First Darsana of Their Lorships Sri Sri Panca-tattva

[Guest guest]

This year's Festival and the First Darsana of Their Lordships Sri Sri

Panca-tattva: My experience

 

Sunday, February 22, 2004

 

Yesterday morning at about 11 AM, there was a jala-yatra, an organized

procession of devotees to the Ganga. The idea was that mud pots were

provided for the devotees to take to Ganga. They could then fill up the pots

with Ganga water and submit them for being used for tomorrow's abhiseka

ceremony of the Panca-tattva. Yesterday also happened to be HH Tamal Krishna

Goswami Maharaja's disappearance anniversary. So his disciples and admirers

had organized a small pandal program in the morning to honor His Holiness.

Since this function and the jala-yatra to the Ganga was at the same time, I

had to make a choice. I joined the procession (though I was late) and my

wife stayed back to witness the disappearance anniversary function of Tamal

Krishna Maharaja. She later told me that several Maharajas had come to the

function.

 

Since my wife Suvarna Krishna Lila didn't get water from the Ganga, I

accompanied her to the Ganga to get Ganga water for the Deities abhiseka.

She then reminded me of the First Darsana ceremony (netronmilana) of Their

Lorships Sri Sri Panca-tattva, I didn't realize what it would like to

witness it. The First Darsana was slated to be at or later than 6:30 PM. So

I was wandering here and there looking at the different stalls and other

features of the Festival. This year, the organization of the Festival is

really enhanced. There is even a devotees' facilitation pavilion. The

entrance to the temple is also neat and streamlined.

 

This year, there is much spontaneous enthusiasm amongs both the local

devotees and the visiting devotees regarding the entire festival. I noticed

this phenomenon right from the day Sri Sri Panca-tattva Deities came from

South India in the truck. On that day, hundreds of devotees gathered near

the Yoga-pitha just to greet the Deities, even though They were inside

packed in the truck. I noticed, devotees were greatly enjoying the kirtana

with such exuberance that some devotees actually cried in happiness just to

see the procession! Jananivasa Prabhu is reported to have said that he had

not seen the devotees so enthusiastic in devotional service since the time

of Srila Prabhupada's manifest presence! Clearly, this year the festival

wasn't going to be just another Gaura-purnima festival, nor was the

installation of Sri Sri Panca-tattva going to be like any other Deity

installation ceremony. It was the same enthusiasm that I noticed among the

devotees yesterday.

 

So at about 6 or 6:30 PM, I went towards the temple. Through the loud

speakers, I could hear the raging kirtana being led by HH BB Govinda

Maharaja and HH Niranjana Maharaja. There was a small platform for the

kirtana performers, while the entire Panca-tattva Hall was packed with

devotees. The kirtana was strong. I suddenly realized that I was also

singing and dancing! I then noticed that everybody that I saw was singing

the maha-mantra! What was going on here? From where did this sudden taste

for Krsna's holy names come to us?

 

Behind the Panca-tattva Hall was an extension, the construction of which is

still being finished. There are stairways leading to a balcony and you can

have a nice view of whatever is happening at the Panca-tattva Hall. So, I

thought, let me go there and see just how many are joyously singing Krsna's

holy names in the kirtana. I noticed that at the balcony too, to my

amazement, the devotees, several with cameras, were *also* singing! Usually

in kirtanas at a temple, there is core of "fired-up" devotees who were

participating in kirtana, and the others are somewhat spaced out in a

fringie type of mood.

 

But here I saw that devotees were just overwhelmed by an overpowering

spiritual potency to sing Hare Krishna CONTINUOUSLY IN A HAPPY MOOD!

Honestly, as far as my memory goes, this is the first time in the last 15

years or so that I had ever noticed such a phenomenon. From the balcony I

saw that the devotees in the hall sometimes stood up to dance in kirtana

(they had to be told to sit down sometimes). I then came downstairs, wonder

struck at what was happening.

 

Just before I re-entered the Panca-tattva Hall, I met Jaya Govinda Carana

Prabhu who was either videoing or photographing the event. I asked him,

"What's happening here? How come everyone is ACTUALLY happy and overwhelmed

in kirtana?" His realization was, "This Panca-tattva Deity installation is

causing the movement to enter a NEW PHASE. By Lord Caitanya's arrangement,

this movement will not be the same again."

