Hare Krishna !

Pre - yatra preparation points

01) Why pre - yatra meeting at all ?

Ans) In spite of our going on pilgrimage every year, we still need to have a pre-yatra meeting because it works as a
timely reminder to cultivate proper consciousness.

Examples

a) The necessity of our cleaning the copper-vessel (our own mind) every day.

b) The necessity of the initial fine-tuning of the instrument by the musicians before they start the actual concert.

c) Having the proper consciousness is a result of continuous cultivation of the consciousness, and cultivation means
it demands lots of precious time and energy from our side continuously.

02) Why our consciousness needs to be prepared at all for a yatra ?

Ans) Great things need great preparation. Higher the goal, greater is the preparation required. With small preparation,
we cannot achieve high goals.

Since how one takes an event depends upon one’s own state of consciousness, we need to thoroughly
prepare our consciousness in order to take the blessed darshan of the ‘Dhaam’ in its true and real form, so that
we will be properly and fully blessed.

If our consciousness is well-prepared, then our spiritual nourishment will be proper. And if it is not, then the desired
nourishment does not come and our soul starves.

Examples

01) Although we are right in the TV station while the telecast is going on,
still we cannot get the blessing of the telecast if our TV set is not properlyfine-tuned. If we want
the blessing of the telecast, we need to essentially fine-tune our TV set. Then and then alone can the telecast
bless us.

In the same way, although we are right in the dhaam and right in the divine presence of our own spiritual
master who is striving to reveal the dhaam to us, we will not be able to benefit from it if our mind is
not properly fine-tuned with proper and adequate preparation for seeing the dhaam.

02) In order to have the best result, the musician needs toprepare
both himself and his musical instrument before a music-concert, for the ultimate
performance. And if he does not thoroughly prepare himself, then it does not result in offering a
beautiful melody, but it all ends up only in a noisy confusion. Thus, a lot and a lot depends upon
the preparation.

03) Surgery is only of 2 hours duration. But, in order that the surgery to be
successful, it demands prolonged preparation for several weeks or even months before.

Coming back to our yatra, in order to have a really fruitfulyatra, we should essentially know what is the
purpose of the yatra, with what mood we should go to the dhaam, with what mood we should approach the
 spiritual master who is striving to reveal the dhaam to us, because every holy place has an internal reality.
We are not always qualified to see it, especially if we remain outsiders to the mood. Therefore, unless we
know what to do and what not to do, our pilgrimage will not be a fruitful one.

If we don’t thoroughly prepare ourselves, then our sacred ‘pilgrimage’ degrades into an utter material ‘picnic.’

03) What is ayatra ?

Ans) Yatra is also a seva to Krishna, and it is a part of the 9 limbs of devotional service, namely, Paadasevanam. And
just as all devotional service has to bedone only and only for the pleasure of our dear Krishna, even
undertaking the yatra should also be done for the pleasure of Krishna.

Yatra is not a picnic, i.e., an exercise for sense-enjoyment, but it is a pilgrimage, i.e., an undertaking for
spiritual nourishment of the soul.

04) What makes the difference between a ‘picnic’ and a ‘pilgrimage’ ?

Ans) It is the consciousness that makes all the difference. With proper consciousness, an utterly material activity
can be sublimated into a highly spiritual activity, and a highly spiritual activity can be degraded into an utterly
material activity. Thus, everything depends upon our own consciousness.

05) What is the significance of the Karthikmonth ?

Ans) Radha – the abode of love

Karthik month is Radharani's month which is very dear to Krishna. Thus to go on parikrama to Vrindavan or
Mayapur in this month earns blessings of both Radha and Krishna. Radhaji, being the mother of devotion,
abundantly blesses the sincere souls who approach the holy dhaam with a desire to serve and develop devotional
love.

06) What is thepurpose of anyyatra ? Why should we undertake any yatra at all ?

Ans) The purpose of the yatra is as under :

The purpose is categorized into 2, namely :

i) Primary or Main purpose

ii) Secondary or auxiliary purpose

i) Primary purpose

01) To obtain more and more Krishna Prema.

