All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Reflections —
Pilgrimage to Hapaniya and Katwa

by Vrindavanesvari Devi Dasi

Reflections from a morning visit to Hapaniya with Srila Gurudev

A group of about twenty devotees gathered in a sweet, intimate setting with Srila Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, at Sripat Hapaniya on the last Ekadashi morning of last year. He personally guided us around the temple complex, commenting about various buildings and landmarks. In one unforgettable episode, Srila Gurudev stopped in front of Shanti Sarovar, our kunda near the Math, and stared across the water at the surrounding jungle. He pointed to an area on the opposite bank and said that in the time of Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, there were tigers there. One day, Srila Guru Maharaj saw a tiger standing in that very spot. Gurudev smiled and made a roaring sound, imitating the tiger! It was so unbelievably cute. I am still chuckling over that.

We walked around Shanti Sarovar to a side overgrown with palm trees, vines and bushes. Gurudev said this plot used to be a big garden with eggplant, wheat, chilli and other crops. He added that if a few devotees would stay at Hapaniya to maintain and cultivate that land, it could be a nice garden again. We also saw the farmland behind the Math. Rows of sprouting grain and bright yellow patches of mustard plants spanned the distance. Gurudev walked along the rough path cutting through the field, carefully escorted by Ananga Krishna Prabhu of Brazil.

Srila Gurudev seemed so relaxed and jolly to be in Srila Guru Maharaj's Appearance Place. Our informal visit also included taking darshan of the Deities at Hapaniya, Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Gopinath-jiu. Gurudev sang the Nivedana (Gopinath) Kirttan in Their glory. He sat in front of the altar in the small temple room, with a cosy white blanket wrapped around his shoulders. We all sat at his side on mats and rugs, huddling together in the chilly morning. After this, we honoured a simple but sweet Ekadasi breakfast of bananas, coconut, apples and sandesh.

Spontaneous excursion to Katwa, the place where Mahaprabhu accepted sannyasa

Three 'Tata Sumo' land-cruisers transported the devotees back and forth from Hapaniya, and on the way home, Sripad Paramahamsa Maharaj spontaneously joined the car that I was in. He suggested we make a detour to Mahaprabhu's sannyasa place in Katwa, which turned out to be an hour drive away (it only took 30 minutes to get to Hapaniya from Nabadwip by car). Also in the car were Gaurachandra Prabhu (Venezuela), Sachidevi Didi (Holland), Jai Balai Prabhu, Ramanuga Prabhu, and Adirendra Prabhu from Mexico, Mahima Mayi Didi (Russia), and Jagamohini Didi from the U.S.A. None of us wanted to miss the opportunity to make this unexpected pilgrimage.

After a bumpy ride through the tropical, rural landscape, we arrived in the noisy town of Katwa. Mahaprabhu's temple is situated at the end of a lonely alleyway, but once you walk into the complex through a majestic sculptured gate, it's a bit like entering another dimension. Just to the left of the entrance is an ancient neem tree where Mahaprabhu had his head shaved. We saw real hair at the base of the tree where people apparently keep up some sort of tradition. Then we paid our respects to the footprints of Mahaprabhu and those of Keshava Bharati Maharaj who gave Mahaprabhu sannyas.

At the far end of the complex across a sunny plaza is the temple of Mahaprabhu, and there, the sombre and slightly mournful atmosphere was augmented by the vibrant voice of a lady. She seemed to be a woman from the town, kneeling in front of the Deity with her hands folded, producing the most beautiful melodies that echoed from the high ceiling.

After paying our dandavat pranams and taking some charanamrita, we literally walked one block down the road from the temple and faced the swift currents of the Ganga! She runs so closely through this town. There are houses situated right on her banks. From our standing point, we could see two other rivers merging into the Ganga on the left, and on right, she flowed very strongly towards Nabadwip. Standing in the soft silt on her banks, staring out at her broad blue waters, I felt even more insignificant. We spent only a few minutes there, splashing some Ganga-jal on our heads. I left feeling awed and rejuvenated by the transcendental energy of our special pilgrimages today to these otherworldly places.

Vrindavanesvari Devi Dasi,
Nabadwip