By Madhava Smullen

Gaura Saksi das expresses his gratitude for Jaya Murari das.

“People aren’t showing up with prepared speeches just yet,” jokes Chaitanya Mangala, MC of New Vrindaban’s fourth service appreciation ceremony since 2014. “But you can tell that what they’re sharing is much more thought-out.”

His quip illuminates just how much the ceremony has grown to mean to New Vrindaban residents, who are taking to heart Lord Krishna’s assertion, “I consider worship of My devotees to be better than direct worship of Me.”

At each ceremony, people are taking more time to think about and express their appreciations of their fellow devotees. They’re also digging deeper – while previously one or two would become misty-eyed, this spring’s ceremony on April 17^th saw at least a dozen devotees deliver such heartfelt tributes that they were choked up with tears and had to pause for a few moments.

Preceding the open appreciations were Chaitanya Mangala’s Powerpoint presentations about each person’s life and service, beginning with Betty Hickey, retired caretaker of the Rose Garden at Prabhupada’s Palace – who was present with her son Glenn.

Vraja Johnson awards Betty Hickey her service appreciation plaque on April 17^th.

Betty, who comes from a neighboring family of farmers, started at the Bahulaban greenhouse in 1983, moved to the Rose Garden in 1985, and managed it for most of her nearly thirty years of service until her retirement in 2011.

During that time she carefully cultivated it into an award-winning rose garden, named several times between 1988 and 1998 as one of the top 100 gardens in the United States by the American Rose Society.

Constantly making newspaper headlines, the Palace Rose Garden drew rose aficionados to New Vrindaban in droves. Also serving as the tour guide, Betty led them around, dazzling them with her botanical knowledge.

After the presentation, devotees praised Betty’s care, dedication, and kind-heartedness. Those who had worked with her in the Rose Garden over the years were grateful for her gentle, encouraging corrections when things weren’t up to standard, and for making them feel so valuable.

Betty’s late husband Jim Hickey, who passed away in December 2006, was also honored for his service. Jim worked as the head maintenance man at New Vrindaban during the 1980s, and was well-remembered for driving his blue flat-bed pick-up truck up and down the ridge, taking care of many things that needed repairing.

Like all the appreciation recipients throughout the evening, Betty was presented with a plaque by the ISKCON New Vrindaban and Eco-Vrindaban boards, commemorating her and Jim’s contribution.

“I think that it’s not work if it’s good work, and I always enjoyed my work here,” she commented, calling the devotees gathered “some of my best friends.”  

Next, Jaya Murari Das was honored for his more than four decades of service. Joining ISKCON in the spring of 1975, he moved to New Vrindaban that November, and received initiation from Srila Prabhupada on July 29^th, 1976.

For the early residents, Jaya Murari’s appearance in New Vrindaban was nothing short of heaven-sent. At the time, the backwoods community was extremely austere, with only one faucet, no proper toilets or plumbing, and widespread dysentery from the contaminated water.

Jaya Murari 2016 portrait.

Jaya Murari, about ten years older than most of the other devotees and already well into a career as a master plumber, turned up with four truckloads of tools and plumbing materials. He soon built a safe and reliable plumbing infrastructure for the community, which he continued to expand and improve upon over the years until his retirement in the 2000s.

Always a dependable presence, he is also well-known for his photography and for his delicious Sunday pancake breakfasts in the early days.

Although Jaya Murari couldn’t attend the ceremony due to ill-health, the many devotees who rose to share their appreciations were filmed for him. Tears flowed freely as they  recalled how completely he had changed the New Vrindaban experience; how he exemplified the gentle brahminical nature Prabhupada described in his books; and how he was a “Prabhupada man” through and through.

Ananga Manjari awards Sukhavaha dasi her service appreciation plaque.

Next to be honored was devotee care manager Sukhavaha Dasi. After she joined in 1974 and was initiated by Prabhupada in 1975, she began helping the Pittsburgh and New Vrindaban temples with their bookkeeping. She was then put in charge of New Vrindaban’s “red trailer store,” distributing all the supplies devotees needed for their health and services.

In 1976, New Vrindaban installed industrial washing machines, and Sukhavaha headed up the laundry department; while in the 1980s, she spent much of her time on the road, fundraising. During this phase, she had her son Bhagavan, and daughters Sukadevi and Narahari.

More recently, she started ISKCON New Vrindaban’s devotee care program, and will be turning the “Prabhupada House” near the temple into a Wellness Center that will provide many physical, emotional and mental health services.

Offering appreciation, the devotees gathered described her as full of enthusiasm, always there to help, and very dedicated to working on herself. The greatest example of the latter was expressed in a very moving moment when her son Bhagavan, who was present, spoke about his mother. Like a lot of ISKCON parents in the early days, he said, she had focused on her services to the detriment of caring for her children.

“But a decade ago, you called me up one night, and said you wanted to talk about the past, and take responsibility for it,” Bhagavan recalled. “And since then, we’ve worked through many of our issues, and I couldn’t be happier with our relationship today.”

Bhima Walker awards Sarva Saksi and Viduttama dasi their service appreciation plaque.

Finally, husband and wife Sarvasaksi Das and Viduttama Dasi were honored for their life of service. Joining ISKCON in 1974 as a married couple and moving to New Vrindaban that same year, they were initiated by Srila Prabhupada on Janmastami 1975.

Both did early services connected to the cows, which were a central part of New Vrindaban life at the time, with about 100 cows to 150 people.

Sarva helped milk all the cows by hand and herded them in and out of the Bahulaban pastures daily. Viduttama churned cream into butter for the Deities and devotees, also by hand.  Both were photographed and featured in a 1976 Back to Godhead magazine article.

Later, as construction began on Prabhupada’s Palace, Sarva worked with the heavy equipment department. He then spent a decade as a silversmith, casting and making jewelry for a local New Vrindaban business. He is now semi-retired.

Viduttama, meanwhile, did the laundry in the days before washing machines came to New Vrindaban, washing everyone’s clothes by hand, outside, with cold water, rocks and ashes. Next, she worked in the Palace gift shop, where she enjoyed meeting and interacting with guests. She and Sarva also had two children – a son, Sudarshan, and a daughter, Radhastami.

Last year, Viduttama came full circle, as she began working for Govinda’s Groceries gift store and doing laundry for the Palace Lodge  — the exact same services she did all those years ago. “And I love it!” she blurted out at the ceremony. “I couldn’t be any happier!”

A whole host of devotees recalled their many fond memories of serving with Sarva and Viduttama, as well as their kindness, devotion, down-to-earth natures and enthusiasm. The outpouring of love moved the couple to tears.

Ekadasi cake made by Lakshmanesvara das.

According to Srila Prabhupada’s purport in Verse 4 of the Nectar of Instruction, MC Chaitanya Mangala pointed out, these kinds of loving exchanges between devotees were exactly what ISKCON had been established to facilitate.

In conclusion he also quoted a 1972 lecture by Prabhupada in which he said, “In the lower stage, a devotee is concerned with the Deity worship, but he does not take much care of the devotees. But when one is advanced further, he can see Krsna and His devotees also.”

“Clearly, in the early days of ISKCON, we were at that lower stage,” Chaitanya Mangala says. “Now, let’s collectively evolve to the next level, where we worship Krishna in the temple, and also care for the devotees around us.”

That care continued to be shown into the evening, as devotees drank herbal tea, tucked into a celebratory Ekadasi cake made by Laksman Isvara Das, and chatted, furthering the loving connections made throughout the ceremony.

By Madhava Smullen

Evo-Vrindaban members Krsna Nama das, Nitai Chandra das, Lila, and Chaitanya Bhagavat das begin planting this year’s strawberry patch in New Vrindaban’s Community Garden.

With ISKCON celebrating its 50^th anniversary throughout 2016, ECO-Vrindaban – New Vrindaban’s self-sufficiency wing – is making many special efforts to honor Srila Prabhupada’s desires for the community.

One of these is to put a special focus on growing grains, which Prabhupada instructed his New Vrindaban disciples to do early on. “These duties are there in New Vrindaban, and we shall have to live there self independently, simply by raising cows, grains, fruits, and flowers,” he wrote in 1969.

“So we researched what grain best suited the local environment, and found that traditionally corn was grown here by Native Americans hundreds of years before European settlers,” says Garden Manager Nitaicandra Das. “It’s also being grown very successfully by locals today.”

To begin with in this first year, Nitaicandra plans to dedicate about five acres to corn production at the Nandagram farm recently acquired by ECO-V. He also aims to grow oats, barley, spelt, wheat, quinoa and amaranth in quarter-acre test plots.

In keeping with Prabhupada’s desires, a large variety of vegetables will be grown too, in the New Vrindaban community gardens. And of course, the Deity Flower Garden crew, headed by Vidya Dasi, will be busy producing tons of flowers for Sri-Sri Radha-Vrindabanchandra.

“Produce. Make the whole field green,” Srila Prabhupada said during a conversation in Vrindavana, India in 1977. “Therefore I am asking so much… ‘Farm, farm, farm, farm.’ That is not my program—Krishna’s program.” He even later added, “Krishna is the Farm Acarya. Baladeva is holding a plow, and Krishna is holding the calf.”

 Another 2016 goal of ECO-V’s, that was also a priority for Prabhupada, is to teach its growing herd of oxen to pull carts.

“We now have a state-of the art ox training facility at Nandagram,” explains Nitaicandra, who serves as the ox trainer too. “My goal is to train our oldest ox team, Hari and Priya, to pull a cart and help transport vegetables and tools in the garden this year. By New Vrindaban’s 50^th anniversary in 2018, we aim for them to be ready to pull Prabhupada’s murti on a tour of Govardhana Hill.”

Ananda Vidya das and Lalita Gopi devi dasi serve the cows in a freshly painted goshala.

The cow care program is also getting special attention, with Ananda-Vidya, Lalita Gopi and other staff members freshly painting the milking goshala near the temple and insulating it to ensure the cows and their caretakers stay warm. The cows themselves are producing around twenty-six gallons of milk per day, which is made into butter and ghee for the temple and its presiding Deities and residents.

ECO-V Project Manager Mukunda Das, meanwhile, is also busy with offerings to Srila Prabhupada for ISKCON’s 50^th. He is renovating and re-purposing New Vrindaban’s former brick factory and milk parlor as facilities for cleaning, canning and storing vegetables and grains.

 “We want to improve ECO-V’s capacity to supply ISKCON New Vrindaban with as much of its food supplies, and for as much of the year as possible,” he says.

The facilities are already being used, and will store this year’s harvest beginning in July; although the full conversion will be a multi-year project.

Chaitanya Mangala das reports on the above earth-based home built by devotees in Madhuban during the spring INV Board Meetings tour.

Another exciting effort is the restoration of special sites of Prabhupada’s pastimes. One of these is a small, off-the-grid, earth-based home built by devotees in Madhuban from Prabhupada’s own design. Prabhupada visited the home in 1974, appreciating the construction and the simple life of its householder residents. Sitting on a rocking chair, he said, “You should make thousands of these nice houses.”

“It’s in major disrepair right now, so we’ll start by assessing its condition, and preventing further decay,” says Mukunda. “Then we’ll gradually restore it as a sacred historical site, with a picture of Prabhupada on a rocking chair. It will be a place where visitors can spend a moment with him, and see what simple living in New Vrindaban used to be and what it could be again.”

