Padayatra
Padayatra goes on
29th October 2018
ISKCON meeting
Noida
Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu six years he travelled and that was padayatra.
1508: Caitanya Mahaprabhu left on his 6 years padayatra to establish the yuga dharma, the chanting of the holy names.
Why acharya’s where walking and traveling and why did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu travelled? This was to spread the glories of the Lord and especially did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and our Gaudiya Vaishnava have traveled to bring the holy name to more towns and more villages. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the inaugurator of this program and Srila Prabhupada took it up.
1952: Srila Prabhupada (still Abhay) organized the League of Devotees in Jhansi. Srila Prabhupada himself in 1952 while he was in Jhansi. He went on padayatra. Just short not long one but he did padayatra himself of 30 kilometers from Jhansi to Chirgoan.
In 1974, this was shared with me by Tribhuvanath Prabhu. Tribhuvanath Prabhu and Bhagavat Prabhu, Prabhupada wanted to see them as going up near Bombay, they were excited, what assignment Prabhupad is going to give us. Finally when Prabhupada said (You go on padayatra) You do padayatra, but then that did not materialize but Prabhupad was thinking and approaching his disciples, followers to take up this Padayatra program.
End of 1974 (Bombay) :
For the first time Prabhupada introduced the idea of bullock cart sankirtana party to Bhagavat Das and Tribhuvanath Das. He surprised his disciples with his new idea and even promised he would accompany them but the idea was not pursued.
Beginning of 1976, entrance gate of Mayapur:
Srila Prabhupada received the half dozen devotees who had walked 3 months on the 1500 km bullock Padayatra from Hyderabad to Mayapur.
“Naturally the sankirtan men travelling with the bullock carts are blissful. It is Lord Caitanya’s engagement. Lord Caitanya personally travelled all over India for six years. His program was simply kirtan and prasada distribution. Lord Caitanya never spoke philosophy in public… So continue this program. It is very pleasing to Lord Caitanya.
December 1975: Letter to Mahamsa Swami, then in charge of Hyderabad Farm
Then in 1976, padayatra finally happened from Hyderabad to Mayapur (1500 kms) and Prabhupad was there to greet them, I understand. Then Prabhupad wrote a letter to Mahamsa Swami, who was then incharge of the Hyderabad farm.
We heard this from Yasomatinadan Prabhu.
During His visit of Gujarat in 1975
Srila Prabhupada asked Yasomatinandana Prabhu to arrange a bullock cart to travel village to village. He said he would travel with the Padayatris.
In 1975 Prabhupada said to Yasomatinandana Prabhu please arrange bullock cart to travel village to village and he would travel with padayatris. There was a gentlemen called Punjabi Parmananda and he had written to Prabhupada of taking of this Padayatra Program and Prabhupada responded to the communication of Punjabi Parmananda saying.
Letter to Punjabi Premananda
May 16th, 1976
“Concerning your offering of doing Padayatra travelling village to village, if young Indian men join me, I am immediately ready for this travelling touring from village to village, town to town. However my foreign disciples have the language defect, they can’t speak the village language, otherwise I would have started this programme long ago. If some young men like you would join me then along with some foreign disciples, I can immediately take up this programme. If you are very eager, please get hold of at least half a dozen young men like you then with another half dozen foreign disciples, I can immediately take up this programme and tour village to village and town to town.
It will be very, very effective, I know that.”
This is Srila Prabhupad and I am sharing this so that we would know what was in the mind of Prabhupada. There were so many things on his mind book distribution this that but certainly this was one of the items that was very much in his mind and dear to his heart.
I know that because I have interacted with Srila Prabhupada and had many talks, correspondence and I know how much he appreciated the padayatra program. I am just transferring these thoughts of Prabhupada. I would be no more but you will be here for much longer, so I just wanted to make sure that you fully understand Prabhupada, his thoughts for padayatra and why padayatra should be brought to more towns and more villages.
What do we distribute in ISKCON. We distribute book of Prabhupada, with sweet prasadam , Krishna prasadam , and what else do? We distribute harinam, and I think these are three big items and new festivals this that and when it comes to distribute share the holy name is in top of the list and Prabhupada wanted to make sure the holy name spreads far and wide not to be limited only to towns.
So Prabhupada is representing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and wanting to make Chaitanya’s prediction come true this was Prabhupada’s strategy this padayatra travel program.
August 1976 in Delhi on Radhashtami:
Srila Prabhupada: “You don’t need to travel on the bus in India. Instead you can get one bullock cart and go preach village to village all over India. It will be a great success.”
(Speaking to Lokanath Swami who had been travelling and preaching on two German Mercedes buses with the Nitai-Gaura World Sankirtana Party.
