Lord Jagannath is the Lord of the universe
Venue: Holland
Dated: 26 th May 2018

This festival called ratha yatra festival, ratha means chariot so festival of chariots. But we have only one, so we could say festival of chariot. Sometime there are three chariots. One for Jagannath, one for Baladev, one for Subhadra. If you go, in New York also ratha yatra we have three chariots. In Los Angeles with three chariots. Next week there is rathayatra in London with three chariots and of course in Jagannath puri dham ki jay! We have three chariots. God is kind.

He must be very very kind that he has come to your town. He has come to you. He has been waiting for you to go to Him. He had been waiting and waiting and you did not come. So kindly Lord has come here in the form of Jagannath Swami ki jay!!! This is one of the oldest, most ancient festival in India in Jagannath Puri. For thousands of years ratha yatra is being held in Jagannath Puri. Five hundred years ago Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, while He spent eighteen years, in every year Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jay!!! Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He became a devotee of Lord. He is a Lord Himself but He became a devotee of Lord, devotee of Jagannath and every year Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to take part in rathayatra. And dancing in front of Jagannath and chanting,

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

So by participating in this ratha yatra festival Caitanya Mahaprabhu has established the significance of this festival, rathayatra festival. Jagannath a name of the Lord. Lord also has name, He has a form He has qualities, He has pastimes. So Jagannath is called Jagannath, say Jagannath, everybody say Jagannath. Jagannath, jagat ke nath means He is a Lord of the universe. He is not Lord of Jagannath Puri. He is not just Lord of India, not just Lord even of this planet but He is Lord of the universe. Jagannath Swami ki jay!!! He is everybody’s Lord wherever you are from. Where are you from? From Holland or Belgium or Luxemburg? A small country. Wherever you are from, yeah, He is your Lord, He is my Lord, He is everybody’s Lord.

There are not so many Lord. They are not two or three or many Lords. There is but one Lord. Everybody’s Lord is one Lord. Some of us may not know His name. We may call Him just as Lord Lord or God God. But some of us also know His name. One name is Jagannath, another name is Krsna and another name is Rama. He has so many many names also and he is everybody’s Lord.

Srila Prabhupada gave us this festival. Srila Prabhupada ki jay!!! Is Prabhupada’s deity on this chariot? A small deity is there, we call him Prabhupada, founder acarya of Hare Krsna movement . He is the one who started this festival. 51 years ago first festival was held in 1967 in San Francisco where Jagannath had appeared. One of Prabhupada’s disciple called Malati. She was also Malati. Prabhupada’s disciple Malati, Another Malati here. There are many Malatis but that original Malati, Prabhupada’s disciple, she had gone to do shopping. While shopping she found what she called doll, one doll and she returned to the temple she offered that doll to Srila Prabhupada. When Prabhupada looked at that doll he said, “where did you find this?” “In a shop I found, in a mall I found, super bazar I found it.” Prabhupada said, “go back, there must be two more dolls.” And she went and she was surprised to find as she was looking around two more dolls. She grabbed them and ran back to the temple and offered them to Prabhupada. Now there were three dolls. Prabhupada placed them on his table. On the desk, Prabhupada was watching and taking darsana and offering prayers. And he was absorbed in and the disciples around, they have no clue what, why is Prabhupada exhibiting so much devotion while looking at these dolls. But for him, for Prabhupada those dolls were God, Jagannath and Baladev and Subhadra. He knew who they were. Others did not know. But soon Prabhupada revealed who they were and Prabhupada had idea that we should organize ratha yatra festival, festival of chariots in San Francisco and that is what happened. Then Prabhupada asked Shyamsundar, Any Shyamsundar also here? He was Malati’s husband and he was a carpenter.

Prabhupada said, “take these three dolls place them in front of you and while looking at them you could make bigger, three bigger dolls, you make Jagannath, Baladev Subhadra,” that is what he did. When these three doll, deities now they were. They were deities; They were God, form of God. And Prabhupada said, “Let’s have ratha yatra festival.” And then first ever ratha yatra festival was held. In Golden Gate park in San Francisco in 1967 and was a huge success.

Prabhupada was just there in America for a year and half or so and that became the first public festival of ISKCON which was attended by 10000 ladies and gentlemen from America [clap] Haribol!!! We have few hundred here. But on the way actually were hundreds and hundreds. I was surprised how many, hari hari!!! And the festival was very successful. Prabhupada said we want to call this town San Francisco as New Jagannath Puri and for us San Francisco is no more San Francisco it is. What is it? New Jagannath Puri dham ki jay!! Full town was named after Jagannath Puri.