In addition to its own local efforts, ECO-V is taking ISKCON 50 as an opportunity to support simple living throughout ISKCON. It will provide a grant for Kalakantha Das, the ISKCON Minister for Agriculture and Cow Protection, to travel to four farm conferences he has organized this year in South America, Europe, Asia and North America.

ECO-V will also sponsor the registration fees for fifteen devotees to attend the North American conference in Gita Nagari this August, and will send its own representatives to talk about New Vrindaban’s efforts.

These will likely be Nitaicandra and Mukunda, who are thrilled at the opportunities they’ll get this year to connect with Srila Prabhupada, by spending ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary serving a project so close to his heart.

By Madhava Smullen

For thirty years, a very special Lord Nrsimhadeva Deity has protected the devotees of New Vrindaban and all of North America, and received their love and service.
Now, residents of the West Virginia village want to invite people from all over North America to come celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of His installation, and to behold the only full-size Nrsimha Deity on the continent, on His sacred appearance day.

Sculpted by artist Soma Das in New Vrindaban and installed in 1986, the ferocious half-man, half-lion Lord with his deep black skin and golden mane stands at a towering seven feet tall next to his boy devotee Prahlad – so the celebration is sure to be an awe-inspiring spectacle.

Although the original installation was on January 6th, this year’s epic three-day anniversary festival will run from Friday May 20th – Nrsimha Chaturdasi – to Sunday May 22nd.
On the first day, all the devotees will bathe the full-size Deities with a variety of liquids including milk, yoghurt and ghee from New Vindaban’s own protected cows. During this maha-abhisekha, one thousand Nrsimha Kavachas will also be knotted together into one huge garland, and offered to the Lord.

On Saturday, the Nrsimha Kavacha mantra will be chanted 108 times during a fire sacrifice to invoke the feral Lord’s protection, and the thousand Kavachas will be distributed to the guests.

And on both days, there will be dramatic retellings of the story of Nrsimhadeva and Prahlad by award-winning storyteller Sankirtan Das; roaring kirtans, special Nrsimha aratis; and delectable feasts – with many of the community devotees bringing offerings from their homes. Sunday, meanwhile, will wrap things up with a Govardhana parikrama and Sunday Feast.

But perhaps one of the biggest treats of the festival will be the Nrsimha Katha on both Friday and Saturday. Senior Prabhupada disciples Urmila Dasi and Srutakirti Das will speak about Lord Nrsimhadeva’s loving pastimes; Soma Das and other early New Vrindaban devotees will share their memories of sculpting and installing the Lord thirty years ago.

Back then, Soma recalls, New Vrindaban devotees had longed to install Nrsimhadeva for protection for many years.

“Then one day, I was walking from Prabhupada’s Palace down to the old temple at Bahulaban,” he says. “I had already finished my japa, and I remembered reading in the Nectar of Devotion that performing service in your mind is as good as performing it in real life. I started to meditate on making a beautiful Nrsimhadeva Deity, and installing Him in a wonderful temple. So when I was asked later if I wanted to sculpt Him, I was over the moon!”

Like most of the pioneering devotees building up New Vrindaban at the time, Soma, then 32, had no professional experience or education in sculpting. Instead, he had learned on the job; his many sculptures, including a giant Gaura-Nitai and bas relief forms of Jaya and Vijaya, already adorned the community.

Beginning work on Lord Nrsimhadeva and Prahlad Maharaj in October 1985, he first formed the Lord from clay. While doing so, he consulted the Shilpa Shastra and other Vedic texts, particularly the descriptions of Nrsimha in Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam.

He also consulted Sri Vaishnava priest Sampat Kumar Bhattacharya, head of the Tirupati temple authority TTD, who had been personally praised for his expertise by Srila Prabhupada.

It “just so happened” that as Soma was sculpting Lord Nrsimhadeva, the Bhattacharya was visiting nearby Pittsburgh to open a South Indian temple there – the first time a Sri Vaishnava priest had ever done so outside of India.

“He came by, approved my work, and answered all my questions,” Soma says. “Like the whole process, it seemed like divine arrangement. It really felt like Lord Nrsimhadeva wanted to appear in New Vrindaban, and I was just working for Him. It didn’t even feel like I made Him.”

The Deity was completed quickly, in only three months. Kumar, Sudhanu and their mold shop crew made plaster molds from Soma’s clay original and poured in epoxy resin mixed with granite dust and ground-up West Virginia coal for the jet black color. Prahlad, meanwhile, was cast out of cultured white marble.

Although the devotees were pensive because there was only one chance for the cast to work, they breathed a sigh of relief and awe when on the fateful day, Kumar opened the molds to reveal the beautiful Deities of the Lord and His devotee.

“I remember we all ran over to see Him come out of the mold,” recalls Madhurya-lila Dasi. “It was amazing.”

Meanwhile, all the different Deity worship departments at New Vrindaban were in marathon mode as the installation date loomed.

Ishani headed up the jewelry workshop with a small core group, including Madhurya-lila, Gopi, and Janaki, and got help from anyone else she could. Her team created pieces by soldering brass or copper jewelry findings together, electroplating, cutting crystals to create jewels, and hammering relief designs by hand – all of it learned through books and on the job.

“We were working from 7 in the morning until probably 10 or 11 at night,” says Madhurya-lila. “And I’m pretty sure all of us pulled at least one all-nighter.”

Despite this, Madhurya-lila – who will also create the Lord’s jewelry for the 30th anniversary — says she loved it. “There was a team spirit that I’ve rarely experienced anywhere else in my life. I would go back to that jewelry shop in a heartbeat. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

The result of all this dedicated teamwork was a gorgeous full set of golden jewelry set with red and green jewels for Prahlad and Nrsimhadeva: a large tubular crown, sudarshan chakra, conchshell, earrings, necklaces, arm and ankle bracelets, and tilak and belt. Ishani created the Lord’s eyes as well, along with Kuladri Das.

The Deity Sewing Department, headed by Adhara Dasi and her dedicated crew of women, also worked around the clock in the months leading up to the installation day, creating new outfits for the Lord and His boy devotee. These included a beautiful yellow dhoti and crimson chaddar lined with gold for the Lord, a purple dhoti with violet chaddar for Prahlad, and a velvet backdrop adorned with winding flowered vines.

For the installation on January 6th, 1986 and surrounding three-day festival, hundreds of devotees from all over North America gathered for ecstatic chanting, dancing, feasting, dramas and more – just as they will on the 30th anniversary celebration.

Gaura Keshava Das, a brahamana priest who had been trained in South India by Sampat Kumar amongst others, performed the elaborate installation rituals, including fire sacrifices in the yajnashala outside the temple, and Prana Pratistha.

“This involved touching the heart of the Deity, and inviting the Lord to please expand His heart and reside within the Deity, and accept the worship of the devotees,” Gaura Keshava recalls.

During this process, four strong devotees carried the 400-pound Lord into the temple room. A blindfold was removed and His eyes were ceremonially opened. He was then installed with much pomp upon a beautiful golden altar and throne cast by Kumar in New Vrindaban.

From then on, Lord Nrsimhadeva was very merciful to all the New Vrindaban devotees, and especially the Prahlad-like children – in the 1980s, the older gurukula boys would perform all His morning aratis, while once a week the women and younger boys and girls would worship Him.

Today, His early servants such as Srimati, Jayasri and Lokadristi continue to worship Him alongside new pujaris like Abhinandana Das.

And now, at this May’s unmissable 30th anniversary celebration, we’ll all get to feel His love and protection, as we hear from those who were there how He appeared all those years ago in New Vrindaban.

(New Vrindaban, West Virginia, March 28th, 2016)- Govinda’s Restaurant, the only vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the Ohio Valley area officially opened for the season on Friday, March 25th, to the delight of visitors and locals alike, having been closed for the winter. This hidden gem, tucked away in the serene Appalachian foothills, is definitely a must go.

Govinda’s Vegetarian Restaurant offers a wide range of menu options for its visitors. While authentic Indian cuisines is the specialty, delicious Italian dishes, including lasagna, pasta and pizza are on the menu. For the not so adventurous palate, American dishes such as veggie burgers and a Philly cheesesteak are also included. Healthier menu options like a new salad bar, green juices and smoothie bar will be added this year, as well as a variety of tasty vegan dishes, such as vegan wraps and daiya cheese pizza.

Most of the vegetables used in these delicious preparations are literally garden fresh and some produce comes directly from New Vrindaban’s organic garden, while almost all of the milk comes from New Vrindaban’s cruelty-free, protected cow program established in 1967. “We use organic, non-GMO foods as much as we can and try to use only the most natural ingredients possible”, says Vasudeva dasa, the General Manager of the restaurant. Soon, he hopes to produce enough vegetables from the local garden to supply the restaurant year round.

Govinda’s recently welcomed new kitchen manager, Dina Mani dasa, who owned two successful restaurants, and brings over 15 years of expertize to the team. He is excited about adding healthier menu options and plans to add to the already robust International menu. Guests will be pleasantly surprised with the affordable menu pricing and selection available. Don’t miss the special buffet offered on weekends priced at just $11.99.

In preparation for the busy year, the restaurant was repainted and renovated with an expanded storage room and kitchen areas, as well as a new dining section that will accommodate more guests. Beautiful new décor was added throughout the restaurant, including paintings, fabrics and elegant lotus lights, that brighten the area.

“I was happy to be greeted by such a cheerful host. I really enjoyed the ambiance and the food was astounding. I hope to get back there soon as this is the only vegetarian restaurant in the area,” says Robert Steltenpool.

From the friendly staff and stunning atmosphere to the amazing gourmet cooking, it is not hard to see why over 20,000 delighted customers visit Govinda’s annually. Govinda’s has been serving delicious international cuisine for over 20 years and is sure to have something for everyone.

Currently, Govinda’s is opened on weekends, Friday – Sunday from 3 pm – 9 pm and beginning May 1st, will be opening from 12 pm – 9 pm every day. The restaurant is conveniently located at 3759 McCrearys Ridge Rd., Moundsville, WV 26041. You can contact us at 304 843-1600 ext.101. https://www.facebook.com/Govindasnv or http://www.palacelodge.com/services.html

Please Read Full Newsletter at http://us10.campaign-archive2.com/?u=caceabd1dd05735f04418222d&id=d860fa9307

By Madhava Smullen

It’s hard to beat Festival of Inspiration for sheer variety.

This year’s ISKCON 50 special edition of the Appalachian spiritual retreat in New Vrindaban, West Virginia will overflow with the best Krishna consciousness has to offer: seminars, kirtans, entertainment, and the tastiest prasadam this side of the spiritual world.

Hundreds of devotees from all over the East Coast of the United States and Canada are expected to pour in for the May 6^th to 8^th weekend.

Each day of the festival will begin with an extended themed Srimad Bhagavatam class. Author Yogesvara Das will speak about his new biography of Srila Prabhupada for a mainstream audience, entitled “Swami in a Strange Land.” And the class on Sunday – Mother’s Day – will focus on the importance of honoring mothers in the Vaishnava tradition.

The centerpiece of the seminars, meanwhile, will be two special panel discussions to commemorate ISKCON’s 50^th Anniversary.

“In the first, entitled ‘ISKCON 50 Years Ago,’ early Prabhupada disciples like Malati Devi, Shyamasundar Prabhu, and Yogesvara Prabhu will talk about their struggles and victories in expanding the movement, and how Prabhupada encouraged and enthused everyone,” says organizer Vrindavan Das. “They’ll be joined by Sally Agarwal, who sponsored Prabhupada when he first arrived in the U.S.”

