From Vijay Prabhu

[Guest guest]

Hare Krsna Prabhus,

 

We're in the middle of the Mayapur Festival in Sridham Mayapur. Today is the

third day of the Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama, there's two parties going

separately (walking an average of five miles a day) to many of the different

holy places commemorating the pastimes of Gaura Nitai. About three thousand

devotees accompanied by eleven sanyasis are taking part in this most

ecstatic event. On the second day after Jayapataka Swami spoke about the

Diety of Hari-Hara, a deity that is half Siva and half Visnu, he asked if

anyone in the crowd (of about a thousand devotees) would like to volunteer

to do a five minute skit about the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, he needed

seven people. After no one came forward, I mentioned that there were seven

sanyassis on the stage, maybe they can do it. They agreed. But they needed

five minutes in the back stage to learn their lines, so Maharaja asked me to

speak about book distribution during that time. I told the devotees about a

pastime of Lord Siva and Parvati in which they went to one village dressed

as ordinary village people. While they were walking around a beggar came and

asked for a donation. Lord Siva said he didn't have anything, but Parvati

told him He should give something. He ended up giving him a watermelon. The

beggar was not very satisfied however because he didn't like watermelon, but

he took it anyway thinking he could get something for it in the village. He

found someone to give a few paise for it then he went on his way. When the

person that bought the watermelon cut it open he was surprised to find it

filled with priceless jewels. The beggar that received the melon didn't know

the great value of what he had been given so he practically just gave it

away. This is also the situation that we find when we distribute books,

people receive these great treasures of knowledge, but because of not

knowing what is the priceless value of them they give them to someone else

or throw them away or keep them in their house for years and years but never

read them. The duty of a sankirtan devotee is to try to help them understand

how important the book is so that they don't make the mistake of the beggar.

 

Then the swamis came back on stage (they were Jayapataka Swami, Kavicandra

Swami, Gopal Krsna Maharaja, Umapati Swami, Mahavisnu Swami (British),

Bhaktisiddhanta Swami, and Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami.

 

A drunkard comes out barely able to walk (Mahavisnu Swami), a thief sees

him and decides to rob him (Kavicandra Swami), which he does but the

drunkard is somehow able to stop him and even kills him. Then the yamadutas

come to take him away (Japataka Swami and Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami, but

before they can reach him Lord Siva (Umapati Swami) comes and chants in his

ear: Gaura, Gaura, Gaura, Gaura, etc. the thief becomes purified and the

Visnudutas (Gopal Krsna Maharaja and Bhaktisiddhanta Swami) arrive on the

scene and tell the yamadutas that their in the wrong place at the wrong

time. The thief becomes a devotee and goes back to Godhead.

 

This was all done spontaneously so the devotees really appreciated it.

 

Gaura Gaura Gaura Hari!