New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

by Tapapunjah das

The students from New Vrindaban’s home schooling co-op braved the windy, rainy weather conditions last Friday to descend on the Teaching Garden for their second of twenty two outdoor classes called, “Lessons in Nature.”

“They’re very enthusiastic and really learning some valuable life skills,”said Bindu Sarovara Dasi, who is helping to organize the outings. In case you’re wondering where the Teaching Garden is, it’s that roadside garden directly across from the Palace Lodge that hosts a few thousands visitors each summer.

What the kids seemed to like most was cultivating their own beds. Each student was given a small plot to prepare. “They learned the names of the tools, watched a demo on how to use them, and then began pulverizing clods of earth into soil particle sizes suitable for planting vegetable seed.

In addition to bed preparations, the kids learned to distinguish between bad soil and good soil teeming with soil microorganisms. “Look!” exclaimed four year old Vrinda, “Worms!,” as she broke open a grapefruit sized dirt ball. The kids all gathered around marveling at her discovery, amazed at how worms burrow through soil.

In the background, Mother Ruci was beaming with satisfaction, knowing that her students were excited and eager for more lessons in nature.

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
August 6, 1969

My Dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 28th, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am so pleased to learn of your hard work for writing Krishna Consciousness essays. When Shama Dasi leaves for Columbus to begin her composing tasks, you will require another dictaphone. There is one almost new dictaphone lying in Montreal temple. You can write to Jayapataka, who is in charge there, that when I come to New York on my way to Europe he may bring the dictaphone for you to take back to New Vrindaban for the time being. Then when other arrangements are made you shall return it to him.

Please take care of Birbhadra, Girish and Dwarkadish, and make them nice brahmacharies. Treat them like your own children. These boys are future hope for our preaching Krishna Consciousness, so help them grow in that spirit. I am enclosing herewith separate letters for Anuradha and Labangalatika Dasi. I have informed them that they may remain in New Vrindaban for the remainder of the summer if this is their wish and if Kirtanananda Maharaj agrees.

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

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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by mrupa

This month we will celebrate the wonderful appearance of Lord Sri Ramachandra on Sunday the 13th.

I’m not sure which year it was, but for a few months we were all constantly immersed in the pastimes of Lord Rama during the Fall even more so than in the Spring. It wasn’t exactly because of the victory celebration of Lord Rama over Ravana and His reunion with Sita; but because the whole off Broadway devotee acting company who had been performing the Ramayana in New York City was living in New Vrindavana AND making their hit play into a real live action movie; right here.

At least to us communal peons it seemed clear that certainly the chance to use Prabhupada’s Palace for many of the ‘royal’ scenes was one of the reasons such an undertaking was taking place here. Also Sankirtana was a member of the troupe, playing Ravana’s son, Indrajit. And Suchitra, a New Vrindavana devotee, was playing the hunchbacked nurse of Kaikaye. By the way, Devala got to play Rama Himself in the showdown fight scene between Rama and Ravana cause he knew martial art stuff.

The hope of having on-location access to the wide expanses of natural landscape, had also been some of the reasons to film here, but as the company had come in the mid to late Fall, there was very little in the way of lush forest verge around, and it could get pretty darn chilly to be standing around in thin costumes; and oatwater didn’t exactly ‘stick to your ribs’ either. One devotee cameraman had titled his day’s work trying to shoot background forest footage as, “Looking for Leaves”

Anyway it was quite an effective immersion technique in Rama Lila and the endeavor to bring it to as many as possible that everyone in the community appreciated. We were always talking about the filming, about how the pastimes were being adapted, how the actors were portraying their various characters, and how often anyone at any time might be recruited into the scenes that needed lots of extras.

It was during the days of the candle factory, housed at the far end of the big prasadam hall in the combo guest building-men’s ashrama-Deity kitchen-marble shop building. The room’s space could be accessed either by walking all the way through the prasadam hall, or through the big sliding glass doors on the back side.

During one of the many marathons while I was soaking some candle cores (it had gotten too cold to cast concrete) the glass doors opened and it was announced we were all to go up to the Palace and be extras for the scene where Ravana and the raksasas are partying and Shurpanaka comes running in to her brother with her face disfigured and gets the whole confrontation between Rama and Ravana rolling.

