By the benign grace of the Divine Couple Sri Madhuri Sakhi Sametha Sri Premika Varadhan and the causeless mercy of our Guru Maharaj HH Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamigal, we were fortunate to relish a 3-day MadhuraUtsavam here at Dallas Namadwaar. After a long break of over two years due to covid, bhakthas of North America once again enjoyed being drenched in Sri Poornimaji’s lectures on Govinda Pattabhishekam, anukaranams of His leelas, Ashtapadis, Divya Namam and a grand Radha Madhava Kalyanam to celebrate the Divine Couple. This year is also special as our own Yugala Sarkar (Sri Premika Varadhan and Sri Madhuri Sakhi) arrived at Their abode here at Dallas Namadwaar from Vrindavan in November 2022.
The 2023 Madhura Utsav was off to an auspicious start on February 3rd evening with group chanting of Sri Krishna Janam from Srimad Bhagavatam followed by Sri Poornimaji’s katha which was imbued with bhakthi-rasa and never fails to move listeners. Following katha, devotees were treated to a thrilling anukaranam of Sri Krishna Jananam – His Avatharam, Divine Dharshan to the Blessed Couple Devaki and Vasudeva in the prison cell in Mathura, Vasudeva’s journey to Gokulam and the joyous Nandotsavam at the abode of Nanda Maharaj and Yashoda Maiyaa amongst the Gopis and Gopas of Gokulam. The day concluded with Divya Namam celebrating our Kutti Krishna who had captivated the hearts of all gathered.
The second day program on Saturday Feb 4th, 2023 began with a morning session offering Thodaya Mangalam and Ashtapadi’s to our Divine Couple Sri Madhuri Sakhi Sametha Sri Premika Varadhan. Following lunch Prasadam, about 20 devotees offered parayanam of Srimad Bhagavatam Dhasama Skandham. The afternoon program began at 4:30 pm with a lovely Bharatanatyam offering by Soundari Mukund and Meenu Mukund talented students of Guru Smt. Krithika Subramanian Mukund, founder of Natyasthalam.
Following the dance performance, the evening program commenced with Govinda Pattabhishekam Katha by Sri Poornimaji. For the next hour and half, the audience were captivated by Sri Poornimaji’s nectarine description of Bhagavan’s divine Govardhana Leela with the words painting a beautiful picture in every devotee’s mind.
Sri Poornimaji’s words describing Govinda Pattabhishekam Katha were brought to life by the Anukaranam of the leela. With many artistic props skillfully created by Satsangis, the scenes of preparation for Indra Yagna, Bhagavan’s dialogue with Nanda Baba questioning the purport of the Yagna, the grand Govardhana Pooja and finally Sri Krishna Bhagavan protecting His gopas and gopis, His beloved cows and the rest of Vrindavan from Indra’s wrath as Govardhana Giridhari and Govinda Pattabhishekam enraptured those present.
The final day of the 3-day Madhura Utsav began on Sunday February 5th, 2023. In striking contrast to the freezing temperatures of the previous week, the weather was bright and sunny, setting the stage for a beautiful celebration with more than 100 devotees gathered at Dallas Namadwaar. The morning program began auspiciously with Sampradaya Bhajan and Divyanama Sankirtan following which we celebrated the Janavasam of the Divine Couple. Our Takurji and Takurani were decked in stunning magenta and blue attire, dazzling jewelry and lovely flower garlands, ready to shower Their Grace on all the Bhaktas that had gathered, Their ever smiling countenances were further lit by the sounds of Madhura Geethams and Nama Sankirtan.
Sri Radha Madhava Vivaham on Sunday February 5th, 2023 was a fitting grand finale to the 3-day Utsav. Led by Poornimaji, all those gathered were the most fortunate to have witnessed and participated in the grand Wedding of our beloved Sri Madhuri Sakhi and Sri Premika Varadhan. Mother Meera Hall was filled with the sounds of Ashtapadi, Namavali and Madhurageetham, the fragrance of fresh flowers and the emotions of bhakti and gratitude. The Utsavam concluded with Anjaneya Utsavam. The last two years have made everyone very aware of how blessed and fortunate we are to be able to be part of such a grand Madhura Utsavam, which is only possible because of the benign Grace of our Takurji and Takurani, Gurunathar’s causeless mercy, Sri Poornimaji, our numerous sponsors and finally the tireless volunteers who worked around the clock to take care of every aspect of the MadhuraUtsavam. A big Thank you to all those who participated to make this a grand celebration!