02) To serve Krishna with more and morelove and dedication.

03) To serve the Guru Parampara with more and morelove and dedication.
ii) Secondary purpose

01) To draw the inspiration from the Lord’s various pastimes which
He performs for the pleasure of His devotees and to reclaim them faster.

02) To understand the depth-significance of the holy Dhaam.

a) We cannot see the dhaam with our own mundane eyes, but the dhaam will only be
revealedto us by the causeless mercy of Guru and Krishna.

b) Under the instructions of Krishna, Yoga Maya drops a veil over the Dhaam and a person with
mundane consciousness cannot penetrate that veil and see the realdhaam. Only those
devotees who are authorized by Krishna alone can see the realdhaam because, Yoga Maya
lifts the veil to such devotees alone, as per the instruction of Krishna.

Example

Now-a-days, many builders are constructing so many buildings. Before they construct, they will
fence the land with huge fibre sheets and we cannot see the actual construction inside. We are
barred from seeing it inside. But those who are authorized by the builder, they can see what is
there in the inside. The watchman will allow only them. Similarly, Krishna also is like that.
Only authorized persons alone are permitted to see the actual inside of the dhaam – free from
the external veneer of maaya.

c) Any Dhaam should be seen not with these two material eyes (CharmaChakshu) but it should be
seen with the ears, ie., with prayerful Sravanam from the lotus mouth of a pure devotee of
Krishna, i.e., the bona fide spiritual master and a pure devotee.

d) If we see with our own material eyes, only the external layers of the Dhaam will be seen
by us, leaving out the internal layers of the Dhaaam. The inner layers of the Dhaam will be
revealed to us through the process of proper Sravanam from the lotus lips of apure
devotee of Krishna.

03) To purify ourselves and our consciousness.

04) To increase our commitment for the great Hare Krishna

Movement.

05) To take the divine association of the great spiritual masters and
devotees assembled in the Dhaam.

06) To enrich our begging bowls with the merciful blessings of the
spiritual master and the great devotees who assemble in the Dhaam.

07) To draw more and more inspiration for doing the devotional
service to Krishna and His devotees, after coming from the yatra, on day-to-day basis.
 08) To advance spiritually.

09) To recharge our already-exhausting spiritual batteries.

10) To promote the spiritual relationships amongst the devotees.

11) To increase our ability to do proper Sravanam from the lotus lips of the spiritual master.

05) How can we achieve the main purpose of anyyatra ?

Ans) Since the main purpose of any yatra is to obtain more and more Krishna Prema through getting ourselves
substantially nourished spiritually, our entire focus should essentially be only and only on nurturing
and nourishing our soul spiritually. Our focus should not at allbeon our bodily sense-enjoyment.

06) Where should be our focus then ?

Ans) Our entire focus should essentially be only and only on nurturing and nourishing our soul spiritually, rather than on
our bodily sense-enjoyment.

If our entire focus is not the above, then the whole purpose of any yatra is really defeated, and we will not at all be
able to get the desired result.

07) How should we visit the holy dhaam ?

Ans) Guru’s Vaani

‘Se sabasthanaheriboamipranayibhakatasange'.

gauraamara, je-sabasthane,
koralobrahmana range
se-sabastanaheriboami,
pranayi-bhakata-sange
(3 verse from the Vaishnava song ‘Suddha-bhakata’ from ‘Saranagati’ by SrilaBhaktivinod Thakur. Page No.
rd

52,53 and 54 of our Vaishnava Song Book).

Translation

gauraamara je-sabasthanekoralobrahmana range = All the places where my Lord Gaurasundara travelled for pastimes

se-sabastanaheriboamipranayi-bhakata-sange = I will visit those places or I will go to see those places in the
association of pranayi-bhakata-sange in the association of devotees who have developed their love for Krishna.

Lord CaitanyaMahaprabhu’s followers always visit all the holy places in the presence of premi-bhaktas like our
spiritual master, by which the holy spots become revealed in our hearts when we hear the katha about them from
their lotus lips and loving hearts. We should hear from them, meditate on the meaning and repeat them to others.

