Sri Govindaji's Patrika - Autumn 2016

Vol II

Issue III

Autumn 2016

A quarterly publication presented by Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha Vedic Educational and Cultural Center in Houston, TX

Inside this Issue Twenty years back, Srila Gurudeva first came to Houston. At the age of 75, he came to the US to collect some fragrant flowers for his worshipable Deity. On the twentieth anniversary of his voyage to the West, we have prepared flowers [SGGM community] to offer to him. Our hope is, in due course of Srila Gurudeva time, this fragrance will spread far and wide to bring joy and peace to all.

Taittiriya Upanishad (3.6.1) says “Know bliss as brahman. CertainIn this world, we are aimlessly ly, all beings originate from bliss, roaming in cycles. Srila Gurudeva live by bliss, and in the end enter came with the message of the tran- into bliss.” scendental world, bringing us refreshing rain and saving us from This blissful LOVE is our necessity. the forest fire of existence. He This is what we search for in this taught us, over and over again, temple. This is what we have that we are not this body, this strived for throughout. This is world is only temporal, that you what we live by. This is the legacy cannot get everything by giving we will leave for posterity. something—rather by giving everything, you can get something.

Jaya Srila Gurudeva!

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A Few Words from the Board of Directors Hari Katha Corner Sri Krishna Crossword Srimati Radhika’s Kitchen Support SGGM Projects Temple Bulletin Board Vaisnava Calendar Temple Events and Happenings School News Remembering Srila Gurudeva Patrika Parivar Building a Spiritual Library

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Hari Katha Corner You should think that I am always with you in the form of my books and in the form of my lectures and classes. Know that I am always guiding you. If you do this, you will not be weak, and you will also be able to make others very strong. — Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

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Copyright Syamarani Dasi, www.bhaktiart.net. Used with permission.

Sri Krsna is the origin of Visnu and other incarnations

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Copyright Syamarani Dasi, www.bhaktiart.net. Used with permission.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates preached the chanting of the holy names

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Courtesy of Sita Dasi

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Srimati Radhika’s Kitchen

Left: Sago Payasam, Right: Caramel Crunch 8 Sri Govindaji’s Patrika

The size of Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha’s congregation is at an all-time high. To keep up with the needs of our rapidly growing community of members, we must expand the temple complex and grounds. Several important projects are planned but on hold until we raise enough funds to begin construction.

Please consider making a one-time donation or a monthly donation for one or more of the construction projects listed below. Payment can be made via check or credit card and all donations are tax-exempt. One hundred pledges for $101 - $151 per month for one year will help us achieve our fundraising goals!

Estimated Cost

Donations Received

Remaining Balance

Anticipated Completion

New Altar for Thakurji

$47,000

$35,000

$12,000

December 2017

Vigraha of Srila Gurudeva

$5,000

$5,000

$0 (Jaya!)

December 2017

Altar for Srila Gurudeva

$13,500

$7,500

$6,000

December 2017

Re-grading of Temple Grounds

$5,000

$0

$5,000

Unknown until more funds raised

Parking Lot

$50,000

$25,000

$25,000

Completed with borrowed funds

Expansion of Prasadam Hall and New Gift Shop

$75,000

$5,000

$70,000

Unknown until more funds raised

Residential Rooms and Classrooms

$65,000

$10,000

$55,000

Unknown until more funds raised

$260,500

$87,500

$173,000

Project

TOTAL

To pay by check, make the check payable to “International Gaudiya Vedanta Society Houston” and mail to: IGVS, 10421 Southwest Plaza Drive, Houston, TX 77074. To pay by credit card or Paypal, visit sggm.org and click on the “Seva Opportunity” link on the right side of the main page.

No donation is too small, so please donate today!

