On the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, a day known for its ever-increasing spiritual blessings, the sacred Chandan Yatra begins. This marks the start of a deeply refreshing and joyful season in Mayapur, where the Lordships are lovingly adorned with cooling sandalwood paste to bring comfort during the summer months. Over the days that follow, beautiful and creative veśas unfold, each revealing a unique pastime and mood of the Lord. The atmosphere becomes especially magical, soft, and filled with devotion, as Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava are worshipped with increasing sweetness. This festival season gradually leads the heart toward the divine appearance of Lord Narasimha, followed by the grand celebrations of Ratha Yatra, making the entire summer in Māyāpur a continuous flow of spiritual joy and remembrance.
On this first day, the veśa offered to the Lordships was the beautiful Nauka Vihāra pastime, where Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava, along with the gopīs, were exquisitely adorned as if seated upon a divine boat, recreating this intimate and playful līlā. The delicate decorations, flowing arrangements, and gentle colors brought the entire scene to life, allowing devotees to not only see but feel the sweetness of this pastime.
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs, carrying yogurt, butter, and various offerings, come to the banks of the Yamunā. They need to cross to the other side—but suddenly, a mysterious boatman appears. That boatman is none other than Kṛṣṇa Himself, disguised, playful, and eager to increase the loving exchanges.
He speaks boldly, teasing them:
“Why should I ferry you across? The river is dangerous, my boat is fragile… and you seem quite heavy with all your ornaments!”
The gopīs respond with mock anger and witty replies. There is laughter, challenge, and a current of deep affection hidden beneath the banter. Finally, they agree to board His boat.
As they begin crossing, Kṛṣṇa deliberately rocks the boat. The Yamunā appears turbulent, waves rising as if participating in the divine play. The gopīs become fearful and cling to Him. In that moment, their external pride dissolves, and only dependence and love remain.
Kṛṣṇa then says:
“If you want to be saved, you must give up all your possessions.”
One by one, they surrender everything—yet ultimately, what is being asked is not just ornaments or pots of yogurt, but their very hearts.
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Happy Chandan Yatra!!!!
Varuthini Ekadasi
(Krishna Paksha, Vaisakha — April–May)
Sri Yudhisthira Maharaj said, "Oh Vasudeva, I offer my most humble obeisances unto You. Please now describe to me the Ekadasi of the dark fortnight (krishna paksha) of the month of Vaisakha (April-May), including its specific merits and influence."
Lord Sri Krishna replied, "Oh King, in this world and the next, the most auspicious and magnanimous Ekadasi is Varathini Ekadasi, which occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Vaisakha. Whosoever observes a complete fast on this sacred day has his sins completely removed, obtains continuous happiness, and achieves all good fortune. Fasting on Varathini Ekadasi makes even an unfortunate woman fortunate. Upon anyone who observes it, this Ekadasi bestows material enjoyment in this life and liberation after the death of this present body. It destroys the sins of all and saves people from the miseries of repeated rebirth. By observing this Ekadasi properly, King Mandhata was liberated. Many other kings also benefited from observing it, kings such as Maharaja Dhundhumara, in the Ikshvaku dynasty, who became free from leprosy resulting from the curse that Lord Shiva had imposed upon him as a punishment. Whatever merit one obtains by performing austerities and penances for ten thousand years is achieved by a person who observes Varuthinii Ekadasi. The merit one achieves by donating a great amount of gold during a solar eclipse at Kurukshetra is gained by one who observes this one Ekadasi with love and devotion, and certainly attains his goals in this life and the next. In short, this Ekadasi is pure and very enlivening and the destroyer of all sins. Better than giving horses in charity is giving elephants, and better than giving elephants is giving land. But better still than giving land is the giving of sesame seeds, and better than that is giving of gold. Still better than giving gold is giving food grains for all the forefathers, demigods (devas), and human beings become satisfied by eating grains. Thus there is no better gift of charity than this in the past, present or future. Yet learned scholars have declared that giving away a young maiden in marriage to a worthy person is equal to giving away food grains in charity. Moreover, Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has said that giving cows in charity is equal to giving food grains. Still better than all these charities is teaching spiritual knowledge to the ignorant. Yet all the merits one can attain by performing all these acts of charity are attained by one who fasts on the Varuthini Ekadasi. One who lives off the wealth of his daughters suffers a hellish condition until the inundation of the entire universe, Oh Bharata. Therefore one should be especially careful not to use the wealth of his daughter. Oh best of kings, any householder who takes his daughter's wealth out of greed, who tries to sell his daughter, or who takes money from the man to whom he has given his daughter in marriage such a householder becomes a lowly cat in his next life. Therefore it is said that whoever, as a sacred act of charity, gives away in marriage a maiden decorated with various ornaments, and who also gives a dowry with her, obtains merit that cannot be described even by Chitragupta, the chief secretary of Yamaraja in the heavenly planets. That very same merit, however, can be easily achieved by one who fasts on the Varuthini Ekadasi.
