Were blessed with a visit today from one of India’s important religious leaders, Shri Shri 1008 Swami Shri Gopal Sharan Devacharya Ji Maharaj.

He is the successor to the renowned Shri Shri 1008 Swami Shri Lalita Sharan Devacharya Ji Maharaj, of the ancient Sri Nimbarka Sampradaya branch of Vaishnavism.

This great Vaishnava sage, Shri Shri 1008 Swami Shri Lalita Sharan Devacharya Ji Maharaj, attained Maha Samadhi in 2005.

The seat of this particular parampara is based in Vrindavan with an ashram also in Delhi.

see: www.golokdham.org

Shri Goloka Dhama Peethadhishwara Sadh Gurudeva Dharmaratna Shri 1008 Swami Gopala Sharana Devacharya Ji Maharaja is the 52nd acharya of the sampradaya, now the Peethadheeshwar of Shri Golok Dham Ashram.

He was given to his Guru for training by his parents at the age of 5 and took Sannyas at the age of 9. He later excelled as a great sanskrit scholar after years of study and sadhana in Kashi (VaranasI) and was given the title of Dharamratan. You can read his biography by clicking here.

Today swami and the brahmachari with him joined in the worship during the morning Siva puja in Kadavul, chanting Siva slokas and doing abhishekam with Paramacharya Ceyonswami. Here they are seen chanting after abhishekam before the final arati.

Swami met Gurudeva in Bangalore in 1995 and has read Hinduism today through the years. For years he wanted to visit Kauai Aadheenam and he finally made it.

We took him on a tour with his hosts to the Rudraksha forest and Iraivan.

Worshipping at the Swayambhu Sivalingam.

Swami’s lineage, though Vaishnava, has many characteristics parallel to our own. Followers of Nimbarka are dedicated to maintaining not only worship of the Guru but the full tradition of scripture, temple worship and a complete culture based on the Vedas.

While being very orthodox in their own practice and denomination, they have a very open spirit of brotherhood with all other denominations of Hinduism.

Our managing editor, Arumugaswami conducts a revealing interview. We discovered in so many ways
how like-minded we were.

Swami has established 78 Radha-Krishna temples around the world. He came today with devotees from Los Angeles and Northridge, California where one of those temples is being built.

Swawi expressed some concerns about so many “self-appointed” so-called Gurus who were not rooted in any parampara or sampradaya, who nurtured a cult of personality at the expense of the tradition.

He has a goal to create 108 temples. “One mala of temples!” he says.

He is a learned and yet sweet and humble soul.

Bodhinatha arrives to greet him with a shawl.

He invites Bodhinatha and the swamis to come stay with him at his ashram in Delhi or Vrindavan.

Swami has lunch with all the monks.

Toward the end, he praised the Aadheenam for being such a place of tradition and following the strict ways, and being firmly based on Parampara.

We were very blessed to have Swami join us today and felt we had established a strong bond of Hindu Solidarity with another ally in the work of bringing Sanatana Dharma forward to the next generation.

Manikandan, one our great stone Artisans, has been carving this sacred sign above the sanctum doorway of the Iraivan Temple. “Siva Siva” in the Tamil language, and before its completion the stone will also be highly polished.

Disappointed at missing the scheduled weekly Tour Day, John and Leticia Afford were overjoyed to be shown the gardens and the Iraivan Temple today before leaving the Island.
“What a wonderful spiritual paradise this is” said Leticia.
“This has really made our stay here complete.”

The May Sunday Homa was a most special event honored by the presence of Paramacharya Palaniswami at the Spiritual Park of Mauritius. The members of the Park have long been preparing for this visit…

A large crowd of devotees were already there to to bring their offerings to Lord Pancha Ganapati! Every sishya pulled together as usual, to help on that day, like taking care of the offerings brought by hundreds of devotees.

In the meantime another group of sishyas led the bajans inside the Ganesha Mandapam…

It is 10.30 AM… Paramacharya Palaniswami arrives at the main gate. Devotees rush forward to greet Paramacharya Palaniswami and Yogi Jivanandanatha.

Before going into the Ganesha Mandapam, Paramacharya Palaniswami inaugurates the newly built Ganesha Bridge….

The Ganesha Bridge is now open and is the sweet fruit of dedicated efforts of generous sponsors and loving devotees who helped in its construction..

Young girls have been strewing flowers all way down ….

The Sunday Homa ceremony is officiated Paramacharya Palaniswami and Yogi. Everything is now ready to start….

Young dancers performed a beautiful dance over the new bridge.

The dance over, Yogi Jivanandanatha surprised everyone with the beautiful sanskrit chanting. One visitor to the Park later said to us,” I was very impressed by that ceremony…”.

Two baskets containing almost a thousand prayers were to go into the Homa fire…

Paramacharya Palaniswami graciously putting all the written prayers into the fire.

Gurudeva explained that once the notes consumed by the sacred fire, they will reappear in the inner worlds to be attended by the devas.

The ceremony ends with the final rituals of ghee offering….

Kulapati Manon introduced Paramacharya Palaniswami and invited Paramacharya to address the devotees present.

Paramacharya Palaniswami shared Bodhinatha’s message and good wishes to all those present and thanked the public for supporting and being concerned about the development of the Park. Paramacharya also stressed on Ganesha worship here and in the home shrine. …

After the talk Paramacharya Palaniswami walked down the property. Devotees would be rushing forward to touch Paramacharya Palaniswami’s feet. At times there was such a pull that Paramacharya Palaniswami could not move one step further! Paramacharya had to lean on Kulapati Manon’s shoulders…

We are about to reach the Muruga Mandapam where close by Paramacharya Palaniswami has spotted an area for a rudraksha forest.

Paramacharya Palaniswami prepares to put into the soil a first plant that had sprouted at Kauai Aadheenam under his loving care.

The plant is ceremoniously put into the soil by Paramacharya Palaniswami helped by Dayananda and Sivarathna…

The little blue marble tree will now be growing at a place where sunshine is in abundance and other rudraksha plants would follow soon…. Some more photos of the Sunday Homa coming on next TAKA… Till then…