New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

by Lilasuka dasi

ISKCON New Vrindaban, home of the Palace of Gold, has been actively participating in the Marshall County Tourism Board since April 2012.   There are a wide variety of tourist attractions in the Marshall County area of West Virginia, including the former WV Penitentiary, Grand Vue Park, the Grave Creek Mound, Fostoria Glass Museum, the Marx Toy Museum, and of course the Palace of Gold, which was listed this year on CNN Travel as one of the eight religious wonders to see in the U.S.A.

In Front of the temple at New Vrindaban

Different tourist entities came together and formed the Marshall County Tourism Board for the purpose of helping each other attract more visitors to the Moundsville area.  The representatives of the attractions on this committee co-operate and brainstorm ways to improve tourism.  Based on a proposal of the Marshall County Tourism Board, there has recently been a hotel tax introduced to collect funds for further promoting the local destinations. Workshops have also been organized to train the staffs of each attraction to inform visitors about all the other Marshall County attractions.

The staff members of the attractions work together.  As a matter of fact, staff people have free entrance to each other’s attractions, so that they can get more familiar with all of the destinations. The different attractions have contributed to a fund that promotes advertising on T.V., in certain travel magazines, and other kinds of ads. The Marshall County Tourism Board is especially working with the Palace of Gold for their Bus Tour marketing.

The current representative for the Palace of Gold tourist attraction is Bhakta Josef Lauber. Working together with our local community is always a win-win situation.

by Lilasuka dasi

His Holiness Varsana Maharaj gave the early morning Srimad Bhagavatam class today, Janmastami, the Appearance Day of Lord Krsna.

Varsana Swami

Someone asked him, “Maharaj, what is the true meaning of “brijbasi spirit?”  His reply was, “the essence of the brijbasi spirit is loving relationships. Brijbasis live in the land of Braja, of course, thus the name “Brijbasi”.  However, it is not that we revere a specific tract of land as the “dhama” or holy place of pilgrimage. Rather, the dhama is more accurately a container, just like a vase, which holds “rasa”. “Rasa” is the synergy of all past, present and even future sweet relationships between the devotees and the Lord. The bottom line is that the spiritual master can make any place a holy dhama. It is, in fact, not the land itself, but the presence of the holy person that makes a place a dhama.”

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

New Vrindaban Welcomes You!

ISKCON New Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes – 8/8/13

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.

Board of Director Members Present:  Jaya Krsna, Dayavira, Chaitanya Mangala, Ranaka, Gopisa

Recording Secretary: Laxmi Honest

The first item discussed was improving community spirit. Chaitanya Mangala shared a timeline of New Vrindaban listing milestones and highlights in the history of the community.  It was agreed that the timeline should be shared and ask devotees to contribute dates and events that they remember as important and can be celebrated.

Jaya Krsna then informed the members that an Irish couple will be coming to create a video of New Vrindaban. They will conduct interviews with senior devotees and will stay one month doing research and tapings and will then return to Ireland for editing and post production.  It is hoped that this may encourage devotees to collect photos, videotapes, etc. for an archive at the Srila Prabhupada exposition planned as part of a renovated Palace.

Sankirtana Das will be coordinating events for a 2018 50^th anniversary celebration of the founding of New Vrindaban.

The next topic was finding additional board members. There are two available seats on the INV Board. After some discussion it was agreed that the board should approach and encourage some of the Second Generation devotees to take on more active roles.

The next item was regarding the Palace.  Jaya Krsna pointed out that at the annual Joint Boards Meeting in April of this year it was agreed that we cannot move forward without a clear plan.  There are many ongoing problems with the building.  It was suggested that we put out an international call for an experienced project manager.

Srila Prabhupada at the Bahulaban Temple, 1972.

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

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

——————————————————————

November 18th, 1968.

My Dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Nov. 12, 1968, and I am very much pleased to note the contents. The handbill of Dr. Frog, Ph.D. is very funny, and we should try to fight with these frog philosophers overcrowding all over the world. Your success in kirtana performances in the University campus is also very encouraging.

