LORD JAGANNATH RATHAYATRA CANBERRA - 10 MAY'08 PHOTOS

By the mercy of Lord Jagannath, on 10th May, ISKCON Canberra celebrated second Rathayatra festival within 7 months. A beautifully decorated Palanquin carrying Their Lordships Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra was paraded through the streets of Canberra City. His Grace Rupa Raghunath Das and His Grace Pandu Putra Das lead the Rathayatra with their ecstatic Kirtans, and the evening program in the Temple. All the devotees actively participated in chanting, dancing, distributing transcendental Prasadam and helping with the preparations required for the Rathayatra.

ISKCON Canberra temple would like to express a big thank you to all the devotees from ISKCON Sydney for their association, and special thanks to His Grace Rupa Raghunath Das and His Grace Pandu Putra Das, and to all the devotees of Canberra for enthusiastic participation and support for the Rathayatra festival. Please visit the Temple website: www.HareKrishnaCanberra.com for the photos of the Rathayatra festival.

LORD JAGANNATH RATHAYATRA

10 MAY'08

By the mercy of Lord Jagannath, ISKCON Canberra temple is planning to celebrate Lord Jagannath Rathayatra in Canberra this year also. This will be happening on Saturday, May 10th.

Like last year, a Palanquin will be taking Their Lordships Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra through the streets of Canberra City.

ISKCON Canberra invites you to attend Rathayatra. Please come along and get the Mercy of Lord Jagannath in this auspicious event. Everyone will get the chance to carry the Palanquin of Their Lordships.

Please find the details of the programs below.

LORD JAGANNATH RATHAYATRA
Start Time: 1 PM, from Hare Krishna Temple, 1 Quick St, Ainslie, Canberra, ACT
Expected return time: Around 4:30PM to the Temple

Rathayatra Route:
Hare Krishna Temple, Quick St -> left onto Limestone Ave (walking path) -> right from signal to Ainslie Ave (walking path) -> through street around Glebe Park to City Walk -> Return to Hare Krishna Temple

Contact: Ranganath Das: +61-0404486746, ranganath@actewagl.net.au
www.HareKrishnaCanberra.com

The Inner Meaning of Ratha-yatra
(ref “Hidden Glories Of India” book, BBT Publications)

Although Lord Krishna became a great king in His time, His childhood He spent in the village of Vrindavan. There He sported with the cowherd boys and girls, and of all of them, Radharani was His most beloved. When Lord Krishna left Vrindavan to become king of Dvarka, however, Shrimati Radharani's lamentation was unequalled in the universe. She never gave up hope that He would someday return to Her. In this way She enjoys a special transcendental long known as vipralambha-bhava, or "the mood of love-in-separation".

Once when Lord Krishna was king, He met Radharani and Her friends in a secluded place at Kurukshetra. But when Radharani saw Krishna in His princely grad, with full opulence and regalia, She longed to see Him as the simple cowherd boy She once knew. She longed to bring Him back to Vrindavan.

The mood of wanting to bring Lord Krishna back to the intimacy of Vrindavan is the confidential theme of the Ratha-yatra festival. When devotees pull the long, sturdy ropes of the Ratha-yatra cart they are pulling Krishna back into their hearts - back to the land of Vrindavan. Radha and Krishna incarnated as Caitanya Mahäprabhu, and in this way, They were reunited - in His body. Yet during His last years, which He spent in Jagannath Puri, Lord Chaitanya fully manifested the mood of Radharani and relentlessly lamented the divine tragedy of Radha and Krishna's separation.

Every year in Jagannath Puri, Lord Caitanya celebrated the Ratha-yatra festival in Radharani's mood of pulling Krishna back to the simple, villagelike atmosphere of Vrindavan. Mahäprabhu taught that this feeling of separation actually evokes the presence of Krishna and, ultimately, gives way to the highest happiness. This is the internal meaning of Ratha-yatra.