Mithuna Das: First Annual Three Day Celebration of Sri Balarama Jayanti at the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mandir, Queens, New York, August 26,27, and 28, 2007.
Everyone is invited to join us on Sunday August 26th, Monday the 27th, and Tuesday the 28th 2007, to celebrate the appearance day of Lord Balarama, the transcendental older brother of Lord Krishna, and the one year anniversary of the installation of Sri Sri Hari-Haladari, at the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mandir, 111-14 101 Avenue, Richmond Hill New York from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The program includes bhajans, kirtan, arotik, abhishek, cultural items, and enlightening discourses on the appearance pastimes of Lord Balarama. Sunday’s lecture will be given by H.G. Gaurashakti das, followed by H.G. Harinamananda das on Monday. On Tuesday, the final day of the festivities, the featured speaker will be His Holiness Chandrasekhar Swami, a disciple of our very dear savior and saint, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. A sumptuous prasadam feast will conclude each night’s proceedings.
Out of His causeless mercy the Supreme Lord appears in this world in an apparently material form called the archa-vigraha or murti, because in the conditioned state we can only perceive that which is material. From the prospect of material vision, the elegantly dressed Lord appears to stand inertly on the altar. However, the proper worship of such a Deity gives us an opportunity to function in our forgotten constitutional position as servants of the Lord (and His associates). Under the competent guidance of guru, sadhu, and shastra we are advised to ceaselessly endeavor to please This autocratic Lord, who demands all pomp and comfort. If we are obedient to our preceptors, this murti seva will gradually help to destroy our great disease of self (false ego) centeredness and, maybe we will be graced with the vision that the Lord is quite far from being inert. Rather, He is possessed of cognition, sentience, and volition, to the superlative degree. These archa-vigraha forms of Sri Sri Hari-Haladhari are one of the largest set of installed deities of Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama in North America. The Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mandir was started after Sunanda das had a dream in which Srila Prabhupada said, “If you open a temple in New York, I will be most pleased with you.” This temple still needs your support in order to continue bringing the Holy Name and the opportunity for murti seva, to Queens.
Simply hearing the wonderful pastimes of Their Lordships from the lips of an eligible person relieves the listener of countless lifetimes of sins. We humbly request everyone to come and hear, chant, dance and remember Lord Balarama, the giver of spiritual strength. Kirtaniyas of the Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir (Brooklyn), and 26 Second Avenue, we are especially longing for your association. I’m sure all of you remember that awe inspiring kirtan on the night of August 13th 2006, when Sri Sri Hari Haladhari was installed at Their present residence. Let us come together, bond in camaraderie, and relish that transcendental mood again and again.
If you have inquires please contact Sunanda das (Temple President) at 9176041085 or sunandanadas@hotmail.com. To become a sponsor, go to www.skcmnyc.org