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Main points.

Visit by His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami
Ekadasi - Half day fast for the appearance of Lord Varaha
Appearance of Lord Varaha

Visit by His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami



Vidura spoke to Maitreya Muni in the pages of the Srimad Bhagavatam the following verse,

My Lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage.

(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.13.10)

Certainly all the devotees who attend Maharajas lectures felt this to be true. One of the highlights of the Saturday night program was the initiation ceremony which saw everyone blissfully committing themselves to a new life.


Ekadasi - The day we fast for the pleasure of Lord Krishna

Ekadasi as we may know occurs twice in a month and during these days the devotees fast from eating grains and beans. Monday is a special day as we also observe fasting for half a day for the appearance of Lord Varaha. The reason for this is that the Dvadasi (the day after the ekadasi) one must break his fast by a certain time in the morning, yet one is obliged to fast for the appearance of any Visnu tattva avatar. Therefore the fast is observed on the Ekadasi and followed by a feast the next day.

Appearance of Lord Varaha

Lord Varaha is mentioned as one of the lila (pastime) incarnations of the Lord. He appeared ffrom the nostril of Lord Brahma and His specific role in killing Hiranyaksa and saving the world from falling into the nether regions of the Garbodaka ocean was glorified by the great Vaishnava songwriter Jayadeva Goswami and devotee in our disciplic succession as follows,

vasati daçana-çikhare dharaëé tava lagnä
çaçini kalaìka-kaleva nimagnä
keçava dhåta-çükara-rüpa jaya jagadéça hare

0 Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a boar! All glories to You! The earth, which had become immersed in the Garbhodaka Ocean at the bottom of the universe, sits fixed upon the tip of Your tusk like a spot upon the moon.