New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Gopisa das recently went, for his first time, on a pilgrimage to India.  First, he traveled to Switzerland, and then on to India.

He wrote a daily journal back to his family, which he shared, below.

DAY 1

Dearest family,

Arrived in Delhi at 1am Sunday morning to an assault on the mind and senses that is hard to put into words. First impression was like walking into a Fellini film of gypsies with a mix of spirituality and subterfuge. There is a palpable air of wonder amidst the bustle of crushing third world humanity and mixed technology of BMWs and rattle-trap trucks with colorful paintings and hubcaps tied to the back. The air is thick and smoky with strange smells that are not necessarily displeasing but carry the awareness that one is not in Moundsville, WV any more.

We’re in the apartment of Kavita having just finished eating rohtis and cream cheese with herbal tea over discussions of identifying the self, giving up the false ego and anticipation of visiting Sri Bankey Bihari.

Coming from Switzerland with its immaculate towns, clean air and water and precision EVERYTHING, it is certainly an exercise in opposites. We leave tomorrow for Varsana and the first leg of our journey, the japa retreat. Till tomorrow!

Love and Krsna to you all!   g

DAY 2

Dearest family,

Today we took a taxi to Varsana. Now in the daylight the world is even more profound. Our tax driver spent as much time honking his horn as he did steering. We dodged everything from motorcycles and covered three wheeled people carriers to bullock carts, one elephant, the ever present trucks and Krsna’s cows that roam calmly through the streets, occasionally laying down in the medium amidst the traffic.

It is all so strange yet familiar. Somehow I feel very calm and undaunted by the filth and poverty. Everything is just as it should be. The insecurity of fathers, wives and children piled on a small motorcycle with no helmets, jousting with death, the electrical transformers close enough to the ground to electrocute the careless and women with machetes stripping branches to be bundled and carried on their heads for sale or fuel…all of it strikes a chord of destiny.

In the first evening of the japa retreat with Sacinandana Swami and Bhurijana Prabhu, we’ve begun our journey into the deeper realms of the Holy Names which are non-different than Krsna Himself. They challenge us with the prospect of revealing Their unlimited splendor of loving pastimes directly in our hearts if we will just call on Them with the kind of sincerity that begs reciprocity.

It is 9 pm, the accommodations are simple but adequate and I’m off to sleep with anticipation of the new day. May Srimati Radharani’s merciful glance watch over us and give us inspiration to call to Her beloved with heart deep prayers of japa.

Love and Krsna to you all! g

DAYS 3 AND ONWARD TO BE PUBLISHED SOON! STAY TUNED!

Gopisa das

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Here’s a reminder!

We would be honored to have your association at New Vrindaban’s New Year’s Bhakti Retreat starting the evening of Wed. Dec. 31, 2014 through Sun. Jan. 3, 2015.

Spend this New Year’s Eve along with your whole family in the scenic, rolling hills of West Virginia, getting spiritually re-charged.  Associate with experienced Prabhupada disciples and listen to their enlivening Krsna Katha and Prabhupada Katha.  Feel the purification of the New Year’s Eve Maha Yajna, and greet the new year in a most auspicious atmosphere.  Attend enlightening devotional workshops, soothing bhajans and ecstatic kirtans. Enjoy sumptuous, healthy Krsna prasad.  Does life get any better than this?

Some of the highlights are (times subject to change):
Wed. Dec. 31,2014  –              8:30 to midnight – Kirtan
Thurs. Jan. 1, 2015–             8:00 to 9:00 AM – Special Srimad Bhagavatam Class
10:30 AM -New Year’s Fire Yajna for Auspiciousness

Special Afternoon Classes & Workshops

Afternoon to Evening – Kirtan
Fri. Jan. 2, 2015 –               11:00 AM to 12:30 PM –   Special Presentation in Anticipation of the 2015  50th Anniversary of Prabhupada’s Arrival in   America by HG Sankirtan das

4:30 PM to 6:00 PM – HG Gopal Hari das speaks

Evening Kirtan

Sat. Jan. 3, 2015 –               8:00 to 9:00 AM – Srimad Bhagavatam Class by H G Gopal Hari das

11:00 AM to 12:30 PM – Her Grace Malati dasi speaks Prabhupada Katha

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This week’s challenge: Who is this?

