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!

Nitai's Staff

Nitai on Nityananda Trayodasi 2011

Srila Vrindavan Das Thakura receiving Darshan of Nitai.

Sri Nityananda Astakam

By Vrindavan Das Thakura

1) I perpetually worship Shri Nityananda Prabhu, the root of the Krishna-bhakti tree, whose bright face   mocks the full autumn moon, whose pure complexion glistens, whose gait is like that of a maddened elephant, who is always intoxicated in Krishna-prema, who embodies pure spiritual energy, whose face holds a gentle smile, whose eyes are always rolling due to His absorption in Krishna-prema, whose lotus hand holds a glowing staff, and who, by the performance of nama-sankirtana, pierces the influence of Kali-yuga.

2) I perpetually worship Shri Nityananda Prabhu, the root of the Krishna-bhakti tree, who is the mainstay of all the rasas, who is everything to His devotees, who is beyond compare, who is the master of both Vasudha and Jahnava-devi, who consider Him more dear than their own lives, who is always maddened in Krishna-prema, and who is unknown only to those of meager intelligence.



3) I perpetually worship Shri Nityananda Prabhu, the root of the Krishna-bhakti tree, who is very dear to Shri Saci-nandana, who is worshipped by the entire universe, who is the embodiment of happiness, who possesses infinite mercy for delivering the souls who are drowning in the age of Kali, and who, by the performance of shri-harinama-sankirtana, thwarts the progressing false pride of the ocean of repeated birth and death.



4) I perpetually worship Shri Nityananda Prabhu, the root of the Krishna-bhakti tree, who said to Shri Krishna Chaitanya, "Hey brother Gauranga! What will be the destination of the sinful souls of Kali-yuga and how will they be redeemed? Please devise a method by which they will easily attain You."


5) I perpetually worship Shri Nityananda Prabhu, the root of the Krishna-bhakti tree, who wandered around Bengal and, approaching the door of each and every home, threw open His arms and exclaimed, "O brothers! All of you should eternally perform shri-harinama-sankirtana together. By doing so, I will take the responsibility to deliver you all from the ocean of material existence."


6) I eternally worship Shri Nityananda Prabhu, the root of the Krishna-bhakti tree, who is the Agastya Muni who forcibly swallows the ocean of repeated birth and death, who is a rising full moon which increases the ocean of the saintly persons' welfare, and who is a sun which dissipates the darkness of ignorance cast by the various classes of miscreants.


7) I eternally worship Shri Nityananda Prabhu, the root of the tree of Krishna-bhakti, who wandered on every path in Bengal dancing, singing, and calling out "Hari bol! Hari bol!" and who lovingly bestowed merciful sidelong glances upon those who were not compassionate to even their own selves.


8) I eternally worship Shri Nityananda Prabhu, the root of the Krishna-bhakti tree, who held the supremely soft lotus-hand of His brother Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, whose heart became filled with the highest bliss when the two brothers gazed into each other's faces, and who wandered here and there delighting the townspeople with His sweetness. 8) May Shri Nityananda Prabhu place His lotus feet in the heart of one who lovingly recites this unprecedented Nityanandastaka, which is the reservoir of rasa, the greatest treasure of the most exalted of rasika Vaishnavas, and the storehouse of the essence of bhakti-rasa.

 

Food Mountain Festival--Govardhan Puja

All pictures are courtesy of Ajay Prabhu.