Tag: abhishek

Janmashtami Celebration at Omni Tulsi, Kolkata in 2022

This year we had Janmashtami celebration in our Omni Tulsi apartment in Kolkata on 21^st August 2022, Sunday. We choose Sunday, so that everyone can participate. Many residents participated in the festival.

Before Covid, we had celebrated Janmashtami here but unfortunately for last 3 years we could not have any festival. But this time many of the residents were eager to celebrate Janmashtami.

Planning

For Janmashtami celebration, we decided to have abhishek of the Lord, spiritual talk and prasadam. Later we also thought to have cultural program in which kids can participate.  For all this to happen smoothly, we sought help of HG Anant Bhagavan Prabhu who is a senior monk at Iskcon Newtown, Kolkata. He was happy to help.  

Prasadam was arranged from the temple. Prasadam menu was khicdi, aludum and halwa.

Sri Sri Radha Madhav deity for abhishek

For abhishek, we needed a deity of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani. I requested in the temple for the deities. HG Vrindavan Chari Prabhu and Shivaji Prabhu helped to arrange a beautiful deity of Sri Sri Radha Madhav.  

For last few years I have been doing abhishek seva (service) in the temple, so I know the process of doing abhishek and the items required for abhishek. Moreover, HG Vrindavan Chari Prabhu who is a senior pujari in Iskcon Newtown temple, Kolkata is always there to help me. So, first I discussed with prabhuji about the items which will be required during abhishek.

We wanted to do abhishek the way it is done in the temple.  So, we decided to have almost all the items which are used in the temple for abhishek but with lesser quantity. For example, in temple, 8 litres of milk are used but here we decided to have 2 litres of milk. In temple we use 4 kg of honey but here we used only one kg and so on.

Everyone took responsibility for making arrangement for Janmashtami Celebration

One of the best things about the celebration was that everyone wanted to not just participate but many of them were keen to help in making arrangements for the festival. We decided to divide the work amongst ourselves.

Some took the responsibility of purchasing the items, some decided to get flowers for decoration and for abhishek, some took the onus of decorating the hall, my wife along with other ladies made plans for kids fancy dress and cultural program. One person got the service of bringing the deity from the temple and few residents were in charge of bringing prasadam from temple.  I got the service of making preparation for abhishek.

The program was in society’s community hall. On the day of Janmashtami celebration, everyone was busy since afternoon. Some were decorating the hall; some were making sure that all the items are brought from the market. Everyone was engaged.

Community hall was beautifully decorated with colourful flowers, balloons, rangolis and lights. At the entrance of the hall rangolis were made with colors and flower petals to welcome the Lord. By evening everything was ready.

Janmashtami Celebration begins

We went to the temple at around 6 pm to bring Sri Sri Radha Madhav and prasadam.

As soon as the deity arrived, everyone started doing kirtan to welcome the Lord. Sri Sri Radha Madhav was placed on a nicely decorated table.  

Cultural Prgram

The program began with the ladies dancing to the song of Achyutam Keshavam Krishna Damodaram. After this was kids fancy dress program. They were dressed as Krishna, gopis and gopas. Some were too small to stand for a long time, so they just crawled. Two little girls danced on popular Krishna song.

Abhishek of the Lord

After the cultural program, abhishek started.

All the items were ready for the abhishek and were kept in earthen pots in specific sequence. There is a proper procedure of doing abhishek of the Lord as per pancaratrika-vidhi. Different sacred items are used in specific sequence for abhishek. Lord’s abhishek was done as per the temple standard. Before starting abhishek, in each of the items tulasi leaves were put.

Abhishek started with arati of the Lord using nine pista lamps. After arati, sacred oil was applied on the body of Sri Sri Radha Madhav.  It was followed by applying white til paste on the deity. After applying til paste bathing of the Lord started with sacred liquids.

Lord was bathed with Panchagavya, Kusa grass water, Panchamitra, Fruit Juices, Mahaushadhi, Sarvaushadhi, Ashtagandha and then there was  Sahastradhara snana. After bathing ceremony, the deity was dried and towel was wrapped around Sri Sri Radha Madhav. After that there was puspa abhishek.

For puspa abhishek, everyone came forward to offer flowers to Sri Sri Radha Madhav.  Once the abhishek was completed, Sri Sri Radha Madhav was taken for decoration. I had made an arrangement in my flight for HG Vrindavan Chari Prabhu to dress and decorate the Lord. When the Lord was getting ready for arati, HG Anant Bhagavan Prabhu gave a nice class on Janmashtami.

