By Bhakta Nakul, from All-India Padayatra
I am from Abu Road, a city in Sirohi district of Rajasthan in western India. In 2011 the All-India Padayatra came to my city and my parents were fortunate to serve Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundara and the padayatris. After that they were in the association of Acarya dasa, started to visit the ISKCON temple and were initiated by Lokanath Maharaja. I was fascinated by padayatra’s oxen and their majestic horns, but despite being from a devotee family I never chanted and displayed very aggressive behaviour. If anyone said bad words about me, I used to start fighting with that person. Every day I used to get complaints at my home. My parents were tired of me and were worried that I may get dragged into bad association. Years passed like that. In January 2016, when I was in standard 10, a five-day padayatra was organized by Muralimohan dasa from Ahmedabad to Dakor. My parents always kept finding ways to engage me in some spiritual activity and when they got news of this padayatra I was sent to attend.
On padayatra I met AIP padayatri Dhiranayak dasa. I really liked his behaviour; he was never tired and always happy in his service. He said to me, “If you get time, come join our padayatra, it’s a wonderful experience.” His words always kept rotating in my mind but when I came home, I forgot everything and got busy in my studies. After exams again I was free to waste my time and got engaged in fights, so my parents called Acarya and enquired if I could come to padayatra.
At that time padayatra was at Trivandrum in Kerala. My mother said to me, “Pack your bag, you are going on All-India Padayatra.” I was a little shocked, but they always had the idea of sending me some place or other. I thought I was going for holidays and would be back after one month. My father and I left for Trivandrum and Acarya came to the station to collect us both. I was feeling great, “Wow, prabhu has come to take us.”
That fortunate day of my life when I joined padayatra was April 12, 2016. My father stayed with me for a few days and then he said, “I am going back home. You stay here.” I was not really interested in padayatra. I said, “Yes go, I will come back after one month.” But Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundara captured my heart. As I used to spend a lot of time around the oxen, I was put in the oxen care department. I used to serve them, give them fodder, water and baths. Slowly all of them were friendly with me. As time passed, I was attracted towards Their Lordships. Taking Their darshan would relieve my tiredness. I used to look for hours at Their lotus faces.
Since I joined, I never missed a single mangala arati. I like sankirtan a lot; I can see people getting attracted as they hear the holy name. Whenever I missed my home or parents, I would stand near the ratha and take darshan and feel solace. I passed standard 10 with 86%, although the school teacher came home with the result as it was three months and nobody had enquired about it. Now I feel the best part of life is serving in padayatra.
In 2018 we were at Bangalore and I was driving the rath. Nandakishore (Nandu) and Kaliya were pulling the ratha. Nandu is scared of black things. As we were going along the road a black-coloured car went very close to him. He was scared and started walking back. While trying to control the ratha I was injured. Immediately I was shifted to hospital. The doctor said, “He has to take rest for one month,” so I was sent home. During my stay at home I used to miss padayatra, especially my Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundara. At that time, I would take Their darshan in a photo but that never pacified my heart. After eight days I told my parents, “I am going back.” I felt the Lord was calling me back. I was well. No doctor could explain how I recovered so fast, but I know Their Lordships wanted me to come back.
During the initial days in padayatra I used to think that after one month I would go back home, but the powerful sankirtan, the love of devotees and the wonderful prasadam – which one will not get at home – anchored my heart to the ratha of Nitai-Gaurasundara.
Since then I have been walking in padayatra for two years. I was a 16-year-old angry person, but I learnt tolerance from the oxen. Even if we poke them or beat them while walking, they never retaliate. They are always in a serving mood, the most fortunate servants of the Lord.
If I was not in padayatra I would have become a spoiled boy wasting this precious human life. My mother is my first guru. I said to her, “I will come back after one month.” She said, “Come back when you are in saffron.”
A message for other devotees
Every devotee big or small should experience padayatra. If you stay in padayatra there is no need of any training. Here we have full-time service, no free time for mobile phones or anything else. It’s a wonderful package. Come and walk in padayatra, you will become a strong devotee in all ways.
Even I used to think I am here just for time killing, but that one month brought a revolution in my life. Padayatra has made my life meaningful.
All glories to Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundara.
Srila Prabhupada, ki jai.
Srila Gurudev Lokanath Maharaja, ki jai.
