Ratha-yatra Lecture
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
San Francisco, June 27, 1971
Prabhupada: Jagannatha svami nayana-pathagami bhavatu me. (crowd repeats) Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. (crowd repeats)
Thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly participating in this great Ratha-yatra festival. I have already explained what is this Ratha-yatra festival. It is in commemoration of a grand visit by Lord Krishna along with His elder brother, Balarama, and His younger sister, Subhadra, in a solar eclipse ceremony at Kuruksetra. This occasion is the subject matter of this Ratha-yatra festival.
Apart from these historical references in the matter of Ratha-yatra festival, there is another spiritual meaning, that the Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, and this body is just like ratha, or car. He is sitting in everyone’s heart.
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah: “I am sitting in everyone’s heart.’’ Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: [Bg. 15.15] “I am giving everyone the intelligence as well as I am taking away the intelligence from everyone.”
This double work is being done by the Supersoul. In one side He is helping how to realize self, how to realize God, and other side He is helping also to forget God. How is it that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as paramatma, is doing this double work?
The sense is that if we want to forget God, God will help us in such a way that we’ll forget God life after life. But if we want to reestablish our relationship with God, from within He will help us in every way.
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