New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Come one, come all, as we celebrate the success of the Summer 2007 GBC International Meetings here in New Vrindaban Dham with some of the finest theater and kirtan ISKCON has to offer.

Beginning at 7PM, in the Main Temple Room, you can see and hear:

“TENTH CANTO”-A dramatic rendition of the Tenth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, featuring the New Vrindaban Players led by the one-of-a-kind direction of His Holiness Bhakti-Marg Swami

This will be followed by sublime bhajans led by HH Lokanath Swami and HH BB Govinda Maharaja.

Admission is free, and donations are appreciated.

Immediately, we took Radha Vrindavanatha and Lord Jagannatha off the altar, and hid Sri Kartamaji. At first we went up the hill in front of the temple to Hayagriva’s A frame cabin. Hayagriva was away traveling at that time.

Parayana had slipped out, made her way back up top, and found us in the cabin. Parayana was a regular resident at Vrindavan Farm, but had been spending a few days “in the city” at Bahulavan for a respite; a sort of vacation.

She began telling us what she’d seen going on at Bahulavan that morning. On hearing her story, we decided to totally vacate the cabin and immediate temple premises, and hide in the woods between Vrindavan Farm and Burches Run Lake. So we gathered Their Lordships Radha Vrindavanatha and Lord Jagannatha and carried Them deep into a heavily wooded hillside well above the old man-made lake and out of sight.

If we had known the whole story, we would have known Krishna had already extended His merciful protection to all of us and we needn’t have run with Krishna into the forest for safety.

When the gang members had cut the phone line to the one pay phone that existed in the community, one of their members was sent up the high road to Mr. Snyder’s farm. Mr. Snyder’s farm is the big beautiful multiple homestead on the ridge between Bahulavan and Vrindavan Farm, that can be seen from the main paved road.

Back then when the bottom road to Vrindavan Farm and its three creek crossings was unappeasable, we would walk across Mr. Snyder’s part of the ridge to get to and from Bahulavan on errands or for the Sunday Feast program. Mr. Snyder wasn’t interested in what we were doing, so much as that we behave as good neighbors in regard to him and his property. So, when we would be passing through, we would stop at his house to let him know we were there and get his always pleasant, and nominal permission to cross his land.

On the morning of June 5th, when Mr. Snyder opened his door a man stood there patting a semi-automatic rifle and asking Mr. Snyder if he knew how many people lived up there behind his place. The idea of the motorcycle gang was to literally wipe out the Hare Krishnas in West Vriginia, and they assumed that any local would find that a worthy goal and likely even want to help them do it. After all, the Mormons who had tried to settle in this same area some time back were driven out with fire and lynchings.

Not liking the attitude of the stranger, Mr. Snyder caustiouly answered, “Oh, about a dozen.” “Well” said the stranger patting his rifle, “That’s 12 dead.”

Pulling his own rifle out from behind his door, Mr. Snyder leveled it at the man’s chest and said, “Thirteen. Turn right around and go back where you came from.” The stranger didn’t hesitate.

Meanwhile, matters at Bahulavan had deteriorated quickly. Once the phone line was cut, gang members stationed themselves outside each of the tilt type windows surrounding the temple room. As Srimad Bhagavatam class was in session, all the devotees were inside sitting on the floor. Suddenly rifle barrels poked through every window. Several of the men raced to the windows and tried to grab the gun barrels trying to wrench the weapons out of the hands of the assailants. All were wounded to one degree or another. Bidan Chandra’s left arm was so badly wounded, he almost bled to death on the temple room floor. Bullets whizzed everywhere up and down.

Through the one and only temple room door the leader of the group entered more of his men following belligerently. The firing at the windows stopped and the leader demanded to know who was in charge. When Kirtanananda Maharaj calmly replied he was, the man slapped him across the face.

The leader ordered his men to take Kirtanananda and Dharmatma outside and to go up the hill with shovels. They were to be “allowed” to dig their own graves.

Some time before the leader’s daughter had met Dharmatma who had been heading up a traveling sankirtana party. The daughter had been interested and followed Dharmatma’s party back to New Vrindavan for the festival.
by motherrupa

The motorcycle gang had followed her. Gang memebers semi-cased the farm coming to the horrid conclusion that we had made a human sacrifice out of his daughter in one of the fire yajnas. So the gang came with a strong and murderous intention for complete revenge. While in truth the girl had left with other festival attendants apparently desiring to leave her father’s situation.

After the two prisoners were taken outside, the gang turned their full attention on the devotees left in the temple. It became a scene of wolves ravaging among sheep. There was wholesale beating and assault going on throughout the temple room. Everyone present there was convinced they were all going to meet their time of death that morning, but the sheer horriffic violence of the leader’s orders kept the mass of devotees from chanting out loud.