In Pracetas section, (SrimadBhagavatam, 4.24.15) this is called as,'dhyayantojapantascapujayantah' :

yaduktaṁpathidṛṣṭena giriśenaprasīdatā
taddhyāyantojapantaśca pūjayantaścasaṁyatāḥ

Synonyms
yat—that; uktam—said; pathi—on the way; dṛṣṭena—while meeting; giriśena—by Lord Śiva; prasīdatā—being very much
satisfied; tat—that; dhyāyantaḥ—meditating; japantaḥca—chanting also; pūjayantaḥca—worshiping also; saṁyatāḥ—with
great control.

Translation

When all the sons of Prācīnabarhi left home to execute austerities, they met Lord Śiva, who, out of great mercy, instructed
them about the Absolute Truth. All the sons of Prācīnabarhi meditated upon the instructions, chanting and worshiping them
with great care and attention.

Purport

It is clear that to perform austerities or penances, or, for that matter, any form of devotional service, one has to be
guided by a spiritual master. Here it is clearly stated that the ten sons of MahārājaPrācīnabarhi were favored by the
appearance of Lord Śiva, who, out of great kindness, gave them instructions regarding the execution of austerities. Lord Śiva
actually became the spiritual master of the ten sons, and in turn, his disciples took his words so seriously that simply by
meditating upon his instructions (dhyāyantaḥ) they became perfect. This is the secret of success.

After being initiated and receiving the orders of the spiritual master, the disciple should unhesitatingly think about the
instructions or orders of the spiritual master and should not allow himself to be disturbed by anything else. This is
also the verdict of ŚrīlaViśvanāthaCakravartīṬhākura, who, while explaining a verse of Bhagavad-gītā
(vyavasāyātmikābuddhirekehakuru-nandana, Bg. 2.41), points out that the order of the spiritual master is the life-
substance of the disciple. The disciple should not consider whether he is going back home, back to Godhead; his
first business should be to execute the order of his spiritual master. Thus a disciple should always meditate
on the order of the spiritual master, and that is perfectional meditation. Not only should he meditate upon that order, but
he should find out the means by which he can perfectly worship and execute it.

- SrimadBhagavatam, 4.24.15.

08) What is the key ingredient in any yatra?

Ans) The key ingredient in our yatra is our own consciousness. If our consciousness is proper, then our yatra will
be really fruitful. One the other hand, if our consciousness is not proper, then our yatra will not be really fruitful at
all. To tell in the own words of our beloved Gurudev – HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj,

“How one takes an event depends uponone’s state of consciousness.

Therefore, the same event is perceiveddifferently by different people.”

- HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj

08) How to prepare our consciousness to achieve full benefit ?

Ans) We need to prepare our consciousness by the following :

a) Pre-yatra stage

01) Sincerely and fervently praying to our dear

a) Radha and Krishna,

b) CaitanyaMahaprabhu
 c) All the Guru Parampara and
d) All the Vaishanvas

for blessings. Even Lord CaitanyaMahaprabhu and our Guru Parampara never did anything
without first seeking the blessings of Krishna, Guru and the Vaishanvas.

02) Sincerely offering our gratitude to Them for all Their blessings.

Please express your deep gratitude to our beloved Radha and Krishna, GourNitai, and Jagannath, Baladev
and SubhadraMaayi, all the Guru Paramparaand all the Vaishnavasfor blessing you with such a
glorious benediction of taking the preciousdarshan of the Lord and His holy dhaam and the
association of our own chosen spiritual master and all other Maharajas and other senior Vaishnavas there.

03) Sincerely striving to remain in the mood of the servant of the servant of the servant.
This is very vital. The streaming rain water does not stay in the high lands, but remains only and
only in the low lands. In the same way, the stream of blessings does not stay in a high, egoistic heart,
rather it stays only and only in a lowly and humble heart. Genuine humility attracts the mercy of
Krishna, Guru and the Vaishnavas.

04) By our sincere striving to practice our Sadhana properly.

