20230622 Addressing the Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā Festival

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 22nd,2023 in Kolkata, India. The Address was given at the Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā Festival, Kolkata, India.

Jayapatākā Swami: I see many devotees here! I am very happy today that Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā, Sudarśana cakra have come in the ratha to their aunt’s house, this is called Guṇḍicā. Where They stay in the big temple, that is Nīlācala. And in Guṇḍicā, where They stay for a few days, that is called Sundarācala. The vraja-vāsīs were in great separation, so Lord Jagannātha every year comes to Sundarācala, Guṇḍicā! Haribol! There is Ratha-yātrā performed in various countries in the world. In India, we perform the Ratha-yātrā on the same day everywhere. In other countries, we are not able to get the Government’s permission at all times. In Atlanta, New York, and Italy, the Ratha-yātrā is already over. In New York, the Ratha-yātrā parades down the 5th Avenue. The Ratha-yātrā is performed in different places.

I think, I have not counted exactly, but I think about 100 Ratha-yātrās are performed all over the world. Śrīla Prabhupāda had wanted that in his birthplace, Calcutta, the Ratha-yātrā should be the biggest. Which year is this now? In Kolkata, it has been going on for 52 years. This is called Kolkata Ratha. The Kolkata Ratha is organized for all of you by ISKCON Kolkata. Every year, there is the Ratha-yātrā Festival of Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā and Sudarśana cakra. I think many years ago, the wheel of Lord Baladeva’s ratha had broken. That year in Jagannātha Purī also the ratha of Lord Baladeva had broken. Whenever this happens it indicates that there will be war in some place or the other. That year, there was a war between America and Iraq. The war was called Desert Storm. Anyway, we hope that through this Ratha-yātrā there will be world peace. Now Russia and Ukraine are at war. Both the countries are our friends. War between these countries is creating lot of pain for us.

During the Ratha-yātrā every year, Lord Caitanya was in Jagannātha Purī and He used to be going amongst seven kīrtana parties. King Pratāparudra, Gajapati, he could not go but he saw from the roof top of his palace. The king who could go anywhere he wanted but during the Ratha-yātrā he would stand on the rooftop of his palace. He would go and sweep the road in front of the ratha and do all the ceremonies. Our Chief Minister of West Bengal did the ārati, the offering of sandalwood, flowers, etc. She said that she had done something for the development of ISKCON Māyāpur. Normally, there is a ceiling on the amount of land a society can have but she had increased that. She wants that we create a spiritual city in Māyāpur. Anyway, we are trying that the TOVP temple, the Temple of Vedic Planetarium is constructed. Some of it is left, mostly done.

King Pratāparudra saw that Lord Caitanya would simultaneously be dancing in all the seven parties. He told Rāmānanda Rāya that there are seven Lord Caitanyas! Rāmānanda Rāya said that you are very fortunate to see the seven Lord Caitanyas! Every party that was doing kīrtana that Lord Caitanya was only with them. And in those days there were no videos. And Kṛṣṇa does not give the ability for all to see such a sight. Both Lord Caitanya and Lord Jagannātha are the same. Lord Jagannātha is the stationary Deity and Lord Caitanya is the walking Deity. This way, Lord Caitanya enacted different pastimes. Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa and came as His devotee. Why? Rukmiṇī Devī told Lord Kṛṣṇa. She said, “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You know everything. What is Lord Brahmā is doing in Satyaloka, what Lord Śiva is doing in Kailāsa, what is going on in the unlimited universes, You know everything. But there is one thing You don’t know. But I know, Rādhārāṇī knows, but You don’t know!” Lord Kṛṣṇa was surprised! No one could tell Him that He did not know something surprised Him. He said, “What is that? What do I not know?” Rukmiṇī said, “You are Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no one above you. But You don’t know.” “What do I not know?” asked Lord Kṛṣṇa. She said, “You don’t know, how much your devotees love You. And how they love You. You don’t know. Rādhārāṇī knows, I know. You don’t know.” Then Lord Kṛṣṇa said, “Okay, I will come in Kali-yuga, as My devotee. AS MY DEVOTEE! IN KALI-YUGA I WILL COME AS MY DEVOTEE!” Haribol! Haribol! That is how Lord Kṛṣṇa came as Lord Śrī Caitanya! The Lord came as His devotee. This is a special story.

