New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

The Second Annual Conference of the ISKCON Academy of Arts and Sciences was held this past weekend in New Vrindaban. The theme of the conference was “ISKCON Scholarship and the World: Academic and Cultural Contributions.”

About 30 devotee scholars attended including well known devotees like Ravindra Svarupa das, Hridayananda das Goswami, Sadaputa das, and Garuda das. Emerging devotee scholars included Dvijamani dasa, Amritananda devi dasi, and Janaki Rama dasa. Attendees were from the fields of Indology, Religion, Science, and Philosophy.

The weekend opened with a roundtable discussion in which attendees had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the group and to update everyone on what he or she has been working on.

The keynote address given by Ravindra Svarupa das was entitled “The Function of Buddhi in the Foundation of Knowledge: Toward a Vaisnava Epistemology.”

The panel format was used for the other sessions. Four scholars would each give in turn a presentation for twenty minutes followed by 10 minutes for questions. When all four presentations were done, there was an overall question and answer period.

Panel topics were: ISKCON’s Academic Achievements, Vaisnava and Western Philosophies, Science and Religion, and Research.

The attendees seemed focused and enthusiastic so the conference must have been a success. When it was over, Ravindra Svarupa das remarked that it was the first time he had ever been to an academic conference where every presentation was interesting.

by Hrishikesh 

More altars were built and more deities were sculpted and molded. Bhagavatananda Das sculpted two nine-foot tall bas-relief statues of Jaya and Vijaya, the four-armed gatekeepers of Vaikuntha who hold the four symbols of Vishnu: conchshell, disc, club, and lotus flower, which were installed adjacent to the front doors of the temple.

 On January 6, 1986 , a seven-foot-tall 400-pound deity of Lord Nrisimhadev, and his devotee, the boy Prahlad, modeled in clay by Soma Das and cast in resin by Kumar Das, were installed in the temple. (The jet-black color of Nrisimhadev was created by mixing powdered coal into the plastic resin.)

“Prahlad is standing with folded hands in front of His Lord, who is seated on a magnificent golden throne. In one hand Nrisimhadev has a conch and in another a chakra (discus). At the end of His powerful fingers are gleaming, golden fingernails. His black and gold mane, like an effulgence, frames His glowing red eyes and fierce snout, where two downward curving white fangs protrude. A jeweled helmet of gold adorns His head.” (96)

 End  Notes

 96. Gadadhar Das, “God’s Anger,” Brijabasi Spirit, vol. 2, no. 2 (c. Spring 1986), 15.

  

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by Sankirtan das

Dear Global Leadership Students,

I really enjoyed reading all of the papers. They were thoughtful and candid, and even humorous at times. I’d like to address a few of the points that cropped up in your reflections on your visit to New Vrindaban. I’ll try to keep my responses brief.

Student: “I still think the events of the 80’s and 90’s were beyond creepy, but I don’t think they define the religion.”

Thank you. Yes, the Movement allowed a lot of dumb and illegal things to go on. It is unfortunate and embarrassing. We were very naïve. Prabhupada had asked the devotees not to do anything that would embarrass the Movement. Most of these things happened in the 80’s and were brought to light in the 90’s. I think that devotees are working to right the wrongs and give people a better understanding of the Movement, but it will take a while.

Student: “One must remember that the Hare Krishnas follow Vedic law, and as such, their ideas on women’s roles in society are not exactly up to date.”…

Read whole article here.

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by Hrishikesh

Installation of the Deities.

The Brijabasi Spirit reported: (93)

“Radha-Vrindaban Chandra, Gaura-Nitai, and Gopala Nathji were placed on Their altars, which had been drilled with nine small holes. In the holes were placed nine precious jewels of the nine major planets. They were then filled with turmeric. A yantra—a small piece of gold plated copper, inscribed with a six-pointed star, an eight-pointed lotus flower, and the mula and gayatri “mantras of each Deity, was placed under the Deities. . .

“Shyamasundar, one of the priests, had calculated that . . . the most auspicious time would be at 11:32 p.m., Saturday night. . . . Everyone was in a flurry of activity to meet the deadline. . . . Gaura-Nitai and Gopal Nathji were the new Deities to be installed, so Their eyes were covered with beeswax. After installation, the beeswax would be removed, and the Deities would see an offering of auspicious items.

