Iskcon Mayapur-Vrindaban Tirthayatras:
A Waste of Time for Sincere Devotees?
By Narasimha das
“Narottama Das Thakura, a great acharya of the Vaishnava sect, has, for the present, forbidden us to go to such places of pilgrimage because in this age, the times have so changed, a sincere person may have a different impression on seeing the behavior of the present residents of the pilgrimage sites. He has recommended that instead of taking the trouble to travel to such places, on should concentrate his mind on Govinda, and that will help him.” (SB.3.20.4, Purport)
In this purport Srila Prabhupada goes on to explain that ordinary persons may still derive benefit from going to holy places like Vrindaban but only if they go there to find a person who knows the science of God, or a tattva-vit. Tattva-vit means “one who knows the Absolute Truth.” Srila Prabhupada warns, “There are many pseudo-transcendentalists, even at places of pilgrimage. Such men are always present, and one has to be intelligent enough to find the actual person to be consulted; then one’s attempt to progress by traveling to different holy places will be successful. One has to be freed from all contamination, and at the same time he has to find a person who knows the science of Krishna.”
Srila Prabhupada created temples and ashrams in Mayapur and Vrindaban where sincere pilgrims could come and get trained in Krishna consciousness. Unfortunately, these places have become severely commercialized in recent years and are now full of pretenders who pose as advanced devotees and spiritual masters. The yearly festivals that Srila Prabhupada ordained at these places for the purpose of revitalizing and inspiring our devotional service are now dominated by various deviants. Some deviants are looking for a new iskuru, others are trying to become voted-in iskurus, others are looking for new disciples to replace the one’s that left, others are doing business as tour guides, others are simply eager to hear the latest iskcon gossip while eating lassis and samosas at iskcon restaurants. Others go there for shopping. Such kind of festivities, even in Vrindaban, are useless, or even offensive.
All these visitors–as well as many or most of the locals–act in ways that create many misleading distractions and impressions. “…a sincere person may have a different impression on seeing the behavior of the present residents of the pilgrimage sites.”
Srila Prabhupada mentions that one first must be “freed from all contamination,” and then one must find a person who “knows the science of Krishna consciousness.” To become freed from contamination means one should shave his head, fast, eat only Krishna prasada, attend temple programs, bath in the Ganges or Yamuna, constantly chant, and avoid social and political clubs of sahajiyas, mayavadis, other deviants, or even prakrita-bhaktas, who believe in Krishna but have no real interest in pure devotional service or going back home back to Godhead.
“If one sincerely searches for spiritual salvation, then Krishna, being situated in everyone’s heart, gives him the intelligence to find a suitable spiritual master. By the grace of a spiritual master like Maitreya, one gets the proper instruction and advances in his spiritual life.” (SB. 3.20.4, Purport)
Srila Prabhupada has often mentioned that devotees can make their own homes holy places by performing devotional service and Deity worship under His directions. He has made this easy for those who accept Him as the real acharya for this age. His books and instructions are abundantly available for everyone. In these present degraded times, travel to India and within India is expensive, difficult, dangerous, and dirty. Real sadhus are not easy to find but cheaters are prominent everywhere. Thus, it may be best for most devotees to stay at home, worship the Deity, distribute prasadam, participate in samkirtana, and chant without offense while hearing and following Srila Prabhupada. Then one can easily meditate on Sri Vrindaban Dhama and Sri Dhama Mayapur without disturbance or offense.
