Bhubaneswar: As former US president Donald Trump had a close shave while addressing a rally in Butler Pennsylvania, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) claimed it to be a ‘divine intervention’ in which ‘Lord Jagnannath returned favour by saving him.’
Recalling a 1976 incident, ISCKON Vice-President Radharam had stated that 48 years ago Trump had saved the Jagannath Ratha Yatra festival in New York. That year, Trump had helped ISKCON devotees to organize Ratha Yatra by providing his train yard for the construction of the raths for free, the ISCKON spokesperson stated.
“Today, as the world celebrates the 9-day Jagannath Rathayatra festival, this terrible attack on him and his narrow escape show Jagannath’s intervention. The first chariot procession of the Lord of the Universe Mahaprabhu Jagannath kicked off on the streets of NYC in 1976, with assistance from the then 30-year-old emerging real-estate mogul in United States of America – Donald Trump….” Das wrote on X.
Das claimed that the ISCKON devotees had to knock on doors of every possible person to secure space for building the chariots. “While the grant of parade permit at the Fifth Avenue was nothing short of a miracle, finding a huge empty site where chariots could be built was also never going to be easy. They knocked at the doors of every person possible, but in vain. It was then that the former US president Donald Trump emerged as a ray of hope for the Krishna devotees,” his post on X read.
The challenges were galore for ISCKON as it was celebrating its 10th birthday in 1976 and devotees in New York were planning the first big Rath Yatra there. “We had permission to use the Fifth Avenue, which in fact is a big deal. But we needed an empty site close to the starting point of the parade route, to build the massive wooden carts. Everyone we asked said NO. They were concerned about insurance risks etc, which is understandable,” Das said.
When Trump said ‘yes’
When majority of the firm owners in New York were approached for space, they had apparently told ISCKON devotees that they were ‘in the process of selling the property at the Pennsylvania rail yard.’ The rail yard was considered to be a perfect location for construction of the chariot. Later they learnt that the land was purchased by Donald Trump. The devotees, who according to Das, had lost all hopes went to Trump’s office with a basket of ‘Maha Prasadam’. “His secretary took it but warned the devotees, “He never agrees to this kind of thing. You can ask but he is going to say NO,” Das wrote on X. But they told the secretary to have faith in the Lord and the miracle would happen. And, their words turned true when three days later Trump’s secretary called them to inform that he had agreed.
