iskcon pune todayNewsletter Vol 12 / Issue: 4 (Monthly) / April 2015 / Price: `1/-

ISKCON PUNE TODAY / April 2015 Page 1

Pune, 22nd March: Amidst loud chants of “Jai Jagannath” and “Jagannath Swami Nayana Pathgami” by a 3,000-strong crowd of devotees, Their Lordships Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra Devi left the ISKCON NVCC temple, around 11.00 am, in the grand “Pahandi ceremony,” that marks the Lord’s departure from the temple to ascend Their chariots. After Maha-aarti and Raj-bhog offering, the grand Rath Yatra commenced from Sri Mahalaxmi Mandir near Sarasbaug. Following a 6km route covering Bajiroa Road, Tilak Road, Laxmi Road, Jungli Maharaj Road and FC College Road, the chariots finally reached Modern College grounds, where a pandal was erected to welcome the Deities and devotees.

Throughout the 6-hour walking-and-dancing parade and kirtans, His Holiness Lokanath Swami Maharaj and His Holiness Prabodhananda Swami Maharaj led the procession. It was an amazing sight - two elderly sannyasis, surrounded by dozens of young devotees playing mridangam-kartal-gambe to the best of their energies - took the Hare Krishna kirtans to newer heights of ecstatic devotion with each passing hour. Brahmacaris, elderly devotees, the kids, congregation members, matajis, onlookers, the escorting police party, shopkeepers and even those in buses and other vehicles joined in chanting, dancing, welcoming Lord Jagannath and pulling the ropes of the chariot. Seated on a chariot personally built by HG Laxminarayan Das and team, with

a colorful canopy, kalash and decorations, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra appeared effulgent, casting Their merciful glance upon everyone. At various places, dignitaries, leaders, businessmen and well-wishers offered aarti to the Lord on His chariot and were gifted with the Lord’s Mahavastra.

HH Lokanath Swami, who travels all over the world leading Rath Yatra and other festivals, addressed the Pune devotees in his 8th Rath Yatra of this month. “One time in Dwarka, Mother Rohini narrated the sweet Vrindavan pastimes of Krishna to the Dwarkavasis. Subhadra was instructed to alert Rohini if Krishna or Balaram arrived, lest They leave Dwarka and run towards Vrindavan to meet Their devotees! As everyone became absorbed in hearing the Vrindavan Krishna-lila, nobody realized Krishna and Balaram entering the palace. On hearing Their pastimes and the devotion of the Vrajvasis, Krishna and Balaram developed ecstatic symptoms where Their eyes became big in astonishment and hands and legs appeared to merge within the body. This was the exact form of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra - the form of divine ecstasy.”

Explaining the glory of Lord Jagannath’s mahaprasad, HH Prabodhananda Swami Maharaj said, “Prasad (in Hindi) means Prabhu ke sakshad darshan i.e. food offered to Lord Jagannath and accepted with devotion is as good as seeing the

Lord Himself. The Supreme Lord Krishna resides in 4 places, called chardham. The Lord goes to Badrinath in the Himalayas for meditation. In Rameshwar, the Lord goes to take His bath. In Dwarka, the Lord manifests His unlimited opulence but in Jagannath Puri, the Lord goes to accept chappan bhoga from His devotees. Hence, Lord Jagannath’s mahaprasad is understood to be very powerful and anyone who accepts His mahaprasad, His darshan on the Chariot or pulls His chariot makes great spiritual advancement.”

HG Radheshyam Das, president of ISKCON Pune temple, emphasized the importance of devotional service in human life. “The living entity, and even animals, birds and trees, experience so many emotions. It is possible to experience this because the living entity is spirit, not matter. Life and emotions come from the soul, not matter. However, cut-off from God, the living entity in bodily consciousness experiences only perverted reflections of the true, spiritual emotions. Consequently the living entity suffers, not knowing that the source of true, blissful emotions is the Supreme Lord. Devotional service, or bhakti, awakens the living entity to experience true, spiritual happiness that is derived by connecting oneself to God.”

The grand Rath Yatra celebration ended with special darshan of Lord Jagannath in the pandal and a big mahaprasad feast for all. Jagannath Swami ki jay!

HH Lokanath Swami & HH Prabodhananda SwamiLead ISKCON Pune’s Grand Rath Yatra

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ISKCON Pune Today | April 2015

Following is an excerpt from the 3-day discourse by His Holiness Prabodhananda Saraswati Maharaj at ISCKON, NVCC during the Rath Yatra Festival.