“Then came one of the most meaningful events of the festival. It was time for the spiritual master to invoke the presence of the Deities. . . . The curtains were closed, but a few of us were able to watch Shrila Bhaktipada place his hands over the hearts of Gaura Nitai and Gopal Nathji and ask Them to enter the forms, thus making Them worshipable.

“Finally, at twelve midnight, the curtains opened, revealing the brilliant sight of the Deities on Their silver and gold plated shringasan: Gaura-Nitai, golden and dressed in new clothes, Gopal Nathji, with white lotus eyes, wearing a brilliant costume, and His hand gracefully extended in His pastime of Giridhari, the eternal lifter of Govardhan Hill, and the full moon over Vrindaban, Radha-Vrindaban Chandra. . . .

“On Sunday, the mahabhishek took place. Before the ceremony, Shrila Bhaktipada went on the altar and carefully removed the beeswax from the Deities’ eyes with a special gold tool. Thus the first auspicious sight the Deities beheld was the spiritual master.

“The curtains opened, and in walked the next auspicious item—a cow, Pritha, one of New Vrindaban’s oldest mothers, strolled up before the Deities, turned, and let loose a few flops of pure cow dung. Next, twelve virgin girls arrived, followed by a Tulasi-devi plant. At that time the central aisle had been roped off and lined with thirteen large mounds of rice. After Tulasi-devi, the ropes came down and the devotees leaped into the aisle chanting and wildly throwing rice.

“Meanwhile, the abhishek began, as priests poured gallons of nectar drink over the Deities. They took off the Deities’ donut garlands and threw the donuts into the excited crowd. . . . Feasting and kirtan continued through the night.

“Bhaktipada spoke at the installation ceremony, “The history of New Vrindaban is of course the history of Radha-Vrindaban Chandra. We were here several years before the appearance of Radha-Vrindaban Chandra; still many of us who have been here long understand that whatever has occurred in the community and whatever growth we have experienced has simply been due to Their mercy. Without Radha-Vrindaban Chandra, New Vrindaban has no meaning. . . . We hope that Radha-Vrindaban Chandra go on giving us more and more opportunities to engage in Their service—to build more palaces, parks and temples for His glory. We want everyone to come to appreciate Radha-Vrindaban Chandra.” (94)

The deities were treated royally, and were offered eight daily arotis along with bhoga offerings. The Brijabasi Spirit reported: (95)

” ‘The largest increase in the Deity puja in over ten years,’ was the way Shrila Bhaktipada described it when Radha-Vrindaban Chandra moved into Their new temple last July 4th . . . . From the sewing department to the heavy construction department, the devotees pooled their efforts, and the result was astonishing. . . . Radha-Vrindaban Chandra are the center of our community, and now with Their temple so accessible, They are a sight for the hundreds of guests who visit New Vrindaban.

“It’s truly an astonishing sight when the altar doors open. The Deities stand on a huge shringasan, its winding columns and domes plated brilliant gold with traces of shiny silver interwoven in the intricate designs. Just a few feet behind the Deities are tall smoky tinted mirrors, decorated with gold filigree and gracefully carved flowers. The floor of the Deity room is black and white marble. Large iron gates decorated with the mahamantra protect Their Lordships. . . .

“A large room to one side is the Deity dressing room. Here, long drawers hold the many outfits of the Deities, along with shelves for crowns and jewelry. On the other side of the altar is a room for preparing offerings and the pujari quarters.

“For every major festival, Adhara Dasi and her dedicated team of mothers sew beautiful outfits for Radha-Vrindaban Chandra. Often all the Deities get new outfits. On these joyous Vaishnava holidays, Radha-Vrindaban Chandra are also offered new sets of jewelry made by Mother Ishani. The jewelry that includes crowns, belts, necklaces, and bracelets are all handmade gold plated pieces, often inlaid with delicate, multicolored, enameled peacocks and flowers. A variety of jewels, of different shapes and colors, are set along with the enameling work to make a dazzling effect.