05) By prayerfully listening to the various lectures of SrilaPrabhupada, our respective Guru Maharajas and
senior Vaishnavas, on this subject of the pilgrimage. And deeply meditating upon the various
important points that are shared in those lectures.

06) By prayerfully studying the various available authorized literature which will help us in the yatra.
And deeply meditating upon the various important points that are shared in those lectures.

b) During the yatra stage

01) In addition to the above, we need to do the following :

01) What is the advice of Lord CaitanyaMahaprabhu to the visitors to

VrindavanDham ?

Ans) When Lord CaitanyaMahaprabhuwas guidingJagadanandapandit on how to visit Vraj, He told him :

a) When you reach Mathura, you should remain with SanatanaGosvami and offer
respectfulobeisances to the feet of all the leading men there.

- CaitanyaCarithamritha, AntyaLeela, 13.36.

b) Do not mix freely with the residents of Mathura; show them respect from a distance. Because
you are on a different platform of devotional service, you cannot adopt their behavior and
practices.

Purport
 The residents of Vṛndāvana and Mathurā are devotees of Kṛṣṇa in parental affection, and their
feelings always conflict with the opinions of smārta-brāhmaṇas. Devotees who worship Kṛṣṇa
in opulence cannot understand the parental devotional feelings of the residents of Mathurā
and Vṛndāvana, who follow the path of spontaneous love. Devotees on the platform of
vidhi-mārga (regulative devotional principles) may misunderstand the activities of those
on the platform of rāga-mārga (devotional service in spontaneous love). Therefore
ŚrīCaitanyaMahāprabhu instructed JagadānandaPaṇḍita to remain apart from the residents of
Vṛndāvana, who were spontaneous devotees, so as not to become disrespectful toward them.

- CaitanyaCarithamritha, AntyaLeela, 13.37.

c) Visit all twelve forests of Vrndavana in the company of SanatanaGosvami. Do not leave his
association for even a moment.

- CaitanyaCarithamritha, AntyaLeela, 13.38.

d) You should remain in Vrndavana for only a short time and then return here as soon as possible.
Also, do not climb Govardhana Hill to see the Gopala Deity.

Purport

In his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya,ŚrīlaBhaktivinodaṬhākura advises that one avoid remaining in

Vṛndāvana for a very long time. As the saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” If one
stays in Vṛndāvana for many days, he may fail to maintain proper respect for its inhabitants.
Therefore those who have not attained the stage of spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇashould
not live in Vṛndāvanavery long. It is better for them to make short visits. One should
also avoid climbing Govardhana Hill to see the Gopāla Deity. Since Govardhana Hill itself is
identical with Gopāla, one should not step on the hill or touch it with his feet. One may see
Gopāla when He goes elsewhere.

- CaitanyaCarithamritha, AntyaLeela, 13.39.

02) The purpose of the yatrais to re-charge our already-discharged spiritual batteries, through the
main process of Sravanam, for rendering pure, loving, uninterrupted, limitless
and unconditional devotional service to Guru, Krishna and His devotees. Please always keep
this purpose very clearly in your mind and act accordingly.

03) Since the purpose of our yatra is to recharge ourselves spiritually, please do take an active
participation in every programme, without fail. This is a must. No compromise. (The
only exception : Health problems you have, if any).

04) Know how to receive the benediction of the spiritual master, other Maharajas and senior
Vaishnavas : According to SrimadBhagavatham, when a pure devotee of the Lord gives spiritual
benediction, we have to receive it in the mood of gratitude and submissiveness.

Example

Naradamuni’s previous life. He took the remnants of the sages with utmost respect and gratitude and
thereby attained the status of Naradamuni.

05) Please thoroughly understand and follow the mood of the spiritual master with whom you are
going for the Yatra.
06) How to cultivate feelings for Krishna ?

Ans) We need to cultivate feelings for Krishna

a) by walking in the footsteps of Acharyas.

