19810615 Darśana: Transcendental Festivals of the Gauḍīya Sampradāya

(THE FOLLOWING IS A MACHINE TRANSCRIPT - IT IS YET TO BE VERIFIED)

Today of course is a very auspicious day for the first time in about three four years that I was Mad President Panihati for our the Tiradoi festival there. I hope that they're observing it this year as we did in the previous years because it was always a popular festival but had gone down to about 20,000 15,000 people when we started coming three four years ago after Prabhupada went there twice and said he wanted to have a center there. Then we started to go every year with Nitai Gore. And now that festival has come up to nearly about 200,000 people and we distribute about 50,000 people sanchira and Doy means chip rice and yogurt. This of course originally began with Ragunad Baska Swami who was a grihasta who wanted to leave his family and join Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And he knew that he was supposed to approach Nityananda first.

But when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came by there, he approached Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. When he asked him Chaitanya Mahabhu for permission to join his movement and leave his house then Lord Chaitanya told him that story that you can be Krishna conscious even within your house. You should be just like the woman who has another lover than her husband who very carefully does the housework so she cannot be detected. You should so carefully do your material work but your heart, your attachment should always be to Krishna. And this way you should perform your devotional, service and separation very carefully also doing your material duties. So of course, Bhaguna Das, he followed those instructions but he was also a little bit shattered that he was not able to join the movement of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu directly. And when heard that Nitinanda Prabhu was in Panihati with his associates he took the advantage of approaching him.

And he knew he had made offense trying to directly jump over Nithyamanda and go to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. One cannot jump over the Guru and go to Goranga.

But by mercy of the spiritual master.

One can approach Krishna. By the mercy of Krishna, one is brought to spiritual master. And by the mercy of spiritual master one is brought to Krishna. If someone tries to jump over his spiritual master then certainly he will be a failure in achieving success. So Raghunath Das Goswami he was feeling that he had offended Nityananda Prabhu in his heart and he came and he offered his obeisances, fast, straight, full out just like a stick to Lord Nityananda from a distance.

And Nityananda said, oh, he has tried to directly approach Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

For this you must take the Dandha, the punishment. So Raghun Madhasa, whatever punishment you give Lord and Prabhu Nitanana said yes, your.

Punishment is you have to provide.

Prasad.

Shira Bay fruits for all these associates.

And all the devotees. He was the son of a rich landlord with no problem. What type of punishment? It was the greatest ecstasy that he could serve all the Vaishnavas so he was very happy to do so. And he gathered, of course, you know this from the Chaitanya Charadamrita already, how he gathered all the products from the villagers. He purchased yogurt, purchased the chipped rice and purchased koi.

Koi.

Koi means it's amazing how many products they make from rice. Koi is popped rice, regular puffed rice that you find india mudi. What they call puffed rice, which is very smooth and crunchy, has to have salt in it, so that can't be used with milk products direct with milk, because milk and salt don't mix. But koi doesn't have any salt. And when it is fried, when it is made, it pops like a popcorn, only it's a popped rice. So it becomes very big and it's very soft. So if you put it in milk, it soaks up the milk in its own way. It's very fluffy type. So that's very nice with condensed milk. So he bought big, huge amounts of koi, chipped rice, yogurt, condensed milk and different types of fruit. Koi. Koi is when Prabhupada says that famous story, urai koi, govindayanamo, you know that's one of these Gopal Bharat stories.

Great court gesture of the Maharaj Krishna Chandra. He was carrying a basket of this popped rice, which is very lighter than moody. Moody already is so light that one bushel of moody, 40 kilos of moody takes a huge bag. But koi is one and a half times more expanded than moody. So it's very light. You can have like a big bowl like this, and you put the milk in it and it'll just all shrink down to about this much. It's very deceiving. You think you have a lot. When you add a little melt, it just comes down back to the original rice size.

So he was carrying a whole basket.

Of this popped rice.

All of a sudden, a big wind came along and blew all these popped rice into the air. And before it hit the ground, he said what to do. He said, Buikoi oh, popped rice that has gone in the air. I offer you to Govinda, because before, when he hits the ground, it's unalterable, so it's still in the air, they offer it. So Prabhupada would use that the thing is already wasted. It's going to be wasted. When he offered to the window before that, he wouldn't offer someone.

Just like when the Brahmachary is ready to probably leave the movement and they say, well, listen, I call up the other temple. I'm going to give you a good man.

Or, no, he's already out the door.

All right, I'm giving you a donation. Many times india, he would use that when someone would come in and donate something. But it was actually already Krishna's to begin with. So Ms. Koi was with pots of condensed milk, the Kira with yogurt. And of course, that was distributed to all the people from the Chaitanya Cheradamita.

Even the people who sold the yogurt and sold the gird they also came and they also partake in the feast.

And literally hundreds of thousands of people, just thousands and thousands of people were packed up there taking this prasad even standing knee deep in water and taking from these pots. And while Lord Nityananda and his associates were on a raised seat and Lord Chaitanya had also a place there for.

Him and suddenly Lord Chaitanya became visible.