New Vrindaban should be taken up very seriously because actually I want to develop a replica of Old Vrindaban. I have got ambition to construct there 7 temples as follows: 1. Radha Madan Mohan, 2. Radha Govinda, 3. Radha Gopinatha, 4. Radha Damodara, 5. Radha Raman, 6. Radha Gokulananda, 7. Radha Syamasundara.. The whole modern city of Vrindaban was established originally with these temples, started by different Gosvamis. And later on, many kings and princes started their own temples and thus the present Vrindaban is now full with small and big 5000 temples. We have to make such scheme in our New Vrindaban, gradually expanding to an area of one mile long and one mile broad. Vamanadeva is still here, and I have advised him to construct some thrones for Radha and Krishna, because Nara Narayana is attempting to get some pairs of Radha Krishna Murtis 24″ high. We shall require so many pairs of Radha Krishna Murtis at different temples. Anyway, do not feel discouraged. As soon as New Vrindaban is connected with a link road as well as electricity, very soon it will develop into our idea. I shall personally go and stay there and see it is developed.

Regarding Srimad-Bhagavatam, please send me the chapters which you have already revised. I want to see it, how it is being done. I am glad that you are not omitting anything, but just making grammatical correction, and phrasing for force and clarity, and adding Pradyumna’s transliteration, that is very nice.

Yes, henceforward, as I have already told you, that Srimad-Bhagavatam will be ultimately seen by you, before being printed. That will keep consistency, I quite agree with you. My present plan is to stay in Los Angeles, perhaps at least for more than a month, which will cover Christmas holidays. And so, during that time, if you come here, it will be very nice. In January I may go to Hawaii, if Gaurasundara takes me there. As you have given up the idea of marriage, I think you can give up the idea of seeing your parents annually. You just prepare yourself for further advanced spiritual life. After all, our mundane relationships with father and mother, or wife and children, cannot protect us from the trap of maya. It is said by one Vaisnava poet that in every form of life, one gets a father and mother, because without father and mother, nobody is able to get a material body. So father and mother is possible in any form of body, but only in this human form of body one can get in touch with Krishna and a bona fide Spiritual Master. That is the highest gain of our travelling in different species of life in different planets.

I am so pleased that you are feeling for me and listening to my old tapes with pleasure. As you are remembering our old meeting days on the second avenue, when I first started my lectures there, similarly I also remember the incidents and speak to so many friends and disciples. So our meeting was Krishna’s desire. Apparently it was accidental but actually it was Krishna’s plan. So we should always remember this plan of Krishna and must continue to work jointly for advancement of Krishna Consciousness movement in this part of the world. I shall always pray to Krishna to give you more and more strength and confidence in this great responsibility and I shall pray for your long life to execute this mission.

Thank you once more for your nice sentiments, and I hope you are all well.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

P.S. I would like to know whether if two young boys come there, if you can take charge of them as teacher for them. They are very nice young Krishna Conscious boys, and their mother is very much in favor of them being trained up in our philosophy. They are between 10 and 12 years about. By teaching I mean teaching them The Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Bhagavad-gita, and Srimad-Bhagavatam, not preliminary education; preliminary education they already know. Please let me know about this.

ACB

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Mother Yasoda and friends bathe Lord Krsna

The first ever New Vrindaban Janmastami celebration was in 1970 at the original New Vrindaban farmhouse.
Celebrate New Vrindaban’s 43rd Annual Janmastami Event, in honor of Lord Krishna’s birth.

We will celebrate on 4 separate dates, in order to accommodate all guests and devotees, namely:

Saturday Aug. 24th
Wednesday, Aug. 28th (Actual Date)
Saturday, Aug. 31st
Sunday, Sep. 1st
You can offer a Special Janmastami Kalash Abhishek to bathe the Lord!
Spend the evening dining, watching the Deities’ Swan Boat Ride and seeing the exciting firework display.

Exact schedule to be announced.

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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Video from New Vrindaban’s 24 Hour Kirtan – June 15th, 2013. Thanks to Bhakta Vatsala Dasa for posting on Youtube.

ECOV Board Meeting Minutes 8-10-2013

Mission Statement: ECOV (Earth, Cows, Opportunities & Vrindaban Villages) is dedicated to cow protection, sustainable agriculture, self-sufficiency and simple living — all centered around loving service to Sri Krishna, as envisioned by the ISKCON New Vrindaban Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Participating Members of the ECOV Board of Directors:  Chaitanya Mangala, Madhava Gosh, Navin Shyam, and Ranaka

Advisors present: Jaya Krsna

Others present: Tapahpunja

1. G7G & SFTC projects

In general, Tapahpunja said that a lack of manpower and unusually heavy rains had prevented him from working on longer-term capital improvement projects, as he focused on basic growing and distribution operations.

