Learn about Lord Sri Krishna’s intimate pastimes with His dear devotees, which serve as the basis for the spectacular Ratha Yatra festival.

Introduction

The Jagannatha Puri Ratha Yatra is the largest and oldest cart festival celebrated in Ashadha (June-July) during the Shukla paksha (bright lunar fortnight or waxing phase of the moon). It is a grand festival attended by lakhs of people from India and other parts of the world. It has also spread to different parts of the world thanks to the efforts of Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of the Global Hare Krishna movement.

The Spiritual Significance of Ratha Yatra

When Lord Sri Krishna appeared on the earth approximately 5,000 years ago, He enacted various pastimes and spoke the Bhagavad-gita, the essence of all the Vedas and Upanishads for the benefit of all. In the Gita, He says:

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यमेवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ।
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति मामेति सोऽर्जुन ॥ ९ ॥

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 4.9)  

Every festival relates to a pastime of the Lord, and understanding them in this light helps us progress towards life’s ultimate goal, returning home back to Godhead for a life of eternity, knowledge, and bliss in service of the Lord. The Ratha Yatra is one such important festival. 

The Pure Devotion of the Residents of Vrindavan

The Lord appeared as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva in Mathura. He spent His childhood years as the foster son of Mother Yashoda and Nanda Maharaja in Gokul and Vrindavan. Constant attacks from demons sent by the tyrannical ruler of Mathura, Kamsa, forced the residents to move. Still, despite these challenges, the blissful pastimes of the Lord with the gopas, gopis, cows and other residents of Vraja endeared Him to one and all, even the peacocks, bees, monkeys, trees, plants, rivers and so on.

Krishna’s playmates and other residents of Vrindavan were not ordinary persons. They all descended from the spiritual world along with the Lord to demonstrate to the inhabitants of the material world what a truly blissful life is in association with the Lord and how one can serve the Lord in separation. Even when Krishna went to the forests to graze the cows with His cowherd friends, the residents of Vrindavan were absorbed in thinking about  Him amidst their daily chores.

When Kamsa sent Akrura to invite Krishna and Balarama to Mathura, the Lord accepted the invitation as His incarnation’s mission was to reduce the burden of the earth created by demoniac rulers like Kamsa, Jarasandha, Sishupala, Duryodhana and so on. When the residents of Vrindavan learned about this, their lamentation knew no bounds. They cursed the providence and Akrura in their spontaneous love for Krishna for taking Him away from them. They even prayed to the devatas and tried to stop Him themselves. Krishna told them He would be back soon and left, and the gopis were left mad and longing for Krishna. They would look at the footprints He had left and faint, remembering Him. 

An Emotional Reunion at Kurukshetra

Krishna, after having killed Kamsa, freeing His parents Vasudeva and Devaki and His grandfather Ugrasena had moved to Dvaraka with the Yadus due to many attacks by other asuras, particularly Jarasandha, Kamsa’s father-in-law. He was now the king of Dvaraka. Once, a solar eclipse approached, and the residents of Dvaraka decided to go to Kurukshetra. In this holy place, Parashurama, an empowered incarnation of the Lord, had performed sacrifices by digging five lakes (Samant Panchaka) and filling them with the blood of the evil rulers he had killed.

The news that Lord Krishna was coming to Kurukshetra spread fast, and kings from all over the world gathered there to pay their respects and honour the Lord with gifts. The residents of Vrindavan also heard of Krishna’s arrival at Kurukshetra and fondly recalled their days together. They also decided to meet Krishna, taking Krishna and Balarama’s favourite eatables packed with them. 

The Yadus had already heard about the Vrajavasis and immediately recognised them, and they were given a joyous reception. Krishna and Balarama respectfully touched the feet of Mother Yashoda and Nanda Maharaja and fondly recalled their time together. Next, Krishna saw the gopis, Srimati Radharani, the foremost among them, and spoke gently to them, enquiring about their well-being and asking if they remembered Him. They did not know what to say. Krishna, adorned in a royal attire wearing a crown, armour, and a sword, seemed different, unlike the young cowherd boy Krishna they knew sporting a peacock feather and playing on the flute for them amidst the flora and fauna of Vrindavan. 

Radharani pleaded with Him to return to Vrindavan, and Krishna once again said He would come after He finished His business there. The gopis chided Krishna for cheating them by stealing their hearts and breaking them by leaving Vrindavan, and they could see He was about to do it again. They met a few more times before leaving for their respective homes in Dvaraka and Vrindavan. 

Reenacting the Divine Reunion at Puri 

These intensely loving emotions and longing of Srimati Radharani and the gopis for Krishna to return to Vrindavan inspire the Ratha Yatra festival. At Jagannath Puri, the Lord is worshipped in royal luxury, like a king, representing His Dvaraka mood. During the Ratha Yatra festival, devotees pull the chariots of Sri Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra to the Gundicha Mandir, a garden temple representing Vrindavan. 

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Krishna as a devotee in Kali-yuga, said this feeling of separation demonstrated by the gopis is the pinnacle of devotional service to Krishna, unmatched in devotional bliss anywhere else in the universe. He also participated in the Ratha Yatra festival by dancing and chanting in front of the Lord, in the mood of Radharani. 

Ratha Yatra Goes Global

Srila Prabhupada, coming in the line of disciplic succession of spiritual masters from Krishna and Lord Chaitanya, celebrated the Ratha Yatra with his playmates as a young child with the help of his father and neighbours and also took the festival all over the world as part of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s order to spread Krishna consciousness to the English-speaking modern world. His efforts continue to bear fruit to this day, with the festival celebrated on a grand scale worldwide and inspiring millions to participate in chanting, dancing, and feasting. 

Conclusion

Join us for this year’s Ratha Yatra festival at ISKCON Vaikuntha Hill, Vasanthapura and experience the divine festival’s joyous and spiritually moving atmosphere. 

To know how to reach us, visit: https://www.iskconbangalore.org/how-to-reach-vkhill/

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