I am fully indebted to Sri Gurudeva because has given me so many things: the highest conception of the holy name of Krsna, the highest form of sound, which contains the highest form of thought, aspiration, ideal, everything. And he has given me the service of our great savior, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and His dearmost assistant, Svarupa Damodara. He has brought me in connection with Sri Rupa, who was ordered to distribute the heart’s innermost dealings, the highest devotional love, raganuga-bhakti. Gurudeva has given me Srila Sanatana Goswami, who gives us sambandha-jnana, a proper acquaintance with the environment, and he has given me Mathura Mandala, which will help me in my remembrance of Radha and Govinda wherever
By his grace gurudeva has revealed the super excellent position of Radha-kunda, the favorite place of Radha and Govinda for Their pastimes and this great Govardhana. Lastly, he has given me the hope that one day I can get the service of Sri Sri Radhik a and Madhava.
The Deities in the temple are offered a new outfit to celebrate the occasion and a grand Gurupuja is held in the courtyard, where all the devotees sing the Guru vandana prayers glorifying the spiritual master, and offer their respects to Shrila Prabhupad, for he is the spiritual master of us all. Thereafter, all the senior Prabhupad disciples describe the innumerable transcendental qualities of Prabhupad and the assembled devotees hear with rapt attention. For Rajbhoga, Shrila Prabhupad is offered the various preparati ons prepared by the devotees with great love and devotion including various sweets, subjis, savouries, and the devotees especially prepare dishes which are known to be liked by Prabh upad, like Shukta, Kachodis, Gulab Jamuns and many other
On this auspicious day of Nandotsav, in the year 1896, the same year when Shrila Bhaktivinod thakur sent out the first book ‘Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His life and Precepts’ to the western world about the glories of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; the great personality who was going to inundate the entire universe with the chanting of the holy names of Lord Sachinanadan Gaurahari, and who would, in the future, fulfill the desire of all the devotees to go and give Krishna consciousness to the people in the west, Shrila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad appeared in this world for the deliverance of all the conditioned souls like us. He is none other than the personification o f Shri Krishna’s mercy, who has come to deliver us from the miseries of this world and take us to the spiritual realm, where we can directly serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead Shyamsundar and his eternal consort Shrimati Radharani.