Although we are not in the platform of experiencing feelings of separation from Sri Krishna, still
we can carefully follow in the footsteps of previous
acaryas, by

i) singing songs like,

1) 'jayaradhejayakrishna'
2) 'krishnotkirtanagananartana'
3) 'vrindavaramyasthana'
4) 'gaurangabolitehabe' etc and

ii) ferventlypraying for

a) Destruction of anarthas and

b) Elevation in Krishna Consciousness.

07) To clearly know and thoroughly understand the 10 offences to be avoided in any holy Dhaam

so that proper consciousness can be built and the pilgrimage would be reallyfruitful.

The ten offences to be avoided in any holy Dhaam,

as stated in the Sastras, are as follows :

01) To have contempt or disrespect towards the Guru who is the revealerof the
holy Dhaama.

02) To think that the holy Dhaama is temporary.

03) To commit violencetowards any of the residents of

the holy Dhaama, or to any of the pilgrims who come over there, or to think they
are ordinary mundane people.

04) To perform mundane activities while living in the holy

Dhaama.

05) Earning money by and making a business of Deity

worship and chanting the holy name.
06) To think that the holy Dhaama belongs to some
mundanecountry or providence such as Bengal, or to think that the Dhaama of the

Lord is equal to a holy place connected with some demigod, or to attempt to

measure the area of the Dhaama.
07) To commit sinful acts while in the Dhaama.
 08) To consider Vrindavana and Navadvipadifferent.

09) Toblaspheme the Sastras which glorify the holy Dhaama.

10) To be faithless and to think that the glories of the Dhaama are imaginary.

Some details on the above are as follows

08) The following restraints are to be observed by each devotee while participating in the

Yatras or staying in the holy Dhaams :

a) One has to control senses while in Holy Dham.

b) One should not resort to frivolous activities.

c) One should avoid all the ‘prajalpa’(Unnecessary mundane talk which will not help, in any way, in
enriching our Krishna Consciousness), and speak only to the extent required.

d) One should not disturb the meditative poise of the co-devotees by unnecessarily disturbing them

with our unnecessary talks and prajalpa.

e) One should not exhibit any naughtiness whatsoever.

a) Sense control

We should not look for material facilities available at Yatra place. (For example : Good
accommodation, wonderful transportation system, hot-water facilities, comfortable sleeping
mattress, good sanitary facilities etc). The available limited facilities are to be taken as a great
opportunity to observe as much austerity as possible while staying in Holy Dhams.

List out all your materialactivities and minimize them to the extent they are basically
required.

b) No frivolous activities

Stop all unnecessary material activities. (For example, thinking of the office or family or some

other business while you are in the yatra). Always remember the purpose of participating in

Yatras and visiting holyDhams. Attend all the programmes and keep yourself busy with

devotional activities, so that there will be no time to resort to frivolous activities.

 c) Avoid all ‘Prajalpa’

One who speaks more can’t listen attentively and thereby losing the purpose ofSravanam.

It does not mean that you should keep yourself totally silent. It only means to

avoid all mundane gossip. Instead of remaining silent or speaking some mundane gossip,
speak/chant Krishna’s names and glories. That will do lots of good. We should
completelyavoid not only the mundane gossip, but also mind-speaking i.e., internally

finding faults with other devotees, unnecessary material speculations etc. Finding fault

with other vaishnavas is a great offence, and particularly, in holy Dham, it will be 1,000 times
more offensive.

See only the positive activities. It is not our business to find faults with others. See the

devotional side of the devotees and their heart. Develop eagerness to see good qualities in

devotees. Even if you see faults, completely ignore them.

d) Avoid naughty behaviour

Usually, devotees observe silence, when Maharaj is present. But, when Maharaja leaves the place,
they shout loudly and exhibit naughty behaviour, just as school children do when teacher leaves
the class. This should be completely avoided. Feel the presenceof the Spiritual Master

always so that we will not be naughty.

09) How to see the Maharajas

a) See the sacrifice of the Spiritual Masters.

b) Spiritual Master does not speak anything which is notrealized by him.

c) Appreciate the wonderful humility exhibited by Maharaja / Spiritual Master.

d) When two Maharajas embrace each other, see the loving exchanges between them.