End Notes

89. Gargarishi Das, “Radha-Vrindaban Chandra Festival,” Brijabasi Spirit, vol. X, no. IV (c. August 1983), 16.

90. Gaura Keshava Das, quoted by Gargarishi Das, ibid., 16.

91. Gargarishi Das, ibid., 17.

92. ibid., 17.

93. ibid., 17.

94. Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada, “Welcome Address,” Brijabasi Spirit, vol. X, no. IV (c. August 1983), 12.

95. “Deity Worship,” Brijabasi Spirit (March 1984), 35.

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by Hrishikesh

On July 4, 1983 , a “temporary” temple for Shri Shri Radha-Vrindaban Chandra was dedicated which dwarfed many United States ISKCON temples in beauty, size and craftsmanship. The building was constructed in less than ten months; the temple room, which covered 5,000 square feet of floor space, was constructed in less than three months, including the art and decorations. In addition to the presiding deities of New Vrindaban, Shri Shri Radha-Vrindaban Chandra, three brand-new deities were installed: Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda, and Shri Gopal Nathji (the boy Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill: a deity especially popular in Rajusthan and Gujarat, India).

The festival began on Friday, July 3 with gurupuja, the worship of the guru. After gurupuja Bhaktipada named five priests who would assist in the subsequent ceremonies. Bhu-varaha puja was the highpoint of that night, with ten torches lighting the way. The head priest, Gaura Keshava, began a fire sacrifice and offered oblations, bananas, coconuts and incense. Under the newly-built yajña-shala (place of sacrifice), four different fire pits were built with clay bricks and the puja began. The final event that night was the “mirror ceremony.” Before deities are installed, they are usually submerged under water for one night. But if that is not possible, the deities are placed in front of large tubs of water, and their reflections are placed under water.

On Saturday, July 4, Shri Shri Radha-Vrindaban Chandra stood upon a teakwood cart, and processed 3 ½ miles, from Bahulaban, where they had resided in the old farmhouse since 1972, to their new temple which was built ¼ mile behind the Palace, near the Guest Lodge. The teakwood ratha cart, complete with thirteen carved domes, fenders, columns, arches, and a large peacock, had been carved in India and shipped to New Vrindaban where it was assembled. The cart, decorated with bright yellow and orange marigold garlands, processed slowly up Palace Road, pulled by dozens of devotees tugging on thick orange ropes.

The Brijabasi Spirit reported, “Cows and chanting devotees covered the road as far as one could see. Shrila Bhaktipada and Shrila Gurupada [Satsvarupa Das Goswami] led the procession through the hills. Sitting on large pillows in the back of a transcendental blazer, they occasionally threw handfuls of flowers to the devotees, or when the devotees felt fatigued under the hot sun, sprayed them with scented water from fire extinguishers. As the effulgent sight of the Deities passed one of our neighbor’s houses, an old lady suddenly ran down her driveway and jumped up and down. ‘Just see, she’s dancing for the deities,’ said Shrila Bhaktipada, ‘after all these years.'” (89)

When the procession reached the Palace, the saffron-dressed murti of Shrila Prabhupada was brought out of the Palace on a palanquin, and met the deities on the road. An aroti was performed and Prabhupada and the deities exchanged flower garlands.

When the procession reached the new temple, the deities were bathed in an abhishek ceremony. Vastu puja followed, in which ghosts are removed from a new building. A six-foot tall straw man, dressed in a yellow dhoti and woolen chadar, was placed before the altar, and fifteen watermelons painted with hideous faces were lined up. Gaura Keshava, dressed in a black dhoti and chadar, explained, “This puja is performed to invoke any ghosts that might be around. Ghosts are subtle creatures that live in a very abominable condition of life due to sinful activities. Sometimes they give trouble by trying to take over other bodies. By mantras, we invite the ghost to enter into the straw body, and when he’s feeling comfortable in that condition, we light him up. Any smaller ghosts that are around will be attracted to the watermelons. These watermelons are also bodies, and since ghosts are eager to live in any body besides their own, they’ll jump into the watermelons. In India, people often hang pumpkins around so the ghosts will enter them instead of human bodies. After they enter watermelons, we’ll smash them. This won’t kill them; they are also spirit souls. But they’ll want to leave.” (90)

The Brijabasi Spirit reported: (91)

“After performing a fire sacrifice, Gaura Keshava lit several pieces of camphor on the straw man’s chest. The straw man was aflame! A kirtan started. “Kirtan,” explained Gaura Keshava, “is the most essential ingredient in this puja—to purify the atmosphere.”

