New Braja Report 2002

[Guest guest]

Srila Narayana Maharaja in Badger, California

 

Greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of 250 devotees from America, Canada, Mexico, Australia, England, etc., Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja arrived in New Braja on the morning of May 29th. After a foot-bathing ceremony for Srila Maharaja, several senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada gave speeches to welcome him and all the other guests to New Braja. During Srila Maharaja's one week stay there, more and more devotees arrived each day, and after a few days over 500 devotees were assembled to hear hari-katha.

 

In his first formal class, Srila Maharaja taught his audience proper Vaisnava etiquette by glorifying his own guru-parampara. He began: "Whatever success is there, it is due to the causeless mercy of my two gurus, my guru-parampara, and to the causeless mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and to His most dear Srila Rupa Gosvami and his followers. I am not the doer. By their causeless mercy, they have empowered me to preach. I cannot forget them, and you should also feel so indebted.

 

"Before Srila Swami Maharaja came to America, he was not a well-known personality. No one knew his glory. After taking sannyasa, however, it became clear to so many that mercy was coming through him from Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the guru-parampara. In a couple of years he performed miracles, and you can see these miracles everywhere: in the big cities, by the oceans, and in the middle of the mountains and jungles. In a couple of years he made thousands of disciples here and there, and he also established preaching centers and translated so many books. An ordinary person could not have done this.

 

"I think that all those who are coming to this line of love and affection for Radha and Krsna and Mahaprabhu is due to his power and influence. We cannot do anything. He planted some seeds and he wanted to continue to water them, but Krsna called him and said, 'Your function is finished. Now come on. I need your service.' Krsna wanted him in another sphere, another universe, and he is now preaching there."

 

THE SCHOOL

 

On Saturday morning, Srila Maharaja visited the large New Braja Village School. During their presentation in his honor, the students, ranging from grades 5-12, recited verses from Bhagavad-gita and also spoke briefly about the meanings of those verses. Srila Maharaja instructed the teachers to control the students only by love and affection. He said that the students should learn proper Vaisnava etiquette, humility, and proper respect to all devotees according to their level of devotion to Krsna. He instructed the teachers that they should also be willing to learn humility, etc., and in this way they would be able to teach the students by their own example. He also stressed that all the teachers should be so qualified that what happened in previous Western gurukulas would never happen there, and he also foretold that many more students would gradually come to the school.

 

[separate boys' and girls' asramas are now open for older students, and next semester a class will be started for first graders. During the festival, the students and parents ran a very popular bake-sale booth, the proceeds from which will be used for next year's books and other expenses.]

 

DRAMAS

 

Every night, after Srila Maharaja's class, the devotees from New Braja performed dramas. During his arrival speech, Srila Maharaja had asked that very wonderful and instructive dramas be performed, especially the pastimes of Prahlada Maharaja and Lord Nrsimhadeva. Although the devotees had other dramas planned, after this request, in just one day, Mahibharata dasa Adhikari and his family performed that drama in grand style. Other dramas included "Mahaprabhu meets Vallabha Bhattacarya," directed by the school's headmaster, Vrajendranandana dasa and performed by the school boys; "Ambarish Maharaja and the glories of Ekadasi," by the girls, and "Jagai and Madai," headed by Mahibharata dasa and Sridam dasa. They also performed 'The Life of Bhismadeva,' in which the boys and girls astonished all with martial-arts-like fight scenes and flips. And on the last night the girls of New Braja performed "Sri Krsna meets His parents and the gopis at Kuruksetra."

 

During the class held before that last drama, Srila Maharaja's tour schedule was discussed and it was announced that he would be writing more and travelling less. Hearing this, all the girls who were preparing backstage became very sad, and that sadness carried into the drama. The heart-stirring performance pleased Srila Maharaja and all the devotees.

 

ANNAKUTA MAHOTSAVA - GOVARDHANA FESTIVAL

 

On Tuesday morning, Srila Maharaja and all the devotees celebrated an Annakuta Mahotsava, the festival for Giriraja Govardhana, in much the same way that it is celebrated yearly in India during the month of Kartika. [in 1998, Srila Maharaja performed an authorized Vedic ceremony and installed a group of boulders as Govardhana Hill.] Radha Kunda and Syama Kunda are also there, beautifully surrounded by waterfalls and gardens.

 

First, the devotees performed a tumultuous harinama sankirtana from Nirguna prabhu's house to Govardhana, regally situated in front of Nanda Gopal prabhu's house. After that they returned to the lecture hall where Srila Maharaja personally placed the colorful bhoga preparations, on paper plates, on the tops of the devotees' heads. One by one all the offerings were carried on the heads of the devotees and placed on and around Govardhana. Srila Maharaja personally performed abhiseka of several Govardhana silas, as well as arati of Giriraja Govardhana, and he also performed arati to a beautiful, gentle cow and fed her. Then, after circumambulating Govardhana, all the prasada was carried back to the kitchen area, again on the heads of the devotees.

 

In previous years, Srila Maharaja had requested that not less that 365 preparations be made to offer to Govardhana. Last year 540 offerings were made, and this year Srila Maharaja encouraged everyone to cook and prepare more than that. All the local devotees and guests cooked in the numerous homes of the devotees and some even brought their camping stoves so that they could cook additional preparations. Many devotees personally cooked 10, 20, or 30 different offerings. All in all, after careful counting, 717 preparations were offered.

 

After the worship was completed, the prasada was distributed to all. The servers brought subjis, nectars, halavah, sweet rice, and so many other varieties of foodstuffs. Everyone honored prasada to their full satisfaction, until they could not take even one more sweet, but still the kitchen was overflowing with so many more sweets, cookies, savories, and candies, that bags of prasada were packed for all to take home to their families and friends.

 

FAMILY ATMOSPHERE

 

This 7th New Braja Festival was the biggest yet. It was very wonderful how many hundreds of devotees from all over the world assembled in that small country place in the mountains, and how they were accommodated so nicely, without any problems. There was a very sweet family atmosphere, with most of the visiting devotees camping at the festival site or staying at the houses of the families of Nirguna dasa, Nanda Gopal dasa, Banke Bihari dasa, Prana Kisor dasa, and Vrajendranandana dasa. Nearly all of the devotees were within a short walking distance of Srila Maharaja's quarters, which itself was just next door to the lecture and prasadam hall. The kitchen department was enhanced this year with the addition of a large confection oven, and so many breads, cakes, and cookies were added to the menu.

 

Many of the local devotees and guests helped to make the festival go on smoothly by doing the bhoga runs, cooking, cleaning and serving, and giving classes in the mornings and afternoons. All the devotees were inspired by Srila Maharaja's classes on the topic of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Bhajana Rahasya, and at least 50 accepted harinama and diksa during the festival. In his last class, on the evening of June 5th, Srila Maharaja said that this place has really become New Braja. He said that after this tour, although he will be writing more and will not be able to come to so many places, he will have to come to New Braja every year.

 

THE WEATHER

 

During his second evening class, Srila Maharaja noted that the weather was very hot, similar to the heat in India. He said that he was used to it in India, but he was worried for the devotees. Then, towards the end of the class, a gentle, cooling rain started to fall. After evening prasadam the rain became heavy with a fierce thunder and lightning storm, which is quite unusual for this time of year. It rained throughout the night, but there were clear skies in the morning, and the next few days remained cool.