Bonus challenge: What is he doing and when was the photo taken?

What to do: Post your guesses on the “who, what, when, where & why” in the comment section at the New Vrindaban Facebook page.

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by Vyasasan das

Ox Barn at Bahulaban. Renovations progressing nicely.

A long view of ox barn in progress.

Back in August of this year, I began the overwhelming task of rebuilding the barn at New Vrindaban, West Virginia. As you will be able to see from the following pictures, the neglected barn was sadly in a state of disrepair and dilapidation. The building had been completely abandoned and neglected for over twenty years, and was filled with unspeakable garbage and debris. You could say it was a hazard and an eyesore. Actually the building was scheduled to be torn down…but then a remarkable thing happened. Male bulls started being born here at New Vrindaban. One after another, ten in a row, male bulls were appearing and the oxen program was born.

It was decided at one of the cow meetings that we should have an oxen program, and that teams of oxen should be trained up. It was all very exciting and devotees became enlivened by the prospect of an oxen program. There had been some talk in the past about doing something along these lines, but suddenly with new male cows being born one after another it was time for action.

Varsana Maharaja, asked me one day, if I would take a walk over to the old barn at Bahulaban, and have a look at the building with him. I gladly agreed, and together we looked at the existing structure, and both agreed it looked very good. The barn was built with rough sawn oak timbers, and planking, and it did in fact look very good. Of course there was a lot that needed to be removed, but the basic core was very solid and structurely very sound. So I began to draw up some plans for renovation to present to the New Vrindaban Board to see about getting some financing approved.

Srila Prabhupada and Krsna must have wanted this Oxen Program for New Vrindaban, because there were no obstacles in getting the project underway. So I quickly put a crew together and began the demolition and clean-up.

The Existing Building Before Renovation

The Clean Up

I would like to thank all the persons who helped in the clean up of the building. It was very nasty, dusty, dangerous, laborious work. It took over a month of demolition and clean-up before any actual construction even begun. Those I would especially like to thank are; Varsana Maharaja and Davada Prabhu for the heavy machinery operation. To the crew of dedicated workers, who shoveled and raked and swept up over 17 dump truck loads of garbage and debris, they are; Kevin, Tamala, Okey, and Josh. To Shyam Gopal Prabhu for joining the team for the re-construction, and adding to the spiritual flavor, and a special thanks to Pipalada Prabhu for doing such a nice job in finding a burial home for all this debris.

New Construction

The improvements to the barn include, city water, 200 amp electrical service, new roof and siding, two decks and staircases, hay manger for feeding up to 16 cows or oxen, 5 individual stalls, tact area, machinery and ox cart storage area, and the entire 2nd floor which can later be developed for resident quarters.

For me personally, the most rewarding aspect of the project has been seeing the young oxen move into their new home before the onset of cold weather. The barn no longer smells of dust and debris, but rather the sweet smell of hay and manure is beginning to permeate the new space. Through the hard work, and dedication of the many who labored, a new home for the New Vrindaban Oxen Project has been created.

P.S. If anyone is wondering what I will do after the Building is completed…I would like to start construction on an Ox Cart in my shop this winter. Hare Krishna!

“May cows stay in front of me; may cows stay behind me; may cows stay on both sides of me. May I always reside in the midst of cows.” —Hari Bhakti Vilas 16.252

Srila Prabhupada visiting the cows and calves at the Bahulaban barn, June 1976.

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Artistic rendering of Radha Gopinath’s Mandir, currently under construction in New Vrindaban.

“I have got ambition to construct there 7 temples as follows: 1. Radha Madan Mohan, 2. Radha Govinda, 3. Radha Gopinatha, 4. Radha Damodara, 5. Radha Raman, 6. Radha Gokulananda, 7. Radha Syamasundara.” – Srila Prabhupada, November 1968.

Click here to read the rest of the letter at the Vanipedia website.

