Devotees Gather to Honour Srila Prabhupada!

Devotees gathered for an intimate afternoon at ISKCON Toronto to glorify Srila Prabhupada on the occasion of the anniversary of his disappearance. It was 31 years ago, on November 14, 1977 that Srila Prabhupada left this world and while it would be understandable for there to be a sombre tone to today’s event, there was a decidedly meditative and reflective mood to the afternoon that left many devotees feeling especially closer to our dearmost Srila Prabhupada.

The afternoon’s events began at 12:00pm with the noon arati and as devotees arrived to the temple, the warm sounds of kirtan embraced them. To begin the program on the right note, the assembled devotees then chanted one full round along with an audio track recording of Srila Prabhupada. Chanting in unison, the program really began on the right note!

Once completed, the focus shifted to our local Prabhupada disciples. In attendance were Praharna devi dasi, Girijadhava das, Bhadra Priya devi dasi, Hara Kumara das and Dharma Prana das. Many of our local SP disciples (we are very fortunate in ISKCON Toronto to have many, many Prabhupada disciples in Toronto) were unable to make it out for the afternoon program, but they were well represented by the attending devotees.

Devotees in attendance were then treated to a slideshow of over 200 rare photos of Srila Prabhupada’s visit to ISKCON Toronto in 1976 as Praharna devi dasi and Girijadhava das shared stories and memories from the early days.

The slideshow presentation was followed by each speaker sharing stirring words of love for Srila Prabhupada that left many devotees overwhelmed with emotion. The afternoon was capped off with an ecstatic singing of Guru-puja, and a viewing of a brand new video entitled “Srila Prabhupada – Our Ever Well-Wisher” (which can be viewed below). A full feast of tantalizing prasadam awaited the assembled devotees as the afternoon came to a close.

The next two Sundays mark the last two weeks of Kartik and we encourage all devotees to invite their family and friends as we continue our themed classes during the Sunday Feasts of this auspicious month: “Worshiping the Lord through His Lila“. Hare Krsna!

The Four-Minute Multimedia Presentation, Shown During the Program, “Srila Prabhupada – Our Ever Well-Wisher”:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOpPFWSp2oY&w=400&h=324]
Picture Gallery from Saturday’s Program: