Hare Krishna!
ISKCON Pune is going to build a grand new temple in the Katraj-Kondwa area. It will be a temple of Sri Sri Radha VrindavanChandra! The Bhoomi Pujan ceremony was conducted on Wednesday, April 11, 2007. It was very well attended by devotees directly connected to the Pune Sri Sri Radha KunjaBihari Temple (Camp) and also by many other well wishers.
We (all the devotees associated with the Aundh YOGA) assembled at the YOGA at around 0415 and then started from there for the new temple land in Katraj-Kondwa. We reached there by 0500. Already atleast 200 devotees had assembled there :-) Soon followed an absolutely ecstatic Mangal Arati led by His Holiness Lokanath Swami Maharaj! Those who have not experienced such spiritual events can quite easily consider my words as exagerations, but they can ask any other devotee too. And better still, experience the bliss themselves too. Devotees are more than eager to welcome them into this spiritual family of Devotees of Krishna!
After the Mangal Arati, at around 0600, we all started chanting. Such group chanting opportunities are also very special. In that serene and pure atmosphere of morning time, which is most suitable for spiritual activities, when the Holy name is chanted by hundreds of devotees simultaneously, it creates such potent spiritual sound vibrations that they directly transfer all present to the spiritual world! Indeed, the place where the Holy Name of Krishna is chanted congregationally is not different from the Kingdom of God! This is confirmed by the shastras (Vedic literature).
Thereafter the Bhoomi Pujan Ceremony started. It involved a Yajna (fire sacrifice). The Pujari kindly let us all know the history and significance of the Vaastu Shanti. He explained who is Vaastu, why we are pacifying him, and how is he looked upon as by the Gaudiya Vaishnav Sampradaya (i.e. by us ;-) ). Vaastu was a demon who once worshipped Lord Siva for a benediction that he should be able to eat the entire universe. And Lord Siva granted it to him. As expected, Vaastu started devouring all things in the universe. All the demigods and the other demons decided to come together and kill Vaastu. So, Vaastu then surrendered but he pleaded that some arrangement be made for his food. In response, the decision was made that whenever there will be any building construction activity, Vaastu will be offered the Prasad of the Supreme Lord Vishnu. This is called 'Vaastu Shanti", i.e. pacifying the hunger of Vaastu. This ceremony is done two times, once at the start of the construction activity and once at the end when the building is about to be used. The Gaudiya Vaishnavas look upon Vaastu as a Maha Bhaagavat!
The ceremony involved a Yajna as I already mentioned. The most important part was that the ceremony was presided over by Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra!! Also, a beautiful deity of Lord Ananta was worshipped. Apart from that oblations were offered into the fire for various Vishnu forms of the Lord starting from Lord Achyuta and then followed by Lord Narsimha and others! Then oblations were offered for the great historic Vaishnavas (pure devotees). And finally for all the great Acharyas of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya including ofcourse His Divine Grace Abhay Charanarvinda BhaktiVedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada!!!
Atfer the Yajna, Lord Ananta was installed in the Bhoomi. All ISKCON temples are constructed by founding them on the infallible support of Lord Ananta who is carrying all the planets in all the universes on his unlimited (ananta) heads! So, what is another temple for Him ;-) ? So, a trench was dug in which the Supreme Lord Ananta was installed and then He was covered back again by the mud. It was a most beautiful Lord Ananta deity. May He bless the new temple.
Soon thereafter His Holiness GopalKrishna Goswami Maharaj and His Holiness Lokanath Swami Maharaj and His Grace Bhimaa Prabhu spoke amongst others. Lunch Prasadam was also being served meanwhile. I am sure that all who attended this momentous occasion would have gone back home very much spiritually nourished.
All Glories to Sri Sri Radha VrindavanChandra! All Glories to Sri Sri Radha KunjaBihari! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Your servant in Krishna Consciousness,
Abhijit.
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