9 Support SGGM Projects

Daily Arati Schedule Mangala Arati

05:30 am

Srngara Arati

08:00 am

Bhoga Arati

12:30 pm

Utthapan Arati

05:00 pm

Sandhya Arati

07:00 pm

Kirtan & Hari Katha

07:30 pm

Bu

ulletin Sunday Evening Classes Hindi 5:00-6:00 pm Bhakti Gurukula 6:00-7:00 pm

Annual Function, 07/04/16

Vaisnava Calendar

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12 Sri Govindaji’s Patrika

Temple Events & Happenings

By Geetika Sharma Pictures Courtesy of Visnujan Das The month of May was full of festivity at the temple starting with the celebration of Akshaya Trittiya on May 8, Chandan Yatra on May 15, Nrisimha Chaturdashi on May 20, Ramayana Manthan on May 21, followed by the visit of Braj Theater on May 22, and culminating with the Nauka Vihar on May 29. In June, we observed Ganga Dashahara on the 14th, Srila Raghunnatha das Gosvami’s Cida-Dahi Mahotsava on the 17th, and Snana-Yatra of Lord Jagannath on the 19th. We were also fortunate to be visited

by Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja. July was another busy month with many traveling preachers, including Sripad Bhaktivedanta Vana Maharaja, who conducted Sri Bhagavat Saptaha, Sripad Bhaktivedanta Asrama Maharaja, Sripad Bhaktivedanta Sajjan Maharaja, and Sripad Bhaktivedanta Siddhanti Sri Sri Radha-Govindaji on Chandan-Yatra Maharaja. Festivals celebrated included the Annual Festival during July 2-4, Ratha Yatra on July 5, and Sri Guru Purnima on of Thakurji. During the program at the temple, Vimla Didi narrated July 19. the story behind the festival. The story is as follows.

Akshaya Trittiya

Madhavendra Puri was a great devotee in the Brahma-MadhvaGaudiya sampradaya. Once Gopalji came in his dream asking Akshaya trittiya, one of the most auspicious days of the Vedic Madhavendra Puri to take him out from the earth he was buried calendar, was celebrated at the temple on May 8, 2016 along with under and install him in a temple. Madhavendra Puri, with the the Oriya community of Houston. The celebration was a joint ef- help of the villagers, dug the deity of Gopal and installed him in a fort of two devotional communities. Every year the Oriya commu- temple on Govardhan hill. One day Gopalji came again in nity celebrates Akshaya trittiya at our temple. Dr. Debananda Pati, Madhavendra Puri’s dream and said to him “O Madhavendra, I the priest of the Oriya community, conducted the worship of Lord was buried beneath the earth for a very long time and my body is Jagannatha, Balabhadra, and Subhadra followed by kirtan and hot and exhausted. Please bring sandalwood from Jagannatha katha. Volunteers from the Oriya community joined the temple Puri and apply its paste on me to soothe my tired body.” volunteers for preparing delicious prasadam.

Although Jagannatha Puri was at a considerable distance (1000 Chandan Yatra km) from Mathura, Madhavendra Puri was glad to undertake the journey to fetch sandalwood for Gopalji. Along the way he The literal translation of chandan yatra is “voyage for sandalreached Remuna (a village at the border of Orissa and Bengal) wood”. This festival is celebrated in the month of Vaisakh/Jyestha where the Gopinatha temple is located. He stayed there overnight (May/June) when the summer heat is at its peak in India. Sandal- and saw the pujari (priest) had prepared 12 pots of kheer (special wood paste (which has a cooling effect) is applied over the Krsna rice pudding called amrta-keli) to offer to Gopinathji. A thought deities and Saligram in Vishnu temples across India to provide came to Madhavendra Puri’s mind that if he could taste the kheer relief from the sweltering heat. he would prepare it in a similar manner for his Gopal in Vrindavan.

The preparations for collecting the chandan started weeks ago and all devotees and visitors to the temple were given the chance Instantly he realized that it was wrong on his part to think about to participate in the task of grinding the chandan for the pleasure tasting the kheer before it was offered to the deity. He left the

13 Temple Events and Happenings

pinatha as Gopala and Gopinatha are the same. Madhavendra Puri applied the chandan paste on Lord Gopinatha as instructed.

Since then the Chandan Yatra festival has been celebrated to commemorate this event. The story behind Remuna’s Lord Gopinatha will be described in one of the future issues of the Patrika.

Braj Theater Visiting Houston On May 22, 2016, members of the Braj Theater group (based in California) visited the temple to perform an English play “Appearance of the beautiful Radha Raman”.

