Ratha-yatra | The Hare Krishna Movement

Disappearance Day of Jayananda das Thakur

24 May 2021 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Back to Godhead, Devotee's, Guru & Disciple, Jayananda Thakur, Letters by Srila Prabhupada Tags: Back to Godhead Magazine, disappearance of Jayananda thakur, Jayananda, Jayananda das, Jayananda Thakur, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Ratha-yatra, Rathayatra Festival, Srila Prabhupada

Today marks the disappearance day of my dear friend and God brother, Jayananda das. He was such a beautiful devotee, the perfect servant of our Srila Prabhupada, and friend to all. His death was glorious as stated in a letter to Ramesvara das shortly after his death:

Jayananda’s death is glorious. It is very good that he had stated,what is the use of such a useless body, better to give it up. He has left his body very wonderfully, and he has been transferred to Vaikuntha. I have already sent a condolence letter for publication in Back To Godhead. Everyone should follow the example of Jayananda. I am very proud that I had such a nice disciple. If possible Jayananda’s picture should be hung in the ratha of Lord Jagannatha, and in all of our temples a day may be set aside for holding a festival in his honor, just as we do on the disappearance day of the other great Vaisnavas. (letter by Srila Prabhupada 77-05-11)

We have included some personal letters by Srila Prabhupada to Jayananda

The Disappearance of Jayananda Thakur

08 May 2017 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Jayananda Thakur Tags: Jayananda dasa, Jayananda Thakur, Ratha-yatra, Rathayatra Festival, spiritual energy, Spiritual Life, spiritual master and disciple, The Beautiful Life of Jayananda Thakur, vishnujana swami

Ratha-yātrā

26 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Festivals, Krishna Consciousness, Krishna Consciousness Movement, Krsna Consciousness Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hare Krishna, human being, jagannatha svami, krsna consciousness, Kuruksetra, philosophy of Krsna Consciousness, prabhupada, Ratha Yatra Festival, Ratha yatra lecture, Ratha-yatra, San Francisco Ratha yatra, solar eclipse, The Hare Krishna Movement

…So if we want to have eternal life, full of knowledge and blissfulness, then we must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the greatest welfare activities in the human society. We are giving information to every man, without any discrimination of cast, creed, or color, that every human being especially, not only human being, all living entities, including the animals, beasts, birds, trees, aquatics—everyone—they can achieve to the highest perfection of life by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But especially the extra intelligence of the human being can be utilized to realize Kṛṣṇa. If we don’t do that, we are missing a great opportunity. So our request to everyone is to understand this philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (Ratha-yātrā Lecture, June 27, 1971, San Francisco)

Full Lecture More

The Festival of the Chariots

11 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Festivals, Jagajivana das, Ratha-yatra Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead Magazine, BTG, chariots, Jagajivana das, Ratha-yatra, Srila Prabhupada, The Festival of the Chariots, yoga

The Festival of the Chariots
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine Vol. 13, No. 6, 1978
by Jagajivana dasa

Intimations of a Festive World

This Krsna culture,” His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada used to say, “has so many festivals. We could have one every day. In the spiritual world, every day is a festival.” And when you first see the chariots, you wonder whether that’s just where they’ve come from. Three soaring, silk-covered peaks rumbling along on ten-foot wheels—you have a feeling they’ve come from somewhere you’ve been before, but haven’t been back to for a long while.

Ratha Yatra Festival in Jagannath Puri

11 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Festivals, Ratha-yatra Tags: bahuda ratha yatra, Baladeva, festival of the chariots, gundicha marjana, Gundicha Temple, jagannath, Jagannath Puri, Jagannatha, Lord Jagannatha, Ratha-yatra, Rathayatra Festival, Srila Prabhupada, Subhadra

click on image to enlarge

Yesterday, July 10th, marked the start of the annual Ratha Yatra Festival of Lord Jagannatha in Jagannath Puri. Millions of pilgrims visit Jagannath Puri to participate in the Ratha Yatra car festival of Lord Jagannatha. Lord Jagannatha, along with His brother Baladeva and sister Subhadra, travel in gigantic chariots and go to the Gundicha Temple. The previous day of Ratha Yatra (i.e. July 09, 2013) devotees assemble in Gundicha Temple and clean the temple. This event is called as Gundicha Marjana. Lord Jagannath stays in Gundicha temple for a week and then comes back to His own temple. This return journey is called Bahuda Ratha Yatra (July 18, 2013).

