All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Day Three

19 March 2008

Text by Malini Devi Dasi
Pictures by Malini Devi Dasi and Dhira Krishna Prabhu

Adhivas | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Sri Gaura Purnima

Parikrama Day Three

When we are seen off with the waved blessings and smiles of Srila Gurudev, we turn right this time at the gate of the Math and head over the large bridge known as Gauranga Setu.

We walk for a long while before our first stop at Surabhikunj in Sri Godrumadwip. The brahmachari in charge there reads something about the place from a book which has Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's own handwriting inside.

The second stop is at Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's Samadhi Mandir. It is again another long way along a road lined with amazingly beautiful, huge trees. With dark brown bark and branches rising wide and high into the sky like arms raised in sankirttan, the bright green leaves create an extraordinarily pretty contrast which is exceedingly pleasing to my eyes. Even without possessing the proper transcendental vision, this Holy Dham is mesmerising.

We reach our third stop, Harihara Ksetra, where we take Prasadam. Lines and lines of pilgrims sit in rows awaiting Prasadam, so mercifully supplied by Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. It is around 11am and this serves as breakfast and lunch combined. The party pauses for a long time at this location, and a programme is held under the shade of trees. The kunda nearby attracts many pilgrims to take bath to cool off from the hot sun. It is so refreshing that it is with difficulty that we force ourselves out, back onto the dusty roads.

After Suvarna Bihar, we arrive at our final stop for the day, Nrsimha Palli. A lively kirttan takes place and many pilgrims bathe in the holy waters where the Lord Himself washed His hands after eliminating the demons.

It is a long way back to the Math without any more stops. Most pilgrims take the bus back towards Gauranga Setu and arrrive at the Temple a couple of hours before the main party returns at sunset.

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