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Sri Sri Swamiji's Jayanthi
Report Venue: Mathurãpuri Ãshram The air in Bhãgavata Bhavanam smelt of the Divine sound of the Maha Mantra - Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare | It was the day of Sri Sri Swamiji’s Jayanti. Devotees from all walks of life, from all parts of the country had assembled to have Sri Sri Swamiji’s darshan and blessings. All the devotees, from a little child to the elderly, were chanting the Maha Mantra with great éclat! At the entrance to the Ãshram, beautiful ‘kolams’ (floor designs with rice flour) had been drawn by the devotees of Sri Sri Swamiji. On this auspicious day, the entrance to the Bhãgavata Bhavanam had been decorated with the banana tree, on either side, bearing flowers and fruits! Across the entrance hung the auspicious mango leaves. The portico was decorated with beautiful ‘kolams’ at the center and at the edges. At the center of the Bhãgavata Bhavanam were two beautiful peacock 'kolams'. And, in front of the stage where the Divine Couple Sri Premika Varadan-Mãdhuri Sakhi (Lord Krishna-Radha) occupied the swing was another beautiful ‘kolam’. Sri Sri Swamiji stepped into Bhãgavata Bhavanam even as the devotees were melodiously and devoutly singing the Maha Mantra. Though this is the only offering that a devotee/disciple can offer to our Guru, each devotee had some material offering as a gesture of his/her affection/gratitude. Sri Sri Swamiji accepted them all affectionately. Sri Sri Swamiji offered His ‘pranãms’ to the Divine Couple Sri Premika Varadan-Mãdhuri Sakhi who shone with divine lustre. Sri Sri Swamiji then visited Sri Sri Kalyãna Srinivasa Perumãl Temple within the Ãshram precincts. Sri Kalyãna Srinivasa Perumãl was grandly attired. Perumãl wore beautiful, fragrant filled Tulasi and other garlands. Sri Sri Swamiji offered His ‘pranãms’ to Sri Kalyãna Srinivasa Perumãl and after going around the Temple returned to Bhãgavata Bhavanam. Sri Sri Swamiji sat on the floor at the entrance to the Bhãgavata Bhavanam. Devotees were pouring in and everyone was happy to find Sri Sri Swamiji at the doorstep like the loving parent receiving the visiting child at doorstep! Very patiently Sri Sri Swamiji wore the huge and small garlands offered by innumerable devotees. Some offered long lemon garlands and Guru Maharaj wore them too! A group of devotees took ‘ãrati’ for Guru Maharaj singing a kirtan composed by a devotee. Bhãgavata Bhavanam was now overflowing with devotees and the air reverberated with the sweet sound of the Divine Maha Mantra. Sri Sri Swamiji performed ‘abishekha’ and ‘archana’.
Sri Chattanãta Bhãgavata sang
Swamiji’s Tamizh kirtans and all the devotees present sang along.
The kirtans were on the glory of the Guru, of the beauty of Lord
Srinivasa moving in a procession, Lord Krishna’s pranks as a little
boy, Young Radha’s love for her Lord Krishna. The Masters and the
students of Sri Sandeepani Gurukulam of the Ãshram chanted the Vedas
and the Upanishads. After the puja, Sri Sri Swamiji blessed the
devotees with benedictory address (‘anugraha bhãshana’). Sri Sri Swamiji blessed all the devotees with ‘teertha prasad’.
Commencing from 18th instant, special Veda parayana was performed daily by the students of Sri Sandeepani Gurukulam. It concluded on the day of Sri Sri Swamiji's Jayanti. All the participants were honoured this morning.
All the devotees were fed with special festival lunch. At 2 p.m. the Sri Chattanãta Bhãgavata and Sri Balãji Bhãgavata sang Sri Sri Swamiji’s several Tamizh kirtans that have flowed out in a gush from Him recently. All the devotees assembled in Bhăgavata Bhavanam joined in the rendering. At 3 p.m. the students of Sri Sandeepani
Gurukulam enacted a stage play 'Ãdi Sankara' depicting the life of the great Advaita
philosopher and Avãtar Ãdi Sankara. Srivats played the part of the child Sankara and Kartik Bhatt the youth and grown up Sankara.
Sri Bãlãji, the Principal of Sri Sandeepani Gurukulam, has been the drive behind this much acclaimed stage play. Every child played his part to perfection. The boys who played the female parts (Sankara's mother, the poor lady at whose doorstep the child Sankara seeks alms, Mandala Misra's wife, Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Annapoorni) fit the character to perfection; none was able to identify the individual playing it! The scene of Sankara chanting the Kanakadãra stotram at the door of the poor lady, which brings forth rain of golden gooseberry in her yard, was spectacular. There was a real rain of gooseberries!