Observances
On Dashami (the day before Ekadasi), one should give up:
Eating on bell-metal plates, eating any kind of urad-dahl, eating red-lentils, eating chick-peas, eating kondo (a grain that is primarily eaten by poor people and that resembles poppy seeds or agarpanthas seeds), eating spinach, eating honey, eating in another person's house/home, eating more than once, and participating in sex of any kind.
On Ekadasi itself, one should give up:
Gambling, sports, sleeping during the daytime, betal nuts and its leaf, brushing one's teeth, spreading rumours, faultfinding, talking to the spiritually fallen, anger, and lying.
On Dwadasi (the day after Ekadasi), one should give up:
Eating on bell-metal plates, eating urad-dahl, red-lentils, or honey, lying, strenuous exercise or labour, eating more than once, any sexual activity, shaving the body, face or head, smearing oils on one's body, and eating in another's home.
Conclusion
Lord Sri Krishna continued, "Whoever observes the Varuthini Ekadasi in this way becomes free from all sinful reactions and returns to the eternal, spiritual abode. One who worships Lord Janardana (Krishna) on this Ekadasi by staying awake throughout the entire night, also becomes free from all his previous sins and attains to the spiritual abode. Therefore, Oh king, he who is frightened of his accumulated sins and their attendant reactions, and thus of death itself, must observe Varuthini Ekadasi by fasting very strictly. Finally, Oh noble Yudhisthira, he who hears or reads this glorification of the sacred Varuthini Ekadasi obtains the merit earned by donating one thousand cows in charity, and at last he returns home, to the Supreme abode of Lord Vishnu in the Vaikunthas."
Disappearance Day — April 9th, 2026
On the sacred saptami of the dark fortnight in the month of Madhusudana, devotees lovingly remember the disappearance day of Sri Abhirama Thakura, also known as Abhirama Gopala and Rama Dasa, one of the most powerful and ecstatic associates of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Renowned for his fearless preaching, intense devotion, and extraordinary spiritual potency, his life beautifully connects the intimate pastimes of Vraja with the merciful sankirtana mission of Navadvipa.
According to the Gaudiya scriptures, Sri Abhirama Thakura is the incarnation of Sridama, one of the dearmost cowherd friends of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan. A beloved pastime describes how he came to participate in Gaura-lila. One day, while Krishna, Balarama, and Their cowherd friends were playing hide-and-seek, Krishna decided to travel to Nadia to begin His future pastimes. Taking Balarama and the other boys with Him, He manifested in Navadvipa, but Sridama remained hidden in his cave and was unintentionally left behind. Realizing this, Krishna sent Balarama—who later appeared as Lord Nityananda—to bring him. When Nityananda approached Sridama and called him to come to Nadia, Sridama hesitated, noting that Nityananda appeared smaller than he remembered from Dvapara-yuga, when bodies were much larger than in Kali-yuga. To prove His identity, Nityananda challenged him to run, promising to catch him within ten steps. Sridama ran swiftly, yet Nityananda caught him instantly. Still feeling hurt at being left behind, Sridama resisted going, and thus Lord Nityananda manifested an expansion known as Rama Dasa, who agreed to accompany Him. In this way, Sridama appeared in Gaura-lila as Sri Abhirama Thakura to assist in spreading the mercy of the Holy Name.
When Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu later instructed Lord Nityananda Prabhu to return to Bengal and freely distribute divine love, Sri Abhirama Thakura accompanied Him as a fearless preacher. His presence carried such spiritual force that atheists and offenders trembled upon seeing him. Though deeply absorbed in devotion, he later married according to the desire of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, and his wife was Sri Malini-devi.
