New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Event: Tour Of New Vrindaban
Date: Saturday, November 9th, 2013
Time: 10:00 am to 1:30 pm
Place: Starting at the Bahulaban Barn

Dear New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers,

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

As you may be aware, the board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban will gather for a bi-annual face to face joint boards’ meeting the weekend of November 8th – 10th, 2013.

On behalf of the board members, I invite you to join us on a tour through parts of New Vrindaban. We will start at Bahulaban and include stops at the Old Vrindaban Farm, Srila Prabhupada’s Palace, Garden of Seven Gates and perhaps a few other locations as well.

Our goal is to visit each of these places before having more in depth discussions about them throughout the weekend.

We would be pleased if you accompany us and express your cares and concerns, ask questions and engage in open dialog along the way.

We appreciate your participation and look forward to seeing you!

Hare Krishna.

Your servant,
Jaya Krsna dasa
ISKCON New Vrindaban Community President

P.S. While this is a walking tour of each location, we will be driving from one place to the next. Please make sure to arrange your transportation ahead of time. Immediately afterwards we will partake in lunch Prasad at the Temple and you are welcome to join us then as well.

Video of Bhadra dasa leading New Vrindaban’s 24 Hour Kirtan – June 15th, 2013.

Srila Prabhupada in New Vrindaban.

Srila Prabhupada Visits New Vrindaban – June 28th, 1976.

Excerpt from Hari Sauri’s Trancendental Diary.

This morning Kirtanananda Maharaja arrived in his pickup to drive Srila Prabhupada up to the original New Vrindaban farm where the community first started. Srila Prabhupada sat in the cab while devotees scrambled up into the back or ran up the trail after it. It was a long and bumpy drive up the dirt road, and afterward Srila Prabhupada complained about heart strain.

He had Kirtanananda stop some distance from the house and walked the rest of the way, accompanied by twenty or thirty devotees. The sun was just rising over the distant hills, its rays gently diffusing through the light morning mist. Prabhupada walked steadily up the track, preceeded by one of New Vrindaban’s four-legged residents, a large black cow.

Srila Prabhupada meets Kaliya on the path to the New Vrindaban farmhouse.

At the house the rest of the devotees, including the gurukula children, lined up along the pathway to greet him. Prabhupada looked obviously content to return to the original house in which he had stayed in 1969 when he first came to New Vrindaban. Now it serves as the brahmacari asrama and the residence of the beautiful brass forms of Sri Sri Radha-Vrndavananatha. After his darsana of the Deities, Prabhupada gave class there at the house on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.14.

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

His talk lasted only about fifteen minutes. The verse described how a man who is too attached to family life cannot understand that by such activities he is wasting his time. Indeed, he does not develop a distaste for material existence even though he undergoes three kinds of suffering.

Srila Prabhupada explained there are two classes of men, the bhogi, who is always trying to enjoy his mind and senses, and the yogi, who tries to give up his entanglement. Among the yogis, that person who engages in devotional service to Krsna is the best. He said that by yoga, one achieves siddhi, perfection.

As an example of yogic siddhi he cited something he had heard in his school days. “In my childhood there was my teacher. He said that he had his guru, a yogi. So he told me that his spiritual master, yogi, he inquired from his disciple, ‘What do you want to eat?’ So he said that ‘We want to eat some pomegranate from Kabul.’ So he said, ‘Yes, you can get it. Go into the room and you’ll find.’ So they found a bunch of pomegranate just fresh taken from the tree. This is called prapti-siddhi.” Of course, he told us, this kind of siddhi is material. It is not for the devotee, who alone can attain perfect satisfaction by surrender to Krsna.

At the conclusion of class Srila Prabhupada returned in the truck to the house for breakfast and a short rest.

* * *

Radhaballabha dasa arrived in the afternoon after a visit to the printers in New York. Srila Prabhupada was happily surprised to see Rsi-kumara dasa with him, complete with shaven head. About a week after he had visited Prabhupada in Los Angeles, Rsi-kumara moved into the Laguna Beach temple, and now he has come to visit His Divine Grace again. So Prabhupada’s serious words did have some effect.

Prabhupada was very pleased to see him. “I was surprised that ‘How Rsi-kumara can fall down like this? I had so confidence of this boy from the very beginning. He was so nice, so pure. And maya is so strong. But could not do very well, maya, very long. Thank Krsna and stay with us. Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati [‘Declare it boldly that My devotee will never perish.’] This is Krsna’s mercy, special mercy. So always be calm and chant and pray to Krsna. Don’t spoil this life. It is so valuable. The sense gratification can be available in every life, cats and dogs also. Why should we sacrifice the greatest boon of human life? Hare Krsna.”

Rsi-kumara told Prabhupada that although he had tried everything, he could not find any satisfaction equal to chanting. He had become bored with material life.

Prabhupada told him the best thing would be to preach for some time with the sankirtana party. He used his traveling companion as an example. “Radhaballabha, just see, young boy, how he’s working hard. You were doing also. You were doing so many things at a time. In Bombay you were doing herculean task, everywhere. He knows how to cook, how to give massage, how to keep accounts, yes. Qualified. How to cook. Everything. So, may Krsna save you. What can I say more?”

Prabhupada gave him positive encouragement but when Rsi-kumara asked if he could take up his sannyasa again Srila Prabhupada, while not discouraging him, advised him to wait for some time and he would see.

Radhaballabha and he were scheduled to return together to Los Angeles, but Srila Prabhupada suggested New York. Rsi-kumara decided to accept that and he will remain and go on the bus with Dhrstadyumna Swami to New York after tomorrow’s initiation ceremony.

With the return of one of his former personal assistants, Srila Prabhupada’s mind immediately dwelt on another. “I am thinking of that boy also, Paramahamsa. He was a nice boy.”

Paramahamsa was another sannyasi secretary of His Divine Grace who left less than a year ago. Prabhupada asked Radhaballabha if his whereabouts was known.

