New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

by Bhakta Chris

“We should always know that Vrindaban is not localized in a particular area, but that wherever Krishna is present, Vrindaban is automatically there. And wherever the holy name of Krishna is chanted, Krishna is present. There is no difference between Krishna and His Holy name. So now Krishna is blessing a nice piece of land, resembling Vrindaban, to be a new place of pilgrimage for you Western devotees. So you must try for it.”-Srila Prabhupada, from “The Hare Krsna explosion”

By way of introduction, my name is Chris, Bhakta-Chris, and I am the latest addition to the wild and wooly NV community. For a multitude of reasons, mainly the mysterious grace of Radha and Krsna, I have landed here after spending all of my life in Michigan. Graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in film (where’s the camera??), encountered devotees there (namely the exalted Jagadish Caitanya Das, whose place I have taken here and who has taken my place back in Ann Arbor), had the seed planted, and it sprouted in various merciful and painful ways. Now is the time, and there is no better time, to take seriously to spiritual life and my spiritual longings.

So this series of articles will be from my fragile, naive, and brand-new perspective as a aspiring brahmacari and devotee. Forgive me if any of my ramblings make you roll your eyes, but I am hoping, very humbly, to add as much
freshness as I can to this exalted community of very hardcore soldier-children for Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra.

One major realization I am trying very hard to share, mainly to our senior devotees, is the impossible appreciation of the impossible feats and issues and problems y’all had to face in building and in maintaining this spiritual haven. Please don’t think I, or any of the young devotees here, forget the sacrifices, blisters, moments of cold cold COLD, and serious pain and joy that was experienced in the making of NV. Having hot showers, comfortable rooms and computers should do the exact opposite of making us youngsters complacent. It should instead push us forward to live up to the reasonability of keeping this holiest of missions going further and further. We have to maintain the reality, that despite the numerous upside-down moments here, that if Prabhupada were to walk onto these grounds on this very day, he would be proud to see what his little farmhouse has turned into.

So I offer my respects to all those here now who do so much behind the scenes, in front of the curtain, and way up in the rafters as well. All struggles here are blessed, even blissful if we can open up just enough to let Their smiling faces in. Thank you to all of those who have given me good and solid advice (I know the odds are against me, and I know the complicated karma surrounding NV as well, but I didn’t come here to maintain any illusions about anything). I pray to all of you for any blessings you may have for my small and tender creeper, so that it may survive the cold winter, and bloom a few flowers in the spring.

And if anyone can beat me to a better name for this series of articles, I would be much obliged. Caitanya das came up with “Let It Be” off the cuff. I don’t even think he remembers mentioning it. But his feelings may be hurt if I change it. Then again, only nasty cows in Potomac seem to hurt his feelings, so we may be OK.