{"id":3026,"date":"2007-03-04T15:16:29","date_gmt":"2007-03-04T14:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=3026"},"modified":"2007-03-04T15:16:29","modified_gmt":"2007-03-04T14:16:29","slug":"sri-jagannatha-puri-dhama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=3026","title":{"rendered":"Sri Jagannatha Puri Dhama"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mahadevi Devi Dasi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Maharajs, Maharanis, and assembled Prabhus of the GBC,<\/p>\n

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada who has so kindly given us this sublime process of Krsna consciousness to share with anyone and everyone, in whatever way we can!<\/p>\n

First of all, I would like to offer my dunyavats and dandavats to everyone in the GBC for constantly endeavoring to maintain Prabhupada’s ISKCON. I am grateful to all of you for your devotion and dedication. “You will show your love for me in how you keep this institution together, AFTER I am gone.” Srila Prabhupada knew there would be many difficulties, following his departure. Those of us who have remained chaste to Prabhupada’s ISKCON are still trying to please him, by trying to maintain and expand this glorious institution and Bhakti Process of ISKCON. We can choose to be a part of the problems by arrogance and fault-finding or we can choose to participate in the solutions by our personal integrity, kindness, humility, and common sense.<\/p>\n

Recently, so much has been happening in Jagannatha Puri Dhama! I thought you may be interested in the good news!<\/p>\n

On Feb 3,4,5, there was the Puri Congress of Peace and Harmony. His Holiness BTS had attended this convention in 2002 and encouraged many of his Godbrothers and sisters to actively participate in gatherings of this nature. This was the first year that the Congress invited a female foreigner Hare Krsna to be on the Congress planning Comission. My service was to listen to the ideas and give my opinions and general input!!! I accepted this role amongst many Puri dignitaries, scholars, smartas, Drs, and health-oriented leaders for the purpose of extending Prabhupada’s broad vision of Peace and Harmony. They also nominated me as “a goodwill ambassador for Puri”:)<\/p>\n

The Puri Congress also established that they desire a “direct disciple of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada” to be a prominent speaker in the schedule every year! This is actually quite a revolutionary invitation, as ISKCON has not had it easy in Puri. They asked me to be the speaker this year, but I gladly passed on the invitation to Dhruva Maharaj das and his wife, Samapriya devi dasi. I offered to coordinate a cultural event, involving foreigner devotees.<\/p>\n

Having two daughters who are very active in the drama and Indian classical music scenes, I have some small experience with directing dramas<\/p>\n

Years ago, I had written one drama, “Krsna’s Headache” based on that very famous story. We, Rhythm Divine, performed in Vrndavana and it was so successful, that we perfomed in Delhi, Bombay, and many other places. Then, my daughter Goura Prema, the katthak dancer, and I went on the 2006 Maharastran Tour with HH Lokanath Swami and we peformed it in several villages. The beautiful thing about this drama is that many many souls can be engaged and offer some talent\/seva for Krsna…to ease His headache!!!! The drama is always a big sucess and a LOT of fun…especially in regards to Indian and foreigner bhaktas working together.<\/p>\n

So, with this in mind, my Lords helped me to organize about 12 actors from all different countries to perform this drama for the last nite of the Congress!!! We had an Oriyan Krsna, Russian Rukmini and Satyabhama, a Jagannatha Panda for the part of Narada Muni, an Italian Uddhava, one German and one Italian as the Cowherd Boys…..and so many beautiful girls from all different countries as our gopis!!! Many Odissi dance and classical Indian muisc performances were included in the drama as this is the venue for offering seva to Krsna “to clear his headache.” Even three young Oriyan girls performed the amazing Malcomb yoga…yoga high on a rope…by spotlight…. for Krsna! Im assuming you know the story. Its very comical and devotional at the same time.<\/p>\n

