RIVERSIDE: Everyone agreed this was the best saptah they had ever attended. For one week Riverside's Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir hosted a Srimad Bhagavatam Saptah given by Mridul Goswami. Devotees rushed forward to greet Mridul Goswami and have the chance to carry the treasured sacred volume upon their head.

On the first day a procession was formed which walked clockwise around the Mandir. Mridul Goswami, accompanied by Mandir officials and major sponsors walked in the front, followed by women carrying kalash upon their heads and children with colorful pennants.

They were greeted at the Mandir entrance by the sound of a conch being blown and by the many devotees waiting to be blessed. Mridul Goswami paid homage to each Deity and took his seat upon the mandap, which looking like a miniature Brindavan had been decorated with statues of gopis, gopas and cows. Two large digital televisions provided up-close coverage for the audience which numbered as many as 500 and filled the Mandir to capacity.

The saptah began on Sunday with Shoba Yatra. Each day Shri Mridul Goswami spoke about a different time during Krishna's life with one day given to Mathura before Krishna's birth, another day for the birth, a fourth for Bala leela, fifth for marriage to Rukmini and the last day was given to the friendship of Sudhama. Stories taken from Srimad Bhagavatam were told and applied to everyday life. Humor was an important part of the presentation.

Mridul Goswami told a story about a married couple. They had a terrible fight. The husband went to sleep but was awakened at midnight by his wife, offering him a glass of warm milk. The grumpy sleepy husband asked the wife why she woke him up at midnight to give him a glass of warm milk. The wife sweetly replied, "Today is Nag Panchami."

The husband still did not understand and replied, "So what?" The wife then explained, "Well on Nag Panchami I usually go to town to offer milk to a snake. But now I can save myself the trip. I have a snake right here at home. Whenever Mridul Goswami spoke, the violin accompanied him softly and effectively in the background. Bhajans were sung at intervals with music provided by Hemant Ekbote or Suresh Kumar on tabla, Yunus Warsi on violin and vocals, Babubhai Gorajia on harmonium and Kantibhai on manjira.

One day after a narrative about Shiva, two children, dressed as Shiva and Parvati, appeared and offered blessings. Often members of the audience would rise and dance in a mood of bhav. On the final day three young girls, looking like little gopis, came out and danced. On the last day Chairman Girdhari Purohit thanked Mridul Goswami and President Ramesh Upadhyayula invited Mridul Goswami to return every year. The applause was loud when Ramesh Upadhyayula told Mridul Goswami, "You have taken us closer to God with this saptah."