Tour Report: Holland

July 8 - July 15, 2005

The European Festival was held in The Hague, Holland on the coast of the North Sea. 1,200 devotees and guests from around-the-world attended the grand hari-katha festival with Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

In the evenings, Srila Narayana Maharaja spoke about Ratha-yatra and Sri Raya Ramananda Samvad. During the day he met with devotees, performed initiations, marriages and first grain ceremonies.

On the last evening of the program, guru-puja was performed. After that the organizer of the festival, Ashok Krsna dasa, honored Srila Narayana Maharaja with a trophy and plaque, and he gave thanks to the sannyasis and other organizers.

Altar

Performing a Vedic marriage

Grain Ceremony

Guru-puja

Sita Thakurani dasi

Srila Narayana Maharaja called on his spiritual daughter, Sita Thakurani dasi (one of the leaders of the Gangamata Temple in London) to explain the verse beginning, “nanopacara-krta-pujanam arta-bandhoh…,” quoted by Sri Raya Ramananda to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. After Sita dasi spoke, Srila Narayana Maharaja said, “I fear that she may take the position of Syamarani. If women are not intelligent, how could she speak like this? Although she is a baby (young), she is speaking like this. I want all my daughters to be like her – very bold.

“Also, my sons should be more bold. They should learn all the things she told, and they should preach everywhere as boldly as she is doing. She has given me a proposal that a male can not easily give. She said, ‘Next year, please come to London. The whole world can come, and I will manage everything.’ She is able to manage. How strong she is.

“My blessings to you, and to my daughters who are with you. All should take lessons from her. If you know that you don’t want to be hogs, dogs, cats, donkeys and honkeys, then you should be bold enough to be brahmacari. Why again become dogs and pigs? You have tasted all these things in your previous millions of lives. Now you should control your minds.”

Srila Narayana Maharaja then called on his young spiritual son, Jiva-priya dasa brahmacari, to speak something more on the same topic. After he spoke, Srila Narayana Maharaja said, “All my brahmacaris in France, Germany, England, and everywhere in Europe and other countries should be bold like him. They should try to know all these teachings and preach my mission boldly. I am very happy that he expressed the points very well, with no fear at all. Thank you.”

Leaving Holland to go to Delhi, India

Sankalpa – Navadvipa, India March 18, 2005

In preparation for the 2005 Navadvipa-dhama parikrama, Srila Narayana Maharaja led over 1,000 devotees (who had come from various western countries, various parts of India, and various parts of Navadvipa) to Sri Devananda Gaudiya Matha, to take darsana and receive blessings for the devotees from his diksa-guru, Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja and his revered god-brother, Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Maharaja. Next the parikrama party, now numbering about 5,000 due to many Bengali devotees from the Devananda Gaudiya Matha as well as local residents of Navadwipa joining the party, walked to the Ganges River, to the sacred place called Pancaveni, where all sacred rivers meet. There, the devotees performed sankalpa - making individual vows for a successful parikrama. They also repeated mantras for the spiritual success of the parikrama, performed acamana, and many reverently bathed there. After leaving the Ganges, the devotees went to the temple of Prapujya-carana Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja and had darsana of his samadhi. Finally they returned to Srila Naryana Maharaja's new temple, Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha.

Srila Narayana Maharaja leading the parikrama party

Arrival at Devananda Gaudiya Matha

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprahu

Making vows at the Ganges River

Govardhana, India -- November 12, 2004

Srila Narayana Maharaja and the parikrama party arrived in Govardhana, at Sri Giridhari Gaudiya Matha, on November 10, 2004. Pleased with the development of the temple, he toured the outside garden, guesthouse (which includes his own room) the inside temple room, the new hand-carved wooden altar, and the newly painted Govardhana pastime bas reliefs. Since that day, in the temple room each morning after mangala arati and bhajanas, he has been giving classes on Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Sri Bhajana Rahasya. In the evenings he gives class on Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's Sri Manah Siksa. Both mornings and evenings he discusses the glory of Govardhana and sometimes he glorifies the holy places visited by the devotees that day.

Looking at the bas relief paintings at the entrance of Sri Giridhari Gaudiya Matha

After morning class Srila Narayana Maharaja installed Sudarsana Cakra, to be soon placed on the highest spire of the new Giridhari Gaudiya Matha

The parikrama party circumambulates Manasi Ganga

At Srila Sanatana Gosvami's bhajana kutira and Cakalesvara Mahadeva on the bank of Manasi Ganga

Manasi Ganga