By Gaura Krishna das LOK (India)
Hare Krishna dear devotees. Please accept our most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila prabhupada.
1984 marked the year when ISKCON devotees set out from Dwaraka on the first ISKCON padayatra ever. H. H. Lokanath Swami was amongst the padayatris and many other senior devotees from ISKCON took part. It became a grand success and when they returned to Dwaraka after a full round of India all of Dwaraka came out to recieve them. Since then the All India Padayatra has circumambulated many times and are just about to complete yet another round. This padayatra, which could be named the mother of all other padayatras in ISKCON, has inspired many other padayatras around the globe and on this day we have more than 20 padayatras going on every year in many contries around the globe. To celebrate that ISKCON has managed to conduct 25 years of padayatra in so many contries and to inspire another 25 years of padayatra on a bigger scale than ever before, we here at the ISKCON Padayatra Ministry are preparing several events throughout the year.
We want to invite you all to come to ISKCON Pandharpur, Maharashtra, India on the 27th of August on the most auspicious Radhastami day to celebrate with padayatrisis from around the world. We are preparing a grand festival with padayatra stories from sannyasis and devotees who did padayatra. There will be cultural programs with dramas and multivision presentations. We will all go for Vitthala Darshan, which is unique on the planet, and take bath in the holy river Candrabhaga. There will also be cow/bull puja and seminars and off course lots of tasty and juicy prasadam for everybody. We are expecting to be 4.000-5.000 devotees together.
Please join us and make it a most unforgetable and inspiring event.
We will also issue a special edition of the Padayatra Magazine featuring interviews and stories by old and present padayatris. We will bring reports from around the globe of ongoing padayatras and a schedule for the upcoming padayatras near you.
We have also opened a padayatra conference on Pamho: “Padayatra Worldwide” where we will post the latest news and share ideas and experiences with all of you. Please send us your feedback on this conference.
We look forward to be with you.
All the best
Hare Krishna
Your servants at the ISKCON Padayatra Ministry.
Being an old Padayatri ( I joined the first Padayatra in 1985 close to Guruvayu and walked for 6 months with HH Lokanatha Maharaja and HH Jayadvaita Swami and other Padayatris) it was a life changing experience.I just want to take the opportunity to thank Lokanatha Maharaja for organizing this Padayatra since so many years.I know it is a very pleasing program to Srila Prabhupada and great preaching too.And that is has come to other places is just Lord Caitanys amazing mecy.By Lokanatha Maharajas mercy on this soul I was abel to also join the Californian Padayatra.Recently I heard from one devotee how they did amazing preaching in Central America .And again back to USA.
In Lord Caitanyas Divine plan to spread the holy name to every town and village.I pray to Sri Panca Tattva this Padayatra will go on for at least the next 10.000 years.
And my pranams to all Padayatris past present and future.
your humble servant
Payonidhi das