Gaura Purnima, Appearance Day of Lord Chaitanya
HOUSTON: Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the combined essence of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani, entered this world to rid people of their sins by helping them attain the highest perfection of the human form of life: the Love of God. Now, nearly five-hundred years later, His teachings continue to inspire and enlighten millions of people around the world, from the smallest villages to the largest cities.
As Sri Chaitanya started attracting more and more followers to His beautiful and selfless path of Bhakti (true devotion with nothing expected in return) His entourage (Advaita Acarya, Gadadhar Pandit, Srivas Thakura, and Nityananda – collectively known as the Panca-Tattva) rendered ever-increasing levels of service to the movement and helped spread it all over India.
His best gift to all of humanity, the Hare Krishna Mahamantra (Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare! Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare!), is the only means to attaining salvation in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy – the Kali Yuga.
This priceless gift of the Holy Names by the most compassionate Sri Chaitanya is unparalleled in its ease of access (one can chant anywhere, anytime), brevity, power (ability to invoke the Lord’s mercy), and value (it is free!).
The core beliefs of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya are set forth in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Siksastakam. Some of the fundamental principles are: that Lord Krishna is the Supreme and Absolute Truth; the jivas are the separated parts of the Lord; pure devotion is the duty of the jivas; and complete, unconditional, and pure love of the Supreme Lord Krishna is the final goal.
The Gaura Purnima festival, which celebrates the appearance day of the Sri Chaitanya, is observed with great enthusiasm every year at the Hare Krishna Dham in Houston. This year the festival falls on Sunday, 16 March – so, please mark your calendars so you don’t miss the joyful kirtans, maha-abhishek, maha-Arati, Chaitanya mahaprabhu pastimes and of course, the delicious prasadam feast that will comprise the festivities. For furher details, visit Hare Krishna Dham at 1320 W 34th Street, Houston TX – 77018 OR visit www.iskconhouston.org OR call at 713-686-4482. We look forward to having your association in jointly celebrating the most auspicious and glorious advent of the Lord Himself, in the mood of His favorite companion and consort, Srimati Radha Rani!