama Laksmana Hanuman Dieties as well as Gopal and others. One day the students visited and had a nice program at their house. They also have had a very nice program that three times a day they send SMS qoutes from Srila Prabhupada to all the students on their mobile phones. During my time their his wife accepted me as her spiritual father.
On the 6th we stayed in the Guwahati Temple where Rukmini Krsna and Lord Chaitanya is worshiped. It is on top of a hill and has alot of steps leading up to it. We had a program with congregation. They have 8 bhakti vriksa groups there but soon we will have 9. I was made an official member of dimasa tribe. There are 13 tribes and I am member of some of them. I also talked to temple devotees.
On the 7th I gave initiation and on the 8th I flew to Siliguri were we had a 3 day Bhakti Yoga retreat for the congregation and Nama Hatta devotees from North Bengal. The safari devotees also came and did a program. On the 8th myself, His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami and HH Gauranga Prema Swami inaugerated the retreat. There they have Sri Sri Pancatattva, Sri Sri Radha Madhavasundar in the central island of Antardwipa and around the temple is the eight islands of Navadwipa. In Simantadwipa they have a temple of Sri Sri Jaganath Balabhadra Subhadra, in Godrumadwipa the have Lord Nrsimhadeva, in Madhyadwipa they have Lord Siva, in Rtudwipa they have Radha Kunda, In Janudwipa they have a Yajna shalla which two are not developed Rudradwipa and Koladwipa. The safari group showed a stage program. On the 8th,9th and 10th I spoke in the evenings on how the temple was made to facilitate the devotees in North Bengal who cant always come to Visit Mayapur Dhama. On 10th I gave initiations. The first day I went up into the main temple for Dharsana and also had darshan of Sri Sri Laksmi-Narasimhadeva. On the 11th I took the special Darshan of Sita Rama Laksmana Hanuman as it was the adivas for Lord Ramachandra’s appearance day. I then flew to Kolkata and drove strait to Mayapur where I was welcomed by all the devotees there infront of the Nama Hatta building. They had arranged a chariot for me to sit at the Lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and there was a big Kirtana as we went into the temple.
I had darshan of their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Sri Sri Pancatattva, Sri Sri Prahlad Narasimha and then was welcomed at a pandal outside the Lotus building and I gave an arrival speach. On the 12th I went to the Gym in Mayapur and then attended the festival of Lord Ramachandra’s appearance. In the evening I went and saw the Bhaktivedanta National school drama in the pandal and I gave class and blessed the school children.
On the 13th they had the Adivas Ceremony in a pandal in park in front of the Lotus Building. The Adivas Ceremony is to prepare the conscious for the next days activities. They offered 26 auspicious items first to Salagrama sila, Tulsi, Srila Prabhupada, Bhumidevi and then to me.
My Vyasa Puja was then celebrated on the 14th. It was Kamada Ekadasi. I gave Bhagavatam class early in the morning before darshan aroti. After darshan aroti and Srila Prabhupada Guru Puja the homages began. HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami was first and then my God brothers and senior disciples offered their homages. Then an Ekadasi feast was offered to Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Sri Sri Pancatattva, Sri Sri Prahlad Narasimha and Srila Prabhupada and myself. Then I gave class. Then there was foot bathing, puspanjali and maha aroti. Then the devotees honored the Ekadasi feast.
In the afternoon the homages continued and in the evening there was cultural programs including Dramas, songs and skits.
On the 15th there was Guru Puja in the Gada building and then I gave class on the importance of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, chanting Hare Krishna and worshiping Krishna to the bengali speaking devotees. Bhaja Krsna, Bolo Krishna, koro Krsna siksa. At lunch we had a big feast with 1200 preparations and in the evening we had a photo session with all the yatra groups. Then I interviewed the initiation candidates.
16th 17th morning we went to Midnapur and we spoke to about 3 thousand devotees and about 500 took aspiring and shelter. At noon we return to Kolkata and they arranged the hall opposite Kolkata temple were 1000s of congregational devotees who are free only on the weekend celebrated my vyasa puja. Then I went to Chennai in South India on 18th we drove to Tirupati where Indian bureau, ICC etc. Hold meetings. Here they have beautiful temple with Radha Govinda and asthasakis. I was very busy with the indian national meetings. Meeting was attended by leaders from all over india. Indian bureau, indian continental meetings, four divisional councils of east, south, west and north kept me very busy. Saturday the 23rd there was an installation ceremony of Jaya and Vijaya dikpalas at the main entrance of the temple. In the late afternoon we had initiation ceremony with candidates from all over south india took part in it. I didn’t had time to go for Balaji’s Darshan but the head priests of Tirumala who personally worship Lord Balaji came to our temple and gave me some charnamarta along with the mahaprasadam chadar of the lord.
On the 24th we went to chennai were a big reception was held. From there I flew to Coimbatore. In Coimbatore we went to the temple where we had darshan of Jaganath,Baladev, subadra, prahladnarsimha, gaura nitai and Srila Prabhupada. There were about 500 devotees present there and I addressed them for a short time. From there drove to the Auryvedic pharmacy hospital. In this hospital there is a temple of Dhanavantari, lord shiva, mother parvati, ganesh, karthikeyan, uma devi and Hanuman. The main temple is of Dhanvantari who is the incarnation of Lord Visnu.
I hope this finds you healthy & happy,
Your well-wisher always,
Jayapataka Swami
Yours in the service of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj
JPS Disciples Team