To Nityananda and they were dancing through the people taking and Nithyananda was putting the prasad in Lord Chaitanya's mouth. Lord Chaitanya is putting the prasad and Nithyananda is taking from the parts of the devotees and the general devotees that were there. In this way they're having so many transcendental pastimes. So this is known as the Dandamahutzav or the punishment festival of Raghunadas goswami. So today in Bengal Panihati is famous not only for this Dhana Muhutsav Tala or the place of this Punishment Festival but also that is the house of Ragavandit, Ragava Pandit. We know because his wife used to send Ragava Joli to Lord Chaitanya in Puri and he would take the whole year those continents. But also Lord Chaitanya, he is always residing there in Raghava Pandit's house. So we're trying to get this property. Prabhupada said it was very important. If we can get one of the five places that Lord Chaitanya always exists is Nanda.

Whenever he's dancing, where Godadhar Prabhu is making his tamarind chutney and where the Raghavanda's house, he's always there. So every year at this time for two, three days there's a big festival where all the gaudi of aisnavas from all different sampradayas, they all come there and they chant in kirtan and they sometimes roll in the dust of other Vaishnavas feet and they have so many festivities. So there was a small festival about 10,000 when we came, it started to grow and grow. So they have a place there, a marble raised seat exactly under the same tree just on the bank of the Ganges. So the first year that we came there, I remember we took Nitaigora and that was actually the second year. So it was already very big. We took Nitai Goa to the plate where originally Lord Chaitanyetinanda sat. So what happened was there was already a brahmin there who had set up a few little pictures of Lord Chaitanya.

People were bringing up their little clay pots with chira and doy yogurt DOI means yogurt and chira means chip rice and giving him ten prices on having their boga offered to the little picture. So we kind of put the brahmins pictures off one side and put the tagore down. Before I knew it was happening, he got a little upset but we told him, don't worry, one of know we'll give you a pot of chirandoi. And he stood up on the side there. But somehow another we got Nitai Gor through it. And when the Nitai gor came through the crowd there was this one Ketan group which they were singing from Habra, you know Habra. And the one singer, he was just singing Chaitanya Panchatata mantra. Suddenly when he saw Nitai Goa coming.

He said nitai gora suj pramabhanadi prama deep.

And he made up this whole little.

Song nitai Goa has come to Panihati.

To flood us in love of God. And he started singing this whole little ballad spontaneously.

And as soon as he said that it started pouring rain. Started pouring rain and then he started singing from the sky. He started singing the song yitzhagor brought the reign of mercy and he started singing prayma visti yes.

And he started singing this whole little song.

So that was very good because the.

People that had all the chira and yogurt and everything they had got stuck.

About a quarter mile up the road. There was no way they could get through the crowd. Somehow the people moved aside. It's a very narrow ten foot road.

And just wall to wall people.

There was no way that these devotees.

Are carrying these huge roads of puffs and pops and all types of rice.

Products and there was no way they could get through. Suddenly as soon as that rain hit everybody ran to the sides of the building. It.

Dangerous, you don't make them like they used to. So.

When all the when the people they suddenly walked off this middle of the road and stood by the side of the building just to get out.

Of the rain and the devotees ran.

With a chira with a tough twice. And somehow they got just to nitai gord just behind them and the rain.

Stopped and boom, all the people back on the road.

Then they walked back to the lorry.

With the pod to get to the big walks, these big tubs and all the other took about two trips but.

Then again they couldn't get through the crowd. Again it rained and the people split and they ran through this is that ten minute rain.

They got all the ingredients over to.

Nitaigora then there was no water there. So what to use jai Gandhamaiki mother ganges dipped in the it was downstream.

That time the current so they dipped in took the ganges water, washed off the chia and so we wanted to make 108 Malcha Bogs. This Malcha Bog is a special treat which has come from that festival but it's been developed into a very wonderful thing.

Malsha Bog means that 108 clay pots.

With his tirad boy. So this is sometimes they have this they offer boga to all the Mahantas of Chaitanya Mahapra, all the associates and during these different occasions the people like Malsa this type of clay pot and chira yogurt, chipped rice yogurt.

So what we did is we used.

The topmost recipe that we knew for making this type of malsa bog offering for nita yor by first taking the yogurt and the chira, soaking the chira, then mixing it, and then putting in this koi on the one side, and then that makes the basic standard with sugar and gour within it. And then you take on top of that and you put some sweet yogurt. Then you put some cheese channa curdled curds, call it Channa curdled milk, just the cheese part of it with raw candy on it and then loose raw candy with a little bit of black pepper.

Then white, very crispy fried white, puri, ras, gulab jaman, Sundish kir. It all goes on top.

On the whole top. It's made this arrangement.

Mango slices, chini Chopra cola type of.

Banana, which is called a butter banana. Very sweet, 16% or 18% sugar sweetest banana in the world. Then the type of astringent BlackBerry called kalo jam. That means black gem berry. And also gulab jam, rose berries.

Special type of berry that has a.

Scent and taste just like a rose.

Then jackfruit, fresh jackfruit, this is a season.

And then leachu, leachy nuts.

Then some tuva rose also we.

Put on just one side of it there. Then we take a little agaroo and sprinkle agaroo over. Then you take the big elitesi, the big cardamom and take that in some.

Ganges water and mix it. And then you take it and sprinkle it over. Then you see if you left off.

Any sweets, maybe some sarapuriya or other type of sweets and fill out the gap. And then of course, Binda Devi tulsi must be in everyone. So then the tulsi is placed from this only had 108 such pots and so he had the devotees had claws and they stood on the top of.

This marble thing on all sides and.

They held the cloth up so no one could see. Of course, the people were a little bit they're more or less pretty respectful. And so we started putting the 108 pots and there was no room. The brahmin had to stand off on the side.

