Mayapur Today E-Newsletter - June 06 Edition

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Mayapur Today

online at www.mayapur.com/newsletter/jun06

 

June 2006 Contents

 

Sri Nrisimha Chaturdasi Celebration

Mayapur's Mercy Awaits you

Back To Godhead

Uttisthata Jagrata Students Conference 2006

Spring Festivals

 

 

Visit Mayapur.com (http://www.mayapur.com) for the latest news

 

 

***Sri Nrisimha Chaturdasi Celebration

 

 

What a day to be in Mayapur! The ferocious half-man half-lion form of the

Lord

celebrated His appearance day [on such and such date] and the festival this

year was the grandest I have ever seen. The festivities began the night

before,

with a drama performed by the local children.

 

Then the day's celebrations began with mangalaratika; there were so many

devotees it was nearly impossible to see Lord Nrisimhadeva during His puja.

However, close circuit cameras were projecting the image of the puja onto a

huge screen in Panca-tattva's temple room.

 

After mangalaratika and japa, there was deity greeting and guru-puja. This

was

the last time to see the Lord covered in sandalwood pulp this year. At noon,

just before the doors closed, the chandan was removed and Nrisimhadeva

received

a bath with fragrant oils. Prior to this there was the Maha-Sudarshan-Homa.

This is a long and extremely complicated fire sacrifice for the pleasure of

the

Lord. There are 10 pujaris offering 10 different items at once! This lasts

for

over three hours.

 

After a bit of rest we all assembled for the main abhishek. It was a

wonderful

experience, with so many activities going on at once - Kirtans, conch

blowing,

mantra chanting, bathing, and bell ringing. Then the Lord was dressed in new

clothing and offered huge amounts of wonderfully prepared sweets, subjis,

and

all manner of offerings.

 

Visit the Mayapur.com photo gallery for more photos

(http://www.mayapur.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=38

25)

 

***Mayapur's Mercy Awaits you

 

Perhaps you are meditating on how to optimize your spiritual development and

your contribution to the Krishna Consciousness movement, or perhaps you feel

the need to revitalize your spiritual life. If you are in either of these

situations, then please consider the opportunities to study Srila

Prabhupada's

books in the association of advanced devotees in Sridham Mayapur at the

Mayapur

Institute for Higher Education and Training (MIHET)* .

 

A team of very senior devotees will facilitate the 2006-7 MIHET VTE

Bhakti-sastri Course (http://www.mihet.info/bs_bv/bhakti_sastri_main.htm)

sharing their realizations in an interactive format designed to empower

devotees as preachers, leaders, and lifetime servants of ISKCON. The course

will begin on Bhisma Pancaka (November 2, 2006), enabling devotees, during

the

last five days of Kartika, to get credit for their austerities as if they

had

performed them for the entire caturmasya.

 

For those that have already taken Bhakti-sastri, the MIHET will pilot (also

on

November 2) a unique approach to studying the Bhagavatam with its Canto 4

Bhaktivaibhava (http://www.mihet.info/bs_bv/bhaktivaibhava.htm) Module.

Students will hear from fully trained VTE facilitators in the morning

Structured Learning Classes and from senior ISKCON sannyasis and leaders in

the

evening Thematic Discussions.

 

After the Canto 4 Module, Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu will facilitate a 3-week

course entitled Vedic Cosmology in the 5th Canto. He is leading a team of

scholars studying this section of the Bhagavatam and he will share their

realizations with his students.

 

Most Saturdays, while these courses are in session, the MIHET sannyasi

teachers

will lead out parikramas throughout Navadvipa Dhama.

 

Due to the unprecedented stature of our teachers this year, the MIHET

expects

many devotees will enroll in these courses and thus encourages devotees to

register online

(http://mihe.indsoft.net/script/devotee_info.asp?course=Bhakti-sastri) as

soon

as possible to secure their seats.

