Posted on 07/18/2024 3:10:26 PM PDT by libh8er
After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt, former US President Donald Trump attributed his survival to divine intervention, urging Americans to stay resilient. The frontrunner in the US presidential race was struck in the ear by a gunman during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The attack on Trump and his survival, coinciding with the Jagannath Ratha Yatra celebrations, has led many in ISKCON to see this as an instance of divine intervention, bringing back memories of Trump’s connection with the festival nearly fifty years ago.
A top official of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, recalled Trump’s involvement with the first Rathyatra in New York. Radharamn Das, vice president and spokesperson of ISKCON Kolkata, in a social media post described Trump's narrow escape as Lord Jagannath returning the favour to the ex-President for his help in organizing the Ratha Yatra festival in 1976 in New York.
— RadharamnDas (@RadharamnDas)
Donald Trump gives his train yard for construction of chariots
In July 1976, Trump, then a young real estate mogul, assisted ISKCON devotees by providing his train yard for the construction of the chariots used in the Rathayatra. This act of generosity came at a crucial time when the devotees were struggling to find a suitable location for their preparations, Das said. Despite facing numerous challenges, despite securing a parade permit on Fifth Avenue, Trump’s unexpected support made the event possible.
Back in 1976, ISKCON was celebrating its 10th anniversary and aimed to organize the first major Rathayatra in New York City. Obtaining the parade permit for Fifth Avenue was considered a miracle, but finding an empty site near the parade route to build the large wooden carts was proving to be an even greater challenge. The devotees approached several property owners, all of whom declined due to insurance concerns. It was then that Trump emerged as an unexpected ally.
The devotees, desperate and nearly out of options, learnt that Trump had recently acquired the old Pennsylvania railway yard, which they considered an ideal location for constructing the carts. Despite their reservations, they decided to approach Trump with a basket of Maha Prasadam (sacred food offerings) and a detailed proposal. Trump's secretary initially warned them of his likely refusal, but to their surprise, Trump not only accepted the offering but also agreed to their request.
Three days after their meeting, Trump’s secretary informed the devotees that Trump had read their letter, tasted the Prasadam, and immediately granted permission to use the railway yard. This gesture allowed the devotees to proceed with the construction of the Rathayatra carts, a critical step for the festival.
Radharamn Das, vice president and spokesperson of ISKCON Kolkata, in his post also cited another hurdle for the Rathayatra procession what was also solved unexpectedly.
How Iskcon got the police permit for Ratha Yatra
Securing the parade permit for the Rathayatra procession was another formidable challenge. Tosan Krishna Das, responsible for obtaining the permit, submitted a proposal to the authorities. Despite an initial agreement from the police department, the permit was later denied due to a longstanding edict against new parades on Fifth Avenue. With no alternatives, Tosan approached the Manhattan police chief directly. In a surprising turn of events, the police chief, after reviewing the application, signed the permit, despite not fully understanding his own decision.
Trump’s approval to use the railway yard and the police chief’s unexpected approval of the parade permit are often seen by devotees as divine blessings from Lord Jagannath.
"Like other corporate company owners, Trump also could have easily rejected the proposal. Devotees thought the Police chief was no exception either. Why they didn’t say no, still is a question unanswered, as devotees cite it as a blessing of Lord Jagannath," Radharamn Das said in the post.
Indians have some weird-ass beliefs. But at least they love Donald J. Trump.
Vance’s wife, Usha, is a practicing Hinu
I pray he doesn’t give any glory, even jokingly, to a pagan god.
From which comes the word “juggernaut”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratha_Yatra
One of their festivals, which features said large chariots.
Very picturesque.
Nov 5th will be the “Trump Juggernaut” !
“Nov 5th will be the “Trump Juggernaut” !”
He’d better win, otherwise Dems will say “Trump juggernaught”.
Per this story “Jagannath” should make it a Juggernaut.
Yep, exactly, they consume this stuff methodologically as part of their subsued animism, which along the way they elevated to human or supra-human deities, but never had the wisdom to discard the utter hopelessness of anything other than accepting Christ, because that would mean giving up the caste system. Meanwhile they brag that Christ came to them; if so, it makes their failure even more piquant. Here we have to accept their heresy as an offset against the truly anti-Christian godless confucianism from their neighbor to the northeast.
It's unsustainable on a global scale.
Wonderful story!
Which of the 330+ million Hindu gods is that one?
Yeah, Hindus have no end to their gods:
A. They aren’t heretics, they are pagans.
B. This is hardly unsustainable. They’ve been this way for thousands of years.
>> I pray he doesn’t give any glory, even jokingly, to a pagan god.
You got that right!
But it’s clear that ISKCON (Krishna consciousness, my azz) USURPED the praise and gratitude President Trump rightly gave our One True GOD.
Thanks for weighing in, spaniard.
They ARE heretics. There is exactly one true GOD. ALL other so-called “gods” are merely different masks for the fallen angel satan.
Not sure how you intepreted "animism" any other way. Should I break out the bold and underlined crayons?
"Yep, exactly, they consume this stuff methodologically as part of their subsued animism"
But you do you. Because no one else would want to...
"B. This is hardly unsustainable. They’ve been this way for thousands of years."
It is when you have to play a state that has a "lower g" godhead belief structure that includes recrimination for genocide, versus a godless anti-theist state that has zero recrimination for genocide, in fact promotes genocide, and indulges and exports that very thing in the present-day.
There is no greater exposition of the Realpolitick lesser-of-two-evils in every way than the India-China conflict -- far less sustainable than India-Pakistan.
The only true ongoing conflict between two nuclear-capable nations with the capability of instantly metastisizing into a nuclear exchange, is the Line of Actual Control.
“Trump juggernaught”, that is.
The Catholic religion is very clear about categories.
Pagans are pagans, and heretics are heretics. And who should have a better cultural background on this matter than the Spanish?
A heretic, unlike a pagan, brings novel, extraneous, or otherwise inappropriate elements into the Christian religion. Historically heretics have been considered much worse than pagans. We had quite thorough instruction on heresy in our religion classes. Heretics bear a special moral defect BECAUSE they are heretics.
Pagans, in comparison, are simply unconverted souls. Its not their fault that they remain uncontacted, improperly contacted, or unconvinced. My aunt the missionary nun can explain it much better, but there you are.
Animism is simply one category of pagan religions. Many forms of paganism probably did derive from animism, among them Japanese Shinto and various elements of Hinduism, as well as the classical Greco-Roman religion.
Others come from a different “revelation”, a theological-philosophical system with a definable origin. Buddhists and Parsis/Zoroastrians are in this category, and arguably some elements of Hinduism, which is a very varied, complex mess.
“ Indians have some weird-ass beliefs. But at least they love Donald J. Trump.”
Not here in Northern Virginia. They’re all failed I Congress Party socialists, here.
Not here in Northern Virginia. They’re all failed I Congress Party socialists, here.
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Not in NOVA.... not ANYWHERE.
Of all of the Asian-American subgroups, Indians are the most liberal/Democrat and it is definitely reflected in how they vote. In 2020, only 16% of Indians identified as Republican and that subgroup voted for Biden over Trump by nearly 40 points.
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