New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Team Work – Janmastami 2014

by Lilasuka dasi

The days leading up to a Janmastami festival are often exciting and energy-charged. This year, some specific pre-Janmastami preparations held a special fascination for many.

Doing service together in co-operation with other devotees and friends towards a common goal is truly the key to surcharging both the atmosphere and our own souls with spiritual bliss. That was the scene on the days before Janmastami 2014. As people worked together, the air was surcharged with inspiration and creativity for the Lord.

Some cows at the Goshalla listening to Krsna Book on Janmastami afternoon.

Several days before Janmastami, Vijaya Radha dasi personally approached every devotee woman who lived within a four mile radius of the temple, asking them, “Prabhu, please come to the prasadam room on Saturday morning at 9:30 AM. We’re going to make decorations out of greens and flowers so that Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s altar looks like Vrindavan forest for Janmastami! We can do it! But we need your help.”

And they did it! Picture a scene in the beautiful gopi, Vrindadevi’s grove in the original Vrindavan forest. She dreams of preparing a gorgeous seat for her dearest Lords, Radha and Krsna, in the middle of the woods where they can feel very comfortable speaking and eating and joking and dancing in Each Other’s company. Vrindadevi and her friends gather all sorts of forest greens and wild flowers, and spend the day laughing and making colorful flower arrangements for the pleasure of Their Lordships. Following this mood, the younger and older women of New Vrindaban came together, along with many Janmastami visitors and guests?man and woman alike?using the best flowers and greens that Kali Yuga could provide. Collectively, they created beautiful flower arrangements and long, festive garlands to decorate the altars of the Lord for Janmastami. Surely, Krsna and Srila Prabhupada were especially pleased by this co-operative endeavor.

Matajis team together to create flower arrangements for Radha Vrindaban Chandra.

One long-time resident of New Vrindaban commented, “This is so uniting. We used to get together like this, years ago, for festivals, where many devotees used to join to work on a single project. I feel a real sense of community.”

Another devotee declared, “All of us working together?I don’t mind waking up early for this!”

A couple from Virginia visiting New Vrindaban for their first time exclaimed, “This is fantastic. We’ve found our peace.”

Vijaya Radha, organizer of flower team, and a hard worker pujari, Mangalacarana.

All weekend long, there were engaging activities and teamwork in so many areas. The kitchen devotees worked very hard, culminating in serving out 300 plates of vegetarian prasad on Saturday night, and another 500 plates for lunch on Sunday. There was a fire yajna, cow puja, a swan boat festival, Bharata Natyam dance, a drama towards midnight Sunday, and even some Hare Krsna rap singing! The Lodge was super busy with many satisfied visitors; tours at the Palace went on all weekend, and the restaurant was open through everything, serving extra hungry visitors.

One of the highlights of the weekend was Sunday morning, Janmastami day, as everyone was getting ready to greet the Deities in Their new Janmastami outfit. The excitement was building. The crowd of residents and visitors were gathered before the altar, eager to see Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra. As the kirtan built up, and the altar curtains finally opened, everyone had joyful darshan of the Deities in Their charming New Vrindavan forest scene, amidst the shouting of “Jaya Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra ki jaya!!”

Radha Vrindavan Chandra in New Vrindaban forest

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 08/21/14.

As a variation on a theme, the past few weeks we’ve  focused on the same era.

This week’s challenge: In addition to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there are four devotees in the photo. At least two are recognizable. Can you identify them?

What to do: Post your guesses on the “who, what, when, where & why” in the comment section at the Brijabasi Spirit Website.

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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s On September 1, 1896, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada made his appearance in this world in Calcutta, Bengal. Born on the day immediately after Krsna Janmastami, he was given the name Abhay Carana by his Vaisnava father, Gour Mohan De, and his mother Rajani. Gour Mohan’s principle desire for his son’s spiritual future was for him to become a pure devotee of Lord Sri Krsna, the ultimate goal of Vaisnavism. Please click here for more photos

Here is a picture story of New Vrindaban’s 44th Janmastami and Prabhupada’s Appearance Day festivals.

Hare Krsna!

Krsna Book Reading on Janmastami Day for the Cows

The cows listen while munching hay.

Radha Vrindavan Chandra in New Vrindaban forest

Lord Jagannatha’s altar on Janmastami

Gopal Nathji on Janmastami

Srila Prabhupada gets a large size cake offering on his appearance day.

