Padayatras Done in 2019
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ISKCON - The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Founder Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) Newsletter 2020 PLEASE POST IN YOUR TEMPLE PADAYATRAS DONE IN 2019 INDIA All-India (since 1986) All-Telangana All- Maharashtra All-Uttar Pradesh All-Andhra Pradesh All-Gujarat Maharashtra : • Pune to Pandharpur • Jalgaon • Amravati • Dhamangaon • Latur • Sangli • Nandurbar • Akola • Alibag • Kasegaon to Pandharpur Other states • Jamshedpur (Jarkhand) • Ahmedabad (Gujarat) • Baroda to Dakor (Gujarat) • Bhubaneswar (Orissa) • Noida to Vrindavana (U.P.) Note: Some of these temples did several One Day Padayatras, special or longer walks EUROPE Hungary Slovenia UK Czech Republic NORTH Canada AMERICA SOUTH Guyana AMERICA Trinidad REST OF La Réunion THE WORLD Mauritius South Africa EDITORIAL TABLE OF CONTENTS By Lokanath Swami Editorial 1 by Lokanath Swami Dear readers, First all-Vaisnavi padayatra 3 Are we now witnessing another padayatra explosion, by Jayabhadra dasi as it happened in the nineties, the years preceding Srila All great acaryas went on Padayatra 5 Prabhupada›s Centennial celebrations? Padayatra is by Gaurangi dasi indeed expanding, particularly in India. Besides its two The Bull Star, busier than Bollywood Heroes 8 ongoing walks, the All-India Padayatra and the Andhra This newsletter is dedicated to by Dr Sahadeva dasa Pradesh/Telangana Padayatra and the regular smaller ISKCON Founder-Acarya, padayatras, two new teams have recently taken to the road His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Oxen and cows are special animals 10 with oxcarts, in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Their Swami Prabhupada by Gaurangi dasi goal? To keep walking, chanting and dancing to every town, village around these states in order to fulfil Lord US 1989 Inauguration of Padayatra America in San Francisco Why did Srila Prabhupada personally One day Padayatra 11 Caitanya›s prophecy and desire that the holy names reach instruct Lokanath Swami to organise a by Muralimohan dasa Day formula adopted in the rest of the world. As Srila bullock cart sankirtana travelling every town and village of this planet. Telangana Padayatra 14 Prabhupada said so many times, “What is the difficulty?» party in the fall of 1976? by Visnuswami dasa Other innovations : Jayabhadra Dasi from Amravati a The permits for the Mercedes buses in Maharashtra organised a children and a Vaisnavi of the Nitai-Gaura sankitana party Noida Padayatra 14 padayatra. They are easy to organise, cost practically with which Lokanath Swami was by Visnuswami dasa travelling were about to expire. nothing and fulfil childrens’ need for Krsna-centred fun b Just a few months before The Bruce Trail in Canada 15 activities and adventure and Vaisnavis› need to get together Srila Prabhupada had written to by Bhaktimarga Swami in a women-only setting. a young Indian man named Panjabi Premananda, “I can immediately Increase Prabhupada consciousness 16 Padayatra is the means adopted by many of our great take up this programme and tour by Gaurangi dasi acaryas to spread spiritual teachings as is also done village to village.” La Réunion Island Padayatra 18 on Vraja-mandala Parikrama. This is also a great c Srila Prabhupada was aware by Dayalu Radha dasi of Lokanath Swami’s village opportunity to present and glorify our own founder- upbringing and his bullock cart UK Padayatra 18 acarya, Srila Prabhupada. Once again, besides book experience. by Dayal Mora dasa distribution the All-India Padayatra is taking the lead by Find the correct answers on page 13 giving hundreds of CDs of Srila Prabhupada singing. We Slovenia Padayatra 19 are also encouraging them to also distribute profusely the by Aradhika Radha dasi Editor in Chief: DVDs of Yadubara Dasa›s excellent movie: Hare Krishna Lokanath Swami On the Road to Change in Hungary 20 ! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started Assistant Editors: by Vrajaloka dasi it all. This documentary on Srila Prabhupada›s life and Ken White and Gaurangi Dasi UK 1991 Departure of Padayatra Europe from Newcastle in a Mini-padayatra for young vaisnavas 23 the humble beginnings of his new spiritual movement won Production Manager: freezing cold by Jayabhadra dasi first price at the 2017 Illuminate Festival in Arizona, USA. Gaurangi Dasi On July 11, freelance writer, Bridgette Jackson-Buckley Another form of fun-filled and easy padayatra is also Other assistants: All Maharashtra Padayatra 25 wrote, “At a time when chaos on the world ‹stage› appears spreading due to the enthusiasm and determination of Meghashyam Dasa, Jayabhadra Dasi by Damodarlila dasa to be contagious, Hare Krishna! eloquently reiterates Radhaprema Dasi Muralimohan Dasa from Ahmedabad, Gujarat: the One Four new All State Padayatras 27 one of Swami Prabhupada’s most pertinent messages Lay-out and Design: Day Padayatra, especially geared to grhasthas, women, by 3 authors that was brought to the West more than 50 years ago Rasa Bihari Dasa children and busy devotees. He started this program in and yet remains vitally relevant today:“Forget politics. 