Nimai-NItai.

Little Nimai Nitai after a month's stay.

Our Nitai

Our Nimai

Little Nimai-Nitai, when They came home.

As I open the guest altar two smily faces affront me. The gleaming spring sun casts its rays through a parting in the window, this makes the already shiny faces glisten like the morning dew. Whenever i see the little Nimai-Nitai  deities as i call Them, visions of Their past flash through my mind. "They are from Ekacakra and the shopkeeper who made Them said They were very special," the voice of my friend echoes in my mind. I envision Them having been served by associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the times of great Sankirtan Revolution that took place long ago in Nadia..Visions of Gauridas Pandit's Gaura Nitai deities jumping off the altar and running to join the Kirtan. Visions of Pisima Goswamini's Gaura Nitai trading Their jewelry for rabri. Visions of Nimai crying for the moon and visions of Vasudev ghosh glorifying Nimai playing hide and seek with his brother in his enchanting childhood form."But aren't all deities special?" counters my mind. It then goes on to answer its own question by putting forth arguments and counter arguments about how the deities are special aand how the deities from Ekacakra are still special. All the while my hands are moving briskly collecting the Nirmalya flowers, filling water in Their pots and trying to concentrate on the seva at hand. But my mind and and gaze returns to the sweet faces of the two boys. For a moment as I admire Their chubby legs, flood pants, curly locks of hair and wondrous eyes, time stands still...I'm brought to the present by the sound of the cooker and the chirping of the noisy birds, which seem to be instructing me to chant my Gayatri mantra and rush back to the kitchen to tend to the bhoga. They came to stay for week, but stayed for over a month and have my heart in Their grasp. My heart overflows with gratitude for my spiritual master, who named our own Gaura Nitai deities as Nimai- Nitai and for Srila Prabhupada who gave us this scientific method of devotional service to the Lord, paving the way to reclaiming our lost idetitities and establishing our true connections, being in the world and not being of  it. Jai Nimai -Nitai, Jai Srila Prabhupada!

Attachments keep us in this material world. The good thing is that these very same attachments when directed to  residents of the spiritual world can free us.  Thank you for letting this crazy soul to serve you!



Springtime Visitors

It was the day of Akshaya tritiya, the third day of the bright fortnight, in the month of Vishaka, our already crowded home was having a splurge of transcendental visitors. First it was Gaura Nitai, Gopal, and Little Jagannath Baladev Subhadra, and on Akshaya Tritiya, Radha Vrindavan Chandra, 2 Laddu Gopals and Nitai Gaurasundara came for a visit. Its always a pleasure to have guests at home timely or untimely and this was the best blessing that one could ask for and that too on such an auspicious day. The guest altar was brought out and room was made for the distinguished guests. Observing the Lords in various ages, spanning from kaumara, through yauvana, i was awestruck by His beauty and smile. The Nectar of Devotion provides a beautiful account of exactly this sweetness possesed by Krishna. For the three days that the festival of Inspiration was happening in New Vrindavan, West Virginia, we were having a spiritual retreat of our own. It is said in the scriptures that one should invite limited number of guests so that we can serve them nicely, instead of having a large gathering where we cannot take care of any of the guests in a proper manner. So, on one hand i was plagued with thoughts of seva aparadha and on the other hand i just could not push away this opportunity for seva. Posted below are some pictures of the visitors...As i looked throught the lens of my Nikon, i was imagining how the King who later became a disciple of Sri Ramanuja and acquired the name of Dhanurdasa must've felt on being granted Divya Caksu to see the beautiful eyes of Lord Ranganatha....As a result, i ended up taking numerous  pictures of the deities. Though one might think that the pictures are the same, they are spread over  4 days and have subtle variations. Its a visit that I will always treasure!