Shreemad Bhagavat Katha
By: Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya
Report By : Vidhi Parikh

The Shreemad Bhagavat Saptah discourse held from August 1 to August 8, 2004 in Auckland, New Zealand marked Pujyashree Bhupendrabhai Pandya's first visit to the country. The event organized by Ravin Kotak and family in memory of their parents; brought such an overwhelmingly positive response that this will not be Pujyashree Bhupendrabhai's last visit to New Zealand.

The seven-day event, held at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Auckland, was inaugurated with the Pothi Yatra. The procession included musicians, dancers and 65 young girls lining the path to the entrance of the hall where the katha was to be conducted. Each day, after enjoying dinner sponsored by Ravin Kotak and family, more than 1700 people packed into the hall to hear Pujyashree Bhupendrabhai narrate, explain and spiritually interpret the significance of the Shreemad Bhagavat. With each passing day, the enthusiasm of the audience was increased as they were given the opportunity to actively participate in the various celebrations, including Krushna Janam and Krushna-Rukmini's Vivah. The number of people present at these functions was more than 2000. Also noteworthy was the attendance in large numbers of youngsters during the katha. While the katha was primarily recited in Hindi, Pujyashree Bhupendrabhai infused the discourse with words, phrases and sentences in English, which greatly benefited the youngsters.

The discourses concluded with the Yagna on the eighth day, which was also a great success. Each ritual was explained in English as it was being performed. In addition to the Yagna, the following evening Pujyashree Bhupendrabhai gave a discourse on 'Navadha Sampatti' and family values at the Bharatiya Mandir in Auckland. Again, the Indian community of Auckland welcomed the chance to gain more knowledge and intently packed into the temple hall to hear the 90-minute discourse.

Niranjan Patel of Navrang Productions recorded the entire Shreemad Bhagavat Saptah, including the Yagna, and the discourse at the Bhartiya Mandir. For more information regarding CDs & DVDs, please contact Niranjan Patel at 0064 21 66 5898 or navrang@xtra.co.nz