The last scene where all the gopis immediately take the dust from Their Feet is always the tear jerker!!!! The audience loved it…….and then of course….. the gran finale is mahamantra kirtan on the stage for half hr with all the actors dancing and the whole audience participating!!! HeadachOne Jagannatha panda was visbly dancing joyfully with the kirtan on stage! Srila Prabhjupasda surely was laughing, smiling and giving His Divine Blessings as everyone felt transported to His Lotus Feet that night.<\/p>\n

So, following the great success of so many foreigner bhaktas speaking at the Congress, many of Prabhupada’s dancing white elephants were interviewed on local TV stations and newspapers, including TOI. We received numerous invitations to do “Krsna’s Headache. Srila Prabhupada was surely making ISKCON more prominent in Puri. Within a few days, even I received so many invitations to speak at local colleges!<\/p>\n

We were then further featured on TV stations and local newspapers for several days…talking about what Srila Prabhupada has done for this planet Earth and also “keeping Jagannatha Puri Dhama clean and beautiful!”. The news people seemed very impressed that I was volunteering to clean up the sacred Bay of Bengal along with many college students, but for me it was an excellent opportunity to share Prabhupada’s Message once again!<\/p>\n

Please give me your Blessings so I may continue to be of some service to the devotees, this ISKCON family, and maybe do somethiong wonderful for our dear Srila Prabhupada!!!!<\/p>\n

We are working on an upcoming Mahaprabhu Lila…the one that Prabhupada described to Hayagriva. We just need sponsors! A traveling road show in India is our desire, with our dear Srila Prabhupada as our eternal director and captain of our ship.<\/p>\n

Hoping this meets you healthy and enlivened..<\/p>\n

Ys<\/p>\n

Mahadevi dasi matajee<\/p>\n

PS. Eyena Puri News Channel interviewed me and presented my footage of ISKCON devotees Cleaning the Temples in Puri at 9pm tonite and @ 8:30am tomorrow morning. See TOI article #3.<\/p>\n

ARTICLEs accepted by TOI<\/p>\n

(to be printed in the next week!)<\/p>\n

Entitled:<\/p>\n

1. The Integrity of our beloved Bharat Bhumi-<\/p>\n

INCREDIBLE INDIA!<\/p>\n

2. Doors Closed, but Jagannatha touches<\/p>\n

International “Hare Krsna” hearts!<\/p>\n

3. Historic Day on Valentine’s Day in Jagannatha Puri Dhama!<\/p>\n

“Lets keep Jagannatha Puri clean and beautiful”<\/p>\n

1. THE INTEGRITY of our beloved BHARAT BHUMI-<\/p>\n

INCREDIBLE INDIA!<\/p>\n

All glories to the Sacred Dhamas of Bharat Bhumi! As a former American elementary school-teacher, I find the fascinating, Vedic histories of INDIA vividly described in Mahabharata, Ramayana, Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita As It Is\u2026to be the most spiritually profound, magically mystical and delightfully entertaining for the whole family! Best family entertainment in the world! Better than all the Harry Potters, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars\u2026all put together\u2026. because these incredible, legendary, historical classics are all TRUE!<\/p>\n

These epics contain all of the qualities of Oscar award-winning films\u2026love and hate, peace and war, beauty and the beast, rich and poor, money and poverty, gain and loss, fame and infamy, truth and cheating, young and getting older\u2026colorful, dramatic, dynamic, TRUE!!! Let’s request Bollywood screenwriters, producers and directors to propagate what India is REALLY all about! Let’s propagate the spiritual mysteries of this Bharat Bhumi, in an extraordinarily exciting, appropriately sensual, and classically artistic package\u2026the TRUE INDIA. These historic and spiritual TRUTHS of INDIA is a most powerful attraction for most foreigners coming to India!<\/p>\n