We were all really nervous, but excited about it. I mean talk about bumpkins. Not only were we very rural and unrefined by regular standards — we were pretty backward and crude by such expert devotee standards as well, basically cultural and social nincompoops. But wow, to actually be part of this incredible chunk of preaching was a very enlivening idea, and we were game to try our best.

When we got up to the Palace the ladies of the group went into the basement of Kirtanananda’s house and “Kaikaye” helped us try to get into make-up and costume as raksasis to populate the party scene. The men were doing likewise somewhere nearby.

It was a major austerity for me. Having stuff on my face made me feel almost claustrophobic, and of course I couldn’t wear my glasses so I felt disoriented in the surrounding blur of everything and everyone. Plus there was just the whole character thing. We’d been years tying to be as much a wooden piece of the background as possible and wallpaper isn’t exactly the way a partying raksasi is supposed to be looking or behaving.

All the devotee actors were just great; as people, as actors, and as devotees. You have to have a good degree of realization you are not your body to be able to step into other characters’ roles convincingly. I had heard Lokamangala the devotee playing Ravana spent 4 hrs getting into make-up and character. They said he would recite the demoniac nature verses from Bhagavad-Gita the whole time to help him get the character. And believe me, when he was in character even though he was the most soft-spoken gentleman himself you could ever want to meet; kids cried, and peed all down their moms at the mere sight of him in full get up. I had vivid nightmares for weeks after working in the Palace scene only for a few hours.

he actors did everything they could to try to help us get into the service of it. I remember walking into Prabhupada’s temple room at the Palace after I thought I was all set to go. The devotee playing Shurpanaka was standing just inside the door in full costume and obviously also in nearly full character. Cackling she grabbed me saying, “Oh you look much too pious dearie.” And started twisting and tucking and turning stuff all around till I could pass the muster, all in a sense of great good comraderie.

Nrsnghananda began directing us about and telling us to ‘mingle’- we were partying raksasas after all.

Well, you can maybe imagine how that went down, or not. We were telling ourselves it was all for preaching, it was our service just now, it was such a great opportunity etc, etc. But we had been pretty thoroughly programmed to extensive gender separation as well. Bottom line; we rehearsed and filmed from about 4pm until midnight before there was enough of something to put together for the few minutes of scene that was going to be in the movie. Must’ve been rough on the real actors.

Actually, shortly after it all started I figured I was just too out of it for it and was heading for the temple room doors (I think Rishi was too, but he was big and tall and made a great ‘Lurch-like’ raksasa so he didn’t get out either). As I reached for the doors and freedom, one of the regular actors in full flush by then grabbed my hand, spun me around and raised my arm in a grand entrance type salute to Ravana and the assembly. Nrsnghananda had liked the gesture apparently, and I was stuck as a member of the group for the duration. Uh, I mean I got to be a part of the party crowd for the night.

Jai Sita/Rama.

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Words and music by Devananda Pandit das

The god with four faces
And Shiva the greatest
Along with innumerable sages
Came to the dungeon
And offered their prayers
To Krishna the lord of all ages.

” You are true to your vow
And You sure do know how
To protect the gentle and pious.
You descend to this world
In Your primeval form
To instruct living beings in the highest.”

“When the pure hearted meet
To reflect on your feet
The ocean of grief turns to nothing.
And when others go
On the path that is shown
They can easily cross over that ocean.”

“You reveal Your face
By your own special grace
To eradicate all speculations
About what you say
Who You are where You stay
And how You fulfill Your intentions.”

copyright 2001 Denis Moreau

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by Bindu Sarovara Dasi

For two hours each week, the students and teachers of Gopal’s Garden Home
School Co-op will close their text books and exchange their pencils for gloves
and gardening tools as part of a 22 week “Lessons in Nature” curriculum with
Ruci Dasi, Tapa Punja Das and Bindu Sarovara Dasi.

The outdoor classes will be held each Tuesday and Friday at various agricultural sites around New Vrindaban Community. “We’re going to learn the ABC’s of organic gardening”, explained Ruci Dasi, headmaster of the school. What is unique about the 22 hours of garden experience is that the mood of the class is children centered, that is, focused around what interests the children most. Our intention is to encourage a sense of enthusiasm and hands-on involvement with gardening and nature. We are also planning several fieldtrips within the community to keep the kids entertained while educating them about the natural abundance of New Vrindavan.

