Ratha Yatra Carnival Singapore 2010

• BanguIzai

  11 Jun 10, 16:35

  For last year's Ratha Yatra Carnival please see here:
  http://www.sgforums.com/forums/2901/topics/367761
  and
  http://picasaweb.google.com/Vrindavanprabhu/RathaYatra28June2009#

   

  

  Event Details

  
  

  Date: July 18, 2010 (Sunday)

  Time: 5pm to 10pm

  Venue: Yio Chu Kang Stadium

  
  

  Programs Include:

  • Chariot Carnival Procession
  • Harinama Sankirtan
  • Vedic Dance Interlude
  • Prasadam Feast

  Ratha Yatra 2009 Photos

  For your curiosity's sake you can go here to see the photos of the last year's event. 

   

  Volunteers Sign Up              

  As we are expecting a huge crowd of about 5,000 to 7,000 people, we will need a lot of volunteers from now all the way till the Ratha Yatra day. Services you can render include advertising the festival through various avenues, stadium preparation on that day, transportation, chariot decoration, garland making, etc. So if you want to be a volunteer, please sign up this form. It will take you just 2 minutes. We really appreciate your time and effort. Thank you for serving Krishna.

   

  

   

   

  What's Special About Ratha Yatra?

  
  

  A 3,000 year-old chariot festival, celebrated annually in the small town of Puri, situated on the Eastern coastline of India, attracts at least 1.5 million people who physically participate in the festivities and millions others who watch the live telecast of the festival from their homes and in harness.

   

  The Ratha Yatra, the most extraordinary annual chariot festival, encompasses all the facets of the ancient and profound Vedic culture such as music, dance, food, art, colors, apparel, jewelry, poetry, architecture, grandeur, wisdom and compassion; all harmoniously culminating in serving the infallible purpose - the glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna (also known as Jagannatha meaning the Lord of the universe).

   

  The Ratha Yatra commemorates a very touching tryst that took place about 5,000 years ago between the residents of Vrndavana and their darling Sri Krishna, at the sanctum of Kurukshetra, after about a hundred years of separation.

   

   

  ---

  The Glance Of Compassion

  

  Besides the esoteric aspect of the festival, the more apprehensible aspect is the causeless mercy of Lord Jagannatha.

   

  In Kali Yuga, the present age of quarrel and hypocrisy, people in general are hardly interested in the pure spiritual path of Bhakti Yoga. Consequently, they prefer to shop than go to the temple.

   

  It is mentioned in the Vedic scriptures that just by seeing the form of the Lord, or hearing His holy name, one is immediately rid of many lifetimes of sinful reactions. Since many do not know who Jagannatha or Krishna is, they never happen to utter His name or go to have a darshan (to behold) of Him in the temple; or they simply have no interest to do so; or they are so entangled in materialistic life that they have no opportunity to do so.

   

  So out of unbounded compassion for the fallen souls, the Lord comes out once annually in His magnificent chariot along with Baladeva and Subhadra, His brother and sister respectively, in separate chariots, to favor the general populace by His merciful glance with His eyes wide open. The devotees pull His chariot and sing the holy names Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

   

  So whoever, on that day, happens to look upon the Lord, or touch His chariot, or chant His holy name, or partake of His Prasadam (food offered to Krishna), becomes instantly purified and very quickly becomes a rightful candidate to enter into the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha, thus terminating one's painful material existence.