2006 Disappearance Festival: Summary

Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja, Bhubaneswar 1995

The 2006 Mayapur program for Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja’s disappearance festival was again a two day affair from the 18th to the 19th of February. It began with traditional Orissan style bhajans by Gour Govinda Maharaja’s cousin, Damodar Giri and the devotees from Maharaja’s village of Gadeigiri. This was followed by a premier of the first 30 minutes of a newly produced film of a darsan with Maharaja in Australia in 1992. This film produced by Gopal Jiu Publications and the Bhubaneswar Gour Govinda Swami tape ministry included the work of Bhakta Karlis who labored hard to insert English subtitles in the DVD presentation. It went over very big with the devotees, a crowd of around 100 watched transfixed as Gour Govinda Maharaja spoke strongly on the topic of guru-tattva. Following the film, Bhaktisvarup Damodar Maharaja offered the new booklet produced by Gopal Jiu Publications, “Auspicious Invocations”, to Gour Govinda Maharaja at his samadhi mandir.

The talks then went on for the next two evenings. The speakers this year included the following sanyasis: Bhaktisvarup Damodar Maharaja, Jayadvaita Maharaja, Gopal Krishna Goswami, Guru Prasad Maharaja, Sivarama Maharaja, and BB Govinda Maharaja who offered a heart rending kirtan for the remembrance of Gour Govinda Maharaja. Other speakers included, Visuddha Sattva Prabhu from South America, Devakinandan Prabhu from Mumbai, Rajendra Prabhu from Mayapur, Mother Ramaniya from Mayapur, Mother Lilavati from France, and Mother Prasanta from Vrindavan.

Puskaraksa Prabhu and his wife Lopamudra, in the name of Mrs Asima Mookerjee, sponsored an elaborate feast for the entire Mayapur community. Our heartfelt thanks to them. The feast was a highlight of the festival. Many vaishnavas came, including a few devotees from the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission branch of the Gaudiya Math. The mood at the feast was very joyful and there was wonderful camaraderie amongst the twenty-five devotees who volunteered to serve out the preparations.

Click here to see pictures from the festival