As an author, I am constantly enlivened and humbled to read the Sacred Scriptures of India. As a public relations manager, I am honored to study, work and pray amongst all sincere Indians practicing their faiths; may we strive for peace and harmony, individually and collectively. As a practicing yoga student and teacher, I am daily astonished at the magnificence and wonders of the ancient, Indian cultural value system\u2026.and sadly, how India is bowing down too low to the sexual promiscuity of the West, particularly America! Why try to copy America in this way, when educated and brahminical men in INDIA will say that a woman dressed in a flowing saree or a fitted salwar…is far more alluring than “baring it all!” Believe me, I have asked!<\/p>\n

Recently, I attended an extravaganza marriage reception, one of many during the vasant season. This particularly large gathering of many elitists from all over the great land of Puri were as shocked as I was at the featured main stage entertainment. I was filming, as usual, and could see the embarrassment on the faces of most of the cultured guests\u2026 to see the thrusting gyrations on the center stage from hired “call girls” from Calcutta! Literally, some of the movements on stage performed by hired female and male so-called dancers (they were so bad) were like sex on stage!<\/p>\n

All the men and ladies I spoke to expressed with great disappointment that they would MUCH prefer to see traditional Indian classical entertainment! Something that the whole family can appreciate together, without awkward discomfort watching aunties (or mousies) dancing and dressing like Britney Spear wannabes with their male Western rapper wannabes. As a foreigner, it saddens me that Indian women and men would sacrifice their dignity, and in representing Shree Bharat Bhumi, dance around or even walk around\u2026 half naked, or “squeezed in” to Western clothes, advertising the private parts of their bodies in public, leaving the sacredness of intimacy as a past relic.<\/p>\n

Let’s honor and genuinely respect our Bharat Bhumi as the only Sacred Land in the world where DasAvatar has Appeared, where Krsna actually spoke Bhagavad-Gita to Arjuna in Kuruksetra, INDIA and where all the incredible Pastimes of Krsna are Personally going on- for those who want to see! Let’s honor INCREDIBLE INDIA!<\/p>\n

2. Doors Closed, but Jagannatha touches<\/p>\n

International “Hare Krsna” hearts!<\/p>\n

As a 30year American Hare Krsna missionary and “goodwill ambassador” for India, living in Sri Vrndavana Dhama and Jagannatha Puri Dhama for the last 6 years, I have involved myself in hundreds of Indian humanitarian issues! My two beautiful, talented daughters have been internationally active in the Indian Classical Performing Arts, since they were toddlers, twenty some years ago!<\/p>\n

As a regular reader of our great national newspaper\u2026.THE TOI \u2026I would like to take this opportunity to offer pranams for your ongoing favorable coverages of the foreigner ISKCON Hare Krsnas, engaging their lives in various humanistic and culturally entertaining services throughout India.<\/p>\n

Thousands of Americans and other foreigner Hare Krsnas around the world were ecstatically enlivened, when you posted my daughter’s photo on your front page cover, as the “American deer” in the Ramalila, performrd @ the famous Kamani Auditorium in Delhii, last Sept.<\/p>\n

With all due respect, I would like to bring attention to a few recent articles in TOI that included Hare Krsna devotees from around the world, and what we are doing FOR INDIA!<\/p>\n

The TOI article on page 4, from Tuesday, February 6, entitled “Doors closed, but Jagannath touches Russian hearts” was enthusiastically appreciated by the Russian Hare Krsnas recently visiting Jagannatha Puri. One of the venues, where TOI reporters were interviewing Russian ISKCON Hare Krsnas, was during the 2007 Puri Congress of Peace and Harmony @ the Holiday Resort Hotel on CT Rd in Puri, where Hare Krsna devotees from all over the world were participating.<\/p>\n

Somehow or other, reference to Italian devotees, German devotees, Japanese, American, and Australian devotees was not mentioned in this article! Of course, the doors are closed to us TOO, but Shree Jagannatha Swami has also touched OUR HEARTS as well, thus all foreigners from ISKCON make annual pilgrimage to Puri Dhama, year after year. We all need the favorable Glances of Jagannatha Swami and the Purivasis!<\/p>\n

