(above : Their Lordships Jagannath-Baladev-Subhadra on Their Chariot!)The mercy of Srila Prabhupada manifests in multifarious ways, but not many are more magnanimous than the Ratha Yatra. That rare opportunity of pulling the chariot carrying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the Universe, the Supremely Merciful – Lord Jagannath – was earlier restricted only to the few millions who visited the eternal land of the Purushottam Kshetra Jagannath Puri. That same eternal pastime of the Supreme Lord is now enacted in 500 cities around the world.
For the layman this might be just another piece of information in this world of information technology about just another exotic carnival procession. For the more informed and appreciative, this might be a source of amazement especially in the light of the fact that such Ratha Yatras are now held in all major cities of the world like San Francisco, New York, London, etc. in many important streets of those illustrious cities. A few might also know that the heads of states of many of these countries openly express their appreciation for this event in their respective countries. But only the spiritually well versed will truly appreciate the significance of this development in the modern history of mankind. That rare opportunity is no longer available only to a few millions, but to the whole of human race.
Just how important is this contribution of Srila Prabhupada can be seen from a simple fact that surprisingly, there are many people even in India who read in the newspapers about the Jagannath Ratha Yatra every year and yet they do not know who is Jagannath or even how does He look! So ignorant has the general mass become about God that they don’t even know much about one of His most important lilas. But this situation is gradually changing. Once again the light of knowledge of and devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is illuminating the darkeness of this age. All due to the efforts of one divine resplendent personality – His Divine Grace Srila Abhay Charanarvinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
(above : Advertizing the Sudarshan Yajnya to be conducted for Sri Sri Radha VrindavanChandra Temple Project (NVCC))This year again the Ratha Yatra was enacted in Pune, India on December 16, 2007 from 2pm to 7pm. It was conducted by the devotees associated with the Sri Sri Radha Kunjabihari Temple, ISKCON, Pune. A single rath (chariot) carried all three of them – Lord Jagannath, His elder brother Lord Baladev, and Their sister Subhadra. Enthusiastic devotees had assembled there from the very beginning. Everyone was eager to pull this rath which was spiritualized by these divine passengers! Finally, amongst loud chanting of “Haribol”s, the Lord started His journey! To where?
Devotees know the story. The Vrajavasis (residents of Sri Vrindavan Dham) were burning in separation from the Lord of their hearts. Their Lord was now in the holy land of Kurukshetra. So, they all went to Kurukshetra and when their eyes finally fell upon the Lord, they wanted to drink His unmatched beauty with their eyes. They couldn’t bear any longer their Lord being away from them. So they put their Lords Krishna and Balaram and Their sister Subhadra in a huge chariot they had built. And then they started pulling that chariot to Vrindavan. Oh, what love! Who can fathom the love that exists between Krishna and His supreme devotees, the Vrajavasis? Oh, just by meditating on this pastime, the heart of a sincere soul is overwhelmed by love of God. That same Lord Jagannath so much loves to be pulled by His devotees into their hearts that every year He comes out of His temple in Jagannath Puri just to give His devotees a chance to once again pull Him into their hearts! He is ready to come… into the hearts of those who lovingly welcome Him. He is not holding back! He is not discriminating! He is giving Himself to whoever wants Him! Oh, what mercy!
(above : The Lord of the Universe Jagannath parades through the streets of Pune!)
Dearest Srila Prabhupada has pulled His beloved Lord Jagannath to 500 cities all over the world. So far. Now Lord Jagannath is even more freely distributing His mercy. And so it happened in Pune. The Ratha was pulled by devotees along the following path : Sangam Chowk, Yashwant Rao Chauvhan Natyagruh, Karve Putala, Karve Road, Karishma Chowk, Nal Stop, and finally to Gandhi Lawns. Devotees were enthusiastically inviting the onlookers to participate in this pastime by pulling the rath. Fortunate people were accepting the invitation… and how unfortunate were those who didn’t? The Lord of the Goloka, that most celebrated of Kings, that unrivalled proprietor of all that be, for the sake of His children, was parading through the dense polluted air of the Karve Road. He was giving His majestic Darshan to all… with arms extended as if inviting everyone to take shelter of His warm and loving embrace.
The yatra culminated at the Gandhi Lawns where the Lord received a rousing welcome from His devotees! There, the assembled devotees were addressed to by H. G. Bala Govinda Prabhu. First of all he led a sweet recitation of the Sri Jagannathashtakam. In his lecture he covered the historical significance of the Ratha Yatra and its significance to all of us today, that of pulling the ratha with the mood of pulling Lord Jagannath into our hearts. Then he explained the philosophy of ISKCON in simple words and also mentioned how ISKCON does two kinds of activities – internal and external. Internal (or hidden) activities are those that deal with the purification of the soul through the study of Vedic scriptures, chanting of the holy name, and other devotional activities. External activities are those like the “Food for Life” free food program, and others. After that he briefly mentioned about the upcoming new Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra ISKCON temple in Kondhwa. He explained how the temple will be like a university (by conducting courses based on the Vedic scriptures), a hospital (by helping people get rid of the material disease of forgetfulness of the Lord), and a house (in which everyone can take shelter of their original father’s home). He ended the lecture by a kind request to all present to help in some way or the other to build this temple for the Lord. The evening ended with sweet kirtans and of course dinner prasadam.
Surely the Jagannath Ratha Yatra will bestow all auspiciousness on the city of Pune and especially on those who were fortunate enough to be part of it that day. Jai Jagannath! Jai Srila Prabhupada!
(above : Jagannath! Baladeva! Subhadra!)Yours in the service of Krishna,
Abhijit.
No comments:
Post a Comment