Frankly, it filled up. The whole thing was filled with these.

And so we covered with new cloth over the offering that no flies would land on it. And then with a big belt blowing the crunch. Then you do one of those really those big offerings like, you know, I mean, the people get into it, offer.

It and then after the offering is over, then when you offer you took.

Off the cross over the offering and.

Then you have the people holding the cloth around it, take it away and blow the cross. And all the people see here the 108 mosas up and down in ecstasy.

And then you have this arti and everyone is chanting with the aarti.

Literally tens of thousands of people in that area. There's more beyond them, but in that whole area just packed and everyone is.

Chanting and watching the and then finally when the aarti is over, then what to do? Then it's time to distribute the prashadam. So of course, first we take off a few for Pujaris and other people, some Kirtan devotees.

And then the first brave devotee who's.

Going to distribute the prasad, he says, all right, he takes one pot and.

You see him go into the massive people and suddenly you see this like an unlimited number of hands. It looks know Bamasu has thousand hands, but there are more than thousand hands and they're all going for this path. And then you see the devotee disappear and you see suddenly that the pad broken up in little pieces and that everyone. And then the devotee after about five minutes, crawls out from the people completely.

With a riff shape.

So we did it. We had to make another type of system. So then we did is we had.

The devotees stand on a higher portion, like on the wall or something and the people would lift their hands up and give it like that.

And once in a while the devotee would slip and lean over too far.

And then again he would be crawled out of the.

On the people, they go wild just to get this month's prashad. It wasn't that they're starving and all that, they wanted prashad. They knew this is very sacred and everyone wanted to get this month's prashad. And practically what they would do to.

Get it was unbelievable.

They would go to Mohan to get.

This month's prashad from that special mahaprashad offering. So we gave that brahman, we moved off. We gave him one know, he said, I got a brother also.

Then after those pass, we had to.

Shift operations a little bit off one side, and then we had the big walks. And meanwhile, they're mixing more of the Chira Day and the people.

Even after the Chira the chip dries.

And the yogurt was finished.

We simply had the dry chira with water that they also say, Prasad, even just the same chira with not even a salt or anything in it.

They're still there anything to get little of that prasad after everything was finished and they said, one bag of chira left. People say.

Give me a little prasad, please. So then we mixed up even the.

Plain Cheer and got a little couple of kilos of gour together, shoved it in there and then gave everyone really eager for this prashadam.

And actually there were so many people that actually the people were waist deep.

In the water, the bathing gas and everything they're completely packed with people and.

You could actually see practically the pastime.

Was being relived by Chaitanya Mahaprabadu's mercy. The last year went there we brought the boat with nitaigo on the.

Boat because we already had experience.

We can't depend every year the rain is going to come just on time. That was our rainfall, our windfall or something so last year we brought the boat and we had a game track.

That led right out from the boat.

Right to the back of this special sitting place. But the Brahmins, they were already ready for it. They didn't want to give up their vantage point. But we made a compromise that just for the 108 offering for 1 hour you have to give us the place. And we had built a special panda where we're distributing the prasad to the public from there we wouldn't distribute from here but we'll just offer it here and then take Gor over to our panda which we constructed.

So then we took the boat with.

A Hare Krishna flag and we took a big circle around in the ganges and all the people were chanting from the side hari Bol, jai nitai Goa while the boat made a big round with a kirtan party on it. And it was a similar distribution kirtan that year that it was raining. You'd see some of the people, they're chanting and they're completely soaking wet. But they still continued chanting. So many groups, some people, just five people would come in a group, some 20, some would just come out singly to see and to participate. Some would join into our group and start chanting. It was very wonderful to see all the different Goria vice, melas but as always, after we started making the big hit, a few of the Bogus Gurus came. And then last year so what we did is there was a panda one side made by one of these Bogus Gurus and when we offered the prashadam everybody stomped over his panda to see the offering of the prashadam and Torah's Panda.

I think I had to run away. So up to now we've been able to keep maintain the upper hand in the Paniadi Fest. I hope that this year so actually these festivals are nothing new. These festivals we're reading how the festival, even after Lord Chaitanya disappeared that the festivals were held on Guapornima years ago. And of course, remember the time that Shila Prabhupada, he went to Panihati, he saw the building there and he said that this building is too broken to be maintained. We should take a picture of it exact all angle picture and tear it down and build the exact replica of Raghapandita because there's so banyan trees and everything the roots had grown right into the wall and breaking it down part of the whole roof was being held up by the roots. It's not a very secure situation because any time could fall on your head.

So he was saying to take exact photograph but they were supposed to give that when they didn't give it to us when they had promised to give it and they didn't give it because there was a change into a communist government. But now we're overcoming those difficulties that were first put out. But at that time when the change in the communist government people had stopped it from coming to us then the sacred malati tree there's. A malati which Lord Nityananda had planted, had grown out of the body of Raghav pandit malati lota. And that tree, just last year when they refused to give the place to us, the last year died, was growing since 500 years. So I use that to preach to people that this is due to all your offenses. You're not doing your regular sanctuary. So a lot of these places, of course, that was a very great relic.

