By Nandini Radha devi dasi
The 34th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance day was observed in New Dvaraka (ISKCON Los Angeles) on October 29. The day was packed with enlivening spiritual activities. A blissful mangal-arati opened the day and a very ecstatic Guru-puja was held at 7 a. m. Following this, abhishek of Srila Prabhupada’s Lotus feet was performed and homages were paid by several senior disciples who specifically came for this purpose in order to glorify the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON. While some memories evoked laughter, other memories brought tears to peoples’ eyes as devotees recounted Prabhupada’s compassion and kindness. Close to noon puspanjali was offered to Srila Prabhupada and at noon, a grand Guru-puja and arati was held which saw the temple brimming with devotees who had arrived from all parts of California. The profound and sweet prayers of Sri Gurvastakam were sung by HG Banbhatta das who chanted from the very core of his heart and needless to say there were several wet eyes in the temple at that time. Devotees expended tremendous spiritual energy which raised the mood of devotion to great heights as everybody prayed with folded hands and bowed heads. After the culmination of the arati a sumptuous feast was in store for one and all. An astonishing number of offerings (greater than 108) were made to Srila Prabhupada ranging from rice, vegetables, curries, savories, breads, cakes, milk sweets, fresh juices- to name a few. This maha-prasad was then distributed to the devotees during the feast and honored with great relish and gratitude.
Following the day program, a most wonderful festival was held in the evening as well. At 7p. m. devotees gathered in Srila Prabhupada’s quarters at the LA temple. Prabhupada spent a significant amount of time in Los Angeles and these quarters have been maintained since then with great fidelity. For anyone who is planning on visiting the Los Angeles temple, a tour of Srila Prabhupada’s quarters is a must as this holy place holds very precious memories and paraphernalia which has been very lovingly preserved with great care by the devotees. A guru-puja was offered to Srila Prabhupada’s murti placed on his bed which was decorated beautifully with fresh and sweet-smelling flowers. The room was packed with devotees who filled every nook and corner of the quarters. Following the puja, pastimes of Srila Prabhupada were recounted by several of his disciples who enlivened the gathering for more than two hours with astonishing and wonderful memories. This was a particularly sweet time as the mood was reverential and invoked awe. As the pastimes ended close to 10p. m. light refreshments were served to the audience. Everyone left with very blissful feelings in their hearts and with deeper realizations of the personality who conquered the world with his books and inimitable devotion to Lord Krishna.
One of the highlights of the day was a 12-hour kirtan organized by Arjuna Prabhu, a member of the LA community. Arjuna Prabhu lined up LA’s finest kirtana leaders for one hour slots starting at noon and ending at 12 a. m. The kirtan reached a crescendo at 8 p. m. when the Damodarastakam prayers were sung and the temple was filled with soft illumination from the countless ghee lamps that were continuously being offered by the devotees. The kirtan from 10 p. m. to 12 a. m. was extremely enchanting and more than 50 devotees sat all the way until midnight meditating on the holy names, sometimes singing and sometimes dancing. A very befitting end to the observance of Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance day.