Lokanath Swami

FOOD FOR LIFE PROJECT

At ISKCON Pandharpur

ISKCON Pandharpur hosts ambitious Food for Life projects annually to coincide with the Vyasa Puja celebrations of HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj. The Vyasa Puja also coincides with the annual dindi (procession) festival that sees literally hundreds of thousands of Warkaris (a sampradaya comprised exclusively of devotees of Krsna in the form of Vitthal. Saint Tukaram is one of their most prominent spiritual leaders who lived 4 centuries ago).

The project this year has assumed gigantic proportions on account of this year being the 400th anniversary of the birth of Saint Tukaram. This has led to an influx of over 1.5 million devotees from all over the state into this small spiritually surcharged town of Pandharpur.

The project is being looked after this year by HG Rasamandala Prabhu, a senior disciple of HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj, and T.K.Choudhary Prabhu has graciously sponsored the whole activity. It aims at providing drona prasadam to at least 300000 devotees over a period of 3 days! The distribution of Prasadam commenced yesterday, i.e., 13 July. There are essentially three main outlets: one at the temple, another at the medical camp organised by ISKCON and the third a little distance away on the highway to Solapur. Each outlet is manned by 20 volunteers who are kept on their toes on account of the milling crowds. These volunteers have come in from all parts of the state and provide their sevas in all aspects of the project. There are over 90 volunteers for cutting vegetables alone! Prasadam is cooked in huge containers – so huge that it takes around 20 able bodied devotees to lift each vessel! Besides this, there are volunteers for transportation, washing etc, in addition to 5 cooks specially come from Mayapur. The bhoga is prepared in true Vaishnava style and offered to the Lord prior to distribution. All this effort does not go in vain. Since the devotees only concern is to spread the consumption of Krsna Prasadam, Krsna takes over and blesses them with genuine satisfaction.


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FOOD FOR LIFE PROJECT At ISKCON Pandharpur ISKCON Pandharpur hosts ambitious Food for Life projects annually to coincide with the Vyasa Puja celebrations of HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj. The Vyasa Puja also coincides with the annual dindi (procession) festival that sees literally hundreds of thousands of Warkaris (a sampradaya comprised exclusively of devotees of Krsna in the form of Vitthal. Saint Tukaram is one of their most prominent spiritual leaders who lived 4 centuries ago). The project this year has assumed gigantic proportions on account of this year being the 400th anniversary of the birth of Saint Tukaram. This has led to an influx of over 1.5 million devotees from all over the state into this small spiritually surcharged town of Pandharpur. The project is being looked after this year by HG Rasamandala Prabhu, a senior disciple of HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj, and T.K.Choudhary Prabhu has graciously sponsored the whole activity. It aims at providing drona prasadam to at least 300000 devotees over a period of 3 days! The distribution of Prasadam commenced yesterday, i.e., 13 July. There are essentially three main outlets: one at the temple, another at the medical camp organised by ISKCON and the third a little distance away on the highway to Solapur. Each outlet is manned by 20 volunteers who are kept on their toes on account of the milling crowds. These volunteers have come in from all parts of the state and provide their sevas in all aspects of the project. There are over 90 volunteers for cutting vegetables alone! Prasadam is cooked in huge containers – so huge that it takes around 20 able bodied devotees to lift each vessel! Besides this, there are volunteers for transportation, washing etc, in addition to 5 cooks specially come from Mayapur. The bhoga is prepared in true Vaishnava style and offered to the Lord prior to distribution. All this effort does not go in vain. Since the devotees only concern is to spread the consumption of Krsna Prasadam, Krsna takes over and blesses them with genuine satisfaction.