Shoba Yatra, Rama Navami and the Inauguration of the Opening of the Krsna-Balarama Mandhir in Vrindavan

Shoba Yatra

Shoba yatra occurs the day before Ram Navami all the small Deities were taken out on Their palanquins along with Srila Prabhupada.

They left the temple at 4.30 pm and went from department to department, stopping first at the Samadhi where Srila Prabhupada's murti joined the procession. This was an opportunity for the female disciples to make offerings of incense, flowers, ghee lamps and bhoga. Being a nonsense, I was late and missed out.

Then the procession went out onto Bhaktivedanta Marg to the Gurukula where there was a little program set up for Their Lordships’ pleasure. Offerings, bhajans, kirtan, recitations were all presented.

Then back into the temple through the main gate and over to Daivashakti’s library and the office next to that. Here, Daivashakti gave me her mercy and allowed me to offer the bhoga to all the Deities. From there the grand procession went to the Guesthouse, restaurant and bakery (meaning just outside the front door), onto Tulasi’s house and those offices and the new Balarama Hall where the Hindi classes are now held, to the back gate between MVT and the Mandhir and then into MVT to the little garden where there was a stage and Sundar arotik was performed. Then after a short talk, Their Lordships returned home for the evening.

 I was talking with....someone... that only in KC do the devotees understand and relate to God as a real live person. He and His entourage are taken out for Their pleasure, not just dry philosophy. It is these events that make God real for us and give us such real pleasure in response.

There are so many more wonderful pictures that I saved on my computer but I can't for the life of me find them. Here are the only pictures I can find from that day:



That's my head there in the lower left center.
We were waving our hands and cloth to
keep the 1000s of flies off the offering.
More than in Australia!!



Little Radhe-Syamasundhara on Their day out

Rama Navami is the Appearance day of Lord Ramachandra and is also the inauguration of the opening of the Krsna-Balarama Mandir and thus there were many wonderful events in celebration. That is why Daivashakti was giving class that day, recalling the lead-up to and the day itself along with Radha-Kunda, Brahmananda, Bhaktisiddhanta (who Daivashakti complained bitterly about saying he wasn’t even here but came afterwards and keeps telling the same story. She eventually started chanting her rounds again then left grumbling, lol) and others. Mokshalaxmi was explaining how she started up the mukut ‘business’ at Srila Prabhupada’s request, that the devotees make all the outfits for the deities here and for all the other temples to raise money for this temple. I kinda remember that from ‘the ole days’ as well. She said the sale of one outfit for one temple was enough to make an outfit for this temple. Just the other day Daivashakti again gave a talk for Bhagavad-Gita class about the history here (she always has such nectar and I even recorded the last two talks) wherein she was discussing how much service they/we all had to do. She quoted that SP wanted anyone living in Vrindavan to be living like the Goswamis meaning they had to do at least 8 hours of service every day. This one brahmacari asked how was it possible to do so much service now when they had to read for 2 hours every day to prevent falling down according to their spiritual masters. DS pointed out that if you allow 8 hours for sleeping and bodily needs, eating, 2 hours for reading, 4 –5 hours for chanting and the morning and evening programs plus the 8 hours service, what were they doing with their other 8 or so hours! She obviously had a different equation there I can’t remember exactly. Anyway, this led to quite a discussion and bewilderment for the brahmacaris who kept asking questions about this. DS pointed out that the devotees should be cleaning the temple, inside and outside, doing all the cooking, working in the restaurant, etc. etc. not paying outsiders to do all these things. The brahmacaris were stumped and even after class gathered together for about 30 minutes amongst themselves discussing this baffling point. DS was asked to give class the next day on this point which she did. She pointed out that SP wanted the devotees to be having their own businesses of making deities, deity dresses and mukuts, sewing and selling dhotis and saris, etc. instead of going into Loi Bazaar to buy these things and making all the shopkeepers rich off of us. Food for thought, huh....

The above is a slightly edited version of an email I sent to Ambika that I just pasted in here so that I didn't have to re-type everything. So it does have the feeling of speaking to someone specific, but the information is pretty much what I wanted to relay. Of course, I sure hope that Bhaktissidanta or Daivashakti don't come by this!

More pictures of the festivals:

Janardhan das who lead the kirtan and is originally from the Philippines

Going through MVT, devotee housing

There were more photos I wanted to upload but not working tonight. But on the bright side I think I managed to work out the trouble with the videos so I will upload those very soon...