10) Avoidable great offences that may be committed by the participants

a) To disrespect the spiritual master:

To ensure proper respect to the Spiritual Master, please do the following:

 i) Pay attention to each and everymessage of the spiritual master.

ii) Even though we see the spiritual master many a time on the same day, pay obeisances

each time.

iii) Don’t consider the activity of the spiritual master as a material activity.

b) Not having full faith in the holiness of the Dham :

This is an offense which need to be avoided. Before actually going to the holy Dham, we need to
know a lot about the Dham through the authorized sources and cultivate the required faith
so that our pilgrimage will be really fruitful. Going to a holy Dham without having adequate
faith will not lead to the desired result.

c) To think the holy Dham as temporary :

i) We have to see the holy Dhambeyond the temporary activities.

Example : a) Thinking that shop keepers are exploiting.

b) Transport charges are very high.

c) Local people are not good.

d) Cleanliness is not good etc.

ii) Don’t think the holy Dham is temporary.Even today pastimes of Bhagavan Sri

Krishna and Lord Chaitanyaare going on in the holy Dham.

iii) We have to see the inner layers of the holyDham to experience the pastimes of Lord
Krishna.

Example : When a drop of water is placed in oil, it goes down and does not mix. In this
context, the oil is compared to external temporary activities, while the drop
of water is compared to internal permanent transcendental activities of Holy
Dhams. This can be realized simplyby Sravanam, i.e., hearing.

d) Thinking that Holy Dham belongs to some province or country

Thinking that the holy Dham belongs to some province or countryi.e., West Bengal or Utter
Pradesh or America etc., is an offence.

Holy Dham is nothing but Krishna’s eternal abode.

e) Comparing one holy Dham with another holy Dham:

 Counting merits and demerits of one holy Dham by comparing with another holy Dham is a
great offence.

f) To consider Vrindavan Dhaam and Navadwip Dhaam to be different:

To consider Vrindavan Dhaam and Navadwip Dhaam to be different is an offense. Why? Because, these
two dhaams are non-different because Caitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than the combined form of Radha
and Krishna. And ShyamSundar is none other than GourSundar. And thus, Navadwip
Dhaam and Vrindavana Dhaam are non-different. Please, therefore, avoid considering that these two
dhaams are different.

g) Disregarding other living beings in the holy Dham :

All living beings in the holy Dhamare devotees.Don’t look down even a dog or pig. The

trees, birds, animals and other living / non-living beings in the holy Dhamare devotees.

h) Trying to perform mundane activities :

i) Some people try to establish relationship with devotees from other states and other
countries so as to develop theirbusiness. This should be avoided.

ii) The explicit purpose of going to Yatra is Sravanam, i.e., hearing from the

spiritually-elevated Maharajas. It is explained in the sastras that we should see the holy

Dham not through our own material eyes (Charmachakshu) but through our ears,

meaning, we must clearly know the sthalapurana of the place and the pastimes that took
place there etc, through the main and powerful process of sravanam, from the spiritual
masters or their authorized representatives. Thus, Sravanam is of great importance
whenever we go to any Dham.

In holy Dham, the benefit of sacrifice or austerity made will be 1,000 times magnified. Similarly

the bad effect of committing any offence will also be magnified 1,000 times. Therefore, we

should be extremely careful.

i) Trying to earn money:

Trying to earn money by performing some activities like giving discourse on Srimad Bhagavatham

or Bhagvat Geetha etc. This should be avoided.

j) Blasphemy of the Sastras : Please avoid blaspheming of the Sastras. This is a great
offence.

Please do make a note of them and act accordingly.

11) Please go to the Dhaam with one and only one single identity, i.e., with the identity of ‘I am the

servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord’ and drop off all your other identities like ‘I
am a big business man’, ‘I am a big officer’, ‘I am a scholar’, ‘I am a big devotee’ etc.

12) Clearly know as to what to pray for and how to pray and to whom to pray. And then pray

accordingly.

