On my arrival in Kharkov/Ukraine on the 18th of August I immediately involved myself in preparing for Janmastami.
Two days later HH Niranjana Maharaja and Adikarta Prabhu came to visit our community - what a wonderful warm-up for the upcoming festival days....!
We had enlivening morning- and evening programs and spent the days in sravanam kirtanam. The day before Janmastami, our honorable guests moved on to their next destination, and HH Chandramauli Swami arrived to grace us with his association. The presence of a special guest always highlights a festive event and creates an uplifting atmosphere.
Janmastami in Kharkov is always very special - I would not want to be at any other place in the world for this festival. As every year, we had chosen a special topic and surprised our congregation with the theme of "Krishna and His gopis".
We had enlivening morning- and evening programs and spent the days in sravanam kirtanam. The day before Janmastami, our honorable guests moved on to their next destination, and HH Chandramauli Swami arrived to grace us with his association. The presence of a special guest always highlights a festive event and creates an uplifting atmosphere.
Janmastami in Kharkov is always very special - I would not want to be at any other place in the world for this festival. As every year, we had chosen a special topic and surprised our congregation with the theme of "Krishna and His gopis".
We created an amazing Vrindavan-panorama on our altar: a little (card board) boat ("swimming" on a mirrow covered with agar-agar) with our festival Deities, and some little gopis were playing musical instruments: mridanga, vina and kartals. Another group of gopis was collecting berries and flowers with baskets. There was a little wooden cart pulled by two cows, with vegetables, flowers and a gopi on the back of it. In one corner of the altar were gopis cooking with cow-stool paddies and pots, and in another corner was a little well, where gopis were fetching water and carrying water pots on their heads.
To get this all happening was a wonderful meditation for several months! The most blissful days of my whole year....
The main pleasure lies in the act of planning - even for materialists: sense gratification arises from enjoying on the mental platform through planning. The same principle we can find in spiritual life also: to absorb our minds in making plans to please Hari, guru and the Vaishnavas brings so much joy and bliss!
As every year, the day before Janmastami I went to the nature in the early morning to collect flowers and decorative grasses. On Janmastami, our altar is not symmetrically arranged, and the vases are not in a floristic style. We rather like to create an impression of naturally growing flowers and trees and arrange the vases accordingly, with many little vases here and there as part of a Vrindavan landscape.
The decoration of our temple room was wonderful, with green flying parrots hanging from the ceiling, along with colorful round paper decorations.
To get this all happening was a wonderful meditation for several months! The most blissful days of my whole year....
The main pleasure lies in the act of planning - even for materialists: sense gratification arises from enjoying on the mental platform through planning. The same principle we can find in spiritual life also: to absorb our minds in making plans to please Hari, guru and the Vaishnavas brings so much joy and bliss!
As every year, the day before Janmastami I went to the nature in the early morning to collect flowers and decorative grasses. On Janmastami, our altar is not symmetrically arranged, and the vases are not in a floristic style. We rather like to create an impression of naturally growing flowers and trees and arrange the vases accordingly, with many little vases here and there as part of a Vrindavan landscape.
The decoration of our temple room was wonderful, with green flying parrots hanging from the ceiling, along with colorful round paper decorations.
HH Candramauli Swami was giving sweet and deep Krishna Katha during the morning program, and also during the main lecture in the afternoon. As every year, I offered the traditional "Krishna Meditation" during the last hour before midnight - this year on the topic of Krishna and His gopis. I had collected nice verses and descriptions of the activities of the gopis from the scriptures, teaching us the highest form of pure bhakti.
There are three billion gopis, of which are eight principal gopis - the astha sakhis. Each of them have very unique skills and mastery, and they are group leaders of so many other gopis. In this way, there is a strict hierarchy and organisation in order to make the most pleasing offering to the Lord. Some gopis are expert in diplomacy in order to enhance the lover's quarrels between Radhika and Krishna. Others are expert in playing musical instruments, collecting herbs, making cocktails from fruits and herbs, creating flower decorations, bedsteads and canopies, applying herbal oils and perfumes, and so forth. An unlimited variety of activities to please the Divine couple and enhance Their loving pastimes.
The manjaris are very young, innocent and pure-hearted girls - so innocent, that they can serve the Divine couple in the most intimate loving dealings. Their presence does not make Radharani feel embarrassed and shy, whereas the older gopis would not be allowed to witness those pastimes....
There are three billion gopis, of which are eight principal gopis - the astha sakhis. Each of them have very unique skills and mastery, and they are group leaders of so many other gopis. In this way, there is a strict hierarchy and organisation in order to make the most pleasing offering to the Lord. Some gopis are expert in diplomacy in order to enhance the lover's quarrels between Radhika and Krishna. Others are expert in playing musical instruments, collecting herbs, making cocktails from fruits and herbs, creating flower decorations, bedsteads and canopies, applying herbal oils and perfumes, and so forth. An unlimited variety of activities to please the Divine couple and enhance Their loving pastimes.
The manjaris are very young, innocent and pure-hearted girls - so innocent, that they can serve the Divine couple in the most intimate loving dealings. Their presence does not make Radharani feel embarrassed and shy, whereas the older gopis would not be allowed to witness those pastimes....
 |  |
For Srila Prabhupada's appearance, we had ordered for the first time the Vyasa Puja book from the BBT in Sweden, and it had arrived just in time - one day before! We stretched the entire program until late afternoon, with a video class by Srila Prabhupada and an abhishek. Many of our devotees spoke to glorify Srila Prabhupada, and HH Candramauli Swami offered the main lecture on His Divine Grace as Sunday feast program. We finally concluded with puspanjali and kirtan, and served the feast at 6 pm.
Srila Prabhupada's Vyasasana looked absolutely wonderful: an ocean of flowers, with an arch of flowers, surrounded by big and beautifully arranged vases.
We felt overly blissful - yet exhausted and tired! The secret of celebrating these Vaishnava festivals is to deeply absorb ourselves in service - coming up with always newer and newer plans to please the Lord and His pure devotee......
On the 28th of August I flew off to Germany.....
Your servant, Devaki dd
Srila Prabhupada's Vyasasana looked absolutely wonderful: an ocean of flowers, with an arch of flowers, surrounded by big and beautifully arranged vases.
We felt overly blissful - yet exhausted and tired! The secret of celebrating these Vaishnava festivals is to deeply absorb ourselves in service - coming up with always newer and newer plans to please the Lord and His pure devotee......
On the 28th of August I flew off to Germany.....
Your servant, Devaki dd
RSS Feed