Dilip Ghosh, BJP National Vice President present during the abhishek

During the festival, Sri Dilip Ghosh, Member of Parliament (MP) and BJP’s national vice president was also present. He was earlier president of West Bengal BJP.  He stays in our Omni tulsi apartment. Although, he is mostly busy, but he made it a priority to attend the Janmashtami Celebration. He also offered flower to Sri Sri Radha Madhav. To welcome him, we offered him Lord’s garland and gave him Krishna Book and Bhagavad Gita. He also spoke for few minutes and congratulated everyone for organizing such a nice festival. He said that Omni Tulsi has become like a small Gokul today.

Once the Lord was dressed, they came to the hall.  HG Anant Bhagavan Prabhu too concluded his class by that time.

Arati & Dancing kirtan

At the end, we had beautiful arati of the Lord. During the arati, melodious Hare Krishna kirtan was going on. Everyone participated in arati and kirtan. One of the highlights of the program was that at the end many participated in dancing kirtan. One person later told me that “the atmosphere was so surcharged with spiritual ecstasy that I could not resist myself and I began dancing to the tune of Hare Krishna Mahamantra.”

At the end there was prasadam.

Praying to Sri Sri Radha Madhav to bless Omni Tulsi

In today’s busy life, people rarely get time to come together and associate with each other. But these kinds of spiritual festivals help us to develop strong relationship with each other.   And along with that we also get mercy of the Supreme Lord.  Janmashtami celebration at Omni Tulsi had everything which brings joy in life.

We pray at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Madhav to bless each and every resident of Omni Tulsi. And we also pray him to give us an opportunity to celebrate Janmashtami festival every year here.

Colourful Celebration of Krishna Utsav

Lord Krishna appeared almost a week back, but the celebration is still going on.  In Vrindavan after the appearance of Krishna every day, in fact every moment, there was festivity.  Following the footsteps of brajvasis devotees of Jalvayu Towers, New Town, Kolkata decided to celebrate Krishnautsav on 1^st September. D N Roychoudhary Prabhuji and Madhurima Mataji took the initiative to organize the entire program.  And since Radhastami, the appearance day of Srimati Radharani, is going to be celebrated on 6^th Sept. so the celebration was not just only for Krishna but was also for Srimati Radharani, the eternal consort of Krishna.

Most of the monks of the temple had gone to Mumbai for a week-long brahmachari camp and they came back to Kolkata on 1^st Sept only. It is almost 36 hours train journey from Mumbai to Kolkata and we know how tiring generally the train journeys are.  But still HG Anant Bhagavan Prabhu and HG Vrindavan Chari Prabhu made themselves available for the program which began at 5:30 pm. Devotees also travelled from Iskcon Habibpur which is around 100 kms from Kolkata just to do ecstatic kirtan for the pleasure of the Lord.

Abhishek of Lord Krishna & Srimati Radharani

The program began with abhishek i.e. the bathing ceremony of the Lord which was led by HG Vrindavan Chari Prabhu.  HG Vrindavan Chari Prabhu is one of the senior priests at Iskcon Kolkata temple. He brought the beautiful deities of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani from the temple.

Prabhuji is humble at heart and extremely soft spoken and has great love for the deities. He came and made all the arrangements for the abhishek.  Scented oil, til paste and sandalwood oil were applied on the deities and then different sacred items like milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar candy water, coconut water and lots of Ganges water was poured over the Lord.  

While the abhishek was going on devotees reverentially sang the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and were joined by all the assembled guests.  After the abhishek the deities were taken to a separate room for dressing.

Meanwhile HG Anant Bhagavan Prabhu spoke why Lord Krishna appears on the earth and he also described the attributes which are exclusively present in Lord Krishna only. We the living entities may have these traits present in small quantities. For e.g Lord Krishna is the proprietor of the entire universe and we may also be the proprietor of our small house for a short period of time.

Lord is extremely beautiful and his beauty never diminishes. We may also have some beauty but it is not forever. With the age the beauty goes away. Class was interactive and all enjoyed it.

By the end of the class the dressing of the Lord was also complete.  Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani had donned attractive garments. Wearing ornaments and colourful flower garlands they looked extremely beautiful.  After the deities were brought in the hall and they took the centre stage the much-awaited kids program began.

It started with fancy dress show.  Kids who were even less than one year old too participated in it.  Dressed as Krishna and Radha and cowherd friends of Krishna they put up their best performance. In fact, one of the kids showed his talent in the pram itself and all had to come near to him to see his charming face. All confidently performed amidst the large gathering.

Fancy dress was followed by dance drama. The theme of the drama was ‘Advent of Lord Krishna.’ Children had been practicing for last few weeks meticulously under the guidance of my wife Kanchan Madhavi. And their hard work paid dividends.  

They had dressed themselves as Lord Krishna, Gopis, brajvasis, Kamsa, Kamsa’s soldier, Arjuna. And on the stage through their performance they lived those characters. The drama accompanied with dance performance won everyone’s heart.  Kids program brought lots of colour to the program.

Lord Krishna & Srimati Radharani majestically sitting on the altar were enjoying each and every moment.  

