Mangaluru: The 13th annual Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Ratha Yatra of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was held in Navaratna Palace, opposite to City Centre here on February 6.
The programme began with an invocation. Karunya Sagar Dasa welcomed the devotees and the guests.
Speaking on the occasion Sri H H Vishwavallabha, Udupi Sodevadiraja Math said, “It is the day on which the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna along with his elder brother Balarama made a journey to give darshan to all his devotees. Ratha Yatra spreads the message of secularism, brotherhood and harmony as it is an occasion for devotees to have a darshan of the Lord. Bala means strength and rama means enjoyment. Balabhadra or Balarama gives us spiritual strength for enjoying eternal blissful life. This Ratha depicts your life. The two ropes of the chariot depicts your achievements. The importance of this chariot is unimaginable. One of the rope of the chariot depicts Krishna’s strength and another the good deeds in your life. This Ratha Yatra is not celebrated yearly once it has been celebrated by ISCKON devotees every minute and every second.”
Governing Council member and President of HKM Chennai, Sri Stoka Krishna Das said, “By sincerely cultivating the authentic spiritual science of sanantana-dharma presented in the Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic scriptures, we can become free from anxiety and revive our natural state of pure, unending, blissful consciousness.The oldest scriptures in the world. The essence of the Vedas is found in the Bhagavad-gita, a literal record of Krishna’s words spoken five thousand years ago in India. The goal of Vedic knowledge and of all religions is to achieve love of God. I believe that with this Ratha we all seek the love of God and understand the importance of Lord Krishna.”
The Ratha Yatra was inaugurated by the devotees of ISCKON by showering flower petals to Lord Krishna and then breaking the ashgourd and coconut. Later they along with other devotees pulled the chariot.
The chariot was decorated with a variety of fragrant flowers and illuminated with sparkling lights. The deities of the Lordships were bedecked with ornaments, flower garlands and silken garments. The overall atmosphere reminded the people of the journey of the Lordships to Mathura, in the age of Dwaparayuga. The devotees were chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra throughout the procession. This is considered as causeless mercy to witness such a procession in this dark age of Kaliyuga.
The procession started from the City Centre by Rajiv Lochan Dasa member, ISKCON, Bangalore. Devotees offered flowers at the Lotus feet of their Lordships and pulled the chariot. The entire atmosphere was spiritually powered by the chanting of the Hare Krishna mahamantra. The Ratha Yatra culminated in CV Nayak Hall, Bunts Hostel.
