20210620 New Pānihāṭi dhāma Festival Address

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ
paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande
śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
 hariḥ oṁ tat sat

So what is happening today at New Pānihāṭi dhāma?

We were just reading how Lord Caitanya went from Jagannātha Purī to Vṛndāvana via Bengal. And His first stop in Bengal was Pānihāṭi dhāma. We know that Lord Nityānanda, His stop in Bengal was in Pānihāṭi. He started His saṅkīrtana movement there and we found out that Lord Caitanya’s first stop was at Pānihāṭi. So Pānihāṭi dhāma is such an important place and Śrīla Prabhupāda named this ISKCON Atlanta as New Pānihāṭi.

Normally I would be present there in the Pānihāṭi festival, but due to this pandemic, I am not able to travel much. In fact, I have been in the same place for over a year. But I am happy to be able to visit you virtually. And many devotees are attending on Zoom. Today, this evening it is my third class. I had a meeting with the West Wing Exhibits of the TOVP and I had a class in the installation of Pañca-tattva in Moscow, now I am in New Pānihāṭi dhāma.

So, here you see Raghunātha dāsa, he had approached Lord Caitanya personally, and he wanted to go and join Lord Caitanya. But Lord Caitanya told him, he was a householder, he should stay in his house. And don’t be a so called renunciant. To act like a materialistic person, but keep his heart always on Kṛṣṇa. So there is a whole chapter dedicated to that, how Raghunātha dāsa, he acted, how Lord Caitanya had instructed. But then he heard that Lord Nityānanda was in Pānihāṭi, so he went there. From a distance he was paying his obeisances. And then the secretary of Lord Nityānanda said, there, is Raghunātha dāsa. Oh! Lord Nityānanda said, “You are a thief! You have come to see Me, come here! Come here, today I shall punish you!” So this festival is also known as Daṇḍa-mahotsava - the festival of punishment. But Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, His punishment is also a blessing. Of course, Raghunātha dāsa, he did not go to Lord Nityānanda, he was afraid. Who would go? “You come here I will punish you!” said Lord Nityānanda. So Lord Nityānanda, He went to Raghunātha dāsa, and placed His lotus foot on Raghunātha dāsa’s head. Actually, see Lord Nityānanda was very merciful, very humorous, and funny. So He told Raghunātha dāsa, “You are like a thief, come here very close, you stay away at a distant place. Now that I have captured you, I shall punish you. Make a festival and feed all My associates. Haribol! Yogurt and chipped rice.” Hearing this Raghunātha dāsa was very, very pleased.

His uncle, his father, they were making like 12 million gold coins a year, they paid a tax of about 8 million, or 8 hundred thousand, whatever. So, right now one gold coin is like 1300 dollars and he was making 12 million a year, a multi billionaire. So to make chipped rice with bananas, mangoes for him was nothing. So he immediately sent some of his servants to purchase chipped rice and other ingredients. They brought rice, yogurt, milk, sugar, fruits, mangoes, jackfruit, litchis, bananas, all kinds of fruits, although sweet meats and things were put on the top.

So like this, he gave Lord Nityānanda seven pots. And then Lord Nityānanda made an āsana for Lord Caitanya. And called Him there. So Lord Caitanya was in South India at that time. But being called by Lord Nityānanda, He appeared there, but others could not see Him, only Lord Nityānanda and a few could see Him. So Lord Nityānanda was in the mood of a cowherd boy. Kṛṣṇa Balarāma would take their lunch together by the side of the Yāmuna. So there They were by the side of the Ganges and They had Raghunātha dāsa, had made the yogurt rice and fruits and sugar and sweets. So Lord Nityānanda in the mood of a cowherd boy, He walked into the crowds of people who were seated, each with two pots, a yogurt pot and a condensed milk pot. He would take the prasāda from the pot and feed Lord Caitanya. And Lord Caitanya would take prasāda from His own pot and put in the mouth of Lord Nityānanda. So He would laugh when Lord Nityānanda could eat it. But nobody could see Lord Caitanya. But they saw some chipped rice and some yogurt going in the air and poof! In the mouth of Nityānanda. In this way Lord Nityānanda was taking prasāda and putting in the air and it disappeared. So everyone was chanting Haribol! Haribol! Haribol! Haribol! Like this, an amazing festival was created spontaneously. No one could understand what Lord Nityānanda was doing. They could not see, except for some very fortunate people that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also present. So, so many people that all the land got filled. Some people took their pots and went up to their knees in the Ganges water. Everyone was chanting Hari! Hari! Haribol! Haribol! HARIBOL! So much love of Kṛṣṇa was present. Just like Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma taking the cowherd boys on the bank of the Yāmuna So Lord Gaurāṅga and Lord Nityānanda are very merciful. Raghunātha dāsa had the good fortune that they accepted all these pastimes.