Suddenly, the leader turned as if summoned toward the curtains closed in front of the altar. Reaching out, he ripped down the curtains revealing Radha Vrindavan Chandra standing face to face with him.

Enraged and arrogant beyond imagining, he strode up onto the altar, turned his back on Their Lordships and declared, like Hiranyakasipu, “Now I’m your God. Worship me!” With that he turned back around and threw Vrindavan Chandra face first down the altar steps. (the same steps by the way that make up Lord Jagannatha’s altar today)

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by motherrupa

It all really began on June 2. From June 2 to June 4, New Vrindavan was having the biggest festival series since fall of the year before, when

Srila Prabhupada had come for Janmastami and his Vyasa Puja celebrations. During that festival Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra had moved down from Their original installation site at the Old Vrindavan Farm, to the ‘new’ temple on the main dirt road at Bahulavan.

Now 7 months later Radha Krishna were again appearing in Prabhupada’s New Vrindavan. Hayagriva Prabhu had been spending some time in Vrindavan India with Srila Prabhupada, and while there, he acquired small Radha Krishna and Gour Nitai Deities for the three temples already in New Vrindavana in anticipation of at least four more temples to come.

At the Brahmacarini ashrama in the Old Vrindavan Farm, we had been helping sew bead bags, and altar handkerchiefs to sell to help reimburse Hayagriva Prabhu when he returned with Radha and Krishna.

Indeed, there was to be a full on three day festival of Diety installations, the cornerstone setting for what would become Prabhupada’s Palace, initiations and a fire yajna wedding: a record five fire sacrifices in three days.

In those days, fire yajnas were fairly new to us all, and were always very exceptional: as they are still today. The ever increasing build up of the transcendental preparations, sound vibration, and the appearance of Lord Visnu in the fire were extraordinarily potent, purifying, and compelling leading to an endless impact.

There was to be a transcendental competition between the farms; Bahulavan, Madhuvan, and Vrindavan, to see who could put on the best feast after the ceremonies held at each temple.

At the Vrindavan Farm our rolling pin was pretty ragged, so to roll quantities of puris for the feast we used glass mason jars to roll out the dough. Actually, mason jars were one of the indispensable tools ‘up top’. We would also use them to churn cream into butter. There was only one cow up top, so there wasn’t the volumes of cream there that needed to be dealt at Bahulavan. But we’d take what there was put about a cup at a time in a mason jar, and then while we were dancing and jumping at arotike, we’d shake the jar and by the end of arotike—butter for Krishna!

Anyway, before Radha Vrindavanath came to the Vrindavan Farm, there was only the small Lord Jagannatha Deities Who belonged to Cintamani, and a large murti of Lord Kartamaji on the altar beside the usual altar pictures.

Sudakari, the original seamstress for Radha Vrindavan Chandra, and Isani Their Lordships’ jeweler par excellance both held ‘shop’ on the second floor of the temple.

Beside the usual temple duties for maintainence and Deity worship, we also sawed and split our own firewood, and dug stool holes on the hillside a suitable distance from the temple. But we would all spend any time we could upstairs in Sudakari’s sewing room trying to help with sewing projects for Radha Vrindavan Chandra, or prepare new outfits for the arrival and installation of Sri Sri Radha Vrindavanatha, or working on the projects to raise the laksmi needed to reimburse Hayagriva.

We had tapes playing always, and we would sometimes play games among ourselves like trying to go through the alphabet and remember as many Names for Krishna as we could for each letter. Whoever would remember one more than the person who was having their turn, could go to the next letter and try to name as many Names as they could and so on. And we would learn verses and whatever we could of the Vaishnava songs while we worked, helping each other to memorize the words and tunes we knew then. We held mini Krishna Bowls discussing the stories of Krishna’s pastimes from Krshina Book. Our days were full of and for Krishna and each other. We were young and eager.

Monday morning, June 5th, Cirantana came riding up on one of the draft horses from Bahulavan. The horse was lathered and sweating and Cirantana was in a panic driven state. He met Gadadhar out front on the brick walkway.

Gadadhar came somberly into the temple room. We were all still there as the Deity Greeting had just barely ended. It was only the second morning for us to have the darshan of Radha Vrindavanatha and we were keenly aware of Their beauty and merciful Presence.

Gadadhar had terrible news. Cirantana had said demons had attacked Bahulavan and had taken Kirtanananda away to kill him. He said Radha Vrindavan Chandra had been hurt and it was expected the attackers were trying to wipe out the community…

(to be continued)

by Taru dasa (from an undated Brijabasi Spirit, sometime from 1976 thru 77)

I remember walking into the barn here for the first time. In those days the cows were using only half of it. When you came in the front door there were 3 or 4 horses standing in their stalls. The horses always made me nervous because they were so big weighing a ton apiece or so, and they used to kick out occasionally at people walking by. There wasn’t much room to get around them because half the room was being used to store incense. So we cautiously slid by into the cow parlor.

