(12/15) Forthcoming Festivals

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, Sri Jagannath Misra Anandotsav
22 March 2019, morning class, part 12
Translated from Bengali

All right, I have explained many things today...

Soon is our festival in Hapaniya Dham. If anybody wants to stay for it, you are welcome to stay. I do not have any objection. And soon is also my Gurudev's disappearance festival. I am inviting you beforehand. The festival will be here. If I can enter the Nabadwip temple, you will hear the news (we are trying towards that); otherwise, I will make the festival here in Nrisingha Palli. And at the time of Ratha-yatra, I will go to South India this year. We will go to Puri, and from there I will take devotees to South India. Everybody can come to Puri, but I will not take more than one hundred people to South India. You can come to Puri with us or buy the tickets yourself, I do not mind it. We will be in Puri for seven days. When we do parikrama on foot, there are no expenses (prasad is given to everybody, it is not necessary to give any money), but if we go by bus, then it is necessary to cover the transportation expense. So, if you are coming to Puri, please contribute 2,000 rupees, and if you want to come to South India with us, then it is 9,000 rupees. You can take Sripad Niriha Maharaj's or Ashok Prabhu's phone number and reserve a place for yourself. I will not take more than one hundred people because we will take a train from Puri, but after that we will have to go by bus. There are forty seats in the bus. I am hiring three buses, and there are twenty devotees coming with me (some foreign devotees and my servitors). So, I will only take one hundred people, not a person more.

So, today is Friday, and the Hapaniya festival is going to be next week on Monday. And on 16 April is the disappearance day of my Gurudev. It is a very sad day for me, so I am requesting you to come to give me consolation and to join the festival on that day. May people will say, 'Oh, it is Bengali New Year (Pohela Boishakh), I cannot leave home at this time, and on top of that, it is an ekadasi day...' Come. Come on ekadasi, observe it at the temple, and the festival will be on the dvadasi day. By that time, most foreigners will have already left for their countries, so you will be able to get rooms; I will make arrangements for you. It is only one night, so it is not a problem anyway. Many Vaishnavs will come from Mayapur, so you will get an opportunity to serve Vaishnavs.

Devotee: When is there going to be a festival in Tarakeshwar?

Later. There is still time. Actually, this is provincialism. You are going to your home in Tarakeshwar, so you are wondering when there will be a festival there. You live there, so when there is a festival, you will know it. Everybody will know it.

It is already eight o'clock, so let us chant some kirtan, and you can all take prasad.

Devotees: We want to hear more!

Are you not hungry?

Devotees: No, no!

But I am hungry. [His Divine Grace chuckles.]

বিষয়ে যে প্রীতি এবে আছয়ে আমার ।
সেই মত প্রীতি হউক চরণে তোমার ॥

visaye ye priti ebe achhaye amara
sei-mata priti hauk charane tomara

'May I have the same love and attraction to Your holy feet that I now have for material things.'

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

You must feel attachment to the Lord's prasad. But it does not mean excessive eating. But then Mahaprabhu said, 'Prasad akantha kariya bhojan, sara dina-rata kara sankirtan (প্রসাদ আকণ্ঠ করিয়া ভোজন সারা দিন-রাত কর নাম-সংকীর্ত্তন). Eat up to your neck and chant the Holy Name the whole day and night.' Can you do that? You can eat a lot, but after that you must dance! Did you see me yesterday? How do you think a person who takes twenty-two tablets every day can dance so much?...

— : • : —

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Size: 52 Mb
Length: 108 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Take Prasad
2) Stay Focused
3) Remember Your Service
4) Help Yourself and Others
5) Avoid Offences to Service
6) Avoid Offences to Holy Name
7) Avoid Offences to Vaishnavs
8) Avoid Offences to Holy Dham (Part 1)
9) Avoid Offences to Holy Dham (Part 2)
10) Avoid Kali's Places
11) Devotional Strictures
12) Devotional Strictures
13) Rejoice!
14) Outstanding Happening
15) Wholesome Vision