Radhaballabha did know. “He’s in Denver, Colorado. He’s not doing so good.”

“Is it not possible to see him?” Prabhupada asked.

“Trivikrama Maharaja went to see him, but he was too much in illusion.”

Prabhupada wasn’t concerned about his present temporary state. “No, that’s all right. Still, I want to see.”

Prabhupada repeated twice more that “he is a very nice boy,” and they decided to contact him and invite him to come to New York for the Ratha-yatra and to see Srila Prabhupada.

Radhaballabha prabhu has just delivered Srimad-Bhagavatam, Seventh Canto, Part Three, to the printer. Now the BBT is working on the first part of the Eight Canto. Radhaballabha had several sketches from the artists for Srila Prabhupada to comment on. He asked Prabhupada if he would like to see them. Prabhupada tipped his head. “Yes, that is the only life, to think of publication and distribution. Even in this weak [condition] … I am very weak nowadays. Still, I am working.”

“Nicely,” Pusta Krsna added. He knows because he spends most of the day transcribing Srila Prabhupada’s output.

“I think I shall not be able to go for walks. This morning my heart was beating too much,” Prabhupada told us.

Pusta Krsna suggested he wait until we get to Washington and see how he feels then. The roads here are rough he said, and we are at a higher altitude also.

Prabhupada accepted his idea. “Yes. That we will do.”

After offering his input on the sketches Prabhupada referred back to the other night when we went through all the predictions contained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. “Who knew five thousand years ago that people will keep long hairs and think of themselves as very beautiful? It is mentioned in the Bhagavata. How is it possible unless they can actually see what is going to happen? That is foretelling. … It is not difficult. Just like tomorrow for my daily routine, what I shall do from morning to evening, I can say. Is it very difficult for me? So it is a question of Brahma’s one day. So it can be said by them, not by us.”

* * *

The devotees bring the large vyasasana out each day for Srila Prabhupada’s darsana in the garden, and take it away again at the end of the evening’s meeting. When everything was set up tonight Srila Prabhupada came out. The devotees were already assembled on the lawn and he held court for about an hour, discussing points of philosophy, based on readings from Bhagavad-gita.

Pusta Krsna Maharaja took up where we left off yesterday, at 16.17, describing the demonic nature. “Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige, they sometimes perform sacrifices in name only, without following any rules or regulations.”

Prabhupada didn’t wait until the purport to make a comment. The description perfectly fit the pseudo-spiritualists of today. “Modern yogic society. ‘Transcendental Meditation.’ Whatever nonsense they like, they do. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that yogis should sit down in a secluded, sacred place — and they find out yogic class in America’s big, big cities, hotels. This is their program. The prescription is that one should sit down in a solitary, sacred place, alone — and these rascals are holding class. All smokers, drunkard, woman-hunters — they are yogis. Hmm? What do you think? Is it all right? This is going on. And they are accepted, ‘Yogi this,’ ‘Yogi that.’ In India they cannot find out because people are not so fool as yet that in big, big cities, in a big, big hotel, ‘yoga practice.’ India, although so fallen, they will not accept. They will at once detect, ‘Here is a rascal.’ But here, their dambha-mana, their qualification … They have got money. So whatever they accept, that is all right, because they have got money. No other qualification required. They can pay. That’s all.”

There were other cheaters also. Prabhupada exposed the fraud of paper currency. In his childhood, he said, if you went to the bank, the teller would ask if you wanted silver coins, gold coins or paper. There was a choice. Now, even though it says on the notes, “I promise to pay the bearer … ” if you actually ask for gold the paper represents, you won’t be allowed to have it. Prabhupada said the cheating therefore begins with the government.

Of course, the scientists also came under Prabhupada’s critical scrutiny. Now the latest thing is the Mars probe. Since the moon is no longer interesting, after so much expenditure for no result, Srila Prabhupada asked why such scientific exploration at the expense of these taxpayers was allowed to go on.
Radhaballabha suggested it was because they consider it “a very noble cause to increase knowledge.”

By use of a short fable Prabhupada illustrated the plight of the taxpayers. “Some frogs were there, and children were throwing stones. Then the frogs appealed, ‘Sir, why you are throwing stone upon us?’ ‘No, we are playing.’ ‘So what is play for you, it is death to us.’ So these rascals are playing, and we have to pay heavy tax for that. This is going on. We are playing, making some scientific research, and who will pay for that? You. You work hard in the factory and pay tax. This is civilization. ‘You pay tax, and we spend it as we like.’ Frivolity. This is going on. This is the government of Kali-yuga. What can you do?

“‘What is play to you is death to us.’ And ‘Never mind. You die. We play.’ They have already spent so much money, moon exploration. And that has stopped now, no benefit. They brought some sand and some rock-satisfied. Again the same thing with Mars. But we can say from our poor knowledge that as they have failed in the moon planet, they will fail also in the Mars. Take it down. Note now. Do you know this is all bluff?”

Radhaballabha told him that after the interviews in Los Angeles the newspapers quoted him as saying that they did not go to the moon. They also printed his Sunday-Moon-day logic.

Srila Prabhupada was happy to hear it. He issued his challenge afresh. “Nobody can answer that. The common sense. Can any one of you answer why Sunday first and Monday next? Even Svarupa Damodara has not answered. Any scientist here who can answer why Sunday first and Monday second?”

Janahlada dasa hazarded a guess. “I’m not a scientist, but I always thought that the ancients thought that the sun was first because without telescopes or light-measuring instruments it was bigger and it looked closer.”

“That’s a fact.” Prabhupada’s affirmative response told him that it wasn’t just because it looked that way. “Sunday is first, and Monday-moon is beyond sun. If they accept that nobody can approach sun, then how they can approach moon? In calculation, eighteen thousand miles per hour, and if the moon is situated ninety five million miles, then how they can go in four days? These are my questions. They have not been answered. It takes at least seven months. And they went in four days, and the man’s mother … His photograph was there. She said, ‘At last my son has gone there.’ You have seen that photograph? I have seen it. Mother was satisfied. This is going on.”

