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| | Enviado Miercoles, 21 de Mayo de 2003 - 09:45 pm: |  |
Text and Photos By Vrindavan Lila Devi Dasi
Posted May 18, 2003
Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
This year's celebration of Nrisimha Chaturdasi had a new feature in it, introduced by Bhadracharu Prabhu. After Srimad Bhagavatam class there was an unusual ceremony for collecting bhoga donations. A large balance-type scale was set up in the middle doorway of the main entrance to the temple. H.H. Jayapataka Swami inaugurated the ceremony by setting an example.
He sat on one of the weighing-pans of the scale, facing towards Lord Nrisimha Deva, and devotees brought large baskets of fruit, mostly mangoes but also litchis and bananas, and put them on the other pan until the weight on both sides was equal. Everyone was gathering around and shouting "Haribol!"
After that, many devotees and guests came forward and weighed themselves against bananas, mangoes, litchis, watermelons, coconuts, sugar, rice, and so on. The idea is that the person on the scale will pay for the bhoga of his or her choice in an amount equal to his or her own weight.
Those who could not afford to pay a large sum were putting their children and even babies on the scale. Then the bhoga was offered to Lord Nrisimha Deva in each person's name. It was a lot of fun. Everybody liked it. And it's a good way to sponsor a feast or special offering to the Deity.
I am sending some pictures of the ceremony. I could not get a proper picture of Jayapataka Swami on the scale because there was a huge crush of the crowd.
Your servant,
Vrindavan Lila Devi Dasi |
