Śrī Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā is bound to take one’s appreciation of Ratha-yātrā to new heights, beyond the thrill of an extraordinary cultural or religious experience. Annually, in Purī, India, approximately a million people attend the ancient Ratha-yātrā festival, to take darśana of Lord Jagannātha on His chariot, and at least three times that view it from other places in India and around the world. Still, the deep significance of Ratha-yātrā, being most confidential, is not widely known. Śrī Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā is rich with this significance, offering Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas an invaluable perspective of this wonderful event. The book contains three separate ancient histories of Ratha-yātrā as well as an elaborate description of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s inner moods during the festival.
The basis of this book is The Origin of Ratha-yātrā, a transcription of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s English lectures, but because a written review and translation (into Hindi) of one’s spoken word will naturally contain intensified focus and greater detail, as well as elaboration and omissions, Śrī Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā is a new presentation of this subject. Due to Śrīla Mahārāja’s deep immersion in the beautiful moods of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it is not surprising that his revelation of Śrī Ratha-yātrā is also suffused with this sublime sweetness and deep philosophical truths.
