By Acarya dasa, All-India Padayatra leader
The All-India Padayatra reached Kaundanyapur dhama, the capital of Vidarbha Kingdom in Dwarpa Yuga, on February 28. Upon arrival we were given a grand welcome by temple president Akrura dasa and his family who were overjoyed to hear the party would be staying for a month. All the padayatris then took darsana of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkanath and Giriraja at our ISKCON temple.
THE LORD CAME TO HELP HIS DEVOTEE
Our accommodation was arranged in a guesthouse surrounded by trees giving shade for the oxen to rest under. We were delighted to be in the birthplace of Rukmini Maharani, a quiet village far from the city and perfect for sadhana alongside the holy River Vardayani.
When we had settled Akrura came to me and said, “Thank you prabhu for coming. My family has to go to Jagannath Puri for a week to attend my son’s marriage so I was worried how the sevas would continue, and then the Lord Himself came with His team and now there is no problem. In Maharashtra, when there is a marriage the elderly parents stay back to mind the house and all the children go to the wedding. Prabhu, the Lord Himself has come to help, and just as parents They will stay back in Kaundanyapur and take care of everything.”
I was filled with tears as I replied, “Yes, surely if you leave everything to the Lord, He takes all the responsibility.”
GAURA-PURNIMA CELEBRATION
On March 2 most of our party went to Mayapur dhama for the Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama, leaving just seven padayatris behind to take care of Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundar and the oxen. Those who went on parikrama returned to Kaundanyapur late on March 20, the day before Gaura-purnima, and after resting we all began preparing for the festival. Kaunteya Sakha dasa and Rasotsava dasa made more than fifty-six bhogas for Their Lordships and many of us joined in decorating the pandal with flowers and foliage. Adding to the local devotees and our padayatris, many devotees arrived for the celebration from Arvi, Dhamangaon and Amravati. The programme started at 5pm with vaisnava bhajans glorifying Lord Gauranga, followed by abhisheka with panchamrta, puspa abhisheka and Gaura katha, and the evening ending with a sumptuous prasadam feast.
ON OUR WAY TO DHAMANGAON
The next morning, we departed Kaundanyapur heading for Dhamangaon, where the ISKCON centre leader, Damodardulal dasa, had invited us to join their observance of Gaura-purnima on March 23. It is always the wish of Their Lordships that our padayatra goes anywhere. We had planned to keep the rath at ISKCON Amravati, but could not make it there and instead arrived at Kaundanyapur. I’m sure it was that the Lord wanted to stay at His in-law’s place for a month and take their services and celebrate Guarsa-purnima there, for it was the first time in its many tours of India that padayatra remained for so long at Kaundanyapur dhama.