The second panel, ISKCON’s Future in North America, will be facilitated by Gainesville Krishna House Director Kalakanatha Das and feature Varshana Swami, Vaisesika Das, educator Urmila Dasi, and more. They’ll discuss how to learn from the mistakes of the past to improve the future, how to care for the needs of current devotees, and how to reach out to more new people.

And that’s just the beginning. New Vrindaban’s own Sankirtan Das will present his Powerpoint on Prabhupada coming to America, which has been very well-received in colleges. He’ll also facilitate an open discussion on developing strategies for presenting Prabhupada to the public.

Urmila Dasi will offer practical and clear instructions for overcoming obstacles in spiritual life, setting our “compass” to the right direction, and finding the ultimate spiritual attainment.

Kalakantha Das, who has spoken out in favor of women gurus in ISKCON, will talk about the role of women in the society, and about Krishna conscious marriage.

Veteran book distributor Vaisesika Das is likely to speak about his new book, Our Family Business, in which he shares key principles and techniques of book distribution.

And ISKCON pioneer Shyamasundara Das will tell amazing stories from his upcoming book Chasing Rhinos with the Swami about ISKCON’s early days in San Francisco and London, as well as about his travels in India and Russia with Prabhupada.

As usual, parents will be able to attend these and the many other seminars on offer while their children have fun at a supervised kids’ camp with face painting, clowns and more.

At mealtimes, devotees will sit at picnic tables on the sunny lawn and socialize as they tuck into a tasty blend of Eastern and Western prasadam. There’ll be lots of healthy options such as salad and soup, as well as traditional Indian dishes and comfort food like macaroni; while many of the dairy dishes will be made with the milk of protected New Vrindaban cows.

In the evenings, everyone will focus on singing the Lord’s praises. Friday will see the continuation of a bhajan program that became an instant hit when it was introduced last year.

“Devotees rarely get to sing bhajans, because at most kirtan festivals they only chant the Hare Krishna mantra,” says Vrindavan. “So they’ll appreciate the chance to sing traditional songs of the Vaishnava Acharyas with some of the best bhajan singers in ISKCON like Agnideva Prabhu, Havi Prabhu and Ekendra Prabhu.”

Participants will get to immerse themselves in the Maha-mantra too, however, with a Nama-Yajna on Saturday evening.

The grande finale will follow on Sunday, with the hugely popular Transcendental Entertainment show at midday. Ekendra Das will lampoon both ISKCON and material life through song as his comedic alter ego Yama Niyama Das Brahmachari, Bhaktimarga Swami and his team will bring one of their epic dramas, and more top performers are yet to be announced.

After the show, a traditional Sunday Feast of rice, dahl, subjis, pakoras, chutney, puris, sweet rice, and gulabjamuns will be served. Devotees will return to their homes satisfied, relaxed, and yes, inspired.

“This year’s festival is a great way to celebrate ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary, with so many excellent speakers covering the achievements of the last 50 years and motivating us about what we can do in the next 50,” says Vrindavan.

“It’s also a wonderful opportunity for participants to get inspired in Krishna consciousness and then return to their communities and enthuse others in devotional service.”

 To register, please visit http://www.festivalofinspiration.net/registration/

By Madhava Smullen

The words “Kuli Mela” literally mean “celebrate community!” in Sanskrit. And the tenth anniversary of the very first Kuli Mela – coming back to New Vrindaban from June 15^th to 19^th –will do exactly that.

With its main themes of “celebrating family” and “building community,” the festival will bring around 1,000 people from the first, second, and third generations of ISKCON together: the original pioneers of Prabhupada’s society, their now grown-up children, and their children.

The days will feature a variety of seminars, with a special focus on family and community. For instance, there’s one seminar on parenting, and another on how to start and maintain intentional communities, with successful examples from around the U.S.

There will also be an all-day bhajan kutir in the ‘yajnashala’ between the temple and the Lodge, where kirtan-lovers will be able to sing their hearts out.

Evenings will be full of top-flight entertainment from the main stage set up in the field in front of Prabhupada’s Palace. Likely offerings will include contemporary and traditional dance, devotional music in a variety of styles, drama and more.

“We’re not just looking for professionals, we want to have a good time with people we know,” says lead organizer Bhima Walker. “That personal connection between audience and performer is a big part of what we’re trying to do.”

After the scheduled show every evening, non-amplified entertainment, such as music, dancing and kirtan, is likely to continue into the night, allowing attendees to express their creativity. Bhima wants to facilitate this kind of non-structured socializing as much as possible, so that people can connect with each other on a deep level.

“What I’m most interested in for this Kuli Mela is the quality of the association,” he says.

Relationship-building between ISKCON’s older and younger members is a particular focus. On Thursday, all the generations will socialize at a community picnic hosted by renowned chefs Advaita and Sudhanu.

In addition, Panels of New Vrindaban and ISKCON North American leaders will join Kuli representatives in two plenary sessions – “Celebrating Family” on Thursday, and “Building Community” on Friday. Together they’ll discuss our past, present and future in these areas with audience contributions.

There will also be a service appreciation ceremony to recognize the work of pioneering gurukulis.

“My idea is to make this whole thing about the people, and to get the different generations talking,” says Bhima.

All the generations will also chant together — another powerfully bonding activity — in the 24-Hour Kirtan festival, held back-to-back with Kuli Mela from June 18^th to 19^th. Kuli chanters like Amala Harinama and the Mayapuris will join senior Srila Prabhupada disciples such as Bhakti Charu Swami, Radhanath Swami, and Agnidev Das.

As would be expected for a festival where caring for people is the main concern, Kuli Mela will serve three delicious prasadam meals daily, with healthy and vegan options at every meal. As much as possible, cooks will use dairy from New Vrindaban and Gita Nagari’s protected cows.

An all-day kids’ camp will allow parents to attend seminars, while their kids have fun with coloring, arts and crafts, storytelling and more. “The kids will also get their own meals so that if the main lunchtime runs late, they won’t get cranky, and they and their parents will be happy and peaceful,” says Bhima.

Guests will be accommodated in the recently renovated motel-style Palace Lodge rooms, in the cabins around the lake, and in hotels in nearby Wheeling and Moundsville. Camping will also be available onsite in New Vrindaban.

 “Kuli Mela’s 10^th anniversary, celebrated in the same year as ISKCON’s 50^th, is showing the continued evolution of our broader Hare Krishna society,” Bhima says. “So let’s gather to celebrate the love of our family and to forge new ties in our ever-expanding community.”  

With festival costs estimated at between $75K and $90K, and all organizers working as unpaid volunteers, Kuli Mela is a labor of love. Attendees are invited to join in this loving service by helping the event to break even and contributing the registration cost.

Tickets for Kuli Mela are currently available at a discounted price of $75 per person until March 31^st. Ticket prices will progressively increase until they reach the estimated $150 per person festival cost. Get yours now at https://www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/43143/chk/b50f

For Regular Updates, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/kulimela

The event’s main website is at: http://www.kulimela.org/

Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day, also known as Nityananda Triyodasi, is celebrated all over the world by Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Lord Nityanada is the most magnanimous expansion of Lord Sri Krishna, and Who is none different from Lord Balaram. Lord Nityananda is the adi guru, the first guru, and He is worshiped as the most merciful incarnation of Godhead. 

New Vrindaban devotees celebrated this most auspicious appearance day of Lord Nityananda on February 20^th, 2016. Around 120 devotees from the community and the surrounding areas gathered to glorify Lord Nityananda and to seek His mercy.  

The celebration began with an ecstatic morning program where devotees enthusiastically participated in chanting and dancing as if Lord Nityananda was personally present. The program continued with Guru Puja and Deity greetings followed by a wonderful Caitanaya Caritamrta class given by Sankirtan Prabhu on various pastimes of Lord Nityananda. In his class, Sankirtan Prabhu explained how Lord Nityananda showers His mercy to everyone without even considering their qualifications. 

Madri devi dasi, who always relishes the Vaisnava songs, organized the community devotees to come sing bhajans for the pleasure of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. One of the many songs sung was Boro Sukher Khabor Gai by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. In this song Bhaktivinode Thakur writes, “Lord Nityananda is greatly merciful. Taking only one’s faith, He gives the highest ecstasy, except for the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, there is no other shelter”.

H.G. Gaur Gopal Prabhu, one of the senior disciples of His Holiness Radhanath Swami, visited New Vrindaban Dham from ISKCON Chowpatty, India, for the first time. He gave three excellent seminars in glorification of Lord Nityananda with themes “Service: The Heart of Vaisnavism”, “The Mercy Department,” and “the Original Spiritual Master”. In his seminars, Gaur Gopal Prabhu described Lord Nityananda as an extremist, Lord Balaram as a separatist, and Lakshman as a loyalist. The reason Lord Nityananda is described as an extremist is because Lord Nityananda gives His mercy to everyone even Jagai and Madhai, who are considered to be the most sinful. Everyone appreciated Gaur Gopal Prabhu’s seminars. 

Every devotee had the opportunity to bath Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaur Nitai with honey, water, fruit juice and flowers during the abhiseka. 

Lakshman Isvara Prabhu led electrifying kirtan during the Gaura Aarti. Everyone ecstatically jumped, danced and chanted Nitai, Nitai, Nitai Gauranga!

The program ended with a grand feast cooked by Brhat Kirtan Prabhu and Sivaraj Prabhu, the feast included rice, dhal, subjis, dahi vara, kachori, tamarind chutney, puri, and cake baked by Lakshman Isvari Prabhu.

Jaya Nitai, Jay Nitai, Jaya Nitai!

By Madhava Smullen

In July 1966, after braving thirty-five days at sea on a cargo ship, two heart attacks, and months of struggles in New York’s Bowery with little money to his name, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Some of his main purposes for the Society included “to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large,” and “to bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna.”

Fifty years later, residents of his first rural community, New Vrindaban, are celebrating his Society’s Golden Jubilee with a packed year of events that intend to spread spiritual knowledge and deepen connections with devotees, the general public, and local municipal leaders.

Senior Prabhupada disciples, Soma das and Jaysri dasi, bathe Nrsimhadev and Prahlada Maharaj on Nrsimha Caturmasi 2015.

The first event will be a two-day festival on May 20^th and 21^st celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the installation of New Vrindaban’s Nrismha-Prahlad Deities, the only full-sized such Deities in North America.

Sculpted and molded by local devotee artists and installed in 1986, the ferocious half-man half-lion Lord with His deep black skin and golden mane stands seven feet tall.

“We plan to invite devotees from all over North America to come celebrate this unique festival with us,” says ISKCON New Vrindaban president Jaya Krsna Das. “Together, we’ll bathe the full-size Deities of Lord Nrsimhadeva and Sri Prahlad in an abhisekha ceremony. And we will ask senior devotees to come and share their memories of the installation.”

The first stage reading of The Ramayana by Kripamaya Prabhu, June 2015

Next, on June 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th will be the premiere of a two-hour epic Ramayana musical by longtime New Vrindaban resident Kripamaya Das.

Devotees from neighboring cities will join New Vrindaban residents and students in the audience, packing out West Liberty University’s 230-seat Kelley Theater in nearby Wheeling.

