New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

By Srila Jiva Goswami dasa

Disappearing

One morning, at the Columbus Temple, Krpa Maya Prabhu saw me cleaning the floors, as he had taught me, and he asked if he could talk to me a moment. “There is a boy who is coming to see me,” Krpa Maya declared. “He is sort of a nuisance.”

I thought to myself, “This person must be QUITE a nuisance in order to reach the level of a desire for avoidance by Krpa Maya.” Out loud, I said, “You want me to tell him you are not here?”

Krpa Maya smiled at me. “Yes, Bhakta Jesse,” he said. “Would you please?” With that Krpa Maya turned and darted quickly up the stairs. I went back to cleaning.

In less than a minute, a young stranger came in the front door. “Have you seen Krpa Maya?” he said to me.

I put my sopping rag back in the soapy water. “Krpa Maya?” I wrung out the rag. “Krpa Maya left just a little while ago.”

“Oh,” our visitor said. “Do you mind if I talk to you a little?”

Me? Mind talking? I plunked the rag into the bucket and got to my feet. “What’s on your mind?” I asked.

The boy had a lot of questions about Krsna Consciousness. He had been reading, but he wasn’t sure The Process was right for him. After a few minutes of talking, I got the impression the boy was simply jerking my chain. I needed the practice though. It isn’t as if the lad was arguing as much as he was just going around and around in circles. I enjoyed the process of trying to keep the conversation linear, but I could see how this could become wearing, particularly if you were a guy, such as Krpa Maya, who had a LOT of Service to do. At the time, Krpa Maya was running a popular health food store upstairs in the Temple.

To my amazement, after talking with the boy for a while, Krpa Maya himself appeared on the stairs right next to us. What was he thinking? Krpa Maya had instructed me to tell the kid that he was not in, and now he was appearing, practically in our faces. I played it straight, and kept talking with the boy. Krpa Maya stood and listened for a while, and then he actually came on down the stairs, and walked directly by us into the Temple area.

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by Bhavisyat dasa  ( from Sept, 1981 Issue of the Brijabasi Spirit)

Lord Balarama, Subadhra and Lord Jagannatha on Their way back to Vrindaban

        When New Vrindaban is mentioned to any devotee in ISKCON these days, there is virtual certainty that he will automatically think of Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, Radha-Vrindaban Candra and Srila Bhaktipada. It wasn’t so long ago however, that New Vrindaban meant a two mile walk up a nearly impossible road to a run-down farmhouse and cabins being fixed up by a small crew of mostly neophyte devotees. It also meant cows, cold water, lots of woods, and lots of austerity. It also meant mud. Most importantly, it meant big Lord Jagannath who manifested Himself from a tree whose stump can even now be seen from the old Vrindaban road.

        Since then New Vrindaban has gotten BIG. Now thousands of visitors come weekly to see Prabhupada’s Palace. New Vrindaban and Krishna consciousness are becoming well-known world-wide. One is reminded of the struggle of the Pandavas, stuck in the woods for so many years and then emerging to become glorious world-leaders. When their life in the woods was behind them, as kings, they sometimes recalled their happy and peaceful days in the forest when they always thought about Krishna, as compared to their lives as heads of state with all it’s burdens and pressures. Similarly, as with any emerging large community still undergoing “growing pains” in it’s rapid expansion, there sometimes seems also to be hassles and delays causing anxiety (such as waiting an hour to use the phone, or not being able to get a vehicle when needed). These are admittedly small problems compared to the bewildering complexities faced by the non-devotees, but for those of us who remember “the good old days in Vrindaban,” there is a hankering for a peaceful and quiet atmosphere of Krishna consciousness.

Recently, big Lord Jagannath mercifully returned to New Vrindaban for His Snana-yatra bathing ceremony and then recuperated at our Talavan forest cabin. During His recovery an uncertainty lingered as to His destination after becoming well again. The old Vrindaban farm had been mentioned as a possibility if someone could be found to fix it up in time for Lord Jagannath to move in. Somehow or other, yours truly got the inspiration to restore the old farm house for Lord Jagannath’s pleasure. Three weeks of full-time effort was put into the project with large assists from Bimbadhara dasa and Gaudiya dasa. By Sunday July 12, we thought we were ready for the Lord’s Ratha-yatra to Vrindaban farm, deep in the woods. However, Srila Bhaktipada thought differently. That Sunday was perhaps the sunniest day of 1981 so far. The whole week had been dry and sunny and the back road to Vrindaban farm, which runs through some of the deepest woods in West Virginia, had been cleared of branches which could have struck the Lord. So we all figured we’d put their Lordships Baladeva, Subadhra, and Jagannath on a specially framed tractor trailer and tractor-drive them through the woods in procession. However, at the board meeting early in the morning, the first words from Sri la Bhaktipada were: “Lord Jagannath doesn’t want to go to Vrindaban. “I tried to keep my outer appearance calm and thoughtful, but inside I was quaking nervously and thinking, “Ooh, no…Srila Bhaktipada, have mercy!” His reasons were numerous:

1) The back road was too narrow with cliffs, and muddy.

