AT VRINDABAN FESTIVAL

IN DHARMA SABHA - 03.11.09

I attended the 23rd anniversary of the Sthapana of Idols of Radha-Krishna, Gour-Nitai & Prabhu Jagadbandhu (by Gurudev Mahanambrata Brahmachari in Nov'86), at Bandhu Kunj, Vrindaban from 1st Nov to 7th Nov'09. I took part in the Dharma Sabha, Bhaktigeet function & Grantha Parayan on 2nd & 3rd. Religious heads from a number of temples at Vrindaban deliberated upon the topic: "Manav Dharma". A procession with bands and Nagar Kirtan was held on 4th which moved around important places in Vrindaban. On 5th all the devotees, nearly 110 in number went to Belabon by some 10 boats for Picnic. We also had a tour of Mathura, Radhakunda, Gobardhan, Barsana & Nandgaon by two buses on 6th whole day.

OPENING SONG FOR
THE ABOVE DHARMA SABHA - 3rd Nov'09 Evening

SINGING at SWAMI HARIDAS's SAMADHI TEMPLE at NIDHUBAN
- a nice opportunity, just got by the grace of Radharani.
5th Nov'09 Evening

AT KALIYA DAMAN -Yamuna has moved away from the original ghat and can be seen at a distance

PARTICIPATING IN
GRANTHA PARAYAN -
Upasakda doing Aarati.
3rd Nov'09 morng

AT IMLITALA TEMPLE JUST BELOW the (5000 years old ) FAMOUS IMLI TREE

AT KESIGHAT, YAMUNA on 2nd November, before taking Yamuna Baari for Abhishek of our Deities.

Function in Durgapuja '09

This Durgapuja, I performed on stage on 23rd Bhaktigeet & on 25th Oct'09 Light songs with orchestra. I sang one song from behind stage on 24th in Bhanusingher Padabali Dance drama. I have Video clips (part of the songs) for 25th only and now posting only a few of them. You may listen to them and post or mail me your comments to my hotmail-id if you like.

Mahanambrata Brahmachari, Charles Hartshorne & Buchanan

To read this topic please visit blog: Mahanam Sevak Gopika at Link: CLICK HERE

SHANTU TURNS 60 !!

Today is 13th of September 2009 when Shantu becomes of 60 years actually. A nice cake and a bouquet was delivered by some agency as directed by Tumpa & Arindam. A few snapshots and a video clip is posted here for family members and friends.

Radhastami Kirtan

The birth anniversary of Radha Thakurani was celebrated at Mahanam Angan on 28 Sept'09 as per schedule.

I along with other accompanists performed the Janmalila kirtan in the evening from 5.45 p.m. upto 7.45 p.m. The gathering of listeners was pretty good. I offered bhog of "Balusai "(a sweet preparation from wheat flour) to Radharani, which was distributed to over hundred devotees. The videos inserted in this post will give you a glimpse of the kirtan.

Krishna Gobinda....Harinam

This is the Banyan tree at Panihati, near Kolkata, underneath which Mahaprabhu came in 1514 and later in 1516 Nityanandaprabhu sat here and blessed Raghunath DasGoswamiji.

Hari’s name is Abhinna with Hari, that is, same as Hari himself. Vaishnav philosopher RupGoswamipad has said Harinam to be greater than Hari himself. If you ask how can anything be greater than God The Greatest, The Absolute one, we will say that the primary objective of human life is to attain God’s nearness, so, whatever helps us achieving this has to be greater. Actually, it is not our saying, it is what He has made us to know or learn – “Naamphale Krishnapade Prem Upajoy” - Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, meaning, the fruit of chanting His name is, Love for Him.

From pre-historic days of KrishnaDwaipayan Vyasdev to more recent days of SriKrishnaChaitanya, God’s name or Harinam has been placed at the most valuable platform for the devotees who believe in Bhakti (Devotion, Love) marg (path for achieving emancipation). Goswami Tulsidas says- “Kaha ou ka-han laagi nam ba-rai; Ram na sakahi naam gun gayi ” meaning, what to talk about naam’s qualities, Lord Ram Himself is unable to explore it. At a more modern time, Swami Vivekananda preached about Harinam’s immense value in saving lives from the epidemic of Plague that ravaged the city of Kolkata at that time. Books containing hundreds of pages written on Naam’s importance and its power to achieve God’s blessings are available in plenty, so I do not intend to dwell on that. I would rather talk about the various forms of naam accepted or chanted as Harinam by devotees of different sects. Each one of them is believed to be equally blissful and no comparision like greater, smaller, better etc. must be attempted(Caution).