“I’ve been working on this off and on my whole life,” says Kripamaya Das, who began his dramatic career with New Vrindaban’s Brijabasi Players in the early 1980s. Currently enrolled in a music and theater program at West Liberty, he is delighted to finally see his dream come to fruition. And on a professional stage, with a cast of some fourteen students and devotees, no less.

“We plan to invite some theater directors and producers to see it, and if they like it, we hope to go on to have it produced in Pittsburgh or enter musical festivals in New York,” he says.

Kulimela 2016 Schedule

From June 15^th to 19^th, meanwhile, will be one of New Vrindaban’s biggest festivals of the year. The tenth anniversary of the first Kuli Mela will be celebrated back-to back with an event that was born from its bhajan kutir — the 24-Hour Kirtan festival.

Kuli Mela will epitomize New Vrindaban’s aim to build deep relationships during the 50^th anniversary year, with “celebrating family” and “building community” as its main themes. Around 1,000 people from the first, second, and third generations of ISKCON are expected to attend for three days full of seminars, activities, bhajans, and entertainment.

Radhanath Maharaj playing mridanga at 24 hour kirtan 2013

For the 24-Hour Kirtan festival on the weekend, attendance is expected to remain high, with Kuli chanters like Amala Harinama and the Mayapuris joining senior Srila Prabhupada disciples such as Bhakti Charu Swami, Radhanath Swami, and Agnidev Das.

Of course, for ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary, New Vrindaban devotees are also looking to do a large outreach event to connect with the local public. Residents have celebrated their own Rathayatra at New Vrindaban since 1973, but this year will see the first Festival of Chariots in local town Wheeling on Saturday July 16^th.

Ratha Yathra Celebration in New Vrindaban 2015

Organizer Vrindavana Das will give interviews about the event with newspapers and TV stations in advance, emphasizing the importance of ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary year and highlighting Srila Prabhupada’s achievements. On the day, New Vrindaban’s over five-foot tall Jagannath Deity will parade through Wheeling on his 30-foot high chariot, followed by a stage show on the Ohio River waterfront.  The show will include a welcome and lecture, a dance, a drama, and kirtan, followed by prasadam.

“This is about making ourselves visible to the public again,” says Jaya Krsna. “We already have the Festival of Colors on September 17th where they come to us, but with the Rathayatra we’re going to them. It’s our offering to the city and its residents.”

Srila Prabhupada visiting New Vrindaban in early 1970’s

ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary is also the perfect time to reintroduce the “Prabhupada Festival” that was celebrated at Prabhupada’s Palace over Labor Day Weekend from 1979 until the mid ‘80s.

Hundreds of previous residents of New Vrindaban from its early days will be invited for the September 30^th to October 2^nd weekend event, and hosted as honored guests.

“It will be a revival of giving special attention to Srila Prabhupada and to the devotees who helped build his Palace and first developed New Vrindaban,” says Jaya Krsna.

During the festival, devotees will spend a whole day at the original New Vrindaban farm. There are plans over the summer to renovate the farmhouse where Srila Prabhupada stayed for one month in 1969, and to decorate it with photographs of old times. The festivities will take place under a pandal nearby, including devotees telling many stories of their experiences in those pioneering years.

Communications Director Vrindavan das welcomes the Marshall County Convention Bureau to New Vrindaban in September, 2015.

As well as deepening relationships with devotees and the general public, ISKCON New Vrindaban also wants to connect with local municipal leaders and dignitiaries.

Many will be invited to a VIP Dinner on October 27^th, including the mayors of Wheeling and Moundsville, church, business, and law-enforcement leaders, deans of local universities, and celebrated artists in their fields. The event will include a delicious prasadam meal and a cultural presentation.

 “As we work hard to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and gradually improve the image of his New Vrindaban village,” says Jaya Krsna, “We want to be good citizens, to connect with our neighbors. And in the process, we want to let them know about ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary and Srila Prabhupada’s achievements.”

After ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary, more celebrations are to come with the 50^th anniversary of New Vrindaban in 2018. Plans include a book and film on the history of New Vrindaban, more efforts at reconnecting with current and previous residents, and a recreation of Srila Prabhupada’s famous Bhagavat-Dharma Discourses from 1972.

“As we celebrate the 50^th anniversaries of ISKCON and New Vrindaban, we remember that Srila Prabhupada is our spiritual founder,” says Jaya Krsna. “He established New Vrindaban as a sacred village, he gave us so many grand visions and bold instructions, he visited four times, and it’s clear that this community is important to him. And today, of course, we can feel his presence so strongly in his Palace. Therefore our intention should be that everything we do here, we do it for him.” 

A disciple of Srila Prabhupada and long time resident of New Vridaban, Vidura and his wife of 45 years, Tryadhisa, have been serving in the Dhama since 1984.

On July 31st of 1970 Vidura and Tryadhisa married, soon after Vidura ran across a copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is in a used book store and began his spiritual awakening. That same year while in Boston they ran into devotees in downtown Boston performing sankirtan. “Jadhurani was taking donations in a conch shell and gave us the pamphlet on chanting Hare Krishna” recalls Tryadhisa. Shortly afterwards they both joined ISKCON in Boston and Vidura took first initiation from Srila Prabhupada, July 18, 1971.

Vidhura holding the umbrella serving Srila Prabhupada

Vidura served as the sankritan leader in many cities and setup college preaching programs wherever he went. A land surveyor by profession, he endeavored on many projects in New Vrindaban such as the brick road, parking lot, devotee houses and many land surveys. In 1973, he participated in the construction of the Krishna Balarama Mandir in Vrindavan.

After living in Boston for some time Vidura missed Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra and in 2008 he built his own house, close to the temple in New Vrindaban, mostly himself. He woke up every morning at 4:30 to chant his rounds, and read from Srimad Bhagvatam for the rest of his life. He enjoyed listening to Prabhupada lectures and kirtans throughout the day.

Back in 2013, Vidura was diagnosed with cancer of the tonsils and began two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation at Wheeling Hospital in West Virginia. At first the doctors thought his condition was improving; however, a PET scan on August 28, of 2015 revealed that the cancer had metastasized, spreading to his lungs and they gave him 6 months to live. As the months progressed his condition declined and it became increasingly difficult for him to breath.

Then on Lord Nityananda’s appearance day, Vidura’s breathing went from labored to shallow as his loving wife was reading to him from Srimad Bhagavatam about the soul going back to Godhead. She sprinkled Ganga jala into his mouth and on to his head as she chanted Hare Krsna to him. He left his body at 10:15 am February 20, 2016, as Srila Prabhupada was singing Nitia Pada Kamala softly in the background.

Vidura Prabhu is survived by his wife of 45 years, Tryadhisa Dasi, and many friends around the world.

The Palace of Gold steps with the higher steps finished and lower steps in progress.

Thanks to our tireless construction teams 2015 was a productive year for New Vrindaban. In December of last year they completed an expansion to the parking lot located across from the temple entrance; bulldozing, leveling and shaping a first class parking area. Guests will now have ample parking to see the Palace and receive Prabupada’s mercy.

The steps leading to the Palace started renovation last summer, the upper portion is now complete. The stairs were expertly rebuilt by repurposing the original material for the risers, pier facings, and adding polished two-inch thick Absolute Black domestic granite for the treads and pier caps. The treads were flamed for traction and made extra thick for long-term endurance. Project manager Gopisa Prabhu mentions, “The end result is stunning and will soon be duplicated on the lower section of the front steps.”

The Palace steps made with Absolute Black granite and flamed treads for traction.

During fall of 2014, the ISKCON New Vrindaban Board endorsed the renovation of the Palace wall. Since then, the wall structure was stripped of its rock, siding, and though still standing strong, was filled with cement and stabilized with rebar on the inside to secure its structure. The next step is to layer the wall with EIFS material which is basically a combination of wire, stucco and plastic helping with insulation efficiency and the external appearance. Each column of the wall will be decorated on top with an original lotus pattern casted in concrete, while each section of the wall will hold newly casted window frames with their original design. This project is currently being organized.

The Palace of Gold wall is still being stripped of its brick and siding for renovation.

If there is room for more restoration projects, the red railing outlining the inside path entrance to the Palace will be renovated too. Gopisa Prabhu estimates the lower section of the stairs and the wall will be completed by the end of 2016.

Gopisa Prabhu also plans to fabricate the decorative wrought iron hand railings for the Palace steps this year as an offering to his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada for the 50^th Anniversary of ISKCON.  Gopisa Prabhu reflects by saying, “My hope is to be a productive tool in Krsna’s hands, after all, he is doing everything anyway.”

The main prasadam hall newly renovated.

Recently, New Vrindaban welcomed Bhagavan Bauer to the construction team as the Construction & Maintenance Manager for its current and future development. Bhagavan, along with core team John and Gintrist have been very busy since the end of last year, and this year is already packed with pending projects.

Bhagavan, born and raised in New Vrindaban, the son of Bhokta Prabhu and Sukhavaha Dasi, moved with his wife Ananga Manjari Dasi and his two sons Nava and Nitya, in October 2015 to New Vrindaban. The construction team is working on three main projects.

The first project was to lay beautiful new flooring in the guest prasadam hall, behind Jagannath’s alter, and renovating the guest kitchen. This started in mid-January and the flooring is now complete. The guest kitchen is still underway and will be completed soon.

The nine Palace Lodge rooms under construction.

The second project is laying new floors in the main prasadam hall on the east side of the temple. This project was finished on Nityananda Triyodasi (Feb. 20th) including a fresh new layer of glossy paint on the wooden panels. Initially planning to install five skylights on the east side of the temple, a problem arose; Bhagavan and his team found excess ice and water inside the roof. Due to the damage and age of the roof, it is in dire need to be replaced and Bhagavan says replacing the roof will be done as soon as possible.

The third project in the works is creating nine rooms with attached baths under the east side of the lodge where Krsna’s Attic Thrift Store normally operates. The Thirft Store will be moved to the other side of the lodge. These rooms will be similar to the four rooms built on the other side of the lodge last spring. The aim is to finish the rooms latest for the Kuli Mela in June.

New Vrindaban construction is planning to build a maintenance workshop by the Community Garden (previously the Garden of Seven Gates) and new apartment buildings in the future (as well). This will provide the maintenance team an effective workshop for their tools, supplies, and a productive space when needed. In the spring they plan to fence in the outside playground area for children as well as finish the common rooms in both the men’s and ladies ashrams.

By Madhava Smullen

Jaya Krsna Prabhu Introducing this year’s accomplishments.

“I am grateful to be able to serve in New Vrindaban,” said ISKCON New Vrindaban (INV) President Jaya Krsna Das, looking out at an audience of GBC, board members, temple residents, and community members.

He expressed the emotion as he introduced the Department Head Presentations on December 5^th, part of the biannual INV and ECO-Vrindaban (ECO-V) Board Meetings.

Looking back with fondness on 2015, Jaya Krsna said that the past year had seen INV and ECO-V’s organizational structures, led by 14 department heads, become smooth and stable.

“We started out in 2011 with many new department heads,” he said. “Now most are experienced, and have strong, cooperative relationships with each other.”

He added that visitors could see INV improving on many levels, including its welcoming mood and the physical upgrades to its buildings and facilities. As a result, many senior devotees are now visiting, as well as large numbers of locals through events like Festival of Colors.

Other developments, he said, were showing that “Krishna’s magic” is in full swing.

