It was a memorable evening for all at Sridham Mayapur on the 13th of April 2011, who experienced a very wonderful Adivas ceremony of HH Jayapataka Swami Gurumaharaj. Devotees from all over the world started filling the ‘Prabhupada Park’ outside the Pancatattva temple hall from 7pm onwards.
Preparations were on the way, as stage was being set in a grand way to receive Gurumaharaj. With Kirtans resounding the entire courtyard, the devotees immersed themselves in the chanting of the holy names, waiting for Srila Gurudev to come down from his terrace quarters in the Lotus building. Songs of vaisnava acharyas were sung very beautifully in the traditional Mayapur style. The decorations and lighting were making it a perfect festive ambience for all, who missed Gurumaharaj so much the previous year in Sridham Mayapur.
As Gurumaharaj arrived into the park, the chanting rose in intensity and everybody were so happy to receive Gurudev, crowding around him, as he made his way to the top of the stage. All the senior leaders and temple presidents from around the world also accompanied Gurumaharaj.
Since the Adivas ceremony is more like a preparation for the auspicious Vyasa-Puja of His Holiness happening on the next day, it was announced that there would be 27 special items offered in sequence to Srila Gurudev.
Some of the items were: Ganga Water, Pebbles, Gobar, Flowers, Fruits, Yogurt, Ghee, Swastika, Sindhura, Conch, White Mustard Seeds, Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Mirror, Fragrant Oils, Turmeric, Cloth, Camara, Chandan and more.
These items were offered first to Kalasha, then Saligram Sila, Tulsi devi, Bhumi devi, Srila Prabhupada and then to Gurumaharaj.
The ceremony then started with the simultaneous chanting of the holy names by the devotees along with the priests chanting vedic hymns as these auspicious items were being offering to Srila Gurudeva. All the senior leaders including HH Bhaktipurushottam Maharaj, HH Bhaktivinod Maharaj, HG Revati Ramana Prabhu, HG Vijay Venugopal Prabhu and many others, one by one, offered their prayers and the special items unto the lotus feet of Gurudev.
Gurumaharaj then addressed the devotees mentioning that he was happy to back home, at Mayapur, for the Vyasa Puja this year. He made a mention that the ‘Guru’ must be worshipped as the representative of the whole guru-parampara, so in an auspicious occasion such as the Vyasa-Puja, devotees can get rid of their offenses very easily. Gurudev said that all the devotees actually belong to Krishna and that he is just there to guide us, so that we all can go back to Godhead in this life itself.
Gurudev was very grateful to the devotees of Los Angeles for conducting the Vyasa Puja over there last year, and he made a mention that there were various ceremonies, here in Mayapur, which are not so well known to the west.
Gurumaharaj said that the ideal Adivas is to prepare our consciousness to respect the Guru as the representative of Krishna and the Guru-Parampara. And this is a way by which our Supreme Lord Krishna, can give His causeless mercy to all the fallen conditioned souls. He mentioned that the acaryas are specifically sent to give the mercy of Krishna, as Lord Krishna’s only care is to care for His devotees. Gurumaharaj finished his address by mentioning how important it is that we make proper use of our time on the day of Vyasa Puja.
Roaring kirtans once again filled the courtyard as Gurumaharaj left the park and prasadam was being distributed to all devotees.
The festivities continued as the Bhaktivedanta International School students put together a wonderful play titled ‘Three Wooden Logs”, describing the pastimes of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Shubhadra Mayi.
Report by: Shabda Hari Das/Vanita Siddarth
Adhivas Address by Srila Gurudev:
