The activities held at the Sri Chaitanya Sridhar Govinda Seva Ashram (Caracas, Venezuela) during this last month have been nothing less than supremely pleasant. Today we celebrated Srimati Radharani’s Appearance. Radharani's Appearance Day is considered one of the most auspicious days of the year by Vaisnavas. So devotees have been dedicated on this day to please and serve Radharani, understanding that without Her mercy no one can approach Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

First of all, Their Lordships, Sri Sri Nitai Gaurachandra, were wearing very beautiful new golden silk outfits completed with ornaments, paraphernalia and effulgences. Through the pictures accompanying this dispatch you will see the supreme beauty of Their Lordships and other details of this festival.

Almost two hundred people attended the festival, and the temple was filled to capacity. Many devotees came from other cities to blissfully chant, dance and honor prasadam together as a big family. There were also many eager visitors who spontaneously joined the ecstatic kirttans and engaged in chanting and dancing.

The highlights were the ecstatic and blissful kirttans which kept everyone on their toes. Everybody who came agreed this was the real nectar and really didn’t want to stop.

Kavi Prabhu, Purujit Prabhu and some other devotees delivered inspiring speeches on the significance of this occasion and the relevance of Srimati Radharani.

After this, a group of four girl-devotees coming from the far city of Maracaibo, performed the classic Indian dance Bharatnatyam depicting Lord Krishna's Pastimes, and keeping everybody enlivened.

For the feast the devotees prepared over fifty preparations for the pleasure of Their Lordships. I have no opportunity to list all the preparations and all the cooks, who were around twenty, but needless to say that all the prasadam was exquisite – and there were ten different cakes! Everybody had at least two plates full of delicious prasadam.

Sri Radhastami celebration was very enlivening and blissful for all who were fortunate enough to attend. Long ago I heard that Srila Prabhupada said that the festivals are the life of Krishna Consciousness and the older and newer devotees and guests realize this when they happen. The mercy is there for everyone; we just have to come and take it! We are therefore humbly requesting all the Vaisnavas to bless our humble efforts to make this a reality.

Hoping you all have also had ecstatic Sri Radhastami celebrations, as we all pray to gain Her mercy.

Kamala Kanti dasi
Caracas, Venezuela
September 4th, 2003