The tree is still there, but the Malati lota which was growing over the samadhi of Raghav pandit, I believe raghavandit samadhi, but now that has left the world. So a lot of devotees are very upset. The original deities of Raghavanda are still there. The radha madhana gopal. I believe or radha madhana Mohana deities are. I believe those are his deities. And Prabhupada went there and had like a little picnic. And at that time he suggested that there can be a boat service from Calcutta to Panihati to Mayapur. People go by boat and have a nice scenic ride rather than go by the dangerous route on the road, very comfortably go by the river. So we're investigating also to see whether that will be for the festival. Maybe the devotees will be convenient to go out by boat sometime. We're checking that out. This summer we're going to take a boat up to Mayapur and see how long it takes.

Babanandamara said that it was a very scenic view. He went on the boat one time. It's very beautiful. When I went around that one tour, it was very beautiful. There's so many temples on the side of the Ganges. So Panihati is just near. About 10 miles north of that is Kodah. You know Kordah? Sripad Kodah. The Sripad Kodaha is the home after Krishna. After Chaitanya. Excuse me. After nitinanda prabhu married janawad devi in basuda. In shaligram. Then he went to Navadip. From Navadeep. He went to Ambika Kalna. From Abika Kalna. He went to Adisaptagram. The house of Udhan thakur. Udhan dutta. Thakur. And from there he went to Kodaha. In Kodaha he made his house. And so the house of Nitinanda Prabhu is still visited by devotees. And just like Shantipur was the holy place for adwaita like that, Kordha was holy to Nitinanda Prabhu.

And they had built a temple there over the samadhi of the umbilical cords of Birbadra Prabhu and Ganga Devi, the son and daughter of Nityanda. And thousands of devotees come there and offer their obeisances to their temple of their umbilical cord. Which may sound strange, but it's not when you consider that Virbhadra Prabhu is Kira dakshai Vishnu avatar and that his Ambilohukuri is not material. And that Basuda. His mother was Mahalakshmi, was Baluni. Lord Balaram's consort. So anything that is coming from these transcendental personalities is also transcendental. So they have left part of their transcendental formula that is sacred and worshipable. Everything in connection with the Lord is transcendental. Just like the Lord is transcendental, we.

Say Mahaprashade Govinde, mano Brahmani, Vaishnav, swath of.

Jarity, repeating these sacred words of Sukhadev goswami because the Lord is transcendental, His mahaprashad Govinda Nam, his holy Name.

The Brahmanas, the Vaishmara devotees, someone has faith in the Lord and the things connected with Him.

And their transcendence is of no small piety.

But it's greatly fortunate what Chaitanya says Sangha Pangastra Parsata he's coming not alone, but with his associates, his assistants, his.

Eternal paraphernalia and weapons and intimate associates. So just as we respect mahaprashad because it's offered to Krishna, we don't criticize mahaprashad because we know that once Krishna has touched it's become transcendental. Just like Lord Chaitanya when he came from the mangalarti Darshan and they gave Him that cashew nut Pursad and Jagannath puri, and he tasted and he was.

Just filled with love for Krishna.

And he's saying that how wonderful.

How many cashew nuts we had in our life. But this cashew nut which was tasted by Krishna, by Jagannath, how wonderful, how superb. This is nothing ordinary.

And he was giving a taste of.

This devotee and that devotee and this devotee, and they're tasting because this has got the nectar from Krishna's lips. Therefore it has this inconceivable.

Ocean of transcendental bliss within. So Mahaprashadam, of course, is sacred. It's everything connected.

In Katwa.

Where Lord Krishna Chaitanya Mahabharu accepted Sanyas. They have the samadhi munna to his hair. Zari cut his hair off. You know how when they cut his hair off, the people were crying, they're.

Pounding, they're screaming, no, not Lord Chaitanya's hair, not his transitional hair. They couldn't see that Chaitanya Mahabhu would be taking this austerity. He is himself the Lord. He's the supreme enjoyer. Why should he do any austerity? An ordinary living entity does austerity to become free from karma, to become liberated, to become situated in transcendence and to achieve love for God. But Krishna Himself, there's no need for Him to do any type of austerity. He's Akarasa. He's always on the same transcendental platform. Akarasa, he's always in the same mellow of transcendence.

He never comes under the illusion or need for any type of purification like an ordinary human being or even demigod may need.

So people were shocked and they were crushed and they were thrown into agony.

Deceived Chaitanyamadu's hair being cut.

So with great faith, they gathered up.

Every hair and with great devotion, they placed it there in a samadhi. And his hair is also being worshipped. That temple for his hair, since that time, because his hair is also transcendent, it's not material. So just like you said, devotees have little things around their neck with little remnants in it. Anything in connection with Krishna becomes transcendental. So there in Korda, there is this temple for Nitinanda, beautiful deity of Birbhadra. Such a beautiful deity, Birbadra. Birbadra is known as Abhina Koliwar, or having a non different body from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Nitananda's son Birbadra, he had a non different body from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Of course. Kirodakshai vishnu is Vishnu tattoo. Non different from Krishna. So birbadra. He was non different from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He was very merciful, very great preacher. There's a story how they were having a festival in commemoration of the disappearance of one great devotee.

Narahari.

You know kivanari adhi kari chamayatula narahari.

He would daily fan chaitanya mahaprabhu. Especially that Mahaprakash arti. He was there when he left. All the Vaishnavas were thrown into separation. He was practically the last devotee who was of that stature. Lord Chaitanya's intimate associate to still be present. And when he left and returned to Chaitanyama it was a great separation for all the devotees. So at that time they held one festival and Virbhadra came there as did many other of the remaining devotees. Like Achutananda's brothers, the sons of Gosai and Rabunandan Thakur, Jadunand Thakur, the Srikandawasis and from Kunagram or even the pig herders chant Hare Krishna. So many of these devotees, they all came. Srinivas Acharya was there. Ramchandra Koviraj. I believe Naratam Thakur at that time had to go with Vrindavana for a visit. I'm not sure. I don't think he was able to come at that particular festival. But everyone else was there.

