It is mangala-arati in the temple of Sri Sri Radha-Madanmohan. About 300 devotees are here. I arrive late, during Nrsimha prayers, recovering from travel the day before (including two short flights: Kolkata-Dhaka, and Dhaka-Jessore…. It had taken 1-1/2 hours in the Dhaka airport to get the Bangladesh visa-on-arrival, waiting in line with several visitors from China—an opportunity to practice patience—me standing in my ‘plainclothes’ outfit with baseball cap to cover my sikha; but no matter, once through officialdom, all went smoothly)…. As as devotees drove me from the Jessore airport (half-hour flight from Dhaka), one could see several busses parked: people standing around, some on the bus roofs, waiting to watch the next airplane land: something interesting for villagers!

As tulasī-aratī circumambulation goes on with the several hundred devotees, I stand to the side, but within moments I am surrounded, being photographed, offered obeisance to, smiled to and stared at. I’m a new face on the scene, a (small) white elephant with a danda. Devotees here are so simple and open. Some minutes later, I am chanting japa in the temple room, a few devotees sitting around me also chanting japa. It is a pleasant atmosphere in the open-air temple as dawn gradually breaks, when one can reflect on the two special brothers, Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis, said to have come originally from this area (around which there are some 96 Hindu villages, amidst this predominantly Muslim country).

I’m scheduled (by Mother Devaki, who is organizing everything and invited me to come) to lead the kirtan for Prabhupada’s gurupuja. I “belt it out” as best I can, and devotees sing and dance joyfully. I’m told to continue the kirtan, leading devotees from the temple to the pandal…. It is Srimad Bhagavatam lecture, being given by HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami. The pandal tent is quite full – perhaps one thousand devotees. Maharaja speaks in Bengali; Tribanga Syama Prabhu, who is nicely attending to my needs throughout my visit, translates for me, catching what he can from Maharaja’s fast speaking. I can catch some words here and there, and I can get the “drift” of what he is saying (sometimes). Might I “make use” of his nice reference to Prahlada Maharaja’s equal vision in the SB lecture I’m scheduled to give next week in Mayapur, on the first day of the ILS meeting? Dekha habe (it will be seen).

Later, both HH Lokanath Swami and HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami have given their respective seminars for today. In a few minutes it will be my turn. I plan to discuss and read from Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Saranagati songbook.

I’m not accustomed to speak before 1000+ devotees; in any case, we managed (with a good translator). We first had to discuss who is Bhaktivinoda Thakura, because half the audience had never heard of him (I asked, and we got a show of hands). Then went through the introductory song and the first song of ‘Dhainya’ (humility).

Next morning, the temple room is completely packed for mangala arati, maybe 3x as many devotees as yesterday at the same time; I’m scheduled to lead the kirtan, so I’m ushered to the very front, where I again “belt it out” as best I can. Too crowded and chaotic this morning for temple japa, so back to the room (where from the back balcony I can watch the devotees in the open-air kitchen, who were already beginning preparation at 3:00 am, after being up until 12:30 the night before). Now I’m told there are some 4500 devotees here. This is Friday, the equivalent of Sunday for Bangladesh with its Muslim government and majority of people.

At 7:30 a.m. Bhakti-Purusottama Swami invites me to his room for breakfast prasadam (dvadasi). He says jokingly “if we wait longer, we will simply be chanting ‘rice, rice, rice’”. Also taking prasadam with us is Suddha Sattva Govinda Prabhu, retired Deputy Chief of Police of Bangladesh. I mentioned to him that I have read that Bangladesh is considered by one international agency to be the most corrupt country in the world. Bh. Purusottama Swami explains that this is all due to the western influence—money, banks, business, etc.—otherwise it would not be like this, because people here are very simple and satisfied with simple living… hmmm. In any case, we have a very nice (but not very simple) breakfast.

HH Lokanath Swami is giving Bhagavatam class, reading from Bhagavata Mahatmya in Padma Purana, elaborating in his warm and lively (and joking) way. Immediately after class, he is departing for Mayapur. … Now (at noon) it is again my turn for part 2 of the Saranagati seminar… during which I get everyone to chant a “new mantra” – “Radha-natha, tumi amar prana” (“O Lord of Radha, you are my life!” –-modernized from Bhaktivinoda’s song, “Radha-natha, tuhun hamara parana”, with help of my translator). All are very happy with this “mantra”. Near the end I invite questions, and some quickly write their questions on paper and deliver up to the stage; we manage to respond to three of them (basically “how can we?”-questions); others must wait for tomorrow.

Nityānanda Trayodaśī: us three swamis – Bhakti Priyam Gadadhara Swami (native Bangladeshi, whose slow lecturing Bengali I feel I can [almost] follow), then myself, then Bhakti Purusottama Swami – speak on glories of Nityānanda Prabhu. I read from CC Adi 5.161 onward, in which Krishnadas Kaviraja tells how, as a young man, he meets Nityānanda Prabhu in a dream, commanding him to go immediately to Vrindavan. Again, the pandal tent is completely full, with 1-2000 devotees. I cannot stay for Bhakti Purusottama Swami’s talk, as I’m scheduled (by Tribanga Syama Prabhu) immediately to meet some young student-devotees from Dhaka in my room. 18-19 boys, all studying engineering and living in a “BACE” center (Bhaktivedanta Academy for Culture and Education), one of several such devotee student hostels around Dhaka (housing 500-600 devotee students) in which the boys have mangala arati every morning and chant japa together.

And then it is time for abhisheka in the temple, for which I’m scheduled to lead kirtan for the first half. Then comes the feast (at least 25 preparations, including 4 different types of spinach) and then recovering-from-feast, followed by the final session of the Śaraṇāgati seminar and kirtan. Back to Mayapur tomorrow (leaving by 5:00 am from here by car, to arrive at the border before it opens at 7:00 am to avoid a long wait)… In this way, three days in the “field” (plus travel to and from), a nice if somewhat intense change from routine.