By: HG. Vishnurata das
Dharma Gau Gram Yatra spearheaded by HH Bhakti Raghava Swami Maharaj reached West Bengal. On the 21st September 2019, Vishnurata das (Director for IDVM – India Secretariat in Mayapur) along with two devotees from ISKCON Mayapur Harinam Sankirtan Party, namely Kamala Kantha prabhu (from Indonesia) and Yudhisthira Prana prabhu (from Ukraine), went to Purulia district to join the Dharma Gau Gram Yatra.
On the 22nd September 2019, in a village called Arsha, the program was conducted. With the help of Sourav prabhu and his team, who organized and invited the villagers, the program was successfully conducted.
The program was held in a small Hari Mandir in the village where the presiding deities were Sita Rama Lakshmana along with Hanuman and Sri Sri Jagannath Baladeva Subhadra maiya. We started the program with the Go-puja led by Maharaj as the pujari, followed by Nagar Sankirtan on the main road. The Kirtan was so enthusiastically led by the Mayapur Harinam team that the whole villagers followed the procession, chanting and dancing. After the Nagar Sankirtan everybody came back to the Hari Mandir to hear the lecture on Krishna consciousness and Varnasrama given by Maharaj.
Many people attended the lecture. Since the place was small to accommodate all many of the people were listening to the lecture from outside the Mandir, while standing on the road.
At the end of the lecture, Maharaj encouraged the villagers to fill up the “Samskar Patra” or the sacred oath form to chant a minimum of one round of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra on the beads everyday. Around 70 serious people came forward to collect the form and took the Japa malas from Maharaj.
“… certainly these people, especially these Bengalis, they know the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, but we have to encourage them to chant on the beads. In the previous village that we visited, in Dhurgam village, more people had taken the Japa malas, around 90 people…” said Maharaj.
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
“In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.”
This is the prophecy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. IDVM – India (promoting rural development in India) is trying to reach out as many villages to educate the villagers spiritually and materially, to revive their ancient Vedic culture and tradition. Thus, help them make their lives perfect in Krishna consciousness and go back home back to Godhead.
The program ended with the distribution of Maha Prasadam to the villagers.
I wish to thank all the devotees who were involved to make this Dharma Gau Gram Yatra program happen.
Credit:
1. HH Bhakti Raghava Swami Maharaj for taking up the initiative and leading the program.
2. Sourav prabhu and his team for making all the necessary arrangements.
3. Kamala Kantha prabhu and Yudhisthira Prana prabhu for taking charge of the Kirtan.
4. Rameshvar prabhu and Purusottama prabhu for always being humble, working hard behind the scene.
5. Pangkajangri prabhu for taking up the survey of the villagers.