Pusta Krsna Maharaja read on. When he got to text nineteen Srila Prabhupada had a few more things to say about the materialistic scientists. The verse described the fate of the demons. “Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.”

Prabhupada explained that even if one doesn’t accept there is a God, he is still subject to a superior force. “This body is a machine. The machine is given by material nature. Today you may be a very big man, and by your activities, asuric activities, you are so condemned that you have to accept a lower-grade life, a fox, sly fox. ‘You are very sly to spend others’ money in moon excursion. Now you become a fox.’ So who can check it? Here it is stated, tan aham dvisatah kruran. So you cannot check it. You are not so great scientist. You cannot check God’s law, so how you can say that there is no God?

“Nobody endeavors for mishappenings, but you know there is some superior force who’ll enforce mishappening. And they are unable to counteract. Just like a scientist knows that he’ll die, but he’s so expert scientist that he cannot counteract. He knows that he’ll die. He’s talking all nonsense while living, but he does not make any arrangement that he’ll not die. That he is unable. They are making arrangement, going to the Mars planet at the expense of taxpayer, so if we request the rascal scientists that ‘You discover something so that we will not die. Take any amount of money,’ will they be able?”

Radhaballabha said, “They’ll die while they are trying to find out.”

“Then? What is the use of this scientist?” Prabhupada asked. “That ‘Take any amount. Here is my beloved son. My scientist, physician, you take any amount. Just give life to my son.’ Is it able? These are practical. False, bogus bluffing — that is another thing.”

“They get angry if we tell them that,” Radhaballabha said.

To Prabhupada, that was another confirmation of their position. “Yes, that means they are rascal. When there is argument between you and me, if one becomes angry, that means he’s a rascal. That is the proof. He cannot reply anymore. He has become angry. That is his defeat. Upadeso hi murkhanam prakopaya na santaye. Murkha, if a rascal is given good instruction, he’ll be angry. So that is the proof that he’s rascal.

“The example is given, just like if you give milk, very nourishing food, to a human being, he’ll get strength, but if you give to a snake, it will increase poison. So that is the proof that ‘here is a snake.’ One day he’ll: ‘Ohnn!’ He’ll ready to bite you. You have given milk, it has increased poison, and it will show his fangs, hood. That is asura. So therefore they become snakes, scorpion, so low-grade life. Snake life is so degraded that at once you see a snake, immediately every one of us will be ready to kill it. Everyone, without any mercy. Nobody will say, ‘No, no, let this go.’ So he is put into that life that he cannot come in the light. As soon as he comes in the vision of somebody, everyone is ready to kill. And nobody is sorry. Prahlada Maharaja said that: Even one is saintly person, he’ll be satisfied if a snake is killed. Saintly person doesn’t want that anyone should be killed, but if a snake is killed, he’s happy: ‘Oh, you have done right.’ So Prahlada Maharaja said [to Lord Nrsimhadeva] ‘My father is killed; nobody is unhappy. But he was just like a snake and scorpion. Now You be satisfied. There is no cause of becoming angry. Everyone is satisfied.'”

Prabhupada asked the devotees to look up the verse. Pusta Krsna and Radhaballabha both searched but failed to find it even though Prabhupada gave the Sanskrit. Finally Prabhupada took the book himself. As he asked for his spectacles he opened it — right at the very verse. It was almost magical. He laughed himself and everyone else did too.

After Pusta Krsna read out the translation and purport Prabhupada added, “Snake or scorpion … Of course, sometimes snakes, they eat their own children. He has tried to kill his own child. Modeta sadhur api vrscika-sarpa-hatya. Very good example. The saintly persons, they also want the killing of living entities like the snake.”

Pusta Krsna read out the next couple of verses which gave descriptions of Lord Nrsimhadeva in His mood of ferocity which were delightful to the ear. Srila Prabhupada smiled and repeated a line from the prayer that we sing to the Lord each arati. “Nail is sufficient to kill an enemy like Hiranyakasipu. No other weapon required. Simply tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-srngam. Wonderful nails. Dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhrngam. Just like we sometimes press some insects; immediately dies. So this Hiranyakasipu, simply by nails pressed and finished.”

* * *

Prabhupada had requested a repeat showing of Yadubara’s film on New Vrindaban, Spiritual Frontier, and he ended the darsana earlier than usual so that he could see it. He enjoyed it all over again. On our way here to New Vrindaban he had told Kirtanananda Maharaja he felt they should have included more information about New Vrindaban’s milk preparations in the film, but on second viewing he decided that it was all right.

When it was over he told Kirtanananda, “In nutshell everything is there. Our agriculture, our temple, and food growing, and everything is there. Radha-Krsna worship. The sum and substance, everything … And you are living practically for the last … Eight years? Here? You have no difficulty. You are happy more and more. Immense land. You can come, hundreds. We can provide. There is food. There is shelter.”

Kirtanananda Maharaja said that ordinary people think that by protecting the cow it will not be economic, that they would lose. “But actually we have proof,” he told Srila Prabhupada, “the more we protect cows, the more we gain in opulence.”

Srila Prabhupada heartily agreed. “Yes. If you have got grain, then you are rich. And if you have got cows, then you are rich. This is the standard of Vedic richness. Dhanyena dhanavan gavyena dhanavan. They don’t say, ‘Keep some papers and you become rich.’ All rascal, one thousand dollar I promise to pay, a piece of paper. Practical — we have got enough food grains. We have got enough milk. That is richness. What is use of paper? Even gold you have got, you have to exchange.

