By Acarya dasa (All India Padayatra leader)
On September 6, 2023, the All India padayatris celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami with the ISKCON centre devotees in Gorakhpur in northeast Uttar Pradesh.
In association with the congregation devotees, we performed nagar sankirtan on two to three days in different parts of the city. They had also arranged a series of Janmashtami kathas, at one of which I was asked to share my experiences about padayatra.
We celebrated Janmashtami in a hotel near the ISKCON centre and were joined by about 10,000 guests for the occasion. The hotel was packed with devotees. This year’s Janmashtami was special for all of them, as Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundar were with them. The devotees have a small framed photograph of little Gaur-Nitai in the temple, but this year Their Lordships personally came to give them Their mercy and love. Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundar’s chariot, Srila Prabhupada and our majestic oxen were all fascinating for the devotees of Gorakhpur.
Everyone went for nagar sankirtan on Janmashtami evening and the city resonated with harinama. Their Lordships were beautifully decorated and fifty-six bhoga were offered to Them. There was abhisheka, book distribution and various stalls – a very nice programme by the padayatris and the Gorakhpur devotees serving together – and up to 1000 congregation members and many media people and public attended. Ekadashi prasadam was prepared and it was arranged that khira (cucumber) prasadam would be available from 6pm to midnight for the visitors. Several prestigious Gorakhpur residents came along and were entertained by cultural presentations such as dance and a drama on the Lord’s Bala-lila. Many books were distributed and news of the event was published in the local newspaper.
The next day was Srila Prabhupada’s birth anniversary which also was observed on a large scale. On this day all devotees glorify Srila Prabhupada. In this way the whole programm of Janmashtami was celebrated.
