Grand and Joyous Festival

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Nrisingha Palli, 1 January 2021, part 1

Dandavat.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
His auspicious appearance day ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Srila Bhakti Kusum Ashram Maharaj ki jay
Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj ki jay
All the assembled sannyasi-vrinda ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay!
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

I am very happy to see you all. I have just got free and have this opportunity to meet with you all. So many people have been coming here from all over Bengal starting from yesterday and the day before yesterday. There are still five-six hundred devotees staying this night, some are leaving tomorrow, and three-four hundred devotees are staying for the disappearance festival of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur (the day after tomorrow, 3 January 2021).

I am very happy because the festival was very successful. All Gaudiya Maths from Nabadwip and Mayapur also came. Actually, my original assumption was a little wrong because it is lockdown period and also 1 January (many pilgrims usually come to every temple at this time of the year), so I thought many would not be able to come, but by the mercy of Gurudev more than a hundred brahmacharis and sannyasis came from Mayapur. I thought seventy or seventy-five devotees would come and prepared presentations (bags) and pranami (donation) for this number of guests, but then I saw that it was too less. Later, Sripad Niriha Maharaj had to go and quickly get more bags.

Every year when we make Gurudev's Vyasa Puja, I always want to give some presentation to all the Vaishnavs—I always want to take the opportunity to do some sadhu-seva, Vaishnav-seva. This year I have got this opportunity too, and this year Gurudev actually 'overfulfilled' my desire because so many devotees have come again since last Gaura Purnima. Actually, the attendance at the Vyasa Puja festival this year was even more than at Gaura Purnima. I thought it was winter season and not so many people would come, but so many devotees came from all over Bengal and they are all very happy. As I have already said, a few hundred devotes will stay until the festival the day after tomorrow.

I feel very happy because all the brahmacharis and sannyasis who came from Mayapur are very happy—they came and stayed in a very happy mood. We have been inviting them all for many years, from the times when we were in the mul-math Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math at Srila Sridhar Maharaj's bhajan-kutir, and when they come here now they have got here the same kind of hospitality, warmth, love, and affection that they used to get before, in Gurudev's time. They saw that the nat mandir here is full and even more than that—some people had no place and they had to even stand outside in the street. In this way, everybody was very happy with this festival. It is only possible by the mercy of Gurudev. They have all actually come to see Gurudev—they want to see Gurudev's appearance day and what kind of festival I can make now that I have left mul-math Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

This year also, there was special prasadam. Devotees made many varieties of prasadam and not only Indian style, but also some western style prasadam. All Vaishnavs were very happy with it. There were two types of paneer (chilli paneer and cauliflower paneer), veg pulao (fried rice), a good quality of rice (basmati rice), posta bora fried in ghee, etc. This festival was very great. Actually, this kind of crowd has come again for the first time since Gurudev's disappearance. We have seen such crowds before only in Gurudev's time in Nabadwip (mul-math of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math), and now is the first time we see it again at this Vyasa Puja festival of Srila Gurudev in 2021. It is also the beginning of a new year. Happy new year to everyone.

Devotees also 'inaugurated' the new guesthouse (Sri Bhakti Sundar Angan)—I gave nineteen rooms there and they stayed there for the first time. Here also, all rooms, verandas, and nat mandir are full of devotees. I have also made a pandal for prasadam. At the festival, we distributed prasadam to all the Vaishnavs here at the veranda of the second floor. We feel great happiness after this festival.

That is the news from here, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Sri Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip. This is what happened today.

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