“If you have grain, immediate food. Just boil with milk, and it is nectarean, paramanna, immediately. Take some wood collected from the woods and have fire, put the milk and the grains — oh, you’ll get so nice food, nutritious, full of vitamin, and so easily made. It is practical. So tasteful. … If you simply boil little milk and little grain, whole day, so much sweet rice, you take — bas. You don’t require any more. And if you add little apples and fruits, oh, it is heavenly! Your whole day free from any food anxiety, and you can work. You can chant Hare Krsna. Make this ideal life here. America has got good potency. We have got so much land here. We can have hundreds of New Vrindabans or farms like that. And people will be happy. And invite all the world, ‘Please come and live with us. Why you are suffering congestion, overpopulation? Welcome here. Chant Hare Krsna.’ Make that.

“Indian culture and American strength make the whole world happy. That logic I have given? India could not improve on account of poverty, lame. And America? Blind for want of culture. So let the blind man carry the lame man on the head, and the lame man give direction that ‘Go this way,’ and he walks. So both men’s work is done. There is no hampering because one is blind and one is lame. Combined together, they get the benefit. Andha-pangor nyaya. Do it very sincerely. Don’t spoil life. Be very sober and do this work. Whole world will be happy. After all, they are seeking after happiness. So there is happiness here.”

He said Rsi-kumara was a very intelligent boy with great capability. As far as his recent past goes, “Whatever is done is done,” he said. “Sometimes maya is strong. She bewilders even Lord Siva.” Prabhupada has recently been working on the section of the Eighth Canto describing how Lord Siva was bewildered by the vivacious form of Mohini-murti. “But Siva immediately came to his senses,’What I am doing?’

“So things are going on nice. Continue this program. People will be happy. And I think America is the only place who can spread this Krsna consciousness movement happily for the benefit of the whole world. You have got everything sufficient. Now get the Krsna intelligence.”

When we were in Toronto he had told ‚ubhavilasa that a cold place is a symptom of sinful life. He made a practical observation about the weather in West Virginia. “Now here, in this quarter, sun also rising very nicely. Formerly it was not so bright. Due to this Hare Krsna chanting, sun is giving light. Is it not?”

Kirtanananda Maharaja confirmed it. “It is a fact.”
“The more people will be sinful, the place will be dark with cloudy. Nature will always disturb. They will not be happy. It is not possible. This is the only way to become happy. So, so far as possible, I have given you some framework. Now you fill up. Make it a nice building.”

Even when I mentioned to Srila Prabhupada a little dubiously that the New Vrindaban devotees still buy their vegetable bhoga from the local markets and it did not seem that they very self-sufficient, Prabhupada maintained his positive mood. He said it was all right — they have the intention, and that is what is required. He repeated what he said in Los Angeles, that Kirtanananda is putting into practice all the ideas he has given.

We began discussing the scientists and their bluffing again and Prabhupada told us a funny story about Gopala Ban, a court jester in West Bengal during the reign of Raja Krsnacandra. By it, Prabhupada cleverly illustrated how scientists obtained their grants. “The Mohammedan Governor of the day had asked him, ‘Now, Gopala Ban, I have heard you are very expert. Can you write a similar book as the Mahabharata about my kingdom?’
“‘Oh yes, why not? That is not difficult.’
“So he took with him some hundreds of thousands of rupees and again came. ‘Give me another ten thousand,’ and another ten … in this way.

“‘When will the book be finished? You have taken so much money.’

“‘It is just on the verge of being finished.’

Then when he saw that no more money can be taken, ‘I have taken so much money … ‘ he said, ‘Now sir, one information is very essential. Give me and Mahabharata will be finished. Everything is there.’

“‘What is that information?’

“‘Now, your wife, how many husbands she has got?’

“‘This is nonsense!’

“‘Eh? Well, that is the main subject matter of Mahabharata. Draupadi had five husbands [the Pandavas], and you are such a great person your wife must have at least one dozen. Otherwise, how Mahabharata will be written?’

“‘It is the subject matter of… ?’

“‘Yes, that is the only subject matter — that Draupadi had five husbands. So you are such a big Nawab, your wife must at least have one dozen. So give me their names.’

“So he became very angry. ‘Don’t talk this nonsense!’

“‘Then I cannot finish your Mahabharata. I have already invested!’

“So he took another ten thousand rupees and [the Nawab] he said, ‘Stop all this nonsense. That’s all right.'”

Srila Prabhupada was laughing all the way through his telling of it, making comical gestures as he relayed the foolishness of the Nawab and the sharp wit of Gopala Ban in taking advantage of his combined ignorance and pride.

“So these rascals,” Prabhupada said, meaning the scientists, “they are writing Gopala Ban’s Mahabharata, and the rascal government is paying them. They will never be able to produce anything. Challenge them. As soon as you say, ‘Make an egg’ — ‘That we cannot say!’ And they’ll chant ‘Chemical evolution, chemical evolution’ and get Nobel Prize. Rascals. But how the people are so foolish that they believe in this?

Prabhupada repeated his challenge to the scientists to make an egg and produce life. It is something he has said many times. “This is very simple. You see everything, white and yellow. Produce. Chemicals are white. Some chemicals are yellow also. Just like hydroform … It is yellow. And soda bicarb, white, or potash cyanide is white. So you have got so many chemicals, combine and pack it in a cell, and put underneath the incubator. Why rascal do not do this?”

He emphasized the great fraud they are engaged in. “Beat them with shoes. ‘Rascal, you are cheating in this way.’ Beat them with shoes. That’s all. That is the only punishment. Hundreds of men demand them, that ‘Do it, otherwise don’t talk nonsense. If you talk nonsense, then we will beat you with all our shoes.’ Then they’ll stop all this nonsense talk. There is no punishment for their cheating and taking money.”

Although his rhetoric was very strong, his tone was devoid of any envy or hatred. In one sense, as a self-realized soul, he is a neutral observer. But in another sense, as Krsna’s representative, out of compassion for the suffering conditioned souls, he cannot refrain from condemning the perpetration of illusion which keeps them firmly bound to the material world.

