Eigllte(n
Da_y.s - Sri Paittu-tolt!ilts
Maydpur-lild
but in short the conception was that Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ancl His asso- ciates are all dancir-rg, no one is in a static pose. Everyone is dancing in ecstasy in lhe sa.ilztr tana movement. I was fortunate enough to be present at the casting of Lord Nityanancla, and I could appreciate firsthand how amazing the environment was. Although the work- shop was a crude and simple craftsrnan facility, the presence of over one hundred devotees chanting changecl the entire atrnosphere. That morning I prayed at the Sri Rangadiya Temple at Sri Rangaksetra (as well as other temples along the way) for the successfirl casting of Lord Nityananda. When we reached Kumbakonarn we were told that at ten o'clock at night they would begin casting. Before the casting I was asked to read ou| a saikalpa, which is a Sanskrit text explaining that we are about to perform a sacrifice. The sacrifice was the casting o[ the image, which was intended to be installed as the deity in the future. When the casting begarr, although I could see that this was an inclustrial process fronr one perspective, the whole experience left all of us moved deeply, as we all knew something divine was happening - the Lord was taking His form to be installed as a worshipable deity in Maydpur, and would be worshipped in this way by millions o[ people every year. The process of bringing tl-re Lord is actually the invitation o[ a great spiritual mas- ter and the desire of the devotees, so since His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanra Swami Prabhupdda has given this instruction, we know that he is actually the per- son who is installing these cleities through the via medium of his various represen- tatives. With this consciousness, different devotees contributed at the various stages oI installation. This book, which comlllemorates the auspicious arrival and installation of Sri PaRca-tattva, along with the Special Edition ol Bach to Godhead rnagazine , and The Advent of Panca-tattva, (the book published by Ganga Dasa and BhAgavararnrta Dasa) all give a different perspective on the cleclication and inspiration the devotees have for worshiping these deities. I am profoundly moved that I had any role ro play in the lila of Sri Paflca-tattva's appearance in the florm o[ this qrca-ayatara, or
xii
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online