So Dheerbadra, he started to dance to Ikirta.

And his dancing of course being Nitinanda son, nitinanda's dancing was such that Lord Chaitanya had to be there. So Virabhadra also had wonderful dancing. More beautiful than what the Gandharvas can conceive of. He was dancing before the deity of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu there to the kirtan. And there was one blind man who wanted to see the kirtan. And he was he wanted to know what was going on. So he kept saying, what is happening?

What is Birbaja doing now?

He's dancing in this way. And he described how he was dancing with his lotus eyes. How he was in this way dancing. And now he's leaping and he's jumping.

And now what's Birbadja Prabhu doing? Suddenly he could see Haribol. Haribol and his eyesight there before his very blind eyes was the beautiful vision.

Of Birbadri could see. And of course, all the devotees were very ecstatic to see the blind person. Just by chanting Birbadhura's name and desiring to serve him through seeing, his transcendental pastimes was given sight. And that Kirtan of course went on and on deep into the night. Finally, in the dead of night you see that Kirtan was at the full crescendo. But the people, the devotees started to get deep into a separation. Kotai gora. Chandra. Where is Gora Chandra? Kotai Nityananda. Where is Nithyananda?

Where will we get their association?

Where will we get those chances and equalities?

Where is Advaita? Where is Gadarha?

Where can we get their association?

Where is Sivas Pandit? Where is Gadarhar Das? Where is Murari?

Where is Chandrasekhar?

Where is Haruk Rupa Sanatana?

Where is Narahari? And then in this way everyone they.

Became so overwhelmed in separation feeling how unworthy. They were, we should understand this separation is not ordinary like what Kanye, Seal.

Lamentation or some type of misery. But this is a deep intimate mood of love and appreciation.

So they were absorbed in this separation. And just to show you how, this.

Is completely directed by Maya and by Krishna's transcendental energy.

You see, when they got down to.

What was practically the pit of separation.

The most intense separation, they were practically just virtually rivers of tears were flowing, everyone was weeping and they could hardly chant anymore. They're just saying their names and breaking up.

They're choking up and crying and holding.

On to each other and just remembering all these qualities and passing out unconscious. And some would get up and then.

They'D go on chanting these the different separation songs and falling unconscious and crying. And in this state where it looked.

Like they were also going to leave.

Their body practically in separation.

Suddenly, by Krishna's mercy, everyone felt the mood of sanghbo. From Birohe separation came the mood of union. And suddenly everyone became ecstatic jubilation. And they started embracing each other and jumping up and down and the whole kirtan mood changed just in a second. The whole current of transcendental rasa had shifted. And in that ocean of rasa the current was now coming in a different.

Direction by Krishna's mercy and everyone, they.

Were filled with a feeling just as if Lord Chaitanya and the associates were.

Present and they were filled with some.

Transcendental joy in the deepest separation.

Suddenly they became jubilant in Krishna consciousness.

And the Kaitang went and this way.

Before they knew it was time for mangalati. So then they attended the mangalarti and went and took their bath. And the next day of course, they had some prashads like this.

They were having their festival and.

Srinivas Acharya, he would sometimes give the Bhagavatam class birbadra would dance like this. They're having so many festivals. And of course, you probably heard about that big festival in Keturi. That's the festival which is really maybe there's not time to tell you about that tonight. That is the really Maha festival. What happened was when Anatham came back from Vrindavana and he was a prince in his previous life. He's a devotee right from birth, but practically he was the son of a brother of the king. He was a prince but he never accepted that. He became a devotee of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. What this is after Lord Chaitanya Mahat left like 50 years after he left second generation. And I described before how Sinivasacharya Naratan and Shama Mandapandit were in Vrindavan together and how they received training from they had different gurus also. You know that Naratan das Thakur's spiritual master was Goswami.

And Sinivasacharya's spiritual master was his diksha guru was Gopal. Bhatta Goswami. But he took training shiksha from Jeeva Goswami. And actually Shamananda Pandit who was known as Duki Krishna Das was initiated by Hudaananda the disciple of Goigas Pandit who was Subhalam Krishna's little intimate friend of Nita and Goa. But Hirayananda sent him to Jeeva Goswami with a note to please train him up in the Vaishnava philosophy very properly because Jeeva Goswami was the greatest pundit and then send him back for preaching here after he thoroughly trained up. So they were all together, Naratan, shamananda and Shunivas Acharya in Vrindavana, when of course, then Govindaji the deity ordered Srinivas, you have to take back all the books to Bengal and all the Rupa, goswami and other came and dream and they also ordered Jeeva Goswami. So then they brought the books to Bengal. That's a whole other story.

And up to that point they were together. And then Narutam went one way and.

Preached in the eastern Bengal, eastern northern side. Sinivas stayed and preached around Verdwan Banquia districts of Bengal. And shamananda Panda went to Arisa where he delivered Rastikananda, Sinivas delivered Ramchanda, Kaviraj and Narutam, he delivered so many others. In this way they were preaching. But then they would all come together on certain occasions for these big festivals like the one that they had in Srikando for Narahari. So when Narutam came back, it was his desire that I want to have a festival on Gorponima on the birthday of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and have a big abhishek for the Lord and invite all the Vaishnavas to be present in that day. So he personally went to see Srinivas who was also going to see him because he wanted to have his association. The Vaishnavas, they always although they preach, they always want to associate with other senior preachers to get that association and inspiration of exchanging transcendental mellows and discussing the preaching program and so on and so forth.

