New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Lord Nrsimha Janmastami 2013

ALL GLORIES TO LORD NRSIMHADEVA!

A Deity installation at New Vrindaban.

An article from the Brijabasi Spirit, 1986.

By Umapati dasa

Once, when Lord Nityananda took Jiva Gosvami on parikrama, They came to a place called Devapali, on the edge of the Navadvlpa district. Devapali had been well known in Satya-yuga, and Lord Nityananda told Jiva Gosvami that a temple of Lord Nrsimhadeva had once existed there.

After killing Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadeva bathed in a river next to Ahovalam, a holy place in the mountains of South India. Rocks from this place are worshiped today as Nrsimha-tadiya, the paraphernalia of Lord Nrsimhadeva, and there are nine temples of Lord Nrsimhadeva in this region.

From Ahovalam, Lord Nrsimhadeva went to Devapali to rest on the bank of the MandakinI Ganga, accompanied by Lord Brahma and other demigods. Here Visvakarma, the celestial architect of the demigods, built jewelled houses for the demigods.

“Here is Surya’s house,” said Lord Nityananda, “and here is Brahma’s. Here is Ganesha’s, and here is Indra’s.

Sometime after the killing of Hiranyakasipu, a devotee came to live here. One day as he was bathing, he found a beautiful marble Deity of Nrsimhadeva killing Hi­ranyakasipu, with Praladha offering a garland. He estab­lished a large temple for the Lord and worshipped Him in great opulence. Nearby one can see the hills upon which the demigods resided, and a small lake marks the Mandakim river course.

Actually, the devotees of New Vrindaban had already decided to fulfill a long-cherished desire, so last October, Soma dasa, a devotee sculptor, started work on a Deity of Lord Nrsimhadeva.

Deities should not be confused with statues. The Scriptures say that the Deity is the Lord Himself, appearing in a form of wood or stone for the benefit of all. The materially conditioned living entity, who cannot see spirit but only wood or stone, can thus see the Lord and serve Him, and the self-realized soul, who indeed has spiritual vision, worships the Deity because he sees it as the Lord Himself.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the spiritual master who brought the Krsna con­sciousness movement to the Western world, compared the Deity to a mailbox. The mailbox is nondifferent from the post office, because whether a letter is deposited in a mailbox or at a post of­fice, it will reach the same destination. But, he cautioned, it must be an au­thorized mailbox; an ordinary box will not do.

In this way, even a materialist can see that the Deity is nondifferent from the Lord because worship offered to the Deity bears the same fruit as worship of­fered to the Lord Himself—love of God. We cannot attain love of God by wor­shipping a statue, but if we worship the Deity according to the directions of the Vedic scriptures, the results are guaranteed.

Krsna is never alone. He is always with His devotees, and the liberated devotee can appear in Deity form, so Soma also started work on a Deity of Prahlada Maharaja.

Soma had been working the sculptures continuously, put the finish­ing touches on the Deities under supervision and with advice from Sampatkumar Bhattacarya, the head priest of the famous Tirupati temple in India.

But there was more to be done. Soma had made clay originals to be cast in resin. It was time for Kumar dasa, New Vrindaban’s casting specialist, to take over. Kumar made molds from Soma’s originals and poured in the resin. There was just one hitch: it had to work the first time or everything would be lost.

It worked. When the fateful day came, Kumar opened the mold to find a beautiful, 400-pound Deity of Lord Nrsimha, colored black with powdered West Virginia coal mixed in the resin. Prahlada Maharaja appeared the same day.

On January 6, 1986, Lord Nrsimhadeva and Prahlada were brought to New Vrindaban’s Temple of Under­standing. They were greeted by devo­tees who had come from all over the world for the occasion. The appearance of the Lord and His pure devotee is al­ways a joyous event, and the fes­tivities—chanting, dancing, feasting— continued for three days.

Now, the devotees can look up and see Lord Nrsimhadeva, with His be­loved devotee Prahlada Maharaja, as they chant the prayers in His honor:

“I offer my obeisances to Lord Nrsimhadeva, who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiranyakasipu.

“Lord Nrsimhadeva is here and also there. Wherever I go, Lord Nrsim­hadeva is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Nrsimhadeva, the origin of all things and the supreme refuge.

“0 Kesava! 0 Lord of the universe! 0 Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man half-lion! All Glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails, so in the same way, the body of the wasp-like demon Hiranyakasipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands.”

PRABHUPADA SANGAM – DAIVATA-VISHVADHIKA

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Srila Prabhupada Encourages Communication, Cooperation & “Doing The Needful” As The “Best Program” For Developing New Vrindaban  – Nov 1968.

From a series of letters written by Srila Prabhupada outlining his vision for New Vrindaban.

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

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November 30, 1968

My Dear Kirtanananda,

Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of Nov. 7, 1968, and I have duly noted the contents with great satisfaction. It is very good news that so many students are attending your kirtan programs in Columbus, and I think this will develop into a very prosperous center very soon.

So far your question whether you should stay at New Vrindaban, or help Hayagriva at Columbus, the best thing is to consult with Hayagriva, and work jointly. And do whatever needs to be done. That is the best program.