A little later Prabhupada and I talked about the moon landing. I made the point that they will always try to claim some success or benefit because they have to get grants.

Srila Prabhupada was very clear about it despite the propaganda in the newspapers. “From our estimation it is failure. They have not gone there.”
I said, “They have to say it’s a success. Just like this Mars thing. If they can land a spaceship that takes a few photographs, supposedly of Mars, then that’s considered a success.”

“Photograph you can take anywhere,” Prabhupada said dismissively.

I agreed “Yes.” But still I was puzzled, and so I asked him what he thought was really going on. “Could they, or are they actually sending these spaceships to another planet, or … ?”

“That they know,” Prabhupada told me, not wanting to speculate. “According to our calculations, they have not gone. Therefore false propaganda. They cannot go.”

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Event: Tour Of New Vrindaban
Date: Saturday, November 9th, 2013
Time: 10:00 am to 1:30 pm
Place: Starting at the Bahulaban Barn

Dear New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers,

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

As you may be aware, the board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban will gather for a bi-annual face to face joint boards’ meeting the weekend of November 8th – 10th, 2013.

On behalf of the board members, I invite you to join us on a tour through parts of New Vrindaban. We will start at Bahulaban and include stops at the original Vrindaban Farm, Srila Prabhupada’s Palace, Garden of Seven Gates and perhaps a few other locations as well.

Our goal is to visit each of these places before having more in depth discussions about them throughout the weekend.

We would be pleased if you accompany us and express your cares and concerns, ask questions and engage in open dialog along the way.

We appreciate your participation and look forward to seeing you!

Hare Krishna.

Your servant,

Jaya Krsna dasa
ISKCON New Vrindaban Community President

P.S. While this is a walking tour of each location, we will be driving from one place to the next. Please make sure to arrange your transportation ahead of time. Immediately afterwards we will partake in lunch Prasad at the Temple and you are welcome to join us then as well.

Event: Community Dialog

Date: Sunday, November 10th, 2013

Time: 3 to 5 pm, following the Sunday Temple Program

Place: Under the Lodge

Dear Brijabasis,

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

As you may be aware, the board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban will gather for a bi-annual face to face joint boards’ meeting the weekend of November 8th through the 10th, 2013.

On behalf of the board members, I humbly invite all New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers for a Community Dialog.

Our continuing theme: “How can we better serve you?”

Additional topics include:

Furthering Srila Prabhupada’s five primary instructions for New Vrindaban.

Increasing communication, cooperation, transparency and trust in our ongoing “Improving Community Spirit” efforts.

Sharing highlights from the board members’ discussions.

We would also like to hear your suggestions. Please take this opportunity to express your cares and concerns, ask questions and engage in an open conversation.

We appreciate your participation and look forward to seeing you!

Hare Krishna.

Your servant,

Jaya Krsna dasa

Video of Gauri Priya dasi leading New Vrindaban’s 24 Hour Kirtan – June 15th, 2013.

ISKCON New Vrindaban Vision Statement: Founded in 1968, Srila Prabhupada boldly envisions New Vrindaban as a sacred place known worldwide for Cow Protection, Self-Sufficiency, Holy Pilgrimage, Spiritual Education, and, above all, Loving Krishna.

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Please visit ISKCON New Vrindaban’s redesigned website!

Srila Prabhupada in New Vrindaban.

Srila Prabhupada Visits New Vrindaban – June 27th, 1976.

Excerpt from Hari Sauri’s Trancendental Diary.

Srila Prabhupada felt a little better this morning and went on his walk. The devotees drove him to a more open stretch of countryside, rather than return to the dark vale we first visited.

He walked at an easy gait, accompanied by a small handful of devotees. He spoke only intermittently, strolling along with a quiet serenity. Srila Prabhupada has a wonderfully aristocratic bearing — erect stature, upwardly tilted head, cane firmly wielded, his hand clasping the silver handle with the forefinger extended, sharp eyes, penetrating and clear — yet at the same time he is completely approachable and never aloof from his surroundings and his followers. He has weight. He is a presence one cannot ignore. Even when he is silent you know he has a lot to say. And when he does speak he reveals a wealth of information. As he told us in Bombay, a devotee is expert, which means that “he knows everything about something, and something about everything.” Srila Prabhupada is certainly the most expert.

As he sauntered along the road he noticed some patches of herbs growing along the side. “There is a class of men, they are called bediyas. They know all these herb, which herb is medicine for certain disease, and they sell in the market. Every one of these is meant for some medicine. They know it.”

I asked if that kind of information was in the Vedas.

Prabhupada said, “Ayur-veda. There is a book. Dravya-guna. All kinds of herbs, metals, even different kinds of flesh of different animals, they are mentioned. Hundreds of different kinds of animals’ flesh, how it can be utilized for certain disease, the descriptions are there.”

This was a little surprising to me. “They use flesh for curing diseases?”

“Yes.” Prabhupada said matter-of-factly, adding, “Animal killing is only allowed when it is absolutely necessary, for medicine. Suppose by killing one animal, hundreds of lives are saved, so that is allowed. One preparation is chagalagdha-ghrta. A live goat is put into the ghee with other ingredients, and that is a good medicine for tuberculosis.”

Pusta Krsna was also a bit incredulous. “They actually cook the live goat in the ghee? Maybe we should withhold this science from the Western world for a while,” he said half-jokingly.

Prabhupada grinned. “No, you are expert already.”

I asked if it was done in the same mood as Vedic animal sacrifices where mantras were chanted to give new life to the animal.

Prabhupada shook his head. He said animals were sacrificed and reborn to test the potency of the mantra. But in this case the animal was used for medicine.

Syamakunda dasa mentioned a book he had recently read wherein the author said that old cows with no milk and rotten teeth should be slaughtered as a matter of economy, rather than waste their flesh.