So when they met together, actually before they met, one Brahmana came and told Srinivas. At this time, Srinivas was in the village of Baludi, I believe just very near to Narutam Das Thakur's house for his preaching field. He came, he was coming there. But the day before he came, a Brahman came and told that Narutam Thakur is coming. And he said, well, what's the news? What has Narutam Thakur been doing? Well, he said he's been preaching. He said there was one devotee, big businessman, big farmer, had a big silo of grain, but a snake, cobra, big cobra went in that silo so no one would go near it. So Narutam Thakur had a dream that this was Krishna's plan and that he should go there. And so Narutam Thakur went to that place and they said, where's your silo? He said, well, there's my silo, but.

Don'T go near there.

There's a cobra, there's a snake.

Jai nitai go to key. Jai jagi.

So now Gautam, he insisted and he.

Went over and opened the door. And when he opened the door, the snake called out and turned into and.

Actually Chaitanya Mahabhara appeared there for a moment before everyone's eyes.

And then disappeared.

And so that place they built a temple to Gorangamabra and he took the whole silo of rice guys, you can take it. And he built a temple with it. And he had a big Prashadam distribution, no problem. So like that. Then Naruto from Takur came and he asked when they met, of course, Srinivasachari went out to the edge of the town when heard he was coming and met him. And they embraced and then paid obesiences. And then he asked, what are the news from Narutam? He said, Well, I went to Vrindavan and came back and he took Sinivas aside and he said it's my deep desire. I have six deities I want to have abhishek on Gorponim and have a big festival of all the Vaishnavas. And I want you to perform the abhishek. Tell how we can get you've done one festival already, how we can get all the Vaishnavas to come.

This is my keen desire. So Srinivas says, well, when it's your desire, of course that means Chaitanya Mahabhar certainly wants this done. I'll be glad to do whatever I can. And so that night everyone went to sleep. And Srinivas is thinking that all the devotees are in such separation. Chaitanya Mahu had left the world practically.

They could hardly they were coming to.

These festivals at that time was very difficult. Because not only did they have to walk a long distance and many of them were old, but they were in such separation that it took a special mercy to get them to come. And this is thinking how he was very solid himself, very humble person. How would he be able to get them? Only with Chaitanya mahbu's mercy was there. Could it happen like this? He was thinking and he dozed off. And Chaitanya Mahu appeared to him in.

A dream and told him that immediately.

Send out the invitations. This is my desire to have this festival. Every you see to have this festival, you send out the invitations. Do not worry, it will be successful. And disappeared. So then Sinivas, the first thing in the morning, he got ten messengers, wrote the letters out. Those days it was just call them out, write a letter, send the tele. I had to walk to Arisa to give the personal letter to Shaman upon it please come, walk one month and give the letter. And they had to walk back to the festival. It wasn't just Bukhar, hey, give me 150 seats on the 747. But of course, the Chaitany Mahav was mercy, everything is possible. So he sent off the different messengers, one to Santipur, one to Naboddeep, one to Kordaha, to Janawadevi, like this, to different places, to the topmost Vaishnavas that were present.

So when Jana Devi received the letter, she thought she's of course a woman form and she's thinking whether I should go? She's a widow at that time, whether I should go? And then Lord Chaitanya appeared to her in a dream and also told her that you should go Narutam, they are my dear devotees. It is my desire to have this festival. And you bring with you all the Vaishnavas. So janava, when she declared that she's going to go to Ketri, then Mini Kitam Ram Das, remember Minikitam Ram Das, he was just carry the flute and touch people and they'd break out in ecstatic symptoms. Mini kitan ram das Vrindavan das Thakur and Govinda Kavidads and so many Krishna Kavidads all these different devotees. Practically they left from there about 50 to 100 with also some female attendants. For Janala Devi, they would call her Janala Iswadi because she was the Gaia, she was the goddess of fortune, she was the internal potency, she wasn't Jiva Tattva, so she went and she went.

Udaan Thakur picked him up on the way, went up to Duridas Pandit temple and offered Prashadam to Nitaigura deity there. Took Hidai nanda Hidai chaitanya das. And this way they're going the party was building up Pradhayatra into like thousands. And finally they went out to Nabodip.

Sivas had already disappeared.

Sivas and Srinivas had tried two different panchatata. Sivas had gone back with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. But his brothers, Sripati and Srinidhi, they were there. So they were also they stayed there for a couple days and then whatever devotees were there, Dejing, Isham, Sripati, Srinidhi, they all joined the party. They all went up to Ketu. It was like the Maha. From there they went to Katwa. The Lord Chaitanya took Sanyas. Then they took Raghunand Takur, Jadunandam, Acharya, those other devotees in this way, the party was growing and growing until finally as they are approaching Keturi and on.

The way all the villages they went.

Through, the people, they just lined up with offerings and kirtans to see that all these great devotees, where do you get a chance to see these devotees and how fortunate.

And the village Ketudi, where they were.