The first class was on Tuesday, April 8. Ruci and all the kids hiked up to the greenhouse by the Garden of Seven Gates for the first lesson: growing plants from seed. The children mixed soil, filled seedling pots and planted peas in them. In the following weeks we will be able to watch how the seedlings are growing.

We will keep you posted on the fun activities and lessons the kids are doing
throughout the season. If you would like to get involved, contact Ruci Dasi.

New Vrindaban offers a magnificent opportunity for unlimited Bhakti and Radha Vrindaban Chandra are the ever present with Their unlimited mercy.  NV is situated off the grid in a serene atmosphere, surrounded by forests and streams, lakes, and wild life.

 

Peacocks and swans greet guests with their own charm and beauty. Krishna‘s cows give love-milk and gently “moo” their satisfaction at being protected for life from a slaughter-house death.  Children frolic in the playground, free of all cares. It’s incredible here!

 

In preparation for Festival of Inspiration ’08 and the 2008 Pilgrimage Season, New Vrindaban Community needs to “Get Ready Now” and we “Need Help” to do it!

 

What can you or your group do to help and become more of a part of NV’s family?

 

Beginning on the second week end in April through the first week end in May, there will be a series of Volunteer Devotional Service Week End Projects that will lift up your spirits and help New Vrindaban get ready for the season at hand.

We need enthusiastic lay persons with hands, legs, arms who are “ready to go” as well as  those with any professional abilities in areas such as plumbing, electrical, landscaping, carpentry, general handyman/woman, painting, gardening, etc

 

You can dance, chant, and feast your way through an array of services for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra. What you will get is a whole lot of Krishna‘s mercy vas well as a complimentary week end in New Vrindaban, located in the scenic Appalachian Foothills of West Virginia.

 

The dates include the week end of Lord Ramachandra’s Appearance Day, April 12th & 13th as well as April 19th & 20th, and May 1st & 2nd.

Call Now for further information and sign up for a week end of volunteer ecstatic soul releasing bliss!

(All volunteers will receive a complimentary T-shirt in appreciation.)

 

Sign Up Now or get further information by contacting:

servingkrishna@aol.com

 

304-845-9591

 

 *Please note: This is strictly a Voluntary Devotional Service effort only. There will be no monetary exchange for services rendered.  It is for the pleasure of guru and Krsna.

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
August 6, 1969

My Dear Devananda,

Please accept my blessings. Since I have come from New Vrindaban I have not received any letters from you. I know you are silent worker, but I always remember you. I am very much thankful to you for your nice service. In the meantime you have got good opportunity for Deity worship. Do it nicely, and be happy. Whenever you have time you can write me. I shall be very glad to read your letters. Also, you should write articles for Back To Godhead. You are very intelligent boy, and writing will be a good manner for you to keep your intelligence engaged and doing nice preaching work

I hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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From:   Lokadrsti d.d.Subject::House for sale with 27 acres of land

 House and 27 acres of land for sale, asking price of:  $225,000 ( appraised value
A total of 10 rooms with 3,200 Square Foot of Living Area
If interested please contact us at: Kamsahanta das  or  Lokadrsti devi dasi at:

304-843-5498…….Lokadrsti d.d. (Lorraine Haslam) lokadrsti@hotmail.com

********************* 

From: Pusti Subject: Mobile Home & Property For
Sale Two acres of mostly gently sloping, cleared & mowed, and fenced land with a 1970, 800 sq. ft., two bed/1 bath mobile home. (looks like new)The mobile home has been redone entirely, with new carpets, ceramic tiles on the kitchen and laundry room floors
and around the bathtub/shower.  The sinks and faucets are all new.  The appliances include a gas range/oven,
fridge/freezer, microwave, and washer/dryer.  The bay windows were completely redone along with eight other windows. The roof is in excellent condition and everything else is in proper working order.  There is a propane tank for central heating.   The septic system has a 1000 gallon tank, and everything has been approved by the Marshall County Health Department.The well is 100 foot deep and provides sweet water.  This home has a state of the art security system, which can also monitor medical emergency.   There is a gradual sloping well graveled driveway.  Residence will sell as “turn key”, that is including appliances and furnishings.   The property is also a prime location for someone wanting to build a more permanent structure, as the water and septic system can accommodate a much larger house.   Buyer must secure their own financing, as the owner cannot carry. Please call me at 304-845-6461 for more information or to make appointment for viewing.
Pusti d.d. 