The drama beautifully portrayed how the very special deity of Sri Radha Raman self-manifested from a shaligram shila worshipped

by Sri Gopal Bhatta Gosvami. Sri Gopal Bhatta Gosvami was one of the six main Gosvamis of Vrindavana and a principal disciple of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

The play opened with Mahaprabhu chanting and dancing with ecstasy and falling down before the deity at the temple at Sri Ranga Kshetra (in South India). Venkat Bhatta (a devotee of the Ramanuja samprayada) saw Mahaprabhu and was overcome with joy. He approached Mahaprabhu and took the dust from his lotus feet. Mahaprabhu embraced him chanting ‘Krishna Krishna’.

Venkat Bhatt invited Mahaprabhu to stay at his home and there Mahaprabhu blessed Gopal Bhatta, the young son of Venkat Bhatt. Mahaprabhu instructed Gopal Bhatta to always chant Krishna’s glories and to move to Vrndavana after the disappearance of his parents. At the age of thirty Gopal Bhatta moved to Vrndavana where he studied the scriptures and composed literature. As instructed by Mahaprabhu in a dream, he visited Nepal where he bathed in the Kali Gandaki river. Upon dipping his wa-

Sri Govindaji anointed with sandalwood paste temple and sat beneath a tree and began chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra (Lord’s sweet names) At night, Gopinatha appeared in a dream to the pujari and informed him that a pot of kheer was hidden behind the deity for Madhavendra Puri. The pujari was asked to take the pot to Madhavendra Puri and he did as was instructed. Consequently, Gopinatha became famous as Kheer Chora Gopinatha, i.e. the one who stole kheer for his devotee.

The next day Madhavendra Puri continued on his journey to Puri.

Before he reached Puri the word spread that Gopinatha stole kheer for Madhavendra Puri. Upon reaching Puri, he met the pujari of the Jagannatha temple and expressed the purpose of his visit. The pujari took him to the King of Puri who gave one mound (nearly 37kg) of the special sandalwood used in Puri. Madhavendra Puri started his return journey and when he reached near the Gopinatha temple the Lord came again in his dream and instructed him to apply the sandalwood paste on the deity of Go-

The Braj Theater group visiting SGGM

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ter pot in the river he was surprised to see several shaligram shilas enter the pot. He dropped the shilas in the water but the shilas re-entered the pot when he refilled it. This happened thrice. Thinking this must be the Lord’s mercy, Gopal Bhatta kept all twelve shilas and returned to Vrindavana and began worshipping the shilas.

One day a wealthy merchant came to Vrindavana and offered a variety of clothing and ornaments for the shilas to Gopal Bhatta.

However, Gopal Bhatta could not use these clothings and ornaments for the round shaped shilas. So he advised the merchant to give them to someone else but the merchant insisted that Gopal Bhatta keep them. Gopal Bhatta kept the ornaments and clothes with his shilas wishing for a deity that he could decorate with the ornaments and clothes. In the evening he put the shilas to rest in a covered basket.

filled with water and beautifully decorated with flowers was set up outside the temple. The boat decorated by Vijay Prabhu was a display of creativity at its best.

The atmosphere was vibrant with singing and chanting as the congregation led by Tarunkrsna Prabhu moved towards the boat.

Aarti didi and Anjali didi carried the deities while Vishnu Prabhu held a colorful umbrella over them. The deities were reverently seated in the boat and worshipped.

Then Vijaykrishna Prabhu got in the water and set the boat on the water and took it around the tub while Mahabuddhi Prabhu led the devotees in chanting and dancing. The deities were showered with flowers as the boat circled the tub. After much fun and merriment the Vijay Vigrahas were brought back inside the temple.

The next day when Gopal Bhatta returned from his bath in the Yamuna, he uncovered the basket to do puja and saw a deity of Krishna playing flute among the shilas. There were now eleven shilas as the Damodar Shila had manifested into a beautiful deity.

Gopal Bhatta fell to the ground to offer dandavat pranam and he recited various prayers. When other devotees heard of this miraculous event they came running to see the Lord.

The play ended here with the actors pulling in members of the audience to dance along with them to celebrate the miracle. We heartily thank the Braj Theater Group for visiting us all the way from California. We look forward to more visits in the future.

Braj Theatre aims to preserve Vedic heritage through devotional plays and dramas. They have produced more than a dozen shows, with the theme of devotion, which promote universal human values. They can be contacted at http://www.brajtheatre.org/ Prashant Goyal Tel: 408-329-2594 Cell: 408-680-6922

Nauka Vihar Nauka vihar was celebrated with much enthusiasm at the temple on May 29 2016. This festival is related to the pastimes of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani who would enjoy sporting with their associates on a boat in the river Yamuna and Manasi Ganga.