Going to, which was the king who was sponsoring the whole thing, the uncle of Nelatam, he put out his full treasury for this festival that whatever it cost, we're going to spend it for the prashadam and house everything for the devotees. So those villages, they were mad, thinking any day the Ishwari Janawad Devi is coming, all the devotees are coming because of Narutam. Our whole town got so much mercy from Krishna, from Mah, just because he.

Has come, so much opportunity.

That whole town completely forgot about anything else. Pagli, the whole town was simply Krishna conscious.

All they could think about was the.

Device Navas that were coming, the festivals that were going to happen and the kirtans that were going on. Everyone, they were completely absorbed in the festivities and the preaching programs and the preparations and cleaning the streets and decorating the houses, all for the welcome of the devotees. And as they were coming, each village.

They all came out and offered garlands.

And paid obesiences and did so many washed the feet of the great associates of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that were coming and each village as they went, they're purifying the whole countryside in this way. And then finally they reached to the opposite side of the Padma river where the Ketudi is on the opposite side of the Padma, which is a branch coming off from the Ganges where the Ganges splits into the Padma and Bhagirati. So there the king had already had boats ready for them and took them right across, arranged their houses, gave them place to stay first bathed their feet, gave them a place to stay. Just everything was arranged perfectly for their convenience. And then immediately there's nonstop cute songs and lectures and different programs were there. And everyone was thinking of the day when the big obishek would happen, the Gorponima. So the day of the Gorpunima, everyone took their bath in the Ganges early in the morning or in the Padma came there to the and Janawad Devi, she gave the command, the order to Sinivas that you do the Abhishek.

Narutam was there helping him. And they did the big bathing with so many things of sacred water and installed the deities up on the Singhasan. And all of the devotees are chanting in Kirtan and watching. And after this beautiful Abhishek was being performed. Then they asked what was next for the next order. So she said that distribute the garlands, the mahaprashad garlands in Abhishek to all the associates. So they distribute all those flower garlands to the associates that were know like Achutananda. He came from Shantipur and met them in Achutananda himself, the number one son and his two brothers, they came and met them the whole party with Jana Badevi and Nabuddeep and the company. So he was there. So they gave him and others their garland. And then after that Janoba personally sent two associates and they garlanded Narutam and Srinivas. And then the order was given that you start the arti.

So then Srinivas did the arti for the deities, Goranga deities and Radhabala, different deities were there. And as the arti was going on, Krishna from his transcendental form Tardit started to spread his actual bodily aroma. Krishna's bodily aroma which excites the devotees with transcendental love beyond any limit. He spread that aroma from his form, from the deity. And the devotees were smelling the transcendental form of Krishna. And they became mad in that kirtana. And they're jumping up and down and they became mad in love for Krishna. Because of Krishna's, you see transcendental presence through these just letting them smell his transcendental bodily rum which is transcendental completely. They became mad in love for Krishna, completely ecstatic. And after that arti was over. Then at Chutananda he told Marathon that you begin the Kirtan. Maritam was the kirtan takur. The actual kirtan takur. He was the narutan takur.

So Narutam had his trained madranga players and describes that before like the warm up, the Madanga players, they did so many beats like was like a 510 minutes warm up with the Madrangas first where they were all playing so many madrangas and units. Exactly. And dancing. If you ever see them, they still do it in Bengal. And they said they were going on their knees. They were jumping up, dancing, spinning around. Bring a complete and then bringing it up. And then he started the kirtan. How do you can how do you explain I mean, you get a right so even today you can see three or four at unison. They know how to do it more or less. But you can imagine now comes private trained cold players. So they were just described as the way that they played in unison.

Exactly.

And such complicated beats. And then brought it up to crescendo. And then he started the kirtan. So first he started a Kirtan glorifying how Chaitanya Mahapabhu is the combined Radha and Krishna and it's in the mood of Radharani. And then in this way he was chanting different pastimes. And the devotees were all participating in the kirtan responsibly. And then he got into the Mahamantra kirtan chanting Hare Krishna. And everyone, all those associates, they were all dancing kirtan. And Maha Harina, everyone was there. And actually the temple, the Kirtan hall when they were bathing the deities was very small. But they said it seemed like there were unlimited people. I mean, we say like pack like but I want to say that because it's like not a vice now thing. But I don't know what you say. Probably what you would say packed like a New York.

No, what's more than that, like the Japanese subway, something completely unlimited. People were fleeting in this small area to see the abhishek. So this time the kirtan was going on after the abhishek and that was over. All these associates were dancing in that place. And other people, they were all outside and they were also chanting. And they're all jumping on each other, trying to look over and see all these great devotees dancing and chanting in kirtan. And Naratam and Achutananda started dancing. And Jana she was off one side. And different devotees, they were all dancing and chanting in kirtan. And they were feeling deep separation at one point from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So intense separation for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

And suddenly the most transcendental, inconceivable mercy of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Captain, what is inconceivable.

Which has made that place in the eternal history of.

The Vaishnav culture is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself with Nychananda, with Advaita, with Ganadha, with Srivas, with Madahari, with Rupa, Goswami, Sadhu, Dhamanar Ramanandarai. All the associates who had disappeared, they all appeared right there in person. And they participated, jumped up in the kirtan. All the devotees, they paid their kirtan and they all had a huge kirtan. The devotees who had disappeared from the world already with Chaitanya Mahu himself and all the second and third and fourth generation devotees who were still present altogether. They were all chanting in Sankirta. And it was the most ecstatic Sankirta. Who can imagine. Nityananda was embracing his associates and they were all reunited again. Achutananda was dancing with Gosai. Every devotee's desire was completely satisfied. And the people outside, they were completely there. Think how fortunate they were. They hadn't even been born after Chaitanya Mahaprabhadu had left. They were able to see Chaitanya Mahaprabhu present before their very eyes at this sacred place.

