ISKCON Gangasagar had the great fortune and privilege of hosting HH Bhakti Vijay Bhagavat Maharaj, a senior disciple of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami and a distinguished preacher of Krishna consciousness movement, along with 55 other devotees from Mayapur, for a four-day spiritual retreat and a sacred bath in the holy Ganga on the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya, which signifies the onset of the Devi Paksha and the culmination of the Pitru Paksha.
Maharaj and the devotees arrived at the ISKCON Gangasagar center two days prior to Mahalaya and were warmly welcomed by the local devotees. For the next three days, they immersed themselves in various devotional activities throughout the day, such as nagarsankirtan, stage program, bhagavat katha, sandhya aroti, maha snyan and tarpan and mongal aroti on the sea beach stage. The Mayapur devotees and the local congregation devotees enthralled the public with a vibrant nagarsankirtan that started from the ISKCON Gangasagar temple, then proceeded to road no 5 and reached K1 Bus terminal. Then they walked to road no 2 and reached Kapil Muni Ashram, then at the sea beach, after doing ecstatic kirtan, they reached the stage and performed a splendid evening Ganga Puja. Maharaj also distributed Srimad Bhagavatam sets to some eminent religious leaders and institutions in Gangasagar, as part of the global campaign to propagate the message of Lord Krishna on behalf of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Guru Maharaj.
The devotees of ISKCON Gangasagar were overjoyed and inspired by the presence and guidance of Maharaj, who showered them with his friendly and affectionate dealings. Maharaj also encouraged them to continue their service to Sri Guru and Srila Prabhupada and to make Gangasagar a hub of Lord Caitanya’s sankirtan movement. He also invited the devotees from all over the world to visit Gangasagar and experience the spiritual atmosphere of this holy place, the place where Kapila Muni, the son of Devahuti and the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, imparted the Sankhya philosophy to his mother.
ISKCON Gangasagar expressed its gratitude and appreciation to Maharaj and the devotees from Mayapur for their visit and requested them to come again and bring more devotees with them.
ISKCON Gangasagar also prayed to Maharaj to keep them in his prayers so that they can offer a beautiful temple to Sri Guru and Srila Prabhupada for the pleasure of Lord Sri Krishna. They also wished Maharaj all the best in his preaching and traveling.
All glories to HH Bhakti Vijay Bhagavat Maharaj! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai!