Students at Gopal’s Garden Preschool October of 2015.

On their own volition, community members Sundari Dasi and Mercy started the Gopal’s Garden Preschool. Devotees banded together to start the Village Association, which will give New Vrindaban residents more influence on how their community is run. Second generation devotees who grew up in New Vrindaban have moved back, like Nityananda Dasi with her husband Vrajadhama, and Bhagavan with his wife Ananga Manjari. And two other devotee families are about to settle on their own land sold to them by INV.

The Department Head Reports of 2015 followed Jaya Krsna’s introduction, highlighting the stability and cooperative relationships he had praised.

The Deity Department, headed by Abhinandana Das, reported making regular improvements in the standards of worship, cooking and dressing. Particularly exciting was the news that Deity outfits are again being homemade in New Vrindaban, which was once famous all over ISKCON for having the best seamstresses and jewelry designers. So too was the news that in 2015 the Deity Dept. hosted a Deity Worship Ministry Pujari training program for 48 East Coast pujaris for the second consecutive year.

Govinda’s Restaurant is a popular tourist attraction for New Vrindaban. Open April-November.

From Govinda’s Restaurant, Vasudeva Das said that visitor numbers had notably increased throughout the year. This was probably due in no small part to  the expanded menu, with world cuisine like sushi, tacos, and lasagna, as well as doughnuts, cakes, and vegan items. New décor was also added, including a book table; and increased kitchen space and a new altar made the atmosphere more pleasant for staff.

Vasudeva also presented for Madri Dasi from the Devotee Kitchen, who had to return home to Northern Ireland to be take care of an urgent family matter. Madri introduced a much-needed more healthy, balanced diet for the devotees, a consistent cooking schedule, and the use of ghee rather than oil. The Devotee Kitchen was also brightened up with a newly painted hallway and new doors.

Palace Lodge manager Gaura Bhakta Das, reported that the Welcome Center is beginning to fulfill its central role – it’s now receiving all the mail for ISKCON New Vrindaban; has warm customer service from senior devotees Lilasuka and Lokadristi, and has become the first stop for all visitors. Meanwhile in the Lodge itself, four new rooms with attached bathrooms – one of them wheelchair accessible – have been added, with nine more planned for this summer.

Lilasuka Dasi waits in the Welcome Center to give warm welcomes to New Vrindaban visitors.

“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about the improvements in the facilities, and the way we take care of and welcome our guests,” says Jaya Krsna.

One newcomer to Krishna consciousness wrote to Jaya Krsna recently, listing the names of seven different devotees who had introduced themselves and talked to him.

Meanwhile in a Dandavats article, Taraka Das wrote that during his travels to various ISKCON temples, “The place that stood out for me as welcoming and warm was New Vrindaban. Every devotee that I encountered said, “Haribol. How are you?” or similar or just smiled. It warmed my heart!”

Another draw of New Vrindaban for visitors are its Festivals, reported on by Vrindavan Das. In 2015 hundreds participated in the Festival of Inspiration, the June and October 24-Hour Kirtans, and the Festival of Colors. Janmastami attendance tripled over the previous year, with 3,000 attendees. And devotees enjoyed a sweet community Rathayatra festival and an inspiring retreat with Bhakti Charu Swami.

Here, devotees are gathered outside the YMCA building where Srila Prabhupada stayed before continuing on Harinama toward the Agarwals’ apartment.

Perhaps the highlight of the year, however, was the Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival Festival in Butler, PA, which saw 200 devotees tour the YMCA building where Prabhupada stayed, hold a huge Harinama on the way to the Agarwals’ old apartment, and praise the ISKCON Founder-Acharya in a Grand Ballroom event. 

Vrindavan also presented the accomplishments of the Communications department, which had seven articles published in local newspapers about many of these festivals. Communications staff also improved the design and content of monthly email newsletter Brijabasi Spirit; created archives of New Vrindaban photos and articles from over the years; improved social networking; and published monthly articles on ISKCON News and Dandavats.

In Devotee Relations, Sukhavaha Dasi had a very busy year caring for residents. She offered personal development course The Hero’s Journey; had certified family life educator Krishnanandini Dasi give a couple’s course for future grihastas; and gave one-on-one counseling sessions to devotees with spiritual, emotional or financial challenges.

She also established a child protection team; brought ISKCON North American CPO Lilasuka Dasi to train its members; secured an apartment for a hospice for terminally ill devotees; and established experienced caretaker Jasoda Gokulananda to care for them.

Gauranatraj Das gives presentation on Congregational Development for 2015.

The Congregational Development department with Gaura Nataraj Das, meanwhile, is caring for pilgrims. They offer them a japa introduction course, a visit to the goshala, and a guided Govardhana parikrama when they visit, as well as a live weekly class via webcam. The CD team also keeps in touch with pilgrims at home, sending them gifts for birthdays and anniversaries, calling them up regularly, counseling them in their personal lives, and encouraging them in their chanting. As a result, registration increased by 25%, long weekend turnout by 50%, and 1,500 new familes visited New Vrindaban and registered with the CD office.

Of course, to ensure all these departments run smoothly, good Accounting is essential. In 2015 Laxmi Honest upgraded to a new bank, Chase, that makes transactions much more efficient; and a new, more reliable payroll company that ensures devotees get their direct transfers on time. She also ensured that monthly closing is done and financial data presented to the Board within ten days.

Moving up from the temple to Prabhupada’s Palace, Jaya Krsna reported for Tripad Vibhuti Das that visitors increased 10% to about 20,000 in 2015. In addition, the first chattra was repainted, its pillars replaced, and work begun on the second; the Rose Garden was set on its way to becoming sustainable and chemical-free; and monthly Prabhupada sangas were held in Srila Prabhupada’s altar room.

At the Apartments, new department head Lalita Gopi Dasi did a major cleanup of the building, planted flowers, and cleared the maintenance shed. She also had the toilets fixed, bathroom renewed and the stairs and decks renovated. “The devotee tenants are really happy with how helpful and supportive she is,” says Jaya Krsna.

Gopisa Das demonstrates the Palace wall development.

Finally in Facilities, Gopisa Das oversaw the infrastructure improvement that has drawn the appreciation of visitors. At Prabhupada’s Palace, he had the upper main stairs beautifully renovated by recycling the old pink granite, and adding new black granite treads with polished front edges. The parking lot was expanded from 15 spaces to 70. And contracts have been signed for a construction company to renovate the outer wall.

The Palace Lodge with it’s new siding and the newly installed children’s playground.

The Palace Lodge received a new floor in the community hall and attractive and durable new hardy board siding on the side facing the playground – which is also brand new and much safer for the children. The temple got insulated doors and windows to keep the heat in, an efficient gas furnace, a new roof over the guest wing with high quality lifetime shingles and Swiss Velux skylights.

Some of the cabins and apartments also received new roofs, the cracked sidewalks around the temple and Lodge were repaired, and two new apartment buildings are under construction.

Eco-V Board Chair Bhima Walker summerizes the year’s highlights.

Next, introducing the ECO-Vrindaban department head presentations, ECO-V Board Chair Bhima Walker summarized the year’s highlights.

2015, he said, had been all about building the ECO-V team. Two new managers were engaged and brought up to speed: Project Manager Mukunda Das, who started in May, and Garden and Ox Training Manager Nitai Candra Das, who joined the team in September.

Vyasasana Das completed exterior renovations on the once dilapidated Bahulaban Barn. It will now be used as a summer pasturing ground for retired milking cows and some of the elderly oxen.

The purchase of the former ISCOWP farm, which has been named Nandagram since the 1970s, was finalized the day before the presentations. The Nandagram Farm’s excellent ox training facility including barns and outbuildings — built over 20 years by Balabhadra and his crew – will be used to accommodate and train ECO-V’s three teams of young Brown Swiss oxen. The farm also includes two houses: one is already home to ECO-V Project Manager Mukunda and his wife Bhakti-lata, while the other will accommodate other staff members.

Following Bhima, new Garden and Ox Training manager Nitai Candra Das introduced himself. He described his four years of experience taking care of the ISKCON Escondido farm in California, which supplied local temples with vegetables and protected cow milk.

He then explained how he had put the New Vrindaban Community Gardens to bed for the winter; helped Vidya and her crew at the end of the growing season in the Teaching Garden; attended a restorative agriculture course with project manager Mukunda; and begun developing his relationship with the three ox teams. He hopes to have the oxen ready to take Prabhupada’s murti on a parikrama around New Vrindaban by fall 2016, and to take visitors by summer 2017.

Next Ananda Vidya Das reported steady success with the Cows. He and his wife Lalita Gopi are currently milking seven cows, with a yield of 17 gallons a day; keeping the Deity kitchen stocked with fresh butter, and even starting to make and supply ghee to the devotee and Deity kitchens. Two new calves, Shriya and Shiva, were born recently, and three more cows are pregnant and due in March.

New Project Manager, Mukunda Das, describes his completed projects in 2015.

Last but not least was new Project Manager Mukunda Das. Mukunda described how he had overseen repairs at the milking Goshala and Palace Rose Garden, including a full renovation on the Rose Garden’s greenhouse with a new fan system, heaters, and electricity upgrade. He also fully renovated the long-neglected conference room at the ECO-Vrindaban Valley Barn, which will now be used for meetings on a regular basis.

Another major part of Mukunda’s work is community building – every week, he leads a number of ISKCON New Vrindaban department heads in exercises on how to deepen their relationships and interactions with co-managers, staff, and guests. He also serves as the chair and secretary of the Steering Committee that is developing the New Vrindaban Village Association.

“During previous years, ECO-Vrindaban spent a lot of time clarifying its mission,” says Bhima in summary. “2015 was all about building a team to realize that vision. And 2016 is the year we anticipate major progress in the gardens, ox training, and facilities upgrades.” He grins. “ECO-V is gonna make a splash!”

“In general, 2015 was a very successful year for both INV and ECO-V,” Jaya Krsna concludes. “We made a lot of progress on many levels. Now we have cooperative, stable teams which allow us to better serve Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra. And that gives us a lot of potential for the future.”

By Madhava Smullen

Nityodita explains the whole purpose of The Village Council during the Community Dialogue.

Possibly the hottest topic at the Fall 2015 ISKCON New Vrindaban and Eco-Vrindaban Board Meetings, and certainly the one that drew the most interest, was the Community Dialog about a proposed new “Village Association.”

For decades, New Vrindaban residents have felt a need to be heard more by the ISKCON management and to have more influence on how their community is run. 

So with a possible solution at hand, they were buzzing as they crowded into the Palace Lodge community hall after lunch on December 5th to learn more about it.

Longtime residents Nityodita Das and Advaitacharya Das guided the session, beginning with a half-hour Power Point presentation on the history and plan for the proposed Village Association.

The idea, they explained, has its roots in Srila Prabhupada’s 1973 statement, “We will establish a local self-governing village.” Varying attempts to make inroads towards this were made over the years, the most recent being the Advocacy Sanga — first launched in 2013.

Then, during the March 2015 board meetings, members of the INV and ECO-V boards themselves, led by Chaitanya Mangala and Jaya Krsna, encouraged the creation of an official Village Council, which would participate in the management of New Vrindaban from a broader “village” perspective.

To do this, volunteers began the process by first forming a Steering Committee of seven. These included Jaya Krsna and Ananga Manjari (representing INV), Mukunda (representing ECO-V); and Advaitacarya, Nityodita, Devala, and Vyasasana, representing long term residents and broader community interests.