In the Brahmanda Purana it is said, “A person who sees the Lord’s Ratha-yatra car festival and then stands up to receive the Lord can purge all kinds of sinful results from his body.” In the Bhavisya Purana, it is said, “Even if born of a lowly family, a person who follows the Ratha-yatra car when the Deities pass in front or from behind will surely be elevated to the position of achieving equal opulence with Visnu.”

In 1967, Srila Prabhupada inaugurated the Ratha Yatra Festival, the Festival of the Chariots, in western countries and thanks to him, today people all over the world observe this festival.

Ratha Yatra in the West More

Jayananda’s Disappearance Day

04 May 2012 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Devotee's, Jayananda Thakur, Letters by Srila Prabhupada Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, disappearance day, jayanananda thakur, Jayananda, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Lord Jagannatha, Ramesvara, Ratha-yatra, Srila Prabhupada

Jayananda’s death is glorious. It is very good that he had stated, what is the use of such a useless body, better to give it up. He has left his body very wonderfully, and he has been transferred to Vaikuntha. I have already sent a condolence letter for publication in Back To Godhead. Everyone should follow the example of Jayananda. I am very proud that I had such a nice disciple. If possible Jayananda’s picture should be hung in the ratha of Lord Jagannatha, and in all of our temples a day may be set aside for holding a festival in his honor, just as we do on the disappearance day of the other great Vaisnavas. (from Letter by Srila Prabhupada to Ramesvara)

Letter to: Ramesvara from Srila Prabhupada
New Delhi 11 May, 1977

For full letter More

Festival of India 2012 Schedule

17 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Festivals, Ratha-yatra Tags: festival of charoits, festival of India 2012 schedule, madhuha das, Ratha-yatra, summer tour, The Hare Krishna Movement

Festival Of India 2012 Summer Tour

2012 Proposed Tour Schedule (Up-dated March 21, 2012)

March 7———-Gaura Purnima
*March 17 and 18———-Miami, Florida, Ratha-yatra and Festival of India
April 2———-Washington D.C., American University, Festival of India
April 4 and 5———-University of Maryland; College Park, Festival of India
May 2———-Washington D.C., George Washington University, Festival of India
May 4———-University of Maryland, Baltimore, Festival of India
May 19———-Jacksonville, Florida, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
*May 26 and 27———- Baltimore, Maryland, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
June 2 and 3———-Atlanta, Georgia, Pani Hati/Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
*June 9———-New York City, New York, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
*June 24———-Chicago, Illinois, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
July 4———-Washington D.C., Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
*July 7 and 8———-Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
*July 14 and 15———-Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
July 17———-Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
*July 21———-Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
July 22———- San Francisco, California, Ratha-yatra
*July 28———-Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
July 31/August 1———-Las Vegas, Nevada, Harinam Sankirtan & Book Distribution on the Strip
*August 5———-Los Angeles, California, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
August 9———-Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Sri Krishna Janmastami
August 10———-Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja
*August 18 and 19———- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
*September 1, 2 and 3/Labor Day Weekend———-Seattle, Washington, Ratha-yatra/Festival of India
September 15 & 16———-Boston, Ratha-yatra/Srila Prabhupada’s Commonwealth Pier Arrival Fest
*September 22———-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania–Ratha-yatra/Radhastami
October 20———-Potomac, Maryland. Sri Ramacandra Vijayotsava Festival
*These cities/dates are Confirmed
Hare Krishna

Pasted from http://www.festivalofindia.org

The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā

26 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Festivals, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Tags: Balarama, ecstatic dancing of Lord Caitanya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Lord Jaganath, Ratha-yatra, Sri Caitanya-carimrta, Sri Jagannatha, Subadra, Surpreme Personality of Godhead

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Madhya-līlā Text 1-69
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā

May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who danced in front of the car of Śrī Jagannātha, be all glorified! By seeing His dancing, not only was the whole universe held in wonder, but Lord Jagannātha Himself became very much astonished.

All glories to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Prabhu Nityānanda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to the devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu!

All glories to the listeners of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Please hear the description of the dancing of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at the Ratha-yātrā festival. His dancing is very enchanting. Please hear of it with great attention.