All glories to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga.
A Personal Message from our beloved Acharya Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj to All Devotees and Friends of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram Community
An Invitation to Join Him at VegFest 2025 and Deities Installation Anniversary
Dearest Devotees, Friends, and Well-Wishers,
I offer my humble obeisances and dandavats to you all.
The final week of May will bring beautiful opportunities to get together in service, love, and sankirtan! With great joy, I warmly invite you to the Grande Festival in celebration of the anniversary of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandarvika Giridhari on Thursday, May 29th, at 6 pm at the Seva Ashram. Please join us!
PREACHING FESTIVAL
Also, I invite you all to take part in one of the most extraordinary opportunities for seva and connection with the general public that our community will have this year: VegFest 2025, held at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 31st, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This vibrant festival will attract more than 5,000 people, and it is a great opportunity for sankirtan, prasadam, book distribution, and promoting the teachings of Srila Govinda Maharaj in several devotional activities.
Last year, by the mercy of Sri Gurudeva and the devoted seva of great servitors like Sri Sanatani Devi Dasi, Sri Vimala Devi Dasi, Sri Vaidehi Normand Devi Dasi, Sri Krishna Mohini Devi Dasi and so many of you, we distributed over 3,500 delicious ladhus, engaged thousands of seekers, and were honored with the recognition of offering the “best food in show.” More than 1,000 people got the teachings of Bhakti Yoga by downloading the e-book “The Kitchen of Love,” and we made many new friends who visited the temple throughout the year. You can visit this link to see last year’s photos.
This year, our presence will be amplified as we have been invited to shine even brighter:
✨ We will open the entire festival with a Mahakirtan on the main stage—what a glorious chance to sing the Holy Names for all to hear! We need all of you there to be impactful and sweet as Srila Gurudeva’s sankirtan.
📚 We will host two devotional booths offering prasadam, books, and spiritual conversation.
🎨 A children’s activity area, lovingly guided by Vaidehi Normand and team, will bring joy to young hearts.
🕉️ I will be offering a talk on Ahimsa and Bhakti Yoga in the auditorium, and your presence would be a true source of encouragement and strength.
But to make this happen, we need you—your hands, your hearts, and your spirits.
Here are some ways you can serve:
– Contribute donations toward ingredients and materials for prasadam and booth setup (https://www.sevaashram.com/donate/ please inform VEGFEST as the donation goal.)
– Help us cook and pack laddus before the festival (we will have a task force on the week of 27/28 May)
– Help us with transportation, booth set up (Friday, May 30th, afternoon and Saturday morning) and breaking down (Saturday, 6 pm)
– Join us on stage for Maha-sankirtan (Arrival by 10:00 am, we will perform at 11:00 am on the dot);
– Be present in the audience during my class, which starts at 11:30 a.m. at the lecture hall, I will appreciate having your warmth and support!
– Take a shift at the booths distributing prasadam and books, talking to the people about our temple and Bhakti Yoga!
All volunteers will receive free entry to the festival, but your names must be submitted in advance, so please let us know by May 26th. Kindly speak with Ananda Moyi Devi Dasi, who is coordinating this beautiful seva effort and has more details. Her contacts are: ananda.bortoletto@gmail.com and phone number (831) 266-8320.
Let us come together as one family, under the shelter of our beloved Srila Gurudeva, to offer His sweet, joyful, and meaningful teachings to the world. This is not just another event—it is a chance to share our hearts, uplift others, and reveal the beauty of our spiritual community.
With all affection and hope to see you there,
Your servant,
Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj
