Tirupati Grand Opening Day 3

[Guest guest]

Today is Nityananda Trayodasi and Jayapataka Swami was giving a nice class on

Lord Nityananda in the enormous pandal on a land adjoining the eastern side of

the temple that the Tirupati municipality has let the temple use. That was

interrupted by an announcement that the auspicious muhurta was finishing soon,

so we should come for the final yajna. So we tried to make our way back to the

temple, but they had only opened a small way between the properties that two

people at a time could fit through. Then you have to make your way through the

Raja Gopuram, which was also quite narrow considering the crowds. Before you

entered the Raja Gopuram gate, there was a small canal of water running where

your feet were washed before entering.

 

Making our way to the yajna shala, we saw that the head Tirumala priest, Sri

Padajiyar had again graced the occasion with his presence along with many

assistants. The final offerings were done, while the South Indian music

ensemble played on. Then the different sections of brahmanas chanted hymns from

the different Vedas, again the Sama Veda hymns being the most notable. From

there we made a procession into the temple that was now decorated outside with

concentric loops of garlands of orange marigolds, red roses, white mums, folded

green mango leaves, and yellow marigolds. The crowds were overwhelming, they

say that over 7,500 registered devotees were there, what to speak of the

public!

 

What I had forgotten to tell yesterday was that, by the time we did the

abhisheka of the utsava Deities, Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Astha Sakhis were

already placed on the altar. Without and decorations or hair and with a single

piece of white cloth tied around them, it appeared that Radha Govinda were

surrounded by many young rishis with their little top nots and prominent ears.

With great difficulty we made our way through the crowds to the altar.

 

The inside green gold embroidered curtains were pulled shut and only a select

few along with all the brahmanas entered behind. It took such a long time, as

they had to pray for the different personalities to be present in their

vigrahas, that we finally all sat down on the platform before the altar. The

only thing that saved us was the ecstatic kirtans being led by Lokanatha Swami.

The crowd was growing wild with ecstacy and anticipation.

 

After what seemed like an interminable length of time, the curtains were drawn

open to the enthusiastic roar of the crowd. Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Astha

Sakhis were all dressed in white cloth tied around them for the bathing with

beautiful purple mum garlands. A large Giriraja Sila with big lotus eyes and

mouth was resting beside Govinda's lotus feet. By now all the South Indian

Brahamanas had left and the abhisheka of the large Deities was being excecuted

by our own devotees. It was announced that the senior devotees would come in

batches to do the abhisheka and the first batch took their positions behind the

big Deities. Hundreds of large colored clay pots were covering the platform in

front of the altar and were being quickly and methodically passed behind the

altar. As the abhisheka finally commenced the kirtan went wild with ecstasy,

this was the moment we were all waiting for!

 

I cannot even begin to enumerate the different types of juices, and other

substances offered along with the pancamrita and pancagavya. What to speak of

the red watermelon juice, green melon juice, orange papaya juice, brown chikoo

juice, I even saw ground cashew juice among others. Primitive arrangements of

dough had been stretched along the different steps of the altar and all the

pancamrita was channeled into galvanized trough and to a green plastic pipe to

the basement. The devotees were pushing it along with pieces of curved bannana

bark. As Lokanatha Maharaja was finally called to the altar to take a turn, the

crowds enthusiasm increased even further with the wonderful kirtans of

Radhanatha Swami.

 

This Maha Abhisheka went on ecstatically for more than four hours! By this time

the Tirupati head pujari, Balaji, returned to take part. He was lovingly

pouring the contents of the silver and gold kalashes of the donors over the

utsava Deities with his wonderful sweet smile. Thousands of gallons of

pancamrita were collected in large tanks to be served to the tens of thousands

of devotees and guests. After all the auspicious liquids were exhausted, the

devotees lovingly smeared large quantities of pure chandan paste on Their

Lordships. Then came gallons of warm water, with the devotees devotedly rubbing

the limbs of the Sri Vigrahas. After some time perforated pans were passed out

and showers of water, some plain, some with herbs, some green or red, were

sprinkled over all the Deities.

