Bhubaneswar devotees on Padayatra in Orissa
2009 Iskcon Bhubaneswar Padyatra
Bhubaneswar Devotees Maintain the Orissa Padayātrā
In an interview in 1993 and 1994, Śrī Garbha prabhu (Sukadeva Mallik), a disciple of Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami, said that Padayātrā had actually evolved from the Gītā-yajña programme of 1973.
A Suitable Speaker was Found
In 1973, Sukadeva Mallik had a friend, a Bābājī that wanted to organise a Gītā-yajña and Sukadeva Mallik was assigned the task of finding a suitable speaker. After a good deal of searching he arrived at a high school and found who he was looking for sitting on the floor. Sukadeva Mallik had heard that Brajabandhu Manik, a senior school teacher, could speak very nicely on the Gītā. Brajabandhu (as our beloved Gurudeva was then known) went to meet the Bābājī in his āśrama and they arranged that he would speak that evening and for the next three days, morning 6.00-9.00 am, and evening 3.00-9.00 pm. The audiences were inspired by the Gītā-yajña and appreciated Brajabandhu Manik talks on the Gītā.
A Sannyāsī Living in a Small Thatched Hut
Sukadeva Mallik lost track of Brajabandhu Manik for a few years until one day, in 1977, when he visited the ISKCON land in Nayapalli, he met Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami, his old friend who had now taken sannyāsa, living in a small thatched hut out in the middle of nowhere.
Gītā-yajña Become the Padayātrā
Sukadeva Mallick reminded Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami of the Gītā-yajña years before and convinced him they could do it again. It was from that time that the Gītā-yajña become the Padayātrā as it is today. Every year Śrī Garbha prabhu took charge of arranging and collecting for the Padayātrā.
Government Officials Visited Padayātrā
The Padayātrā of 1979 was a major event. One hundred government cars came with senior officials from the Orissa [now Odisha] State Government to attend the inaugural program for Padayātra. Śrī Garbha prabhu recalled how Laguḍī prabhu was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, spinning around on one leg, playing karatālas, and distributing books all at the same time.
Padayātrā was Very Dear to Gurudeva
The Orissa Padayātrā has a great and long tradition continuing to the present day. Padayātrā was especially dear to His Divine Grace, Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami. He organized his schedule so that he could leave the temple and go out on Padayātrā for one month to six weeks every year. He preached in whichever town and village the Padayātrā stopped, all over the state of Orissa. He inspired everyone by his amazing hari-kathā.
Information for this article taken from interviews and the book Krsnalingita-vigraha the authorised biography of His Divine Grace Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami.
pamho prabhus agtACBSP,i got blessed by the vapu association of HDG GGM different times in different places around the wolrd, i met HIM for the first time in north italy,london etc..i remember once while sleeping HE appeared in my mind by giving me a wonderful darshan HE were very bright a very mystical image, of course not belonging to this mundane world were almost all the forms of life are polluted by the three gunas maiya,if we ask to the uncivilized citizens of our kalo sudra society where from you got that yantrarudhani mayaya temporary body machine? they do not know,the spiritual feeling is lost without goodness and when someone get urdhavam gacchanti sattva stha by trying his best to cooperate in transfering the society to a superior level he get attacked as happens to HDG GGM,the american prabhupadanugas are saying that maharaj contradicted SRILA PRABHUPADA and i commented back to them by telling them :unfortunately all of you didn’t get the special mercy to take birth in a respectful vaisnava family as H.H GGM,HE were very dear to SRI KRSNA because HE had the power to fulfil the mission of SRILA PRABBHUPADA by leaving HIS bhajan kutir to spread the brhat mrdanga of SRI SRI GURU GAURANGA around all over the globe,we missed a such great mahatma in vapu seva but not in vani seva where HIS blessing are still blessing a lot of faithful sadhakas through the good sat-sanga coming from HIS genuine web site followers thank you for your association agtys ys a.c seva das haribol
HARE KRISHNA,
ALL GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA AND SRILA GURUDEVA AND DEAR GODBROTHERS AND GODSISTERS
….VIEWED THE PADAYATRA OVER INTERNET ….THE INTERNET IS ESPECIALLY FOR THE LORD’S MESSAGE TO GO FASTER ALL OVER THE WOLRD AND EVERY TOWN AND VILLAGE
HARIHARI BOL JAI SRI SRI GAURANITAI KI JAI…..
HARINAM SANKIRTAN MAHA YAGYA YATRA KI JAI!
Srila Gurudeva would say when the Orissan Padayatra would return back to Bbsr,” If we do not go out in the villages throughout Orissa, then how will those souls who reside out there, ever get the mercy and blessings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu?”.
Srila Gurudeva did not ask for someones resume, nor for one’s personal or family’s qualification or for one’s bank balance, to determine wether or not that soul should receive Mahaprabhu’s causeless mercy!
Srila Gurudeva went out personally on Padayatra every year and inspired us to join him, with the sole aim and purpose of showering Sriman Mahaprabhu’s causless mercy on one and all!… And we were all incredibly blessed to be a witness and participant in Mahaprabhu’s prema-nama sankirtan lila being carried out by His dear and intimate, Gaura pryia jana.
Jai Srila Gurudeva. Jai Sri Guru and Gauranga!
Ys
MK Swami
pamho agtACBSP,
I feel very sorry to hear about what’s happens to the samadhi of HDG GAURA GOVINDA MAHARAJ. I do not know the right reason yet why these demons have done it, i’m glad to know that someone is going to restore it, anyway we know evil people got short life says the mahabharata,therefore we just wait until the situation will be completely clear through the restoration of the samadhi and the elimination of the demons to make sure these ugra karma activities do not take place again by attacking saintly people.Thank you for your sat-sanga agtys ys A.C. Seva das haribol