“Suddenly, Gaura Keshava grabbed the rope attached to the straw man and began running. Like a flash he was at the back of the temple, dragging the straw man, swinging him back and forth. Gaura ran his second lap within seconds. Then he ran a third lap at even a faster pace, and exhibited a full burst of speed, ran out the front door with the devotees shouting, “Haribol! Haribol! Hare Krishna!”

“The temple was then cleaned inside, and then the final ceremony before the installation of the deities began: the installation of the sacred chakra. ‘To protect the devotees, the chakra is placed on top of all temples of Krishna. To install the chakra, Gaura Keshava performed a fire sacrifice in which the chakra was attached to one of the fires with a copper wire. He then placed the chakra on his head, circumambulated the temple once, and climbed a ladder up to the third floor roof. Climbing another ladder, he lifted the chakra to the top of the main dome, and installed it.’ ” (92)

(to be continued)

4 Dec 2007 Tuesday  Fasting for Utpanna Ekadasi

December 15-17,

ISKCON ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES CONFERENCE
ISKCON Scholarship and the World: Academic and Cultural Contributions

20 Dec 2007 Thursday  Fasting for Moksada Ekadasi
Advent of Srimad Bhagavad-gita
GITA JAYANTI
(Reading from Bhagavad Gita As it IS)
RVC Temple @ 4:30 PM

27 Dec 2007 Thursday

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura – Disappearance Day
(Fasting till noon)
New Vrindaban Family Christmas Feast

12:00 PM- Ceremony in the Temple Room (Kirtan, Puspanjali)
1:30 PM – Feast
3:00 PM- Universal Teacher
(Movie about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur)

We need your help with cooking that great feast !!!

31 Dec 2007 8:30 PM New Vrindaban RVC Temple New Year Party & Feast

Chanting, dancing and feasting party start @ 7:00 PM and will go as long as
you last.

By Sankirtana Das

Introduction

In October a group of about 25 students, along with their professors, visited New Vrindaban (NV). They were part of the Global Leadership Project at Ohio University. For their fall project, the students broke into groups of three and each group was assigned a devotee to interview and to write a paper on their devotee’s Conversion Experience. Caitanya dasa made sure that the devotees consisted of men and women, as well as older and newer devotees. Each group of students conducted several phone interviews with their devotee. Also, for a month before their visit, the students extensively researched NV and gathered information from various sources. A number of students even read Monkey On A Stick. Then, for a weekend in October, the students actually visited NV to get a close up view of the community and also to meet their respective devotees.

Recently, professor Greg Emery forwarded me papers of the students’ reflections of their visit to the community. I thought the raw candor of their observations would be valuable to take a look at in helping devotees to understand how some visitors view the community. The following excerpts are from those student papers.

Please also see my comments in END NOTES after the excerpts.

In a few months, the papers the student groups wrote on their devotees’ Conversion Experience will appear on the Harvard Pluralism Project website at Pluralism.org

Comments About the Devotion of the Devotees

“Touring the Temple and Palace I was able to see the result of pure faith in one’s God. I can only hope to achieve something as magnificent as a result in my faith in something.”

“The practices of bhakti yoga, vegetarianism, as well as many other nuances of the religion were apparent in every single devotees’ life.”

“They offered love and a genuine sense of care for your well being. Once you ask them about the religion, they won’t hesitate to talk your ear off.”

“I appreciated the session on etiquette. the discussion helped me see that the Hare Krishna’s were not much different than anyone else, and that was very important to me. I wish the devotees the best of luck in their futures.”

“I could see that Chris is truly devoted to his religion. It’s amazing to me how much he knows about it, and I have been a Catholic all my life and still do not know some aspects of it.”

