Gundicha Marjan
June 20, 2009
Photos courtesy of B.C. Parvat Maharaj and Krishnapriya Didi. ::: Click on the pictures for larger view (you must have javascript enabled)
The cleansing of the Temple of Their Lordships Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharvika Giridhari .
We celebrated Sri Gundicha Marjjan a few days early this year and invited everyone to join us and help clean the Temple on Saturday June 20.
The Pastime of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu cleansing the Gundicha Temple is instructive for practitioners on how they should purify their hearts so that the Lord can appear within them. The ideal cleansed environment of the temple (heart) is described in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita as sitala, cool and calm, nirmala, spotless and clean, ujjvala, bright and shiny, and snigdha, pleasing and affectionate. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu propagated the chanting of the holy Names of the Lord for the purpose of purifying the hearts of conditioned souls (cheto-darpanam-marjjanam) and demonstrated the process of cleansing both the physical temple of Gundicha and the heart through His gundicha-marjjana-lila.
Click here to read an partial description of the Gundicha Marjan festival.
The devotees worked every enthusiastically and were very happy at the end of this auspicious day.
We celebrated Sri Gundicha Marjjan a few days early this year and invited everyone to join us and help clean the Temple on Saturday June 20.
The Pastime of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu cleansing the Gundicha Temple is instructive for practitioners on how they should purify their hearts so that the Lord can appear within them. The ideal cleansed environment of the temple (heart) is described in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita as sitala, cool and calm, nirmala, spotless and clean, ujjvala, bright and shiny, and snigdha, pleasing and affectionate. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu propagated the chanting of the holy Names of the Lord for the purpose of purifying the hearts of conditioned souls (cheto-darpanam-marjjanam) and demonstrated the process of cleansing both the physical temple of Gundicha and the heart through His gundicha-marjjana-lila.
Click here to read an partial description of the Gundicha Marjan festival.
The devotees worked every enthusiastically and were very happy at the end of this auspicious day.
Vidura Krishna Prabhu and Giridhari Prabhu prepare to do some heavy duty clean up
Hasyapriya Prabhu gets out the power washer.
Adi Kesava helps with the pots.
Banana Cream Pie Prasadam.
Rasa Rajani and her son Madhav Prabhu. She helped to organize the kitchen cleanup.
The refrigerators get a thorough cleaning form Harindhu Prabhu and Sureshwari Didi
and Vrinda Didis.
and Vrinda Didis.
Radhika scrubs the stoves.
Neelamani Prabhu cleans the many buckets of grains.
Young Gopal Prabhu, son of Murali Mohan Prabhu, came early and worked really hard to help clean the Prasad hall.
His sister Anjali was not to be left out
and also helped with enthusiasm.
and also helped with enthusiasm.
Alex, a new friend of the Ashram helped
to clean the exhaust fans.
to clean the exhaust fans.
Prabhus Jatindra Mohan and Murali Mohan climbed to higher heights to clean the temple and their hearts.
In the Temple room Kalindi Didi took on the bookshelf for the songbooks,
and Kamal Krishna Prabhu sorts through all kinds of sound equipment in and around the bookshelf.
Always smiling Sushila Devi Dasi cleaned around the doors and windows.
Sripad Siddhanti Maharaj seemed to be everywhere and actively helping everyone.
The refrigerator room is now spotless.
Gaur Nataraj Prabhu now has the power washer and cleans the porch outside the kitchen.
Siddhanti Maharaj takes out the compost.
Madhurapriya Didi cleans the flower porch and firewood area.
Uma Didi cleans the window screens.
Sara cleans up the weeds in the flower beds.
The power washer is a lot of fun
and young Gopal gets a turn.
and young Gopal gets a turn.
Even Sanatani Didi gets in the action
and Sripad Janardan Maharaj lends a hand.
and Sripad Janardan Maharaj lends a hand.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare