ISKCON has said it is "bowing out" of the debate over overseas Rath Yatra celebrations after Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb objected to the practice.
Deb argued that conducting Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra outside traditional timings violates established religious customs and hurts devotees' sentiments.
ISKCON defended its global festivals, saying they are supported by scriptures and have helped spread Lord Jagannath's traditions to more than 100 countries over the past six decades.
ISKCON 'Bows Out' of Rath Yatra Row After Puri Royal Objects to Overseas Festivals
On July 4, Dibyasingha Deb, who is also chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, said celebrations of the Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra outside the traditional calendar and rituals were contrary to established religious practices
Summary
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has said it is "bowing out" of the ongoing debate over organising Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra outside India, days after Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb termed such celebrations "untimely" and contrary to tradition.
In a response to Deb's letter, Madhusevita Dasa, chairperson of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission in Mayapur, West Bengal, said the organisation had nothing further to add to the discussion.
ISKCON Says It Is Ending the Debate
"There is no more to add, and therefore we respectfully bow out of this discussion once and for all," Dasa said in an email to Dibyasingha Deb.
The statement comes amid a disagreement over ISKCON's practice of organising Rath Yatra festivals in several countries across the world.
On July 4, Dibyasingha Deb, who is also chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, said celebrations of the Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra outside the traditional calendar and rituals were contrary to established religious practices.
He said holding the festivals "in contravention of holy scriptures and well-established tradition" was hurting the religious sentiments of devotees across the world.
According to tradition, the annual Rath Yatra is held on the second day of the Odia month of Ashadha Shukla Tithi, when Lord Jagannath, along with Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, travels from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri to the Gundicha Temple.
Deb has also sought the intervention of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.
ISKCON Defends Overseas Rath Yatras
ISKCON maintained that its Rath Yatra celebrations are consistent with Hindu scriptures.
The organisation said multiple rounds of discussions had been held between scholars of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and ISKCON to resolve the issue.
According to an ISKCON spokesperson, those deliberations established through scriptures and Puranas that the overseas Rath Yatra festivals are permissible and "as per the shastras."
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Defending its global celebrations, the spokesperson said the purpose of Rath Yatra is to spread Lord Jagannath's blessings to all people.
"The whole purpose of Rath Yatra, as per the shastras, is Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the whole world, coming out to shower his blessings on anyone and everyone. ISKCON has carried that spirit all over the world for almost 60 years by spreading Jagannath culture, not just in India, but in more than 100 countries where Hinduism hardly exists," the spokesperson said.
The organisation added that its Rath Yatra festivals have been widely embraced by the Indian diaspora and have introduced lakhs of people across countries such as the United States, Russia, Africa and South America to Lord Jagannath.
"It is very important to understand the purpose, spirit and mood of Rath Yatra, which is actually to make people become devotees of Lord Jagannath and serve him," the spokesperson added.
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