The Ratha of Jagannnatha is called Nandigosh. It has 16 wheels with 16 spokes on each wheel. It is heralded by a flag having insignia of Garuda. It is driven by 4 white horses with Daruka as the chariot driver. The Ratha of Balaram is called Taladhwaj. It has 14 wheels with 14 spokes on each wheel. It is decorated by the flag with emblem of Tal tree. It is driven by 4 black horses with Matali as chariot driver. The Ratha of Subhadra is called as Darpadalan. It has 12 wheels with 12 spokes on each wheel. It is marked with a flag bearing lotus on it. It is driven by 4 yellow horses with Arjuna as chariot driver.

Lord Jagannath, who is Krishna Himself, gives the benediction that whoever takes His Darshan on the Ratha will soon achieve the Kingdom of God, Vaikuntha. That is the special benediction of darshan on the Ratha. Lord is more merciful when He is seated on the Ratha than when He is worshipped inside the temple! Hence Bhaktivinod Thakur, a great acharya in the Gaudiya-Vaishnava parampara, prays, “Let me get residence in Kurukshetra than in Vrindavan, as there is much need of service and more mercy in Kurukshetra for pulling their Lordships back to His home, than in His home Vrindavan.”

Vrindavana is the abode of Madhurya rasa [mellow of sweetness], Mayapur is the abode of Audarya rasa

[munificience] and Dwaraka the abode of Aishvarya rasa [awe and reverence] but Jagannath Puri is abode of all rasas. Jagannath Puri is the abode of all abodes. The residents of Puri bear four hands always, as if residing directly in Vaikuntha, including even the insects, birds and animals. However, only higher beings like demigods can perceive this, not the earthly beings like us. Puri, being purely a spiritual abode, is not annihilated even at the time of the final Pralaya.

In the Sri Mandir of Lord Jagannath, bhoga is offered 8 times a day i.e. on every prahar (roughly 3 hrs) one bhoga offering is done as instructed by King Indradyumna. The King, who was a great devotee of Lord Jagannath, wanted to offer a special service to the Lord. So the King prayed to the Lord, “Your hands will never get dry. You will always be busy eating.” Only God can do this eating of 56 items in 8 times a day!

The festival of Ratha Yatra was initiated by King Indradyumna, many ages ago, during the time of Svayambhu Manu. Hence it is the oldest known festival to mankind! Many envious rulers and kings tried to stop the Rath Yatra but it has continued. Once, during the Buddhist rule, the Rath Yatra appeared to be discontinued. But later a powerful king named Paundra Vijay restarted the Chariot festival. To honour the King’s restoration of the festival, his name is awarded to the Lord’s stepping out from the Sri Mandir onto to the Ratha as “Pahandu Vijay.”

Later, the mughal emperor Aurangazeb attempted to discontinue the Ratha Yatra for 12 years. Then Lord Jagannatha appeared in the emperor’s dream and severely reprimanded him. Aurangazeb repented bitterly for the atrocities he committed against the Lord and His devotees. He rectified the mistake by resuming the chariot festival and gave a tract of land in donation to the Jagannath temple.

Once a Puri king named Ramchandra Dev was captured by Moghuls and forcibly converted to their religion. Although previously a king but now as a Muslim, he was denied entry in the Jaganntha temple. Being a great devotee of the Lord, Ramchandra would cry tears in separation of the Lord, sitting at the entrance of Sri Mandir. To reciprocate with the love of His sincere devotee, the Lord came out of the altar and manifested Himself as Patit Pavan Jagannath at the entrance, just so that the king can take His darshan. From then onwards, Lord Jagannath grants darshan to non-Hindus at the temple entrance.

Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON society, took the Rath Yatra festival all over the world, making the grand and ancient chariot festival known all over. Srila Prabhupada thus justified the name of Lord Jagannath - “Lord of the Universe.” Today, in the ISKCON society, there is an almost daily celebration of Rath Yatra somewhere in the world. Jai Jagannath! Jay Srila Prabhupada!

The Great Chariot Festival

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ISKCON Pune Today | April 2015

Hundreds of devotees gathered on the eve of the appearance of Lord Chaitanya - 4th March - to celebrate Adivas for Sri Sri Gaur-Nitai. Over 27 items were offered as bhoga for Their pleasure.

The next day - 5th March - was celebrated as a very auspicious day; the appearance of the most merciful Lord Chaitanya.

namo maha-vadanyaya

krishna-prema-pradaya te |

krishnaya krishna-caitanya-namne

gaura-tvishe namah ||

“O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.” [Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 19.53]. This verse is written by Sri Rupa Goswami, a great scholar, saint, mystic and direct disciple of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in medieval India. This verse explains the specific glory of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu - that He is freely distributing, without checking eligibility, caste, or

any other credentials, pure love of God.