*********************** 

From: Jambavan and CarolynSubject: Land for sale with Mobile Home 

Hare Krsna!  PAMHO  All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Dear Friends, Jambavan and I are moving back in to the big metropolis of
Wheeling. 
Here is the information:
2 acres beautiful piece of land.  It is on the back road (coming from Big Wheeling Creek) across from the Ghee factory.  The House Trailer is 12 by 50+, with  1 bedroom.  New well, new septic all approved by the county.  The trailer has all new electric service and all new plumbing.   For more information please call 304-243-5270   If there is no answer please leave a detailed message and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 
Jambavan and Carolyn

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Center TITTENHURST PARK
TITTENHURST HOUSE
Ascot, Berkshire,ENGLAND

October 11th, 1969

My Dear Kirtanananda,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for you letter dated October 2, 1969 and have noted the contents carefully. Regarding your question about who shall get the money that is collected by you and your assistant, Jimmy, I think that because practically a sannyasi belongs to every center whatever is collected should go to the same center where you are staying. That is best. But this question may be settled in the meetings held between all the temple presidents.

If you collect something where there is no center, that money you can take to your own center, New Vrindaban. But I think that all these matters should be settled up amongst yourselves with the presidents of different centers. Now as we are growing in magnitude we should manage things in such a nice way that there may not be any misunderstanding between one center and another. That is my request. Everything should be done on the basis of mutual agreement. So far my opinion is concerned, any amount collected from a particular center should go to the center. That means if you collect anything while in Columbus center, that should go to Columbus center, and similarly if you are in some other center.

I am very pleased to learn that Jimmy has sent me his beads to be chanted upon. I have not received them yet, but when I do, under your recommendation he shall be duly initiated.

I hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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By Hrishikesh dasa (Henry Doktorski)

“If you take Srila Prabhupada’s naming of New Vrindaban as the official authorized start, then today [March 17, 2008] is the 40th anniversary of NV.”(from It is Very Surprizing)

I delight in celebrations, especially celebrations of events dear to my heart, such as the 40th anniversary of the founding of the New Vrindaban community in which I served guru and Krishna during a significant portion of my life. But when was the factual beginning of the community? When was the name “New Vrindaban” first given by Srila Prabhupada?

New Vrindaban in New York

Let it be known that Srila Prabhupada first asked Hansadutta prabhu to establish a “New Vrindaban” three months before he asked Hayagriva and Kirtanananda Swami to establish a “New Vrindaban.”

In a letter to Hansadutta (who was living in New York) dated January 22, 1968, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “The idea of opening an ashram in the near future is certainly a wish of Krishna’s. To develop our institution to its fullness, we require such an ashram without doubt. Child is the father of man, so the basic principle of any type of life is to instruct to the children from the very beginning, Krishna Consciousness. Children grow to be the topmost leaders of the human society. . . . So we have to grow children to become the head of the human society and there is great need for this. I pray Krishna that you may give a starting to such an ashram in full Krishna Consciousness. In the ashram there must be a grand temple as the deity of the ashram. . . . I think you can save money for this ashram as much as possible. The ashram may be named as ISKCON-Nagari or New Vrindaban and a separate a/c may be opened in the bank.”

New Vrindaban in West Virginia

During March, 1968, Hayagriva was living with Kirtanananda in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Kirtanananda had seen a letter printed in the December 1967 issue of the San Francisco Oracle about a man (Richard Rose, Jr.) who wanted to open a non-sectarian ashram on his farm in West Virginia. Kirtanananda was interested and wrote to Rose, who invited him to visit. Hayagriva had stayed in touch with his spiritual master after leaving New York City, and wrote to Prabhupada about their plan to visit the West Virginia farm.

On March 17, 1968, Prabhupada enthusiastically wrote to Hayagriva in the now-famous letter, “You have New York, New England, and so many ‘New’ duplicates of European countries in the USA; why not import New Vrindaban in your country?” Neither Hayagriva, nor Kirtanananda, had even seen the land, yet already Prabhupada had invited them to construct a New Vrindaban city in West Virginia!