2) The altar wasn’t big enough at Vrindaban.

3) Nothing was prepared for His stay in Vrindaban.

        Also there were not enough devotees to worship Him properly. So I had to accept what Srila Bhaktipada was ordering. What choice was there? When the spiritual master says, “Go.” the disciple asks, “How fast and in what direction?”

       Anyway, since I am totally unsurrendered, I started objecting and putting up so many counter arguments which all were completely rejected. But since the main objection seemed to be that the route to go to Vrindaban was awful, and since his last comment at the meeting was, If Mr. Snyder agrees to let all the devotees parade their Lordships across his land, then it’s O.K.”, I simply decided to make a final last ditch effort of going to see our neighbor, Mr. Snyder to plead for us to cross his property with a few vehicles and an escort of devotees. Surprisingly enough, he agreed, (Jagannath’s arrangement) but he stipulated that some heavy equipment work be done on his driveway in return. I immediately assured him this would be taken care of as soon as possible. (Although I didn’t get a chance to mention any of this to Kasyapa, who is in charge of the heavy equipment, until the next day.) Then I ran all over the ridge, looking for Srila Bhaktipada. When I found him, I blurted out, “Mr. Snyder says, “It’s O.K.” What do you think of crossing his property now?” My fingers were crossed. Then he smiled and said, “All right, let’s do it,” and he drove away. So we had our New Vrindaban-style Ratha-yatra on the back of a four-wheel drive pickup to Vrindaban farm and installed Lord Baladeva, Lady Subadhra, and Lord Jagannath on Their altar and had a little festival which was enjoyed by all the devotees. In the temple, Srila Bhaktipada’s comments were, “We started at Vrindaban, and although we’re expanding rapidly, we aren’t attached. We can always come back to Vrindaban, chant Hare Krishna and be happy.” Lord Jagannath seems to be very happy in Vrindaban, and it has become a place of pilgrimage for all the devotees to come see the ecstatic features and pastimes of Their Lordships. We are trying to make arrangements for more and more devotees to visit, but it is something of an austerity to come to Vrindaban. You have to walk two miles up a muddy dirt road, impossible by vehicle, or come across the valley, which entails having a modest amount of mountain climbing ability. But it should be an austerity to reach Vrindaban and we should not be bothered by the access routes. Srila Bhaktipada eventually wants to build a bridge across the valley from the Palace. We hope to see that happen next summer. After that, what? The main principle is always chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

 

Jaya Jagannatha

 

New Vrindavan Dham will be hosting a world-class 24 hour kirtan on August 18-19. North America’s best kirtaniyas will be there along with special guests Madhava Prabhu (Switzerland/Vrindavan) and Gopala Prabhu (UK/Vrindavan/Mayapur), seasoned veterans of Aindra Prabhu’s kirtan party!

Come immerse yourself fully in the ecstasy of the Mahamantra along with Acyuta, Ananta, Bali, Gauravani, Visvambhara, and friends!

For more details, contact Radha Sundari (rs@pamho.net, 304-845-9591). To book accommodation, phone the New Vrindavan Guest Lodge (304-843-1600, extension 111).

Ratha-yatra photos at the New Vrindaban Website in the Gallery and then look under Festivals. This link should get you there, http://www.newvrindaban.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=607

by Josh Bonfili

Hello, Just wanted to stop in and share some of my photos from the event 🙂

I took a lot, so more to come.