Hundreds of devotees congregated for the Mangal Arti in the NVCC temple, with His Holiness Lokanath Swami Maharaj himself leading Mangal-aarti, Narsimha-aarti and Tulasi-aarti. After the daily meditation of devotees of chanting 16 rounds of Hare Krishna mahamantra, Maharaj sang such ecstatic Gurupuja that the devotees’ feet were hardly touching the ground! Nothing could stop the roaring kirtans except the gorgeous darshan of Their Lordships which opened at 8.00 AM.

Their Lordships were decorated with exquisite dress, jewellery and flowers. The Govindan Adi Purusham prayers reverberated on the speakers, inspiring deep devotional sentiments in the hearts of all presents. The beauty of Their Lordships was very soothing to the eyes. The difference between the Lord’s beauty and the mundane beauty is that Lord’s beauty is purifying and satisfying, while the mundane beauty is agitating.

During the Srimad Bhagavatam discourse, Maharaj explained that Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself who appeared 529 years ago in Mayapur (West Bengal) to deliver the fallen people of this iron age. The Lord appeared on Pournima (full moon day). Maharaj continued further to explain three external

reasons for Lord Chaitanya’s appearance: (i) that His great devotee Sri Advaita Acharya prayed intensely for Lord Krishna to appear on Earth, (ii) to spread the sankirtan movement of chanting the Holy names of God, and (iii) to fulfill His schedule of appearing in every yuga i.e. yuga-avatar.

When Lord was born He was given the official name by His grandfather Nilambar Chakrvarthy as “Vishvambhar” i.e. protector of the universe. The ladies gave Him the name “Nimai” because He was born under Neem tree. There are 32 symptoms including astronomical signs and physical marks on the body that indicate the birth of a great personality. These were fully manifest on Nimai’s person, e.g. long arms extending to the knees, lotus-like eyes, fine hair, soft skin, broad chest, sweet voice and marks on the feet. Nimai was so beautiful that he charmed the hearts of everyone present.

In the evening, a beautiful abhishek of Sri Sri Gaur Nitai was conducted by devotees with fruit juices, honey, ghee, curd, milk and fragrant water. The kirtan team sung sweet Hare Krishna Kirtan melodies throughout the day. Over 3000 devotees were present on this special occasion.

--- Sri Chaitanya Chandra das

Gaur Pournima - The Appearance Day

of Lord Chaitanya

ISKCON PUNE TODAY / April 2015Page 4

4, Tarapore Rd, Next to Dastur Boys School, Camp, Pune | Phone: 020-41033210 / 22 Mobile: 9225545984 | Email: nvcc@iskconpune.in | www.iskconpune.in

International Society for Krishna ConsciousnessFounder Acharya : His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

“ISKCON PUNE TODAY” monthly magazine is printed and published by Radheshyam Das for the owner ISKCON-Pune Br. Printed at Yashraj Printers, 5 - Gulmohar Manor, Nagar Road, Pune 6 & Published at 4, Tarapore Road, Camp, Pune 411001. Editor - Mr. Kiran Shinde

New Temple Address: ISKCON NVCC, S. No. 50, Katraj Kondhwa bypass, Pune - 411048, M: 9225545984

From:Editor,

ISKCON PUNE TODAY4, TARAPORE ROAD, CAMP, PUNE - 411001 (MS)Phone: 020-41033222, 41033234

Registered NewspaperISKCON PUNE TODAYPosted at GPO, PuneOn 5th, 6th & 7th of every monthTo,

“Seeing so many devotees selflessly and tirelessly engaged in Lord’s service inspired me to contribute to this unique seva. The Deities in both temples are so attractive. I experience peace of mind, a higher pleasure in my life and feel blessed each time I visit the temple for darshan”.

Shri Sunil M. Vanarse, MD Reshmika Minerals & Chemical Ltd.

iskcon pune todayRNI Res.No.72522/2000PCE/043/2015-17Published on 2nd April 2015

Sri Radha -Krishna Vigraha SevaSri Radha -Krishna

Vigraha Seva

Lord Krishna speaks to Uddav: “One who offers the Deity gifts of land, markets, cities and villages so that the regular daily worship and special festivals of the Deity may go on continually will achieve

opulence equal to My own.” (SB 11.27.51)

Obtain the blessed opportunity of direct service to Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Vrindavanchandra & Sri Sri Radha Kunjabihari

Regular expenditure for Deities at ISKCON temples in Kondhwa and Camp include:

• Flowers, fruits, milk, ghee, grocery & vegetables @ Rs. 5 Lacs monthly

• 8 Festival dresses and jewelery @ Rs. 5 lacs per festival

Contributors will be blessed as Sri Radha-Krishna Vigraha Sevak

For April 2015