The most common Harinam in the couplet form is:

“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare”, which is known as “Tarak-Brahma” naam. This is being chanted with several meanings within it by different sects as expounded by their mentors.

The Gaudiya Sampraday ( one of the sect of followers of SriChaitaya Mahaprabhu) has another version of Harinam:

“Bhaja Nitai Gour Radhey Shyam; Japa Hare Krishna Hare Ram”.

Once, in Jan/Feb, 1986, while I was sitting with Gurudev Mahanambrataji in our Mahanam Math, Nabadwip, he talked about another version – “Krishna Gobinda Gopal Shyam; RadhaMadhab Radhika naam” which he said is a Harinam having link, through each of the name within it, to a distinct Bhav (feeling for the Lord) or Rasa (relishable flavour) practiced by devotees of Krishna of Vrindaban. He explained this as follows.

Krishna – is the name for Shanta (the Composed, Consummated one) Bhav, the greatest example of which is bhakta Prahlad. It is bhav and not rasa since it does not attain the state or depth of devotion to be called rasa.

Gobinda - is the name for Dasya Bhav, examples are: Raktak, Patrak, Madhubrata who are the servants of Krishna in Gokul and Vrindaban.

Gopal – the name for Vatsalya rasa (Parents or parental feeling), the greatest examples are Nanda, Yashoda, Rohini etc.

Shyam – is the name for Sakhya rasa (Friend), for example Sridam, Sudam, Madhumangal the friends of Krishna.

RadhaMadhab – the name for Madhur rasa (Sweet, technically referring to the beloved one or the financee, the greatest being Radha), examples for this category are the Gopikas of Vrindaban who serve the divine couple Radha-Krishna.

Radhika naam – the name for Bhabollasa(pronounced as Bhaa-bollaa-saa) rasa (also Sweet, but technically referring to the maids of Radha only), those Gopikas who love Krishna as “the Beloved of Radha” are examples for this category. These devotees consider themselves to be “not worthy” of directly being in love with Krishna. They enjoy the Love-sports of the divine couple and put all their efforts in beautifying Radha and making Her unions with Krishna very pleasant and enjoyable. Vaisnav shastra calls them “Manjari”. They are placed above the Madhur category in many ways and the followers of Mahaprabhu have professed this to be the highest stratum of attainment by a devotee in the Bhakti marg.

This Harinam is a gift of Prabhu Jagatbandhu. He gave this mantra to Champati Thakur, who chanted this throughout his life. The devotees of Mahanam Sampraday sing this with the purpose of obtaining Prabhu’s blessings. I personally feel, so much of inner meaning and devotional implication is hard to find elsewhere and Prabhu who is nothing but Krishna in a newer form has gifted us this to rejuvenate our love for Krishna’s Vrindaban.

We, in Mahanam Sampraday chant, sing and also silently mutter one more Harinam named as the Mahanam, also gifted by Prabhu, which reads as – “Haripurush Jagatbandhu Mahauddharan; Charihasta Chandraputra Ha keetapatan; Prabhu Prabhu Prabhu Hey, Ananta Anantamoy”. To learn the full meaning of this Mahanam please --- CLICK

Krishna-Janma & Nandotsav

BAL GOPAL AT MAHANAM ANGAN::

NARRATING KRISHNA-JANMA

(episode: at the Prison of Mathura) :

At Mahanam Angan, VIP Road, Kolkata the Krishna Jayanti celebration was done in a truly devotional manner by a deliberation, on His great descent at the mid-hours of a torrentially rainy night, straight from the Srimad Bhagbatam with narrations as written by unforgettable Philosophers like Shridhar Swamipad and saints like Sanatan Goswamipad. With this memory of the events at Mathura in mind and with the eagerness to know the next episodes in heart, the devotees went to rest for the night on 14th August'09.

Next morning it was time to rejoice his appearance as Son of GopiRaaj Nanda & Raani Yashoda. This was done through Songs (written by legendary Vaishnavas called "Mahajan") along with explanation. This Leela Kirtan was performed by devotees of MAhanam Angan only led by me.

The rejoicings were tremendous with every one getting ecstatically high having the feelings as if the Gopal Krishna has just appeared there itself.

Thereafter, devotees, over 200 in number enjoyed Lunch-Prasad in the afternoon.

NEXT FUNCTION - THE CELEBRATION of SHRIRADHA's JANMA JAYANTI - RADHASTAMI, On Friday 28th AUGUST'09 IN THE EVENING AT 5.30 PM AT MAHANAM ANGAN.

