Sankirtana Report in Belo Horizonte
"Sangita – Sankirtana for the Guru and Sankirtana for the Temple"
In Belo Horizonte, as we have reported few times before, we started a new program called “Sangita”, and it has been giving good results. It has been happening since the beginning of the last year (2012) and it consists of performing sankirtana and harinama with many devotees together, from senior devotees to kids, aiming not only to encourage the missionary spirit but also to strengthen the friendship. The Sangita happens every Sunday in the Belo Horizonte Handicraft Fair, one of the largest fairs in the world, in a very sustainable and familiar way. All we get from the book distribution is given to one guru in a Sunday, and tho the temple in the other Sunday.
Since its beginning, the program has been growing every week and we've been getting transcendental results. The whole congregation has welcomed the program and almost all the devotees from BH have attended it – some of them more often, some less often, but all of them come with a lot of enthusiasm and help with great dedication.
In this initiative, all the time that a guru or a distinguished devotee comes to visit BH, we invite him/her to attend the book distribution with us , and in the end, as a surprise, we donate all that we've got from it as a Dakshina to that person.
The guru who received that most recently was HH Dhanvantari Swami Gurudeva, who is the godfather of the Sangita, and who gave me all the support and blessings when he gave me the idea of starting this program in Belo Horizonte, when I was still at the seminar in Campina Grande, in 2011! In October 2012, we had the honour to welcome Gurudev and the devotees from the seminar in BH, who always bring a lot of devotion and enthusiasm to all the devotees. They stayed here for 4 days and we were aware that they would leave before Sunday, so they wouldn't be able to attend the program. So all the devotees of the temple mobilized to attend the Sangita destined to Dhanvantari Swami on the other Sunday, previous to their arrival. Eighteen devotees attended it, and 115 books were distributed, and we got 300 Reais (Brazilian currency) for the Dakshina.
On Saturyda night, when Gurudeva prepared a beautiful solemnity to hand over the certificates to the seminiarists of the previous years, in the end we surprised him, giving him the Dakshina, after a beautiful speech by Bn Gita (13 years old). We also gave him a picture of all of those who attended the program and we gave a Bhagavad-Gita for HG Yamunacarya prabhu, who was accompanying him talking about his experience in distributing books in the Sangita. Gurudev was very happy and thankful to everyone.
Since this is the last report of Sangita of the year, now we will look back at what happened in this program in 2012. Amongst the Gurus and Sannyasis who attended it, we had the honour to watch and to do sankirtana with HH Purushatraya Swami, HH Jayadvaita Swami and HH Bhakti Narasinha Swami. Amongst the great senior devotees who also have given us their mercy, we can name HG Lokasaksi Prabhu, (he was the first senior devotee to attend the program, paving the way for the gurus and others also to come), HG Mukti Hetu Mataji, HG Mahadyuti Prabhu, HG Dhavali prabhu – president of the CE and the CGB, HG Nanda Kumara Prabhu – president of the Bhaktivedanta Foundation and the BBT, HG Vijaya Marga das – president of New Gokula.
ü The devotees from Belo Horizonte who attended the Sangita:
Amongst the devotees from Belo Horizonte, we had the honour to watch the return of many senior devotees who have not been going out for sankirtana, and who were back to distributing books in our program. The great sankirtana couple Rama Kantha das and his wife Rasa Parayana devi dasi, who are always present, brought their daugther Sarasvati (who is only 11 years old) to the program and she sets the world on fire doing sankirtana. The great sankirtana devotee Jay Lakshmi Prabhu, along with his daughters, Ananda Agni and Gita, and Mukunda Das also gave us the honour of their association.
Narasinhadeva das and Amrta Visnupriya devi dasi, apart from distributing many books, also sing with such a great devotion in the harinama, that they make everyone's heart melt in the fair. Vasudeva Katha das, Maha Krishna Nam das, Dharma das, Bn Sita Rubino, have also helped a lot in the program, distributing many books and being always present. Our president Sri Krishna Murti das, his wife Bn Lissandra, and Trilokesvara das, our transcendental pujari, have also done a great job in the sankirtana. One devotee that is also noteworthy is Bk Kleber, who were present almost every Sunday, and has always being there on time.
