Kelidhya! Mettilotsava suddhi kelidhya….

E time Pittsburghnalli illavanthe….

Naavu Canadage hoga bekanthe

Puthigeshree avara iccheyanthe

10th anniversarianna alli maada bekanthe..

Kelidhya! Mettilotsava bagge kelidhya!!!

News spread like wildfire! All the planning for 10th

anniversary that started in full swing stopped suddenly.

Then, the email/ phone call conveying that we were to

go to Canada Krishna Vrundavana, popped up. We

were speechless simply because we will not be meeting

one & all. The annual event had become so dear to all

that it was eagerly looked forward to. Labour day

weekend means Mettilotsava at Pittsburgh. Period.

When my son called to say he will be coming home

labour day weekend “ why” was the puzzled question

along with the expression! Did u forget its Mettilotsava

at Pittsburgh? That’s how much the event & calendar

has been ingrained in us! So on hearing the news there

was confusion & added to it was the question, how we

were going to climb the mettilu without any mettilu?

Finally, the much anticipated labor day weekend

(September 2- 5) 10th Annual mettilotsava program

event day arrived and most folks from East, North East,

Michigan, Toronto and other parts of Canada started to

converge at the newly opened up Krishna Vrundhavana

in Toronto, Canada. Ganeshana visarjana being

Saturday, we did that & headed for Canada not knowing

what to expect. Not for us both since we had been there

for Upakarma( we r going to go there every yr!!! God

willing!) & were warmly received by Canadian

bandhugaLus. The only kushi was, we had to drive for 4

hrs instead of 6 hrs for Pittsburgh. We were 10 families

from Michigan this time. Well, actually we also had a

waiting time of 1 hr at the border. Did not crib because

previous year Canada folks spent 5 hrs at the border

Though we left only on Sat to Canada, the festivity

started on Friday evening itself.

Friday evening was an evening escalated to a musical

heaven. Prasanna, who has behind him 6500 songs that

he performed as a playback singer, also a judge for the

famous “Sangeeta Mahayuddam” of Sun TV in Chennai

was credited by His Holiness Sri Sri Sugunendra

Theetha as having converted the Krishna Vrundavana

into ''Sri Krishna Gaana Vrunda''. It was simply

enthralling it seems….poor out of towners…missed this

event…. Though the actual event started on Friday

evening itself most folks from out of town, I mean

country, trickled in only by Saturday morning/ afternoon

Saturday morning we had maha puje by Srigalu

followed by sumptuous meal well coordinated by the

matha volunteers. Unbelievable team work! A sight to

cherish…

Saturday evening was a double dose of our ithihasa. .

“Rama Krishnaru vrundavanake bandaru swagata

maadiro” The early evening started with much

anticipated performance by the Buffalo group “Sita

Kalyanam”. Members of the Sampradaya Bhajana

Mandali from Buffalo arrived to perform Seeta Kalyanam

at the temple. It was a 3 hours musical program with

Bhajans. The Bhajan’s were made even more interesting

and appealing by adding choreographed performance on

stage by inviting children, youth and the adults for

performing the rituals as part of the Seeta Kalyana. Sri

Krishna Vrundavan was transformed into Mithila city!

“…Kalyanam Seetha kalyaNam kalyaNam Seetha

kalyaNam! KalyaNave namma Raama Sri Seethege!.....”

was performed in grand style with dasaru songs.

Kalyanam started with Sri Vigneswara Puja …”modhal

vandipe ninage Gananaatha”…and Sri

Vasanthamadhava Puja by Canada Krishna Vrundava

Priest Shankar Narayana Achar followed by Raama

naama Dhyanam & guru dhyana slokas.

One & all participated in devotional singing with lots of

gusto & enthusiasm. Arashina kuttodhu or “Muthu

Kuththal” done with oraLu was the highlight of the event.

Jahnavi had draped herself in kacche (9 gaja seere!).

HeNNu noda function saw colourful pattu sarees &

glittering diamond and gold ornaments to mention a few.

