07 Oct Ratha Yatra Time and Lessons on Faith, Commitment & Sacrifice

The following story is inspired by a collection of Vyasa Puja [Guru’s Appearance Day Celebration] letters from Subala Dasa, a disciple of Romapada Swami.

Ratra Yatra [Festival of Chariots] time was always very busy for Romapada Swami, and because we were a part of his crew, for us as well. He paid close attention to obtain a number of city permits, which he had been doing since the first New York Ratra Yatra festival in 1976. One year, he asked me to pick up the permits from the police precinct in midtown Manhattan. The police officer in charge was a very harsh, unfriendly New Yorker who would submit the permits with disdain, resigning to the fact that it was a well-established, yearly event in the. city. Some years ago, the city wanted to stop giving the permits for Fifth Avenue and instead move the parade to Madison Avenue. Rompada Swami had confronted the city by asserting that it was a religious duty of the Hare Krishna movement to hold the Ratha Yatra festival on the most important avenue of the most important city in the world, as instructed by the movement’s founder, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It could not be changed. By Krsna’s influence and Romapada Swami’s faith, the city relented.

Taking responsibility means taking headaches for Krsna; one can try to avoid such headaches and live a sublime life of ease and peaceful tranquility. However, both sastras [scriptures] and realized personalities tell us that the real position of happiness is to see Krsna’s happiness first.

Every year, during the festival day, Romapada Swami would lead a whole crew of volunteers into Washington Square Park and set up all the booths for prasadam and books, the tables for all the exhibit tents and the harinama truck with a secondary stage. I remember seeing him move all. over the festival site with oil-stained clothes, carrying things to the different tents. In 1988, I lamented to him about not being in the parade for the second year in a row. With a sweet smile, he told me that he had not been in the parade since the very first Ratha Yatra in 1976 and requested me to finish my duties and then catch the parade. In 1989, Romapada Swami wrote to me:

“Taking responsibility means taking headaches for Krsna; one can try to avoid such headaches and live a sublime life of ease and peaceful tranquility. However, both sastras [scriptures] and realized personalities tell us that the real position of happiness is to see Krsna’s happiness first. Your endeavors are in this direction, however imperfectly you may feel that you are rendering that effort. You’re heading in the right direction along the path of devotion, that is for sure Krsna not only accepts your service, but also teaches you in so many ways how to improve this service each time you successfully render that service again. Not only that, Krsna empowers such a person willing to take responsibility or “headaches” by enabling that devotee to serve Him nicely in so many circumstances that will come his way in the future. This is how Srila Prabhupada trained us, and also how I feel the responsibility to try to train such a nice devotee as yourself.” (Romapada Swami, Letter to Bhakta Cesar, October 27, 1989).

Romapada Swami’s sense of commitment, sacrifice, and personal example is superlative.

– Subala Das