The debate between Sankara and Mandala Misra was true to perfection! The young boy playing the part of Mandala Misra just lived it! Padmapãda experiencing the 'bhãva' of Lord Nrisimha pounces upon the cannibal who tries to cut his Guru Sankara's head. Young Manohar's acting here sent a shiver up the spine! Sankara's dying mother (played by young Gãyatri prasad) gasping for breath while calling out, 'Sankara! Sankara!', Sankara's (the young and the grown up) calmness, the 'dumbness' of Hastãmalaka, the worry writ large on the face of his father, the low caste man seeking to know from Sankara who he (Sankara) desires to move out of his way - the body or the 'Ãtman', the narrator and the sevak discussing the various aspects of Sankara's life were all played in their true sense. Each and every student was lost in the character that was played. It was unbelievable that this was the first stage play of the students of Sri Sandeepani Gurukulam! The professional make-up added to the authenticity of each character. Names of students who played the various characters in the Play ‘Ãdi Sankara’:
At 6.45 p.m. Vishnusahasranãmam was chanted. About a dozen little boys of the local village (led by the young man Sri Dandapãni, Sri Sri Swamiji’s devotee from the local Malaipattu village) carrying a beautiful flower crown and garland came in chanting the Maha Mantra – “HARE RAMA HARE
RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE! They were presented to Sri Sri Swamiji’s who wore the beautiful crown of jasmine flowers on His head and the garland around His neck. These devotees sat in front of Sri Sri Swamiji for a while, chanting the Maha Mantra. A little while later, at Sri Sri Swamiji’s request, the little boys went round Sri Krishna placed at the center of the Bhaăgavata Bhavanam clapping their hands and singing “HARE RAMA HARE
RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE! All the other male devotees, young and old, joined them. The Divya Nãmasankirtan went on for an hour.
At 8:00 pm, Sri Sri Swamiji addressed the devotees. Sri Sri Swamiji said, “I looked into the almanac and found that this was the day whence Lord Krishna, as a young boy, had lifted the Govardhana Mountain on His little finger as verily the umbrella to protect His people – the cowherds of Gokula – from the torrential rains sent down by Indra to destroy them who had failed to perform their annual worship of him. Why did Krishna lift the Govardhana on His little finger and not on the head or any other part of the body? Each part of the body has a guiding deity. Indra is the guiding deity of the arm! To crush the ego of Indra, the Lord used the arm as verily the weapon! This incident demonstrates the path of ‘surrender’. The cowherds under their ruler Nandababa, the (foster) father of Krishna, were making arrangements for their annual worship of Indra, the leader of the Devas. This was being performed in gratitude to the life giving rains sent down by Indra. The young Krishna on learning the reason for the festive arrangements advised them to worship the cattle, Brahmins and Mount Govardhana who, he said, were the real reason for their well being. He advised them to worship and offer the sacrificial food to Mount Govardhana. Unquestioningly the leader and the people of Gokula followed Krishna’s advice. They worshipped Mount Govardhana. However, the people of Vraja wondered how the Mountain would consume the various kinds of rice and dishes prepared in huge quantity. During their worship of Indra these were offered into the Holy fire (‘Agni’). To create faith in the Gopas Krishna took up a huge form. He said that it was the Holy Spirit of Govardhana and consumed the large quantities of food offered. At the same time, little Krishna stood with his left hand holding his father Nandababa’s hand and sucking the right thumb! (Reminding one of the Form that the Lord assumes during the Great Deluge whence only He remains as a child lying on a peepul leaf holding His right big toe in His mouth!) The little Krishna exclaimed at the benevolence of the Mountain in accepting their worship and blessing them! He prostrated before the Govardhana and all followed suit. Angered by this insult Indra decided to teach a lesson to the young ‘arrogant’ boy (as he called Krishna) and the foolish people of Gokula for bringing to an end the long time worship of him on the advice of a mere boy. He sent down torrential rains, as pours during the time of Great Destruction, in an attempt to destroy the whole of Gokula. Gokula began to sink in the great deluge. Not a single person pointed a finger, in accusation, at Krishna! None thought that he was the cause of this trouble. Instead, they sought refuge in Krishna who they knew for certain would protect them. And, Krishna