By Braja Hari dasa, Coordinator, Padayatra South Africa
Padayatra South Africa began eight years ago when Lokanatha Maharaja instructed ISKCON Durban temple president Svarup Damodar to launch the programme in KwaZulu-Natal, one of the country’s largest provinces. The idea was to get the project under way and then have it gradually taken up throughout the country, and indeed after observing our efforts in Durban the devotees in Johannesburg were soon motivated to follow suit.
Unfortunately, through the years the number of interested people visiting the Durban temple has dropped and the home programmes have dwindled. At one stage KwaZulu-Natal had fifty-two Nama-hatta centres, but now there are only fifteen. As members of the Festivals Committee, we sought to employ padayatra as a grass-roots means of rectifying the situation. I discussed our ideas with Maharaja and he gave us his blessings.
Our intention with padayatra this year, therefore, was to get more involved with the various Nama-hatta groups that are affiliated with the ISKCON centres in South Africa. We now have the Nama-hattas invite us with our deities and paraphernalia to their programmes, the goal being to rekindle householder interest in Krishna consciousness. Of course, book and prasadam distribution have continued as usual, but more importantly we wanted to assist the Nama-hatta devotees to increase attendance and simultaneously encourage the community to join our padayatra procession – and become more involved in temple activities generally.
Looking back over the year, I think we are achieving our objectives because the Nama-hatta leaders have assured me that the initiative has been paying dividends. Hopefully, in 2019 we will consolidate this with a greater number of padayatras in South Africa arising from our association with the Nama-hatta groups.
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- Chanting in Crossmoor
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- Crossmoor 2018
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- Merebank
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- Never too old to go on Padayatra Crossmoor
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- Padayatra on North Coast
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- Umkomaas
Srila Prabhupada's formula was very simple: Chant the Holy Names, hear Krishna Katha to nourish the Bhakti-creeper, and honor Krishna prasadam.
The process that Lord Chaitanya describes for the individual is to cultivate humility, tolerance, giving honor to others without expecting honor for one's self so that one can constantly remember Krishna.
When we first started our town to town programs in South Africa, this was the program, and we accompanied our Deities Sri Sri Gaura Nitai (Who I am told were "sent" to East Africa….why?). Sincerity of the devotees, and sincerity and enthusiasm of the people who participated with us was wonderful, and many, many took stacks of Srila Prabhupada's books and became Life Members. Never too late to practice this formula. Krishna will send the pious souls to associate with the aspiring bhaktas, and all will be benefited. Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayate!! Pusta Krishna das