The milking was going on so it was real quiet and all you could hear was milk shooting into the buckets. There were only about a dozen mellowed out cows in there, looking perfectly content. Everything seemed very quaint until suddenly I saw her. Over against the wall was a cow who looked twice as tall as any one else. They had milked two full buckets out of her which seemed like quite a lot to me.

Frankly, I didn’t have any idea how much one cow produced. When I asked, Devaki told me she was giving about 70 pounds a day. This was a conception I couldn’t visualize. I thought of a 100 pound sack of potatoes and tried to translate it into milk. I was just overwhelmed, expecting that maybe a gallon or two would have been a lot for one day. Then someone mentioned that actually 70 pounds wasn’t so much. A lot of cows gave over 100 pounds a day. I tried to imagine how big one of those cows must be since Himavati was already the biggest cow I had ever looked at and she was only giving 70 .

For three and a half years since then I’ve looked at pictures of all I kinds of good cows. Actually, they weren’t any bigger than Himavati was. I just wanted to see what a 100 pound-a-day cow looked like. Devakl went to the New York farm and started another herd. When Srlla Prabhupada visited there this year they had 4 cows milking over a hundred and in New York City Prabhupada was telling everyone about the big milk bags on those cows. Our anxiety was increasing. Where do you get one of those cows?

So now, at long last, our curiosity’s been satisfied. Himavati’s daughter Sarasvati milked 101 lbs. on September 12, a little over two weeks after her calf was born. It’s pretty amusing that SarasvatI would be the one to do it, to become the darling of all the devotees’ hearts, because three years ago she was the most notorious rascal in the herd. She was completely wild. If you tried to put a halter on her outside she’d run away. If you finally caught her she’d fight every inch, resisting your efforts to lead her along. She jumped over gates 4 or 5 feet high and barbed wire fences, too, threatening her little milk bag. Everyone was afraid she’d really hurt herself.

After her first calf she was giving about 60 pounds a day. But the trouble was that she was always trying to kick the milk bucket over. She had moves which were impossible to block. Once my heart got stopped when I saw her kick both back legs out high into the air, sending the bucket and both milkers flying. No one liked milking her too much.

Last year Mother Parvati got up to 97.4 pounds but failed to hit 100. Sarasvati had her second calf just after that. The first day fresh she gave 50 pounds and started going up real fast. In a week she was at 95 but then some real hot weather came along and she slipped off. This year she came fresh with only 20 pounds on the first day, but within a week she went up to 80. Then four days in a row she stuck on 88 pounds. It looked like that was as high as she was going to go. That’s when Parambrahma dasa started keeping her in the barn and feeding her choice alfalfa hay. She got up to 90 once or twice, then back to 88. Finally on Saturday she all of a sudden went up to 98, seven pounds higher than the day before. The next day we finally had our own 100 pound-a-day cow, and since then she has gone up to 116 pounds.

Actually, it’s not a matter of size. Himavati weighed a good 200 pounds more and stood a lot taller. I still can’t tell a 100 pound cow by looking. You just have to wait to see how big that milk bag gets when the calf is born. For anyone who has trouble visualizing 100 pounds of milk, like I did at first, it’s just a bit less than 12 gallons. Out of that much milk you can get about 2 quarts of ghee.

In the Spiritual Sky the Surabhi cows supply an unlimited amount of milk so I think that the only factor limiting our supply is our ability to use it all in Krsna’s service. Someday, perhaps the whole herd will average over 100. This is our Sankirtana here, we have to attract people by our cow protection program. So as our Godbrothers push forth Lord Caitanya’s movement by getting Prabhupada’s books out, we uneducated farmers remain here trying to pull out the pounds: chant Hare Krsna, drink milk and be happy.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

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After taking lunch Prasadam Sunday afternoon, I was told that Parampara prabhu had been taken to a hospital in Wheeling last evening.

Last evening sometime, Parampara had phoned Rasa Caitanya & asked him to help at the lodge tomorrow, as he had become extremely ill and was going to the hospital tomorrow if he wasn’t doing better by in the morning. Upon hearing his symptoms, Rasa Caitanya immediately urged and demanded that he go immediately to the hospital, as was accomplished. Apparently Parampara prabhu has had some kind of (mild) stroke (or something).

After hearing about this, I thought that I should get to this computer to let everyone know and ask for the devotees’ prayers for this great personality. I had been taking Prasadam, talking with the devotees and then with some wonderful guests, so as I was headed to the Temple Library to store away the electric wheelchair, and as Krsna could only personally arrange, I immediately came in contact with Rupanuga prabhu, who had just then come back from visiting Parampara at the hospital. When Rupanuga arrived at the hospital, Parampara was lying down resting, but not asleep.

