Waves of Love Hit Laguna Beach

[Guest guest]

Subj: ~ Lord Chaitanya's Festival Report

 

 

Waves of Love Hit Laguna Beach

Annual Festival a Blissful Event

 

The festival for Lord Chaitanya in Laguna Beach was simply wonderful.

Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai were taken on a Maha-Harinama through the tourist filled

town and to the Beautiful beach. Although we tried to contain all of the 200

+- Devotees on the extra wide sidewalks the Harinama kept increasing and the

devotees jubilantly overflowed into the street for two blocks. As Their

Lordships were taken on Their transcendental procession the conch shell blew.

When the Harinama arrived at the Beach we cooked up the Kirtan for quite

awhile as Their lordships faced the beautiful ocean with nice waves breaking.

Of course the real waves breaking were from congregational chanting of the

Holy Names. The sound of 'Gouranga; Goura Nityananda Bol and Haribol' etc.

filled the air and created quite a nice atmosphere. As we left the beach area

we went on the grass and devotees began to jump to the beat crisscrossing

across the grass.

Everyone was happy and united in the Holy Names of the Lord.

After Harinama was performed very vigorously the devotees were treated to

a spectacular feast fit for a king. So it was fitting to offer it to Lord

Chaitanya. The Gouranga Potatoes were excellent, rich with ghee, with

cauliflower added and the curd subji was out of this world! Tukarama Prabhu,

the TP, acknowledged all of the many devotees who helped put on the great

festival. Some such as his wife only slept a few hours so she could cook

three first class subji's. New outfits were prepared for Panca Tattva and

Their chaddurs were hand painted by Bhaktin Jenny.

Another highlight of the festival for me was the play. The voices were

recorded with other background noises very well and the devotee actors were

funny and intense. When Lord Chaitanya charged to slay Jagai or Madhai with

his Chakra and Lord Nityananda stopped him with a bleeding head my heart

jumped. A play of the Age of Kali I saw in Vancouver in 1974 convinced me of

the philosophy. Plays are a very powerful preaching tool and I am glad

whenever I get a chance to see a devotee performance such as we had in Laguna.

Lord Chaitanya showered His mercy on the devotees from all of Krsna's

camps.

I was convinced that when it comes to the essence of devotional service,

Chanting; dancing and feasting; we are all together. A very nice tribute to

Srila Prabhupada was made by Sudhanidhi Prabhu who also led a rousing Kirtan.

We all surrounded his Vyasasana during the kirtan on our knees and had

ecstatic Kirtan glorifying His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada.

Earlier in the Program, Hrdayananda Maharaja gave a class wherein he

described the ills of ISKCON quite extensively, for quite awhile, until

Badrinarayana Prabhu, the local GBC, asked the Maharaja if he had anything

else on his mind that he could talk about. The Maharaja thought for a second

then started talking about the faults of the Zonal Acharya system that ISKCON

had been following since Srila Prabhpada's physical departure. I was standing

and ready to enter into the discusion but I thought on this day I better just

meditate on and worship Lord Chaitanya without politics.

Sri Sri Guru and Gouranga will take care of everything in time. Practicing

the Yuga Dharma, Harinama Sankirtana, is more important and talking about so

many things more political than spiritual, and wasting our valuable time. Of

course we need to deal with our problems and the Maharaja mentioned in his

class also, that istagosthis are very important, and needed to improve our

relationships and devotional services.

He spoke in support of women in the fronts of the temples, saying what woman

would want to join today, if she has to march to the back all of the time?

We could leave our bodies at any moment and we need to get a good hold on

the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu right away. We have to just take the

mercy of the Lord. It's the most wonderful thing for all of us. Bhaktivinode

Thakur recommends that we all take shelter of the most powerful and merciful

Names of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda. He says in his Navadwip

Mahatmya, The glorification of Navadwip, that chanting the Holy Name of

Gouranga frees ones of offenses and lets one taste the nectar of the Holy

Names a lot faster than any other way of self realization in our age. So

please take up the singing of the Names of Lord Chaitanya and you will find

that your life becomes much happier and spiritually enjoyable. It is said in

Srila Prabhupada's Sri Chaitanya Caritamrita, that if we forget Lord

Chaitanya, even an easy thing to do becomes difficult; but if we remember

Lord Chaitanya, even a difficult thing becomes easy! This is the mercy of

Lord Chaitanya. When I first met my spiritual master, His Divine Grace, Swami

Srila Prabhupada, guru of the Hare Krsna Movement, in his room the day after

Rathayatra in Sanfrancisco in 1974, he said to all of us new Radha-Damodara

devotees, "So you are all very bright-faced and fortunate to come to Lord

Chaitanya's movement. Now that you are fortunate, make others fortunate.

Preach this message of Lord Chaitanya's all over the world."

It was so ecstatic to see Srila Prabhupada so close for the first time. My

body shook as I entered his room and offered him a long stemmed rose along

with the other 13 + new devotees. Srila Prabhupada looked so effulgent as he

spoke for another 20 minutes about how happy he was with our preaching work.

We would hold festivals daily at a college, park, temple or somewhere over

the rainbow, to everyone presents delight. Visnujana Swami loved Radha and

Damodara with all of his heart and showed it in his inspirational Kirtans and

Bhajans. When Srila Prabhupada heard him chanting in the LA Temple room he

said, "I'm walking in Vaikuntha, I'm walking in Vaikuntha, I'm walking in

Vaikuntha!" This shows the power of chanting the Holy Names. It brings the

power and mercy of the Lord there.

So it is our safest position, to always be chanting and dancing and honoring

nice prasadam enjoying spiritual association united in Sri Sri Guru and

Gouranga and the Holy Names.

.. All glories to all of the Devotees who participated in this annual event

in Laguna. It is held the Saturday following Gaura-Pournima every year. That

way there is more mercy to go around. Some devotees can have Goura-Pournima

celebrations 2 or 3 times! Nitai-Goura Prem Ananda!! Hope to see you all

there next year!

 

Yours in the service of Sri Sri Guru & Gouranga

Gauridasa Pandita Dasa

Gauri