Jahnava Devi's Appearance Day, May 1, n° 3.

[Guest guest]

"The Festival in Kheturi

 

Devotees arrive

 

The devotees of Jajigram came together with Shrinivas Acarya and Govinda

Kaviraj. Ramchandra came as well, providing the opportunity for his

friendship with Narottam to blossom. From Narasinghapur, in Orissa, came

Shyamananda Pandit and his followers, including Rasik Murari. Jahnava Ma and

Her entire entourage came from Khardaha. From the Shrikhanda district came

Raghunandana Thakura and many other devotees. Shrivasa Thakura's brothers

came from Navadvipa, and Advaita Acharya's sons came from Shantipur. Hridoy

Chaitanya travelled from Ambika Kalna, as did many other Gaudiya mohants.

This is just a brief sampling of the devotees who attended.

 

Since all of these exalted souls travelled from their respective towns

-largely by walking -they gathered new followers along the way, telling

everyone they met about the fabulous festival that would soon take place at

Kheturi. Hundreds snowballed into thousands, and over the course of one week

they all reached the borders of West Bengal. Santosh Datta arranged for

dozens of colossal boats to ferry back and forth as devotees needed to cross

the river. Once the devotees were in East Bengal, luxurious palanquins and

huge oxcarts carried them to Kheturi-gram.

 

The hosts -Narottam, Shrinivas, and Santosh Datta -greeted everyone as they

arrived, offering each guest a flower garland and welcoming them with great

affection. All the devotees were given separate accomodations with personal

servants to tend to their needs. The guest of honour, Jahnava Ma

(Acharyani), was the senior and most respected Vaishnava at the event, and

so Narottam specifically worshiped her with flowers and chandan, and

encouraged the devotees to do the same. Actually, the role of Jahnava Ma at

te Kheturi festival should be properly highlighted. Within the Gaudiya

sampradaya, diverse philosophical conceptions were coming to the fore, such

as Gaura-nagari-bhava, Rasa-raj, Gaura-paramyavad (the teaching that

Mahaprabhu is the Ultimate Godhead), Nitai-paramyavad, Advaita-paramyavad,

and other variations as well. Each of these conceptions embodied distinct

nuances, too complex to illuminate in this short book. Jahnava as the

leading Vaishnava of the time, mediated on behalf of all these camps and

resolved their differences to the satisfaction of the Gaudiya orthodoxy.

Thus, her presence was especially appreciated by Narottam Thakura.

 

After worshiping Jahnava Devi in the appropriate way and showing proper

respect to all the assembled Vaishnavas, Raghunandana Thakura sang the

invocation prayers signifying an extremely holy event. A huge kirtan ensued

well into the night as a preparation for the actual festival, which began on

the following day (...)

 

After the Deities were installed according to the strictures of

smriti-sastra, the edible offerings as well as the flower garlands were

given to Jahnava, who then gave Shrinivas, Narottam, Shyamananda and Santosh

Datta her direct remnants. Then, the rest of the devotees feasted and

discussed Krishna for many hours. Finally, the devotees went into the large,

ornate kirtan hall, where Narottam began to lead a moving, deliberate kirtan

in his own distinct style. This came to be known as the Garan-hati form of

kirtan, with its mellow, unmistakable melodies and its rich emotional

content. It was based on the classical drupada technique, which is serene

and majestic (...)

 

Just as Narottam's kirtan came to an end, Jahnava Devi began new

festivities. She approached the newly installed Deities and offered a

special form of red powder, the kind that Radha and Krsna throw at each

other during their Holi festival. After the Deities enjoyed the dye, Jahnava

Ma instructed the devotees to take the many buckets of colored dye and

commemorate the Holi festival by throwing it at each other. Before the words

had emanated from her lips, however, the devotees -thousands of them -were

throwing the dye with great enthusiasm, enjoying remembrance of Radha and

Krishna's fun-loving pastime. This took the devotees well into the night,

and then they joyfully celebrated Mahaprabhu's appearance festival with

specially composed songs about His divine birth and early pastimes.

 

The next morning, Jahnava Ma and a team of experienced cooks, trained by

her, prepared breakfast for all of the devotees. Then with a few assistants

she personally fed the devotees with her own hands. Only when everyone else

had completed their meal did Jahnava herself sit down and enjoy the

remnants. This was her humility.

 

The festival lasted for three days, but for the attending Vaishnavas it was

the experience of a lifetime (...) For a number of complex reasons, the

Kheturi festival is considered one of the most important milestones in

Vaishnava history (...)"

 

If you wish to read more on the glories of Jahnava Devi, you can dive into

the most sweet book of Satyaraj prabhu (Steven Rosen) called "The Lives of

the Vaishnava Saints" Folk Books, p.4, 5-6; 27, 29-30, 36, 55, 88, 90,

91-92, 97, 98. This last extract was taken from this book.

 

Your servant,

Krsna-kirtana dasi.