13) Miscellaneous points :

01) Always be ready to render service for which you are authorized.

02) Always be accountable to Vaishnavas.

03) Share realizations with other Vaishnavas.

04) Askquestions humblyto clearoff genuine doubts.

05) Proper consciousness should be attained through proper preparationevery daythrough

personal prayers etc, to attend the spiritual discourses and reap full benefit.

06) Please don’t be passive in the classes. Be an active participant, involving fully in the Sravanam.

07) Takeadequate rest in time so that you will be alert during the discourses of various Maharajas
and you will be able to reap the full benefit of your yatra. If you are feeling always sleepy, then
you will miss out the very purpose of the yatra.

08) Taking notes is stronglyrecommended for better rumination and absorption later.

09) Please be prepared to sit at least for 3 to 4 hours at a stretch since some times Maharajas’
lectures will be long ones out of sheer necessity.

10) If you don’t have a habit to sitting for such a long time, please make sure that you sit at the endof
the gathering (Last row) so that if you want to get up and set yourself right, you will not be
disturbing the whole gathering of devotees who are listening to the lecture with absolute
concentration.

11) Please do pray for allthe devotees, nay, for all the living entities in all the worlds, seeking
blessings for rendering pure, loving uninterrupted, limitless and unconditional
devotional service to our beloved Krishna and all His devotees.

12) Please carry the route-maps of the Dham, self-help guide-books

which help us in giving the details of the Dhaam etc.

13) Chanting should be done in the allotted time only to avoid absenting yourselves from the
programmes that are being conducted. (Vigilance team may catch us if we are loitering around
here and there to chant or ….for whatever purpose).

14) Kindly know thoroughly the rules and regulations stipulated by the yatra committee for the
smooth performance of the yatra, and act in accordance with them.
15) Please collectivelygo, collectively stay, collectively move and collectively return.
Don’t get yourself isolated from the group.

16) Please bring the mercy of the holy water, holy dust andPrasadam of the Dham for
distributing to the devotees who could not attend the Yatra. Kindly don’t think it is a burden
to carry so many bottles of holy waters or so many packets of holy dust etc.

17) Please maintain good cleanliness at every stage. It is very very important.

18) Please preserve the cleanliness of the holy Dham. Don’t throw the waste things here and
there at the venue. Kindly keep the garbage in the designatedplaces only.

19) Please don’tpluck the flowers in the garden where the programmes are conducted. If you see any
one doing, please don’t correct them and argue. (May be, you can politely request them quoting
that we are advised not to pluck flowers etc).

20) Carry dry fruits and water along with you, so that it helps you in any emergency.

21) Please keep the full address of the Venue, Bus no etc. so that you can reach in time to the
programmes and also safely reach back home in time.

22) Please bring spiritual gifts to your near and dear ones and whom you are cultivating in their
devotional service.

23) Kindly carry adequate quantity of the specified dress, since you will not at all get the time to
wash the clothes.

24) Reporting to your designated team leader is very essential. Please strictly follow this rule so
that you willnotland up in troubles.

25) Please be cautioned that if we commit even a minor mistake, it is going to affect our temple, its
spiritual authorities, its wonderful image built with lots of pains, and your counselors.

26) Please always have the contact mobile number of your own small team leader and also of
the Chief Leader so that you can contact them in any emergency.

27) Please keep your mobiles in ‘switch off’ mode so that you don’t disturb the devotees and you
also don’t get distracted when Maharaj’s lecture is going on.

28) Please carry your mobile-charger.

29) Please carry some clips for drying clothes (like used towels etc).

30) There will be many intricate services rendered by a number of unnoticed devotees by working
day and night to make arrangements for the stay of the participants. You shouldexpress your
gratitude to allof them at least mentally, even if you don’t know them personally or otherwise.

31) Please seek forgiveness from the Deities in the Dham, the Spiritual master, all
the Guru Parampara, all the Maharajas, all the Vaishnavas and all the living entities in the
Dham for all the offences committed by us, either knowingly or unknowingly. This is a must.