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Char Dham Tirtha Yatra
Another significant point is that Lord Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is described here as Tīrthapāda. Tīrtha means “sanctified place,” and pāda means “the lotus feet of the Lord.” People go to a sanctified place to free themselves from all sinful reactions. In other words, those who are devoted to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, automatically become sanctified. The Lord’s lotus feet are called tīrtha-pāda because under their protection there are hundreds and thousands of saintly persons who sanctify the sacred places of pilgrimage. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya, advises us not to travel to different places of pilgrimage. Undoubtedly it is troublesome to go from one place to another, but one who is intelligent can take shelter of the lotus feet of Govinda and thereby be automatically sanctified as the result of his pilgrimage. Anyone who is fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Govinda is called tīrtha-pāda; he does not need to travel on various pilgrimages, for he can enjoy all the benefits of such travel simply by engaging in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord. Such a pure devotee, who has implicit faith in the lotus feet of the Lord, can create sacred places in any part of the world where he decides to remain. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni (Bhāg. 1.13.10). The places are sanctified due to the presence of pure devotees; any place automatically becomes a place of pilgrimage if either the Lord or His pure devotee remains or resides there. In other words, such a pure devotee, who is engaged one hundred percent in the service of the Lord, can remain anywhere in the universe, and that part of the universe immediately becomes a sacred place where he can peacefully render service to the Lord as the Lord desires. (sb/4/6/25 purport)
Pure devotees of the Lord are not enthusiastic to put aside their service to the Lord in order to go visit holy places of pilgrimage. A great devotee of the Lord in modern times, Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, has sung like this: “To visit holy places of pilgrimage is another bewilderment of the mind because devotional service to the Lord at any place is the last word in spiritual perfection.”
For pure devotees of the Lord who are completely satisfied with the transcendental loving service of the Lord, there is hardly any necessity to visit the various places of pilgrimage. But those who are not so advanced have the prescribed duties of visiting pilgrimage sites and regularly performing the rituals. The part of the princely order of the Yadu dynasty who went to Prabhāsa performed all duties to be done in a place of pilgrimage and offered their pious actions to their forefathers and others.
“My Lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage.”
The Personality of Godhead is omnipresent by His diverse potencies everywhere, just as the power of electricity is distributed everywhere within space. Similarly, the Lord’s omnipresence is perceived and manifested by His unalloyed devotees like Vidura, just as electricity is manifested in an electric bulb. A pure devotee like Vidura always feels the presence of the Lord everywhere. He sees everything in the potency of the Lord and the Lord in everything. The holy places all over the earth are meant for purifying the polluted consciousness of the human being by an atmosphere surcharged with the presence of the Lord’s unalloyed devotees. If anyone visits a holy place, he must search out the pure devotees residing in such holy places, take lessons from them, try to apply such instructions in practical life and thus gradually prepare oneself for the ultimate salvation, going back to Godhead. To go to some holy place of pilgrimage does not mean only to take a bath in the Ganges or Yamunā or to visit the temples situated in those places. One should also find representatives of Vidura who have no desire in life save and except to serve the Personality of Godhead. The Personality of Godhead is always with such pure devotees because of their unalloyed service, which is without any tinge of fruitive action or utopian speculation. They are in the actual service of the Lord, specifically by the process of hearing and chanting. The pure devotees hear from the authorities and chant, sing and write of the glories of the Lord. Mahāmuni Vyāsadeva heard from Nārada, and then he chanted in writing; Śukadeva Gosvāmī studied from his father, and he described it to Parīkṣit; that is the way of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So by their actions the pure devotees of the Lord can render any place into a place of pilgrimage, and the holy places are worth the name only on their account. Such pure devotees are able to rectify the polluted atmosphere of any place, and what to speak of a holy place rendered unholy by the questionable actions of interested persons who try to adopt a professional life at the cost of the reputation of a holy place. (/sb/1/13/10)
yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇāpe tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma idyadhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salite na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva gokharaḥ.
“A human being who identifies this body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of birth as worshipable, and who goes to the place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than meet men of transcendental knowledge there, is to be considered as an ass or a cow.”
Pamho agtacbsp, tirtha kurvanti tirthani, especially at this time that we can’t go to the holy dham because we do not have the vaccine passport, this is the beginning of the battle between vaccinate and unvaccinate people, our only hope is to become pure as a holy place by keeping to meditates on the purity and not on donkey who exploit the holy dham for the own pleasure, unfortunately this is the under world of the donkey and Srila prabhupada plus Sri krsna are waiting for all these misfortunate souls to turn to THEM instead of looking for another donkey, anyway we have not choice then become pure devotees since the situation is getting worse especially for unvaccinate citizens, agtacbsp, ys, haribol
“A devotee of the Lord is always fearless because of the protection given by the Lord”.(Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam)
Currently in Vrindavan for Kartika right now, distributing Krsna book sets (printed by K.B.I) to the wall to wall crowds everywhere.