I think by Krishna’s Grace everything is improving nicely with the New Vrindaban idea, and please continue to make your program in this way.

I hope you are all well there, and convey my blessings to Ranadhira, Hrsikesa, and Pradyumna and any others; there also I think Mahavisnu das and Rama devi are also, and please convey my blessings to them along with their little son, Haridasa. I very much appreciated also the nice cartoon-advertisements for your OSU Yoga society, and I think Ranadhira must have done them so nicely. Please thank him and encourage him to do much more such nice artistic work.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

P.S. Please offer my blessings to Dr. Henderson. He is our old friend and let us join together to spread K.C. all over the world.

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Kalindi (left) & Bahula (right)

Two of the older cows in the herd, around 20 years old, Bahula & Kalindi are white faced. As older white faced cows are prone to do, they developed eye cancer. Last month they were transported to the OSU Veterinary hospital for an operation that would remove the affected eyes.

Bahula back out to pasture after her stitches were removed.

Bahula had surgery on April 3rd & has been healing nicely. She recently had her stitches taken out on April 21st & has returned to pasture.

Kalindi had surgery on April 8th & developed an infection in her eye. After a week of regularly cleaning the wound twice daily & being  treated with antibiotics, her wound is now healing nicely.

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 05/08/14.

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

This week’s challenge: Can you identify the two devotees in the photo?

Extra credit: What do you think they are doing?

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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Evening (exact schedule to be announced)

Special Note:

Some of our distinguished presenters mentioned below, from the Festival of Inspiration will be staying on and giving some classes for our annual Nrsimhadev Appearance Festival.

Stay tuned!

Yadunandana Swami
Bhakti Vasudev Swami
Hari Sauri Dasa
Srutakirti Dasa (tentative)

Video of Devananda Pandit leading New Vrindaban’s Kartik 24 Hour Kirtan – October 19th, 2013.

Beautiful flower pots made by Vidya

Greetings From the Garden:

This week as I was harvesting asparagus I was asked, “what do you do with all of the vegetables that are picked from the garden?”. What a great question. The vegetables, fruits, and flowers grown here at New Vrindaban are used for the deity kitchen, prasadam, and Govinda’s Restaurant. The organization responsible for the planning, maintenance, and harvesting is ECOV. ECOV is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cow protection, local production of food, sustainable housing, alternative energy production and energy conservation. We are also working towards having active teams of oxen, planting 1000 fruit and nut trees and building earth sheltered low impact housing using recycled or locally produced materials. ECOV stands for Earth, Cows, Organics, and Village. Check out the ECOV website

This year we are starting many new garden projects and were in need of garden tools. I have always enjoyed a good auction so when Madhava Gosh suggested we attend an Amish consignment auction in search of tools I was quite intrigued. We left early in the morning for the Captina Auction house in Monroe County, OH. I have been to many animal and produce auctions before, therefore I thought I would know what to expect. I was wrong. There was an almost even mix of Amish and English (English is what the Amish call non Amish people). Horses and buggies surrounded the auction building. The amount and variety of auction items was mind blowing. Large carts filled with tools, buildings, furniture, animals, boats, all things equestrian, tractors, building supplies, trees, hand crafted items, and so much more.

Three auctioneers began the bidding in three locations, it was almost sensory overload deciding which area to watch. We started with the tool carts. It took only a few minutes for the auctioneer to mark Gosh as the dollar man. Or in other words when no one was bidding they could rely on Gosh to pay a dollar for anything that seemed to have at least some value. We were able to get shovels, rakes, boots, and tools for just $1.00. Some items were more expensive than I would have expected, notably pitch forks were going as high as $30.00. I found this odd because I saw a beautiful horse saddle for only $15.00. In a moment of auction weakness I even bid on a deaf puppy (which would have made for an interesting ride home). Luckily I was out bid by a young girl super excited for her $12.00 puppy. In the end we FILLED the van with an assortment of items including a 150 gallon water tank for tree planting, many hand tools, and a very large sorghum & maple syrup evaporator. We had a great day with successful purchases and I can’t wait until next year.

Fourteen Years of Inspiration at New Vrindaban

May 9^th– 11^{th, 2014}

By Madhava Smullen

Bhajans at the Festival of Inspiration

“Aha! I’ve got a name for our festival!” Citralekha Dasi called to ISKCON Communications Director Anuttama Das from her office across the hall. And she told him what it was.

He grinned. “It’s perfect.”

The first annual Festival of Inspiration, held in 2001, quickly lived up to its name. It put New Vrindaban, which had recently rejoined ISKCON, back on the map as an important place of pilgrimage for North American devotees.

And it introduced a new breed of festival – the Krishna conscious vacation – now hugely popular in ISKCON. This was the first time that devotees from all over could come to hear dozens of senior teachers speak on a wide variety of spiritual, social and academic topics, from japa, interfaith outreach, and cow protection, to child-rearing, healthy marriages, art, and music.

Devotees were excited at the new possibilities, and the festival hit the ground running, drawing several hundred right away and reaching a peak attendance of 800 before settling at a comfortable 500 to 600 annually.

