A glimpse into the spiritual world

1st of March was the special day of the maha abhishek of the big Pancha Tattva Deities in Mayapur. Since the event takes place only every five years, many devotees had arrived from far and wide to witness the transcendental pastime. I had been so fortunate to attend all the maha abhishek's in the past, including the installation of the Deities.

The last abhishek five years ago took place two days before I inaugurated the Institute for Spiritual Culture. The security arrangements and crowd control had not been so well organised, in fact it had been rather chaotic, so much so, that I had found myself stuck in the middle of intensely pushing crowds - a rather scary situation. Finally, after being pushed around for three hours, and an additional lack of oxygen and fresh air, I fell unconscious and had to be carried out of the temple room and driven back to my place at the goshala. It had taken me the rest of the day to get back on my feet - my blood pressure had dropped so low, that I could not even sit up.
So this year I was wondering what the arrangement would be....

The Mayapur management made indeed elaborate arrangements to make it a better experience than last time - beyond expectations. A lot of thought and planning had gone into it - so much so, that they even knocked down parts of the lower walls at the back of the Pancha Tattva temple room, so devotees would be able to see the Deities while sitting on chairs in the courtyard. There were various zones allocated to different sections of the devotee society: for disciples of Srila Prabhupada, for senior ladies, senior brahmacaris, etc. And one had to get a coupon to be eligible to enter those zones. Furthermore, there was the traditional moving lane, going along the left side of the Pancha Tattva temple room, where devotees could walk in and along the side while taking darshan. Also big screens in both temple courtyards and the Radha Madhava temple room were showing the event through broadcasting. So every person could get a glimpse of the transcendental event.

Up until the last moment there was no information given whatsoever how to get a coupon for those zones where one could sit and take darshan. Obviously, they could not announce it since the space was simply not big enough for everyone to fit.
​
By Krishna's divine arrangement, on the evening before the abhishek, I was walking past the Pancha Tattva courtyard out of curiosity - simply to check out the preparations for the event. And one local boy who served there as a security person approached me, saying: "Mataji, do you want to enter for the abhishek?" And with a few phone calls he connected me with one of the leaders of the Mayapur community, who arranged that a local fellow dropped by my place in the late evening with his motorbike to deliver the coupon to my door. I didn't believe I would get it until I actually had it in my hands....! I thought surely everyone would simply be too busy to worry about Devaki's coupon....
Pondering how this arrangement had come to me in almost mysterious ways - in the very last minute - I could once again perceive how Krishna is in control.....

I queued up at the entrance gate to the courtyard of the Pancha Tattva temple as early as 5:15am, even though the abhishek was to be started only at 8am. The whole atmosphere in Mayapur was buzzing with excitement. I did not want to miss my chance to get a good spot, remembering Rupa Goswami's instruction of having to be intensely eager to get Krishna. With my coupon in my hand, I finally entered - as the very first person! And I took my seat on the steps in the back of the Pancha Tattva temple room - a great spot to nicely view the altar, and to be able to relax my legs a little throughout the three hours of the abhishek.

To witness the event was like a feast for the eyes and heart - a glimpse into the spiritual world. The pujaris in their yellow dhotis looked like celestial beings coming directly from Vaikuntha, and the entire event gave such a harmonious and beautiful flow of pictures. Wonderful kirtan accompanied the Lord's bathing ceremony, and HH Lokanath Maharaja's chanting transported everyone to the spiritual world. The young gurukula boys had the good fortune to move the caranamrita with cut banana stalks along the altar steps into the corners, where it was collected. They were completely drenched in caranamrita! What blissful samskaras for a child to grow up with!

​On the next day I spoke to Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu, who was involved in arranging the abhishek, and who had also come to Kharkov two years ago to install our big marble Gaur Nitai Deities. We were marveling how so many elaborate arrangements had to be made for so many weeks and months - just for a three-hour event, entirely for the Lord's pleasure! A materialist would not be able to understand - it would appear like madness to him. Such is the transcendental nature of pure bhakti: Krishna's devotees are willing to sacrifice all their time and energy, accepting so many anxieties - simply to make sublimely pleasing arrangements for the Lord's enjoyment. And such anxiety is the devotee's highest bliss.

The next maha abhishek will not be after five years, but already after three: in 2022. This will be the planned date when all the Deities will be moved to Their new home of the big temple. And all the Deities - big Radha Madhava and the Astha Shakhis, Lord Nrsimhadev and big Pancha Tattva will receive a maha abhishek. It will be a whole week of maha abhishek! What an amazing event! And the pujaris have already now started to make plans for it. To absorb one's mind in planning for the Lord's pleasure is what gives immense joy and satisfaction to a devotee's heart.....

Let us see whether I will still be in this world to witness this historic pastime....

Your servant, Devaki dd