2016 at the time of the «ISKCON50» celebrations and Printing: Stories from the first walks in India 29 What the world needs is a revolution of consciousness... Pundarik Vidyaniddhi Dasa since then he has conducted over 40 One Day Padayatras, By raising our level of consciousness and expanding our (Padayatra Press, Noida) Stories of the All-India Padayatra 31 mainly in Gujarat. Some of the areas are Limbdi, awareness — in the midst of personal trials and global by Acarya das Surendranagar, Himmatnagar, Kathwada to name a few. challenges — we can effectively alleviate not just our own Front cover main photo: The first Highlights of the All-India Padayatra 33 He has also inspired the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore suffering but also the suffering of those around us”. To this All-Vaisnavis Padayatra organised by by Acarya dasa and Jamshedpur to conduct a similar program. ISKCON day this movie has been shown in many movie theatres in Jayabhadra Dasi in Amravati, Bangalore has done this once every month for the past Padayatra Ministry, Books, Donors, etc 37 India and worldwide. Maharashtra (India) one and a half years. We›re now waiting to see this One 1 Amravati witnesses inaugural ISKCON vaisnavi padayatra By Jayabhadra devi dasi USA East Coast 1990 Malaysia 1992 With Jayapataka Swami and Muslim leader Lokanath Swami & Akhiladhara dasa receiving a 100 dollar bill We cannot talk about padayatra without mentioning our you to buy and read Volume One, an elegant and well four-legged padayatris, the noble oxen. In this issue you›ll illustrated book covering two very long walks in India: the discover new things about these padayatris who are the Vrindavana to Mayapur (and then to Puri) bullock cart most beloved of Lord Govinda. Kurma Rupa Prabhu, the padayatra from September 1976 to March 1977, and the late manager of Care for Cows in Vrindavana, introduces 7000 km phenomenal padayatra from Dwarka to Mayapur us to the subtle, non-verbal communication of our four- via South India from September 1984 to March 1986 to legged friends. Dr Sahadeva Dasa, the author of many celebrate the 500th anniversary of Lord Caitanya’s advent. books on cows reveals how the British broke the backbone of India›s wealth and spiritual culture by introducing “Walking on tour of holy places with His Holiness slaughterhouses, killing thousands of cows and oxen. Lokanath Swami on padayatra was one of the best things ISKCON goshalas should train bulls to pull the carts and I never did in my life. And now Maharaja leads us out on then do bullock sankirtana around the farm. The sad news padayatra again, in the present book.”Jayadvaita Swami Happily walking is the departure of our beautiful ox Vitthala who was killed banners and posted notices through all by a car on a road in the Maharashtra padayatra. On March 10, International Women’s media including newspapers. The IGF Day, the Amravati, Maharashtra, girls and senior matajis Rasamanjari ISKCON Girls’ Forum successfully devi dasi and Champakalata devi dasi completed the movement’s inaugural distributed the pamphlets and invited vaisnavi one-day padayatra. I was all our vaisnavis, including those from always fascinated by padayatra and nearby centres. Also invited as chief in February had been contemplating guest was BJP corporator Mrs Seema what to do with regard to organising Savale. Our attention now turned to one, a difficult undertaking for a the question of the padayatra deities woman. Then I heard about the that would sit on a small hand-cart soldiers who were killed in Pulwama which we girls or matajis would and how everyone did something Bicycle cart ready to go! pull. It was eventually suggested we to pay homage to them. With the enlist the AIP deities, but we had to International Women’s Day fast approaching, Adishakti devi dasi suggested bringing these two events together for a preaching opportunity, El Salvador 1992 With Yajna at Finca Vrindavan and I realised the Lord had shown us Last, but not least, we are happy to announce that this year the way. the Padayatra Worldwide Ministry will print volume Two of the Padayatra trilogy. Volume Two, entitled Padayatra Our team then got down to planning Explosion, describes the more than 100 padayatras the walk. Padayatra would begin at completed after July 1986, heading the massive the ISKCON temple and wind its way celebration of the Srila Prabhupada’s Centennial in 1996, for 7km to Kalyan Nagar, ending at the house of devotee Mukundahari with Padayatra India as the leader and the mother of all dasa. To create awareness, we printed padayatras. If you have not already done it, we invite France 92 in the South with Paramgati Swami Street play with Jayabhadra dasi holding the mike 2 3 ALL THE GREAT VAISNAVAS ACARYAS WENT ON PADAYATRA By Gaurangi dasi Kirtan forever! have the permission of AIP leader girls, were unfurled and padayatra Acarya dasa who was in Mayapur.