Ratha Yatra

Festival of Chariots

Today is the Ratha Yatra (Festival of Chariots) of Lord Jagannath in Puri, India. The Math website reports that Srila Gurudeva personally took a small group of devotees for darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladev and Lady Subhadra just outside the Gundicha Temple.

In the Prema Dhama Deva Stotram (30) Srila Guru Maharaj reveals the inner purport of Lord Jagannath's pastime of riding the cart to the Gundica temple:

sri rathagra-bhakta-gita-divya-narttanadbhutam
yatri-patra-mitra-rudraraja-hriccamatkritam
gundicagamadi-tattva-rupa-kavya-sancaram
prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram

"Surrounded by innumerable devotees, Lord Gaurasundara displayed His divine and wonderful dancing figure in front of the Ratha Yatra cart while performing congregational chanting of the Lord's holy names. The Lord's personality totally charmed the hearts of Prataparudra Maharaj, the assembled pilgrims, and all the other dear friends of the King. The Lord also revealed the inner purport of Lord Jagannath's pastime of riding the cart to the Gundicha temple when He mentioned the verse by Srila Rupa Gosvami:

priyah so'yam krishnah sahacari kuru-kseta-militas
tathaham sa radha tad idam ubhayoh sangama sukham
tathapy antah khelan-madhura-murali-pancama-juse
mano me kalindi-pulina-vipinaya sprihayat

"'O My dear friend, now I am at last reunited with My most beloved Krishna in Kuruksetra. I am the same Radharani, and He is the same Krishna. We are enjoying Our meeting, but still I wish to return to the banks of the Kalindi, where I could hear the sweet melody of His flute sounding the fifth note beneath the trees of the Vrindavan forest.' I fall at the feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Golden Volcano of Divine Love."