Vyasa Puja Report from Delhi, India

By Madhava Kanta das

57th Vyas Puja of His Divine Grace Jayapataka Swami Maharaja Celebrated in Delhi Temple on 9th April 2006: Today Vyasa puja was celebrated at Delhi Temple by the disciples of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja and by all the devotees of ISKCON Delhi Temple with great enthusiasm. In the morning after Srila Prabhupada’s Guru Puja all the devotees thronged at the main temple to hear the lectures of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja delivered through the video projector. The temple hall was filled with devotees who heard the lectures in rapt attention. By 8.30 am the disciples of HH Jayapataka Swami completed the decoration of the Program Hall with flowers and ribbon to celebrate the Vyas Puja. Kirtan was going on with full gusto and hall was filled with ecstatic devotees. Senior devotee H.G. Venu Krishna Das lead the program with his typical humble manner. It was H.G. Jitamitra Das a senior devotee of the temple who read out the biographical accounts of Guru Maharaja. Everybody listened to Guru Maharaja’s biographical account in spellbound attention. He revealed how Guru Maharaja is doing exceptional service for spreading Namhatta and Bhakti Vriksha Program all over the world.
Vice president of the temple H.G. Vrajendra Nandan Das also offered his obeisance to Guru Maharaja by glorifying his activities that Guru Maharaja has been doing over the years. He said, “ It is only H.H. Jayapataka Maharaja whose disciples are to be found in every ISKCON temple all over the world. He is also expert in several languages and of late he is delivering lectures even in Hindi. This is his greatness to endeavor to learn several languages so as to spread the Krishna Consciousness in local languages.”

Tempe President H.G. Mohan Rupa Prabhu said, “The greatest quality of Maharaja is his humbleness. Every year Jayapataka Swami Maharaja leads the Navadvip Parikrama Mandal with thousands of devotees and the numbers of devotees are increasing in geometric proportion. Maharaja is so caring that he even gets up at 2 am in the morning and takes stock if the devotees have any inconveniences on the way. Due to Maharaja’s humbleness many devotee from Delhi who visit Mayapur makes it point to inquire whether Maharaja is in Mayapur or not. If Maharaja is there he/She straightly goes to meet Maharaja”.
H.G. Yadu Kuleshwar Das another vice president of the temple also offered his obeisance through rich vocabulary, “Jayapataka Swami Maharaja is so fortunate that he got the maximum blessings form Srila Prabhupada and Panchatattva. Maharaja is very expert in swimming, and sometime His Holiness helps devotees to save from drowning in Ganges, and similarly His Holiness is helping people from getting drown in this Samsar Sagar - the material ocean.”
Another devotee H.G. Dina Nayak Das said, “Guru Maharaja has the special mercy of Panchatattva and he always remains in Gaura Leela. He is the main soldier in Srila Prabhupada army to lead Lord Caitanya’s movement”.
All the senior devotees and disciples of Guru maharaj’s spoke one by one in succession glorifying his great activities all over the world. Wished their heartiest congratulations on the Vyas Puja to Guru Maharaja After that Prasadam was offered to Guru Maharaja. And then all the assembled devotees offered Pushpanjali. Madhava kanta Das performed the Vyas Puja and offered Maha arati amidst enchanting Kirtan and reverberating sound of Mridanga and cymbals. Ecstatic guru puja kirtan was lead by H.G. Kalrupi prabhu. All the devotees present began to dance in ecstatic mood. As kirtan came to an end all the devotees took a variety of Ekadashi Prasadam arranged on the occasion. All the devotees took prasadam glorifying Guru Maharaja’s great qualities. We had big ekadasi cake for Guru Maharaja. Around 350 devotees attended the Vyas Puja festival, including 25 initiated disciples of Guru Maharaja. Glorification was continued till 12.30 while Prasadam distribution was going on other side. All the disciples got opportunity to present their homage to beloved Guru Maharaja. It was a Vyas Puja of great celebration. We pray to Krishna “may this vyas puja day come every day in our life”.

Tomorrow Disciples of Guru Maharaja are going to arrange a big feast for everybody.

[Report and Photo by Panchatattva Prema Das (Pranab Saikia – Journalist)
Madhava Kanta das (Mrinal Kanti Das – Servant of Guru Maharaja)]