D N Roychoudhary Prabhuji and Madhurima Mataji who had been working hard tirelessly for last few days to make the event successful were presented a gift by HG Anant Bhagavan Prabhu. All the kids who participated too got gifts.

It was now the time for arati of the Lord which was followed by another celebration which everyone enjoys a lot – Pushpa Abhishek. 

The multi coloured flower petals were showered on the Lord in abundance.  All those who happily and patiently enjoyed the program had the opportunity to bathe Lord Krishna & Srimati Radharani not with water but with flowers.

As the puspa abhishek was going on devotees were doing kirtan. No one could resist themselves and all danced for the pleasure of the Lord. And along with it the offered flowers were sprinkled on the devotees and everyone enjoyed playing holy with flowers. 

After flower abhishek it was time for all to relish delicious Krishna prasadam.

Festivals can only be successfully celebrated if each and every one comes together and cooperates with each other. It makes the celebration more colourful. We are very fortunate that all the devotees of Jalvayu Towers, Greenfield and Alka Abasan who are part of our weekly Bhagavad Gita program came together to organize the program and enthusiastically participated in it. 

In Vrindavan every moment there is celebration because all the devotees putting aside their personal motives and self-interest just work hard and come together to serve Krishna.  Seeing the selflessness of his devotees and unity among them pleases Krishna the most. And when Krishna is pleased the life of each devotee becomes successful.

So, following the footsteps of brajvasis we should too try to serve Krishna and Radharani selflessly. It will make Krishna happy and Krishna will then inundate our heart with unlimited happiness.

1st Janmashtami celebrated at Iskcon New Town Kolkata with religious fervour

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Hundreds of devotees thronged to Iskcon New Town, Kolkata on 24^th August to celebrate Janmashtami, the appearance day of Lord Krishna. Although it rained almost continuously and heavily throughout the day, but it did not dampen the spirits of the lovers of Krishna. The sky was covered with thick dark clouds and it appeared as if the rain God, Indra, was too eager to do abhishek of Lord Krishna on this auspicious day.  

Devotees since early morning were busy preparing for the celebration in a grand way. The program at the temple began at 4:30 am with Mangal Arati and continued till midnight.  Throughout the day people were coming to the temple to take blessings of the Lord.  Everyone who came got a cupful of prasadam.  Many were fasting since morning without water.

One devotee told me that he was so busy in his service that in the evening he remembered that today he is fasting and have not taken even a drop of water since midnight.  It is verify said that service to Krishna is so pleasing and absorbing that devotees forget even their material needs.

The temple hall was beautifully decorated. In the centre of the temple was the deity of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani.  The altar was decorated with green leaves and colourful flowers.  Krishna and Srimati Radharani wearing attractive dress and ornaments sat majestically on a throne. It looked as if they both are enjoying their pastimes in the forest groves of Vrindavan. Towards the left of the main altar was the picture of Sri Sri Radha Govinda with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi. And towards the left of the altar was a huge and beautiful picture of Srila Prabhupada.

Throughout the day devotees recited beautiful verses from Srimad Bhagavatam and discussed about Krishna’s innumerable pastimes. Devotees continuously sang melodious Hare Krishna kirtan and Vaishnav bhajans written by great Vaishnav acharyas.

In the evening there were cultural programs. Traditional dance, drama and specially kids’ programs were liked by all. For the kids there was fancy dress competition, drawing competition and dance performance.  For the fancy dress most of the kids had dressed as Krishna and Radharani and on the stage they looked adorable.

While the other programs were going on devotees led by HG Vrindavan Chari Prabhu were making arrangements for the bathing ceremony (abhishek) of the Lord. Very meticulously all the ingredients required for the ceremony was prepared and put in earthen pots. A nice altar was prepared where abhsihek had to be performed.  The Lord was then invited to come to the abhishek altar and be seated there. Just before the abhishek, devotees dressed Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani in bathing garments.  

The bathing ceremony of the Lord began at around 10 pm and the temple hall got filled with devotees.  Amidst the loud but melodious chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra different sacred items were poured from the conch shells on the deities of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani.  Scented oil, til paste and sandalwood paste was applied on the body of the Lord. Milk, Curd, ghee, honey, sugar candy water, sandalwood paste, coconut water, fruit juices and lots of Ganges water was poured over the Lord.

The ceremony continued for an hour. After the abhishek the Lord was dressed in beautiful garments, ornaments and garlands and placed on the main central altar. Different food items were offered to the Lord.  While the Lord was being dressed devotees in the temple discussed beautiful pastimes of Lord Krishna from Srimad Bhagavatam.

Exactly at 12 midnight the altar was opened. Lord Krishna had appeared. A grand arati of the Lord was performed. Devotees reverentially participated in it and together sang – Yasomati nandana, braja baro nagara/gokula ranjana kana.