If I also may bring attention to your readers regarding the highly acclaimed drama that the foreigner Hare Krsnas organized and performed on the last night of the 2007 Puri Congress for Peace and Harmony, a beautiful, breezy Monday evening in the breath-taking gardens of the Holiday Resort, February 5th. It is prudent that we make known to the press\/media what was the purpose\/goals of our drama, which unfortunately was mistakenly left out of your coverage on the event.<\/p>\n

The name of the drama was “Krsna’s Headache,” which is a sastric story that a traveling foreigner drama\/music troupe called Rhythm Divine has been performing all over India for many years! The story has been adapted in a contemporary fashion. The amusing, yet serious lesson, that Krsna teaches His Queens Rukmini and Satyabhama is relevant for all of us. Krsna wanted to illustrate the pure love of His Radharani and Gopis in Vrndavana.<\/p>\n

As the ole saying goes, “Let go and let God”. All of us need inspiration in how to let go and let God\u2026and this story demonstrates how Krsna is partial to those devotees who are PRACTICING the bhakti as a lifestyle, not for fame, prestige or money. Just as Krsna took the banana peel from Vidura’s wife, only seeing her bhakti, we too can take note of these examples in sastra, involving God Himself in Personal exchanges with His devotees.<\/p>\n

Through the Indian Classical Performing Arts, ISKCON devotees want to share dramatically how we can all be more conscious of the wondrous ways that our Lord is inside our hearts\u2026..all around us, and throughout everyday activities. This is a primary objective and goal in all our performances. The performers, our audiences, and our sponsors derive constant satisfaction AND fun in networking with local talent to propagate Indian Cultural Music and Dramas. We all genuinely feel that each time we perform, a bridge of the Bhakti Culture is enhanced between East and West! Presently, we are working on a few scenes from Mahabharata. Please give us your Blessings!<\/p>\n

The Hare Krsna devotees are all followers of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhup\u00e4da, Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, or The International Society for Krsna Consciousness. I’m sure it was a simple mistake, but to leave His Sacred Name out of any article referring to ISKCON Hare Krsnas is like speaking about the glories of the Jagannatha Mandir\u2026\u2026without reference to Jagannatha Swami! Because Srila Prabhupada sacrificed his life, leaving India at 70 years old to bring Jagannatha Swami to the entire world, we would not be inspired to come to Jagannaha Puri, without His Divine Krpa.<\/p>\n

Only Srila Prabhupada established major Rathyatra Parades and Pandals in all the above mentioned countries, as well as in every major city in America! The city government in San Francisco, California and in many other major cities around the world have maintained “RATHYATRA DAY” for over 30 years! All foreigners around the world are now chanting, “JAYA JAGANNATHA, JAYA BALABHADRA, JAI SUBHADRA, JAI SUDARSAN CAKRA”, because of the tireless work and pure devotion of Srila Prabhupada.<\/p>\n

I’m grateful to your attention in printing this article to give pertinent and most glorious credit to our Srila Prabhupada. He is the reason for all Hare Krsnas in Puri, or anywhere in India! Srila Prabhupada gave his life to give us foreigners the Transcendental Knowledge of the Vedas, or Krsna Consciousness,<\/p>\n

To share this Bhakti lifestyle was our purpose and goal in the Puri Congress of Peace and Harmony. To learn from all the Purivasis how to serve Jagannatha Swami with more Bhakti is also our prayer! To endeavor for EAST and WEST, joining together to serve our Lords with more Bhakti,.. in our temples, in our homes, and with each other. If we practice chanting Hare Krsna and bhakti lifestyle together, in our work, in our families, in our places of worship, we can all truly find peace and harmony. Dunyavat and Dundavat!<\/p>\n

3. Historic Valentine’s Day in Jagannatha Puri Dhama!<\/p>\n

“Keep Jagannatha Puri Dhama clean and beautiful!”<\/p>\n

February 14, 2007 in Jagannatha Puri Dhama marked an historic event in the holy city by the sacred Bay of Bengal!<\/p>\n

