New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Dear Devotees,

According to the Marshall Count Sheriff, Route 88 will be Closed Sunday from 10 AM till 5 PM from Route 250 to the intersection of Route 86.

Route 86 is Butch’s Corner.

There are NO Signs at Bethlehem indicating that Rt. 88 will be Closed from 10:00 AM Till 5:00 PM.

Several miles from the main intersection at Bethlehem on the way to N.V., there a sign stating the fact that the road will be closed.

Also there is no sign at the intersection of Rt. 88 and 250, instead the sign has been placed some distance down the road, just past the intersection of Pine Hill Road.

This will be a major inconvenience for the guests, as this weekend is Victoria Weekend (Canada’s equivalent to Memorial weekend), and several guests should be expected.

The Guest Lodge and Congregational Development devotees should be fully aware of this fact and communicate it to everyone concerned.

Being adequately prepared with the appropriate alternative routes for all those guests phoning for reservations, and also any/all of those guests stuck in traffic and endeavoring to arrive here will help considerably.

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Festival of Inspiration a Success!

by Lilasuka dasi

Every Festival of Inspiration is more ecstatic than the last. The twelfth annual Festival of Inspiration has come and gone, but the excitement still lingers on in the hearts and minds of those who participated.

Many people helped to make the Festival a grand success, under the expert guidance of Mother Malati.  The intricate details of organization, once again, made things go smoothly. Different guests share their variegated experiences.

One newer resident remarked: “I somehow felt very enlivened with the association of so many of the Srila Prabhupada disciples all in one place. Their bright smiles, filled with deep understanding and compassion were very encouraging to me.”

One guest remarked: “The bathrooms were, for the most part, clean and well stocked. That’s important.”

Another visitor declared, “I had wonderful accommodations since a devotee opened their home for me and my family.  The prasadam was healthy and tasty.  Bhaktimarga Swami’s drama about Maharaj Dhruva was my favorite part.  The Saturday night dance was also fascinating.”

Some people were also talking about the talented devotees at the rocking kirtan which was part of the Saturday night entertainment.

It seemed to some that both the temple and the front lawn kirtans transported you out of this world. One  guest related how she is from a small temple, so the wonderful kirtans at the Festival, led by a variety of empowered devotees, young and old, were a very special treat for her.

The workshop presentations were stimulating and well- presented from the “Dealing with Sexual Desire” seminar to the “One Chord Wonder” workshop on harmonium.

The outdoor vendors provided a variety of fun shopping. Many guests also browsed and shopped at the newly opened “BlueHome Artworks”, a shop that boasts the many arts, music, books and crafts talents of devotees and friends.

The association alone was worth coming for, according to one young lady, who declared: “The association at this Festival was very important to me. Cooking in the kitchen with the “2^nd generation” devotees and others was the most uplifting part.  The cooks saw to the minutest details and even put icing and garnishes on gingersnap cookies as if they were cooking for one special guest in a gourmet restaurant, instead of 1,000 cookies for a big Festival! In conclusion, I can say that before the Festival, I just wasn’t feeling connected. But as a result of this Festival of Inspiration, I was reminded that I am part of a dynamic, vibrant movement.”

Check out the Festival of Inspiration schedule here.

This picture is from either 1972 0r 1974.  I think 1974.

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Govinda’s Restaurant

by Jayasri dasi

We would like to invite everyone to join us in partaking of the fresh and tasteful prasadam cuisine being served at our newly renovated Govinda’s Restaurant situated under the Lodge across from the Radha Vrindaban Candra Temple.  The restaurant is undergoing many improvements which we hope will make our restaurant more efficient and comfortable for our guests and our staff.  We are adding another room of seating onto the existing area and have redesigned the kitchen to include a spacious walk-in cooler, self standing grill, 15 quart mixer and another candy stove.  We will also be acquiring a larger buffet table that will be located in a more convenient space.  Although the work is not completed as of yet we hope to have it finished in the beginning of May.

We are happy to retain our most qualified Brahmin cook Madhan Mohan das who has been our main chef for the last seven years.  He is well known for the first class quality preparations that he cooks in our restaurant to please Krishna and His devotees.

Our menu is on the next page for your inspection and we have added several new western preparations including vegetarian cupcakes and cheesecakes, veggie lasagna, veggie burgers and veggie dogs, all of which have been well received by our guests

The restaurant hours and contact information are as follows:

Monday to Friday: 4.00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday: 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Sunday: 7:00 am to 7:30 pm except long weekends

Govinda’s Restaurant, New Vrindaban

Box 319, Rd 1, Moundsville – WV-26041 – 304-843-1600 Ex 107

Govinda’s menu

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A Letter from Mandali dasi:
Dear friends,

I invite you to visit my ATELIER website www.mendrilla.com and view a collection of dresses entitled:

SLAVE2LOVE

IN MEMORIAM

ELI-NITAI-BUTTERFLY

(1980-2012-FOREVER AND EVER)

Recently, in January 2012, as many of you know, I suffered the loss of my husband Nitai Das. I have therefore chosen to dedicate the most recent collection of haute couture dresses I was working on at that time to him, and to the selfless love that he embodied for me.

