Festival
We invite lovers of India, seekers of spirituality and Absolute Truth, unifiers of religions, and all other curious minds to a joyful celebration whose deepest meaning is to place Jagannatha—the Lord of the universe, the Lord of all religions—in the chariot of one’s heart and, with the ropes of affection, pull Him to the true home of the soul, where there is no sorrow, anxiety, fear, or hostility. This festival is multi-faceted because we do not know whether God Himself leads us to union with Him, or whether we are the first to invite Him to meet. Only one thing is clear: the home to which we are all pulling Him in the chariot of our hearts is both God’s home and our home. Although this festival is very colorful and noisy, it is nevertheless a celebration of the heart and peace. By pulling the chariot with the Lord of the Universe—Jagannatha, who encompasses the Vedic trinity—Existence, Cognition, and Bliss (respectively Baladeva, Krishna, and Subhadra) through the city streets, we first perform an internal act—we invite the Lord to sit in the chariot of our heart and pull Him in the chariot of the heart to the meeting place—the home of the soul, which the Vedas call Vrindavan.
Jagannatha (Sanskrit: jagan nātha – Lord of the universe) is the most joyful form of God: His eyes are wide with love, His smile stretches across His face, and even His arms are retracted into His body out of pleasure upon seeing the devotees glorifying Him. Joy also overflows for everyone participating in the festival: to the sound of the Hare Krishna mantra, drums, cymbals, and other instruments, people dance with happiness, infecting passers-by with that mood. People are often surprised and enlightened—they have never seen so much real joy, even though this festival is celebrated without any intoxicants!
rathārūḍho gacchan pathi milita-bhūdeva-paṭalaiḥ
stuti-prādurbhāvam prati-padam upākarṇya sadayaḥ
dayā-sindhur bandhuḥ sakala jagatāṁ sindhu-sutayā
jagannāthah svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (5)
“When Jagannatha moves along the road in His chariot, at every step large crowds of brahmanas loudly chant prayers and sing songs for His pleasure. Listening to their hymns, Jagannatha becomes very favorably disposed towards them. He is the ocean of mercy and the true friend of all worlds. May Jagannatha, along with His consort Lakshmi, born of the ocean of nectar, appear before my eyes.” (“Sri Jagannatha Ashtaka, 5”)
Rathayatra (Sanskrit: ratha yatra – chariot festival), the meaning of which is described above, has been celebrated annually for thousands of years in India, in the state of Odisha, in Puri—a city by the ocean. It draws millions of people of all faiths from all over the world. In 1968, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, organized the first Rathayatra festival in the Western world. This festival now takes place in many cities around the world. In Lithuania, the first Rathayatra festival took place in 1992.