And this way the kirtan went on and on like a day of brahma. The kirtan just kept going on. And all these devotees and the Lord himself, the Prakat, Operakat, everyone was present there.

And suddenly at one point Chaitanya Mabu and all the devotees who were operakuts, who were actually already their leelas were elsewhere, who disappeared.

Kotai, Gora, Chandra, Kotai, Nitananda, Kota Dota, Kotai. Where does Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? Where is Nithyananda? Where is Adoita? Where is Gunarhar? Where is Srivas? Where is Sarudhawanai? Rupa, Sanasana? Where are they now? And the devotees were thrown into again the abyss of separation, pulling their hair on, falling unconscious, rolling on the ground, beating their Chaitanya Mahwaj in there. And now he disappeared again.

So Janavad Devi, she said again do not lament. This is the Lord's inconceivable mercy. Go on chanting. And so then they had a tremendous bilohi separation kirtan which practically melted the rocks and everyone chanted. So then they took their bath again. And after seeing Mangalarti and janava Devi that day after Mashi personally prepared the prashadam, the boga for Lord Chaitanya and the deity personally prepared and offered with greatest love and devotion. And then she personally had first all the associates and the Mahantas like Ramchandra, Kavi, Raj and others, they had them all sit down. And she personally supervised everyone getting this prashadam. And the devotees, of course to get Prashadam. Just like when some great when Radharani or Jamawa Devi or someone prepares Prashadam, of course, that prashadam is very special. Like when Prabhupada Prashadam, that was very special. So JAMA, she personally prepared this prashadam offered and installed that all these great devotees as they were served this prashad prepared the boga offered in them.

So after they took Dan, the distribution of Prashad went on and on. And literally just hundreds of thousands of people kept coming and coming. And everyone was fed with prashana long into the night. The day after the Gorpurna, a big prashana distribution, everyone who came and everyone the whole you see, they would go and bow down in that place where Lord Chaitanya had appeared and where all the devotees had danced and just take the dust. That how fortunate Chaitanya marveled himself. And that was the place that Naratam would always chant. Lord Chaitanya himself and his associates had appeared like this. There were so many festivals they had we can also hope, we hear at one time Prabhag was commenting how he saw Lord Chaitany Nichimana dancing amongst the Rath Yatra in 1971 or something like that in San Francisco. I heard a story about that.

And of course how wonderful it would be to be reunited even with those like Bhakti Siddhanta, Saraswataka Gorkishur, Bhakti Vinodaka Jagannath, Das, Bhavati Bala, David Jubasan and other great associates. Acharyas anything is possible, nothing is impossible. Of course such great devotees were there. They deserved it. We don't deserve anything but being kicked for our astrodome. But considering the inconceivable mercy of Lord Nityananda we can always hope for different types of transcendental mercy. Because they can do anything. They're independent, Isvara independent controller. They're not subject to doing according to anyone else's calculations.

They're independent.

They can do as they see fit, as they like. So if Chaitanya Mahabhu wants to appear or if he wants to have any devotees appear, of course he is present.

But who is able to see?

Like Panihati? Not everyone could see. Only a few could see Lordshaitan. But here everyone was able to see. Even after he disappeared for a long time, Panihati was still present. But he was in puri. Here he'd already left the world. And all those associates had left. But they all appeared, of course.

Jesus Christ.

He just came back alone. But when Lord Chaitanye came back, he came back with and of course that's not the only time. In several occasions even different Yugas devotees when they worship Chaitanya Mahapu. Just like Ramanujacharya. When he went to Nabuddip, he also saw Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally. But he wanted to stay there and preach. Bhakti called but Lord Chaitanya told him that he should continue preaching Dasya Rasa. That he would help him in his pastimes and come and meet Him at that time. Like that. Each of the four Acharyas they also had pastimes for Lord Chaitanya ruja Sampradaya began in Nabadip dham Vishnu Swami met Lord Shiva in Nabuddeep only. And Nimbarka met the four Kumaras in Bail Fukur where we have just rebuilt the temple of the deity of Sachimaka. And at bail fukur. That's where the four kumaras gave their mercy to Nimbarka goswami.

And he started the Nimbarka the kumara sampradaya vaishnavisan. And he also worshipped Chaitanya Maha was there. And Lord Chaitanya told him to simply preach Radhakrishna worship. So we can discuss more of these things future date. We can hope for the special mercy. That's what we should do. Rather than hoping that we'll be happy in this material world which is simply a waste of time, we should hope that by sincerely engaging in the Sankirtan movement that this will be pleasing to our spiritual master and this will bring us an actual be the presence of the Lord. The Lord. He appeared in the middle of the big Sankirtan Jagya, the big festivals and the big Siddhanta Sasitakur. He advised that by submerging oneself into the Sankirtan movement that one can relish the highest appreciation, highest realization of pure love for krishna Raha Krishna Chaitanya Mahata.

Jayasi Krishna Chaitanityananda Sarigura hari Krishna Krishna Krishna Hari Hari Ram hari Ram.

Why when we say Sri Krishna Chaitanya no one responds?

Sri Krishna Chaitanya.