Surat embraced the grandest Rath Yatra in decades on 7th July, 2024. The day dawned with mild clouds and gentle sunshine, a perfect backdrop for Lord Jagannatha’s divine journey through the city streets.
The atmosphere was charged with spiritual fervor as devotees and curious onlookers alike thronged the path of the magnificent chariot. Despite the textile markets and shops along the route being closed, devotees tirelessly distributed books to every soul eager for darshan.
In the Rath Yatra parade, several kirtan parties and vibrant idols portraying Lord’s pastimes adorned the procession, spanning about 1.5 kilometers. Thus, Lord Jagannath embarked on His 14 km- long journey, accompanied by the soldiers of Prabhupada’s army, who held books in their hands. Amidst the enthusiastic crowds, the devotees were searching and giving books to the fortunate souls. In the six hours of dedicated book distribution service, two book-vans with 15 devotees were supplying books and about 150 devotees were running in the crowd, in the shops or in the home to distribute books enthusiastically.
His Holiness Guruprasad Swami graced the event with his divine presence, joining at 5 PM. Maharaj immersed himself in the kirtan festivities, leading different teams in chanting the holy names out of 7 teams available for Sankirtan. He joyously observed the entire Rath Yatra from start to finish, spreading joy and blessings among the devotees.
His Holiness Guruprasad Maharaj’s enthusiasm knew no bounds as he distributed prasadam from the chariot for over 2 hours without fatigue. Thousands of souls were blessed to receive prasadam with his blessings along the Rath Yatra route. Maharaj’s youthful vigor and spiritual zeal were evident as he lovingly tossed prasadam packets to the delighted crowd.
He remained present for about 3 hours, radiating happiness as he observed and actively participated by chanting kirtan with different teams and joyously distributing prasadam in the Rath-Yatra celebration.
“These books and magazines are our most important propaganda weapons to defeat the ignorance of maya’s army, and the more we produce such literature and sell it profusely all over the world, the more we shall deliver the world from its suicide course. So your work is the most important preaching work. May Krsna bless you more and more. Thank you for helping me in this way.”
— Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Jayadvaita on November 18, 1972.
In the spirit of service and devotion, the devotees distributed books with utmost enthusiasm, achieving an impressive Rathayatra Marathon distribution score:
– 28 Sets of Srimad Bhagavatam (18 Vol Set)
– 5 Sets of Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta (9 Vol Set)
– 1587 Maha Big Books
– 124 Medium Books
– 3840 Small Books
– 300 Loose BTG copies The entire Rath Yatra was efficiently administered by HG Vrindavan Prabhu (President), Sachisuta Prabhu, HG Chandra-Govinda Prabhu, Sarvadukhahara Krishna Prabhu, Vishnu Gopinatha Prabhu, Brahmatirtha Prabhu, Kartika Chandra Prabhu and many other devotees. Senior devotees from Surat graced the event, adding their blessings to the festivities. HG Radhesh Prabhu meticulously managed the book distribution parties.
For photos, please follow the link: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNCYSpXOEbwFC5gb0SymSDGN7hZz9ubsS9bFgomwoR4rUCUsHJ7cpzzVU9Wp8y4Bw?key=OElFR3ZKM0Zld3lCMnJ4VTAxd0hHTEFEaUhRcHln
All glory to Srila Prabhupada and his transcendental book distribution.
With utmost humility, Jagannatha Damodar Das On behalf of ISKCON Surat.
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=112693
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