Rathayatra | The Hare Krishna Movement

New York City Rathayatra Festival

24 May 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Jayananda Thakur, Ratha-yatra, Uncategorized Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta, Back to Godhead Magazine, festival-of-india, India, Jayananda, Krishna, New York Rathayatra, Rathayatra, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada

We are planning to go to the New York City Ratha-yatra this year. It will be held on June 14. It has been 49 years since I last attended the Rathayatra in New York City. But that day is still fresh in my memory, for two main reasons. First is that Srila Prabhupada was there Riding on Lady Subadhra’s cart, and the second is I took my first initiation the next day, and was given the name Vyasasan das.

It was also memorable because my dear friend and God brother Jayananda das brahmacari, was there. The following is an interview with Jayananda published in the Back to Godhead Magazine Vol. 12, 6, 1977

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Interview with Jayananda Prabhu

(Back to Godhead magazine, June 1977)

BTG: Jayananda, how did you first get involved in Krishna consciousness?

Jayananda: I heard Srila Prabhupada speaking in San Francisco, and somehow I knew he didn’t want to cheat me. So I just wanted to work for him.

BTG: And now for ten years you’ve worked on the Ratha-yatra carts.

Jayananda: Yes.

BTG: What were the first Ratha-yatras like?

Jayananda: The first year, 1967, we just rented a flatbed truck and started out in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. We decorated the truck with flowers and put the Deities on the back, and the girls passed out fruit. A good crowd walked along with us at the beginning, and when we turned off Haight Street a smaller group of maybe fifty people came with us and we went all the way to the beach.

The second year (1968) we made our own cart, with saffron silk canopies, small ones. And we had the parade through Golden Gate Park to the beach. By that time the San Francisco temple had grown a little—we had maybe 30 devotees—and about 100 people came with us through the park. The chanting was very nice that year.

Then in 1969 we built a much bigger cart, with a tall silk canopy, like the ones they build in Jagannath Puri in India. But in 1970 we worked for two months straight and built the three big carts, basically the same ones we use now. Also, we had all kinds of publicity—TV, billboards, posters. And Srila Prabhupada came to that Ratha-yatra. So a lot of people came, maybe 12,000 people. It was big—a tremendous success. We had a few mishaps, though. One cart broke down in the middle of the parade. And it was a bitter cold day. But even though it was so cold at the beach, thousands of people stayed there with us and ate a lot of Krsna prasad (spiritual food offered to Krishna). We brought 20 50-gallon barrels of prasad, and they ate it all.

The Potency of Ratha-yatra

04 Aug 2011 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Festivals, Krishna Consciousness Tags: chanting, dancing and eating prasadam, Hare Krishna Movement, Iskcon Times, Rathayatra, Srila Prabhupada, Yashoda Nandan das

The Potency of Ratha-yatra
By: Compiled by Yashoda Nandan Das (USA)

Our Hare Krishna movement is standing on three principal things: chanting, dancing, and eating prasadam.

Excerpts from the teaching of Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada: Melbourne, Tokyo, and many other places. And India also, in Calcutta also. So this festival, taking part in these festivals means a step forward for our self-realization. Rathe ca vamanamarstva punar janma na vidyate. Simply by seeing the Lord on the chariot, one makes advancement for stopping the repetition of birth and death.

So I am very glad that you have taken so much trouble to come here. Now will you chant Hare Krishna mantra along with the devotees and take part in honoring the prasadam? The prasadam is also one of the programs. Our Hare Krishna movement is standing on three principal things: chanting, dancing, and eating prasadam. It is not very difficult. It is very enjoyable to chant, dance, and take prasadam. And if you like, you can hear a little philosophy of this movement. Or even if you do not understand the philosophy, even you do not read the books, simply if you take part in these three things, chanting, dancing, and taking part in eating the prasadam, your life will gradually progress in spiritual advancement of life. And if you continue this, then some day will come, even in this life it may come, that you will understand what is Krishna. And as soon as you understand Krishna, then after leaving this body you go back to home, back to Godhead, directly (?). This is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Those who have read Bhagavad-gita… Lord Krishna says,

janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]

Simply by understanding Krishna, Krishna’s appearance, Krishna’s disappearance, Krishna’s activities. This Rathayatra is one of the activities of Krishna. Therefore to take part in the Rathayatra festival means to associate with Krishna directly. So in this way, if we associate with Krishna’s name, Krishna’s pastimes, Krishna’s qualities, Krishna’s form, then, gradually, we transcend this material existence Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. If we simply try to understand about Krishna’s movement, then the result is, Krishna says, tyaktva deham: we have to give up this body. But if we give up this body after being elevated into Krishna consciousness, then Krishna says, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Then, after giving up this body, you haven’t got to accept another material body. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Then where shall I go? Krishna says, mam eti: “He comes to Me.

Ratha-yatra Festival

25 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Ratha-yatra Tags: Balarama, Hare Krishna, jagannath svami nayana pathagame, Lord Krishna, Rathayatra, San Francisco Rathayatra, Srila Prabhupada lecture, Subhsdra

Ratha-yatra Address
Given by Srila Prabhupada
San Francisco, June 27, 1971

Jagannatha svami nayana-pathagami bhavatu me. (crowd repeats) Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. (crowd repeats) Thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly participating in this great Ratha-yatra festival.

I have already explained what is this Ratha-yatra festival. It is in commemoration of a grand visit by Lord Krishna along with His elder brother, Balarama, and His younger sister, Subhadra, in a solar eclipse ceremony at Kuruksetra.

This occasion is the subject matter of this Ratha-yatra festival. Apart from these historical references in the matter of Ratha-yatra festival, there is another spiritual meaning, that the Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, and this body is just like ratha, or car.

San Francisco Rathayatra (Chapter 11)

18 Apr 2011 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Hayagriva das, The Hare Krishna Explosion Tags: Haight Street, hayagriva das, Jagannatha Deities, Janaki, Jayananda, Mukunda, Rathayatra, San Francisco 1967, Swamiji, the hare krishna explosion

The Hare Krishna Explosion
by Hayagriva das

Part II: San Francisco, 1967
Chapter 11

San Francisco Rathayatra

As the passengers file through the gate into the terminal, we all wait anxiously, wondering how Swamiji will look. Somehow, we cannot imagine him gaunt, disabled or feeble. It is difficult for us to accept that his body, the medium for his teaching, could in any way break down, in defiance of the great spiritual personality within.

He is the last off the plane, accompanied by Kirtanananda. Despite the severity of his stroke, he looks virtually unchanged, only a little weary. The girls rush toward him and burst into tears. We throw flowers taken from Golden Gate Park: rhododendrons and hibiscus. He smiles appreciatively, but says nothing, and this is strange. Instead of giving his usual airport talk, he looks to us to show him the direction out. He chants Hare Krishna softly, his fingers incessantly caressing the japa beads in the beadbag, counting the rounds.