He started the saṅkīrtana-yajña in Māyāpur, Navadvīpa. Then when the saṅkīrtana-yajña was going on in Navadvīpa, He took sannyāsa and then came to Jagannātha Purī. There when the devotees from Bengal came, they would all do saṅkīrtana with Him. But He saw that the effect of the saṅkīrtana preaching had gone down. Then He took sannyāsa and left Bengal. One day He told Lord Nityānanda Prabhu in Nīlācala. He said, “We descended from Goloka Vṛndāvana and We promised that we would liberate four types of people who normally do not get liberated.” Do you know who those four types of people are? One of you say. The foolish, the fallen, the lowborn and the distressed. Are any of you having these problems in this material world, then They will deliver you. I am coming from the Western world, there lowborn, foolish, fallen – all are like that. Foolish think that they are the body. This body is not us, we are eternal spirit souls. Lord Caitanya came to deliver all the people. But He took sannyāsa and went from Katwa to Nīlācala. Then He told Lord Nityānanda Prabhu that You should go back to Bengal and preach. Then Nitāi Prabhu came to Pānihāṭi and other places and did saṅkīrtana preaching. When Lord Caitanya went from Katwa to Nīlācala, He went by the villages path. Then He crossed the Gaṅgā at Cakra-tīrtha. There is a Ambuliṅga there. Have you seen Ambuliṅga? From the Ganges water Ambuliṅga had manifested. Lord Śiva liṅga under water. Lord Caitanya crossed the Ganges and then went to Nīlācala. And on the path there were lots of dacoits etc. but Lord Caitanya did kīrtana even there – Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! The boatman asked to be quiet but Lord Caitanya loudly chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! And did kīrtana loudly. This way there were many associates of Lord Caitanya, He told them that you cross over, it is not my responsibility. In those days there were many toll collectors on the roads. Seeing Lord Caitanya as a sannyāsī, they let Him go. But the toll collectors caught the devotees and asked them for tax. Gṛhasthas were asked to pay. Now Lord Caitanya was waiting. How will the gṛhastha devotees come. There were some beautiful pastimes here. Everyone said, they were with Lord Caitanya. They came and asked Lord Caitanya, if they were with Him. This way, whoever are with Lord Caitanya, they can all be delivered like this. Haribol! Gaurāṅga! Nityānanda! This way, Lord Caitanya enacted different pastimes. From Nīlācala the devotees from Navadvīpa went back to Bengal. They used to go for the Ratha-yātrā and stay for four months. In the four months, Lord Caitanya did kīrtana along with the devotees. There were four parties. Eight mṛdaṅgas, 32 karatālas and four devotees would dance. Nityānanda, Śrīvāsa, Advaita and Vakreśvara Paṇḍita. Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to dance in Navadvīpa. But here there were four parties in four directions and in the middle was Lord Caitanya. And that way they would circumambulate the whole Purī temple. Then whoever came near Lord Caitanya, He would embrace them. This way the saṅkīrtana-līlā would manifest. Who wants Lord Caitanya’s special mercy? Haribol! Lord Caitanya, when the devotees would leave then He would experience the mood of Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs. On the way from Purī to Guṇḍicā, on the Grand Road, there is a garden by the side called Vṛndāvana Gardens. Lord Caitanya in the mood of the gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa when He left the rāsa-līlā leaving the gopīs, that mood of the gopīs Lord Caitanya was experiencing. He went and asked the trees. Ordinarily, no one would go and ask anything of the tree because if we asked, the tree would not answer. But being immersed in the mood of the gopī, He asked the tree, “Did you see Lord Kṛṣṇa go by?” The tree did not answer. He saw a mango tree which was bending down. He said, “Definitely Lord Kṛṣṇa has passed this way because this tree is still paying obeisances.” He told the tree, “You are paying obeisances, did Lord Kṛṣṇa go this way?” Not receiving an answer, in the mood of the gopī, He said, “This tree is male and therefore a friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa, that is why he is not saying anything. So I will ask a creeper or someone who will answer.” Lord Caitanya experienced the mood of the gopīs and the mood Rādhārāṇī. He would stay in the Gambhīra but the door was locked from outside. But in spite of this Lord Caitanya came out of the Gambhīra because He heard the flute of Lord Kṛṣṇa and He went away. The devotees like Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and others saw that Lord Caitanya was not there. The door was locked and still how did He go out? They searched out a lot and finally found a gośālā which is close to the temple. There they found Lord Caitanya. His arms and legs had all gone into the body like a tortoise. The devotees tried to bring Him to normal. Then they carried Him to Gambhīra. Then with the help of kīrtana, He came back to normalcy. This way in Jagannātha Purī in the mood of separation they were experiencing the mood of Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs. This way there were different pastimes of Lord Jagannātha and Lord Caitanya.

In the Ratha-yātrā, Lord Caitanya would always do kīrtana. I hope that all of you liked doing kīrtana. The name of the Lord and the Lord are non-different. This way by chanting the name of the Lord, our souls get purified. I hope that you will always try to chant and hear the Lord’s holy name.

I came via London, UK. There in 1973 in London, Śrīla Prabhupāda had said in a lecture that his gurudeva Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had sent a sannyāsī to London. But the sannyāsī was not very successful. But I had sent three gṛhastha couples. And they London by storm! I see that there are many big temples, and many big festivals are going on. Śrīla Prabhupāda had said that my gṛhastha followers should become paramahaṁsas. You should all become paramahaṁsas. Husband and wife should discuss how Lord Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. How Lord Caitanya will be happy. And how they will have house, children, money not that, everything should be done for Kṛṣṇa. If they have children, they should be devotees of Kṛṣṇa. If they have a house, there should be a place for kīrtana there. If they have a lot of money, they should try to see how to use it in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Anyway, I will end here and will go to take darśana of Lord Jagannātha again. Hare Kṛṣṇa!