Holy Name Retreat at Ekachakra

On my arrival at the Kolkata airport on the 10th of December I received my two assistants Alona from Moscow and Tatjana from Moldova, who were just then arriving from Europe, and we traveled out to Mayapur together. It was their very first visit to India, and so many new impressions flooded their minds....

Things were still rather chaotic throughout India in regards to the old 500 Rs and 1000 Rs notes being exchanged for new ones, and the availability of cash was very restricted. Even at the airport one could only change 80 USD per person per day, for a lousy rate. The Bangladeshi devotees had given me whatever small Rupee notes they could find - just to make sure we would have enough cash to buy some bhoga and get settled.

It was wonderful to be back in Mayapur - almost like coming home.....! Many smiling faces greeted me with "welcome back to Mayapur". It was good that we had almost two weeks' time to get ready for our first event here - the Holy Name Retreat at Ekachakra. In this way we were not under big pressure, and I could take my two new companions around Mayapur, explaining all necessary information in order to manage our daily affairs.

A couple of days before traveling out to Ekachakra we celebrated a nice little Vyasa Puja ceremony for HH Niranjana Maharaja in the spacious room on the roof top of the Vaisnava Academy. We had announced the event to the entire Mayapur community, and a few senior devotees attended and also spoke, sharing realizations and personal exchanges with our Guru Maharaja, which uplifted the atmosphere. The mood was sweet and personal, and we concluded the celebration with a nice feast, which was served to around one hundred devotees on the sunny roof top.

The Holy Name Retreat at Ekachakra is always an especially sweet event, which I was thoroughly looking forward to. We gathered a wonderful group of 35 nice and sincere devotees, who were eager to embark onto the transcendental adventure. We had devotees there from all around the world: quite a few from Australia, and also from South Africa, Central Africa, all corners of Europe including Russia, and the United States, South America, India - truly the United Nations, uniting on the platform of chanting the holy name.

It was the first time that I saw our newly opened ISKCON temple with Their beautiful Deities Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra and Lalita and Visakha - very charming, with sweet and cheeky smiles, and Their heads tilted to the sides. Our group happily joined the Mangal Artik, and we chanted japa with all the local devotees in the temple room.
Looking at the old little building where the altar with the Gaur Nitai Deities had been previously, it was hard to imagine that this had been the temple room at some stage.....
As soon as the Deities move, the sanctity also moves.....
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​On our arrival in Ekachakra we visited some of the holy places where Lord Nityananda had performed his pastimes - begging for His mercy to gain deeper access into the chanting of the holy name. ​

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In the Prema-vivarta, chapter 6 we find a nice series of verses describing  the position of the living entity in this material world:

Verse 7: "Roaming about in the material world, taking one birth after another, if by chance the living entity comes in contact with a saintly person, he becomes immediately knowledgeable of his true identity as pure spiritual soul, an eternal servant of Krsna".

We actually can become IMMEDIATELY knowledgeable, but unfortunately in our situation it is not so immediate. Our heart is not prepared, and we still maintain all kinds of hopes for material enjoyment and success. When we come to the stage of being materially exhausted, the grounds within our heart are prepared to receive the seed of bahkti.

Verse 8: "Enlightened by this knowledge he does not want material entanglement any longer and he laments: 'Alas, why have I served this illusory material energy for so long?'

Verse 9: "He bitterly regrets and cries out: 'Krsna, my Lord, I am Your eternal servant. Ever since I left the shelter of Your lotus feet, my life has been completely devastated".

Once this transcendental knowledge of sambandha jnana hits the heart, we deeply realize that we have neglected this loving relationship with the Lord for so many lifetimes, and thus we immediately lament and regret. Unless we feel such lamentation and regret, this knowledge has not yet sunk to the level of the heart. When we lament and regret the fact, that we have ignored this relationship in such stubbornness, then we will turn towards Krsna and call out to Him earnestly.

Verse 10: "Lord Krsna is so merciful that if anyone appeals to Him earnestly, He immediately releases the jiva from material entanglement."

Verse 11: "Lord Krsna fortifies him with his transcendental, internal potency, and this overbearing power of the Lord's spiritual potency weakens maya's influence on the living entity."

And Krsna immediately responds to such appeal by protecting His devotee from maya's influence. It is almost mysterious! Krsna in such personal way responds to the quality of feeling with which a devotee approaches Him when chanting His holy name!

​These retreats in Ekachakra are always most special! It is a perfect place for going in seclusion, undergoing some internal work on our hearts and deepening our relationship with the holy name. Ekachakra is the original Vrindavan - only cows and farmers! So peaceful, without any distractions. Even no network for internet! Kali Yuga does not seem to have reached this corner of the world yet. And of course Lord Nityananda's mercy is more tangibly available....
Being in a small group of like-minded devotees created a very personal and intimate atmosphere, and the evening kirtans were especially sweet - something I always miss the most throughout my life....!

On the 28th of December we returned to Mayapur - in pain of separation from Ekachakra Dham......

Your servant, Devaki dd