Devotees had darshan of the beautiful deities (called VijayVigraha) followed by kirtans and katha by Dayanidhi Prabhu on the background and importance of Nauka Vihar. A 20 feet tub

Sri Sri Radha-Govindaji engaging in nauka-vihar The festival concluded with delicious prasadam.

Thanks to all the volunteers who worked behind the scenes in making the festival a big success. It would not have been possible to do the decorations, prepare the boat, and cook the feast without their tireless efforts. Special mention should be made of Vijay Prabhu, Shaunaka Prabhu, Rohti Prabhu and Abhai Prabhu for the countless hours put in before and after the celebration. If you missed the festival this year do plan on attending/volunteering next year.

Darshan of the Dashavatara Stotram cloth of Lord Jagannatha Visitors to the temple were fortunate to have a darshan of the Dashavatara Stotram cloth of Lord Jagannatha which Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja had brought from India. There is an interesting story behind this cloth that many of us might not

15 Temple Events and Happenings

have heard.

The Lord till this day is put to bed wearing a cloth which has the Stotram written on it and we were blessed to have the darshan of this very cloth.

Once Lord Jagannatha’s chief attendant went to the Lord’s room to perform morning seva and was startled to find the Lord’s clothes untidy. The attendant who had dressed the Lord the previ- Are you wondering why the woman was singing in the eggplant ous day was held responsible and fired. This man was devastated plantation? Well she was trying to save the eggplant from an atand decided to find out what exactly had happened. tack by monkeys.

He waited in the temple till late at night to catch the culprit and as he began to feel drowsy he saw a man dressed in Lord Jagannatha’s clothes walk hurriedly out of the temple. The attendant decided to follow this man and catch him. He saw the man walk towards an eggplant plantation where a woman in a white sari

Annual Function The third anniversary of Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha’s inauguration was celebrated during the long weekend of July 4th. The festivities started on July 2nd with Hari Katha by Sripad Bhaktivedanta Sajjan Maharaja, Sripad Bhaktivedanta Ashram Maharaja, and Sripad Bhaktivedanta Vana Maharaja. The cultural program on July 3rd had dance performances and two entertaining plays, “Krishna Leela” choreographed by Anupama Iyengar and “Lakshman gets Lucky” directed by Haripriya Agrawal. The festivities concluded on July 4th with a Havan (fire sacrifice) for the benefit of temple and larger community.

The Dashavatara Stotram cloth of Lord Jagannatha was singing. The attendant upon approaching the mysterious man was awestruck at the sight of the Lord himself.

Apparently, the Lord went to this plantation every night to hear the woman sing the Dashavatara Stotram (from Gita Govinda written by poet Jayadeva Gosvami) as he loves listening to this Stotram. The next morning the attendant told everyone what had happened the previous night but no one believed him. The woman was asked to stop singing or leave the place and never return.

She stopped singing and the Lord could not sleep. The Lord then came in the chief priest’s dream and told him about his sleeplessness. The next morning the chief priest called the woman, rewarded her, and arranged for the Dashavatara Stotram to be a part of the rituals at the temple.

The temple hall beautifully decorated in honor of the annual festival Interested in attending temple events and festivals? You are most welcome! To make sure you know about all the upcoming events, please sign up for our email list, visit our website, or visit our Facebook page. See you at SGGM very soon!

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By Rishika Dewan On Sunday, June 12th, the children of Sri Govindaji Vedic School gathered to undertake a project that is expected to plant a seed of tradition and set a precedent among community members. With their small hands and tiny fingers, they each placed a sapling into a little cup and matted soil around the roots to ensure that their plant had

A young student with her sapling grow into Texas Red Oak and papaya trees, they can be used in the service of Lord Krishna and His devotees by providing shade, offering fruits, producing oxygen, removing carbon dioxide and contaminants from the air, creating a home for a vast number of jivas, and adding beauty to the temple.

Other devotees of the temple also planted saplings in memory of loved ones. These saplings were donated very graciously to Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha by Dr. Kusum Vyas, founder of Living Planet Foundation and the Green Yatra Action Network (GYAN).