Kamalakshi Rupini devi dasi also proved to be a great sankirtana devotee, and in a certain Sunday, Bn Gita and her distributed books to almost all the people working on the fair, creating a new form of Sangita: distributing the books to the owners of the stands. Gita's sister, Bn Ananda Agni, also made a great pair with Bn Sita Rubino, distributing books, and she was also the official photographer.
Bk Junior and his wife Bn Andreia, along with their daughters Laksmi Narayana devi dasi and Bn Janavi taught us how to do sankirtana as a family. Janavi, who is only 11 years old, was a great revelation in the sankirtana. Balarama Nitai das, Laksmi Narayana's husband, is part of that wonderful family who comes from the city of São Joaquim de Bicas – Farofa neighborhood!
Purna Candra das and his wife Mani Kundalika devi dasi, distributed many books. Suresvara das, his daughter Bn Joice, and his granddaughter Bn Cecilia, Jay Gouranga das, Bhadra devi dasi, Mitravinda Devi Dasi, and Premanjali Devi Dasi, also attended the program. Bk Lucas, Bn Maria Raquel, Bn Marina, Bn Raíssa, also participated actively. Bala Gopala devi dasi and her beautiful little daughter Chloe, who is only 5 years old, lit up the program, and the transcendental couple Krishna Sukha Das and Prema Sagara devi dasi, also attended with their kids many times. Other devotees who also attended and contributed a lot for the program were: Jagannatha Baladeva Das (who also helped a lot in the harinama), Adytia Das, Bn Fernanda, Bk Leônidas, Bk Fabricio, Bk Luis, Bn Moema, Bk Bruno and Bk Oxer.
In a total, 52 devotees from Belo Horizonte took part on this initiative!
Regarding devotees from other cities, states, and countries, we had the enlightening presense of many sankirtana devotees from different places. To start with Minas Gerais, the family that always visit us, coming from Luz city, consisting of Bk Wellinton, his wife and 4 kids is a guaranteed presence. Coming from Viçosa, Mukunda Hari das, his wife Sri Nathaji devi dasi, and their beautiful child Hari, who is only 3 years old, always distribute many books and give joy to the program. Another devotee who is from Minas Gerais but who is a great world traveler and always attend the Sangita with a lot of happiness, leaving a little his mrdanga aside to distribute the books is Jaya Kirtana Rasa, always accompanied by Vraja Lila Devi Dasi. After the sankirtana, Kirtana Rasa again takes his mrdanga and then everyone knows what happens, right?
Whenever Daruka Das comes, now half from Minas and half from Northeast, he shows why he is a great sankirtana leader. Along with his wife, Kunti Maharani Devi Dasi, he always attends the program with a lof of enthusiasm. Even Yogi, their son, who is only 4 months old, took part on the program, but at that time he was still in his mother's womb! Devaki Suta das, from Divinópolis – MG, who lives now in Goura Vrindavana, gives us the honour of his association in the Sangita whenever he comes to BH.
As the people from Minas use to say, “just there very close”, from Rio de Janeiro, many devotees already attended the Sangita: Govinda Gopal das, Nityananda Prana, Nityananda Raya das, Nrsimhananda das and Dhira Caitanya das. From São Paulo, whenever they come to BH, Ishavatara das is certain to attend the initiative. Raghuvira Das, Advaita Candra das, and Vana Vijari devi dasi are representatives from Brasília. From New Gokula and Franco da Rocha, Peru and Chile, we welcomed many guests in the transcendental Sunday festival after the Ratha-Yatra, when we had our greatest Sangita, and at that time there were also devotees from Rio, São Paulo, Russia and other places. In the occasion of the meeting of the CGB ministeries in BH, we received devotees from all over the country, like HG Narayana Patni devi dasi, from Rio, who went on sankirtana for the first time, Srimate mataji, Bn Áurea, Krishna Parayana das, Bandhu Caitanya das, Guruprema das, and others. So, as we can see, the Sangita goes from Oiapoque to Chuí!
