Sankalpa – Navadvipa, India

March 18, 2005

 

 

In preparation for the 2005 Navadvipa-dhama parikrama, Srila Narayana Maharaja led over 1,000 devotees (who had come from various western countries, various parts of India, and various parts of Navadvipa) to Sri Devananda Gaudiya Matha, to take darsana and receive blessings for the devotees from his diksa-guru, Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja and his revered god-brother, Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Maharaja. Next the parikrama party, now numbering about 5,000 due to many Bengali devotees from the Devananda Gaudiya Matha as well as local residents of Navadwipa joining the party, walked to the Ganges River, to the sacred place called Pancaveni, where all sacred rivers meet. There, the devotees performed sankalpa - making individual vows for a successful parikrama. They also repeated mantras for the spiritual success of the parikrama, performed acamana, and many reverently bathed there. After leaving the Ganges, the devotees went to the temple of Prapujya-carana Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja and had darsana of his samadhi. Finally they returned to Srila Naryana Maharaja's new temple, Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja leading the parikrama party

 

 

 

Arrival at Devananda Gaudiya Matha

 

 

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprahu

 

 

Making vows at the Ganges River