So, we thank all the devotes in ISKCON Atlanta for assisting Raghunātha dāsa in his pastime of feeding Nitāi Gaura. We have Gaura Nitāi Deities. Śrīla Prabhupāda visited ISKCON Atlanta. He saw the deities of Gaura Nitāi. He was literally crying. You are so blessed because Gaura Nitāi have come here! Then he sang the parama karuṇa, paṅhū dui jana, nitāi-gauracandra, song. So, I somehow had the good fortune for more than two decades to be present at the New Pānihāṭi dhāma. After being present in Pānihāṭi and having the experience of the Pānihāṭi festival in Pānihāṭi. Unfortunately, I could not be there physically this year, but I am glad I could be there virtually. Jaya Śrī Śrī Gaura Nitāi! Jaya JBS, Jaya Rādhā Mandana-mohana.

So actually, on 23^rd we will have the festival in Māyāpur. In Atlanta since they have Eastern fruits imported and Western fruits grown locally, so we made 18 flavors. Then some extra pots - 6 yogurt, 6 condensed milk and 6 salad, salty. Since Westerners like salads, we have kinds of salad also, yogurt chipped rice and some salty and different salted preps and salad preps. Like the Mexican the Cajun, the South Indian hot and spicy, North Indian, fairly spicy, not as hot as Andhra! And some ecstatic Śrīla Prabhupāda favorites. So some Italian salads, like that we try. Here in Māyāpur we have unlimited mangoes and jackfruits and also different litchis, so we make the Mādhavendra Purī pot with 9 different types of roots. So we have different special preparations which we get done. I think that Atlanta New Pānihāṭi, was the first to have 18 preparations. So I can speak some more but maybe you want to ask some questions? How can I get the questions? You put in the chat box?

The Pānihāṭi festival is such a festival that I get very emotional just thinking about it! Lord Nityānanda and Lord Caitanya, They are so merciful, and this is a great opportunity we have to serve Them! And then also to take some ciḍā dahi. Unfortunately, virtually Kṛṣṇa can take but I don’t know how to take it!

Goloka Priya Gaurāṅgī devī dāsī: Is there any specific way to observe this festival at home?

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, at least you make a couple of pots. In Māyāpur the devotes are painting the pots, and they will make in their house different preparations, and bring them to offer to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda. And to the Pañca-tattva. So last year, I was here and we had like 200 devotees mixing different pots. This year with social distancing and mask and all that. I think they will have them make in their house and bring them. Also in the pūjārī kitchen, they will make. But in the house you can make the traditional mix with mangoes and bananas and various local fruits.

Campakalatā Sakhi devī dāsī: What should be our mood when we are serving prasāda to the devotees in the programs or when we meet them and get to serve them?

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, we want to help Raghunātha dāsa serve Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda. So we try to serve them in that mood. They are all very dear to Nitāi Gaura, so that is why we want to give them Their mercy. So I think that is the mood we should have. Actually, in Pānihāṭi dhāma, everybody mixes ciḍā dahi and fruits, and serve it to others. But since we were going there for the last 30 or 40 years, we try to distribute prasāda to hundreds of thousands of people. But the tradition is that everybody would serve everybody else. So we just do that in a bigger scale.

