New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Srila Prabhupada seated to the left of Their Lordships Radha Damodara & Jagannath, Baladeva & Subhadra during the New Vrindaban Janmastami & Vyasa Puja celebrations – September 1972.

“You are actually learning in New Vrindaban the self-sufficient mode of living, simple living, high thinking, that is our policy, and as long as Krsna remains in the center of all these activities, then you are actually in Vrindavan.”

Click here to read the rest of the letter.

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

This week’s challenge: Where is the sacred spot described on this rock?

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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Gopal’s Garden Home School Co-op End-of-the-Year Party

By Lilasuka dasi

“Why did Krsna ask, ‘Which Brahma?’”

This question came from a puzzled Lord Brahma, played by nine year old Josh Fintel, during the dramatic reading of Sankirtan das’s play Which Brahma? at the end of the year school party for Gopal’s Garden June 11, 2014.

The students reciting Bhagavad Gita

The students at Gopal’s Garden Home School Co-op ended another school year with some very fine presentations. The recited their five favorite Bhagavad Gita verses by heart; then they each read their favorite story out of many stories that they themselves had written throughout the school year, and finally, they performed the dramatic reading Which Brahma?.

Their audience, made up of parents, teachers and interested residents of NV, were delighted at the entertainment, and impressed at the level of education of the kids.

Veteran teacher, Ruci dasi, acknowledged each and every one of her students for his or her individual strengths and interests.

Ruci dasi, tutor at Gopal’s Garden

“If you have any questions about killer whales, just ask Josh – he did a lot of research and is expert in the subject! He’ll be ten years old in a few weeks.”

“The nine year old twins, Ram and Shyam, are both such willing and eager helpers. This party wouldn’t have come together if they hadn’t come down early to clean and vacuum in here.”

“Brinda, who is now 11 years old, is a poet. She’s an artist and a writer. She’s amazingly talented, as are all the kids!”

“Seven year old Jacob could hardly speak English when he first came to the school, and now he’s got an amazing grasp of both reading AND writing in English. He’s curious about everything around him and Jacob loves to learn.

“Jacob’s older sister, 12 year old Shemaella, is a thoughtful and caring girl who is also a creative artist. She brings a lot of sensitivity to her art and writing.”

We took the opportunity to interview Brinda, who is going to 7^th grade next year.

“This school has a very good environment. It’s spiritual, plus the work is more individualized than in public school. We have a one on one relationship with the teacher, which is great. I mean, it’s not that everyone has to do the same lesson, that’s easy for some and very hard for others. The level of the lessons are just perfect for you.

Like, last year I had a spelling program, and if you don’t finish it in one year it’s ok, you just finish it next year. Or, if you can finish it before the year is up, that’s ok too. You go at your own pace. My older sister Visakha, who used to go to this school, was saying that this kind of teaching is good for all students, no matter what level you’re at. She says that she learned more when she was here than when she spent this last year in public school.”

Brnda doesn’t feel she’s missing anything by not going to public school.

Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk with his disciples in New Vrindaban, June 1976.

“Agriculture and protecting the cow, this is the main business of the residents of Vrindavan, and above all simply loving Krishna. The cows, the trees, the cowherd men and Gopis, their chief engagement was loving Krishna, and in New Vrindaban we want to create this atmosphere and thereby show the whole world how practical and sublime our movement is.”

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

This week’s challenge: Who’s the cook?

Extra credit: Where – and when – was this 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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WANTED: MANAGER TO HELP FURTHER DEVELOP SRILA PRABHUPADA’S VISION FOR NEW VRINDABAN

Title: General Manager

Employer: ECO-Vrindaban, a non-profit organization responsible for approximately 700 acres in the New Vrindaban community. ECO-Vrindaban promotes a simple, sustainable lifestyle centered on the care and protection of cows, local food production and the loving service of Lord Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

Duties:

• Oversee current ECOV projects (e.g. cow care, food production, etc.) and their managers.

• Develop proposals for and oversee implementation of future projects (e.g. eco-village)

• Prepare annual operations budget for board approval

• Prepare projects and operations reports for presentation at quarterly board meetings

Requirements:

All potential candidates must be:

• Excited to develop Srila Prabhupada’s vision for self-sufficient farm communities

• Prepared to work closely with the President of ISKCON New Vrindaban

• Willing to relocate to New Vrindaban

The ideal candidate will have:

• Management or leadership experience, particularly with a non-profit

• A history of commitment to eco-friendly living

• A regular practice of individual chanting and participation in temple programs

Compensation: This will be a full-time, salaried position subject to a multi-year contract.

Contact: Navin Shyam Das
navin108@gmail.com
http://www.ecov.com/

Srila Prabhupada sits atop Govindaji Hill during his Bhagavat Dharma Discourse in New Vrindaban – September 1972.

“Here in New Vrindaban, the Janmastami Festival continually from September 1 is going on very gorgeously. There are more than 500 guests and they are listening to Bhagavat Discourses with rapt attention, chanting and dancing.”

Click here to read the rest of the letter.

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 08/28/14.

Each week we highlight an earlier era of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

This week’s challenge: In addition to Srila Prabhupada, there are at least seventeen recognizable faces in this photo. How many can you identify?

Extra credit: What’s the cow’s name and do you know the special relationship between Srila Prabhupada and the cow?

Extra, extra credit: When and where was this 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.

Technical stuff: We share a photo Thursday and confirm known details Sunday. Let’s keep it light and have a bit of fun!

Special request: If you have a photo showing New Vrindaban devotees in action, share it with us and we’ll use it in a future posting.

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Srila Prabhupada seated outdoors on his Vyasasana at Madhuban, June 1976.

“According to our program we will have to construct seven temples, Govindaji, Gopinatha, Madana-Mohana, Syamasundara, Damodara, Gokulananda and Radha-Ramana. And later on if possible, Rangunatha also.”

– Excerpt from a letter Srila Prabhupada wrote, November 1975.

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Click here to read the rest of the letter.

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

Lord Balarama was an incarnation of Lord Krishna glorified in the Vedic Puranas and Itihasas. Krishna is the spiritually manifest Supreme Person, whose internal spiritual energy is the all-pervading Brahman. He is glorified as Narayana, Vasudeva, Mahavishnu, Hari, Vishnu, and many other names. Shiva and Brahma are said to be His qualitative expansions. He is the Supreme Lord, the Lord of all universes. Everything emanates from Him and dissolves back in Him. He is the cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution of everything and every living entity.

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