{"id":5482,"date":"2019-02-14T16:47:41","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T11:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.padayatra.com\/?p=5482"},"modified":"2019-02-14T16:47:49","modified_gmt":"2019-02-14T11:17:49","slug":"all-india-padayatra-arrives-in-bhandara-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.padayatra.com\/padayatra-new\/all-india-padayatra-arrives-in-bhandara-district\/","title":{"rendered":"ALL-INDIA PADAYATRA ARRIVES IN BHANDARA DISTRICT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Acarya dasa, All-India Padayatra leader<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had a great time in Maharashtra\u2019s Gadchiroli district. Wherever we\nwent, we received grand welcomes with flowers and garlands. In fact, because we\nhad never seen so many garlands in any welcome ceremony, at the end of our stay\nwe felt as if we were leaving Mayapur dhama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon arriving in Bhandara the picture was completely different. When\nentering the city performing sankirtan a drunkard was looking at us angrily, while\nwe did our best to ignore him. People were gathered around us to hear the\nsankirtan but because this man was in such a foul mood, they were a little\naverse. As Madangopal dasa was chanting the holy names loudly, the man suddenly\nhit him from behind and started shouting. We were silent, thinking we might\nhave to restrain him and that this was a new place for us and for the next few\ndays we would be residing here. So many thoughts were flashing through my mind.\n\u201cWhat will the people think of us? How will they react if we beat him?\u201d But\nthis drunkard was in a fighting mood and as he started using abusive language\nin front of the Lord, I could tolerate it no longer. Just as I was catching hold\nof him, as if from nowhere a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) team appeared. (The\nRSS is a national organization, the world’s largest voluntary missionary group\nthat is well known for its selfless service to India.) <\/sup>They caught hold of the\noffender and with the help of some residents removed him from the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abhiram Nitai dasa from ISKCON Nagpur had arranged secure accommodation\nfor us, but I was worried the man would return and I could not sleep. However,\nby the Lord\u2019s grace the night passed uneventfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day a man came up to us impressed by our book distribution and asked\nme, \u201cWhich is the best book you will recommend me to take?\u201d I replied,\n\u201cBhagavad-gita as it is.\u201d He asked me the price and then told me to announce\nthat he would sponsor thirty Bhagavad-gitas and whoever wanted could come and\ntake one. I asked his name so I could thank him, but he said, \u201cNo, please do\nnot mention my name. The Lord knows everything; I am just His servant. All of\nyou can bless me.\u201d I then offered him a maha garland \u2013 and he provided finance for\nprasadam distribution. Thus, the Lord arranged the day\u2019s activities and we were\nsimply instrumental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ranchhod dasa, a Gopal Krishna Maharaja disciple, always loved the\npadayatra. When he got news of our arrival in Bhandara he came looking for us\nand brought his family for darsana of Their Lordships. He was so happy being in\nthe association of padayatris, dancing and chanting, that for two days he was\nwith us fulltime and walked with us for a few kilometres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAGPUR DEVOTEES WELCOME US<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then next day we moved to a small village named Pimpri. Nagpur devotees\nvisit the village on a regular basis for various preaching activities, so the\nresidents are aware of sankirtan and they had prior information that padayatra was\ncoming. The Nagpur devotees had reached the village earlier and welcomed us\nwith sankirtan. We were surprised to see Bagiratha dasa, Abhiram Nitai dasa and\nothers, all of whom made us feel very much at home. They had organized a large\npandal programme, and we were shocked to see such elaborate arrangements in such\nan obscure place. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, who always said \u201cpreaching\nis the essence.\u201d And we see the effects because wherever we go, we come across\nsomeone connected to our movement. Jai Srila Prabhupada! All the padayatris\njoined the Nagpur devotees distributing books and performing sankirtan with the\nvillagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VRINDAVAN LAWN WAS THERE\nWAITING<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking for 20km throughout the next day, we were unable to find a place\nto stop. As we were walking, I noticed a man standing nonchalantly looking as\nif he was waiting for us. When we came nearer to him, we noticed a building\nthat might provide accommodation with a grassy area close by named Vrindavan Lawn.\nWe were all glad to read the name and hopeful of getting help here. I thought\nthis man must be a servant, so I asked him, \u201cCan we stay here? Please ask your\nboss.\u201d He said, \u201cYes, please come and check the place.\u201d I thought that he would\ntake me to the owner and the seeking of permission would follow, but he\ndirectly showed me to the rooms. I asked, \u201cWhere is the owner?\u201d and he told me\nhe was the owner. I was taken aback because he appeared so simple. He then called\nsome boys to clean the rooms and told us we were welcome there. I said to him,\n\u201cYour lawn is named Vrindavan and we all have come walking from Vrindavan,\u201d which\nhe seemed glad to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day as we were leaving, I thanked him. He replied, \u201cPlease don\u2019t say thank-you. It is my honour to serve you all. You are doing so much austerity in service of the Lord. I did nothing. I felt intuitively that someone was going to come, so I was standing there and when I saw all of you, I was filled with joy. Hearing the glories of padayatra, I feel very fortunate. All of you have purified this place so that now it has become Vrindavan, with the Lord and His devotees together.\u201d \u0012<\/p>\n\n\n\n