Over the next six months, the Steering Committee conducted many meetings with different interest groups in the village of New Vrindaban to develop their proposal. They then organized three larger gatherings – increasing in attendance each time from 20, to 40, to 60 people — where they continued to tweak the “blueprint.”

The version presented at the December 5^th Community Dialog proposed a “New Vrindaban Village Association” made up of residents who would elect their chosen representatives to a “Village Council.”

The Village Council would then regularly meet with the ECO-V and INV boards and interact in a cooperative framework which is provisionally being called the “New Vrindaban Village Board.”

Advaitacharya and Nityodita explained that membership of the Village Association would be very open and inclusive, with the only requirement being that members must reside in the Ohio-Valley area.

Advaitacharya presenting New Vrindaban’s Boards including Eco-V, ISKCON New Vrindaban, and the Village Council.

“If you raise your hand and say, ‘I want to be a member,’ that qualifies you to be a member,” Advaita told the intrigued crowd.

The requirements to be a voting member aren’t much more restrictive: one need only be at least 18 years of age, an Ohio-Valley resident for at least one year, and attend at least one function of the Village Association per year.

In return, the Association aims to create a loving family environment among its members that helps to empower and assist devotees to live happily in and around New Vrindaban.

One priority will be to enhance fellowship and friendships amongst New Vrindaban villagers through regular spiritual and social group activities, such as men’s and women’s groups, youth groups, reading groups etc — a much-needed feature. Another will be to care for members by helping them understand housing options available and the land acquisition process, as well as by encouraging economic development through the establishment of local businesses.

And perhaps the most important facet will be to set up a system where concerns can be expressed, shared and addressed with action. This will help New Vrindaban residents feel cared for, and empower them with their desired participation in governing the village.

The system would likely see residents – soon to be members of the Village Association – address their concerns to their Village Council, who would then either handle the issue themselves or act as the go-between with ISKCON New Vrindaban or ECO-Vrindaban if it fell under the purview of either of those organizations.

The main difference would be a shift in expectations; not all the concerns of the Village would be funneled through ISKCON, allowing the temple – with its limited capacity – to act more as a spiritual center of the Village. This would reflect the fact that while residents and the two main non-profit organizations in New Vrindaban share many common concerns, there are some aspects that can be better handled in simultaneously cooperative and self-determined ways.

Chaitanya Mangala Das introducing the New Vrindaban Village Association

“We need to break out of the old mindset of trying to use the legal structure of a religious non-profit in ways it was never meant to be used,” says joint-board member Chaitanya Mangala. “The analogy I use: If I went to the town of Moundsville, and said, ‘We’re now going to funnel all city management decisions through a local Church,’ everybody would look at me with a puzzled face and ask, ‘What are you talking about?’ Clearly, it doesn’t make sense. But that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to do for decades in New Vrindaban.”

After Nityodita and Advaitacharya’s presentation, the floor was opened up to an hour-and-a-half of discussion, beginning with everyone in the room getting the chance to express their feelings about the idea.

Many long-term residents, including Advaita himself, felt somewhat guarded, having seen multiple similar attempts fail in the past. They expressed that they were reserving their full enthusiasm for when and if the idea succeeded. 

“Personally, I had never intended to get involved in something like this again – I had been through it too many times,” says Advaita. “But this time it came from the leadership outwards, saying, ‘Yes, we recognize this problem, and we know it really needs to be addressed.’ It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that, and that makes me hopeful.”

Some residents wanted more clarification on how the new structure would work. Board and Steering Committee members explained that this is a new, learning experience for everyone, that every detail has not yet been figured out, and that the mechanics will naturally be established over time with members learning as they go.

The Village Association at Vyasasana and Lokadristi’s Home

Others were concerned that the new Village Council would not really be on an equal footing with the other boards or have enough power to make things happen. In response, Advaita pointed out that the key to successful results is working together with trust and a cooperative spirit – something Srila Prabhupada stressed many, many times.

The qualities of patience, determination, and enthusiasm (utsahan niscayad dhairyat) – which Tamohara Das cited in Saturday morning’s Srimad Bhagavatam class – were also repeated throughout the Community Dialog and the weekend in general, as necessary qualities to practice in order to be successful in such efforts.

Finally, Board and Steering Committee members emphasized that differing viewpoints are all right, and in fact expected, as long as everyone maintains an underlying assumption of goodwill, and continues to communicate and cooperate with the shared goal of doing the best they can for the devotees, Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.

Overall, the mood of the Community Dialog was one of optimism, with many comments like, “I’m feeling enthusiastic,” “I’m enlivened to see things get this far,” and “I hope it will be successful.”

The Dialog concluded with the Steering Committee asking who would be open to joining the Village Association, and receiving a near unanimous show of hands.

Next up, the Steering Committee is planning a local event to officially launch the Village Association. Invitiations will include a print-out of the Power Point presented at the Community Dialog, along with membership applications. The event will feature entertainment, kirtan, prasadam, and a chance to sign up to get involved in community interests and concerns.

“I see this as a positive step, to paraphrase Srila Prabhupada, ‘In the gradual development of New Vrindaban as a self-governing village,’” says Chaitanya Mangala. “The previous culture, where every decision had to go through the ISKCON New Vrindaban management structure, disempowered individuals and put a huge burden on a handful of people. Distributing that load and increasing individual empowerment is necessary and will be incredibly beneficial for both local residents and ISKCON management.”

By Madhava Smullen

Nityodita explains the whole purpose of The Village Council during the Community Dialogue.

Possibly the hottest topic at the Fall 2015 ISKCON New Vrindaban and Eco-Vrindaban Board Meetings, and certainly the one that drew the most interest, was the Community Dialog about a proposed new “Village Association.”

For decades, New Vrindaban residents have felt a need to be heard more by the ISKCON management and to have more influence on how their community is run. 

So with a possible solution at hand, they were buzzing as they crowded into the Palace Lodge community hall after lunch on December 5th to learn more about it.

Longtime residents Nityodita Das and Advaitacharya Das guided the session, beginning with a half-hour Power Point presentation on the history and plan for the proposed Village Association.

The idea, they explained, has its roots in Srila Prabhupada’s 1973 statement, “We will establish a local self-governing village.” Varying attempts to make inroads towards this were made over the years, the most recent being the Advocacy Sanga — first launched in 2013.

Then, during the March 2015 board meetings, members of the INV and ECO-V boards themselves, led by Chaitanya Mangala and Jaya Krsna, encouraged the creation of an official Village Council, which would participate in the management of New Vrindaban from a broader “village” perspective.

To do this, volunteers began the process by first forming a Steering Committee of seven. These included Jaya Krsna and Ananga Manjari (representing INV), Mukunda (representing ECO-V); and Advaitacarya, Nityodita, Devala, and Vyasasana, representing long term residents and broader community interests.

Over the next six months, the Steering Committee conducted many meetings with different interest groups in the village of New Vrindaban to develop their proposal. They then organized three larger gatherings – increasing in attendance each time from 20, to 40, to 60 people — where they continued to tweak the “blueprint.”

The version presented at the December 5^th Community Dialog proposed a “New Vrindaban Village Association” made up of residents who would elect their chosen representatives to a “Village Council.”

The Village Council would then regularly meet with the ECO-V and INV boards and interact in a cooperative framework which is provisionally being called the “New Vrindaban Village Board.”

Advaitacharya and Nityodita explained that membership of the Village Association would be very open and inclusive, with the only requirement being that members must reside in the Ohio-Valley area.

Advaitacharya presenting New Vrindaban’s Boards including Eco-V, ISKCON New Vrindaban, and the Village Council.

“If you raise your hand and say, ‘I want to be a member,’ that qualifies you to be a member,” Advaita told the intrigued crowd.

The requirements to be a voting member aren’t much more restrictive: one need only be at least 18 years of age, an Ohio-Valley resident for at least one year, and attend at least one function of the Village Association per year.

In return, the Association aims to create a loving family environment among its members that helps to empower and assist devotees to live happily in and around New Vrindaban.

One priority will be to enhance fellowship and friendships amongst New Vrindaban villagers through regular spiritual and social group activities, such as men’s and women’s groups, youth groups, reading groups etc — a much-needed feature. Another will be to care for members by helping them understand housing options available and the land acquisition process, as well as by encouraging economic development through the establishment of local businesses.

And perhaps the most important facet will be to set up a system where concerns can be expressed, shared and addressed with action. This will help New Vrindaban residents feel cared for, and empower them with their desired participation in governing the village.

The system would likely see residents – soon to be members of the Village Association – address their concerns to their Village Council, who would then either handle the issue themselves or act as the go-between with ISKCON New Vrindaban or ECO-Vrindaban if it fell under the purview of either of those organizations.

The main difference would be a shift in expectations; not all the concerns of the Village would be funneled through ISKCON, allowing the temple – with its limited capacity – to act more as a spiritual center of the Village. This would reflect the fact that while residents and the two main non-profit organizations in New Vrindaban share many common concerns, there are some aspects that can be better handled in simultaneously cooperative and self-determined ways.

Chaitanya Mangala Das introducing the New Vrindaban Village Association

“We need to break out of the old mindset of trying to use the legal structure of a religious non-profit in ways it was never meant to be used,” says joint-board member Chaitanya Mangala. “The analogy I use: If I went to the town of Moundsville, and said, ‘We’re now going to funnel all city management decisions through a local Church,’ everybody would look at me with a puzzled face and ask, ‘What are you talking about?’ Clearly, it doesn’t make sense. But that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to do for decades in New Vrindaban.”

After Nityodita and Advaitacharya’s presentation, the floor was opened up to an hour-and-a-half of discussion, beginning with everyone in the room getting the chance to express their feelings about the idea.

Many long-term residents, including Advaita himself, felt somewhat guarded, having seen multiple similar attempts fail in the past. They expressed that they were reserving their full enthusiasm for when and if the idea succeeded. 

“Personally, I had never intended to get involved in something like this again – I had been through it too many times,” says Advaita. “But this time it came from the leadership outwards, saying, ‘Yes, we recognize this problem, and we know it really needs to be addressed.’ It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that, and that makes me hopeful.”

Some residents wanted more clarification on how the new structure would work. Board and Steering Committee members explained that this is a new, learning experience for everyone, that every detail has not yet been figured out, and that the mechanics will naturally be established over time with members learning as they go.

The Village Association at Vyasasana and Lokadristi’s Home

Others were concerned that the new Village Council would not really be on an equal footing with the other boards or have enough power to make things happen. In response, Advaita pointed out that the key to successful results is working together with trust and a cooperative spirit – something Srila Prabhupada stressed many, many times.

The qualities of patience, determination, and enthusiasm (utsahan niscayad dhairyat) – which Tamohara Das cited in Saturday morning’s Srimad Bhagavatam class – were also repeated throughout the Community Dialog and the weekend in general, as necessary qualities to practice in order to be successful in such efforts.

Finally, Board and Steering Committee members emphasized that differing viewpoints are all right, and in fact expected, as long as everyone maintains an underlying assumption of goodwill, and continues to communicate and cooperate with the shared goal of doing the best they can for the devotees, Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.

Overall, the mood of the Community Dialog was one of optimism, with many comments like, “I’m feeling enthusiastic,” “I’m enlivened to see things get this far,” and “I hope it will be successful.”