Prabhupada had a suggestion of his own for the author. “When he’ll die, who will take his meat? That is also economical. Why don’t you give it to the animal-eaters instead of wasting it? Why they bury in the ground? Why? Let it be thrown to be eaten by the jackals or anybody else.”

Srila Prabhupada argued that when a man is dead they should make the same economic calculation because, after all, when they are dead, there is no difference in value between an animal’s body and a man’s body.

We suggested it would be too horrifying for them to contemplate that they may start eating each other, their own grandmother or even their family dog.

“But if it was wrapped up in a package and they didn’t know it was the dog or their mother, they could probably eat it,” Syamakunda said.

“Yes,” Prabhupada agreed. “They can eat by packing.”

It reminded me of an incident from my childhood. When I related it, Srila Prabhupada stopped for a moment to listen. “They eat their pets sometimes. I used to have a pet rabbit, and one day I came home from school and my father had killed it and eaten it for dinner.” The devotees shook their heads and laughed. “He said I wasn’t looking after it properly, so he…”

Prabhupada pulled a face and walked on. He didn’t want to hear. “Chant Hare Krsna!”

* * *

Srila Prabhupada visits the calves at the Bahulaban Barn, June 27th, 1976.

Right after his short class Prabhupada visited the cow barn. Four new calves have been born since his arrival, and as he stood next to their stall chatting with Kirtanananda Swami, he let one lick his hand. The New Vrindaban cow protection program is impressive. The devotees derive about one thousand pounds of milk per day which they turn into various products like ghee, cheese and buttermilk. Srila Prabhupada enjoyed the visit.

* * *

The weather has been sunny and warm so Srila Prabhupada takes his mid-day massage sitting out on the lawn. Today he noted a constant coming and going of cars and small trucks on the road and inquired if they were our men. When I informed him that they were, he laughed and quoted a Bengali saying: “‘I live in the forest and eat grass, but for going to pass stool I ride a white horse!’ This is your Western renunciation and simple living. They are living in the hills and forests, but still they drive big trucks and cars around! Anyway, that is all right, as long as we do not grow dependent on them.”

* * *

In the afternoon Pusta Krsna and myself went to swim in a large, man-made pond named Radha-kunda. We went with Kuladri, Narada Muni dasa and a few other prabhus. We had water sports and raft fights. After some time the gurukula boys arrived, most of whom are under five years old. They are pure and innocent and seemed content and happy. We had an hour long battle, “demons versus devotees.” I was told that Prabhupada has approved wrestling for youths because it helps strengthen their metabolism and keeps the semen intact for going to the brain.

* * *

Prabhupada held another long darsana in the garden, at about five thirty. Although the drone of our neighbors’ motorcycles could be heard in the distance, they did not venture up as far as our house, so we sat on the grass in peace to hear His Divine Grace.

Prabhupada initiated the discussion by asking the devotees a question. “If you go somewhere, you must know first of all why you have gone there. That is the first question. If you go to a store, the first business is that you have gone to purchase some particular thing from the store. That is understood. Similarly, why one should go to a spiritual master? What is the purpose? Answer any one of you.”

That set the tone for much of the next two hours. Prabhupada encouraged the devotees to examine the fundamental principle of spiritual life — one’s relationship with the spiritual master.

Dhrstadyumna Maharaja immediately provided the answer he was looking for. “When one is confused and frustrated by this material existence, he wants to find an answer to his problem. So there are different authorities in the world offering solutions, but one has to find the actual authority.”

Srila Prabhupada expanded his statement. “One has to go to guru when one is inquisitive. Child also wants to know. He asks his parents, ‘What is this, father? What is this, mother?’ That inquisitiveness is there in everyone. So when one wants to know about the Supreme, then he requires a guru, or spiritual master. It is not a fashion that ‘Everyone keeps a guru; let me also have a guru.’ Not like that. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. ‘In order to understand the transcendental science, one has to go to guru.’ Just like one generally, naturally, goes to temple, church… Four classes of men. One is needy: ‘O God, give us our daily bread.’ Actually, that is the fact. God gives us bread. So traditionally we are trained up. Similarly, one who wants to know what is God.

“Just like in our Society, in Krsna consciousness, they see that these boys, young boys, they have given up everything, they are after Krsna. What is this Krsna? That is intelligent. Why they are after this Krsna? Then he has to go to a person, guru. In this way, there are many circumstances. But the real purpose is to know the Supreme.”

“So if one is looking for a guru,” Dhrstadyumna Swami asked, “but there are many people they are proclaiming themselves guru, and they are speaking ‘Supreme,’ ‘God,’ how may one tell the actual guru?”

Prabhupada firmly condemned both those who declare themselves to be God, as well as those who believe them. A person should know what he is looking for in order to avoid being cheated. He gave a simple practical test by which any layman could expose a rogue. “If one accepts some cheap God, that means he has no understanding about God. He’s a rascal. If I say I’m God and somebody accepts me as God, then he’s a foolish man. They do not know what is meaning of God. If one wants God, he must know at least what is meant by God. Every scripture, just like in Bible it is said, ‘God has created this universe.’ So if you come to me and accept me as God, why don’t you test whether I have created another universe like this? Why you accept a cheap God who hasn’t done anything? Simply he’s bluff, and he says that ‘I am God.’

“Everything requires intelligence. If you are not intelligent, then in every transaction you may be cheated. Everyone has heard God is great. So great means there should be nobody equal to Him and nobody greater than Him. So test that man whether he has no competitor, another God. Nowadays there are so many Gods. So God is great, why is there another competitor? This is intelligence.”

Pusta Krsna also stated that it was a common occurrence in the Western countries for people to say that anyone can be guru. “In fact, one Westerner who went to India and came back — he’s very popular in the United States today — he says that everyone is guru and everyone is God.”

“And people accept that?” Prabhupada asked him.

“Yes.”

Prabhupada motioned to the small group before him.”Now you discuss this point.”