 

I went in front of the Panca-tattva altar from behind and then I saw all

kinds of devotees joyously participating in the kirtana: devotees from all

different continents; old devotees, young devotees; first generation

devotees, second generation gurukuli devotees; temple resident devotees,

congregational devotees; devotees optimistic about ISKCON, devotees

pessimistic about ISKCON; even devotees involved in administration;

sannyasis, grhasthas, brahmacaris, brahmacarinis, married women, renunciate

women; devotees who generally like kirtanas, devotees who generally are not

into kirtanas; the intellectual, pseudo-intellectuals (including dry

speculators like me), non-intellectuals; the big shots, and the

rank-and-file members; EVERYBODY WAS JUST *HAPPILY* ABSORBED IN SINGING THE

HARE KRISHNA MANTRA despite the fact that Govinda Maharaja and Niranjana

Maharaja were actually singing Hare Krishna in ONLY two tunes, again and

again and again. I saw some GBC members also singing Hare Krishna in great

happiness. I also saw some gurukuli devotees, some small children too,

sitting along with the Maharajas participating in the kirtana. One boy was

blowing a horn every now and then.

 

I could find no other explanation to this phenomenon, MAHAPRABHU AND HIS

ASSOCIATES ARE MANIFESTING THEMSELVES, and those who CAN come to this

Panca-tattva Deity installation function or at least the other aspects of

this year's Gaura-purnima festival, and who are still deciding to not come

*are robbing themselves of a great spiritual fortune*.

 

And then, after some time (I didn't care to look at my watch for the time),

the curtains opened and WE COULD SEE THEM! Since I was in the left side of

the Panca-tattva Hall, I could see Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Sri Gadadhara

Prabhu and Sri Srivasa Prabhu. I noticed that so many devotees had climbed

up the platform to show Sri Panca-tattva Their favorite items with which the

Krishna consciousness movement worships Them: mrdangas, Bhagavatams and

other books of Srila Prabhupada, karatalas, etc.

 

What joy! How sincerely the devotees were prayerfully singing Hare Krishna

then! How can I express the great happiness the assembled devotees were

feeling then? I remembered that in Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Srila

Prabhupada describes how Lord Caitanya had led kirtana at Varanasi with

thousands of people and they were in great happiness. I could get a glimpse

of what it was. Actually, I am simply unable to explain it, though by the

blessings of Their Lordships and Their devotees, I was able to have a minute

experience of kirtana-rasa and darsana-rasa, as were hundreds of devotees

there. That's why I am saying, if you CAN come for this function (the actual

installation will happen tomorrow by about 7 AM local time) or at least

other aspects of the Gaura-purnima festival, and you are cheating yourself.

This is a fact.

 

The Deities were gorgeous, beautiful. They were dressed in simple white

dhotis and cadars. One by one, different senior devotees performed each

aspect of the netronmilana ceremony, showing arati, etc. Everybody was so

continuously happy, the devotees in the hall were so ecstatic in the

kirtana! There was also reasonable amount of traffic control, which was

actually nice to see. After some time, the curtains closed.

 

The kirtana was then taken over by HG Aindra Prabhu from Vrindaban. The

devotees' happiness in the kirtana hall continued unabated. Though some

devotees had begun to leave, the devotees present started dance. I was also

dancing in another part of the Panca-tattva Hall! Bhakti-marga Maharaja and

Candramauli Maharaja were dancing together with one group. A few groups of

Matajis were also fired up, dancing.

 

After some time, I came to the Radha Madhava Hall and sat near Srila

Prabhupada to finish my Gayatri prayers. I then spoke to Varada Krishna

Prabhu who had come from Chennai. He was dazed. He also said, "This movement

is not only here to stay, but it is going to expand wildly after this." I

added, "The Supreme 'In-charge' has come to take over the world." Just then,

Caitanya Bhagavan Prabhu, who had helped the senior devotees inside the

altar, came and simply hugged Varada Krishna Prabhu saying, "Lord Caitanya

Mahaprabhu is here!" He informed us that he saw several devotees crying in

happiness. He said, even he himself was crying in happiness, when assisting

the senior devotees in the ceremonies inside the altar.

 

I then went to join the devotees in the kirtanas, the dancing, and the great

happiness of kirtana-rasa. The kirtanas and dancing went on and on and on.

Some of my friends, who were dancing in the kirtanas, were surprised /

shocked to see me dancing in the kirtanas! But what to do? Lord Caitanya is

too powerful, and I am a tiny jiva; how can I get out of the flood of

kirtana-rasa?

 

At one point, Aindra Prabhu shouted, "For fifteen more minutes!" and then

the devotees looked at the wall clock. It was 9:45 PM! But the kirtana ended

only at 10:15, and I saw that the devotees were clearly dissatisfied that it

had ended. Even I was dissatisfied.