Janmastami & Nandotsav

This day is not just a festival day. It is the day when the Supreme God came down on this earth to "bless the good and finish the evil" this is how it is commonly spoken or thought about Lord Krishna's incarnation.

But, in reality, His life has given us much more than that simply becuase it is not an incarnation of the supreme other Avatars, it is the supreme Himself with all his prowess and sweetness (Aishwarya and Madhurya) both. In Vrindaban He played His sweetest of sweet sports - thus, Brajwasis know Him as LOVE-GOD only.In Mathura & Dwarka He has shown more of His Prowess, Supernaturality and great political qualities. Lord Krishna's descent from divine abode has given us two great gifts:

1) It is said in the scriptures that God is something who cannot be seen with our eyes, not heard by ears, not known as an understandable thing, not even conceived by mind's deepest thoughts. Philosophy or Psychology, none of these sciences could say beyond this and the Vedas say - "Yamebaisa Brinute Tena Labhya" i.e, only to those whom He Himself makes Him known can know. It was only through Krishna's descent in a purely human form and being born apparently just like any human child born to parents, on the Janmastami day, that human being could see what and how He is. This is an act of extreme kindness towards mankind.

2) Having lived like a normal man within a human society and having been someone's child, someone's friend & someone's beloved, He gave us so many ways of visualizing Him, worshipping Him - as son, as bosom friend and as the most beloved one. With this, worshippers who used to get frustrated in their austerity by trying to imagine that Great Almighty in some form or other got a clear vision of looking at Him by choosing one of the aforesaid relations according to their personal inclination or "Swabhab" as I would say. To make this free from controversies, He has shown us the true form in which He is actually in His abode since eternity - "Dwibhuj Muralidhar Naba Jaladhar Shyam Sunder" (A man with two hands, holding a flute, of complexion like the early clouds of rain, and the wonderfully beautiful one). He not only looked lovely and attractive, He also did such sweet and pleasant things at Vrindaban that just by hearing or reading about those sports even an atheist will get attracted towards Him - "Ya Shrutwa Tattparo Bhabett" (Shrimadbhagbatam).

I have been blessed with the noble task of narrating the descent of Lovely Krishna at our Mahanam Angan, VIP Road, Kolkata on the 14th evening and performing Sankirtan along with devotee-accompanists on 15th morning. I remain grateful to my Gurudev Dr. Mahambrata Brahmachari for all this.

May Lord Krishna's birth anniversary bring eternal happiness to all and do good to all earthly beings.

Jai SriRadha-Krsishna

Raghunathpur Mahanam Angan Jhulan Sankirtan

Mahanam Angan, Raghunathpur, VIP Road, Calcutta,a temple of Radha-Krishna, Nitai-Gaur, Gaur-Bishnupriya & Prabhu Jagatbandhu, (Estd. by Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari) celebrated the Jhulan Utsav from 1st to 5th Aug'09 with pomp and splendour not seen anywhere around this locality. For all five days LeelaKirtan and Prasad distribution to hundreds of devotees took place. On 1st and the closing days Sri Krisna Pal, a renowned troupe of Kirtan performed different Leelas and on other days S/Sri Gour Karmakar, Ujjal Sarkar sang other Leelas of Radha-Gobinda. Pictures and video clips are here to show glimpses of the functions. Next function is Krishna Janmaleela & Nandotsav - on 14th Aug'09 discourse on Lord Krishna's descent by Gopika Charan Sinha & on 15th Nandotsav kirtan by Gopika and his group.

JHULAN of Radha Krishna - a festival

Jhulan is a festival for mainly the Vaishnavas, largely observed in Vrindaban. For five days starting Shravan Shukla Ekadasi to Purnima the idols of Radha & Krishna are put on decorated swing and various functions are held at home and temples. The followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu arranges Kirtan, Discourses, Fairs and exhibitions for the devotees. The above picture is one at home. Much bigger scenes will be posted shortly from the temple MAHANAM ANGAN, VIP Road, Calcutta, India where celebrations were started by Acharya late Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari. Mahanam Angan is the place where this great saint of neo-Vashnavites stayed for years and where his Samadhi is situated. The closing day for this year is 5th August'09. The sweet divine love of Radha-Krishna is depicted through this festival. The closing day i.e, Purnima is also known as Raakhi Purnima, when sisters tie Raakhi, a beautifully decorated thread, on brother's wrist. By doing this the brothers become the protectors of the sisters and sisters extend their warm affection through this. More infos about Jhulan are invited.