By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,
As the sacred month of Kartik unfolds, thousands of ISKCON devotees from across the globe are walking the holy dham in Navadvip, Vrindavan, and Jagannath Puri, participating in multiple parikramas. Known as the month of Damodara, Kartik is celebrated amongst the Gaudiya Vaishnavas as a time when even small acts of devotion yield manifold spiritual benefits, making it especially auspicious for pilgrimage, hearing, and chanting the holy names.
Such parikramās afford participants an opportunity to engage simultaneously in all five of the principal practices of sādhana-bhakti: associating with devotees, chanting the holy names, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, living in the dhāma, and worshiping the deity. The scriptures explain that dham parikrama delivers the soul from the three kinds of material suffering and marks the end of wandering through the cycle of birth and death. While ordinary people circle endlessly through material existence, devotees circumambulate the Lord’s sacred abodes, keeping Krishna in the center, thereby gradually developing pure love and qualifying themselves for eternal service in the spiritual realm.
While not everyone can be in the Holy Dhams during Kartik, thanks to social media, devotees can follow along through photos, videos, and targeted teachings being offered by multiple senior devotees.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/sacred-journeys-shared-online-kartik-parikrama-2025/
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