[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]The first phase of Sri Govind Gau Gram Prachar Yatra was 15-days long and now it was coming to an end in another day. November 7, 2015, was the fourteenth day of Yatra and it was ekadasi. The devotees decided to open their day with the darshan of famous Sri Yogananda Laxmi-Narasimha Swamy temple in Mattapalli village.
The news of the Yatra devotees coming for darshan reached the temple priest too. With inspiration from the merciful Lordships, he arranged for a special darshan for all of them. The Mattapalli village and the temple were beautiful, situated on the banks of Krishna river. It is one of the prominent nine primary Narsimhadev temples. It is a cave temple where the Lord Narsimhadev appears on the wall with his devotee Prahlad maharaj. The Lordship is about 12 inches tall with Anantasesha spreading his hood over Him like an umbrella. One has to take the holy dip in the river before taking darshan and there is only a selective area where one is allowed (the rest part of the river is believed to be infested with crocodiles) to do so. All the devotees took darshan and prayed to the Lord for the Yatra to be successful and quick recovery of HH Bhakti Raghava Swami, who was seriously down with viral fever.
The day being ekadasi, the devotees started early with their program in Mattapalli village. Many of the villagers had also been a part of some of the recent programs in the neighboring villages. They participated in the programs with great enthusiasm listening to the lecture-cum-talk on the importance of gomata, bhumi and Bhagavad-gita and chanting of the Holy Name. It seemed to involve everybody. In fact it was so effective that the people of Sagar Cement campus invited the devotees to conduct their main evening program inside their premises. The devotees accepted the proposal. As the day progressed, it became very hot and they decided to move towards the Sri Ram temple in the Sagar Cement Campus.
The temple did not offer a very good place to rest their exhausted bodies. They looked around and saw one huge tree standing next to the temple. Within no time, they arranged for a makeshift altar and brought the deities under the shade of that tree. After due arati and bhoga they were put to rest. Soon after that the devotees too spread themselves in the shade of the tree and the open sky. They were so tired that they did not care for thorns or sharp stones or any threat from poisonous entities hiding in the grass or for the scorching sun peeping through the leaves. It was indeed touching to see those city-bred devotees used to material comforts leading such an austere life just to please their Sri Guru and Srila Prabhupada.
The few hours of rest were soon over, they had to quickly ready for the evening program. Lot of their energy was spent in packing and unpacking, loading and unloading, joining and again dismantling… A few devotees began readying the chariot of Jagannath-Baldev-Subhadra mai, Gajananda prabhu along with his brother began arranging for cooking (both for the devotees and for general distribution), a few were busying surveying the rathyatra route, a few checking the mike and other arrangements. At sharp 1700hrs, one pure beautiful ongole cow was brought from the nearby temple goshala for puja. All the campus people and villagers very actively participated in the puja amidst the Vedic chanting by the temple priest. All the women put kumkum and turmeric on her as they prayed and circumambulated her with devotion.
After invoking the auspiciousness of gopuja, Gour Gopal prabhu melodiously recited theShikshastakam, seeking the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in spreading the Holy Name. This was followed by one hour kirtan which immersed everybody in the ocean of love towards the Lord. Nobody was aware of their material surroundings. They just danced with closed eyes in ecstasy. It seemed even Jagannath had descended from His abode (since His name and His own glorious self are non-different).
The Lordships moved through the streets, pulled by the devotion of hundreds of people. He surveyed the village and moved on, casting His merciful glance on everybody. Everybody assembled in the Sri Ram temple at the scheduled hour. Hari Kirtan prabhu spoke to them about the four purushathas or material goals of life – dharma, artha, kama and moksha with respect tobhakti and Sri Ram (as He was the presiding deity of the temple). Taking off from there, he beautifully took the flight forward to the importance of chanting of the Holy Name in this age of Kali and of Bhagavad-gita in our daily lives. Everyone heard it intently, as the mercy of Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada secretly flowed into their hearts through their ears. Their simple hearts could feel the sanctity of what he said. Without much effort they spontaneously participated in the group chanting of the Holy Name- Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Thereafter, Jananivas prabhu took over. Addressing the villagers in a friendly manner, he reminded them of the country’s rich culture of cow worship and her protection as a mother. He showed how cow protection was closely connected to farming and use of panchgavya products in our daily lives. This was something to which they were directly connected to and could thus immediately relate. They asked several questions to which Jananivas prabhu answered readily. In order to further support his claims, he screened the movie titled, Gau Adharita Jivanam (Life Based on Mother Cow). Realizing the substance of every word that the devotees uttered, the farmers showed great interest in taking several small books of Srila Prabhupada and other maha-books. Ram Lakshman prabhu read out the “Sacred Oath” in Telugu language. Fully convinced about it, about 200 villagers repeated the words and pledged to protect Mother cow in every possible way: using bullocks instead of tractor for tilling and other agricultural produce; using panchgavya in our daily lives etc. Completely engaging their minds from every direction, kirtan sound began wafting in the air. The program was in its last leg and Gour Gopal prabhu led the Damodarashtakam. Everybody was encouraged to offer ghee lamp to the Lordships, which they did in all earnestness. Soon after that free prasadam was distributed to all and sundry without discrimination. The attendees expressed their desire to somehow keep in touch with the devotees and practice what they had just heard in the lecture and talks.
The devotees shared the two plans of – Harinam sangha and Krishi go raksha sangha. The plans sounded interesting and practical. The members readily agreed to register their area underHarinam sangha with immediate effect.
Everything was immaculately and impressively conducted by the devotees. The campus head who was also present in the program could not restrain himself from meeting the Yatra devotees personally after the program. He complimented each one of them and also asked as to where they had been staying throughout the day. The devotees simply pointed at the big tree beside the temple. He was left gaping. He could not believe that the devotees could have spent their day under the tree with absolutely no facility. He requested them to move to the Campus Guest House. The devotees agreed. When they entered the room, they realized that the Guest House offered more than any of the Five Star facilities. After a long time, they were getting to see and even use something as basic as a mattress or pillow or a clean floor and room with fan. The rooms were very comfortable well equipped with all kinds of facilities. One of the devotees exclaimed, “What a day, before the program we were under the tree under the open sky and now after the program we are in this star-facility rooms! Krishna is so merciful!” Another devotee jumped onto the spring mattress and chuckled, “What a facility! Today after a long time we will get to sleep properly, isn’t it?”
Immediately Gour Gopal prabhu retorted, “Whatever it may be, it is only till 10 o’clock in the morning. Everything is temporary, both the comforts as well as the austerities.” In simple words it was a reminder that one should not get attached to theses external conditions. We are in a material world where there is nothing which is free from this law of change. Neither misery, nor the happiness is permanent. The devotees need to practice to tolerate with balance both happiness and grief. Rama Ekadasi of Kartik mas had been fruitful! They were fully engaged in the service of Sri Guru and Gauranga. Thinking of what the next day- the last day of the first phase ofYatra will hold in store for them everybody soon fell asleep.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”” sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text]
Jai Srila Prabhupada!
Jai Sri Govind Gau Gram Prachar Yatra!!
Hare Krsna!!!
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]