Under Srila Gurudev's direction an inauguration programme was organised for 9 a.m. a few days before the festivals began.

Srila Gurudev spoke informally and happily for some time, commenting on the arrival of so many pilgrims from around the world, and declared that "our Nabadwip Dham Parikrama has already started."

Srila Gurudev remembered his time in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in the intimate association of Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and expressed, "Now our position is so glorious, and I am sometimes feeling that if Guru Maharaj was present and could see that Govinda Kunda building, etc., he would unlimitedly express his joy."

After leading the kirttan 'Emana durmmati,' Srila Gurudev requested Sadhu Priya Prabhu to lead 'Nitai pada kamala.'

Afterwards Srila Gurudev led 'Ki jani ki bole,' and at the conclusion of the programme led the devotees in chanting the Mahamantra and 'Hari Haraye Namah Krsna.'

At Srila Gurudev's request, Sripad B.S. Goswami Maharaj and Sripad B.P. Janardan Maharaj both spoke for a short while.

Sripad Goswami Maharaj began by speaking about the central importance of the Vaisnava:

If we want to know really, substantially, truly, what is the proper conception -- hrdayenabhyanujnato yo dharmas tam nibhodata, it is located in the heart of the Vaisnava.... Srila Guru Maharaj said the experts have determined, sthane sthitah sruti gatam tanu van manobhir: when you have heard something from the heart of the Vaisnava and expressed some appreciation or affection for that, then Krishna's flag has been firmly planted in that heart and it's just a matter of time before the total conversion to wholesale the Krishna Conception.

He then spoke extensively on the message of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and its distribution in the line of Sriman Mahaprabhu:

Srila Guru Maharaj told so many times this fervent intense prayer of Vasudev Ghosh,

jadi gaura na hoita, tabe ki hoita, kemone dharitam de
radhara mahima prema rasa sima jagata janata ke

That flag that flies above Chaitanya Saraswat Math, that Srila Gurudev was talking about this morning, udgita kirtir jayasrim -- Guru Maharaj said, it's flying high in the sky above Nabadwip, announcing what? Udgita kirtir jayasrim: loudly proclaiming the supremely unparalleled glorious position of Srimati Radharani and Her devotion to Krishna, which we commonly refer to now in the modern world as 'Krishna consciousness.' It is proclaiming the glories of Krishna consciousness, and She is the personification of the most intense, deep level of Krishna consciousness. He said, if not for Mahaprabhu's appearance in this world, jagata janata ke, no one would have known how great She is, how wonderful She is.

Sripad Janardan Maharaj emphasised the most valuable use of our energy and the great opportunity before us:

Srila Guru Maharaj told me, now that you have come here to Nabadwip and you have come to the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, if you want to utilize your energy very properly you will put everything you have here and invest it here and you will get the greatest return on your investment....

Now we've come here for Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikrama, for this holy time of the year -- very special, very central, as Goswami Maharaj was saying; you will get everything if you properly utilise your energy in the service of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga, Srila Govinda Maharaj, Srila Guru Maharaj and this divine plane of service here in Nabdwip. So we've come here, we have this very good opportunity, and we can really get some substantial return of our energy if we give our full attention to the plane of service and the plane of dedication.

(The full audio of this programme is available here,
56 minutes, 6.5 MB mp3, also in higher quality: 13 MB.)