By Bhakta Saiprasad Gorde (Padayatra research team)
From the title you might think, “Who are these unique padayatris?”
They are none other than the oxen who are serving Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundara: they are the friends of padayatris.
From the scriptures to ancient civilizations, cattle have been a significant part of human life. In India, the govansh is treated with awe and reverence! Even the non-devotees, smarthas and Hindus by birth, have immense respect for the govansh. A cow is treated like a mother, whereas bulls traditionally used in cultivation are given special breaks and cultural celebrations like Pola are organised to express our gratitude. Bulls are widely associated with farmers, but today we will be exploring the bulls who are the padayatris’ friends.
From Lord Shiva’s bull Nandi to Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundara’s Rama and Shyam, oxen are serving!
In the purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.18 Srila Prabhupada says: “The bull is the emblem of the moral principle, and the cow is the representative of the earth. When the bull and the cow are in a joyful mood, it is to be understood that the people of the world are also in a joyful mood.” Therefore we should take care of the cows and bulls because it pleases Krishna and engage them in the seva!
In our padayatra the bulls serve in the crucial role of carrying the yolk of bullock carts on their shoulders.
In early times, the oxen and horses were used in carts, elephants as royal transport, and donkeys for carrying the loads. Everyone had their own significance and speciality.Bulls are specifically celebrated in Marathi culture on the day of Pola! The owners or farmers decorate them with tilaks, hanging ornaments and shawls on their backs. The procession is held, bulls are fed Puran Poli (Marathi sweet), and are offered arati, haldi kumkum tilaks, flowers, and their feet washed with water.
We have this glorious culture to respect the animals who work for the grain production in the field, what to speak of the respect for the padayatri oxen who are doing the personal seva of the Lord. In our padayatra the oxen are not only used for seva but are also taken care of! They are fed, cleaned and, most importantly, loved. Service of the bulls is remarkable and truly significant.
Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada emphasized preaching through the bullock cart. “The roads are not good and will cause continual damage to the buses. Buses break down, repairs are costly and no-one will be able to fix them properly anyway. It will just be a distraction from the preaching.”
Prabhupada deeply encouraged the padayatra programme. Bulls and carts are the Vedic means to travel and are grounded in the village culture of India. Lokanath Maharaja, born and brought up in Aravade village, was familiar with the bullock carts. He received special instruction from Srila Prabhupada regarding the padayatra.
On 12 September 1976 (Radhastami) the journey started filled with enthusiasm, commitment and dedication for the spiritual master. Prasada, kirtan instruments, books, and the padayatri bulls are the reason to make this journey truly glorious! Maharashtra Padayatra, Utkala Padayatra, Punjab-Haryana Padayatra, Bengal Padayatra, Tamil Nadu Padayatra, and the recent Nepal Padayatra have oxen in the service of Lord Chaitanya. These oxen shouldn’t be looked at with the outer perspective of being just an animal. Instead we should look at them as the great souls who are rendering service to the Lord (which we can’t even imagine), not for a single day, a month or a year but throughout life. Krishna has His own way to reciprocate and He definitely reciprocates with the oxen who serve Him.
Now a brief word about the oxen of our Maharashtra Padayatra. Rama and Shyam are personally named by our spiritual master, Lokanath Maharaja. They also have various pastimes, such as how Shyam got lost and eventually the devotees found him after 21 days. In May 2024 the Maharashtra Padayatra reached ISKCON Amravati’s Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadhish temple, where the oxen have become a part of the large-scale annual Rukmini Dwardashi. I had a chance to become a part of that celebration and have darshan of the padayatri oxen.
As devotees, we should carry deep compassion, respect, gratitude and love, not only for humans but even for the other jivas! Let’s offer our humble obeisances to our unique padayatris.
Padayatra ki jai!
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
