By Aseem Krsna Das
Sri Sri Krsna Balaram Shobha Yatra Celebrations in Himachal Pradesh
In the Brahma-saṁhitā, Lord Brahmā glorifies the Supreme Lord’s residence, Goloka, as a place where every word is a song and every gait a dance, where the soil is purpose gem and all water is nectar. Such a place is ever blissful and free from all miseries. There is always a festival in the spiritual world. It’s a place where every resident is constantly engaged in the service of the Lord. That is the nature of the Lord’s transcendental abode. Each one of us would be eager to experience and have a glimpse of such a sublime realm in this material world. Indeed, it’s possible to create the ‘Vaikuṇṭha’ atmosphere in this material world, as the Supreme Lord Himself confirms to Nārada
Muni "…tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ." The Lord says that He remains where His devotees engage in glorifying His activities.
The Supreme Lord performed various transcendental pastimes for us to remember and glorify. Out of their immeasurable compassion, our previous acharyas and Śrīla Prabhupāda introduced to us a variety of ways to serve the same Supreme Person who is the Lord of our hearts and our most dear well-wishing friend. They taught us to celebrate various festivals for the glorification of the Lord. The Lord is satisfied through these celebrations and the devotees also get a chance to experience the glimpse of the divine happiness belonging to the realm of the spiritual world.
One such grand festival, the Kṛṣṇa Balarāma Śobhā-yātrā, was celebrated recently in the cities of Dharamshala and Palampur, situated in the hills of Himachal Pradesh. These festivals provided a wonderful opportunity to one and all to serve the Lord through different ways and receive His transcendental blessings. Let us have a short glimpse of the festival in these two cities. A large gathering of devotees arrived in advance from various places in India and abroad to participate in these festivals. A large group of local people also gathered to welcome the Lord. The starting points for the Śobhā-yātrās were the temples of the local devatas.
While some devotees sang harināma, other devotees joyfully danced to the tunes of the kīrtana. The procession passed through the main market area of the towns. Amazed onlookers relished the Lord’s transcendental prasādam, which was continuously being distributed from the chariot. They satisfied their sense of sight by having the wonderful darśana of the Lordships, who were decorated profusely with fresh flowers. The book distributors distributed Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books with full enthusiasm and the cooking team prepared prasādam for the devotees and 56 bhoga items for the Lord. The pujārīs were also engaged in their service to the Lordships and the managers were busy
ensuring all comforts for the Lord and His dear devotees.
All of us were fully engaged and absorbed in one service or another. Everyone was happy and blissful. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has unlocked the treasure house of unlimited bliss by introducing the Sankīrtana movement for us. Surely, this would be the way in the spiritual world where every word is a song and every step a dance. The influence of the Lord’s association was noticable. Every single person who participated in these programs took back home a smile that was priceless.
Many people received Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy in the form of his books. About 300 transcendental Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books were distributed, which included 100 mahā-big books.
Śrīla Prabhupāda has said, “So, this festival, taking part in these festivals, means a step forward for our self-realization. Rathe ca vāmanaṁ dṛṣṭvā punar janma na vidyate. Simply by seeing the Lord on the chariot, one makes advancement for stopping the repetition of birth and death.” (Ratha-yātrā – London, July 13, 1972)
The Jagannātha Ashram, Dari, Dharamshala was the organizer for the Śobhā-yātrās in Dharamshala and Palampur. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Palampur district, Shri Abhayram Das, played the key role in organizing the Palampur Śobhā-yātrā. Shri Abhayram Das, an initiated devotee in ISKCON, is wonderfully utilizing his esteemed social position in preaching the glories of the Lord. His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaja most mercifully blessed us with his divine presence throughout these festivals. He delivered the most valuable discourses at the beginning of both of these processions. His discourse inspired the local people to accept Krishna Consciousness with utmost
sincerity and seriousness in their lives, and also recharged the batteries of old and new devotees alike in their pursuit of Krishna Consciousness. Association with and guidance from a pure devotee spiritual master, a representative of Śrīla Prabhupāda, gives us the necessary push and impetus to continue our endeavor for achieving the transcendental position or love of Godhead, which is the perfection of life.
May the Lord bless us with more and more bliss and happiness by giving us a chance to participate in such festivals meant for His glorification.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!!!
Comments