Once again, on 19 June 2021, we witnessed the spectacular festival of Jagannatha Ratha-yatra in Croatia, Rijeka with four sannyasis in attendance - Prahladananda Swami, Maha Vishnu Swami, Candramauli Swami and Kadamba Kanana Swami.

A week before the festival, the harinama ruci group and Maha Vishnu Swami arrived in Zagreb, ISKCON. There were a series of harinama festivals in the heart of the city. Croatia with its beautiful ancient architecture is a popular summer tourist destination for all Europeans, and at this time the towns are always extremely busy.

It was our pleasure to bewilder and simultaneously surprise the tourists when they saw our happy faces filled with love and smiles chanting the Lords holy names. Who does not want to be happy? Soon they joined us in singing and dancing like the proverbial saying, “every step a dance and every word a song.”

Saturday was the main day of the festival, the day of Lord Jagannath’s Street festival. Many devotees from all over Croatia, Slovenia and a few other neighbouring countries arrived in Rijeka.

Kadamba Kanana Swami inaugurated the festival with a soulful and soul-stirring kirtan which set the mood to receive the Lord. Thereafter Maha Vishnu Swami took it over. No need to guess what happened when the street harinama Guru got hold of the microphone. After hours of dancing and singing, Praladananda Swami took over with a sweet, mellow flow of the Lord’s names. Candramauli Swami who had been energetically dancing from the moment the kirtan commenced, enthusiastically took over the microphone showering us with melodious kirtans.

And just when we thought it was all over, Kadamba Kanana Swami was back again, electrifying everyone with kirtan leaving everyone in complete rapture. It was Maha Vishnu Swami who (as he usually does), ended the festival in grand style. Devotees were so grateful and satiated with all the mercy from these wonderful sadhus that there was a tangible peace in the atmosphere. Yet another Ratha-yatra never to be forgotten.

~ Prema Samputa Dasa (BTS)

If there is one NYC event that one should visit at least once in their lifetime, it's definitely the New York City Ratha-yatra. Having skipped the annual celebration last year due to the global pandemic, "the city", as New Yorkers like to call it, reopened just in time for the 44th annual parade to take place in mid-June. It was a three-day event, featuring various locations.

On June 11, The Bhakti Centre headed up a three-hour kirtan line-up at Tompkins Square Park, hosted by Jahnavi Harrison and Jai Jagannatha, which was later taken over by the NYC Harinam Ashram in Times Square, headed by a close associate of Aindra Prabhu and founder of the Ashram, Ram Roy Prabhu.

On the main day of the Ratha Yatra, June 12, a couple thousand people gathered on 5th Avenue and West 45th Street on the island of Manhattan to witness the parade and pull the chariot with Their Lordships Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra. Their Lordships were followed by a separate chariot with His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. It was definitely no surprise, that the separation from the devotees and the Lord along with the hunger for association was much stronger than the fear of getting infected with COVID -19. However, no one expected that many to show up for the main event. Although NYC is fully reopened, there are still many places in the world that are still experiencing a partial of even full lockdown. Nevertheless, to see so many devotees attend and joyfully partake in the festival was very pleasing to the heart. The different kirtana were led by Maha Vishnu Swami, the Harrison sisters – Jahnavi and Tulasi, Gaura Mani and Param Prabhus amongst others.

Devotees, curious bystanders, tourists on double-deckers and fortunate passersby – thousands of people – got the chance to hear the holy name, see and be seen by Their Lordships. Our gratitude extends to the Radha Govinda Mandir for being the main organizer of this glorious event.

Coming down Fifth Avenue, the procession reached its destination at West 4th St, Washington Square Park, where all the participants and just about anybody could take full advantage of the activities centered around the festival. There were booths with delicious prasadam, japa meditation tutorial booth, two separate kirtan parties with Acyuta Gopi, Ananta Govinda and the family, Gaura Mani, Mayuri Gandharvika as well as the NYC Harinam Ashram and others. As is usual at all Hare Krishna festivals, ecstatic dancing and joy brought out by the chanting of the Lord's holy names abounded.

Finally, June 13, the third day of the Ratha Yatra was celebrated by full immersion in the holy names at the Radha Govinda Temple. Lead by Ram Roy Prabhu and the NYC Harinam Ashram and many second generation devotees, it was a grand way to finish off the three day celebration of Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Lady Subhadra.

With Kali Yuga progressing, the world is especially in need of such large scale congregational chanting. Our prayers are that Srimati Radharani bless us with more opportunities to come together and help purify each other and the entire world through Harinam Sankirtana.

~ Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi (Brooklyn)

Eagerness to ignite a spiritual revolution in the world Srila Prabhupada performed Padayatra (pilgrimage by foot) a few times during his life, and also gave instructions to various devotees to organize this kind of a preaching program. In 1952-53, when he was still known as Abhay, he organized the “League of Devotees” in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh (Northern India). He urged the Jhansi residents to participate actively in this international preaching organization, quoting Lord Caitanya who said the residents of Bharata-varsa (India) had a special responsibility to distribute God consciousness throughout the world. Nourished by the books of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was very eager to ignite a spiritual revolution throughout the world. Walking through the villages near Jhansi Accompanied only by his first disciple, Acarya Prabhakar, Abhay used to walk about the neighbourhoods of Jhansi leading kirtana (chanting Hare Krishna). The group gradually increased until fifty people were going on pilgrimage regularly, chanting together and visiting the temples of Jhansi.

Abhay would also go and preach in the nearby villages, usually accompanied by League members who were available. Once he went with Acarya Prabhakar on Padayatra to Chirgoan (20 miles from Jhansi) and on their return, they spent one day in each of the five villages along the way. At night the villagers would gather and Abhay would lead kirtana. He explained that although most of these simple farmers were not scholars in Bhagavad-gita or Bhagavatam, they could achieve the highest spiritual benefit simply by kirtana. Abhay was well received by the villagers who begged him to return soon, but next time, give them advance notice so that they could prepare a proper reception for him.

~ Adapted from Srila Prabhupada, the Inspiration behind Padayatra, by Gaurangi Dasi