Bhagavathar Sri Nagarajan described the Kalyana

Vaibhava. Noothana vastra samarpaNam to Sri Rama &

Sri Seetha amidst vedha ghosha by dampatigalu

Smt.Jhanvi, Sri Bindu and Smt.Shobha, Sri.Srinivasan

followed.

Kanyadhaanam & Paanigrahanam were preceded by Sri

Seetha Pravaram & Sri Rama Pravaram. Maangalya

puja was with Sri Suktham recitation & Maangalya

Dhaaranam was by chanting the mesmerizing mantra

“maangalyam thanthu naanena jagajjeevana hethunaa””.

Even Nagavali & Oonjal seva were performed by singing

“Laali BrahmaadigaLu kShIrasaagarakkE pOgi”.

SwamagaLu recd Aachaarya Sambhavana & “Jaya

Mangalam nitya Subha Mangalam” completed the

kalyanotsava!

Happiness that overflowed on seeing the group after

nearly 10 yrs, for few from States had to be seen to be

believed. All full of smiles!! Vaayellam pallu(

tamil)…Andha naal gnyabagam nenjile vandhadhe!!(

more tamil…)

Following the Seeta Kalyanam, we had the evening

Thottilu seva at the matha. As part of the puje, Tulasi

was kept in the middle & men danced around it singing

songs. It was so contagious that when the same was

done the next day, more men joined willingly! true to “

lajje bittu kuniyirembo kagadha bandhidhe” The desire

for kolatta by ladies sprung in our minds! Satsangha has

its own merits. Kolu kolenna kole, kolu kolenna kole!!!

Next time??

Raghavendra avaru performed Durga pooje with utmost

devotion. Silk saree wrapped around tall deepada

kamba decorated with flowers. That was to be

performed for 48 days..mandala

Later that evening was the “Yaksha Gaana”. We had

had a prior taste of the same few years back but were

totally unprepared for what unfolded before us. We were

blessed with Shri Lord Krishna’s arrival as part of the

epic Mahabharata. Sri Krishna Sandhaana, The arrival

of Lord Krishna to avoid the war between Kauravas and

Pandavas, was performed in the coastal Karnataka folk

art called Yaksha Gaana by the Yaksha Mitra Group of

Toronto. The group was just awesome …Krishna,

Vidhura & Duryodhana enacted a scene from

Mahabharatha..”sandhana” episode. The acting was

unparalleled, with poetic & humorous lyrics cleverly

woven & mono syllables giving a touch of sarcasm. We

don’t come across yaksha gaana often & hence enjoyed

to our hearts content! so much so the Puthige

SrigaLavaru could not help reminiscing about his days

as a kid when that was the order of the day.

Next we all headed to, where else, dining hall. With

Jilepis to savour this time along with bonda, with

stomach & mind brimming with satisfaction, we were in

shushupthi! It was a joy to watch Raghuram Bhat &

Shankar Bhat along with their better halves Chaitra &

Archana organize the entire event. I should say

volunteering fever is catching one & all. Even out of

towners joined the locals to pitch-in where ever the gaps

are to smoothly move things along. A good & welcome

sign

Sunday morning as usual we all headed for the

Vrundhvana and were there sharply at 8:15 AM. Before

we realized it was already 9 AM and there was no sign

of mettilotsava starting. Then comes Bindu avaru with

the announcement that we will first have Sudhashana

Homa followed by mudhra dharane and then the

mettilotsava will follow. I guess this was to ensure lot

more folks from Canada also participate in this unique

first for the Canada Vrundhavana. All of us converged

around the Homa area. It is a wonderful experience to

watch Shri Raghavendra perform the home with utmost

devotion, shraddha and meticulous care. After

Sahasranaama chanting whilst Sudarshana homa was

going on & lots of other shlokas, it was time for Mudre

dharaNe. As soon as the homa was over, all of us

eagerly lined up for the mudhra dharaNe. Kids as young

as 4 yrs, yep, 4 yrs had mudre done. Whist some of us

were scared like a scaredy cat, this kid Sumukh was

smiling shyly & got his chakra in the stomach. And this

was his 2nd

in 5 mths. He, definitely, is a saatvic kid! Of

course he let out an ear piercing scream but was

hopping around like a bunny in few mins!