Several quotes and philosophical pronouncements came forth but Srila Prabhupada wanted something other than mere repetition of scripture. “No, this is a common sense. If everyone is God, then what is the necessity of finding out a guru? Guru means who explains about God. If everyone is God, then what is the use of explanation? There is no need of guru.”

His purpose for the evening was clear. He wanted to hear the personal realizations of his disciples. His questions, prompts and instigations of debate were both to train us and reveal what we have actually understood. He is writing so many books which he requests us repeatedly to read. He does not want blind, sentimental followers. He wants competent preachers who can go out and save the world. Defeating the Mayavadis is high on the list of priorities. Thus a question from one of the men found Srila Prabhupada as much irritated with the man as he was with the faulty philosophy he inquired about.

The man asked, “Srila Prabhupada, there is one common philosophy, also held by a lot of religious groups, that God can be understood directly from within, and that no guru or spiritual master is necessary. If I desire to approach God, and if He’s all-powerful, He can instruct me from within. They feel like this. Therefore they dispute our claim that we understand God in a different way, that you need a genuine spiritual master. And yet when we approach them, one man will say he has God within his heart and he understands God in this way, and another man is receiving instruction from God from within the heart, and yet he’s saying another thing.”

Prabhupada stated clearly the position of such a proponent, but he was as concerned about the questioner. “He’s a rascal, and who accepts him, he’s a rascal. How do you think that God is speaking to him? How do you accept it?”

The devotee said he didn’t accept it but Prabhupada wasn’t satisfied with that assurance. He had detected a problem in the mere fact that the man had brought it up.

“But you are advocating. Why do you accept this?” he wanted to know. “He would say, but you must know that he’s talking foolish. How God can talk with him? What is the condition? Therefore you have to read books.

“God talks with whom? That is said. Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam. Those who have already become devotee of God and engaged in His service, He talks with him. Not a third-class fool. He doesn’t talk with him. It is clearly stated, one who is twenty-four-hours engaged in the service of the Lord, with love and faith, God talks with him. How do you understand that God is talking with him? A rascal fool, who has no business with God?

“So first of all see whether he’s twenty-four-hours engaged in God’s service with love and faith. Then you can understand, ‘Yes, God is talking with him.’ But [when] he has no preliminary qualification, if he says, ‘I can talk with God,’ he’s a nonsense. You accept him, ‘Yes, he may be talking with God.’ How he can talk? That means you are also nonsense. You do not know with whom God talks. Why do you accept such proposition? If some storekeeper says ‘I have passed M.A., L.L.D.,’ and I have to accept that? You must know with whom God talks. That means you are nonsense. You are accepting nonsensically. And the person who is constantly engaged in God’s service, unless he’s trained up by a spiritual master, how can he be engaged? So without spiritual master, one cannot be engaged in devotional service, and without devotional service, nobody’s eligible to talk with God. So that nonsense talking, that without spiritual master, God talking, and he has become perfect, this is all nonsense. One who believes, he is also nonsense. He does not know God.

“To raise such question means nonsense. You do not know with whom God talks, therefore you have brought this question. Otherwise, you would have kicked immediately, ‘It is impossible.’ What do you think?”

The boy again tried to reassure Srila Prabhupada. “I understand what you are saying.”

“Then why do you raise this question?”

“It’s a matter of argument also,” the boy replied.

Prabhupada was irked. “Argument? Why do you bring such nonsense argument, waste time? Don’t waste time. You are ignorant, you are accepting. Don’t remain ignorant. It is common sense. Is it so easy that one can talk with God? If some common man says, ‘Just now I went to Mr. Ford, the President, and talked with him. I’m coming back from him.’ So any gentleman will believe that? So these are our insufficiency that we believe such things. We are not properly trained up. Simply waste time. That’s not good. He may talk nonsense. Why I shall accept nonsense? Shall I have to believe? He’s a common man. How he can talk with President Ford? If I believe, then I am also nonsense.”

The devotee’s next question really brought out Srila Prabhupada’s annoyance. “Does this mean that we should not speak with those who ask such questions?”

“But you must know how to answer it!” Prabhupada riled. “Otherwise, chant Hare Krsna. Why there are so many books? You do not read it, you do not know how to answer it even. That means you do not read. If you knew that God does not speak with rascals or anyone ordinary, then you would have immediately replied, ‘God does not speak to you. It is not possible. It requires qualification.’ Why should you believe it and waste your time?”

Srila Prabhupada was in a lively disposition. Rather than have sections of his books read out, as in previous nights, he preached directly the philosophy, and dealt with his audience directly also. The mood was one of dynamic exchange and everyone was invigorated.

At one point, Prabhupada told everyone the story of Narada Muni, the cobbler and the brahmana.

Hearing this made one of the men puzzled. Thinking about a statement Krsna makes in the Bhagavad-gita he asked Prabhupada to clarify it. “In that story, the cobbler actually was more advanced than the brahmana, and yet in Bhagavad-gita Krsna explains that ‘Even the stri-sudra-dvijabandhu,’ they can all approach the supreme destination. Then in the next verse He says, ‘How much greater, then, are the brahmanas, the righteous, the devotees, the saintly kings.’ I was wondering how are they greater? I do not understand how they are greater than the lower person who surrenders.”

Prabhupada gave him a simple but wonderful comparison. “Suppose you have got your spiritual master and if somebody says that any one of you can come in this car. So spiritual master goes, you also go. Does it mean that spiritual master is not greater than you? Do you think like that?”

It was immediately clear to the boy. “No.”

“Then? It is the same thing. Suppose Kirtanananda Maharaja has brought this car, so he says, ‘All of you can come.’ So I go, you go, does it mean that you and your spiritual master are equal?

“Everyone can go to Godhead, there is no doubt, but still there is difference between brahmanas, ksatriyas, sudras. So far going into the car, the equal right is there, but it does not mean that your spiritual master or the next group, they are not greater than you. Don’t think like that. The same car, Kirtanananda Maharaja is driving, I am also there, you are also there. Does it mean that we are all equal? There must be gradation. The right is given to everyone. It does not mean that immediately they become all one.