Ratha yatra photos

If anyone would like a copy of a specific picture just email me and I’ll email you the High Quality version that you can print.

stupidwisdom@gmail.com

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by Haridhama dasa

(from Sept. 1981 Issue of the Brijabasi Spirit)

Today, while walking, chanting,
a leaf, recently fallen,
wafted by a gentle breeze,
drifted across my path.
Red, golden, sepia hues
nearly glowing…
I thought, ‘Ah, there’s beauty
even in death.’
Walking on, sometimes chanting,
sometimes thinking,
death on my mind…
sunlight twinkling through the trees,
splashing me with warm rays of light,
brilliant yellow flowers
beckoning my vision from the roadside…
then a cold breeze comes, momentarily
bursting my bubble of pleasure.
I think, ‘Maya is so subtle…
this tissue of lies-not lies,
but not what we think it is…
Death nearby, His cold hand
on the shoulders of those
who know him not.
His face, pale and grim,
staring with glazed eyes
at those who serve Him
Walked a little further,
thinking like this.
ROWWRR!!
A big German shepherd
leaps from the shadows,
eyes blazing, teeth gnashing–
Remembering Prabhupada,
I said, ‘Hut! Hut!’
He barked, looked bewildered,
then went away,
his attention drawn elsewhere.
Death is waiting in the shadows,
unseen by the fools.
Yudhisthira said
“It’s the most wonderful thing, everyone is dying, but it is not for me.”
There’s no beauty in death
for the worldly.
Beauty awaits only those
who remember Krishna
Prabhupada once said,
“For the devotee,
death is like going to sleep
and when he wakes up,
there are Radha and Krishna,
smiling.”

tvayi me’nanya-visaya
matir madhu-pate ‘sakrt
ratim udvahafad addha
gangevaugham undanvati

‘O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea, without hindrance let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else.’S.B.I.8.42,

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Pastimes of Lord Jagannatha- Morning class in the Temple 8:00 AM

RATHA YATRA PARADE 11:00 AM
(start from Nityo’s/Rupanuga’s house)

JAGANNATHA FEAST

EVENING BHAJANS

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A class given in New Vrindaban by HH Bhakti Charu Swami.

TRANSLATION: Homes from which guests go away without having been received even with an offering of a little water are like those holes in the field which are the homes of jackals.

PURPORT: In a field there may be holes made by snakes and mice, but when there are very big holes, it may be supposed that jackals live there. Certainly no one goes to take shelter in such homes. Thus the homes of human beings where atithis, uninvited guests, are not properly received are like the homes of jackals.

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By Srila Jiva Goswami dasa

As a Bhakta, in the Columbus Temple, I had a hard time dealing with visitor’s questions. I was afraid to give the wrong answer. When anyone asked me anything at all about Krsna Consciousness, my response was always, “Just a minute.” Then I’d run and consult Narada Muni or some other Temple Authority. It seemed to me that everyone knew more than me. When a genuine Devotee was given an inquiry it looked and sounded , to me, like that Devotee lived for the question, got up and rode, no, flew upon it. “Preaching is the highest Service,” the Devotees always said. They were very very good at it too. I saw that. Why not avail myself of that certain correctness and skill?

This approach quickly wore thin, and I believe it looked kind of fishy to our guests, as if I was, perhaps, not completely brainwashed. Narada Muni Prabhu took to shooing me away with the instruction to cope with questions on my own.

“I can’t,” I warbled.

“Yes you can,” Narada Muni asserted.

For your entertainment, let me share how I believe this capacity to respond to questions was developed in me.

A large part of our program focused on having guests come to us, as opposed to going out and interacting in the field, as it were, via Sankirtan, for example. To that end, at the Columbus Temple, we had fabulous Sunday Feasts. During the week, I, for one, walked around Columbus with Back to Godhead magazines and yellow “Free Feast” cards. Come Sunday, guests would be hanging from the rafters. You’d find people of all sorts; sitting virtually anywhere there was even a little space. After Kirtan and a lecture, the feast was served out, and then guests and Devotees circulated and mingled. It was a wonderful, transcendental party.

After one feast, I was on the front porch of the Temple, just sitting around in my dhoti, when a couple of brothers broke away from the milling happy crowd and approached me. They seemed to me to be just like OSU students. One was far taller than the other. “What are you doing here?” the shorter of the two asked without preamble.

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Dear Devotees,

Yesterday morning a stray dog attacked and hurt one of the baby swans. The dog was described as a small brown dog with no tail. According to Radhika Patel, it was not Sham and Vidya’s dog, and Radhika did not recognize the dog.

Fortunately the cygnet was not killed, but was injured and is
currently recovering at my house.

Please let everyone know that no dogs are allowed to run freely
anywhere in the vicinity of the temple and that stray dogs should be caught, tied up and reported to Marshall County Animal    Shelter at 845-9770. Alternately the dog could be taken to the animal shelter which is located on 12th St. behind the fairgrounds.

Hare Krsna,
Raghunath