Kitchen Kirtan Bliss  as vegetarian feast is prepared.

The kirtan moved into the kitchen on Prabhupada’s Appearance Day.

Srila Prabhupada takes darshan of Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath at the original New Vrindaban farmhouse, June 1976.

“Here in New Vrindaban the atmosphere is exactly like Vrindavan. They are performing the routine activities from 4 am. in the morning till 10 pm. at night. The aratiks are going on several times daily as you have seen in Vrindavan.”

Click here to read the rest of the letter.

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

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

Similar to last week, since the people in the photo are not easily recognizable we’ll ask a broader question.

This week’s challenge: How many devotees can you name who were part of the New Vrindaban construction crew around the time of this photo?

Extra credit: When and where was this photo taken? (hint: same as last week!)

What to do: Post your guesses on the “who, what, when, where & why” in the comment section at the Brijabasi Spirit Website.

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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Beautiful new entrance to the teaching garden.

As we have entered into August the weather has been anything but typical.  The abundant rain has allowed us to use almost no irrigation. But the lack of sunshine, cold temperatures, and constantly wet plants has caused  devastation to our crop of tomatoes. Late blight has struck nearly all of the 600 tomato plants in the Garden of Seven Gates.  Next year we will move the crop, use all new supports, and increase the potassium in the early season.   For more information about late blight check out this link. http://www.longislandhort.cornell.edu/vegpath/photos/lateblight_tomato.htm.   On a very positive note we have been doing tons of flowers and vegetable harvesting. We are currently picking: tomatoes, peppers, swiss chard, kale, green beans, basil, mint, beets, radishes, cucumbers, dill, watermelons, lettuce, bittermelon, raspberries, and much more.  Within the next few weeks we will be harvesting squash, sweet potatoes, soy beans, amaranth, sunflower seeds, and pole beans. Flowers have been thriving and we have a beautiful abundance and great variety.  Each day flowers are picked for the deities and for the Pushpa Abhishek festival we were able to pick 154 gallons of marigolds.

First two ripe golden watermelons.

The rain has been great for germinating new seedlings.  This week we started  fall seedlings: cabbage, beets, kale, spinach, kohlrabi, and peas.  We are also starting to plant cover crops.  One of the fields that has been resting to increase soil fertility first had a crop of buckwheat and has now been planted with daikon radishes.  With 1 acre we will have unlimited greens and radishes and what we don’t use will be used as a ground breaking compost.

Seeding cover crops

Daikon Radish field

The most exciting improvement in the Garden of Seven Gates has been the reconstruction of two former greenhouses.  We are building a hot house (heated green house) for both our spring and fall seedlings.  We are also building two high tunnel greenhouses one for year round greens and the other for season extending flowers. The three greenhouses are located within the gates of the Garden of Seven Gates.  As we enter into the late summer we will continue to plant and harvest while plans for next years gardens are already being drawn out. Happy Harvesting!

Marigolds in the Teaching Garden

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New Vrindaban dhambasi, Dharma, the Bull

Last month,  New Vrindaban cowherd: Ray built an outdoor facility for resident bull, Dharma. The previous facility proved to not be strong enough to contain Dharma as he had a history of break outs which have led to the impending welcoming of at least 5 new calves in the months to come. With the new outdoor facility Dharma will be able to sunbathe as often as he likes as opposed to being confined to his pen inside the big barn.

Dharma’s New Bullpen

Currently an addition is being added to the milking barn in order to provide a roomier loafing area for the milking cows & a nicer feeding isle set up. Vyasanana Prabhu (one of New Vrindaban’s expert carpenters) and Rafael (now known as Radhanatha Prabhu) as his assistant, have been diligently working on this project. The extension on the barn will allow the yard to stay drier (from the snow/rain) & provide the cows with an outdoor resting area that is separate from where they eat. These improvements will hopefully facilitate the cows staying as clean as possible in anticipation of the pilgrims braving the frigid winter weather to get their darshan.

back side of the barn, shows loafing area in the calves pen

new roof over the expanded feed isle.

Front view of the improved feed isle / roof on the milking barn

Come by any day of the week at milking time (7am or 6pm) to see the updated facilities, as well as, Caitanya Bhagavat & crew’s freshly painted red fence surrounding the milking cows pasturing grounds.