Festival of India: Ratha Yatra Parade
Monday, June 11th, 2007
The rain stayed away all day this past Saturday, June 9th as the Festival of India got under way in Manhattan. Lord Jagannath’s Ratha Yatra Parade commenced at 5th Avenue and 59th Street, came all the way down 5th Avenue and ended in Washington Square Park. In past years I’ve helped pull the carts of Lord Jagannath (the Lord of the Universe, a manifestation of Krishna) his brother Balarama, and their sister Subhadra, but this year, owing to a nasty heel spur, I and my family met the parade in the park.
Hare Krishna or Vaishnava devotees from all over the country, if not from around the world, flock to New York for the Big Apple’s Ratha Yatra Parade. Hands folded and close to the body (as is the case with the swami in the picture on the left and the devotee below right) is a way of recognizing the spark of divinity in all of us. Generally one also says “namaste” which is Sanskrit for “I bow to the divine in you.”
What a radical concept, especially here in the West where we’re more than content with “Yo!” “Wassup?” “Hello” or “How are you today?” Few of us would ever think of walking up to someone and greeting that person with “I bow to the divinity in you.” Why? It is because that most of us are so immersed in the bodily concept of existence that we mistake the physical form for the living entity itself.
There are many booths selling transcendental literature including Bhagavad-Gita As It Is along with other Vaishnava texts. Additionally, there are booths where one can learn to properly chant the Holy Name on japa beads (photo right), learn about reincarnation, the philosophy behind vegetarianism (it retards your spiritual progress to eat that which was once sentient life), the yoga experience, how to get back to Godhead, and much more! It’s really quite fun.
There are two Krishna temples in New York City. The main and largest one is Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn, and the other smaller mandir (temple) is Sri Krishna Caitanya Mandir of Queens. The devotees in the photo left usually frequent the latter, and they are very loving and compassionate souls. You can see that by the effervescent glow on their faces.
