Sri Ksetra Parikrama January 2007

From the 22nd to the 27th of January we had the opportunity to host HH Jayadvaita Maharaja, Dhanudhar Maharaja, Gunagrahi Maharaja and about 50 devotees from various places around the world. Wonderful kirtans! Lots of deep katha, and Jagannath prasadam. Here are a few photos taken by Bhakta Karlis: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/madhava64108/album/576460762387422607

Pics from the new book

You can see a few pictures from My Revered Spiritual Master, here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/madhava64108/album/576460762387429685

2007 Mayapur Disappearance Festival for Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja

Hare Krishna!

Gopal Jiu Publications is pleased to invite all Vaishnavas to attend the 11th annual disappearance festival of Srila Gour Govinda Swami.

7th and 8th February, ISKCON Sridham Mayapur

Everyone welcome!

Usually 200 to 500 people attend this festival including anywhere from 15 to 30 sannyasis and senior vaishnavas. Many devotees say it is the highpoint of the Mayapur festival for them.

This year again, Gopal Jiu Publications will bring Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja’s cousin, Damodar Giri Prabhu, and his Orissan-style kirtan party. The Gadeigiri village kirtan party has become a popular cultural addition to the festival.

Festival schedule posted below.

We are in urgent need of funds for this year’s program. You will find below a breakdown of estimated costs. Naturally, the program is subject to however much we are able to collect. If we don’t collect enough we will cut back on some items.

Questions or comments can be written here, or contact us at: katha@gopaljiu.org

Your servants at Gopaljiu Publications

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SCHEDULE
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7 FEB
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Maharaja's Disappearance Day
Events at Maharaja's Puspa Samadhi:

* Guru puja, arotika and kértana (timings to be announced)

* 5:30 PM Bhajans by Gadeigiri kirtaniyas

* 6:15 PM Gour Govinda Maharaja Video lecture

* 6:45 PM Remembrances and talks

* 8:45 PM Program ends, prasadam distribution

8 FEB

* 2:00 PM Mahaprasadam Distribution at ISKCON campus.

Evening Events at Maharaja's Puspa Samadhi:

* 5:30 PM Bhajans by Gadeigiri kirtaniyas

* 6:15 PM Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja Video lecture

* 6:45 PM Remembrances and talks

* 8:45 PM Program ends, prasadam distribution

9 FEB

* Evening: Orissan style bhajanas by Gadeigiri kirtaniyas. Venue and timing to be announced.

16 to 19 FEB

* Seminar on Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja’s book: “Mathura Meets Vrindavan”, by Madhavananda Das. (Venue and timings to be announced)

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FESTIVAL COSTS

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$200 for pandal and sound system

$100 for flowers

$25 for pheni prasadam distribution (a traditional Oriya sweet liked by Lord Jagannath and Gour Govinda Maharaja)

$ 1,500 for feast

Cost to bring and accommodate Damodar Giri Prabhu and kirtan party = $500

Total $ 2,225

Pledges already received: $500.00

Balance left from last year’s festival: $177.83

Balance required: $1,547.17

As soon as we collect our goal we will post a notice here informing everyone that we don't need any more money for the festival. If we collect over the amount we will inform the particular donors and they can either get their money back or use it for extras at the festival (more flowers and prasadam) or if they like it can be used for our book publishing efforts.

Donations can be received by us through the following means:

* By credit card via PayPal through the link on the bottom of our homepage:

www.gopaljiu.org

* In India and the USA, bank transfers can be made.

* Western Union.

Please contact us for details.

(Scroll down this page to see highlights from last year’s festival.)

New Book Coming: "My Revered Spiritual Master"

We are in the passionate last days of work on the latest book from Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja.This will be a very special presentation of remembrances and realizations about His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It will contain original art work by the well known artist Anuradha Dasi. Below is a rough outline of the book (the sequence and titles of some of the chapters will likely change in the next few days).

