Your Opportunity to Serve Sri Pancha-tattva in Mayapur

[Guest guest]

Dear prabhus,

 

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Two years ago devotees from all over the world helped install the darshan

murtis of Sri Pancha-tattva in ISKCON's world headquarters in Sri Mayapur

dham. Many of those present declared it to be a milestone in their

devotional life.

 

I remember vividly thousands of truly ecstatic voices reverberating as the

curtains opened for the first time and revealed the glorious darshan of Sri

Pancha-tattva. As the priest began reciting the sankalpa (declaring our vow

to complete the solemn yajna) Their lordships saw the names of all the

generous yajamans who sponsored Their installation.

 

In a few weeks devotees from all corners of the world will again arrive in

Sri Mayapur to worship Sri Pancha-tattva and celebrate Gaura Purnima. I hope

you'll be among them.

 

When Srila Prabhupada first spoke of developing Mayapur in 1969, he said:

 

"Bhaktivinode Thakur desired that American disciples would come to Mayapur

to take advantage of the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. I wanted

to make one American home there."

 

Of course, we know that it was not only Americans but all people from all

over the world that Srila Prabhupada was building a home for. Srila

Prabhupada described Mayapur as a "transcendental United Nations."

 

Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir is our mother temple. We may each belong to

the congregation of a local temple somewhere in the world, but we are all

part of the congregation of Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir as well. That is

why the Mayapur festival so powerfully uplifts and unifies devotees

regardless of their language, nationality or any other designation - because

Mayapur belongs to us all.

 

To fulfill Srila Prabhupada's desire to create international ISKCON sanga in

Mayapur, for many years the festival organizers have done away with festival

and prasadam fees. This year, the Mayapur Institute of Higher Education

(MIHE) will also be funded so that they can offer their professional

expertise for providing well organized seminars without any service charges.

Also this year, Bhaktimarga Maharaja and Praghosa prabhu have volunteered to

organize entertainment, including tickets for some top flight devotee

performers.

 

However, funding has unexpectedly become a critical problem. Bhakti

Purushottama Maharaja, who usually travels the world to raise funds for the

festival, was needed in Mayapur this year and could not go.

 

That is why we have launched the Gaura Purnima Offering of Service online at

www.gaurapurnima.com. This new program makes it easy for anyone to support

the Sri Mayapur festival and the development of Sri Mayapur Project.

 

For you, as a donor for the installation of Sri Pancha-tattva, this

opportunity allows you to continue your special relationship with Sri

Mayapur by making your personal offering to Sri Chaitanya on His Divine

Appearance Day in His Holy Abode of Sri Mayapur Dham.

 

Your support will not only cover the costs of an expanded festival, but

hopefully generate a surplus to help fund other developing programs in

Mayapur, including:

 

" Supporting the Sri Mayapur schools, which are currently providing a

devotional education to over 200 local Bengali children, most through

scholarships.

" Developing sites of Mahaprabhu's pastimes along the Nabadwip

parikrama route

" Expanding low-cost and free festival accommodations

" Funding the care and service of older devotees

" Establishing an online Web camera for continuous darshan of the

deities

 

All of this and more will be possible as devotees from around the world join

together in this global Offering of Service.

 

I'm asking you go now to www.gaurapurnima.com and join me in this offering.

 

The devotees in Mayapur have arranged for a variety of sevas from offering a

small silver lamp (this year 520 lamps will be offered for Mahaprabhu's

520th anniversary), to different levels of offering abhishek.

 

The donations for these offerings start at just $21, with special benefits

for kalash offerings of $251 and $501.

 

And making an offering is easy at www.gaurapurnima.com . There you can not

only make your offering, but also volunteer to help bring this opportunity

to others (even if you can't make an offering yourself).

 

In this way, through service to Sri Gauranga, we can achieve the immense

spiritual benefits of service in the holy Dham, even if we are unable to be

there physically.

 

And, by helping to develop Sri Mayapur we are making a personal investment

in the future of our society and its world headquarters in Sri Mayapur dham.

 

There are only 18 days left till Gaura Purnima and many preparations to be

made for the record numbers of devotees expected. So I urge you to make your

offering now.

 

Looking forward to serving Sri Mayapur Dham with you,

 

Your servant,

Pancharatna das