It was a beautiful sunny New York afternoon, with a slight cooling breeze and the familiar scent of incense wafting out the front door of the 26 2nd Ave storefront, the birthplace of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness by the Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Amid the hustle and bustle of the city’s rush hour, disciples and grand-disciples made their way to the tiny temple, nearly completely hidden by scaffolding of surrounding construction projects. The sounds outside were loud, obnoxious, intrusive; but once inside, one felt serenity, respectfulness and love.

An arati to Srila Prabhupada’s picture was performed, with HG Adarsi das leading an enthusiastic kirtan. After the arati, HG Arundhati dd led a sober and moving kirtan. The tangible harinam-sankirtan mood of ISKCON’s early days could easily be felt in these melodies. More and more disciples and devotees trickled in, and soon enough the entire room was filled. HH Chandrasekhar Maharaj proceeded to request disciples to speak, reading their Vyasa Puja offerings and sharing stories and realizations. The speakers were HG Suddhajiva das, HG Adarshi das, HG Locanananda das, HH Jayadvaita Maharaj, HG Arundhati Dasi, HG Mahesh das, and HG Mahavidya Dasa. There were stories of the service done to establish temples in the early days, personal instructions given by Srila Prabhupada, and humorous accounts of interactions with Prabhupada. When each disciple spoke, there was pin-drop silence as all persons in the room fully absorbed themselves in hearing about Srila Prabhupada and appreciating the deep love each speaker has for him. Many other disciples who did not speak, such as HG Satyaraj das, HG Sivaradhya das, and HG Anandamaya Dasa were also present. For those unable to find space, a sound system was set up at the Bhakti Center so everyone could still hear what was being said at 26 2nd Ave.. When everyone had finished speaking, a beautiful puspanjali was offered to Srila Prabhupada. Gorgeous marigold and rose petals showered his photo and lotus feet.

Devotees then made their way to the Bhakti Center, where HG Hamsarupa Dasa led in serving to everyone a sumptuous feast with more than ten different preparations including kachoris, kofta, dahi vada, cupcakes, etc. HG Surottama das, HG Mahagopi Radhika dd, HG Samarpita Radhika dd, HG Srimati dd, Bhakta Santosh and HG Vilasa Manjari dd had all came forward spontaneously and offered to cook the feast, which was relished by everyone. Care and attention was given to each of the several hundred devotees who attended. One could see the results of Srila Prabhupada’s perfect example in the devotees serving others with a humble attitude. Everyone was fully satisfied, and left with full bellies!

This festival was especially endearing because of the mood of cooperation amongst the devotees, many coming from different yatras to attend and serve. HG Hamsarupa das and a few others ensured the program ran smoothly, and even stayed until 1am cleaning up after everyone.
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=49973

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