Kirtanananda and Hayagriva visited Richard Rose’s properties during the weekend of March 30-31, 1968, after which Hayagriva returned to his teaching duties at Wilkes-Barre Community College, visiting only on weekends, but Kirtanananda stayed on. However, it was soon discovered that there were great difficulties in establishing a New Vrindaban in West Virginia, not the least of which was the stubborn owner of the properties himself.

Hayagriva, on the recommendation of Srila Prabhupada, approached Mr. Rose and asked him to sell or lease him the entire back farm. Rose, however, would not sell the land or give a long-term lease; he insisted only on short-term leases of five years. “I don’t want one sect to take over the whole ashram. I want to leave it open for as many different kinds of people as possible. That’s the idea, you see. To leave the path to Truth open. People of all backgrounds and philosophies can come from all over the world here to seek Truth.” (Richard Rose, quoted by Hayagriva Das, The Hare Krishna Explosion, 241.)

In addition, Kirtanananda told Prabhupada in a letter that the neighbors were suspicious and backwards. When Prabhupada heard about this, he concluded: “It will be failure.”

“Mr. Rose may be very good man, but he does not know what is sectarian and what is non-sectarian. . . . If the people are backwards and suspicious, then how your scheme will be successful, in that part of the country? This movement is meant for intelligent class of men, those who have reason and logic to understand things in a civilized way, and who are open-hearted to receive things as they are. . . . But if the place is infested with such suspicious men and backward class, then how you can develop a New Vrindaban there? The circumstances as you have described them is not very favorable. Therefore I think the attempt will not be very successful. . . . Krishna Consciousness movement can be pushed forward in a favorable atmosphere. If the atmosphere is not favorable, then don’t attempt it, it will be failure.” (A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, from a letter to Kirtanananda dated June 30, 1968.)

Kirtanananda and Hayagriva were in dire straits. They didn’t know whether to stay or leave. How could they continue without Prabhupada’s blessings?

New Vrindaban in Florida

When some disciples announced that a man in Florida wanted to utilize ten acres of land for a spiritual ashram, Prabhupada suggested in July that they could develop a “New Vrindaban” in Florida. “Regarding Mr. John Fugate: This news is very encouraging. As we are spreading our Krishna Consciousness in your country, we need a center in Florida, and if Mr. Fugate cooperates with this movement, certainly he will be very much benefited. So you can keep him alive by correspondence and send him our books and literature to read. So the ten acres of land which Mr. John Fugate wants to utilize for some spiritual cultivation center can well be utilized in developing a New Vrindaban. In San Francisco, they are developing a New Jagannatha Puri and in Florida we shall develop a New Vrindaban.” (A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, from a letter to Dayananda dated July 7, 1968.)

August 7, 1968: the lease is signed

In the meantime, after ten months away from Prabhupada and ISKCON, Kirtanananda decided to apologize to his spiritual master and rejoin ISKCON, and he and Hayagriva traveled to Montreal during July 1968. Prabhupada “forgave his renegade disciples in Montreal with a garland of roses and a shower of tears.” (Hayagriva Das, Chant, Brijabasi Spirit, November 1981, 20.)

When Hayagriva and Kirtanananda humbly and sincerely begged for Prabhupada’s forgiveness and were accepted back into the fold, they finally became empowered by their spiritual master. When the two returned to West Virginia, the lease contract was finalized between Hayagriva and Richard Rose, Jr., and his wife Phyllis E. Rose on August 7, 1968: a ninety-nine year lease on the 132.77 acres property for four thousand dollars, a very fair price ($30.13 per acre), with an option to purchase for ten dollars when the lease expired. (Lease available for viewing at the Marshall County Courthouse.)

And so: the West Virginia property developed by Hayagriva and Kirtanananda became Prabhupada’s New Vrindaban in the West. It is all Krishna’s mercy. Krishna, of course, is in control. He could have empowered Hansadutta or Dayananda or anyone else to create “New Vrindaban” in the West, but Krishna decided to give this honor to Hayagriva and Kirtanananda.

And so, after due reflection on the events delineated in this narration, I suggest that we celebrate August 7, 1968 as the founding of New Vrindaban: the day Hayagriva signed the 99-year lease with Richard Rose. Only then, after his disciples surrendered completely to their master, and the owner of the property signed a long-term lease, Prabhupada fully gave his blessings and guaranteed the auspicious beginning of the community. May the leaders and residents of New Vrindaban always surrender completely to their eternal master, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.