BHUBANESWAR: With ISKCON reluctant to host its Rath Yatra in overseas countries as per the tradition of Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb in a strong worded letter on Tuesday asked the organisation to honour the sacred scriptures and traditions followed at Srimandir.
The move comes after ISKCON agreed to advise all its temples to celebrate Snana Yatra on Snana Purnima ‘tithi’, both in and outside India, and Rath Yatra as per Srimandir schedule within the country, but expressed inability to align the international Rath Yatras with the Puri ‘tithi’.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, through chairman Gajapati Maharaj, submitted a report prepared by Srimandir scholars in September to ISKCON on why Rath Yatra must be celebrated worldwide as per the temple schedule during the nine-day period commencing on Asadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya ‘tithi’.
In his response, chairman of ISKCON governing body commission (GBC) Govardhan Dasa on Sunday said that government authorities in the West allow processions only on weekends to avoid disruption of commercial functioning of cities. Even if such permissions are granted, he added that the volunteers who facilitate the Rath Yatra and participants are unable to attend owing to professional commitments during the week.
Dasa further reasoned that most temples in the West do not have their own chariots and hence, the same chariot travels from one city to another to facilitate the festival. Also, some cities are in the midst of cold winters during the Rath Yatra tithi in Puri, he said.
“Our view is that we should always take the opportunity to celebrate Rath Yatra when circumstances allow and are most favourable to increase the glorious worship of Lord Jagannath,” the GBC chairman said.
Stating that ISKCON has already adjusted dates of its 247 Rath Yatras to align with Puri ‘tithi’, he said it was not always practical to hold the chariot festival on the same day across the world.
Acknowledging ISKCON’s reasons that Rath Yatra in the West could be performed only during the weekends, Gajapati Maharaj said ISKCON may celebrate Rath Yatra on a weekend falling within the auspicious nine-day period commencing on Asadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya ‘tithi’ but not on any weekend outside this period.
He further stressed that untimely processions should not be promoted as Rath Yatra as it creates confusion in the minds of devotees. In his letter, Gajapati stated that festivals like Janmastami, Ram Navami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi and Diwali are celebrated worldwide as per specific ‘tithis’, which are never altered on the ground of local issues and climatic conditions.
“Therefore, there can be no valid justification for celebrating Rath Yatra - the greatest and most sacred festival of Lord Jagannath - on just about any day of the year on one pretext or another,” he wrote, while asking ISKCON to reconsider its decision.