Greenhouse:  Based on recent experiences with PVC-shell greenhouses being damaged by storms, he is cancelling the current proposal and will resubmit a new one for steel-framed houses.

Irrigation system: This is 90% complete, but its use has not been necessary with the heavy rains.

Drainage system: Tapa has not been able to work on this because of wet weather.

Bread oven: Some funds were spent on creating a design and constructing a shelter.  The project was moved to the backburner, due to labor shortage, however, the shelter is being used to cover other gardening materials, and the balance of funds were returned.

Pole barns: Designs for 2 structures at a cost of $42K were made, but there have been issues in negotiating with INV on what the barns will be used for.

SFTC:  Tapa mentioned that he plans to ask for a grant to rebuild the fence and gazebo at the Teaching Garden.

2. Deity milk product offerings

Most of what the Deities are offered is coming from local milk.  INV has plans to purchase 2 more cows to increase production.  INV is requesting ECOV to continue subsidizing Ananda Vidya’s time on the project, which averages 6 hrs/week.

3. Reusable metal water bottle distribution

A sign to be displayed at the outlets is just about ready.  The lassi barn is not currently open, but when it does open, bottles will be available there as well.

4. Auction fund

Gosh is about to buy $1K worth of pavers at a discount price (for the G7G cabin and other projects).

5. Grain storage

The project is just about finished.  A motor needs to be purchased to power the augur that will transport the grain into the bins.

The purchase of grain will be discussed at the next joint board meeting.

6. Prototype cabin

The unit still needs insulation, a sink and flooring.  Pavers that Gosh will be purchasing will be used for the floor.  A grand opening celebration is scheduled for October 5.

7. Srila Prabhupada’s Palace cow pasture fence

Installation of a wooden fence is almost complete. Plans are to paint it next year.

8. Palace renovation

INV is advertising for a Project Manager for Srila Prabhupada’s Palace renovation.

9. Bahulaban projects

Pink building demolition is just about complete and utility building stabilization is about to begin.

10. Temple/Lodge foundation plantings

Gosh has found a devotee, Brikhasanga, to work on these.

11. Proposal: $7K to cover overage for 2013 trees and berries budget

WHEREAS: The ECOV Board wishes to continue its efforts to make New Vrindaban land agriculturally productive.

RESOLVED: The Board authorizes an additional $7K for the 2013 trees and berries budget.

12. Proposal: $15K for second cabin at G7G

The project was put in pipeline status.

13. Guidelines for promotional materials

The Board discussed that what we sell at our promotional booth should reflect our values and mission, even if that increases the expense and decreases the profit we earn.

For example, wooden and gourd cows, organic cotton t-shirts printed with non-toxic dyes, and generally hand-made crafts rather than mass-produced Chinese imports.

14. Grant request:  $12K for Gopal’s Garden School

WHEREAS: The ECOV Board wishes to continue its support of a school in the New Vrindaban community.

RESOLVED: The Board grants up to $12K to Gopal’s Garden school   for the 2013-2014 school year, based on the assumption that INV will match this amount, and on condition that the school produce a quarterly newsletter (September, December, March & June) highlighting activities at the school and including pictures of the students.

15. Replacement for Rafael

The immediate need is to find someone to manage the Deity flower garden and trees & berries projects while Rafael is away from October through April.

Srila Prabhupada at the Bahulaban Temple, 1972.

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

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

——————————————————————

June 14th, 1968.

My Dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I was just expecting your letter since I have come here from Boston. I have already informed you about my successful program in Boston, attending many colleges and universities, and the church meetings, practically throughout the whole month. And Sriman Satsvarupa is to be congratulated for his endeavor to keep me engaged in such meetings. I thought that you were going to San Francisco as you informed me previously that during Rathayatra festival you would be there. The Rathayatra festival is going to be held between 27th June to 7th July, and they are making broader arrangement than last year, and expecting people numbering from 1000 to 5000 will attend the procession, chanting Hare Krishna. They have been advised to turn San Francisco gradually into New Jagannatha Puri, and I have advised Kirtanananda and yourself to convert West Virginia into New Vrindaban. I understand the spot is very beautiful, and the hills may be renamed as New Govardhana. And if there are lakes, they can be renamed as Syamakunda and Radhakunda. Vrindaban does not require to be modernized because Krishna’s Vrindaban is transcendental village. They completely depend on nature’s beauty and nature’s protection. The community in which Krishna preferred to belong was Vaisya community, because Nanda Maharaja happened to be a Vaisya king, or landholder, and his main business was cow protection. It is understood that he had 900,000 cows and Krishna and Balarama used to take charge of them, along with His many cowherd boy friends, and every day, in the morning He used to go out with His friends and cows into the pasturing grounds.