32) Express your deep gratitudeto our beloved Radha and Krishna, all the Guru
Parampara, your respective counselors and all the Vaishnavas, and in fact, to each
 and everyone who have helped in your completing the yatra so fruitfully. This is
very much essential and this is also quite often forgotten. Please don’t forget.

c) After the yatra stage

01) What shall we do after the yatra is over ?

Ans) As cows, after eating their fill, lie down quietly at a place and chew the cud, so after visiting a sacred place
of pilgrimage, we must capture the holy thoughts that arose in our minds while we were there, sit down in

a solitary corner and think of them till we are totally immersed in them. Wemust not devote
ourselves to the pursuit of the senses, driving away the higher ideas from our minds immediately after we
leave the holy places.

02) At the conclusion of the yatra, what is it that we need to carry with us?

Ans) Ending of the yatra is not everything and it is certainly not the end. Rather, it is only the beginning.
After the yatra is over, the next step is that wemust carry with us that Mayapur or Vrindavan
Consciousness, ie., to be in the mood of the servant of the servant of the servant, with all
genuine humility and vigorously strive on and on to render pure, loving,
unconditional,uninterrupted and limitlessdevotional service to Guru and Krishna, eternally
and even beyond, and in the way it pleases Them the most.Then and then alone, we can say
that our yatra is really fruitful. Otherwise, not.

03) What is the test of the yatra ?

Ans) Such yatra is a test for our consciousness arranged by Krishna –

whether we are in seva bhaav or bhog bhaav, whether we are spreading Krishna katha or prajalpa, whether
we are absorbed in spiritual bliss or material anxiety worrying about food and shelter etc. Also, whether we
are carrying the mood of the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna and Guru or not.

Please think!

The choice isreally with you and you alone!!!!

My sincere prayers for you all

And finally, I sincerely pray to our beloved Radha and Krishna,Panchatatva, all the Guru Parampara and all the Vaishnavas
to bless you all with a very ..very…. very ……happy and fruitful pilgrimage.

HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj’s answer

on preparation for any yatra
Question to HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj

I am planning to go on a pilgrimage to Chitrakoot. So, I would like to know how attending these pilgrimages will enhance
our spirituality.

HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj’s answer

One of the most sacred traditions of all religions is pilgrimage. In our Vedic religion we go to Vrndavana, Badrinath,
Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Tirupati, Ramesvaram, Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Dwarka, Pandharpur, Kolhapur, Udupi,
Varanasi, Kashi, Mayapur, JagannathaPuri, and so many other places. For the followers of Islamic faith, they go on Hajj to
Mecca; for the Jews and the Christians, they go to Jerusalem or Assisi; for the Buddhists, they go to Bodhgaya, to Lumbini,
or to Sarnath; and for the Jains, they go to Mount Abu. So for every religion there are holy places of pilgrimage and this idea
of pilgrimage is an essential element of all paths of spirituality.

And really, what is a place of pilgrimage or Yatra?

When you go to Chitrakoot, which is a very holy place of Lord Sri Rama, Sita, and Laksmana, you will be in a much
sanctified place. Not only has the Lord performed his lila(pastimes)there, but on a spiritual level, the Lord is eternally
performing his lila(pastimes) there. Such sanctity! Since the time of Sri Rama, great saints, sadhus, rsis, babas, and
pilgrims have gone there to perform their worship, to invest the energy of their love and devotion in that place, and that place
is radiating the vibrations of the Lord and of all the saints who have done their bhajana there.

When we go there leaving behind, at least for the time being, all of our domestic, occupational, or student pressures, and we
exclusively dedicate our time to go deep into our spirituality in the association of like-minded saintly persons, it has
tremendous power to rejuvenate our spirituality. As some pilgrims say, it charges their batteries -- their spiritual batteries.
And when we exclusively put our entire consciousness on hearing the glories of the Lord, praying to the Lord, associating
with the devotees of the Lord, worshipping the holy places, and chanting God’s names that experience has a tremendous
impact on reinforcing our faith and on giving us a genuine experience of what we long to achieve in life.