In November 2024, HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji visited the divine Jagannath Puri kshetra along with over 1500 devotees from all over the world. It was an extremely memorable, divine and one-of-a-kind experience for all who were blessed to be a part of this Yatra.
In this group were a few lucky youngsters from around the world, who got much-needed relief from endless examinations to take a divinely guided tour of one of India’s holiest sanctums. Here’s a recounting of some of their highlights in their own words!
Let’s start with Aniruddha Narayanan, a yuva from Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
“Sri Guruji spoke about a lot of different sthalas (sacred spots) in Puri during the Yatra. In my opinion, the most important sthalam, apart from Sri Jagannatha Swami’s Mandir, is Siddha Bakul.
“Sri Guruji explained the importance of this place. He said that Haridas Thakur, who was an ardent disciple of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was not allowed to enter Sri Jagannath Swami’s temple, so he stayed in a place a little away from the vicinity of the temple. Mahaprabhu, being the compassionate Guru that he was, would visit him everyday and give him his darshan. He wanted to give something to Haridas. Sri Jagannath Swami has a routine that He follows every morning. Like all of us, He brushes His teeth using the stick of a special tree. One day, Mahaprabhu asked the priests of the temple to give him the stick that Jagannath Swami had used that morning. Then Mahaprabhu ran to Haridas Thakur and handed him the toothbrush of Jagannath Swami. Overjoyed, Haridas Thakur started dancing and singing. Then, he planted the stick in the ground, which then immediately grew into a tree! This spontaneously sprouted tree is still there at Siddha Bakul. Archeologists of today are not able to come up with a rational, scientific explanation for how that tree is still standing. It is hollow and has no roots.
“Guruji wanted us to go here and chant Nama because of how much sanidhyam (divine presence) of Mahaprabhu and Jagannath Swami there is. Sri Guruji said that saying one Mahamantra there is like chanting 1000 Mahamantras. I, along with my family and a few of our brothers and sisters from Satsang, were able to chant Mahamantra with Sri Guruji there on the final day of the Yatra. It was a very slow, melodious, and peaceful 30 minutes that we spent at that beautiful place.”
Next is Rithwik Raman, from Richmond, Virginia, USA:
“The yatra was absolutely amazing! One of my favorite parts of it was seeing, in-person, a lot of the places I’d heard stories about, particularly the Shwetha Ganga pond that comes in Sri Bodendral’s story. 
Listening to Sri Guruji’s explanations and stories every morning were also really eye-opening as he gave so much context to the places we visited, like the Bedi Hanuman Temple, Sakshigopal Temple, and many more. On another note, the entire crowd management was impeccable; despite a total of 1500 devotees, it never felt overwhelming or very crowded – the coordinators did such an amazing job with planning! I also really enjoyed accompanying mridangam during the ashtapadis and Radha Kalyanam!”
Chandrashekhar Srivatsa from Bay Area, California, USA:
“This Puri trip was filled with so many wonders. Every day, we listened to Sri Guruji in the morning give discourses on the greatness of Puri – Sri Guruji connected in a very personal manner with all of us, it felt like one huge family. More than anything else, going with Sri Guruji to the places connected with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was an experience of a lifetime. To pick a highlight moment from this is almost impossible, as each moment was precious. One moment, however, that I specifically remember most is going to Gambhira Guha.
“Gambhira Guha was were Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed during the last 12 years of his life. The moment we went in, many bhagavatas had already arrived and divyanama sankirtanam was going on. I was able to join in with everybody else thunderously chanting the divine Mahamantra. The entire place was so bright and there was a huge murthi of Mahaprabhu right in the middle. After a while as we were all chanting, a stirring commotion developed behind us. That only meant one thing: Sri Guruji had come. I turned around and there he was, sitting down near a pillar watching all of us do nama sankirtanam. Every person chanted with so much passion and joy. During this, some bhagavatas with their hands in the air started to jump up and down. Guru Maharaj saw these happenings and gave a giant, blissful smile. That experience that day was the most memorable- being in the same place that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spent nearly a fourth of his life, and sharing it with our Gurunathar!”
