Gaura Purnima Abhisheka, London Parade, and Two New Sites

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Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on Sankirtan (click twice to see a bigger version of this hand-tinted print from the British Library)

Gaura Purnima yesterday. The full moon day of Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance in this world, and always a great day for the Vaishnavas.

Seems like the whole world was happy yesterday. The Christians were celebrating Good Friday, the Jews were having a great party at the annual festival of Purim, and the Muslims were only just winding down after their celebrations for the Prophets birthday the day before.

My day started early at 3.30 am when I got ready for the mangala-arati at the temple at 4.30. It was packed – hardly room to move at all. Dave Edwards from Reading told me that he’d got up at 1.00 am in order to be there.

Just before the class, the children performed a short musical play entitled Nimai and the Brahmana, the story of how the child Chaitanya eats the rice offering of the hungry traveller, finally revealing His form as Vishnu to him.

Jayadeva sang the 108 names of Sri Chaitanya, then recited a piece of English poetry, his own composition, wherein was given 108 incidents in the life of the ‘Golden Avatara.’ Rupa-Vilasa then provided a large audience with an absorbing class which transformed into an abhisheka ceremony. You can see all the photographs from yesterday’s puja here.

From there, it was into two double-decker buses for the procession in London. Around 200 devotees, drums, accordions, flags, dancers, and a chariot with Gaura-Nitai upon it. Police escort too, of course.

Down Oxford Street, Regent Street, for a guru-puja and short address by Krishna Dharma in Leicester Square. Back to the temple via Charing Cross Road. Soho Street was decorated with red and yellow flags, and the pavement in front of the temple with a red carpet and shoe racks!

Ranchor gave class to a packed tent in the evening, and a grand ekadasi feast was served to all who had been fasting that day (and even to those who had not!)

Two new websites were officially launched yesterday. Gaura Purnima is the start of the year for the devotees and its a good time to start projects. First was the Vanipedia site, an encyclopaedic endeavour to present Srila Prabhupada’s teachings to the world. You can have a look at the 0.1 version and let them know what you think of it here.

Second site is a studio-produced audio version of Srila Prabhupada’s abridged biography complete with sound effects, all narrated by Bhagavat Ashraya Das. Now it is permanently available and you can listen to it here.

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