The collection is entitled Slave2Love (S2L) and is an expression of the fragile nature of the human form, versus the eternality of indwelling spirit. Inspired by Chuang Tzi’s butterfly metempsychosis, and the eternal wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, the fluttering organic hand painted silk cloth expresses a longing for attainment of undying worlds within.

The subtle appeal of the stretch cotton jersey base combined with the flow of silken embellishments provide an unusual simultaneous feel of attraction and nurturing as well as a sense of existence in parallel dimensions. Designed and hand crafted for celebrations of the resort and fall seasons, S2L is a tribute to the everlasting flame of love and lifetime dedication of true friends. The basic colors of black and white accentuated with red, yellow, green, violet and blue evoke primeval emotions of affection, awe, hope and excitement providing a playground for a myriad of combinations of the latter thus leaving the lady in the dress enamored with the world in the completeness of its display.

The collection was made in New Vrindavan.
I would like to thank Harinam Dasi for sewing and construction as well as design suggestions, Radhika Patel and Rasikananda Das for photographing and editing the photos, Vishaka Turner and Usa Ramkaree for modeling, Rupanuga das and Vani Dasi for photoshoot accomodation and equipment and Radha Dasi and Vidya Dasi for makeup and hair. I would also like to thank my Nitai for everything and more.

S2L was originally scheduled to be premiered at the Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Week. However I have decided not to display this collection on a catwalk, but instead to simply make it available for viewing as art, on my ATELIER website www.mendrilla.com, The release date, April 29th 2012, corresponds with Nitai’s birthday. After this presentation, I will not be exhibiting for the remainder of 2012, instead I will be dedicating this year to preserving and promoting my husband’s legacy project “Krishna Kitchen.”

Keeping with the spirit of my dedication, I have included a brief biography of Nitai’s for those of you who did not know him:

Elisha Drury/Nitai Das, born in Saranac Lake, New York, was an artist, visionary, director of the Krishna Kitchen and founder of the Food for Life Experience non-profit organization.
Elisha spent his life exploring modern art, traveling worldwide, studying the Vedas in India, as well as practicing bhakti yoga under the guidance of his guru Srila Radhanath Swami. Nitai took a vital part in organizing the Krishna Camp at several Rainbow Gatherings as well as Burning Man Festivals together with his friends. In 2007. they organized the first traditional Jagannatha Ratha Yatra at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada which made international news. In 2010 the Krishna camp at Burning Man catered a 12 course Krishna Janmastami feast to 2000 festival goers in the midst of desert survival conditions.
Intrigued by the concept of nurturing the planet with devotional cooking, and inspired by his mentor and guide Yamuna Devi, the author of the award winning cookbook Lord Krishna’s Cuisine, Nitai had dedicated the last few years of his life to sharing the culture of gourmet sacred vegan food called ‘prasadam’ (sanskrit for blessed food). He also founded the Krishna Kitchen, which has become one of the most beloved vegan food vendors, for festival goers throughout the United States.

Tragically, Nitai was in a car accident and passed away this year at the age of thirty one, leaving many stunned by the sudden loss. In his short life he’s touched the lives of many who are now dedicated to continuing the legacy of service that he started.

SLAVE2LOVE premieres April 29th 2012 at www.mendrilla.com

With love,
your humble servant,
Mandali Dasi

Srila Prabhupada Goes on an Inspection Tour

May 2, 2012

by Lilasuka dasi

We have recently completed 99% of the renovations in the Radha Vrindabanchandra temple ashramas.  We are now ready to move the residents back in.  Renovations began at the beginning of this last winter, and now the hallways are freshly painted, with new floors and lights.  Each room has two new  computer desks and two big sets of shelves, with clothes hanging rods for two residents per room.    The bathrooms have also been totally re-done and are ready to go.

Yesterday, Srila Prabhupada took a tour of each room in the asramas, and He was followed by an excited kirtan party, for an auspicious new start for the RVC residents.  Hare Krishna!

Srila Prabhupada goes back on the altar after ashrama tour

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(or The Water Crisis of April 2012)

by Lilasuka dasi

Recently Lord Krishna tooketh away something very precious to us all.  The big 90,000 gallon water tank that has been serving the Palace and surrounding grounds and gardens somehow sprung a very big hole and began losing water rapidly.  They had to temporarily discontinue the use of that tank until it can be repaired.

In the meantime, we’ve had to rent 10 smaller 5,000 gallon plastic water tanks and pump in water to those.  So, besides our seasonal water shortage (we’re in the season right now), many of the devotees, especially the ones at the Palace, felt the pinch of this more severe water crisis.

The Palace was only without water for a couple of days.  But this situation has helped us to realize how precious a commodity water is.  Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: “Raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya.” “O son of Kunti, I am the taste of water. ”  We can’t live without water and we thank Krishna for giving us this token reminder about not wasting a drop of water.  We are also reminded that we are definitely not the controllers in our lives, but that Lord Krishna is the only true controller.

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The original Sita appeared many many years ago, but a new Brijbasi has taken her name.  Malati gomata gave an easy birth to her first calf on April 30^th around 1:30pm.  Jaya Prabhupada found them both in the barn and moved them to make them more comfortable. Malati is a very good mother and the calf is strong and healthy.  The calf was named Sita because she was born on Sita Devi’s Appearance Day.  Jai Sri Sita Devi!

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