RATH-YATRA

Rath Yatra Uatsav in pushtimarg - dt. 25/june/2009.

Rath-yatra utsav is celebrated on Ashad Sood 2. In Haveli they check the "Pushiya Nakshatra and then abode Shree Thakorji in the Rath. In Pushtimarg, we depict the bhava of Shree Yasodaji, who first time made Shree Krishna sit in a rath and as Shree Krishna was a balak, Yasodaji did not strap the horses to the rath (chariot) because she thought that Balak Krishna would get frighten with the horses. All Vraj Bhakto took turns to pull the chariot. Yasodaji walked beside the rath and when Krishna gets frighten she holds Him and calms Him down. In front of the chariot the balak Vraj Bhakta holds flags, banners, Umbrellas and fans and walk slowly in the front of the chariot. This Balbhav Rath-yatra is of Lila bhava.
Where horses are connected to rath it is known as Kishore lila. In this Bhava Shree Thakorji sits with Svaminiji in the rath and rath is surrounded by Sakhi gopis.
Shree Jagadish Rath has sixteen wheels, Baldevji's rath has twelve wheels and Subadraji's rath has eight wheels.
The Rath-yatra Utsava is not celebrated in Shree Nathji. In Shree Nathji they believe that the Utsava is "chal" (active and flowing) bhava and Shree Nathji is "sthir"(still) bhava. So Shree Gusainji decided not to celebrate the Rath-yatra in Shree Nathji. It was also the day when Shree Mahaprabhuji did "Ashoor Viyahmoh Lila" and this was also the reason the main swaroop in Shree Nathji does not celebrate Rath-yatra.
So taking the Ashoor Viyahmoh Lila into account Thakorji, wears white vastra (cloths) and in the evening the umbrella (kharsal) is removed