Finally, the much awaited mettilotsava program started.

The idol of Krishna was placed in a palanquin, two

graceful hamsa pakshis carved on either side, with all

pomp & show & Mettilotsava began! With around 10 of

the men carrying the palanquin in all humility & each

thinking “ idhuu baghyaa idhu baaghyaa idhu

baaghyvaiyya.” Two torch bearers & two men holding

flags on either side of the palanquin & with entire group

singing devara naama, Venkataramanane baaro &

others according to Taratamya, the group inched its way

forward!!!! Krishna vrundaavanadolag indhaa, Udupi

KrishNa, palanquinalli meradhu bandha!!!! Hearts

jumped with joy…just like Udupi Rathotsava!!

Mettilotsava began. Divine vibration was felt in every

nerve in the body. One full pradakshina around the

mata & Krishna was taken inside. As soon as the

Krishna entered the Vrundhavana, with mela thaaLa in

full swing, the palanquin was made to swing from side to

side, what an experience for all of us….. Krishna,

Krishna, Krishna endhu nooru baari heliro!!! Krishna was

then gently kept in puje peeta. With more veda gosha

chanting, Swamagalu started the maha puje, with

jangatte, matthala & shanka dwani & mangalaarathi “

ishtu dina ee vaikunta elli ittho ennuthalidhe?? Mind

jumped to say “u would not have experienced this in

Pittsburgh”. All this in an empty stomach…

Morning puje by SrigaLavaru was in full swing. Are we

in Udupi?? was the question in our minds. Had to pinch

ourselves couple of times to make sure. Automatically

mind started comparing between mata (Canada) &

campsite (Pittsburgh). With Hari Vaayu & Gurugalu in

front of us, colourful, eye pleasing & hence mind

pleasing flowers, haaraas, alankaras & variety of

mangalaarathies divine atmosphere was unfolding. We

could not have had this at Pittsburgh quipped the mind

all the time greedily trying to capture & imprison

everything in our minds. As always volunteers were

lending a helping hand in Kitchen & general organizing.

Soon theertha preceeded theertha prasada & we were

requested to come as a couple/family. Janardan was

before us, he is tall..very tall & his better half was

nowhere to be found..as we neared the destination I

mentioned that he had to have Vidya also & pat came

the cool reply” keep watching! She will appear from

nowhere just when my turn nears” I looked around in

vain to spot her but as he said just before his turn ! lo &

behold! There she was!!! Telepathy???

Lunch was in full swing with holige. Special mention

should be made of the two adiyavarus, Kodanja &

Ranganatha who were very friendly with one & all.

Mouthwatering, lip smacking & finger licking edibles. Do

you know the difference among haalu payasa, sarkare

payasa & haalu sarkare paysa? was the question asked

& I stared blankly at the poser! Is there something like

that? Aren’t they all the same? “No” said Guruprasad,

SwamagLu’s helper! U have to taste them to agree!!!!

So much for the taste buds! They were cooking nonstop

for the 100 plus people. And Shankar (Harshala’s

brother) was there to lend his services..a fine young man

full of humility! Srigalavaru, ever smiling, served holiges

to all present!!! We are definitely in Udupi!!.

Sunday Afternoon After elaborate lunch (always sit

down)( we were served 9 course oota) we all, as is the

norm, crowded around Sri Keshav avaru to hear his

lectures. The topic of discussion was to quell the fact

that jeeva has “teeny tiny” independence.”. So the

matter was dissected from every angle & some left more

convinced that jeeva is a puppet with feelings &

experience, some needed prodding whilst some were

not convinced…jeeva traividya??

