New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

For the week of July 21st-27th, 2008

Let’s all pile into the back of the van for a crowded but ecstatic journey into the world of the Small Farm Training Center here at New Vrindaban Dham.

Tom tells us about the new extension to the tool shed in our Teaching Garden…

“We hope to be finished by November, including the bread oven, which will have walls made of limestone recycled from walls in Bahulavan. The oven itself will be wood-fired, and made out of clay plaster, like the style of the Quebec bread ovens.“

“You can see we’re trying to keep it local. Nothing from Lowe’s or Home Depot.” Tom also added…”Mr. President, tear down this Wal-Mart!”

To read the full article at the Club 108 blog, click here.

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January 1st, 1970

My Dear Nolen,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your nice poetic letter and I am so glad that you have begun to appreciate the sublime nature of Krsna Consciousness as you have experienced being with our disciples for some months.

The simple method of Lord Caitanya is to chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra sincerely, without offense of ten different kinds and one will very quickly come to the stage of ultimate happiness of life as opposed to the miserable conditions experienced by wandering back and forth in the material existence. So I am requesting you to kindly go on chanting Hare Krsna Mantra with determination to become a pure devotee of the Lord, and He will be pleased upon you to give you all facilities for advancing in His service. That will make your life both joyful and perfect.

Hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever-well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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Our friends at the Columbus Dispatch gave us some good publicity this past weekend with two nice articles on our community (and also the Columbus temple). Click the links below to check em out. The old-fangled paper version can be seen posted up in our prasad hall.

A Lower-Key Kind of Krishna

Chant Krishna, Be Happy

Dear New Vrindavan family and friends of the Sankirtan movement,

Hare Krishna. Please accept our humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As you may already know, we have been spending a lot of time in Pittsburgh over the past few months sharing Krishna Consciousness with the local people. The response has been very positive. Many sincere souls have taken serious interest, and many more await. We have been holding kirtans in the park every week for the past month. People love it. Already there are over 20 people coming and dancing like mad men and women while loudly chanting Hare Krishna. It is amazing. And school isn’t even in session. There are videos posted on YouTube, just search Pittsburgh Kirtan for all of them or click these links to view them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtS-F8G06Pw

Besides this we are doing a Bhagavad Gita study session every Thursday night at CMU, and an evening kirtan/class program at our place every Friday.

By Krishnas grace we will be opening a preacing center on August 1st. It is in a perfect location, Craig St., one of the busiest shopping districts and directly between CMU and U Pitt.

The only problem is that it is missing a few essential components. These are listed below. If anyone is able to help in any way with any or all of these things please let us know ASAP. Thank you very much for your kind support.

Things needed at the new Pittsburgh center:
1. Gas Stove
2. Refrigerator
3. Books (for distribution)
4. Harmonium
5. Foodstuffs (produce and dry goods weekly)

Any help is greatly appreciated. Please join us in spreading the mission of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

Your servant,
Chaitanya das

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For the week of July 14th-20th, 2008

Grab a shovel, plow it into some dirt, and smash it into a tire. Then you’ll know it’s time for our weekly update on the Small Farm Training Center here at New Vrindaban Dham.

(Apologies for the late post this week. A heavy-duty lightning strike wiped out our servers for a few days.)

Despite the electricity, we learned that…

The Earth’s compassion is based on a selfless love that is but a twinkle of Krsna’s divine love, and we should respect and return the favor to our blue, globular Mother by appreciating her gifts and using them in a way that keeps the cycle going and growing.

Unfortunately, it seems as if it will take some kind of comfort-shaking crisis for us all to begin to realize that that we are giving our Mother Earth more than she can tolerate. When she reaches that point, which may certainly come sooner rather than later, she will let us know by her grace and will. But she will be quick to forgive and continue to give if we can show we are willing to continue on in a more respectful, organic, spiritual, natural, and dynamic way.

Click here to head on over to the Club 108 blog to read more

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Even on a cloudy day it’s worth a visit.

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November 12, 1970

My Dear Kirtanananda Maharaja,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your nice letter from Gorakhpur dated October 31st, 1970. I have come back to Bombay and the letter was redirected from Amritsar.

