Newsletter August 2023

Once a year Lord Jagannatha comes out of the temple and gives everybody an opportunity to see Him. This event is called Ratha Yatra. The deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra are brought out to Puri's main street, each seated on a large wooden cart and pulled for three kilometers to the Gundicha temple. Their Lordships stay there for a week, after which They are pulled back to the main shrine.

Over a million adherents from India and abroad come to participate in this celebration. For many, it is a rare opportunity to see God. Some think that God is hidden because He is made of pure consciousness which is finer than the crude matter of this world. The Vedas reveal that God and His dwelling are located in the subtle stratum called the spiritual world. The earthly human eyes are too coarse to identify it. Understanding this puzzlement, Krishna, manifests Himself in the form of a deity made of wood, stone and other materials. In this way even those who are indifferent can be engaged in spiritual activities. They can achieve great blessings for something as basic as seeing the Lord´s deity. Seeing the forms of Lord Krshna, Balarama and Subhadra while riding on their carts during the procession means stopping the repetition of birth and death and buying a ticket to the spiritual world. By pulling the cart, every step counts as a Vedic sacrifice. These and other blessings are effective both to Krishna's devotees and to those who come to the Rathya Yatra out of curiosity. Therefore, participating in the Ratha Yatra festival is a sure way of taking a step further on the path of self-realization.

Here our gratitude goes especially to Bhakta Elias who is organising the entire event, with the help of our community members.

By the blessings of the School of Bhakti with whom Goloka Dhama is affiliated, we teach a very dynamic and inspiring seminars. In the middle of March, we have started teaching the “Gita Life” course by which we cover one chapter per week. In one hour, the participants get a powerful, structured, and inspiring input in the transcendental dialogue between Lord Sri Krsna and his intimate friend Arjuna. Those courses are taught on-line and on-location, to which around 15 devotees are regularly attending. We are now slowly concluding with the last 3 chapters and feel very grateful for the wisdom given. We hope that Goloka Dhama will be able to continue giving such educational training in the coming years, eventually covering Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya Caritamrita and eventually by German speakers too! Our profound gratitude to the school of Bhakti and especially H.H.Svayam Bhagavan Kesava Maharaj for providing such deep and well research resources from our divine Scriptures.