All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Sripat Hapaniya Festival

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Ashram
Village Hapaniya, W. Bengal

October 27, 2005

Web-page by Damayanti Dasi
Their Lordships Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Gopinathjiu, presiding over Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Ashram, which marks the exact spot of Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's appearance place.

The morning after Srila Sridhar Maharaj's Vyasa Puja was celebrated in Nabadwip, the devotees travelled by bus to attend another festival in Hapaniya.

In Affectionate Guidance Srila Gurudev Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj explains the significance of this festival:

Guru Maharaj's form is transcendental, never mundane, and on the Holy Day of his Advent we worship him in the same way as Lord Krishna or Mahaprabhu. Therefore, I thought that after his Appearance Day Festival, which we observed yesterday in Nabadwip, we should hold a festival here today for Guru Maharaj in the same way as Nandotsava, the festival held by Nanda Maharaj the day after Krishna's birth. Everything here is transcendental, and if we can have the vision to see this we must be spiritually benefitted. In this way we are trying to fulfil the desire of the exalted Vaisnavas.

Two of the cows cared for in the small goshalla within the Temple grounds.

Srila Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, also speaks of an historic visit to Hapaniya with Srila Sridhar Maharaj:

That day we came here with Guru Maharaj, a humble meeting was held here in this very place. As shelter, only a tarpaulin was erected above our heads. We sat on the ground, and Guru Maharaj sat on a chair. He discussed various slokas. At that time it was my greatest fortune to hear a special sloka from my Guru Maharaj for the first time. Guru Maharaj wanted to inject our hearts with the feeling that we had come to the Holy Abode.

yat kincha trnagulma-kikatamukham
   gosthe samastam hi tat
sarvvandamaye mukundadayitam
   lilanukulam param

He told us, "Everything here is transcendental and very auspicious. If you can see in this way, you will be benefitted. You will retrieve your transcendental life, and also, you will attain the service of Srimati Radharani." In this way, Guru Maharaj gave his blessings to us here on that day, and we always remember that. I have tried to speak a little of the glories of Guru Maharaj, for his satisfaction, and I know that if I can see the meaning of his sloka, my prayer must reach its destination very easily."

Close to the Hapaniya Math, our 'Santi Sarovara' has many palm and fruit trees and an adjoining crops field.
The devotees visit various holy places associated with Srila Sridhar Maharaj and his family.
Continuing on parikrama around the village.
Nearby, relatives of Srila Guru Maharaj still live.
The pilgrims, headed here by Sripad B.P. Aranya Maharaj, continue on to visit the home of another relative of Srila Sridhar Maharaj.
Kirttan within the nat mandir.


Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Ashram
P.O. and Village Hapaniya
District of Burdwan
West Bengal, India
Phone: (03453) 249505

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