Untimely Rath Yatra by ISKCON: Enough is enough, we will take legal assistance if … says Puri Gajapati
Puri: ‘Enough is enough, we will take legal recourse now,” said Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb today while speaking to the media persons about the untimely Rath Yatra of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Houston on November 9.
In his address to the newsmen, Puri Gajapati said, “ISKCON conducted its first Rath Yatra in San Francisco California, U.S.A in 1969. Since then they gradually held the Rath Yatra at different Cities of India and Countries of the world wherever the built their temples. Unfortunately, their Rath Yatra is a violation of the sacred scriptures, long-established tradition and the religious sentiments of devotees.”
“Beginning from 1980 and 1990, whenever we got the opportunity, we held discussions with the head and Swamijis of ISKCON and requested them to stop the untimely Rath Yatra. However, our requests did not have any impact. Be it either within the country or outside the country, they continued to conduct the untimely Rath Yatra,” he added.
The King further said, “When they decide to conduct the untimely Rath Yatra on October 7, 2007 in Ludhiana, the Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple wrote an official letter urging them to stop saying it is against the tradition and the scriptures. However, they did not stop. A few months later again they announced to conduct the untimely Rath Yatra in Delhi in December. The Chief Administrator again wrote a letter to them. But again they did not obey.”
“Later in 2008, the Shree Mandir Managing Committee expressed deep concern over it and stated that the untimely Rath Yatra should be stopped and should be held as it has been mentioned in Skanda Purana that Lord Jagannath himself has announced how his festivals to be conducted,” the Puri King said adding that the managing committee on February 2008 wrote a letter to the Governing body commission of ISKCON’s main headquarters in Mayapur in West Bengal mentioning the traditions and scriptures about the Rath Yatra. However, it did not yield any result.
“But we continued to be in touch with the senior members and Swamijis of ISKCON and discussed about it repeatedly. In July, 2021, the ISKCON bureau, which looks into the affairs of ISKCON in India, passed a resolution in its governing council meeting not to conduct the untimely Rath Yatra in India anymore. Whatever ISKCON is doing is to spread the ‘Vaishnav dharma’ across the globe. That is why they should give another name and should not conduct untimely Rath Yatras and involve Lord Jagannath in it.”
“Recently, they announced to conduct the Snana Yatra of the Trinity on November 3 and Rath Yatra in Houston on November 9. However, later, they cancelled the Snana Yatra but have not decided anything about the Rath Yatra. We are in touch with them and discussing about it with them as we want to solve the issue peacefully and amicably. If it doesn’t happen, ‘enough is enough’. We will take legal recourse then,” the King, who had recently wrote a letter requesting for the cancellation of the Rath Yatra, warned.
