USA
August 31, 2003 VNN8309
Pascatya Desa Tarana Mahotsava
BY NIMAI-NITAI DASA AND PEMANANDA DASA
USA, Aug 31 (VNN) — 38th Annual Celebration of Srila Prabhupada's Arrival in America and Deliverance of the West
Where: Boston, Massachusetts
When: September 13-14, 2003
Special Guests: Her Grace Malati devi dasi and others to be announced
Five thousand years ago, in the course of narrating the Srimad Bhagavatam, Suta Gosvami uttered an unlikely prophecy, "Kirata, Huna, Andhra, Pulinda, Pulkasa, Abhira, Sumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him."
Suta Gosvami predicted that peoples outside of India would someday worship Lord Krishna. Sri Caitanya echoed this prediction, "One day, My names will be chanted in every town and village of the world." Even as late as the mid-20th century, faithful followers of Lord Caitanya were incredulous: Americans, Russians, Chinese, Africans - chant Hare Krishna? How is this possible?'
But in August 1965, a 70-year-old Vaishnava monk left the holy land of Vrindavana, India aboard a cargo ship bound for America. Well-known in India for his scholarship and devotion, His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada had no friends or institutional support awaiting him. What little he had ö a few books, a bag of dry cereal and forty rupees ö was nearly rendered useless as a result of two heart attacks he suffered as the Jaladuta plied the Bay of Bengal. Srila Prabhupada persevered, however, dedicated to the order of his guru to bring the essential message of the Vedas to English-speaking peoples.
After 35 days, at sunrise on September 17, Srila Prabhupada reached Boston. This was indeed a new dawn. Srila Prabhupada brought with him the first rays of the blazing sun of Lord Caitanya's sankirtana movement.
The ancient and inscrutable prophecy of the Bhagavatam and the deliverance of the Western world intersected in a humble Sanskrit prayer Srila Prabhupada composed for his beloved Krishna while at Commonwealth Pier: "All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion. I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message."
The Lord fulfills the desires of His pure devotees. With that prayer, Srila Prabhupada accomplished our deliverance. The manifestation of that hallowed deed is unfolding day-by-day. The pure desire of the pure devotee accomplished this deliverance of the West, which is progressively becoming a manifest reality by his mercy.
Every year, a growing number of devotees commemorate this remarkable event by greeting Srila Prabhupada at Commonwealth Pier, meditating on the purport of Markine Bhagavata Dharma, and expressing their gratitude for Srila Prabhupada's many gifts to us: the Holy Name, the Bhakti scriptures, Sri Sri Radha-Gopivallabha (the Deities Srila Prabhupada personally installed in Boston), and the association of devotees.
Last year, with maturing realization of the true nature of what actually occurred on Commonwealth Pier on that prophetic morning, the Boston Temple organized a more elaborate program to celebrate Sri Pascatya-desa Tarana Mahotsava ö The Great Festival of the Deliverance of the West. Over 200 devotees came from Hawaii and Florida, California and Illinois, Connecticut and Massachusetts to thank Srila Prabhupada for his unparalleled compassion. The Festival was a resounding success, and we are committed to spreading Srila Prabhupada's glories even further with each passing year.
We invite you to join us for this year's festive Tarana Mahotsava on September 13 and 14 (please see event schedule below). The celebration will reach its emotional climax on Sunday the 14th at East Boston Piers Park, directly facing Commonwealth Pier across the Boston Harbor. After Srila Prabhupada's arrival by boat from Commonwealth Pier, we will bathe his Deity form with sacred waters from eleven Holy Tirthas: Radha-Kunda, Shyama-Kunda, Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Pushkar (Rajasthan), Manasi Ganga, Apsara Kunda, Govinda Kunda, Naval Kunda, and Alakananda Kunda (Mayapura).
Devotees can directly participate in this rare public abhiseka ceremony. The Boston Temple is making available a limited number of Ekadasha Tirtha Jala Kalashas (consecrated containers of Eleven Holy Waters) for devotees to bathe Srila Prabhupada. You can personally render this intimate service by sponsoring an uttama-kalasha at $501, a maha-kalasha at $251, or a kalasha at $108. As a Tarana Mahotsava sponsor, you will bathe Srila Prabhupada's Deity form with Eleven Holy Waters and take home the consecrated kalasha as an enduring memento.
To see the festival schedule, go to http://www.iskconboston.org/html/events/sp_arrival.html
For more information on the festival, contact Nimai-Nitai dasa, sevasrama@comcast.net. For information on accommodations in the Boston area, contact Bhakta Raj Heda, raj_heda@us.ibm.com. To participate in the abhiseka ceremony, contact Premananda dasa, premananda@juno.com.
We look forward to seeing you at Boston Harbor!
Saturday, September 13
2:00 PM Pilgrimage to Commonwealth Pier (transporation from temple provided)
3:00 PM Maha-harinama from Pier to temple
4:30 PM Light refreshments
6:15 PM Video presentation
7:00 PM Arati and kirtan
7:45 PM Prasadam
Sunday, September 14
7:00 AM Greeting Deities & Guru Puja
7:30 AM Class
8:15 AM Breakfast
10:00 AM Depart for East Boston Piers Park
(transit via subway - cost $2.00 per person)
11:15 AM Welcoming ceremony
11:30 AM Discourse
Noon Srila Prabhupada Ekadasha
Tirtha Jal Abhisheka & Worship
of Boston Harbor Tirtha
2:00 PM Depart for Temple
3:00 PM Light refreshments
4:00 PM Sunday Feast Program
4:00 Guru Puja
4:30 Memories of Prabhupada
by his disciples
6:00 Arati & Kirtan 7:00 Prasadam
Contact VNN about this story Send this story to a friend This story URL: http://vaishnava-news-network.org/usa/US0308/US31-8309.html
NEWS DESK | USA | TOP
Surf the Web on
|
