Foreign Devotees Arrive in Vrindavan, Immersed in Devotion to Krishna

Vrindavan: With the arrival of the month of Kartika, devotees have begun gathering in Vrindavan to worship the Lord and observe niyama-seva (a period of disciplined spiritual practice). Krishna devotees from across India and abroad are visiting temples, preparing for the parikrama (circumambulation) of the Braj region, and organising various religious rituals. The number of foreign devotees at the ISKCON temple is steadily increasing; according to temple management, over a thousand foreign Krishna devotees have already arrived in Vrindavan, and this figure is expected to reach three thousand within the next three days.

In the Vaishnava tradition, the month of Kartika is considered especially significant for sadhana (spiritual practice), bhakti (devotion), and seva (service). Throughout this month, devotees observe specific vows and engage in the worship of Lord Krishna. For followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, this month holds particular importance. Devotees participate in activities such as visiting temples, sankirtana (congregational chanting), japa (meditative chanting), parikrama, and deepadana (offering lamps). While there is a tradition of beginning these observances on Sharad Purnima, many devotees also take a formal vow to commence their spiritual practices starting from Ekadashi.

Ravi Lochan Das, Public Relations Officer for the ISKCON temple, stated that foreign Krishna devotees have begun arriving in Vrindavan for their niyama-seva during the month of Kartika, and their numbers are expected to grow further in the coming days. In addition to performing the  parikrama of the Braj region, devotees will participate in various religious programmes organised at the temple. Special worship rituals and arati ceremonies are being arranged within the temple complex to ensure that devotees can carry out their spiritual observances with deep devotion.

He further mentioned that, starting October 26, the temple will host a Mangala Arati every morning and a Damodara Arati every evening. During the evening arati, a large number of devotees will perform deepadana—the offering of lamps. In the month of Kartika, the worship of Lord Damodara and the act of offering lamps hold profound religious significance. To facilitate this, the temple management will provide lamps to the devotees free of charge. In anticipation of the surge in the number of devotees visiting Vrindavan during the month of Kartik, activities at temples and religious sites have begun to intensify.