20240321 Addressing Śāntipur Festival [Bangla]

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: I come every year to Śāntipura Festival and here Advaita Gosāñī celebrated his spiritual master, Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī’s disappearance day festival. The previous sevaite Śāntisakhā Goswami requested me to hold this festival. This Dvādaśī tithi, on the festival of Mādhavendra Purī’s disappearance, there is special prasāda offered to all the devotees. Presently, Praśanta Goswami is presently the sevaite here who continues to hold the festival and we hope that this festival will continue in the future as well.

Lord Caitanya saw that there was a big festival being organized. He said that an ordinary man cannot organize such a huge festival, Advaita must surely be an incarnation of Lord Śiva. Advaita Gosāñī is an incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu and Sadāśiva. Now what are all the things they organized and how the service was done is given in the Caitanya-bhāgavata which all of you can read and later I can also explain. But in this festival, all the Vaiṣṇavas had come together and organized it. Some were doing kīrtana, some were cooking, some were distributing prasāda, so all were engaged in service. I hope that all the devotees can serve in this festival. Lord Caitanya said that whoever takes prasāda on this tithi, in this place, they will attain Govinda-bhakti! Śāntisakhā Goswami told me that is there any place on this earth where just eating will give you Govinda-bhakti? I hope that all of you will get some prasāda here and all the devotees including local devotees and devotees from outside in and abroad will all get together and do some sevā and have prasāda in bliss.

I would have come but could not and so I sent an audio message. I offer my humble obeisances at the lotus feet of Śrī Advaita Gosāñī! Also offer my praṇāmas to all the assembled devotees. Every year the Chairman of Śāntipur and some special guests come and grace the occasion. Advaita Gosāñī is a very special person from Śāntipura. I hope that all of you will keep in mind that this Advaita Gosāñī was a very special person. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

JAYAPATĀKĀ SWAMI