More than 250 foreigner Hare Krsna ISKCON devotees from all over the world actively participated in cleaning 3 sacred Indian Temples. Unsightly garbage was quite prominent in the Tota Gopinath Mandir Sacred Gardens, Shree Gambhira, and the Bay area near the Sacred Site of Haridas Thakura Samadhi. International ISKCON devotees organized themselves in all three historic temples and cleaned the grounds with Indian brooms, sticks, and with their bare hands! Indian on-lookers were astonished to see Russian, American, German, Italian and Japanese ISKCON devotees cleaning up the trash with so much enthusiasm, even singing the famous Hare Krsna prayer while working!<\/p>\n

“I’m overwhelmed with gratefulness to these foreigner bhaktas,” expressed Mr. Dey from Calcutta, visiting Puri for a few days with his wife. “Our caste system in India prevents many Indians from bending over to pick up the trash, even in holy areas. But these ISKCON devotees have explained to me that Lord Jagannatha does not see the different castes. He only sees the intention and seva of His devotees, no matter what color, caste, or background! That makes more sastric sense to me!”<\/p>\n

Mahadevi dasi, American ISKCON missionary, who has lived in Sri Vrndavana Dhama for 6 years, was also very excited. “My Guru Maharaj, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of ISKCON temples all over the world and only Indian Guru to establish Rathyatras in every major country of the world, stresses Cleanliness is next to Godliness. In every major city of America, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, and all over the world, the ISKCON devotees are celebrating Rathyatras in very elaborate fashion. We have learned the ancient art of building the Rath and taking Jagannatha Swami for his Journey to Vrndavana! The devotees have specialized “trash crews” in all these Western countries for keeping Jagannatha’s Rath Celebrations clean and beautiful!”<\/p>\n

Many foreigner devotee ladies were carrying the trash on their heads in baskets like Indian ladies, to dump in a huge central pile of collected trash from the Sacred Places. One young college student from Russia exclaimed, “Cleaning trash from these Sacred Places is our duty to Lord Jagannatha as we don\u2019t want Him to have to see so much garbage in His Front Yard, which is ALL of Puri! Puri is no Goa or Kerala; Shree Ksetra is a DHAMA. Keeping His Home of Puri clean and beautiful for His Pleasure is the duty of anyone endeavoring to please Sri Jagannatha Swami!”<\/p>\n

For hours, in all 3 Holy Historic Landmarks of Puri, these ISKCON devotees worked enthusiastically to pick up every piece of plastic, empty foil packets of the “pan”, and whatever did not belong in a Sacred Place. Govinda dasi from Germany stopped her work for a few minutes to talk to us. “We feel indebted to Jagannatha Swami, for He is the Lord of the Universe. Prabhupada taught us that cleaning is puja; everything belongs to Krsna so we have to keep Holy Places, our homes, our work spaces clean\u2026as they all belong to our Lord. Cleaning up trash or making things clean and beautiful for Krsna is cleaning our hearts! We need to have clean hearts to serve the Lord and each other nicely.”<\/p>\n

After the “cleaning festival”, everyone joined in dancing and singing Hare Krsna, honoring Ekadasi Prasad provided by the Tota Gopinath Mandir, and then followed by splashing in the waves of the Sacred Bay. The cleaning campaign of Holy Places in Puri will continue throughout this month and there is hope that the city government will provide more waste bins for the general public.<\/p>\n

“It is extremely critical that Puri be filled with waste bins, so Puri will not be filled with garbage! Each shop and home can take responsibility for their own waste bin. This is how waste management is organized in the West. Very simple. Let\u2019s keep Jagannatha Puri Dhama clean and beautiful for Lord Jagannatha\u2019s Pleasure,” is the request of Mahadevi matajee and all ISKCON devotees.<\/p>\n

Jagannatha Swami nayana patha gami bhava tu me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"HareBy Mahadevi Devi Dasi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recently, so much has been happening in Jagannatha Puri Dhama! I thought you may be interested in the good news!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3026\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}