Srila Prabhupada name is well-known around India and the world, his books are easily distributed, thanks to these festivals he started.
Even during the last two years lockdowns, I’d traveled here to Vrindavan
(without the mask/vaccinations)
to distribute his unchanged books.
Your always feeling protected & having a blissful experience when someone takes a book.
Yes, it’s very obvious seeing the blind leading the blind with the many fake gurus around,
no problem for me telling devotees
“Srila Prabhupada is the real guru of the Hare Krsna movement”
making sure they read Srila Prabhupada books by putting them in their hands,
once they touch the book, it usually goes home with them.
Surcharged, Vrindavan style.
Book distribution, Ki Jai! Haribol.
Rathayatra dasa says ;
“Even during the last two years lockdowns, I’d traveled here to Vrindavan
(without the mask/vaccinations)
to distribute his unchanged books.
Your always feeling protected & having a blissful experience when someone takes a book.
Yes, it’s very obvious seeing the blind leading the blind with the many fake gurus around,
no problem for me telling devotees
“Srila Prabhupada is the real guru of the Hare Krsna movement”
making sure they read Srila Prabhupada books by putting them in their hands,
once they touch the book, it usually goes home with them.
Surcharged, Vrindavan style.
Book distribution, Ki Jai! Haribol. ”
NOTE ; Rathayatra Prabhu, your sincere service to our Jagat Guru Srila Prabhupada’s mission is very much encouraging and appreciated.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Dear Learned Readers,
Upon understanding this perfect knowledge, one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19]).
This perfect knowledge refers to the following as explained in the Article ;
” …So by their actions the pure devotees of the Lord can render any place into a place of pilgrimage, and the holy places are worth the name only on their account. Such pure devotees are able to rectify the polluted atmosphere of any place, and what to speak of a holy place rendered unholy by the questionable actions of interested persons who try to adopt a professional life at the cost of the reputation of a holy place. (/sb/1/13/10)
yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇāpe tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma idyadhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salite na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva gokharaḥ.
“A human being who identifies this body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of birth as worshipable, and who goes to the place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than meet men of transcendental knowledge there, is to be considered as an ass or a cow.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Therefore, activities of distributing not only the Original Books of Srila Prabhupada but any Leaf Lets as well printed simply the Maha Mantra with Srila Prabhupada’s photo on it to attract Jivas any where, any place on this Planet Earth brings the same Spiritual merits to the people.
Thus, one feels blissful experience who so ever engages with this type of Spiritual activity as well. In other words, any Spiritual Activity renders freely ( from any personal motivation) simply for the service of the bona fide Spiritual Master His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada bears spiritual fruit and brings blissful in ones’ life. Of this, there is no doubt about it.
So, let’s stay focus in distributing freely the Love of Godhead in the form of Chanting the Maha Mantra
” Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ”
as per ones’ ability and capability, Individually and Collectively, any where and any place on this Planet Earth in order to make our respective lives sublime in cultivating Krsna Consciousness.
OM TAT SAT.
Hare Krishna. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Hare krsna, everything is a waste of time in this disgusting material world, especially in f-iskcon , although they chant hare krsna but they are in maya because they worship false guru instead of a pure devotees as hdg acbsp, we cant recover this nasty misconception like we cant recover a insignificant animal because failed to become krsna conscious,unless one become kc one remain a insignificant living entity through misconceptions, one must come to Srila prabhupada if one dont want to waste time anymore, this world is already fool and full up of so many disturbances, all these rascals forgot that by creating more social disorders, anyway just keep going with Srila prabhupada because time will tell what strange karma they are making by wasting time , agtacbsp, ys, haribol