Sri Abhirama Thakura’s life is filled with extraordinary pastimes that demonstrated his immense spiritual potency. Lord Krishna once appeared to him in a dream and revealed that His Deity form was buried beneath the earth at Khanakula Krishnanagar. Following this divine instruction, Abhirama Thakura excavated the ground and discovered the beautiful form of Sri Gopinathji. The place where the Deity manifested became known as Ram Kund, where a lake formed whose waters were said to be sweet like nectar, and those who bathed or drank from it experienced deep spiritual ecstasy. News of these divine events spread widely, drawing countless pilgrims to the sacred site.
He was also known for carrying a celebrated whip named Jaya Mangala, which awakened Krishna-prema in those touched by it. One well-known pastime describes how Sri Srinivasa Acharya was touched several times with this whip and immediately became overwhelmed with ecstatic love of Krishna. Such was Abhirama Thakura’s spiritual strength that even his obeisances carried great potency—if he offered obeisances to any stone other than a genuine Shalagram-shila, that stone would crack apart.
His interactions with other great devotees were equally remarkable. Once, when he went to meet Raghunandana Thakura, circumstances caused them to miss one another initially, but when they finally met, they danced together in deep ecstatic love. During this dancing, Raghunandana’s ankle ornament fell at a sacred location where it continued to be worshiped thereafter. Even great souls such as Gopala Guru Goswami were tested by Abhirama Thakura in their youth, yet remained unharmed due to the mercy of Lord Chaitanya.
Sri Abhirama Thakura’s intense spiritual energy was also seen in his dealings with the children of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. It is described that when he offered obeisances to the newborn sons of Nityananda Prabhu, their bodies could not withstand the force of his spiritual potency, and several departed shortly after birth. However, when Ganga-devi, the daughter of Nityananda Prabhu, was born and remained unaffected by his obeisances, he joyfully composed one hundred verses glorifying her. Similarly, when Viracandra Prabhu appeared and remained unaffected, he composed the renowned Sri Birbhadrastakam in praise.
On another occasion, absorbed in remembrance of Krishna and in the mood of a cowherd boy, Sri Abhirama Thakura desired to play the flute. In ecstatic love, he fashioned a flute from a massive tree trunk—so large that sixteen men could not lift it—and began playing in divine remembrance of Krishna’s pastimes.
As a learned scholar of the scriptures and a powerful associate of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Abhirama Thakura played a vital role in spreading the sankirtana movement across Bengal. His life teaches us the spirit of fearless devotion, unwavering faith, and deep love for Krishna and His devotees. On this sacred disappearance day, devotees pray to him for the strength to serve with courage, to deepen their faith, and to develop the boldness to share Krishna consciousness without hesitation.
Let us bow down to Sri Abhirama Thakura, the beloved associate of Lord Nityananda, who carried the whip of divine love to awaken the sleeping souls of this world and inspire hearts with fearless devotion.
Hare Krishna
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
All glories to Sri Narasimhadeva!
As the auspicious appearance day of Lord Narasimhadeva approaches, devotees and well-wishers alike joyfully look forward to this sacred time of receiving His protection, blessings, and mercy. The divine pastimes of Lord Narasimhadeva remind us that sincere prayers are always heard, and His shelter brings strength, courage, and reassurance to all.
As we prepare for this sacred festival:
"May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other's welfare. Therefore, let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krishna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him." (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.18.9)
This year, we invite you to take part in the Sri Narasimha Navaratri Yajna, leading up to this most auspicious day.
9 Days of Powerful Yajnas | 12 Sacred Kundas Daily
Yajamana Seva Available — ₹5555
During these sacred days, yajnas will be performed daily in twelve kundas, invoking prayers for protection, purification, and divine blessings. By becoming a yajamana, you directly participate in these offerings and seek the shelter of Lord Narasimhadeva for yourself and your loved ones.
Yajna Seva Options:
* Navaratri Yajna (9 days, 1 kunda) – ₹49,995
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* Navaratri Yajna (1 day, 1 kunda) – ₹5,555
* Sri Narasimha Procession – ₹4,001
Kindly take this opportunity to serve and receive His divine protection:
https://www.mayapur.com/festivals/Narasimha-Caturdasi
May Lord Narasimhadeva always protect you and your family.
Thank you once again for your continued support.
Your servants,
Mayapur.com Team