In 1976, this is where in Delhi I personally received this instruction of the padayatra on Radhastami day. When ISKCON was in Lajpat Nagar only once on Gandhi Road you know the address all the way back 1976 Prabhupada was attending Radhasathmi festival (Radha Parthasarthi temple) and Radhasatmi Prabhupad said, you don’t need to travel on the bus in India. Instead, you can get one bullock cart and go preach village to village all over India. It will be a great success.
We were traveling in German buses of Hansaduta Maharaja GBC also that time with the western buses and we were traveling all overnight in north India and we had good time. We were enjoying the German buses you know they are very special opening and closing doors you push the button and lot of people would just gather around, it was a Mercedes bus. People would gather around just to see how the door opens door closes and we were having good time but then Prabhupada said get down from the bus. Here is the bullock cart.
Travelling in bullock cart is a big sacrifice but we were happy. Then we started the first walk was from Vrindavan to Mayapur. Prabhupad said you go to Mayapur and on the way, we passed to Kanpur. I wrote to Srila Prabhupad need some financial help for padayatra we need money we need men and I wrote to Srila Prabhupada.
This was the response.
“Do not depend on outside help. Also, for financial support depend on Krishna…. Also, book distribution. We are maintaining our huge establishment by selling books. That is wanted. In foreign countries they are distributing huge quantities of books. Money is needed, that you have to collect. You can’t expect money from outside.”
(Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Lokanath Swami)
December 1976, Kanpur .
So, we took up book distribution very seriously on padayatra and I would like to report scores of 9th 2015 -2016 and 2017 we distributed in 2015, 96 thousand books of Srila Prabhupada on padayatra and in 2016, 97 thousand and in 2017 over 100,000 thousand books were distributed and that made padayatra more self-sufficient.
We have padayatra president here Acharya Prabhu for last ten years he had been managing padayatra right here and they are saving funds by distributing books and they took a pledge of 5 lakh for TVO VP and they are sponsoring other projects certain temples from book distribution on padayatras.
So, besides chanting the holy name bringing into every town every village Prabhupad abooks are going to all remote area corners of India and they have gone around India six time the 6th time (6th round) as we do temple parikrama they are doing Bharat varsha parikrama.
Padayatra INDIA Book Scores
Books By Categories 2015 2016 2017
S1 – Small (Soft copy)
Raj Vidya, Teachings of Prahalad Maharaja, Beyond
Birth & Death, Laws of Nature, BTG 73,221 68,966 35,592
S2 – Medium (Soft copy) Second Chance 904 698 200
S3 – Big (Soft copy)
Science of Self Realization 1,487 1,171 7,193
H4 – Maha Big (Hard copy, 500+ pages)
BG, SB, Krishna Book, Prabhupada Lilamrita, Ramayana 20,790 26,982 63,124
Grand Total 96,402 Books 97,727 Books 106,109 Books
Prabhupada wrote to me in 1976, I’m also happy to hear your very nice activities. I wish I could have joined you.”
“I’m also happy to hear your very nice activities. I wish I could have joined you. I like your program very much. If you continue this program you will be benefited, people will be benefited, and everyone will be happy.”
Letter to Lokanath Swami, 1976
What more Prabhupada would say to us to inspire us keep doing this program. Then 1977 as we had a very successful bullock sankirtan party going in India. This was Prabhupada wrote to Nityananda our God brother in America New Talavan farm community.
March 16th 1977
(Letter to Nityananda Dasa,
New Talavan Farm Community, US)
“And oxen can be used for driving carts and preaching village to village. What is the question of killing them? Here in India our Lokanatha Maharaja has successfully organized such a program and it is a great success. He has travelled all over India and everywhere they distribute books, prasadam and perform kirtana, village to village. Each night they stop at a different village. We can introduce many millions of such carts all over the world.”
And then you wrote here in India our Lokanath Maharaja has successfully organized such a program and it is a great success. He has travelled all over India and everywhere they distribute books, prasadam and perform kirtan, village to village. Each night they stop at a different village. And then you can read that highlighted statement or hear and Prabhupad wrote. “We can introduce many millions of such carts all over the world.” This is Prabhupada’s big thinking Prabhupada never thought small so this is big thinking we had only one cart’s round which we thought was very successful then he’s is talking of millions of hearts but this was not to be organized only by Lokanath Swami from this it is very clear Prabhupada wanted his followers, his managers to take up this project of padayatra, spreading the holy, name around.
PADYATRA WORLDWIDE MINISTRY,
GBC MANDATE,
1991
“TO BRING THE CONGREGATIONAL CHANTING OF THE HOLYNAME TO EVERY
VILLAGE OF THE WORLD THROUGH ORGANIZED PADAYATRA FESTIVALS.”