"MY REVERED SPIRITUAL MASTER"

Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

OUTLINE

Mangalacarana: (from one of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja's lectures)

Intro: The Mercy Manifestation (also from one of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja's lectures)

Section One: I. MY REVERED SPIRITUAL MASTER
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1) Establishing a Temple in Bhubaneswar

2) Always Present

3) Srila Prabhupada was Empowered

4) Beyond Birth and Death

5) Krishna's Own Man

6) Our Well-wishing Friend

7) He Gave Life

8) Meditations (Excerpts from conversations etc)

Section Two: II. PRABHUPADA'S IDEAL SOCIETY
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9) Prabhupada's Ideal Society

10) Understanding Prabhupada's Purpose

11) A Home for Everyone (Centennial Interview)

12) Prabhupada's Padayatra Preaching

13) Dedication to his Mission

14) Prabhupada Laid the Foundation

15) Vaishnava Institutions and the Sweet Dealings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

16) Meditations

Section Three: III. AFTER PRABHUPADA'S DISAPPEARANCE
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17) When the Acharya Leaves

18) After the Disappearance of Sri Guru

19) After the Guru Leaves

20) Guru has not Left

21) The only Lacking is with Us

Section Four: IV APPENDIXES
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a. Correspondence (72 pages of scans of the original letters exchanged)

b. Room Conversation with Srila Prabhupada

c. A Brief Life Sketch of Srila Gour Govinda Swami

d. About the Artist

e. Sources of materials

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Artwork
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This book will be lavishly illustrated with original drawings by Anuradha Dasi. Anuradha is a well-known and talented devotee artist. Her specialty is pencil sketches of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. She has been staying here in Bhubaneswar for the last month making some special artwork just for this book. She has provided us with over 30 drawings of Srila Prabhupada, Thakur Bhaktivinode, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja, the Bhubaneswar temple, Srila Prabhupada's hut in BBSR etc etc.

We are still negotiating with the press and working out the design and layout. We intend to print in two colors (text in black and drawings in dark brown) on recycled, slightly yellowish paper with a natural texture. The cover will be made with handmade, papyrus style, rough paper. We hope it will be different and striking.

This book will contain much little known information about Srila Prabhupada's relationship with Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja, as well as early history of the Bhubaneswar temple. Please bless us that it will come out nicely for the pleasure of Sri Hari, Guru, Vaishnava.

Vraja Bandhu's Chuin

As a child, when Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja was studying in upper primary school he stayed in his uncle's home in Gadeigiri. In his youth he was known by his birth name, "Vraja Bandhu". From his earliest years, Vraja Bandhu was very attached to the ancestral deities of his family -- Sri Sri Radha Gopal Jiu. Most afternoons young Vraja Bandhu would play near Gopal's temple. Next to the small thatched temple was a paddy field that was used for cultivating mung beans. The village boys used to enjoy picking and eating the fresh raw beans. Late one afternoon Vraja Bandhu was picking some mung dahl (known as chuin in Oriya). Whatever he could hold in his small hands he would take and put on the veranda of Gopal's temple, and then go back to collect more. One time when Vraja Bandhu returned from the field with his handful of beans, he noticed that his original pile of chuin had vanished. Surprised, he looked around wondering who had taken it, but no one was to be seen. So he put that handful of bean pods down and returned to the field to pick more.

Carrying all that he could in his hands, Vraja Bandhu went back to Gopal's veranda and found that once again his pile of chuin was gone. This time he was determined to see who it was that was taking his chuin, so while he returned to the field to collect more, he kept looking back at his pile on the veranda of Gopal's temple.

Suddenly Vraja Bandhu saw a small boy with a dark black face quickly grabbing all his chuin. Vraja Bandhu ran towards the boy shouting "Gopal is taking my chuin." Gopal fled around the temple with Vraja Bandhu in hot pursuit.

By this time it was getting dark, and Gopinath Giri, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja’s maternal uncle (whom Maharaja recalled as a pure devotee) was going to Gopal's temple for his evening prayers. He was surprised to find Vraja Bandhu running around and around the temple calling out that Gopala had taken his chuin! Gopinath Giri called the boy, asking why he was running around the temple on his own in the dark. Vraja Bandhu told him that Gopal had taken his chuin. Gopinath Giri started to tell him that he should go home as it was getting late. Then suddenly he saw a boy's shadow rush in through the temple doorway. Seeing this, Gopinath Giri became ecstatic. With his hair standing on end, tears in his eyes, and a trembling body, he embraced young Vraja Bandhu, understanding that Gopal was playing games with his nephew.