NEW BRAJ FESTIVAL UPDATE

Each year Srila Gurudeva personally oversees the worship of Sri Govardhana Hill. This year the Annakuta Mahotsava Giri Govardhana Festival will take place on Saturday, May 22, 2004. This ecstatic festival is held in the same way as the Annakuta festival during Braja Mandala Parikrama. Last year over 700 preparations were offered to Giri Govardhana and this year there is a lot of enthusiasm to make 1000 different preparations! Students at the New Braj Village School are already planning to make five to ten preparations each!
The festival kitchens will be dedicated to cooking for the 500+ devotees and guests that will be attending and cannot spare any bhoga.
All devotees and guests are requested to please bring their own ingredients for preparing their offerings. Some ideas of things to bring are dried fruits, nuts, candy, ready-made pie crusts, coconut, condensed milk, sugar, flour, and spices. Cake, muffin, and cookie mixes are also great. Perishable ingredients such as milk, butter, fresh fruits and vegetables can be purchased at the Badger Store (five minutes from festival site) or in Visalia (45 minute drive). It is wonderful for everyone to participate in this Annakuta Mahotsava and as always there are cooking facilities available in devotees homes. Those without transportation can give a list of ingredients to the local devotees who will go to Visalia on Friday morning, but space is limited. Planning in advance what you would like to offer to Govardhana and bringing some things with you will save yourself and the organizers time, and help the festival run smoothly.

SPONSOR A FEAST PREPARATION
Any devotees who would like to sponsor a preparation for the Annakuta feast please contact Nilacala didi.
The average cost per preparation is $100 - $150. You may sponsor one of the regular preps such as halava, puris, or sweetrice, etc., or speak to Nilacala didi about a special request.

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On The Subject of Sri Prahlada

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Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

Badger, CA May 14, 2003
Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

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[The following is a lecture given by Srila Narayana Maharaja on Lord Nrsimhadeva’s appearance day last year in Badger, California. This is the first time it is published.]

Today is the appearance day of Sri Nrsimhadeva. I came here in the morning and requested that throughout the day at least twelve speakers discuss this subject. Now I think it would have been better had they not spoken anything, but just read the verses and the purports given by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. This would have been a million times better. I do not appreciate that they discussed topics that were not on the subject of Lord Nrsimhadeva. I wanted that the chapters on the pastimes of Sri Prahlada be read – from the first chapter to the end of the last chapter. I indicated this, but the speakers did not do so. I am very worried; how will they be able to preach if they cannot follow my instructions?

This was not the appearance day of Jaya and Vijaya; that part should have been told in outline. The speakers should have simply read Srimad Bhagavatam and its purports given by Srila Svami Maharaja.

I head that one speaker said in his class that Ravana has ten heads. What was the purpose of telling this today? Another bogus speaker also spoke out of subject, by saying that Ravana attended the svayamvara of Sita (the ceremony wherein contestant princes compete for the hand of the princess in marriage). What was the purpose of saying this? I don't know. They should have spoken about the teachings of Prahlada to the children of the demons. That would have been very good, and I would have been very happy.

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Come with me and be with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when He is going from Puri to South India to search for his brother, Visvarupa. This was only a pretext, however. He actually wanted to make all of South India, and the whole world, pure devotees-so that they would all chant and remember Krishna, and be happy forever. Without chanting no one can be happy in this world. You should know this. Mahaprabhu told everyone who came to Him, "'Yare dekho tare kaho krsna upadesa, amara ajnaya guru hana tara ei desa.' I am telling you, and you should also tell anyone you meet, that "you should chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare" and then in turn he will tell others. By my order you should preach this to others". This is the order of Mahaprabhu. And in this way, very soon, this message went all over the whole world: we should chant Hari Nama and be happy. I have also come here only to tell you to be happy. Be merciful to me and be happy. Chant Hare Krishna. This is a very easy process to become happy, and so you should all follow. Those who are not yet following should follow. Very soon all of South India began to chant, and all became Vaisnavas.

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