 

But that was not the end. While the sahasra dhara abhisheka was going on dozens

of large deep baskets of flowers were being brought onto the platfrom in front

of the altar. As soon as the Deities were lovingly dried by the devotees with

soft towels, then the baskets were distributed behind the altars. There were

white jasmine flowers, yellow and orange marigold petals, yellow and white mum

petals, red rose petals, and many more. By now it had gone on too long. The

pushabhisheka must have been over in five minutes with all the Deities covered

in mountains of flowers. Revati Ramana was frantically searching for the utsava

murtis that were complete lost in the deluge of flowers.

 

Then I took a huge bunch of flower petals between my two hands from the lotus

feet Sri Sri Radha Govinda and made my way from behind the altar. Everyone was

looking at me curiously, and some even tried to snatch flowers from my hands,

but avoiding everyone, I made my way to the front railing of the altar. Then I

tossed the entire bunch of petals over the crowd and all pandemonioum broke

loose as everyone got the idea. Flower petals were raining everywhere. Some of

us were even just tossing them straight up in the air as we've learned from

being in Vrindavan creating a fountain of flower petal effect in front of the

Deities. The ocean of love of Krishna innundated the entire temple room. The

Tirupati devotees on the altar hoisted Revati Ramana Prabhu lying across their

shoulders and danced in ecstacy with him. This was probably the most ecstatic

moment in his life, and he deserved the honor being showered upon him for his

sincere service to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Finally it was announced that everyone should go for prasadam as no one had

eaten the whole day and it was now almost 4 PM. We were told to return at 5:30

for the darshan and first aratika. An incredible feast of South Indian

delicasies had been prepared and it was impossible to eat everything. Everyone

who passed by me asking what else I desired, was greeted with the answer,

"Another stomach!"

 

Of course 5:30 came and went with no sign of the curtains opening soon. Round

about 7 PM the sound of conchshells called everyone to the temple room.

Suddenly the sweet strains of Govinda Prayers echoed through the enormous

temple room. As the curtains finally rose, everyone gasped in amazement to see

extraordinarily beautiful Lordships and Their Astha Sakhis bedecked in colorful

outfits that seemed to complement the colors of the temple room. Then Gaura

Aratika commenced with everyone sitting, but the ecstacy was too much, before

long everyone was dancing in ecstacy, and anyway the Deities are high enough

that all could see.

 

Prabhupada had desired to establish the worship of Radha Krishna in South India

and now Revati Ramana and his dedicated crew of devotees had fulfilled that

desire in a most wonderful way. And most of the collection was done with

Sankirtan, distributing Srila Prabhupada's books.

 

Sri Sri Radha Govinda ki jaya!

Astha Sakhi Vrinda ki jaya!

Bolo! Sri Giraja Maharaja ki jaya!

Tirupathi Caitanya Candra ki jaya!

Laksmi Narasimha Swami ki jaya!

His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

 

In service of Srimati Vrinda Devi,

Deena Bandhu dasa

[Guest guest]

We arrived early on 29th Feb. for the ecstatic inauguration ceremony of the

beautiful ISKCON Temple in Tirupati. After almost four hours of driving from

Madras as we entered the city, we were greeted by a colorful billboard with

Srila Prabhupada smiling and welcoming all the devotees. This is one thing I

noticed on my first visit to Tirupati, the wonderful Prabhupada Consciousness

of the devotees here. All throughout the city, the temple campus, everywhere

was Srila Prabhupada's picture. All the signs, billboards, invitations, only

had Srila Prabhupada's picture and the picture of the Deities. We finally

reached what can easily be described as the most beautiful temple in ISKCON.

Resting on an enourmous pink lotus flower was the very ornate powder blue South

Indian temple with all decorations highlighted in gold.

 

We quickly checked into our spacious new guesthouse room with reddish brown

marble floors and maintenance-free beige tiled walls. After getting settled, we

rushed up to the third floor veranda to watch the installation of the kalashes

on the Vimanam, or roof over the altar. What a sight with the Tirumala Hills,

an incarnation of Ananta Sesa, coiled in the background. Green forests rose

steeply on the sides, reddish sheer rock cliffs bursting out above them and

billowing clouds rising up to the bright blue heavens. Against this backdrop

the priests and devotees were performing the rituals above the gold painted

Vimanam that is considered to be as worshipable as the Deities resting beneath.

