Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja’s 100th Appearance Day Celebrated Worldwide

Houston: On February 11th, the auspicious day of Mauni Amavasya, devotees around the world celebrated the 100th Appearance Day (Centennial Vyasa-puja) festival of Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja (known affectionately around the world as “Srila Gurudeva”), who is recognized as a pure devotee of Lord Krishna in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and as an authority on the doctrine, culture, and practices of bhakti-yoga in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. 


New altar for Srila Gurudeva.

 

He took his divine birth on the Mauni amāvasyā (February 16) in 1921 in Tiwaripur, Bihar in a highly educated and respected Trivedi brahmana family.  His parents were devout Vaisnavas belonging to the Sri Sampradaya and were fully conversant with all religious principles. In February 1947, he met his spiritual master, Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and completely dedicated himself to the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In 1952, he accepted sannyasa, the renounced order of life. 

For over half a century, this bold spiritual leader and firm follower of the Vedic system of self-realization (sanatana-dharma) touched the lives of millions of spiritual aspirants around the globe through his engaging public lectures and compelling published writings.  Even at an advanced age, in order to benefit the souls of the world, he circled the planet more than thirty times, giving enlivening discourses to rapt and appreciative audiences in over fifty countries.  In 2010, he founded the International Pure Bhakti Yoga Society, and laid the foundation of Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Math in Houston. 

A genuinely enlightened personality and erudite scholar, he was a prolific translator and commentator of Vedic scriptures, who authored over 100 books that have been translated into all the major languages of the world.

To commemorate this special day, the world’s first ever interactive Vyasa-puja website, www.srilagurudeva.com, was released. It contains heartfelt offerings of thousands of leading Gaudiya acharyas, scholars, disciples and grand-disciples from around the world glorifying Srila Narayana Maharaja’s unparalleled contributions to the Gaudiya Vaishnava community and recounting how his teachings have guided millions of sincere seekers on the path of pure devotional service to Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.

Devotees from over fifty countries also came together to hold the world’s first ever 55-hour long Zoom Bhakti Marathon wherein hundreds of devotees spoke about their blissful memories of their beloved Srila Gurudeva and how he had a deep spiritual impact on their lives. On this day, a new Gaudiya kirtan app with hundreds of bhajans was also released. Devotees had also been working on collecting, restoring, and archiving over 10,000 lectures of Srila Gurudeva. This initiative also reached a major milestone as thousands of the restored lectures have been released (www.audioseva.com).  

The devotees of Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha temple also observed a three-day festival to commemorate Srila Gurudeva’s divine 100th Appearance Day. Despite the cold weather on February 11, several devotees attended the Mangal Arati at 5:30 AM. After that, a new Vyasa-asana was offered to Srila Gurudeva and an ecstatic Guru Puja was performed. A life-size vigraha (murti) of Srila Narayana Maharaja will soon be installed on the Vyasa-asana. For the rest of the morning, the kirtans continued while the devotees decorated the temple and prepared various food preparations that were liked by Srila Gurudeva. 

A special ‘Sapta-panchak’ puja was performed along with the abhishekam of Srila Gurudeva. The puja and the rest of the events over the three-day festival were presided by senior sannyasis including Sripad Bhaktivedanta Bhagavat Maharaja, Sripad Bhaktivedanta Avadhuta Maharaja, and Sripad Bhaktivedanta Shanta Maharaja. 

In recognition of this special day, the mayor of City of Houston, Sylvester Turner, issued a proclamation declaring February 11, 2021 as His Holiness Srila B.V. Narayana Gosvami Maharaja Day. In May 2003, the city of Houston had also appointed His Holiness as an Honorary Citizen and Goodwill Ambassador in recognition of his selfless public service for the benefit and welfare of humanity. In 2003 he was also declared Yuga-Acarya (Acarya of the Millennium) by the Vrajacarya Pith and the World Religious Parliament in New Delhi, India.  He was also given the World Peace Flame in 2001 for his selfless service to peace through the advancement of God-consciousness.

The devotees of Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha gathered from 5 to 9 PM on February 11, 12, and 13 to share with each other their memories of Srila Gurudeva. They spoke fondly of how their lives were spiritually transformed by his blessings and many were in tears as they recounted his deep love and affection for everyone and his sincere desire to help each and every person on the spiritual path. Hearing his transcendental glories enlivened the devotees and they agreed to hold a major festival in the summer by when the current pandemic would hopefully be under control. 

The Centennial celebrations will continue throughout the year with several festivals and initiatives that have been planned in many countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.sgc2021.com. 

Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha temple is located at 16628 Keith Harrow Blvd, Houston, TX 77084. For more information, please visit our website at www.sggm.org or call (832) 464-4686.