There’s something to be said about celebrations marking the appearance (advent) of Lord Nityananda. It’s always a sweet and intimate affair! Lord Nityananda appeared as Lord Chaitanya’s principal associate for spreading the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. He especially spread the holy name of the Lord throughout Bengal. He is considered an incarnation of Lord Balarama.
The entire festival was themed on the translation of the seventh verse of the Nityanandastaka, a poetic composition that glorifies Lord Nityananda: “I worship Lord Nityananda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service. He traveled on every path, dancing, singing the names of Lord Hari, and describing His glories. Without considering His own interests, He was merciful to the people, and He cast upon them His merciful sidelong glance.”
Celebrations featured a class by HG Rohini Priya das, focused on the mercy of Lord Nityananda as described in the above quote. This was followed by the singing of a beautiful bhajan, “Nadiya Godrume”. As the bhajan was being sung, festival attendees got a chance to come forward and write a message to Lord Nityananda on pieces of paper cut in the shape of leaves. These leaves were then hung from a giant “tree of devotional service”, referenced in the quote. Small Deities of Caitanya and Nityananda were then placed on a palanquin and taken around the temple room, “travelling on every path, dancing and singing”. The 8pm arati followed with sweet kirtan and a wonderful feast awaited everyone at the end of the evening. Amidst everything, we also officially launched Toronto’s Hare Krishna Internet Radio! It was indeed a sweet and intimate festival!