 

Then we went down to see the temple room. We entered from the east by a wide

black and white granite staircase through a huge ornately carved wood entrance.

Then two winding staircases of reddish marble led up to the main entrance,

which seemed a little narrow considering the enormous size of the temple and

the fact that it had to accommodate both entering and exiting crowds.

 

But once inside, it is beyond words to describe the wonderful symphony of

colors all laced with golden criss cross designs. Large ornate South Indian

pillars, well placed off to the sides so as not to be obstacles, had square

middle portions with beautifully carved pastimes on each four sides of the

Dasavatars, and then other themes, such as Lord Caitanya, Balaji, etc. The

ceiling was bright red with almost Rajasthani type gold lace designs. Large

three piece windows with the fixed middle piece with colored etched designs

including Lord Chaitanya, Nityananda, the Lotus Feet of Radha and Krishna with

all their auspicious markings. Before the windows began and where they ended

were four wonderful basreliefs of different pastimes, obviously made by Bengali

artists, with carved wood frames that were not straight rectangles and very

beautifully designed. All leading up to the large raised altar where Radha

Govinda and the Astha Sakhis will soon be presiding under a large South Indian

style ornately carved wood singhasa highlighted in gold. Unique in that its

entire almost 50 foot span was completely open without a single column in the

front.

 

Then again descending the staircase, we noticed the beautiful Raja Gopuram at

the main entrance. Then we also noticed a small kund in the northeast corner

that is very auspicious. To our left was a large thatched roof yajna shala

where all the homans for the inauguration were being expertly begun by South

Indian brahamanas from the Tirumala Temple. However we were still wiped out

from Kumbha Mela, so coughing and coughing, the Kumbha Mela mahamantra, we

opted to go back to our room and get some much needed rest.

 

Later an elaborate ekadasi feast was graciously served by the devotees in a

long prasad hall on the first floor of the guest house. Facilities were there

for both sitting on the floor or at tables, for those whose legs have begun to

creak.

 

At 4PM there was a Harer Nama procession. I almost missed it, but as they left

the front entrance, the enthusiastic kirtan broke my slumber. I hurried down,

but they were moving so fast I had to practically run to catch up. I wasn't the

only one, I saw hundreds of devotees trying to catch up. As I reached to the

Padayatra Rath with Nitai Gaurasundara and Srila Prabhupada, I tried to tell my

old friend Rupa Goswami who was driving to slow down. He just motioned to an

elaborate motorised gondola with Srila Prabhupada siting in a lotus asana that

was at the front of the procession. Devotees were all around with large

colorful flags, with Hare Krishna printed on them. Before I could do anything

more, someone grabbed me and pulled me back to lead the kirtan.

 

I started leading kirtan, popping my cough lozenges every few minutes. Everyone

was dancing and chanting enthusiastically. But it was hard to keep up with the

sound system which was mounted on a small 3 wheeled truck directly behind the

Padayatra cart. All three speakers were pointed forward and the hundreds of

devotees behind could hardly hear the kirtan. I finally got one foreign

brahmacari to understand my hand motions to turn one speaker around, but they

were mounted in such a way that it was impossible. All the residents of

Tirupati were coming to their roofs, smiling and waving, probably never saw

such an ecstatic kirtan before.

 

Then I gave the kirtan over to someone else. I got the same young brahmacari to

understand that we should move in front of the sound system as I was too

exhausted to do anything. He ran ahead and stopped the sound system and

motioned for everyone to go ahead. I finally caught up and stood there so that

no one would object to what was going on. Once we had hundreds of devotees in

front of the sound system and could hear, the kirtan really took off. And now

we could control the pace and let the cart and gondola wait for us once they

got to far ahead. We were able to stop and dance in circles as we passed

beneath the cliffs of Tirumala Hill.

 

When we finally arrived back at the pandal, I saw all along the road, about a

dozen billboards with beautiful pictures of Srila Prabhupada. The theme was The

Gifts of Srila Prabhupada, each proclaiming the wonderful gifts that Srila

Prabhupada has given to the world.

 

There were dramas and other programs in the pandal, but I was exhausted and

went to bed. It was a wonderful start for the Grand Opening Festival and I

dreamt all night about this wonderful temple.

 

In service of Srimati Vrinda Devi,

Deena Bandhu dasa