“It is Krsna’s mercy that He accepted everyone, ‘Come on.’ But the distinction is there. We are inviting everyone to partake krsna-prasadam. That does not mean that immediately all of them have become of the equal rank. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He was so kind, but still there was distinction. When He was taking prasadam, personal associates, they were sitting with Him. Is it not?

“This is called honor. Varieties must be there. Otherwise we become Mayavadis — everything is equal, all one. This is Mayavada philosophy — no varieties. There must be variety. That is Vaisnava philosophy. And as soon as you make it variety-less, all equal, that is Mayavada.”

He offered another beautiful example from the colorful garland he was wearing. “Just see even in this flower.” He pointed out the blossom and then the leaf. “This is flower and this is also flower. Does it mean they are of the same rank? This is understanding. Together they look very beautiful, but if you take separate value, then it is valuable than this flower. That distinction must be there. If somebody says, ‘I am accepting even the leaf in this garland,’ then what to speak of rose? It is like that. Krsna says that. That does not mean leaf and rose have the same value. One is making a beautiful garland, ‘I am accepting everything.’ Mixed together it looks very nice, but individually the leaf has value, the rose has value, the flower has value. Not that because they are put together they have equal value. This is Vaisnava philosophy.”

There was another claim to God consciousness that we put before him for comment. He had mentioned the United Nations and someone said there was now a Mayavadi guru who conducts meditation sessions there. Srila Prabhupada’s expository response came in typical fashion, with cutting humor and sastric reference. “That is another cheating. Meditation … Whatever nonsense they are doing, you don’t know, nobody knows. That’s all. ‘If you become dumb, you have no enemy.’ Tavac ca sobhate murkho yavat kincin na bhasate. ‘A rascal is beautiful so long he does not speak.’ So better meditation; don’t speak. Nobody will detect you. This is going on. If you speak, then you’ll be detected what you are. And if you sleep by posing meditation, then nobody will ask, ‘What you are doing nonsense?’ This is meditation. Meditation is another cheating. That Prahlada Maharaja has detected. Huh? Find out this verse, Seventh Canto.”

As Pusta Krsna Maharaja looked it up I recalled a news article about the man. “This Shri Chinmoy is supposed to be this resident guru at the United Nations. He did a practical demonstration of what he said a person who is in touch with God can be capable of doing if he allows himself to become an instrument of God. For eight months he painted continually, and he produced twenty seven thousand paintings. He said that this was proof that he was God realized.”

Srila Prabhupada waited to respond until the verse he wanted was read out. Pusta Krsna read the translation. “O Supreme Personality of Godhead, there are ten prescribed methods on the path to liberation — to remain silent, not to speak to anyone, to observe vows, to amass all kinds of Vedic knowledge, to undergo austerities, to study the Vedas and other Vedic literatures, to execute the duties of varnasrama-dharma, to explain the sastras, to stay in a solitary place, to chant mantras silently, and to be absorbed in trance. These different methods for liberation are generally only a professional practice and means of livelihood … ”

Prabhupada interrupted and repeated the last phrase. “Means of livelihood.”

Then Pusta Krsna continued, ” … means of livelihood for those who have not conquered their senses. Because such persons are falsely proud, these procedures may not be successful.”

After hearing the short purport, Prabhupada gave further explication. “Take, for example, mauna. Mauna means don’t talk rubbish. It is better not to talk than to talk foolish. So mauna is meant for them who cannot talk about Krsna. Better stop talking. Because he does not know Krsna, he’ll talk all nonsense. So sometimes the spiritual master says that ‘You remain silent for twelve years.'” Midst our laughter he went on, “Instead of talking nonsense, you remain silent for twelve years. That is mauna. Because as soon as you’ll talk, you’ll be captured where you are. Better not to talk. But one who is devotee, why he’ll not … ? He’ll talk about Krsna. Why he should be silent? If he remains silent, then people will not get the benefit. Let him speak always of Krsna.

“Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that whomever you meet, you simply talk about Krsna, what He has taught in the Bhagavad-gita. You become guru. So why guru will stop? Guru will speak. But what kind of speaking? What Krsna has spoken. Not nonsense. Not like that: ‘I have painted so many pictures, therefore I have become God realized.’ Where Bhagavan says, ‘By painting pictures one may … ‘ Krsna does not say. He [Shri Chinmoy] has invented this. So therefore our test is, whether he’s a bona fide guru, whether he’s talking what Krsna has said. Then he’s guru. Otherwise a rascal. That’s all, finished. Why should we bother? If you know this art, how to detect the rascal and guru, the test is already there. Where is the difficulty?”

Finally at the end of a very informative and entertaining meeting Srila Prabhupada called a halt and retired to his rooms.

* * *

On his way into his bedroom to take rest tonight he glanced over to a painting of baby Krsna carrying Nanda Maharaja’s shoes on His head which was hanging on the wall. He stopped and stared intently for a few moments, his face softening with love and appreciation. Then as he lay in the darkness he spoke fondly of how wonderful Krsna is, that He can enact such pastimes and still be the Supreme Godhead.

Because of our dullness Prabhupada generally has to preach about the difference between the body and spirit, but now and then he reveals, just for a few moments, the intimacy of his realization of Lord Krsna’s pastimes

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Everyone is invited to New Vrindaban’s Govardhan Puja- Diwali Celebrations.

Krsna Lifts Govardhan Hill

DATES:

Sat. Nov. 2 and Sat. Nov. 9 for our guests and pilgrims.

The “official” date of Govardhan Puja is Mon. Nov. 4, when there will also be a festival.

Click on the link below to see the full schedules!  Hare Krsna.

Diwali-goverdhan flyer

Mother Yasoda binds baby Krsna