(1/4) Grand and Joyous Festival

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Nrisingha Palli, 1 January 2021, part 1

Dandavat.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.
His auspicious appearance day ki jay.
All the assembled sannyasi-vrinda ki jay.
All the assembled devotees ki jay.
All the worldwide devotees ki jay.
Harinam sankirtan ki jay.
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay.
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol.

I am very happy to see you all. I have just got free and have this opportunity to meet with you all. So many people have been coming here from all over Bengal starting from yesterday and even the day before yesterday. There are still five–six hundred devotees staying this night: some are leaving tomorrow, and three–four hundred devotees are staying for the disappearance festival of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur (the day after tomorrow, on 3 January 2021).

I am very happy because the festival was very successful. All Gaudiya Maths from Nabadwip and Mayapur also came. Actually, my original assumption turned out a little wrong. It is a lockdown period and also 1 January (many pilgrims usually go visiting temple to temple at this time of the year), so I thought many would not be able to come, but by the mercy of Gurudev, more than a hundred brahmacharis and sannyasis came from Mayapur. I thought seventy or seventy-five devotees would come and had prepared some gifts (bags and pranami, donation) for this number of guests, but when everyone came, I saw that the quantity of gifts was not enough. Sripad Niriha Maharaj had to go and quickly get more bags.

Each year, when we make Gurudev’s Vyasa Puja, I always want to give some gifts to Vaishnavs – I always want to seize this opportunity to do some sadhu-seva, vaishnav-seva. This year I have got this opportunity, too, and this year Gurudev actually ‘overfulfilled’ my desire because so many devotees have assembled again, for the first time since last Gaura Purnima. Actually, the attendance at the Vyasa Puja festival this year was even more than at Gaura Purnima. I thought that it was winter season and not so many would come, but so many devotees came from all over Bengal, and they are all very happy. As I have already said, a few hundred devotes are also staying for the festival that is the day after tomorrow.

I feel very happy because all the brahmacharis and sannyasis who came from Mayapur are very pleased – they came and stayed with us in a very happy mood. We have been inviting them for many years, since the days when we were at the mul-math Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math (Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s bhajan-kutir), and when they come here now, they receive the same hospitality, warmth, love and affection that they used to get before, in Gurudev’s time. They saw that the nat-mandir here was full to the brim; some did not get a place, so they even stood outside, on the street. This is how the day went. Everybody is very happy with this festival. It is only possible by Gurudev’s mercy. They have all actually come to see Gurudev – they want to see Gurudev’s appearance day and what kind of festival I can make now that I have left the mul-math Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math (Kolerganj, Nabadwip).

This year, there was also special prasadam. Devotees made many varieties of prasadam, and not only Indian-style: there was also some Western-style prasadam. All Vaishnavs were very happy with it. There were two types of paneer (chilli paneer and cauliflower paneer), veg pulao (fried rice), a good quality of rice (basmati rice), posta boras fried in ghee and many other preparations. This festival was extremely great. Actually, this kind of crowd has come again for the first time since Gurudev’s disappearance. We have seen such crowds before only in Gurudev’s time in Nabadwip (at the mul-math of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math), and now was the first time we have seen it again, at this Vyasa Puja festival of Srila Gurudev in 2021. It is also the beginning of a new year. Happy new year to everyone.

Devotees also ‘inaugurated’ the new guesthouse, Sri Bhakti Sundar Angan – I gave nineteen rooms in that building, and they stayed there for the first time. Here, too, all rooms, verandas and the nat-mandir are full of devotees. I have also made a pandal behind the temple for everyone to take prasad. During the festival, we distributed prasad to all the Vaishnavs in the temple (at the veranda on the second floor). We feel great happiness after this festival.

That is the news from here, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Sri Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip. This is what happened today.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Grand and Joyous Festival
2) Protecting Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
3) Unblemished Sacrifice
4) "My Pride, My Joy and My Hope"