In 1991, GBC formed a Padayatra worldwide ministry and this is the mandate of GBC mandate for padayatra worldwide to bring the congregational chanting of the holy name to every town and village of the world through organized for the padayatra festivals. So, to execute the will of Srila Prabhupada’s, GBC took that action and gave that Mandate Padayatra, we are on the road. You could do the calculation that is how many 34, All India Padayatra is on the road for as 34 years and every day they go to new village, to new village, to the new village, new village and a thousand. I was looking at Acharya prabhu is keeping record. He took over some 9 or 10 years ago and he was showing me the record started in Pandharpur in the 10 kilometers down the road this village and he has all record of all last 10 years, 10 years, Padayatra visits and their phone numbers and some contact. They are becoming devotees as goes back. He is our 5th president in 34 year we are 4 before as we have gone around nonstop and then 1996, we organize 100 birth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada. Everyone was thinking well he is his disciples how to glorify, where to offer Srila Prabhupad 100th birth anniversary. So padayatra ministry also were thinking Pancharatna for who was with us being plans or as a part of Centennial. So, we took the pledge of organizing Padayatra in 100 countries and he is a list of all those countries because we have in fact 105 countries, we covered with padayatra.
ALL INDIA PADAYATRA 1984-2018
And I think today Padayatra has worked 250,000 kilometers and Padayatris do not take one step forward without chanting a very Krishna, Krishna at every step they are chanting. So, you could imagine how many towns and villages holy name has reached. And sometimes I say, and this is true that padayatra not only brings holy name to every town and every village, but in between the villages and in between the towns we chant. We not only in the town, in the village, but in between, from one town to another one. One village to another. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s prediction. This is coming true, in 77. Probably.
You know, Prabhupada wanting to go on bullock cart but his health was bad for months, he wasn’t able to get up and sit on his own. Get me Bullock cart. So, this is Prabhupada and inconceivable Prabhupada. Then we have Brajamandal Parikrama, Navdeep Mandal Parikrama and Sri Kshetra Parikrama Puri Parikrama is very much there. Then Bhakti Purushottam Maharaj took over.
I only go for inauguration cutting the ribbon and is going on for 10 years. More than 12 years Sri Kshetra Parikrama, Pandharpur Parikrama and this Parikrama and Punjab Many Parikrama is also going on. We have a padayatra manual how to organize from beginning all the details that you made available websites.
www.padayatra.com
This is a web site padayatra.
• Padayatra Andhra Pradesh/Telangana on the road since the end of 2012, led by Vishnuswami Dasa.
• 20-Day bullock cart Padayatra by ISKCON Bhubaneswar at the end of Kartika (Orissa). 2018 will be its 26th anniversary.
• 18-Day bullock cart Dindi yatra from Dehu to Pune to Pandharpur (Maharashtra).
• Dindi bullock cart Padayatra from Aravade to Pandharpur (Maharashtra).
• Dindi yatra from Solapur to Pandharpur (Maharashtra). 2018 will be its 20th anniversary.
• One-Day Padayatras around Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Vallabhavidya nagar, Surat & Bangalore.
• 22-day long Padayatra by Yasodadulal Dasa from Ahmedabad to Dandi (Gujarat).
• 2-Day pilgrimage at the end of 2016 by Yasodadulal Dasa accompanied by a group of 150 local devotees (Assam).
• 15-Day bullock cart Padayatra from Noida to Vrindavan (UP) in October 2016.
One grihastha devotee disciple of Bhakti Vikas Maharaja, he had been doing padayatra in Telangana and Andra also since 2012 and he has only party of not more than half dozen just 4 or 5 devotees so many villages, so many books. Just one gentleman one grihastha leaves his family wife behind and he goes. Lot of the time, most of the time is on the road.
Bhuvaneswar from Gaura Govind Maharaja’s days, then after, his glorious departure, ISKCON Bhuvaneswar is organizing padayatra every year
In India, Pune to Pandharpur this is ISKCON Pune takes part in organizing the padayatra every year, 18 days, 50 temple devotees join, they’ll have good time, padayatra is nice retreat, retreat everyone like padayatra and there’s a whole list
And upcoming padayatras which is ISKCON Kanpur is on the list, and ISKCON Baroda and Tirupati’s being ready to have padayatra all over Andhra Pradesh and many temples organize padayatra every year there’s one day padayatra concept is cropping up in Ahmadabad and Gujarat, 3 day padayatra, 1 week padayatra or ISKCON Noida devotees go from here to Vrindavan , so please take this up, as I said in the beginning it already resolve that you are and they resolve for you are the doers, temple president you have to take this action to organize padayatra in your area.
You see Prabhupada’s will or legacy that he left behind in the form of padayatra and we have to shift forward
You are Ready!! once more once more show up hand, all those who wish to be a part of initiative.
Jai Srila Prabhupada ki jai