Padayatra Sankirtan Forever
“Here in India our Lokanath Maharaja has successfully organized such a program and it is a great success. He has travelled all over India and everywhere they distribute books, prasadam and perform kirtan, village to village……….We can introduce many millions of such carts (Padayatras) all over the world.”
Letter to HG. Nityananda Das – 16 March 1977. US – Farm Community.
Srila Prabhupada’s germ of an idea of a ‘bullock cart sankirtana’ in 1974, with its roots in the Original Padayatri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction:
“prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama, sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama”, is sprouting wonderful fruits in the form of “All India Padayatra”, led by wonderful selfless devotees like HG Acharya prabhu and his team, finally ministered by His Holiness Lokanath Swami Maharaj.
“One Day Padayatra” is an extension of the “All India Padayatra” and is nearly a full day activity aiming towards engaging the congregation devotees, motivating them to take a lead and connect the people that they come in contact with, to the local Iskcon temple. Engaging them in book distribution, distributing holy name and prasadam through Sankirtan is it’s three main keys. In commemoration of Prabhupada’s 125th Birth Anniversary Fest 2021, our Padayatra Sankirtan Forever Team from ISKCON Ahmedabad has pledged to conduct 125 One Day Padyatras in 125 villages around the city with congregation devotees, motivating at least minimum 125 people from each village to chant the
Hare Krsna mahamantra with raising their hands. So, in total we would be making 16000 “Fortunate People” chant in this year in many different villages. Every Sunday, an average of 100 devotees, armed with their weapons, namely Deities of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, Srila Prabhupada, Prabhupada’s books, the most merciful ‘Holy name’ that is maha-mantra and prasadam, enter a village, chanting and dancing, inspiring them to do the same. The spectacular sankirtan, ecstatic enthusiasm of the devotees, compassion of sharing Krsna prasadam and the transcendental vibration of the Holy Name resounding throughout the narrow streets encapsulates the true essence of
Padayatra being a walking pilgrimage, “A Walking Festival”. Many other inspiring activities are conducted, contributing towards the extension of the temple congregation family through the addition of more and new devotees. Distribution of pamphlets and flyers as well as certain current humanitarian themes of the Padayatra like – ‘Corona ki Karuna’ and “Ode to the Pulwama attack soldiers’ complement the purpose of the ‘walk for a change’.
The One Day Padayatra also proves to be a social retreat, uniting and rejuvenating devotees and their entire families along with children, all of them immersing themselves in distributing the mercy of Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada.
Last Sunday, Ahmedabad Padayatra Sankirtan Team welcomed All India Padayatra in Sanand village with ecstatic kirtan, garlanding all the padayatris and by performing aarti of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundar and Srila Prabhupada and distributing prasadam. Few devotees are regularly visiting Padayatra and attending evening programs in every village they go; inspiring people to attend evening programs and make all of them chant “hare krsna” mahamantra loudly. Hundreds of village people, especially small children dancing and chanting in front of Deities are very much pleasing to heart. Hoping for the blessing from all Vaishnavas around the world so that, we whole heartedly would like to serve Padayatras preaching every town and village specially to please Srila Prabhupada forever.
Please also give your merciful glance on few of the links below –
https://youtu.be/iRtQpH8cl4A
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his 125th Birth Anniversary.
All glories to Padayatra Sankirtan Forever.
Your well-wisher servant in the service of Srila Prabhupada,
Muralimohan Das
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