By Radhikavallabha Dasa (Padayatra leader)
By the grace of Srila Prabhupada and Gauranga Mahaprabhu, one gets many experiences during Padayatra. Let me share one or two of them.
The most important part of Padayatra is the advance party. It is also the biggest challenge. Due to the influence of Kali-yuga, in many places there are very few cities and finding a place to stay is also difficult. The whole system works like an army or a circus. There is a tracker, a scooty for the advance party, chariot , and our oxen. The main question is where to set up all this ?
Stray bulls also attack sometimes, so everything needs to be inside a compound. When we go out, we check 3 to 4 places like schools, palaces, colleges, matha and temples and from all of these, we select one final place.
Recently, we came out from the Punjab border area. Ahead was the old Punjab region which is now borders of Himachal Pradesh, earlier it was called Old Punjab, now it is called New Himachal.
I went out on the scooty to look for a place. I found a government rest house. I went to the man in charge, but he said, “Prabhuji, I don’t have the key right now. The government has opened a balwadi-anganwadi here, and the key stays with them.”
So, by Hari’s will, I moved on. About 1 km ahead, there was another temple. But there was no proper place to stay there, the compound was small, and stray dogs come there at night. We thought, okay, we can sleep in the open, somehow the night will pass. I asked a shopkeeper, and he also said, “Prabhuji, you can stay, but there are no good arrangements here.”
As I left that place, I suddenly noticed a road going further ahead. There was an old gurudwara-type place there. The family there had a Sikha background the wife belonged to a Sikh family. She had set up a small gurudwara in her home. Thakurji was also kept inside so both Thakurji’s puja and the Sikh worship were happening there together.
Suddenly, Lord gave inspiration to the wife’s mind to look on this road. I took the motorcycle and went down. Just about 100 meters behind the gurudwara was someone’s house I felt these must be the gurudwara people. I had gone there once as a child, long ago. I saw a man sitting outside and explained to him, “We are from Padayatra, which has come from Vrindavan.”
He was a very kind man, from a Brahman family. He said, “Only my son and I live here. Please come and stay stay for a day or two, do your preaching here.” By Lords grace, everything worked out. There was an open compound in front he gave space for the oxen too. Everything was arranged nicely.
Later, we presented Bhagavad Gita to those people. He had called people from the village we did katha, and kirtan there. This is how the advance party works.
The second incident happened when I had to come to Vrindavan for a meeting, and also to pick up some jewellery. It was nighttime. No bus was stopping. I thought, okay, let me keep doing japa and walk ahead. It was already 9:30 or 10:00 at night. I had not booked any Haryana road bus. I thought; let me walk 5 km to the bigger station.
Suddenly, I saw a black Scorpio behind me. A husband and wife were in it they were receiving some prasad with a small light on. When they saw me, they stopped the car. It was actually a big Bolero. They said, “Prabhuji, you look troubled.”
I told them I had to go to Vrindavan and had stopped at this small station. They said, “Don’t worry at all.” They were from Delhi they had a factory there that made bathroom fittings like taps and faucets. A bus was coming from Dharamshala behind us. Right at that moment, they got my ticket booked on that bus. They also offered food and took my number. I told them, “Come to Vrindavan sometime I will take you for darsana”
This is how Lord takes care, He thinks, “This devotee has gone out for My work. He did not get time during the day to book anything. He is coming to My dhama. He needs help.” Lord helps those who help themselves”. Lord helps His own devotees.
The third incident happened recently in a border area of Punjab, where there are also hilly regions, it is called the Kandi area. I had done the advance party work and finalized the place. On the road, we saw that ahead there was a downward slope like the downward side of a flyover. It came to my mind, so I had the bulls untied. We took them forward by hand and tied them again at the front, so there would be balance. The chariot had weak brakes.
There were two or three devotees with me. They made me sit on top of the chariot to hold the brake. Two people walked behind to maintain balance. Suddenly, the balance of the chariot got disturbed. The brahmachari brother who was maintaining balance from the front fell down. Had there been a difference of 19 to 20 cm the chariot would have gone over him.
But then, by the grace of Sri Sri Gaura -Nitai, the chariot suddenly turned to the side on its own. It went ahead and there was an electric pole and a telephone pole, and beside it a small tree. The chariot got stuck there — as if Their Lordships stopped the chariot at that tree.
None of us got any injury. Everything was fine. A little while later, a tractor driver came. He called his people and they moved the cahriot to the side. Then the chariot rwas also repaired. This is how Lord shows so much grace on his devotees, the devotees were not harmed, and the chariot was also fixed.
Like this, many such incidents keep happening during Padayatra.
Hare Krishna