I am so glad to note your realization about the Krsna Consciousness Movement. Actually it is unique and there is no comparison with it of any other Movement. It was Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s prediction that by accepting this Movement, everywhere people will be very happy. Now it is in the hands of the American boys who are intelligent and resourceful. Therefore, this most beneficial Movement can be broadcast everywhere and everyone will be happy.

Sriman Ramananda Das Adhikary is also a great asset to our Movement and I am writing to him one letter separately. Both of you combinedly do the needful. I have received letter from Jayapataka and He is also negotiating with the Hamilton House. If there is no important business in Calcutta, I have advised them to go to Gorakhpur to join you.

I have sent one telegram to Ramananda accepting his invitation for my going to Gorakhpur. Please keep me informed of the activities there.

Hope this will meet you in good health.

Your well-wisher.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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Yes, the time has once again come for a refreshing and enlightening discourse from two of the finest of the finest from ISKCON Radha-Gopinath Mandir in Chowpatty, Mumbai, India.

Continuing the tradition from last year’s wonderful seminar, we are proud and delighted to host HG Gauranga Prabhu and HG Radhe-Shyam Prabhu for another ecstatic Yoga Retreat.

Here are the details. All events are free for resident (temple and immediate community) devotees of New Vrindaban Dham.

Saturday 19^th July 2008

5.00am: Morning Program

8.00am: Srimad Bhagavatam Class on “Spiritual Transformation – 8 easy steps”

– By HG Gauranga Prabhu.

10.30am-1.00pm: Seminar on “Crossing the mountain of misunderstanding”

1.00 pm: lunch
4.00 pm: – Questions and answers on sadhana ,seva,relationships,life balance,preaching strategies,management experiences etc.

– By HG Radheshyam Prabhu and HG Gauranga Prabhu

7.00 pm: Gaur Arati
8.00 pm: dinner
8.30pm: Shayan bhajans

9.15pm: Swan Boat festival

Sunday 20^th July 2008

5.00am: Morning Program

8.00am: Srimad Bhagavatam class on – “servitude and gratitude”

– By HG Radheshyam Prabhu

10.30am – 1.00pm: Seminar on “Rekindling wisdom, reviving love”

1.00pm: Sunday feast Aarti

2.00pm: Lunch

For any more info and any questions, contact HG Shyamsundar Prabhu at shyamsundar.rns@gmail.com

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For the week of July 7th-July 13th, 2008

Join us now for yet another enriching and inspiring look into the go-go farm-farm world of the Garden of Seven Gates and the Teaching Garden, all part of the Small Farm Training Center here at New Vrindaban Dham.

It’s all good! For instance….

In all aspects of our devoted lives to the land and cow, we must create a devotional mentality at the core, as we see in New Vraja Dham in Hungary, in which the nonsalaried resident devotees are always cultivating the realization that everything they bring forth from the ground, whether its houses or lettuce, belongs to Radhe-Shyam. It’s that heartbeat which must now resound in our fledging farm communities and beyond in order to insure the future.

Click here to head on over to the Club 108 blog to read more.

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November 13, 1969

My Dear Kirtanananda,

Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter dated November 3, 1969, and It is much heart-engladdenlng that you have taken very seriously the preaching work, and Krishna is giving you chance for becoming a great preacher in the near future. Yes, from the very beginning of your sannyas I had the desire like this, so Krishna is now fulfilling my desire. Be blessed and go on with your work.

New Vrindaban is also improving and I am pleased that you have solved the important question of water supply. This was a great problem, and now that you are fitting the pump to work it is very nice.

Regarding distribution of books, if you kindly take up the charge of introducing our books in the colleges and universities, then any of our publications may be Immediately distributed at least 10,000 copies all over your country. There are so many colleges and college libraries, and you are the person to take charge of this task. Of course, it will take some time, but if you make the plan and stick to this work that will be very nice. For this purpose whatever help you want, please let me know and I must help you in this effort.

Any scholarly pamphlet you want in this connection, you make a draft and send to me for arranging its being printed in our press. Also please let me know how many thousand copies you will have need for. You are educated, intelligent and experienced by this time, and you shall be the fit person to take up this Job and do the needful.

Please offer my blessings to Yamunacharya and the others. I hope this will meet you in good health.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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