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Everyone is invited!

We would be honored to have your association at New Vrindaban’s New Year’s Bhakti Retreat starting the evening of Wed. Dec. 31, 2014 through Sun. Jan. 3, 2015.

Spend this New Year’s Eve along with your whole family in the scenic, rolling hills of West Virginia, getting spiritually re-charged.  Associate with experienced Prabhupada disciples and listen to their enlivening Krsna Katha and Prabhupada Katha.  Feel the purification of the New Year’s Eve Maha Yajna, and greet the new year in a most auspicious atmosphere.  Attend enlightening devotional workshops, soothing bhajans and ecstatic kirtans. Enjoy sumptuous, healthy prasad.  Does life get any better than this?

Some of the highlights are (times subject to change):
Wed. Dec. 31,2014  –              8:30 to midnight – Kirtan
Thurs. Jan. 1, 2015–             8:00 to 9:00 AM – Special Srimad Bhagavatam Class
10:30 AM -New Year’s Fire Yajna for Auspiciousness

Special Afternoon Classes & Workshops

Afternoon to Evening – Kirtan
Fri. Jan. 2, 2015 –               11:00 AM to 12:30 PM –   Special Presentation in Anticipation of the 2015  50th Anniversary of Prabhupada’s Arrival in   America by HG Sankirtan das

4:30 PM to 6:00 PM – HG Gopal Hari das speaks

Evening Kirtan

Sat. Jan. 3, 2015 –               8:00 to 9:00 AM – Srimad Bhagavatam Class by H G Gopal Hari das

11:00 AM to 12:30 PM – Her Grace Malati dasi speaks Prabhupada Katha

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This week’s challenge: Who is this happy young couple?

Bonus challenge: What’s the celebration, where are they and what was the year?

What to do: Post your guesses on the “who, what, when, where & why” in the comment section at the New Vrindaban Facebook page.

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By Madhava Smullen

“Krishna by His practical example taught us to give all protection to the cows and that should be the main business of New Vrindaban,” Srila Prabhupada wrote to his disciple Hayagriva Das in 1968, leaving little doubt as to the community’s focus.

Since then, New Vrindaban has always protected cows. But this year, the Eco-Vrindaban organization – which looks after 640 acres of rolling green forests and pastures – has renewed its focus, overseeing multiple improvements in the quality of cow care.

To begin with, a higher budget and a larger number of experienced devotee staff have been assigned to the community’s 48 cows, calves and oxen. The team, consisting of longtime program overseer Ranaka, inspirational guide Varshana Swami, ox teamster Daivata, caretakers Radhanath and Ray, and milkers Anandavidya, Lalita Gopi, and Radhapriya meet every month.

One major step they’ve made this year has been to increase medical care, proven by the case of milking cow Shankari, who fell and broke her leg on the pasture in March.

In the world of commercial dairy farming, this would mean an instant death sentence. Shankari’s devotee caretakers, however, spent $10,000 to give her the best veterinary care available at the OSU veterinary hospital in Columbus, Ohio. There, she received an X-ray, surgery to fix the break, and a high-quality cast. Now, she’s walking again, healing in her own private pasture.

Shankari in her leg cast.

In April, older cows Bahula and Kalindi developed eye cancer and were brought to OSU for an operation to remove the infected eyes. Radhanath then washed their wounds daily and applied localized penicillin when Kalindi developed an infection. Since then, both cows have healed.

Besides immediate medical needs, ECO-V’s cow caretakers add other personal touches too. Head milker Anandavidya is doing a trial run on the product Fly Predator to rid the cows of bothersome flies. “The company sends you the larvae of a particular species of fly, which eats the larvae of the pest flies,” he says.

Meanwhile his wife Lalita Gopi has spent a lot of time cutting back the thorny wild rose bushes in the field next to the milking barn so that the cows don’t hurt themselves.

The milking cows can also look forward to a clean and cosy winter this year. Radhanath and carpenter Vyasasana Das have extended the feeding aisle in the milking barn to accommodate twice the number of cows, and created an enclosed “loafing area” where they can lie down in a clean, comfortable, hay-covered space.

