On the weekend of September 19th to 20th, around four hundred ISKCON devotees congregated at Boston’s Commonwealth Pier to celebrate the day that changed their lives forever.

For it was at the Pier that ISKCON’s founder Abhay Charan later Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada first stepped onto American soil on September 17, 1965. Determined to fulfil his guru’s request to preach Krishna consciousness in the West, he had endured a thirty-five-day sea journey from Calcutta on board the cargo ship, Jaladuta. Upon disembarking in Boston, he wrote the poem Markine Bhagavata Dharma (Teaching Krishna Consciousness in America). “I wish that you may deliver them [the American people],” he prayed to Lord Krishna. “Therefore, if You so desire their deliverance, only then will they be able to understand Your message.”

“Commonwealth Pier is where it all began,” says Daru Krishna Dasa, ISKCON Boston president and organizer of the Srila Prabhupada Arrival Festival. “It’s the place where Prabhupada asked Lord Krishna for the ability to spread the Krishna consciouness movement, a pilgrimage site that all ISKCON devotees should visit at least once in their life.”

Boston devotees have always celebrated the Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival Festival, but it first began to develop into a bigger event in 2002. “That was when we publicized it for the first time, and I had the idea of having a boat to represent Jaladuta,” says Daru Krishna, who was not yet president back then. “Since then, we’ve celebrated the festival every year, but only had the boat three other times.

When Daru Krishna became the temple president in 2008 the devotes made a request to bring back the “Jaladuta” boat festival.  “We had the boat festival in 2008 and 2009. Daru says. “I personally feel the boat is the heart of the festival—it gives devotees a small taste of what Srila Prabhupada endured.”

On the day of the festival after morning prayers and ceremonies, devotees road buses from the Boston ISKCON temple to Commonwealth Pier. Bhajan chants opened the proceedings at 10:30am, followed by a welcome address and arati ceremony. Attendees accompanied a murti likeness of Srila Prabhupada onto a yacht named the James Doherty, for a three hour cruise around Boston Harbor.

On board, the story of Prabhupada’s arrival in Boston was read from his biography Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita, followed by a ceremony in his honor called guru puja. Fifteen disciples of Srila Prabhupada, including Chandramauli Swami and Malati Devi, then recounted their memories of him, with a delicious prasadam feast concluding the cruise at 1:30pm.

After a short break we embarked on another highlight of our celebrations at 4:30pm.” All the devotees participated in a two-hour Maha-Harinam chanting performance through Boston’s Freedom Rally festival—which is held at Boston Common and attracts over 10,000 people.”

The Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival festival continued early the next morning, with attendees congregating at Commonwealth Pier to “greet Srila Prabhupada” at 5.30am. A time of deep meditation for all, it included chanting and reading from Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita and Prabhupada’s poem Markine Bhagavata Dharma.

“This festival is designed to give devotees the opportunity to be where Srila Prabhupada was when he first set foot in America,” says Daru Krishna. “To remember and celebrate his journey and the sacrifice that brought us Krishna consciousness. It’s a very powerful feeling to be on Commonwealth pier at Boston Harbor, celebrating the person that changed the world. When you immerse yourself in the thought that you are at the very place where Srila Prabhupada asked Lord Krishna to save the Western world from materialism and voidism—and you see that it is happening—you feel very safe and inspired to be under the protection of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON.”

Later in the day Sunday, the city of Boston witnessed one of the most spectacular gifts that Srila Prabhupada brought to the West—the ancient Indian festival of Rathayatra. 500 to 600 devotees joined in parading Lord Jagannatha down Commonwealth Ave, through the Public garden and to the Boston common festival site.

Following the colorful one-hour parade starting at 12:45pm, devotees and the public enjoyed hours of cultural experiences and entertainment. This included vegetarian food (2,000 plates served), music bands including Govinda Sky, The wicked hanging chads and Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits, traditional Odissi dance (Noopur dance accadamy), an introduction to Krishna consciousness from Romapada Swami, and an explosive call-and-response kirtan finale.

“Srila Prabhupada has given us this amazing gift, the opportunity to learn about Lord Krishna and chant his holy names,” Daru Krishna says. “I thank the many devotees who joined us in celebrating our heartfelt gratitude for his love and compassion, and for the sacrifice he made for us.”

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