“It was amazing to see how dedicated and passionate Tapahpunja was about gardening and agriculture.”

“Getting a tour and talking with a women (Jamuna) who seemed to have a great influence on the community and who had been there for a long time was nice.”

“The most enjoyable part of the trip for me was the meditation during Damodar’s yoga class. It seems that each Hare Krishna, just like everyone else, has their own way to worship and practice their faith.”

About Kirtana and Dancing

“We saw the devotees having a blast and decided to join in and just by our participation they were successful in getting us engaged in their religion.”

“I was a bit unnerved at the fact that devotees would pull in non-participating people and force then into kirtana with them. Everyone knew they were welcome to join in if they wanted to.The chanting and dancing was fun. The kirtanas reminded me of taking communion in my church. the Hare Krishna faith is not far off from Christianity.”

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by Dulal Candra das (written for a memorial held by his family)

audio is available at:
http://dulal.podomatic.com/entry/2007-11-26T07_55_38-08_00

Dear Friends,

I say friends not because we have ever met, but because of the close friendship I had with your intimate relative and friend, a kind soul I knew as “Taru”: devotee, writer, public speaker, humorist, ascetic and a true lover of the Supreme Lord. I dare say that my knowledge and appreciation of Taru differs considerably from yours simply because of our varied perspectives. You, of course, knew him as a close relative, someone you grew up with and loved, or nurtured into adulthood by your good guidance and love. Others of you were his contemporaries in companionship and again, dare I say, love. But as Taru matured into manhood his interests and attentions were diverted. He (seemed to) began to distance himself from your love, and he sought his love elsewhere. And this, I know, must have broken your hearts. Where was your dear Tom? Why had he gone off to some commune in the back hills of West Virginia? Did we do something wrong?

Well, let me set your mind and fond memories as ease. All of your nurturing loves combined to develop the most magnificent, benevolent, and spiritually advanced Taru, who was my dear friend. Today’s society places little value on those traits of character which are truly admirable for those seeking spiritual advancement in this human form of life. Too often we throw aside truthfulness, austerity, cleanliness, and mercy for greed, hypocrisy, deceitfulness and other lustful ambitions which we will not discuss on this auspicious occasion. But Taru held the truly admirable characteristics of saintly behavior like a torch as he sough to find the essence of all existence.

Although we are not here today to discuss religious philosophy, I could not in good conscience offer any homage to Taru without glorifying what he held most dear to his heart. So please give a moment of your time to contemplate the essential life teachings that Tom held so dear and to which he dedicated his life. To this end please allow me to crack open the timeless transcendental teachings of Vedic culture, in order to shed some light on Taru’s truly saintly character. Unknown to our culture, but commonly accepted throughout time and the varied universes, concrete spiritual direction is available to all humanity in the eternal spiritual instruction coming from the Lord Himself. To that end Taru humbly submitted to a bonafide spiritual teacher, one who actually knew God personally, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, loving referred to as Srila Prabhupada by his disciples.

Srila Prabhupada, a pure devotee of God of the topmost stature, accepted Taru as his disciple. And Taru accepted Srila Prabhupada as his guru, his spiritual instructor, and he took the instructions of Srila Prabhupada as his very life and soul. This was not done as some passing fancy. He did not fall sway to some charlatan swami. He was not conned into some mindless cult, for you know his determined character would never fall prey to any cheap tricks when it came to that thing he held most dear, true knowledge – the absolute truth. Rather Srila Prabhupada offered the topmost knowledge of the soul and a simple spiritual solution to the dilemma of material existence, pure love of God through complete immersion in God consciousness by chanting the Lords holy names. And of all Gods hundreds and millions of names the name Krishna, meaning “all attractive”, Rama meaning “all powerful” and Hare “the one who takes away all obstacles” are most significant. Thus this practice of spiritual realization is commonly referred to as the Hare Krishna Movement, for the followers chant

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

to attain spiritual perfection.

I know that if I were personally with you today, many of you would approach and ask, tell me about the time you spent with Tom. What did you do? how did you live? where did you live? what kept him in a farm commune in West Virginia instead of studying at the university or working in a profession? So let me provide a small glimpse into those days on the farm back in the ’70s.

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