Rupanuga’s description was very encouraging compared to what I had initially heard. One of Parampara’s legs does not function properly, as he limps and doesn’t have full control of it. Also one side of his face in numb. His speech and the use of his eyes are normal, which, to me is a very good sign

Rupanuga said that the doctors want to keep him for several days at the hospital, for observation and tests. They also said that taking Parampara to Morgantown Hospital will be the next option or step, if they cannot deal with him nicely in Wheeling.

If anyone knows more, or can correct whatever I’ve haphazardly incorrectly written, PLEASE let me know ASAP.

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Bhakta Marg Swami, famous for turning desire into talent, is on campus and will be running drama practices every evening at 7 PM in the main prasadam room in the temple.

While experience is a plus, BMS has made taking shy and inexperienced devotees and turning them into competent actors a well polished routine.

As a participant in a previous play BMS put on in NV told me (I am loosely paraphrasing), “I had never acted before and never thought I could but after the play I realized I had really enjoyed it.”

So come one and come all, and bring your friends.

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By Jiva Goswami dasa

After the first time I’d read the Bhagavada Gita As It Is, there was nothing logical to do but to surrender at the Temple. It was Vahna Prabhu who had introduced me to Krsna Consciousness, and I wanted to take up The Program in Columbus, where Vahna lived at the time.

But having material “success,” I recognized material attachment: There was always just one more something else that needed to be done: family, home, pool with cabana and flood lights, whatever. I imagined an obligation with the load. I could not let go, though ostensibly, I wanted to.

I called Narada Muni, the Columbus Temple President, and asked if he would send a Devotee to help me extricate myself. Narada Muni agreed to that proposal. With success as a Science Fiction Writer, I’d moved my family from “The City” upstate, to Woodstock.
I was told to meet my liberator at the Albany Airport.

I assumed Narada Muni would send Vahna. When my wife and I met the plane, I was surprised to see it was someone else entirely: Hari Dhama Prabhu. I’d met and admired Hari Dhama previously, on quick come and go visits to Columbus. He was slight of build, and very scholarly looking, with his steel rimmed glasses and dour demeanor. The fact is, Hari Dhama is a great scholar, but he is far more an angel of a swan than dour.

I’d wondered if devotees traveled in their dhotis and kirtas. As Hari Dhama came towards us, looking with stern glances all around, I saw that not only was Hari Dhama completely decked out as the Devotee he is, but that he was just the right person to get me out of there.

Vahna and I might have kidded around and had lots of fun, but Narada’s choice of deploying Hari Dhama was simply perfect. By sending Hari Dhama, it was clear to me the Devotees meant business.

We exchanged greetings, and brought Hari Dhama home with us. Hari Dhama took over the cooking, as we did not cook properly, being karmis and Hari Dhama had to eat, after all. I found that his cooking was just as wonderful as that prepared in the Temple.

It was around this time that my wife, who’d initially professed great interest in coming along and joining up, began to decline.

“I’m not pure enough,” she told Hari Dhama around the second evening he was with us. I’d heard that argument too, and hadn’t known how to deal with it. Hari Dhama missed not a beat. He told us about the sun purifying everything, regardless of the condition of that which is placed before it.

Next door neighbors entreated me not to go. They knew a little about Krsna Consciousness. They told me that if I came to a Temple and surrendered, I’d never be able to go back. That seemed a little far fetched to me, I imagined that I’d be able to do just about as I pleased, being a man of the world. If I didn’t like Krsna Consciousness, I reasoned, I’d return. Of course, however, they were quite correct. Once we see how the play is produced, we may admire the production, but it becomes very hard to believe in the proffered illusion. As it turned out, to go back is like pretending something is real which we’ve been given to understand is at best fleeting as clouds.

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by Damodar das

Last week Gopalasyapriya was performing her customary rounds in the Palace gardens. She was approached by one guest, an Indian gentleman who was visiting with his family. The gentleman asked Gopa her name, and then she asked him for his. He replied that his name is Maha Lingam. Other than that, he seemed quite normal.

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

As you may know, the International Governing Body of ISKCON will be meeting in New Vrindaban from June 3-7. We are hosting this meeting after twenty-one years and hope to provide the GBCs with a pleasant and memorable stay.

In order to do so, we need your help! If you would like to volunteer your talents in any capacity, please contact us at 304-843-1600, ext. 105, 304-845-6998, or rs@pamho.net.

Help is needed in all areas, so please do not hestitate to step forward!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Your servants,

Ananda Tirtha Das
Janaka Mahajana Das
Radha Sundari devi dasi