A quiz program for the youth (ages between 10 and

25) was organized on Spiritualism and Sanathana

dharma as part of the 50th year celebration of His

Holiness. Majority of the children that participated were

in the age group of 8 years and 16 years. While the

parents were looking for answers to the quiz the children

were jumping in joy shouting "I know the answer......". It

was a great excitement amongst the children

participating in this event. There were questions for

parents too and for a change parents got chocolate for

answering it right.

Sunday Evening: Aptly it had been planned to felicitate

SrigaLavaru with kanakaabhisheka on his golden day.

He was made to sit in his peeta. While silk turban

adorned his head, garland of flowers decorated his neck.

Bindu avaru did abhisheka with kanaka coins & was

followed by few others also.

Then SrigaLavaru opined how he was puzzled by the

question “how can there be Mettilotsava without mettilu”

He said being his golden birthday, that was mettilu for

him. He has reached the 50th mettilu & had many more

to go! He mentioned how an astrologer had predicted

he will live for 33 yrs. He was 50 & going strong. This

was thanks to, continued SrigaLavaru, the

nindahakarus!!! Every time someone criticized him or his

activities they added more yrs to his life!! he said, amidst

thunderous applause!!! Purandara dasarus “ nindhakar

irabeku” seemed apt. Now he explained that Mettilu

need not be physical mettilu. “ Hyange maadalaiyya

KrishNa , hoguthidhe aayushya” He pointed out to the

adhyatmika mettilu that all of us have to move forward

as our years go by. Thus, the concept of mettilu uthsava

is that every time, we have to do Krishnarpana of all the

mettilus that we have climbed adhyatmikavagi and take

further sankalpa to climb more mettilus subsequently.

There you go!!!

Srigalavaru continued he had made 5 sankalpas for this

Chaturmasa. To open old age home for Madhwas in

States & an International Vidyapeeta near Niagara Falls

were two of the 5.

Soon Ranga puje started..deepas in a row on either side

of banana/ aralu /coconut halves row were feast to the

eyes. Can’t we freeze this moment? Then Tulasi was

kept in the middle & HarivaNa seve began with

Srigalavaru leading the dance.

Men, some who had been watchers, joined the group,

willingly. One always gets carried away at such times!

“Hari dasara sangha doragiyhu enage innen innenu”

Thottilu puje & mangalaaarathi.

.it was almost midnight when we had to drag ourselves

to our respective places. In campsite it would have been

almost next day dawn since all would have been in the

same room so to say!

It was good to see Vani Rao couple from Tennesse.

Mettilotsava has this aakarshaNa shakthi..just draws one

& all with its magnetic pull!

Just like Janardhan is camera man for our Mettilotsava &

other functions, Harsha is his Canadian counterpart! A

very humble & ever volunteering young gentleman who

decided against summer internship versus dedicating his

time & services to the mata! That’s a rare trait seldom

found among youth! May Sri Hari Vaayu & GurugaLu

bless him & his family. The entire family along with a

number of others have devoted themselves to the

betterment of their mata! Well ours too

Monday Morning, since almost most of Eastern USA

folks had left (10 to 14 hrs drive) there was pin drop

silence. Serene atmosphere. Just like Udupi, dasara

haadu filled the air. Why did this have to end so fast?

After Nirmalya & dosas with chutney ( yummy) we were

driving back to MI after a brief stop at Harshala &

Rajesh’s house since it was on our way!

Were we sad? Did we miss Pittsburgh? That we were

not able to meet the entire group was a letdown but

while in the mata nothing was in our minds except Sri

Krishna. We were transported in body & soul to Udupi.

Our sincere thanks & many pranams to Srigalavaru.

Mettilotsava is solely due to his untiring efforts & is his

brain child. The very fact that around 200 of us meet

every year is a proof & the credit is to his antaryami &

him. May Sri Hari Vaayu & Gurugalu bless this unity &

family.

Sri Bharathiramana Mukhyapranaantargata Sri

KrishNaarNamasthu

HarirEva paro! HarirEva guro! HarirEva jagat pitru

maatru gatihi!

Chitra & Ram Ramachandran