HUNDREDTH DAY OF “ LET’S CHANT TOGETHER!”

Are you feeling enthusiastic to chant? Some of you are still chanting. That’s the indication that you are very enthusiastic. Around 370 devotees have participated today. It is kind of becoming our average now. Few days we had crossed the four hundred mark. That means someone is not chanting with us.

I have to let you know that today is a special day for our Let’s Chant together japa conference, as it’s the hundredth day of our conference. Haribol!

We are launching a new website. This conference is also getting inaugurated today. Specially dedicated to this zoom chanting conference. All the Japa talks transcriptions in Hindi and in English will be posted there. All your questions, realisations will get posted there on that conference. Dinanukampa Mataji mentioned to me yesterday that Madhavi Gauri mataji based in Delhi will be launching it today. Where and how to join will be communicated to you. We had been doing all the postings on Loksanga so far. All that would be now to be found on the Japa conference.

We started with a handful of devotees, less than ten and gradually more and more chanters have been joining us. So then there was a day when we crossed the hundred mark and then couple of weeks later two hundred and then three hundred and then we have been crossing the limit or no limits. Four hundred is also crossed, but our target is to double it, In next one hundred days or something like that, till my Vyasa Puja day, we would like to see numbers increasing and doubling it.

We started this conference on 10th of December 2018. This doubling idea is possible with your efforts only. By your efforts only we have reached so far. We have crossed mark of 400 participants. We will try to double it now. So work on this. This is your homework. Each one, Teach one. Someone has written we will cross the mark of 1000 very soon. Thus far many countries – Australia, Middle East, South Africa, Reunion Island, Mauritius, Ukraine, Russia and of course India. Many more countries have been chanting on this conference. So let’s keep chanting. The feedback which I am getting is very encouraging. I understand you are being benefited by this conference. Your japa is becoming regulated and concentrated and what not. You are deriving all sorts of benefits by attending this conference. Because you are being benefited, then I don’t have any choice but to continue.

I had mentioned yesterday, that I will say some things about the pilgrimage to Nasik. Now time is running out and mostly we talked about the hundredth day. We will try to say a few things. Nasik is also famous for Kumbha-mela. I had been joining Kumbha-mela as Mahant of Kumbha whenever there is Kumbha-mela in Nasik. Of course this is a place known for Lord Rama’s pastimes. There is a Godavari River over here. It is one of the principal Holy Rivers. Rama, Laxman and Sita stayed on the banks of the Godavari.Hanuman was not here. They had built a small Parnakuti. We had gone there for darsana 2 days back. Rama was here about a million years ago. Such places you find in Bharat – Varsha. This is the place is where Surpanaka, sister of Ravana had come. She wanted to marry Rama but He refused her proposal and she was sent to Laksman. Laksman also refused. She kept on putting her proposal to both the brothers one after another. Finally here Laksman chopped off her nose and her nose fell here. The word for nose is nasika, so this town is called Nasik. They could have named it Laksman nagar or Rama-nagar. But somehow, this place is known as Nasik – nose of Surpanaka. It reminds us of that pastime. This is also the place where Sita was kidnapped. So sister had come first and then eventually brother Ravana had also come. ‘bhiksham dehi’ – please give me some alms. As Sita moved ahead of Laksman rekha she was kidnapped by that demon – Ravan. We took darsana of Laksman rekha. Then Jatayu who was like a guard or protecter attempted to rescue Sita. He did his best, but ultimately he lost his wings and fell to the ground. That place is also in this region. Ravana came in Pushpak plane which was being pulled by donkeys. Jatayu was a protector and was serving Ram in that region. Jatayu challenged Ravana and put all his efforts. But he lost both his wings and fell down. That place is also nearby. Then Marici who had become a deer was chased by Rama. Eventually he was killed. That place is also in this area. When Rama and Laksman returned to the asrama after killing of Marici, they could not find Sita anywhere. They started their search, “Site! Site!“ Rama was calling out Her name while searching. Searching and searching They arrived at a place where they met half killed Jatayu. He was almost on the verge to death with only a few breaths to go. Jatayu was an old friend of Dasarath. Rama and Laksman had no privilege or opportunity to perform the final rites of Dasarath in Ayodhya. So they took this opportunity to perform the last rites of Jatayu – friend of Dasarath. That place is also in this region. Like that there are several other locations regarding the exile of Rama in the forest. You read it from Ramayan.

Okay , I need to get ready to leave. I am leaving Nasik and going to one village where they have arranged a program, and then I will go to Ahmadnagar for Ratha-yatra which is tomorrow. So we will meet again another day.

Hare Krishna!!