This year, World Holy Name Week falls between the 9th and 17th of September. At a time when much of the world is experiencing great chaos and distress, what better way can ISKCON devotees help suffering humanity than by chanting the holy names and letting the transcendental sound vibration resound throughout the world?
Chanting the holy names is also a way to glorify and honor our savior, Srila Prabhupada, who gave the gift of the holy names to the world. For this purpose, World Holy Name Day was established by the GBC in honor of Srila Prabhupada’s Centennial celebrations in 1996, to honor the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the West. World Holy Name Day has since expanded into World Holy Name Week, which every year inspires devotees to please Srila Prabhupada and to purify themselves and the world through the chanting of the holy names throughout the days.
In a message to devotees worldwide, His Holiness Lokanath Swami, one of the members of the World Holy Name Week Committee, says: “We want everyone’s participation. From GBCs to ABCs, everybody must be a part of this endeavour which glorifies the Holy Name and glorifies Srila Prabhupada – the one who shared this gift with the world at large.”
In ISKCON Mayapur, the Mayapur management has, therefore, made the celebration of World Holy Name Week a priority. Every day, different devotees gather together and participate in an ecstatic harinam party. The managers of Mayapur, Bhakti Vriksha devotees, Nama Hatta devotees, brahmacharis, students from the different Mayapur schools, and various other devotees of Mayapur all participate in these Harinams. So far, five days of World Holy Name Week have been celebrated in Mayapur.
On the first day, devotees from the Mayapur Administrative Council and Mayapur Divisional Council went on harinam along with other local resident devotees.
On the second day, local Bhakti Vriksha groups from places such as Dhubulia, Krishnanagar, Shyampur, Navadvip, and Srirampur went on Harinam, headed by Mathuresh das and Madhura Nitai das. Over one thousand devotees participated!
Harinam for the third day of World Holy Name Week was performed by approximately four hundred and fifty of Mayapur’s brahmacharis.
A few hundred local Nama Hatta devotees, headed by Sumadhur Gour das, performed Harinam on the fourth day of World Holy Name Week.
On the fifth day of World Holy Name Week, Harinam was performed by Mayapur’s Ganga Mata Seva Committee along with a couple hundred devotees.
The Harinam parties travel all around the Mayapur area, sometimes traveling throughout the whole ISKCON Campus, sometimes going to Yoga Pitha (the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu), spreading the chanting of the holy names and following in the footsteps of Lord Chaitanya and His associates, who used to traverse these same areas while chanting the holy names of the Lord. In this way the devotees of Sri Mayapur purify their own hearts, preach to local residents and visitors, and cause the transcendental sound vibrations of the Lord’s holy names to radiate out from Sri Dham Mayapur and purify the entire world.
This is a wonderful example of how temples and devotees all over the world can participate and contribute to World Holy Name Week. Whether managers, students, preachers, or householders, all can come together during this week to chant the holy names and experience transcendental bliss.
This is indeed Srila Prabhupada’s gift to the world.
“Not only is the chanter of the maha-mantra purified, but the heart of anyone who happens to hear the transcendental vibration of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare is also cleansed.”
– Purport, Nectar of Instruction Text
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