Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha — Temple Inauguration & Deity Installation
HOUSTON: Houston is a fortunate city with so many beautiful temples. And now Houston will have a new temple – Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha (SGGM), which will be inaugurated during a four day festival from July 11 – July 14. SGGM is part of the International Pure Bhakti Yoga Society (IPBYS) founded by His Divine Grace Srila Narayana Goswami Maharaja. IPBYS has temples and centers in over 100 countries around the globe.
Govinda means ‘The Supreme Lord who gives pleasure to the cows and attracts our senses’. Govinda Devaji was the worshipful deity of Sri Rupa Goswami, the foremost disciple of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Describing the beauty of Sri Govinda Deva, Sri Rupa Goswami writes in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu: “My dear friend, if you are indeed attached to your worldly friends, do not look at the smiling face of Lord Govinda as He stands on the bank of the Yamuna at Kesighata. Casting sidelong glances, He places His flute to His lips, which seem like newly blossomed twigs. His transcendental body, bending in three places, appears very bright in the moonlight.” Now the same transcendentally beautiful Govinda Devaji is arriving in Houston to steal the heart of the Houstonians.
The Gaudiya Matha temple will be special as it will have the three Purushottamas (a) Maryada Purushottam Sri Ramcandra (b) Lila Purushottam Sri Krishna (Sri Govindaji) and (c) Prema Purushottam Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Following ‘maryada’, the rules and regulations and the principles of dharma, one should hear and remember the ‘lila’, the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. One thus achieves, ‘prema’, the pure love of the Supreme Lord. Thus, irrespective of the caste, creed, or community, the Matha will be a place for everyone to congregate, worship the Lord, hear His pastimes and progress in devotional life.
The temple inauguration festival will start on July 11 at 5 PM and conclude on July 14. Each day there will be bhajans, kirtans and lectures on various topics, such as, Guru Tattva, Bhakti Tattva, Vigraha Tattva, and many more. On Friday (July 12) evening, ‘Purna Kumbh Kalash Yatra’ will take place, where over a hundred ladies will carry ornately decorated kalashas on their heads in a procession around the temple which will be accompanied by chanting of the Holy Names. The water from these kalashas will be used for the abhishek and installation of the Deities. Prana-pratishtha or ‘Deity Installation’ of Sri Radha Govindaji, Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Sita Ram Laxman Hanumanji will start at 8 AM on Saturday, July 13. In the evening there will be a grand cultural program wherein different local cultural groups will participate. Several dignitaries and representatives from local temples will also grace the occasion. The festival will conclude on July 14, with a 108-kundi Vishnu Homa (yajna).
This is a festival not to be missed. If you would like to help or sponsor any event, please contact Vimla Agrawal at 281-499-3347 or email: contact@sggm.org.