By Akhildhara Dasa (Padayatri)
Being a padayatra is a spiritual identity. I feel being a padayatra brings you more closer to the Lord. I was born at Albawy, New York on April 24th, 1950. I joined ISKCON at Amsterdam Holland June 1st 1975. I was Sunday I honored prasdam enjoyed sankirtana and one devotee insisted me stay back and attend mangal arati. I did the same and then started chanting on day 1- 4 rounds, day 2-8 rounds and day 3 -16 rounds.
Then once when I was in India Bhuvaneshwar in 1993 All India Padayatra reached there that time Jaya Vijay Dasa and I joined padayatra. It was wonderful. I was already living like a padayatra walking and singng on highways.
My sweet lord
So I was already into it. In padayatra I had very nice experiences. I am padayatra I cnt stay at one place and Lord Krsna takes care of me in padayatra. Every day in padayatra is an adventure.
Recently I was in Maharastra padayatra for 15 days. With All India Padayatra also I visted Maharastra so many times. I meet so many warkaris they are so much filled with enthusiasm. They are always chanting jai jai ram krsna hari and they love Lord Panduranga so much. I got very much inspired by them. The Warkaris also walk towards Pandharpur on Ashadi ekadasi singing and dancing similar to padayatris. Life in villages is so simple they travel in bullock carts. So as they see our chariot they get attracted they feel or these padayatris are like us simple and travelin bullock carts like us.
In padayatra I can make so many friends and preach to them give Krsna to them. So we make heart to heart friendships in one day as the connecting link is Krsna. After katha people automatically come up and buy books. Seeing a foreigner has taken up devotional life they get attracted. As generally everyone wants to go to America and become a foreigner so I am happy my foreign body is becoming instrumental in preaching. Otherwise I dnt like being called an American.
Since 1993 I am introduced to padayatra. Initially there was only one padayatra but now there are 4 more padayatras strated, isn’t it a great News.
Maharastra padayatra
Utkal Banga padayatra
Uttar Pradesh padayatra
Nepal Padayatra
I was thrilled when I got this News. Padayatra not only covers the city and villages but it also covers the area in between the villages padayatra misses no one as they cross a village.
Padayatra is my intimate family, all padayatris are my friends. In padayatra I fill like I am at home. Padayatra gives us an experience which we can’t get anywhere. I feel I am so speacil and fortunate that I got connected to Bharat and padayatra. Padayatra has special mellow.
Lockdown was like exile for me. I was in separation, I missed padayatra. I will always be a padayatra till my last breath singing, dancing, preaching and distributing books.
I would like to inspire all the young devotees to join padayatra for few days and experience the bliss. It’s a great fortunt to be on padayatra. Experiencing the simple life of village and depending totally on mercy of Lord. Feeling the happiness of preching and book distribution.
