20070309 A Travelling Preacher's Diary [Safari]

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 9th, 2007 in Tirupati, India. 

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Here we are, on March 9th and 10th Safari yātrā 2007 in Tirupati. We arrived here and after taking, getting settled down we immediately went up to see Bālājī. This was an afternoon, darśana. The devotees went ahead for first because they had a different type of darśana. They had a cellar darśana and I and ten other devotees had VIP darśana. So by the time were entering in, they were already coming out and they were doing kīrtana. We could see them from inside the queue-cage. Some of the youth had worn Rāmānuja-sampradāya tilaka. I was getting worried that they are getting converted. It was anyway, these are Vaiṣṇavas. Later I found out there was somebody who was a professional tilaka-wala for 5 Rs, he would put the tilaka on, so the some got the tilaka. Some of the youth also shaved their heads for offering for Bālājī, even some of the girls. So somehow one said his parents were asking him to cut his hair for four years; but now he is doing it for Bālājī. So his parents should be pleased. When we got in, we were way to the end of the queue when there was a little break for offering Bālājī, His bhoga. Although the busy days go until 2:30am in the morning, but they always stops for His bhoga, the offerings of which will produce the wonderful prasāda, which Tirupati is famous for. So when we came in, just before the offering was going to be made, they let us stand before Lord Bālājī Veṅkaṭeśa. Prabhupāda said, Bālājī is a youthful Kṛṣṇa and He has come here to bless all the devotees. Prabhupāda personally visited Tirupati Tirumala and had the darśana and he had many pastimes with this temple and yātrā. So somehow, we got a very nice darśana, meaning we were in front of the Deity for maybe half a minute, which is a long time for Tirupati. And then they closed the curtain. Then they said, “Okay, go on next!” But my host, Chaperone, he put me back and had me again stay like that, four times I had a darśana. So two minutes and Tirupati is like an eternity. I made all my prayers. I thought Bālājī is giving me so much mercy. I was feeling so happy to see His transcendental smile. And His presence is an experience, which is very difficult, impossible to explain. It’s wonderful. We came out, had a darśana of Bakulā Devī, the mother of Bālājī and the kitchen. This time it took us in the kitchen; let us take a little peek, how they do their cooking. Everything is in pure ghee. Then we came around, we had darśana and one of the pūjārīs took us into the dressing room and they said that for one week they had dressed the Lord in a special super long silken sari or cloth. They took that off on Friday, so they was Friday, so they took it and they put it on our face, on our head. Then they gave it to me to hold to my heart. It was another special mercy. They had another cloth, which was a white cloth that they wiped Bālājī’s form down after bathing Him with different scented oils. And they let us take a whiff of that, put it on our face. It was a special blessing as were going to go out. Then again, they said, “Come back, Bālājī is calling you.” And went back in and at that time were standing in the back and after, just as they were preparing to offer some more ceremonies, were able to see an ārati of the Lord with a big thousand lamp ārati and a camphor lamp. It was a special mercy with me. Anuttama Prabhu from Washington, he was also there.

He said that this unforgettable experience. So we came out, had darśana of Varāha, Bhū-Varāhadeva even that temple was closed. The pūjārī brought us in, gave us a special darśana but the devotees had already left. The next day met the devotees at Padmāvatī temple. They had done a big harināma to Govindarāja when I was a little late and catching up with them. Then at Padmāvatī temple we also saw Kṛṣṇa Balarāma Deities. Kṛṣṇa is seated smiling, His original temple there and Balarāma is wearing shoes, said this is His mode when He came to South India during the Kurukṣetra war. So we had nice darśana of Kṛṣṇa Balarāma and Padmāvatī, the consort of Lord Veṅkaṭeśvarā, the chāyā Sītā. We got the mercy here. Then went back to the temple where we had that evening a special program. There so many devotees were dancing. Devotees were putting on the Śyāma dance, which was very moving.

How a condition soul gets accepted by Kṛṣṇa back in the spiritual world, the different devotees at the end, we had a grand finale where I asked everyone to get up and dance. And so our whole crowd for about 20 minutes was dancing and chanting. I’ll tell more about our evening program later, but it was very nice arrangements made by Revatī Ramaṇa Prabhu and all the devotees here in Tirupati. There was really nice praśāda, nice publicity, good press. So everybody is lamenting. That why we have made such a short stay in Tirupati. And the next day, on the 11th now, we’re going to be heading out to Chennai where I’ll give you some more reports.

Thank you,
Jayapatākā Swami on the scene here with the Safari program.