New Extension on the Goshalla

There are also plans to create a new drainage system for the “hospital pasture” next to the milking barn where pregnant cows and calves are kept. This will prevent the cows from getting hoof rot, which can be extremely painful and is caused by too much time in mud.

The devotees caring for the cows also need to be cared for, and there are hopes to insulate the milking barn by this winter to keep the milkers warm.

“I was there last winter, and it’s brutal!” says part-time milker Radhapriya. “By the time you’ve finished milking it’s like you don’t have feet anymore. No matter how many socks or how many layers of clothes you wear, you just can’t stay warm!”

A calf milking from his mother.

That hasn’t stopped the milkers from working hard. Anandavidya and Lalita Gopi are now milking nine cows – twice as many as last year – in the mornings and evenings. That means double the milk too, with an average of thirty gallons every day. In the afternoons, Anandavidya makes butter, yoghurt and panir from the milk, providing most of the dairy for the Deities, devotees and the community Govinda’s Restaurant during offpeak times.

The focus on cow protection at New Vrindaban has encouraged other devotees and guests to help with the cows too. Milking times are advertised as part of the temple schedule, so devotees occasionally come to milk, wash, feed or brush a cow. And South Indian brahmana Venkat Chalapati brings a group of guests nearly every morning for Go-puja and a chance to milk a cow.

“Lalita Gopi says that everyone should milk a cow at least once in their life,” Radhapriya enthuses. “And she’s right. When you spend time with cows, it automatically transports you into a relaxing, sattvic environment. You can go into the barn all stressed out, and being with the cows just makes it better. It slows you down – cows are not going to rush for anything!”

To add extra incentive for guests to visit, devotees have made the milking barn more attractive by painting Rangoli designs in the interior, and adding landscaping, freshly painted fences and a swing bench flanked by large, ornate flower pots to the exterior.

Of course, it’s not just the cows that are being cared for. Exciting developments are also afoot for oxen. Vyasasana Das is currently rebuilding an old barn in the Bahulaban area where the animals will be kept and trained separately from the main herd. The first floor will include spacious stalls for each ox and a tack room for equipment, while the second floor will be a hay loft. Outside there’ll be a training yard and holding area, with grazing pastures beyond.

Six bull calves between the ages of one month and one year – Pundarikaksha, Priya Darshan, Amani, Harichand, Nandi and Ishan – are already residing in Bahulaban and beginning their training to be oxen. Varshana Swami and Daivata Das, who worked with oxen in New Vrindaban’s early days, are leading the program.

Daivata das and ox his team.

The oxen are currently walking with a training yoke so that they get used to working together in pairs and learning commands. After that, they’ll start pulling a rope, then a chain and then a sled carrying firewood. Next, they’ll train for all the stages of breaking up soil until it’s fine enough to plant in – first plowing, then discing, and lastly harrowing.

Finally, when they’re two years old, the oxen will be ready to tackle the real precision work — pulling a cultivator between rows of crops. Varshana Swami hopes that they’ll make their first appearance at the community’s Garden of Seven Gates by next summer, and will be in serious production mode the summer after that.

Oxen, Varshana Swami feels, symbolize the kind of spiritual community Srila Prabhupada envisioned in New Vrindaban. “When you hitch two oxen together, the team dynamic kicks into play,” he says. “And Krishna is attracted where there’s teamwork, where there’s synergy, where there’s harmony, where everybody’s working together.”

“Which is,” he concludes, “What we here at New Vrindaban call the Brijbasi Spirit.”

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Sunflowers grown in New Vrindaban’s gardens, 2014

“So these duties are there in New Vrindaban, and we shall have to live there self independently, simply by raising cows, grains, fruits, and flowers.” – Srila Prabhupada, January 1969.

Click here to read the rest of the letter at the Vanipedia website.

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This week’s challenge: Who’s that girl?

Bonus challenge: What celebration was happening at the time of this photo?

What to do: Post your guesses on the “who, what, when, where & why” in the comment section at the New Vrindaban Facebook page.

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