Prabhupada said, “There was New York and New Delhi so many new, this new, that new, why not new Jagannath Puri. So that was the first festival of chariot in the western world and then next one in Montreal, I think next one in New York, next one here, next one there and by now this International Society for Krsna Consciousness is organizing ratha yatra festival, festival of chariot all over the planet. There is no country where ratha yatra is not held and in recent survey we found out 470 listen to this 470 cities on this planet where ratha yatra festival is held. You are not surprised? I am surprised [clap] and this one must be 471 st . Small town, good size town.

Jagannath also has come here. Hari Hari!! Is this first one here? No, How many times we have done here, 3,4,5, 10? You forgot? 12 ok more than 10. Yes I am amazed. I liked the festival. I was very much, I did not know what to expect but, Malati said some name of the town. What?

Which town? Timbactoo? They said timbactoo [laugh]. Finally as I have gone through the experience of ratha yatra today. I loved ratha yatra today. Was very well received by the residents. They are very receptive. They were accepting prasadam. They were taking selfies and from roof tops and from their verandas, they were taking photographs and they were clapping. They were getting into the mood of singing. That doesn’t happen everywhere like that, not in New York or some places. So this was very receptive and how is Prasad? How is it? Yeah? First class!! And there is a big big response for prasadam here.

In Jagannath puri, Jagannath is known for prasadam. Everyday hundreds and thousands of people take Jagannath prasad. Hari hari!!! And of course this Jagannath is non different from Krsna. He is Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Jei gaur sei krsna sei Jagannath

We were singing jei gaur, say, jei gaur sei krsna sei Jagannath. Sei gaur Gauranga, Krsna and Jagannath are not different. They are one and the same. So that Lord Jagannath is Sri Krsna. We have Bhagvad-gita? We have books here? Lord who spoke Bhagavad-gita, same Lord is Jagannath Swami ki jay!!! So Lord has come to give us darsana, to meet us. Please take darsana of Lord, offer your prayers and obeisances. Thank you, thank you Jagannath say thank you Jagannath . Thank god we say, thank God thank God. He has come all the way to our town to meet us. We are just nobody, insignificant creatures, tiny and He is big Lord of the universe. When Lord has gone out of His way. Now He has come to see us. So you could hear, Hear him, speak. We are speaking on His behalf. You could also hear Him speak directly. That is Bhagavad gita. You have read Bhagavad-gita? How many of you have Bhagavad-gita? Quite a few. Others, we have books here. Take one copy or many copies. This is also very special month in fact.

Purusottam maas, adhik maas, mal maas. And ratha yatra is being held in the middle of this purusottam maas. It is very very auspicious. Auspicious for holding festivals. Auspicious for chanting and dancing and hearing and studying and meditating on the Lord. So I think in this town they gather once a month. I don’t know the address. Please find out. But we are everywhere. Hare krsna’s are everywhere. On the streets of so many towns.

So please chant, that is so special. Hari hari!! Say everybody “hare krsna hare krsna”, ok you could raise your hands also, that meant we surrender unto the Lord.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

So keep chanting these names of Lord. We are known as Hare Krsna, we are Hare Krsna people. Reason why we are called Hare Krsna people because we always chant Hare Krsna. We chant Krsna’s name everywhere and always all over the world. And we are good people, I think [laugh]. You are judge you could tell us. This festival is open for everybody. No caste, no nationality boundaries. This is for one and all. So these Hare Krsna people, Hare Krsna movement is uniting people everywhere. Prabhupada once or many times said, “This is united nation of the spiritual world.” We are all united otherwise the world is. In New York there is UNO building, Prabhupada used to pass by that building and he used to notice every time he passed by that building there was yet another flag. After few months another flag, another flag. Then he said what kind of united nation is this? This is disunited, so many flags. Why not one flag? Flag of God. We have come here with God. And He is everybody’s God. This sun is, is this Belgium’s sun? And after few hours it becomes American sun and then Japanese sun. Sun is sun.

Everybody’s sun. Likewise everybody’s God is, we are all children of one God. And that God, He has a form. He has kindly come here or we have brought Him here. Riding on the chariot. Big chariot, does anyone have a chariot or cart like this? Not a president, not a prime minister, this must be God’s chariot, God’s cart. Huge big, this one is not that, medium size we have, big big size chariots.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

This mantra we call maha-mantra. Our spiritual master used to call this as the phone number of God. If you are in trouble call God. Ok so I will not take more of your time. Thank you for joining us this beautiful little warm afternoon.

Jagannath Swami ki jay!!!
Srila Prabhupada ki jay!!!
Gaur premanade hari haribol!!!