Sri Krsna Janmastami was celebrated in a grand style at Govindaji Gardens on Saturday 27th August. In the early morning, Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Madhava were dressed in a dazzling yellow outfit and decorated profusely with various garlands and flowers.
The pujaris also decorated Jagannatha, Gaura-Gadadhara, Yoga-Narasimha and the other asrama Deities in a similar way.
At 10:00am, Srila Visnu Maharaja gave a class from the manuscript of the forthcoming book of Srila Sridhara Maharaja, Encounters With Divinity, and spoke from each of the four sections of the book.
Devotees sang bhajanas throughout the morning up until 3:00 when nagesvaram played for the pleasure of the Deities. Throughout the day, from 4 p.m. onwards, more than five thousand plates of prasadam were distributed to guests in spite of heavy rain.
At 5:00 Sri Krsna abhiseka began and Srila Narasingha Maharaja bathed Govindaji in thirty different auspicious substances such as pancagavya, pancamrta, flower-water, fruit-juices etc as kirtana led by Swami Madhava continued.
After the bathing ceremony, the Deities of Gandharvika-Kanaka Govinda were taken out on Their palaki to the accompaniment of nagesvaram, flute and hari-nama sankirtana, circumabulating the temple five times.
When the Deities were brought back to the altar, Srila Guru Maharaja offered arati as H.H. Bhakti Srirupa Madhava Maharaja led the devotees in chanting the Holy Names.
Tirtham was distributed after the arati and, from 7:00 till 9:00, the carnatic bhajana singer Sri Vidyabhusana sang songs composed by Madhvacarya, Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa. This was followed by Murali-Krsna Dasa who played flute from 9:00 till 11:00.
The bhoga offering was brought to the altar at 11:30. This year, the devotees who cooked managed to make 117 preparations for the pleasure of the Lord. Despite the heavy rains, the midnight arati was attended by about 200 guests who stayed on to honor the prasadam remnants of the Lord.
