Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung in “Saranagat 31.3”:
gaur amara, je-saba sthane,
koralo bhramana range
se-saba sthana, heribo ami,
pranayi-bhakata-sange
“In the company of loving devotees I will visit all those places where my Lord Gaurasundara traveled and performed His pastimes.”
What a great transcendental desire to have! It is indeed a great fortune to be able to visit the dhama as part of a Yatra. So, how can one fathom the depth of our gratitude to His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu who is leading the 13-day Sri Dhama Mayapura and Sri Ksetra Jagannatha Puri Yatra of 2015 which starts on Feb 9th.
Our first stop will be Navadvipa-dhama. This dhama was created by the desire of Srimati Radharani, and is the place where the Lord in the form of Sri Gauranga enjoys audarya-bhava – magnanimity, generosity, or overflowing mercy! The mercy is such that if one takes a lying posture, Lord Caitanya will consider that as an offering of obeisance!
There is a popular saying, “The Lord takes bath in Badri-dhama, in Dwarka-dhama, He puts on His dress, in Puri He eats and in Ramesvara He sleeps!”
From Navadvipa-dhama His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu will lead us to Sri Ksetra Dhama Jagannatha Puri, an eighty square miles area on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, where the demigods see everyone possess four-handed forms. Also known as Purusottama-kestra, Nilacala-dhama, Bhauma-vaikuntha , and Dasa-avatara-ksetra, the dhama is so auspicious and merciful that the act of sleeping here is equivalent to Samadhi – deep meditation. The blessings of the dhama have already started to pour in the form of His Grace Madhavananda Prabhu, a dhama-vasi and a senior devotee who has kindly agreed to take us on a tour of this holy place along with His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu!
More than 35 devotees from different parts of the world from age groups 7 to 70 will participate in the Yatra this year, some skipping work, some missing school, some manipulating their bosses, some going through the pains of getting a visa, some fighting ailments, but all immersed in love for Gauranga, and all fired by a strong desire to go back to Godhead.
If you have not yet visited the Yatra website, then please visit vaisesikadasa.com/mayapur-
For those of you who asked for accommodation and taxi service from/to the airport, Mukharavinda Prabhu will be reaching out to you with the logistics and the Laxmi details.
Thank you for your marked enthusiasm regarding participation in the Yatra. Thank you for giving us this glorious opportunity to serve you, and beg forgiveness for the numerous offenses we have surely committed in trying to organize an event of this magnitude.
The yatra starts 15 days from now. The countdown has begun.
Mayapur Navadvipa-dhama ki Jaya!!
Jagannatha Puri-dhama Ki Jaya!
His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu Ki Jaya!
His Grace Madhavananda Prabhu Ki Jaya!
Her Grace Nirakula Mataji Ki Jaya!
All Yatra Participants ki Jaya!
All devotees ki Jaya!
Gaura Premanande Hari Hari Bol !
Your humble servants,
Mukharavinda Dasa and Shraddha-devi Dasi
(On behalf of Yatra Organizing team)