So, if you seriously want to convert this new spot as New Vrindaban, I shall advise you not to make it very much modernized. But as you are American boys, you must make it just suitable to your minimum needs. Not to make it too much luxurious as generally Europeans and Americans are accustomed. Better to live there without modern amenities. But to live a natural healthy life for executing Krishna Consciousness. It may be an ideal village where the residents will have plain living and high thinking. For plain living we must have sufficient land for raising crops and pasturing grounds for the cows. If there is sufficient grains and production of milk, then the whole economic problem is solved. You do not require any machines, cinema, hotels, slaughterhouses, brothels, nightclubs—all these modern amenities. People in the spell of maya are trying to squeeze out gross pleasure from the senses, which is not possible to derive to our heart’s content. Therefore we are confused and baffled in our attempt to eschew eternal pleasure from gross matter. Actually, joyful life is on the spiritual platform, therefore we should try to save our valuable time from material activities and engage them for Krishna Consciousness. But at the same time, because we have to keep our body and soul together to execute our mission, we must have sufficient (not extravagant) food to eat, and that will be supplied by grains, fruits, and milk. So if you can develop this place to that ideal life and the residents become ideal Krishna Conscious men, in that part of your country, I think not only many philosophically minded people will be attracted, but they will be benefited also.

So far I am personally concerned, the United States Immigration Department has denied my application for permanent visa on some technical ground. In other words, just to avoid a Swami, because the government is disgusted with so-called Swamis who exploit the innocent public in your country. The difficulty is that the people in this country, they want to continue their practice of sense gratification, and at the same time they want to become transcendentally advanced. This is quite contradictory. One can advance in transcendental life by process of negativating the general practice of materialistic life. The exact adjustment is in Vaisnava philosophy, which is called Yukta Vairagya, means that we should simply accept the bare necessities of our material part of life, and try to save time for spiritual advancement. This should be the motto of New Vrindaban, if you at all develop it to the perfectional stage. And I am always at your service to help you by practical suggestion and assistance also.

On the other hand I was thinking that if I get permanent visa in Montreal, I shall make Montreal my headquarters and at that time I may require your help in so many ways. As we passed correspondence previously, that we should live together either in India or in this part of the world for publication of so many Vaisnava literatures. But if you want to develop New Vrindaban, I can spare you for that purpose, and it may be that we can live there together. For the time being, if you actually want to develop such ideal asrama, we must have sufficient land, and all other things will gradually grow. For raising crops from the land, how many men will be required—that we must estimate and for herding the cows and feeding them. We must have sufficient pasturing ground to feed the animals all round. We have to maintain the animals throughout their life. We must not make any program for selling them to the slaughterhouses. That is the way of cow protection. Krishna by His practical example taught us to give all protection to the cows and that should be the main business of New Vrindaban. Vrindaban is also known as Gokula. Go means cows, and kula means congregation. Therefore the special feature of New Vrindaban will be cow protection, and by doing so, we shall not be loser.

In India of course, a cow is protected and the cowherdsmen they derive sufficient profit by such protection. Cow dung is used as fuel. Cow dung dried in the sunshine kept in stock for utilizing them as fuel in the villages. They get wheat and other cereals produced from the field. There is milk and vegetables and the fuel is cow dung, and thus, they are self-independent in every village. There are hand weavers for the cloth. And the country oil-mill (consisting of a bull walking in circle round two big grinding stones, attached with yoke) grinds the oil seeds into oil. The whole idea is that people residing in New Vrindaban may not have to search out work outside. Arrangements should be such that the residents should be self-satisfied. That will make an ideal asrama. I do not know these ideals can be given practical shape, but I think like that; that people may be happy in any place with land and cow without endeavoring for so-called amenities of modern life—which simply increase anxieties for maintenance and proper equipment. The less we are anxious for maintaining our body and soul together, the more we become favorable for advancing in Krishna Consciousness.

Hoping you are well.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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