After the arati everyone rushed to the prasadam hall to break their fast and enjoy delicious Krishna prasadam comprising of sabudana sweet, cumin rice, paneer sabji, fried potatoes, fruits and sweet lemon juice.

A memorable Janmashtami Celebration

We had a special celebration of Janmashtami along with wonderful residents of our Omni Tulsi society on 23^rd August.

As almost everyone is busy these days, so we hardly get time to interact and know each other. But festivals like these provide an opportunity for all the residents to come together, work together and know each other in a better way.

We are fortunate that here all are extremely friendly and cooperative and are always ready to help others. In many societies we hear that people hardly know even their next-door neighbour and have difficulty in getting along with other members of the society.

In fact, to organize the festival successfully each and everyone contributed to the best of their capacity. Scriptures tell us that Lord Krishna does not see what we offer him or how much we offer him, but he sees with what intention we worship him. In Bhagavad Gita 9.26 Lord Krishna says, “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.”  And here the intention, I can say with complete confidence, was pure.

The arrangement was made in the community hall of the society which was decorated with flowers, colourful birthday balloons and lovely Rangolis.  A gorgeous looking altar was prepared for the Lord.  A huge and beautiful picture of Srimati Radharani and Lord Krishna was placed.  On the same altar table arrangement was made to do abhishek of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani.  Nine earthen lamps were lit on the table.

All the items required for the abhishek was prepared and kept in small earthen pots on a side table.  The items used were – scented oil, til paste, milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar candy water, rice powder, water mixed with cow dung and cow urine, rose water, sandalwood paste, coconut water and several pots of Ganges water.

HG Anant Bhagavan Prabhu and HG Sri Madhav Prabhu had also come from the Iskcon temple for the festival.  Sri Madhav Prabhu sang melodious kirtan while Anant Bhagavan Prabhu did the abhishek. The abhishek items were first poured from the earthen pots to the conch shell and from the conch shell the sacred items were poured on the deity. After the abhishek Anant Bhagavan Prabhu spoke briefly about the importance of celebrating Janmashtami. And then we all chanted together one round of Hare Krishna Mahamantra. 

And at the end there was delicious Krishna prasadam for all.  Prasadam comprising of khichdi, aloo dum and halwa was brought from the Iskcon temple and the quantity was good enough and every one of us relished it to our hearts content. We also enjoyed charanamrita.

The celebration which began at around 8:30 p.m continued till midnight. It was one of the best ways to celebrate Janmashtami, the appearance day of Lord Krishna. It was a memorable and joyful event. 

Hope next year too we celebrate Janmashtami with same enthusiasm at Omni Tulsi.

Janmashtami celebration at New Town, Kolkata

Hundreds of lovers of Krishna congregated at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town, Kolkata, to celebrate Janmashtami on 18^th August.  The program began in the evening at 4 pm and continued till around 7:30 pm.  The auditorium reverberated with the chant of “Hare Krishna” and all the assembled guests thoroughly enjoyed the devotional fervour.

One of the most important highlights of the festival was the participation of kids in cultural programs in large numbers which made the event colourful and lively. The kids of New Town were practicing for several weeks and they performed perfectly on the stage and instantly won the applause and hearts of everyone.  Dance drama, Krishna Conch Dance, the three ladies drama, the sounds of divine where kids recited verses from Brahma Samhita were enjoyed by all.  The underlining message of the cultural programs was that we all can enrich and enjoy our life if we live as per the teaching of Krishna. 

A motivation talk was given by HG Sri Nitai Prabhu on the topic “What Google does not know?”  HG Sri Nitai Prabhu is an IIT graduate and currently serving as a monk at Iskcon Kolkata temple. In the talk he explained how Google can provide us tons of information, but it cannot tell us how to apply that information constructively in our life.  It also cannot teach us how to love and how to show compassion to others.

A beautiful abhishek, bathing ceremony, of Lord Krishna, Srimati Radharani and Laddu Gopal was performed. Different ingredients such as milk, curd, ghee, honey, misri (rock sugar) water, rose water, sarv aushadhi, 7 types of fruit juices, coconut water, Ganges water was used to bath the Lord.  Amidst the melodious chant of Hare Krishna Mahamantra, the sacred items were poured on the Lord using conch shells and earthen pots.  At the end of the abhishek hundreds of flower petals were showered on the Lord.

After the abhishek Lord Krishna, Srimati Radharani and Laddu gopal were decorated with colourful clothes and ornaments. 108 food items which were prepared by the devotees were offered to the deities in earthen plates.  Small kids colourfully dressed as gopis and gopas performed dandiya dance in front of the Lord on the song nand ghar anand bhayo jay kanaya lal ki.

Dinner Prasadam (sanctified vegetarian food) was there for all. Everyone enjoyed the festival. In the core of their hearts all felt deep joy, their love for Krishna had increased.