touched by the love and faith demonstrated by ‘His people’ lifted the huge Govardhana Mountain on His little finger, as would a boy a mushroom. He stood for seven days and nights protecting all of Gokula – men, women, children, cows and calves and all other creatures – holding the Govardhana as an umbrella over their heads. I, once, happened to see a picture of Krishna's Govardhana Lila in an Ashram at Vrindavan. This picture has got stuck in my mind. In it, the painter has depicted the faith of the people in Krishna by showing an old lady sitting relaxed cleaning grains! She is not worried about the Mountain falling on her head or the rains flooding in! Yasoda, the mother, was saddened to see her little boy carry the huge Mountain singly! The anxious and grieved mother said to her husband Nandababa, “Being the leader should you not take steps to protect the people? Don’t you feel ashamed to see my little boy carry the burden? Do something to relieve him of this burden.” Nandababa, the father, went around boasting about his little boy’s deed! Krishna’s play mates the Gopa boys who found nothing unusual or wondrous in Krishna lifting the Mountain (as every day they were used to witnessing such deeds by Krishna) said to Krishna, “Krishna! Place some sticks below the Mountain for support and come to play pebbles with us!” What did the Gopis do? They felt saddened to see their Beloved Krishna take this trouble in order to save them. They said to Him in one voice, “Krishna! It pains us to see you undergo such trouble for our sake.” The Gopis went up to Krishna and caressed His arm that held the Govardhana! They kissed His finger that bore the weight of the Govardhana! And, what did our dear Krishna say? “Oh! Beloved Gopis! For such a response would I not hold the Govardhana for ever!” At the end of seven days and nights Indra realized the true identity of the protector of Gokula, stopped the rains and fell at His Lotus Feet seeking pardon. Krishna pardoned Indra and spoke kind words to him. Though Krishna crushed the ego of Indra, He was pleased with Indra for bringing Him and His people together for seven days and nights! Brahma had earlier attempted to test Krishna by carrying away his mates, the little cowherds and their calves and hid them away in a cave. Later, when Brahma, realizing his foolhardiness, fell at Krishna’s feet seeking pardon not a word was uttered by Krishna. Why? In this case Brahma had separated Krishna and His playmates. This had angered and grieved Krishna. Indra’s action had brought Krishna and His people together while Brahma’s action had separated them. Out of sheer joy Surabhi (the Divine cow) came to meet Krishna. She was angry with Indra (the leader) for trying to destroy all the cows at Vraja. She disowned him as their leader and pleaded with Krishna to be their Indra (leader). She then performed ‘abhisheka’ (the consecrational bath) for Krishna with her milk. Indra performed ‘abhisheka’ for Krishna with the heavenly Ganga water brought by Airavata in vessels of gold. In Ramayana, Rama was crowned as the emperor of Ayodhya. This is 'Samrajya Pattabhishekam'. Similarly, a consecration was performed to Sri Krishna too. This is 'Nãma Pattabhishekam'. Krishna was named ‘Govinda!’ meaning ‘the leader of cows’. Every year, this day is celebrated grandly at Govardhana. The special feature of this celebration is offering of food (‘anna dãna’). Did not Nandababa offer mounds and mounds of various dishes to Govardhana on that day? Therefore, devotees offer various kinds of food to Govardhana and distribute the ‘prasad’ to all. Devotees go on ‘parikrama’ (circumambulation) of Govardhana. Devotees do the ‘parikrama’ in various ways. Some roll on the road around Govardhana. I have seen a couple do the ‘parikram’ – the husband prostrates at each step that he takes. And, the wife would, at every step, prostrate at the feet of her husband! Today this is verily the occasion of 'Annakoototsava' and ‘Govardhana uddhãranna’ and nothing else! During this auspicious day, let us chant the divine name of the Lord - 'Jai Jai Govinda Jai Hari Govinda!” The devotees joined in, “Jai Jai Govinda Jai Hari Govinda! Jai Jai Govinda Jai Hari Govinda!
10.00 p.m. Dolotsav was performed to Maduri Sakhi sametha Sri Premika Varadan.
Radhe Krishna |
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Sri Sri Swamiji performing pooja
Sri Sri Swamiji performing pooja
Flood of devotees in the hall
Conclusion of Veda Pãrãyana
'kalasa teertha prokshana'
'kalasa teertha prokshana'
Sri Sri Swamiji blessing the 
Sri Pathak, Saama Veda Adhyaapak
Sri Jagadeesh, Yajur Veda Adhyaapak
Young Sankara and his mother
Sankara seeking Bhagavatpãda, his Guru
Sankara and his disciples
Sri Sri Swamiji with the actors after the play