In 2003, early Srila Prabhupada disciple Malati Dasi began organizing the Festival, and brought it from strength to strength. Becoming part of the fabric of devotees’ lives in North America, it conjured up a raft of significant and magical moments over the years.

Who could forget, for instance, the first time comedians Yadunath Das and his wife Beth performed their pitch-perfect skits on ISKCON life?

“When I heard devotees laughing,” says Anuttama Das, “And realized that we were able to poke fun at ourselves – our shortcomings, our excesses, our cultural uniqueness — I felt really good that the Hare Krishnas had come of age.”

Then there was Madi Brinkmann’s “Burnt Laddu,” a heartrending drama about the experience of early gurukulis that opened ISKCON devotees up to understanding the plight of their youth.

The first Nama Yajna with Sacinandana Swami in 2008, Sunday morning dramas by Bhakti Marg Swami’s Toronto Players, Radhanath Swami’s Mother’s Day classes, the famous “Mystery Guest” and Ekendra Das’ hilarious Yama-Niyama Das Brahmachari routine all added their own inspirational and colorful touches to the event over the years, along with many others.

Festival of Inspiration’s approach was key, too. “For myself and those who came to assist me over the years, the mood was to serve Srila Prabhupada and his followers,” says Malati.

This included making sure presenters and attendees alike had comfortable lodgings and delicious prasadam, and that children got their own mini festival that helped them grow in Krishna consciousness in a safe environment, so that their parents could attend seminars worry-free.

“We wanted everyone to feel at home,” says Malati. “We wanted them to feel inspired and uplifted in their spiritual life, to make new friends who would become part of their devotee support system, and to want to come back again next year.”

After a decade of service, Malati is passing on the mantle of Festival of Inspiration this year to Vrindavana Das, who has a M.B.A. in marketing management and has already made Festival of Colors a success.

This year the festival, running from May 9^th to 11^th over Mother’s Day weekend, will be overflowing with the kind of rejuvenating spiritual nectar that devotees come to Festival of Inspiration year after year for.

Special 90-minute long Bhagavatam classes in the morning will include Prabhupada disciple Ramesvara Das on the early days of ISKCON, scholar Radhika Ramana Das on the Six Goswamis, and book distributor Vaisesika Das delivering his special brand of inspiration.

Twenty-six seminars and workshops will then be offered from 10:30am until 6:30pm on both Friday and Saturday.

Srila Prabhupada will be a major focus at this year’s festival, with both Hari Sauri and Srutakirti speaking on their experiences and realizations as the ISKCON Founder’s personal servants.

Ramesvara Das will give a seminar on the untold histories of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, speaking about how Srila Prabhupada built his movement through the BBT. And Malati Dasi will lead Srila Prabhupada — Our Eternal Master, in which 20 to 30 disciples will all recall their memories of their beloved guru.

Meanwhile others will present different strategies for spiritual and social success. In “Smart Devotees Finish Rich,” Krishna Gopal Das will provide a Krishna conscious approach to financial planning. And in “Strategic Planning for Life,” Anuttama Das will explain how to create your own strategic plan for achieving your spiritual and family priorities.

While their parents attend these and a host of other seminars on every imaginable topic, children will be absorbed in their own fun program, guided by experienced teachers Lilasuka and Sundari-Lila. They’ll participate in an art competition, educational programs based on the scriptures, Krishna Kids’ yoga, and even be entertained by a Krishna conscious clown.

The evenings will be full, too. As the sun sets, devotees will immerse themselves in a torrent of blissful kirtan with Vaisesika Das, Venezuelan musician Havi Das, Bengali kirtaniya Uttama Bhakta Das, and Namrock band leader Titiksava Karunika Das.

On Sunday at noon, Bhaktimarg Swami and his Toronto Players will bring the pastimes of the Lord alive with a thrilling production of “The Little Big Ramayana.” And at 1:30pm, the Festival will close with a delicious Sunday Feast of paneer, pakoras, sweet rice, gulabjamuns and more.

Throughout the festival, devotees will be comfortably accommodated at New Vrindaban’s motel-quality, newly renovated Lodge rooms and at nearby hotels. And they’ll enjoy three healthy, delicious prasadam meals prepared daily by world famous cook Shanka Das.

“It’s a great privilege to be able to serve so many devotees,” says organizer Vrindavana Das.

With many similar festivals like the Sadhu Sanga Retreat now competing for devotees’ attention, FOI will have to work harder to remain a contender, and it is certainly doing so.

Next year, for its 15^th anniversary, organizers will invite an incredible roster of senior devotees and talent, from early residents of New Vrindaban, to some of Srila Prabhupada’s first disciples, to legendary kirtaniyas and Festival of Inspiration favorites.

The festival will reserve all hotels within a half hour’s drive from New Vrindaban so that 800 devotees can attend. And Vrindavana hopes to keep this increased attendance up in the future.

“The Festival of Inspiration was the biggest North American festival,” he says. “And we definitely want to take it to a new dimension again.”

For the latest updates, please visit http://www.festivalofinspiration.net/