The Dialog concluded with the Steering Committee asking who would be open to joining the Village Association, and receiving a near unanimous show of hands.

Next up, the Steering Committee is planning a local event to officially launch the Village Association. Invitiations will include a print-out of the Power Point presented at the Community Dialog, along with membership applications. The event will feature entertainment, kirtan, prasadam, and a chance to sign up to get involved in community interests and concerns.

“I see this as a positive step, to paraphrase Srila Prabhupada, ‘In the gradual development of New Vrindaban as a self-governing village,’” says Chaitanya Mangala. “The previous culture, where every decision had to go through the ISKCON New Vrindaban management structure, disempowered individuals and put a huge burden on a handful of people. Distributing that load and increasing individual empowerment is necessary and will be incredibly beneficial for both local residents and ISKCON management.”

By Madhava Smullen

The Service Appreciation Ceremony – a semi-annual custom introduced in 2014 that honors those who have contributed years of service to the New Vrindaban village – was held for the third time at ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Community Hall on Sunday December 6^th, 2016.

Previous ceremonies honored the late Madhava Gosh and his wife Vidya, Kripamaya and his wife Krsna Bhava, Malati Devi, Navin-Shyam, Jamuna, and Kacey Orr for diverse services from GBC to board member to cow and garden care.

This time, around fifty people gathered to honor ECO-Vrindaban veteran farmhand Ray Kuderski, cook and mother Dharmakala Dasi, performer and author Sankirtan Das, and his wife Ruci, a longtime teacher at New Vrindaban.

Joint board member Chaitanya Mangala Das acted as MC for the event, which for the first time included slideshow presentations on each honoree’s life and achievements.

Each person was also presented with a cherrywood plaque thanking them for their decades of service in the development of the New Vrindaban community, on behalf of Srila Prabhupada, Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra, and the Board of Directors of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban.

Ray Kuderski – whose wife Kelli, son Michael, and sister-in-law Carol were all present – received his plaque from Ranaka Das, his boss and friend during his more than three decades of exceptional work with the cows and farming activities in New Vrindaban.

Born and raised in the Moundsville area, Ray didn’t have prior farm work experience, but learned on the job. He first began working with Ranaka in the Plough Department in 1983, which later merged with the Cow Care Department and eventually evolved into ECO-Vrindaban.

“For decades, it was mostly Ray and Ranaka doing everything,” says Chaitanya Mangala. “During the tougher times at New Vrindaban, when they had to look after 400 cows on a shoestring budget, they often had to put aside their own concerns and comfort to make sure the cows were cared for.”

The crowd laughed with fond familiarity when Chaitanya showed them a photo of Ray on his trusty John Deere tractor, commenting, “This is probably how you all recognize him.”

“Ray is known as a no-nonsense guy who does his work steadily without complaint year in and year out,” explains Chaitanya. “He’s been an amazing part of the fabric of New Vrindaban for so long. The place clearly wouldn’t be the same without him.”

True to form, when Ray was offered the chance to say a few words after his slideshow presentation, he declined with a self-effacing grin. But the crowd wouldn’t stay silent. One after the other, dozens got to their feet, praising Ray for his incredibly dedicated participation.

Next came Dharmakala Dasi, who has served New Vrindaban for more than four decades. After joining ISKCON in Maryland in 1972, Dharmakala was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1973 in New York, and began cooking for Krishna at the Henry Street temple there.

She moved to New Vrindaban in 1974, where she received 2^nd initiation in 1975 and began cooking for the Deities and devotees, a service she would continue for the next fifteen years.

Her opulent 4pm offering of elaborate cookies and cheese cake became legendary, as did the breadsticks, date nut bars, apple crisp and more she made for the devotees. Often spending eleven-hour days in the kitchen, Dharmakala still found time to raise her five children.

After stopping her work in the temple kitchen, she continued to bake cakes for weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries in New Vrindaban, a service she offers to this day. In 1995, she started her company “World’s Best Cookie,” which has sold over 500,000 handmade cookies.

Speaking about their mother, Dharmakala’s eldest son Suddha-Sattva and daughter Dinataruni appreciated how she had opened her home to their friends. “Our house was always packed with kids, and you’d feed them every day,” Suddha said. “That’s one of the ways you showed your love for devotees in the community.” Dharmakala’s son Vincent and daughter Sarasvati were also present.

In turn, the crowd then showered their love and appreciation on Dharmakala, mostly by enthusiastically yelling out the names of her different legendary preparations. Some reminisced about fighting over her offerings; others thanked her for the cakes she had made for them. ECO-V Board Chair Bhima Walker then presented her with her plaque.

“My friends are the reason I’m still living in New Vrindaban after all these years,” Dharmakala was quoted in an article that was read out. “We all built this place together. We’re like family.”

Finally, Sankirtan and Ruci were honored. The two met in college in 1968, joined the Chicago temple soon after, and were initiated in 1973. They arrived in New Vrindaban on the eve of Gaura Purnima 1976 in the dead of winter, showing them just how austere the place could get. But nothing could deter them from serving there for the next four decades.

As well as her service to Tulasi Devi, Ruci is most known for her nearly forty years of teaching preschool and elementary students at different New Vrindaban schools since 1978.

Today, she continues to teach at the Gopal’s Garden Homeschool Co-Op, established in 2007. There, she provides a balanced blend of standard academic subjects and Krishna conscious ones, including japa, kirtana, and Bhagavad-gita slokas. At the end of each school year, she produces an anthology of the students’ writings and illustrations.

Over the years, Ruci developed bonds with her students that have remained to this day. She often receives mail from early students – now with successful careers and their own families – who tell her what an impact her teaching had on their personal and professional lives.

At the service appreciation ceremony, three generations stood to thank Ruci for everything she had done. Pioneer New Vrindaban residents told her, “You were a shining light throughout New Vrindaban’s history. You never let us down.” Their children, now in their thirties and forties, appreciated all the benefits they had gotten from her classroom. And their children, still currently studying with Ruci, piped up and said, “I love being in Ruci’s class!”

Meanwhile her husband Sankirtan is known for braving austere conditions out at the Bahulaban “Pits” to cook breakfast every day for nearly fifteen years, including the famed “oatwater.”

He’s perhaps most praised, however, for developing the Brijabasi Players and for his hundreds of plays and skits from the late 1970s to this day.

One of his most fondly remembered productions was the sweet Nandulal, in which he played the blind saint Bilvamangala Thakur, who unknowingly encounters Krishna, played by the then 12-year-old Sesa Walker. Sankirtan recalled the play as one of his favorite experiences from over the years, praising the professionalism and commitment of his youthful co-star.

Sankirtan also collaborated for many years with Lokamangala Das, performing transcendental dramas around the U.S. These included the two-man magnum opus Mahabharat, which they toured for four years to colleges, temples and even Off Broadway in New York City.

Sankirtan is also an award-winning storyteller and author, winning the West Virginia Artist Fellowship Award in 2005 for his storytelling at schools and colleges, and a Next Generation Indie Book finalist award in 2014 for his book Mahabharat: The Eternal Quest.

Recently, Sankirtan has been taking his PowerPoint about the 50th Anniversary of Prabhupada’s arrival in the West to colleges. And his project “Holding Srila Prabhupada,” in which he takes photos of pilgrims holding a picture of the ISKCON Founder outside his home – where Prabhupada stayed in June 1976 – has given hundreds a deeper New Vrindaban pilgrimage experience.

After the presentation on Sankirtan’s life, many devotees stood to say how moved they were by his service. Advaitacarya Das recounted how Sankirtan had spent eight hours a day for two weeks helping his son Halavah Sofksy rehearse to try and get an acting scholarship. As a result, Halavah won the scholarship. Present himself, Halavah added, “It shows the level of generosity that you have. And so many others have similar stories to tell about you.”

Sankirtan and Ruci also have two adult children of their own. Their son Josh (Sanjaya) – who was present at the ceremony — is an attorney and helps edit Sankirtan’s writings. Their daughter Visnupriya is a senior product and graphic designer for a consulting firm, and has designed and illustrated Sankirtan’s books.

At the end of the ceremony, Ruci and Sankirtan were presented with their plaque by INV board member Keval Patel.

In his concluding statement, Chaitanya Mangala recited Verse 4 from Rupa Goswami’s Nectar of Instruction, which discusses the six “symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.”

He also quoted the purport, where Srila Prabhupada writes: “Even in ordinary social activities, these six types of dealings between two loving friends are absolutely necessary,” and further clarifies, “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees.”

“We don’t often just walk up to people we know and tell them our open-hearted thoughts and appreciations,” says Chaitanya. “So it’s important that we create spaces to facilitate this kind of sharing. When people do things to support and appreciate each other, it’s catching. The recipient feels good and then does something nice for someone else, and it causes a ripple effect.”

To finish off the evening, everyone had the chance to mill about and socialize with each other as they tucked into a delectable Ekadasi cake baked by Lakshman Das.

Plans are in place to continue the Service Appreciation Ceremony at New Vrindaban twice a year, well into the future. 

Prabhupada in New Vrindaban with Kaliya Cow 1976.

 Written by Madhava Smullen. Archival Research by Chaitanya Mangala.

There’s no doubt that protecting cows was very close to Srila Prabhupada’s heart.

In a series of Back to Godhead magazine articles in the mid 1950s, he was already envisioning a community where residents lived a simple life and protected cows.

Soon after registering ISKCON in New York in 1966, he began requesting his disciples to start a rural community, asking them to call it “ISKCON-Nagari or New Vrindaban.”

And when Hayagriva Das, Kirtananda Swami and a handful of other devotees began New Vrindaban, ISKCON’s first farm, in 1968 in the hills of West Virginia, he urged them to keep cows and bulls there, and to maintain them comfortably throughout their natural lives as their proverbial mothers and fathers.

The cow’s milk could be used to create all kinds of staple foods, and their dung dried and used as fuel, he explained. Bulls could pull plows to till the ground for food grains. Together, they offered the chance of a peaceful, self-sufficient life free from the modern world’s stressful rat race and favorable for advancing in Krishna consciousness.

What’s more, he explained to Hayagriva in one of his first letters about New Vrindaban’s development, caring for cows was what Lord Krishna did every morning in Goloka Vrindavana. “Krishna by His practical example taught us to give all protection to the cows, and that should be the main business of New Vrindaban,” he said.

Prabhupada continued to write the New Vrindaban devotees nearly every month, espousing the benefits of cow protection along with outright entreaties for action.

“I am anxiously awaiting receipt of your first cow,” he wrote to Shyama Dasi in March 1969. And in April: “I hope you will soon be getting a cow for New Vrindaban. Vrindaban without cows does not look well, so we must have many cows as soon as possible.”

Kaliya the Cow New Vrindaban 1971

Devotees were glad to have finally purchased their first cow by the time Srila Prabhupada first visited New Vrindaban in May 1969. A black Jersey with a white mark on her forehead where Vaishnavas wear their tilak, she was named Kaliya, or “black,” by Prabhupada himself.

One of the first things the “Brijabasis” did when Prabhupada arrived was offer him a seat beneath a willow tree, and bring him fresh milk from Kaliya. They then sat around him in a semi-circle on the grass, looking up at him expectantly as he raised the cup to his lips.

Prabhupada was delighted. “I haven’t tasted milk like this in fifty years,” he said.

