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By Jyoti

Om Vishnupad 108 Tridandi Swami Sri Srimat Bhakti Sravan Tirtha Goswami Maharaj ki Jai !

This year, Baba tricked us into attending Sri Nrisingha Chaturdashi. We had anticipated, back in November/December 2009, that Baba's Samadhi Mandir would be completed and inaugurated by Dol Purnima - Baba's appearance day - and we would surely attend. That was not possible as there was still a considerable amount of work to do. Then we planned for May 2010, Nrisingha Chaturdashi, thinking that would be definite. Then Adhik Maas came and for one reason or the other, things just did not move on the construction. Although everything was finalised and agreed, the materials just did not arrive until 15th May.

By that time however, we had booked our tickets and decided that we would attend Sri Nrisingha Chaturdashi even if Baba's Mandir was not ready yet.

With great anticipation and joy, a few of us travelled to Bhubaneswar on 22nd May to spend 8-9 days in Baba's ashram and participate in the Nrisingha Chaturdashi celebrations, among other things.

Here are a few pictures from our visit:

One last glimpse of Baba's original samadhi before it was covered over with cement, in preparation for laying the marble.

Decorated for Sri Nrisingha Chaturdashi

We had the privilege of decorating Baba's samadhi for Nrisingha Chaturdashi. Baba's Samadhi Mandir is almost over.

The Mandir has come out beautifully and is a testimony to Baba's style and grandeur. The Chuda or gopuram work is exquisite. Sri Nrisingha Bhagawan's temple has also been upgraded to match Baba's structure.

Fourteen tonnes of the finest Makrana marble have been procured from Rajasthan for Baba's Mandir.

The first marble slap laid in the Samadhi Mandir

A mandap of eighteen pillars will surround the mandir, for which work is going on round the clock.

Since we had time, we also visited the ancient temple of Khirachora Gopinath at Remuna, Balasore. This temple houses a very ancient deity of Gopinath, which was carved by Sri Rama Himself in the Treta Yuga. We also paid a visit to the samadhi sthal of the great Vaishnava saint, Srila Madhavendra Puri.

Sri Nrisingha Chaturdashi 2010 was celebrated with usual festivity and enthusiasm on 27th May. Amid the unrelenting heat and humidity, as well as the ongoing construction work in Baba's Samadhi Mandir, the occasion was celebrated with great fervour.

Everything went off without a hitch - the kirtan, the havan, the prasad, the aarti and the bhandara. Around 500 people honoured the Mahaprasad.

Around 11 o'clock Baba's deity was brought down to the accompanyment of Naam and as soon as He took his seat, the atmosphere was electrified. The sankirtan seemed to come alive and my sister, of all the people, who was fanning Baba, suddenly started dancing, pulling her dupatta over her face, in the manner of a Gopi. Afterwards she asked, "What happened? Is the aarti over?"

Finally, just around 12:15 p.m.,the bhog articles were offered and after a gap of 15 minutes, the aarti took place, to the sound of loud and jubilant naam sankirtan.

Sri Nrisingha Bhagawan graced our efforts by partaking of the bhog. Everyone saw the wonderful occurance again, clear, deep finger-prints in the rice offered to the Lord.

The mahaprasad was delicious - every item was perfection itself.

On our last day Sunday 30th May, in the morning, there was a commotion in the Ashram, when clear, unmistakable footprints, or rather footwear-prints were found on Baba's bedcover in his room on the first floor. As everyone knows, the rooms are kept locked and it is impossible for anyone to go up except through the ground floor entrance...

The prints were in several places on the bedover in the Bhubaneswar bedroom of Baba, not anywhere else. The sandy marks were stuck to the bedcover as if damp sandals or slippers had been placed on the sheet.

As the material of the bedcover is shiny, the marks could be seen more clearly from an angle only and the camera flash was reflecting the light back. One mark was visible very prominently - seen here...

It seemed as if Baba had gone around inspecting the work at the Samadhi Mandir and hence his sandals had mud on them.... While we were trying to rationalise the incident in various ways, Baba was probably having a good laugh.

How blessed we are! In the midst of our mundane lives, by the grace of the Guru, we are able to gain access - albeit briefly - into a transcendental plane of existence, where the Supreme Lord compassionately shows us that He has accepted our offerings and our Divine Gurudev leaves signs to indicate that although we can't see Him, He can see us.

Vande Guru Sri Charanaravindam !

Jai Guru !!

Jai Sri Radhey !!

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