Three happy students pose with their saplings enough nutrients to grow. In doing so, they accepted a responsibility that is rooted in deep tradition. Vedic scriptures teach us the sacredness of Mother Earth and the responsibility that each of us has towards preservation of the environment.

The children will nurture the saplings regularly by watering and tending to them. Once these saplings

We pray that this project bears the sweet fruits of inspiring our children and our larger community to continue performing seva.

Sri Govindaji Vedic School is open during the academic school year and the summer. To enroll your child, please contact Vimla Agrawal at (281) 9498351. or complete the online registration form available at the following site: http://goo.gl/forms/zkJwRj4CAYdsWmsI3

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Remembering Srila Gurudeva From the memories of Chandra Bindu Dasi: I had my reservations when Syamarani Didi first wanted us to take initiation from Srila Gurudeva. I was using my mind and logic to come up with reservations that all sounded valid at the time. I did not like that Harinam was given to us at the time either and it felt like someone had put a rope around my neck.

I eagerly waited for him to come back to Houston to take Diksha and prayed that he did not change his mind about accepting me. I later confessed to Gurudeva and asked him for forgiveness for my offense of feeling that Harinam was being forced upon me. He then put his hand around his neck as if there was a rope around it, and I said "Exactly. How did you know that?!" I then understood that he knows what is in our heart and what is good for us. He had a long stem rose in his hand and lightly tapped it on my head to bless me. It is hard to express this experience in words. It was just as a true loving mother knows what is best for the child, and does it even if the child does not like it.

I went to Navadvipa Parikrama the following year for the first time. Once, we were at a huge field and Gurudeva was explaining the significance of that place. There was a group of young boys there playing soccer and making a lot of noise. In Bengal, soccer is their life and they do not like any disturbances. Some of the devotees asked them to quiet down, but they did not From the memories of Anonymous… stop. Then a devotee became angry and some argument began.

One morning we were going to meet Srila Gurudeva. We were Srila Gurudeva stopped the devotees from fighting and said in a hoping to see him after the morning walk. Our two boys were very soft and humble voice that we are your guests and we will very young. Usually the older one would sit shotgun (front be here for a short while.; then you can have fun for the rest of seat). But my little one ran and sat in the front seat. What folthe day. But they would not listen. So Gurudeva said okay and lowed was fist fights between the two of them. The little one was requested everyone to calmly leave. His composure, patience, not prepared to give up his seat. Then we saw Srila Gurudeva and tolerance left a deep impression on my heart. I kept think- just returning from his morning walk. We parked next to him ing about this and it convinced me that this is the person I and went to see him. He bent down to my little one and told wanted to make my Guru. him affectionately, “You should respect your elder brother.”

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Sri Govindaji’s Patrika

Patrika Parivar Print distribution of Sri Govindaji’s Patrika is made possible by the generosity of the following individuals who have pledged their support to this publication. Patrika Parivar members receive four copies of Sri Govindaji’s Patrika mailed to their home address (a one year subscription) as a thank you for their donation of $51. Their names are highlighted in all four issues of the year.

To make your contribution or for other information, please contact Omprakash Gupta at om@ramacharit.org or (713)471-7822. Please help us reach our goal of 25 Patrika Parivar members, which will make our publication goal sustainable!

Ruchira Agrawal

Pramod & Poonam Dewan

L. N. & Usha Mehra

Sachin & Haripriya Agrawal

Subhash & Sharda Gadiya

Sarita Mehta

Sita Dasi

Ajay & Sharmila Gupta

Krishna Puvvada

Kundalata Dasi

Omprakash & Savitri Gupta

Tara Datt & Janak Tewari

Gopal & Gita De

Rakesh & Anita Kapoor Ram & Saraswati Mallik

A Note from the Editor The present newsletter marks the start of our second year of publishing Sri Govindaji’s Patrika. During the coming year, we will continue to bring you invaluable spiritual guidance from exalted teachers, uplifting temple news, engaging volunteer opportunities, and other important resources. We invite you to join our Patrika team by contributing news articles, recipes, and pictures; by distributing the Patrika in print and electronic format to your family members and friends; and/or by donating toward printing costs. Please send all materials and feedback to: sgp@sggm.org. Thank you in advance for your support!

19 Patrika Parivar

Jaiva Dharma

(