 

Please visit http://www.mihet.info for details or write to us at

mihet (AT) pamho (DOT) net

 

*With a desire to emphasize the Devotional and Life Skills Training Program

within our ethos, we implemented a name change from the Mayapur Institute

for

Higher Education (MIHE) to the Mayapur Institute for Higher Education &

Training (MIHET)

 

 

*** Back to Godhead

 

 

On April 28 at 7.28pm, here in Sridham Mayapur, surrounded by devotees and

the

chanting of the Holy Names, and under the merciful glance of her beloved Sri

Sri Radha Madhava, Srimate Radharani Devi Dasi -- known affectionately to

all

as Didi Ma -- left her suffering body to return to the spiritual world. She

passed on quietly.

 

Didi Ma took shelter of Srila Prabhupada in the very early days of Mayapur

and

was a favourite cook of the devotees and Their Lordships. She had been

bedridden for 3 months but was quite strong until a few days back when she

was

no longer able to swallow even water.

 

Her desire was to simply be able to once again cook for Radha Madhava...

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami remembers Didi Ma's early days in Mayapur:

 

"Didi Ma was a very dear devotee. She was Srila Prabhupada's personal cook.

Once Srila Prabhupada said three Mayapur mataji's, of which Didi Ma was

one,were the best cooks in ISKCON. She did her devotional service with

dedication for all these years. When her health interfered with her service

her

desire to remain in this world seemed to be reduced.

 

"She was always talking about devotees, her devotional service, and

transcendental topics. She was very kind to me and I will miss her verymuch.

She leaves behind her son, Haridas, who does the media TV shows in Mumbai. I

don't know how many other children she has. We are all like herchildren. She

would take care of us and feed Radha Madhava and we would get the remnants."

 

All glories to Didi Ma, Srimate Radharani Devi Dasi!

 

 

***Uttisthata Jagrata Students Conference 2006

 

 

>From May 25th to 27th, 550 students from different schools and colleges in

West

Bengal (i.e. from 100 Jagrata Chhatra Samaj, enlightend student group

especially from Nadia, Burdwan and Kolkata Districts) attended the 12th

students conference at ISKCON Sridham Mayapur

 

This program was inaugurated by HH Bhaktisiddhanta Swami, HG Jananivas

Prabhu,

HG Bhadra Charu Prabhu and other dignitaries of ISKCON. The whole Program

was

supervised by HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami.

 

The three day program included a variety of workshops, including "Practicing

Japa" and "Chanting Siksastakam, and other programs such as bhajan and sloka

recitation, lectures, quizzes, cultural programs, slide shows and dramas.

 

For Chhatra Samaj and the participating student leaders, special meetings

were

held to discuss with HH BP Swami how to conduct both academic andspiritual

training in order to offer the students a more complete curriculum based on

Vedic tradition.

 

The students became vary enthusiastic and requested us to organize student

conference twice a year.

 

On the last day students received spiritual gifts, Bhaktivedanta

Scholarships,

certificates. 66 students received scholarship, 36 studentsreceived prizes

and

certifications, and another 60 received consolation prizes.

 

The three day program was concluded with a large procession to Lord

Chaitanya's

transcendental birth place, Yogapith. Everyone who participated,including

Mayapur devotees, were amazed at the enthusiasm and dedication these young

students revealed for Srila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

"Please go on preaching Krishna Consciousness amongst the student because

they

are our best clients.''-Srila Prabhupada (letter 20/4/1973)

 

 

**** Spring Festivals Photos

 

Vist the Festivals Album

(http://www.mayapur.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=22

74&

g2_navId=x522cbc25) at www.mayapur.com (http://www.mayapur.com)

 

*** Sri Nrisimha Chaturdasi 2006 Donors

 

 

On behalf of the devotees of Sri Nrisimhadeva in Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya

Mandir we offer our heartfelt gratitude to the following donors who helped

make this program possible.

 

Sponsors

 

Radha Kesava das

Sakshi Gopal das

Shelly Sookraj

Sri Vrindavan dasa

 

 

Donors

 

Ananga Manjari dasi

Aveen Rampershad

Chaitanya Rupa dasi

Chandrasekhar Basu

Fernando Dias

Hemant Gandhi

Hrishikesh Shinde

Madhangopal Janardhanam

Nihal Sing

Rajaram dasa

 

Mayapur Today

 

An E-newsletter from

Sri Mayapur Project

P.O. Sri Mayapur, Nadia

West Bengal, India 741 313

 

Phone: +91(3472) 245219

info (AT) mayapurfoundation (DOT) org

 

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