Vijaya Rādhā devī dāsī, Alachua, USA: What is the difference of worshipping the Deities of Gaura Nitāi and the Deities of Kṛṣṇa Balarāma?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see in one sense there is no difference. But in another sense each deity has His own mood. So sometimes Nityānanda was in the mood of a cowherd boy or Balarāma, sometimes in the mood of Nitāi. So He was very merciful. In the pastime of Lord Nitāi, mercy is the predominant thing. In the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, the sweetness is the most important thing. But actually, Nitāi and Gaura, They are more tolerant and merciful. But sometimes Nitāi Gaura are in the mood of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.

Rūpa Raghunātha dāsa: Can we offer in the mood of Pānihāṭi, any time during the year? After hearing your class, I feel like offering preparations in pots.

Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, this festival was offered in June, that is the time when there are lots of fruits in Bengal. There are mangoes, litchis, jackfruit, of course you can get bananas here as well, year around. Of course, in America you import fruits. I guess you can have it some other time, but it feels best in the hot weather and taking yogurt in the cold weather makes you cold. But for instance, in Australia in Melbourne, they have the ciḍā dahi festival on 26^th of December, that is summer there and they have lots of mangoes, cherries, and litchis and other fruits. So I guess you can have it any time, but the traditional date is in June. So we observe that usually in North America. Actually, in Atlanta they have it usually in the first week of June. But in India, it switches with the tithi. This year it is on the 23^rd of June, Some year it is in May, it switches around 10 days every year. Last year was the Puruṣottama month, so it switched about 20 days or so. And then every year, we have ten days earlier, until they have the Puruṣottama month and then it will be 20 or 10 days later. But in Atlanta, I think every year they have it on the same day, first weekend of June. Then the second weekend they have the Ratha-yātrā. But this year the first procession they allowed in New York was the Hare Kṛṣṇa Ratha-yātrā. So this year we are doing the ciḍā dahi festal in Atlanta today, which is the weekend before the actual tithi!

Question: If there is any time can you kindly describe the atmosphere during the original Pānihāṭi? I really enjoyed reading it but to hear it directly from you would be amazing!

Jayapatākā Swami: I tried to explain that a little bit. Of course, the mood at the actual original Pānihāṭi day, how can I say? I mean, just when I think about that, I cannot give a class. I just feel like crying! What would it be like to be sitting there in front of Lord Nityānanda and Lord Caitanya chanting Haribol! Haribol! Having Lord Nityānanda walking to the devotees, taking the pots, taking the prasāda and feeding Lord Caitanya. Beyond I could not say it. What it was like to be there to see it, it is beyond description!

Dayāla Rūpa Gaurāṅgī devī dāsī: Can we offer Guru Mahārāja a food preparation we made?

Jayapatākā Swami: If you offer it to me, I will offer it to Śrīla Prabhupāda, guru-paramparā and Kṛṣṇa, then when then I will take their mahā-prasāda. Or you can offer it to the deities and offer prasādam to me.

Question: On Pānihāṭi day can we offer other preparations?

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda, He took His lunch at 5 or 6 pm. Haribol. So you can still offer breakfast, lunch. Lunch is in the evening. In the noon time Lord Nitāi at least He was taking ciḍā dahi. I mean Rāghava Paṇḍita came and said to Lord Nityānanda, “Your lunch is waiting!” Lord Nitāi said, “I am a cowherd boy, I am taking my snack in the forest, sit down and take. I will take lunch later.” So that was the mood of Nitāi Gaura. He said, “I am a cowherd boy, I have many cowherd boy associates, friends. I am happy when we can eat together in a picnic, by the sandy bank of the river.” Then He made Rāghava Paṇḍita sit down and take ciḍā dahi. But if you want to feed Lord Nityānanda, you can. But He will not accept it. He is in the mood of a cowherd boy taking a picnic. In the afternoon He will take it.

Thank you all for wishing me happy spiritual Father’s Day! And I certainly give you my best wishes and blessings. Kṛṣṇe matir ruhu - always remain Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Today is the day I visit Canada and USA. So we will leave for a while and give darśana and will be back for ārati.