As the scorching summer returns, it’s time to smear the Deities with the soothing effect of Chandan paste. Devotees are blissfully grinding sandalwood for the upcoming festival season in Mayapur, where myriad enchanting pastimes of the Lord unfold. For 21 days, the Altar of Sri Radha Madhava will showcase divine activities alongside the resplendent forms of the Lord adorned in Chandan paste.
Each year, the Mayapur Candana-yatra team meticulously crafts new attire for the small Radha Madhava, co
Akshaya Tritiya, Beginning of Chandan Yatra – A Day packed with so much fortunate moments!
The very word Akshaya means “that which never diminishes”. Any service or charity one performs on this day will be paid back in folds.
Here are some wonderful moments to note on this day:
Candana yatra starts on the third lunar day of the waxing moon of Vaisakha month, and continues for twenty days. Lord Jagannatha gave direct instructions to King Indradyumna to perform this festival at this time. Smearing the body of the Lord with ointments is an act of devotion, and the best of ointments is sandalwood paste. Since the month of Vaisakha is very hot in India, the cooling effect of the sandalwood is very pleasing to the body of the Lord.
Sandalwood paste is ap
We continue our observance of Candana-yatra. We are reading from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Four: “Sri Madhavendra Puri’s Devotional Service,” which describes how Madhavendra Puri traveled by foot from Govardhana to Jagannatha Puri to procure sandalwood to grind and mix with camphor and place on the body of the Deity Gopala whom he had installed on the top of Govardhana Hill. After Madhavendra Puri installed Gopala on the top of Govardhana Hill, two brahmans came, and he init
The loving service of the Lord in ISKCON Vrindavan is being carried out by the dedicated devotees living within the temple compound, while simultaneously taking full precautions such as social distancing, hygiene and so forth. In order to celebrate the auspicious festival of Chandan Yatra, the devotees had started grinding Chandan well in advance, and, the day before the festival, other Vaishnavas artistically prepared gorgeous flower ornaments for the deities. On Akshaya Tritiya, the Lords we
My dear friend, the scent of Kṛṣṇa’s body enchants the entire world. It especially enters the nostrils of women and remains seated there. Thus it captures them and forcibly brings them to Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa’s eyes, navel and face, hands and feet are like eight lotus flowers on His body. From those eight lotuses emanates a fragrance like a mixture of camphor and lotus. That is the scent associated with His body.
When sandalwood pulp is mixed with aguru, kuṅkuma, musk and camphor and spread on Kṛṣṇa’s