Balaram Krishna from Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
“By the immense grace of our Gurunathar, His Holiness Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, I could step foot in Sri Jagannath Puri Dham with Sri Guruji this November. The highlight of this yatra was seeing new kshetras and hearing about their greatness from our Sri Guruji. Out of all 4 days, the last day was my favorite as there was a beautiful Nagarasankirtan on that day. The plan was to walk along the Grand road, from a shoe station (as a landmark) to the entrance of Simha Dwaar, an entry way to the Jagannath Temple. As all the bhaktas were walking with Sri Guruji chanting Mahamantra, Guruji’s bhava increased. Then he started dancing and chanting nama with extreme bhava. This was reflected on all the bhaktas making them chant nama with more intensity. This Nagara sankirtan and Puri yatra was a divine experience that I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life.”
Srinidhi and Bhoonidhi Nenmeni from Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
Srinidhi: “Every part of the Puri Yatra was a very joyful experience for me. Spending four days with Sri Guruji and doing whatever pleased him was really something that motivated me, and I enjoyed it a lot. One of the things that was my favorite from this yatra was when Sri Guruji would give all of us a talk about a story from his past or a story from a bhaktas past and we would all dive deep into it and relish it together, every morning. Even though I can’t fully understand Tamil, the way he spoke with such expression was greater than words, and I could still understand the full message. I also enjoyed the flag hoisting at the Jagannatha Puri temple and the darshan at the temple itself. Sri Jagannath there looked even more unique than usual, and it was a very special experience for me.”
Bhoonidhi: “During Puri yatra I loved when we watched the flag hoisting at Puri temple along with Sri Guruji. Also I loved when Guruji pinched my cheeks after the Puri Nagara sankeerthanam! Also I loved when he said stories every day of the yatra.”
And finally, Diya and Kayva Jagadeesh, from Bay Area, California, USA:
Diya: “Out of all the kshetra yatras that we’ve embarked on with Sri Guruji, I feel that Puri was the most memorable for me. From new discoveries and exciting wonders, to amazing and kind people, Puri has it all. Going to Puri helped me realize that sometimes we tend to take life for granted, and don’t always understand the value of simplicity. Traveling through Puri helped me recognize the beauty in a religious and spiritual life. Something that surprised me was that Puri has connections to various parts of India, as many saints all over Bharat have travelled and explored the beauty of Puri, leaving their mark. I think this just proves that each part of India, despite having different practices, are still connected. I loved my journey in Puri and hope to have many more such blissful yatras.”
Kavya: “This trip to Puri was an unforgettable and divine experience that I am extremely grateful to have had. Going to such a holy place with my Guru helped me connect to and understand important values of my culture. I enjoyed doing Namasankirtanam in Gambhira Guha, where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed because the energy in that room had made it feel as if Mahaprabhu was dancing along with us. I also enjoyed listening to Puri Kshetra Mahatmyam (the greatness of Puri) during the Yatra because I was able to connect the stories to the places I went to. I remember how Guruji had explained the value of Puri Prasadam and how Puri is an Annakshetram: where Bhagavan comes to eat. This is why they make 64 varieties of prasad for Swami Jagannath everyday, and we should not waste even a little bit of it. Some of the divine occurrences mentioned in the pravachans were so blissful, it was like a blessing just to hear those leelas of Bhagavan.”
That’s it for the yuva recap of the 2024 Puri Yatra! With our Swamiji’s grace, we’ll all be reconvening for the next blissful yatra experience very soon. Radhe Radhe
Compiled by Purush Ram, Redding, CA
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Click here to see all articles in Jan 2025 issue:
https://godivinity.org/newsletters/nama-dwaar-newsletter-january-2025/
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