Coming from Peru, a quartet consisting of Sadhu Syam Das, Nila Calacandra Das, Isvara Das, and Advaita Thakura Das, always attend the program. Amongst nuetros hermanos from Argentina, we have Panca Tattva Das, Jagan Nivas das, Bk Guilhermo Ramos, Bk Edgard Aad and Bk Arjuna Rubino.
Closing with a flourish, in the first Sangita of December, we had the presence of Ajamil Prabhu, distributing books with us in the same way he does kirtanas and bhajanas, just imagine! Ajamil Prabhu is a great sankirtana leader from India. What we got from that Sangita was given as Dakshina in the end of the year to Jayapataka Swami!
A total of more than 30 devotees from other cities, states, and countries attended the initiative. All of them donated whatever they've got from the book distribution! More than 46 devotees participated, including the gurus and senior devotees.
In 2012, the program went on for 9 months, and we wanted to mention the name of everyone, since the Sangita can happen only due to the union, support, and attendence of all those devotees. So, the result of this initiative is a combination of love and surrender of each of us. Below is the result of such initiative, and everything was offered to Lord Krishna:
ü Total of Lakshmi given to the temple of BH: R$ 3,320.00 (three thousand and three hundred twenty reais)
This Lakshmi was used to do many repairs, and daily expenses. Few examples are: we bought a new phone, repaired the fridge, printed out the sankirtanana letters for the sankirtana wall, etc.
ü Total of Dakshina: Lakshmi for the gurus and senior devotees: R$ 2,580.00 (two thousand five hundred and eighty reais) – This was shared amongst them all – each guru and senior devotee received a Dakshina according to the result of each day.
The gurus and senior devotees who received that were: Dhanvantari Swami, Purushatraya Swami, Lokasaksi Prabhu, Candramukha Swami, Bhakti Dhira Damodara Swami, Bhakti Narasinha Swami, Mahadyuti Prabhu, Lilamrta prabhu (we sent a donation to help paying the hospital expenses where this great sankirtana devotee who is loved by us all was recovering). The programs that received Dakshina: the CGB treasury, and New Gokula farm.
We also had the “Sangita 72 hours”: the devotees went out on sankirtana and all they've got was destined to lower the price of the bus payed by the devotees to take them to the 72 hours kirtana. This action was a homage to Prabhu Vaikunta Murti. In that day, 17 devotees distributed 80 books and got 220 reais!
Total of books distributed: 2183
There were 1986 small books; 20 medium books; 55 big books; 122 Maha big books
Guests that came to the temple thanks to this initiative:
We don't know what is the exact number of people who came to the temple thanks to the Sangita, but we can say that there were many. In several festivals, when we were announcing the results of the Sangita, we had the honour to introduce some person who went to the temple because he/she had met the devotees that same day through the Sangita. Amongst those people, we consider that five of them are quite engaged, attending the classes and helping somehow.
Just to finish, I'd like to thank everyone from the botton of my heart. And I want to thank specially all the devotees from Belo Horizonte (which is my hometown), for welcoming my wife Sita Rubino in such a lovingly manner during this year that we lived at the temple. Sita and I are leaving to Northeast Brazil, to live in New Vraja Dhama, and we already have everything planned with Daruka prabhu to start the Sangita in Caruaru. In that way, Sangita will spread all over Brazil. So, I humbly request the blessings from all the devotees so that this initiative might get developed in Caruaru, and so that it can continue more and more in a transcendental manner in Belo Horizonte, being now coordinated by Narasimhadeva Das and Dharma Das. Belo Horizonte, with the distinguished presence of the so mercyful Lord Jagannatha Swami, Sri Baladeva and Srimate Subhadra Maharani, and Sri-Sri Goura-Nitai, has the blessings of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and every day more and more love is showered upon the city. May our dear president, Sri Krishna Murti das, and his team keep caring for the devotees as they do, in such a lovingly way!
I offer my most sincere and humble obeisances unto all the Vaishnavas; they are just like desire trees, who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and who are full of mercy for the fallen conditioned souls.
Your servant,
Premasindhu das BhS (DVS)
