By Naimisharanya Devi Dasi
In the large Indian Ocean, in the middle of nowhere, there exists a small island known as Mauritius that appears just like a dot to the East of the African continent on the world map.
His Holiness Sacinandana Swami mentioned that in Germany, everyone recognizes Mauritius as a paradise island and they come here for holidays. He chose to come to Mauritius to give the greatest treasure, the congregational chanting of Krishna’s holy names.
The festival started on the 9th of April 2015 with the Adhivasa ceremony in the evening. It went on for 3 full days of non-stop kirtan from 10am to 10pm and sometimes even beyond.
The whole island, maybe the whole continent or the whole planet, received the benefits of the chanting of the holy names led by senior devotees and world-recognized kirtaniyas: His Holiness Sacinandana Swami, His Holiness Lokanath Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami, His Holiness BB Govinda Swami, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami, His Grace Mahatma prabhu, Her Grace Yasomati devi dasi, His Grace Madhava prabhu, HG Arjuna prabhu, His Grace Akincana Krishna prabhu, Her Grace Radhika devi dasi. Among the local kirtaniyas to sing Sarawati added a local touch to the kirtan. When she played the “ravane” (a local drum) and sang to a traditional beat the devotees were jubilant.
Devotees experienced new bliss and taste for the holy name, so much so that they could not stop chanting and dancing. Mauritians had never experienced such dancing in kirtan. On the first day HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaja described how in the Caitanya Bhagavata it is stated that sometimes Lord Caitanya is dancing wildly as if He wants to break the floor. The next day, the devotees danced so much that the wooden floor of the pandal gave way! Much to the participating devotees’ glee the kirtaniyas present chanted and danced with full abandon along with them. It was a soul-stirring event. On the last day, during HH BB Govinda Swami’s last kirtan in the evening, devotees lifted HH Sacinandana Maharaja in the air and made him float across the tent: he was surfing on the waves of ecstatic kirtan in the paradise island of Mauritius! To add to all the blissful moments, HH Kadamba Kanana Swami’s Vyasa puja was also celebrated with Maharaj personally sharing prasad to all the devotees present.
These nectarean moments were only made possible by devotees working together. The Kirtan Mela core team, made up of devotees from the different temples in Mauritius, was headed by Her Grace Karunika mataji under the guidance of Sacinandana Maharaja’s International Kirtan Mela team from Mayapur. The event received wide media coverage and was even covered by the news bulletin of the National TV channel. Among the guests were prominent personalities who all appreciated the very special mood that swept everyone off their feet.
Every day for the festival, the Mauritius kirtan mela received 3500-5000 guests at any one time. Delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner prasad was served freely. The whole event was a taste of the spiritual world! Weeks later, Mauritius is still swimming in an ocean of bliss and everywhere one goes one hears only kirtan mela katha.
Krishna made further arrangements to deepen the faith of the devotees. Small and larger miracles happened daily. Here is one we would like to share with you. A Muslim man confided to a Mauritian devotee: “I passed your tent with the intention of committing suicide at the beach. When I heard the loud singing however, I stopped, deciding that this would be my last ‘party’ before I proceed to end my life. After chanting with all of you, I saw a door open before me through which the light of Allah fell and showed me a way to solve my problems. Thank you for saving my life.” That man spent 2 days praying and dancing with the devotees whom he had not met before. He is now in regular communication with the devotee he confided in.
Such is the power of sankirtan, of chanting together. For the newcomers, it destroys the reactions of sinful life and if one chants offenselessly, the holy name bestows Krishna Prema. The holy name is a storehouse of unexpected treasures. The Mauritian yatra is already planning the second kirtan mela as there is no higher bliss than the beautiful holy name of Lord Krishna.
Photos of the event may be viewed here: https://picasaweb.google.com/103910011066538887470/KirtanMelaMauritius2015?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCN2JhO_H3LzxdA&feat=directlink
Param vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!
Harinam sankirtan ki jaya!
Kirtan Mela Mauritius ki jaya!
Gaura Bhakta Vrinda ki jaya!
Naimisharanya devi dasi
Belated happy birthday to Kabamba Kanana Swami !