Excited at pleasing their spiritual master, the devotees brought Kaliya to meet him. Ranadhir Das paraded her before him, and Prabhupada admired her. “We don’t have such fatty cows in India,” he said. “In days past, yes, but now no one can feed them nicely. That is the way the Vedas calculate a man’s wealth—in cows and grains.” He even walked out to the barn to watch Ranadhir put Kaliya back in her stall.

 During his visit, which lasted a whole month, Prabhupada continued encouraging the devotees, meeting with community leaders to discuss growing their herd from one to fifty. One cow’s milk could be shared by at least ten people, he said; or if each resident had their own cow, they could sell excess milk products and “get other necessities of life in that way.”

New Vrindaban and Kaliya stayed on Prabhupada’s mind after his visit. “I am always thinking of your New Vrindaban,” he wrote from Los Angeles just two days after leaving. “The first thing I find is the taste of the milk. The milk which we are taking here is not at all comparable with New Vrindaban milk.” He even offered to help finance more cows for the community.

Over the next few months and years, Prabhupada greatly enjoyed receiving in the mail curd cheese and milk sweets made from dairy provided by New Vrindaban’s protected cows; and he guided devotees in how to prepare them. “The whole idea of New Vrindaban is that men who are living there should produce their own food, of which milk is the principal thing,” he wrote.

After visiting New Vrindaban again in September 1972 to deliver a series of Bhagavat Dharma discourses, he was clearly enlivened by the progress he had seen. “I can see that Krishna is giving you more and more facility for developing this New Vrindaban scheme,” he said. “So this is very nice. I am very pleased that you have acquired some more cows.”

But he also cautioned the devotees not to forget about the bulls. “The cow is so wonderful and valuable in society,” he wrote. “But you should also use the bulls by engaging them in tilling the ground. People may call this the primitive way but it is very practical for engaging the bulls.”

Bulls 1976

By the time Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban again in July 1974, its cow protection program was thriving. There were 100 cows spread across three farms – Bahulaban, Vrindaban and Madhuban – including sixteen milking cows who produced over 600 gallons of milk per week. A fourth farm, Nandagram, housed young oxen, and three ox teams were being trained.

Prabhupada visited the Bahulaban barn, walking down its length and closely observing the cows on either side. He stopped at Shukla, whose milk he had also drank, and patted her on the head. He then observed the cow Satyabhama being milked, and when told that she was giving nine gallons daily said to cowherd Devakinandana Das, “You are doing wonderfully here.”

After his visit, Prabhupada wrote that he was “very happy” while in New Vrindaban and enjoyed the atmosphere, “especially the cow protection scheme.”

He continued to encourage the devotees to build a farm community that would set an example for how to treat cows: “Let other farms see… how we derive benefit from them and that will be the living example to persons who are using cow flesh rather than cow milk.”

In 1976, when he visited New Vrindaban for the last time, the community was caring for four working teams of oxen and over 150 cows. A new barn had been erected in Bahulaban, and Prabhupada visited it to see the cows and four new-born calves. He let one of them lick his hand as a devotee told him how the cows were yielding about 120 gallons of milk every day, which they were turning into ghee, cheese and buttermilk. Prabhupada was pleased.

But there was one cow he still hadn’t seen. Kaliya, now fourteen years old, was the retired matriarch of New Vrindaban’s herd. She had given birth to eight calves herself, and up until the previous year, had still been producing about six gallons of milk a day for the Lord and the devotees – despite having maladies common to aging cows of her breed, such as blindness in one eye and respiratory problems.

Writing in Brijbasi Spirit magazine, cowherd Amburish Das described how Kaliya – the smallest cow in New Vrindaban at 800 pounds – never pushed and shoved to eat grain as the other cows did, but stood patiently waiting her turn. “There may be some mild cows, but Mother Kaliya is even more than mild – she is a devotee,” he said. “Her humility is unmatched.”

Prabhupada Views Calves in New Vrindaban 1976

This rare soul was finally reunited with Srila Prabhupada after seven years in a meeting that left an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of those who witnessed it.

Towards the end of his visit, Prabhupada walked with a large group of devotees to go see Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath in the farmhouse temple at the old Vrindaban farm, where Kaliya resided. It was a beautiful morning, the rays of the rising sun shining hazily through a light mist.

As Prabhupada rounded a curve and spotted the Vrindaban farmhouse in the distance, one of the devotees, Advaitacarya Das, pointed to a small herd of cows far up at the top of “Govardhana Hill,” which rose to their left. “Srila Prabhupada, look!” he said. “There’s Kaliya. She’s our first cow. You used to drink her milk.”

Suddenly, as Prabhupada looked up at her, Kaliya broke away from her herd and made her way alone down the steep bank. Matching the devotees’ pace, she stepped out right in front of Srila Prabhupada, and began walking with him as if she were his pet calf.

“Ah,” Srila Prabhupada said simply. “My dear old friend Kaliya.”

She continued to walk with him for some time, a quiet connection hanging between them that the devotees all felt. Then, finally Kaliya picked up her pace and disappeared over the horizon.

“For me, it was a mystical experience,” says Advaita. “Srila Prabhupada was always preaching that we’re all trying to get to Vrindavana, where Krishna and his cowherd boy friends are eternally playing and taking care of the cows. And to see Kaliya come down the hill and walk with him like that just made it all very real.”

After this last visit to New Vrindaban, Prabhupada continued to encourage his followers to establish cow protection programs all over the world. And to all of them, he gave New Vrindaban as the model farm community to emulate – the home of Kaliya, the “Queen of New Vrindaban,” and ISKCON’s very first cow.

By Madhava Smullen

Two new apartment buildings, consisting of three apartments each, are being erected next to New Vrindaban’s community garden and are expected to be ready to rent by spring 2016.

According to ISKCON New Vrindaban president Jaya Krsna Das, they will fulfill an immediate need for more accommodation especially during the peak summer season.

But the additional accommodation is also essential in helping along New Vrindaban’s current phase of growth — many devotees are now returning to the community or moving for the first time with their families.

“If somebody moves to New Vrindaban,” Jaya Krsna says, “They need a place to stay while they work on buying land and building their own house.”  

The apartments aren’t just cheap temporary accommodation; ISKCON New Vrindaban is aiming for the highest construction quality within its budget.

Each of the two buildings will include a one-bedroom studio apartment in the basement, a two-bedroom on the first floor, and a three-bedroom on the second floor. They’ll acccommodate single people, smaller and larger families respectively. And they’ll each come with comparatively-sized, temperature-controlled storage spaces located in the basement.

The buildings are being constructed by PennKraft, a Western Pennsylvania company that prefabricates modular homes at its factory and then assembles them onsite. Quality is the same as with an onsite home, with the advantage that factory construction conserves materials and is thus more environmentally-friendly. It’s also faster, more efficient, and protected from the elements.

The foundations will be made with Superior Walls, a precast concrete system with insulated wall panels often used in green home construction. This will save energy, keep out the cold and make for an overall stronger structure.

 “We’ll also use hardy board siding, which is very durable,” says construction manager Gopisa Das. “Then, in between the units, we’re using Roxul, a mineral wool that serves as both an insulator and a sound deadener.”

Meanwhile the buildings will each have insulated exterior doors to provide the best thermal barrier possible, a 50-year metal roof, and high-quality energy efficient windows that will keep the heat and cool in.

Inside, each apartment will have its own individual electric heating and cooling system, which is the rental standard and a safer option than gas.

The interior doors will be solid core oak with red oak trim, the floors a very durable solid vinyl plank, and the kitchen cabinets solid maple. Each apartment will have LED lights, which consume up to 90% less power than regular incandescent bulbs, and its own individually-controlled heating system.

Care is being put into selecting the fixtures and appliances, too.

“We’re using Schlage locks and American Standard faucets, which you only see in commercial kitchens and last virtually forever,” says Gopisa. “For appliances, we’re installing the same fridge I have at home, a Samsung side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator with the freezer underneath and very high efficiency, along with matching Samsung electric stoves.”

Outside the buildings, there will be parking for residents. And to fit in with the New Vrindaban mood and lend a uniform look to the entire masterplan, the buildings’ entrances will feature ornate columns and the same Jagannath chakra that adorns the roof of Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra’s temple.

Despite the first-class construction, rent will range from only $550 to $850 depending on the size of the apartment, with water, waste water, and road maintenance included. “We’re aware of the concerns about pricing, and we wanted to make sure the accommodation was affordable to the devotees,” says Jaya Krsna.

The apartments will be constructed using a loan from Eco-Vrindaban. The plan is for both the interest and principal to go into an endowment fund for the long term care of cows in New Vrindaban.

The new apartments are the beginning of a thirty-year plan that includes thirty apartments in total, plus twenty townhouses and ten new cabins.

These additional buildings, as well a new access road connecting directly with the public road,  will be constructed over the next thirty years as the need for them arises.

“This is the first time since the milk barn was erected near the temple in the 1990s that ISKCON New Vrindaban is constructing a new building,” says Jaya Krsna. “So it’s really a big step for our community as it moves into a new phase.”

Three things, according to Jaya Krsna, are needed for a community to grow: a school, jobs and accommodation.

“We have the Gopal’s Garden Homeschool Co-Op,” he says. “We have a number of very nice services to do for the temple, several devotee-run companies offering jobs, and a planned retreat center that will create additional jobs for devotees.

“Now we need more accommodation where devotees can live. Facilitating younger devotees with families moving to New Vrindaban in this way is an important step in our succession plan, and in the rejuvenation of the community itself.”

By Madhava Smullen

A group of preschool children, along with their devotee parents and grandparents, bustled excitedly into Gopal’s Garden Homeschool Co-Op for their graduation party on November 5^th.

The event had ISKCON New Vrindaban president Jaya Krsna Das calling the Co-Op “community building at its best.”

Gopal’s Garden was established in New Vrindaban, West Virginia – Srila Prabhupada’s first farm community — in 2007 by Ruci Dasi. It runs to eighth grade, and teaches thirteen students in total.

Its preschool, which cares for eight children aged three to five, was an individual effort launched this April by New Vrindaban residents and parents Sundari Dasi and Mercy.

“We decided to do it as soon as my son Sanjaya and Sundari’s daughter Bhumi were the right age, so that they could be together, and play and learn with other children in the community,” says Mercy, who was born and raised in New Vrindaban and wants to pursue a career in teaching. 

Mercy assists head teacher Sundari, who moved to New Vrindaban from Bangalore in 2011 and holds a Montessori teacher training certificate. Under their care from 12:30 to 3:30 each day this year, the children learned basic ABCs, counting, colors, arts and crafts, how to share, hand-eye coordination and speech development along with spiritual projects that put Krishna in the center.

The teachers’ children Bhumi and Sanjaya both attended the recent graduation party at Gopal’s Garden to celebrate their first year of school, along with Malini, Pranaya Keli, Rama Lochana, Nadia, and Harilila. Arjuna, who was absent because he was traveling with his parents, also completed the year.

The event ran from 6 to 8:30pm, beginning with everyone offering ghee lamps together to Lord Damodara, along with the classroom deities of Radha Krishna and Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra.

A video presentation entitled “Glimpses of Gopal’s Garden Preschool” followed, showing the young students’ heartwarming participation in Krishna conscious festivals throughout the year. 

“For our first festival of the year, Pushpa Abhisekha, we had a picking party with the kids where we picked a bunch of local flowers here in New Vrindaban, then they pulled off the petals and showered the deities with them,” says Mercy. “It was so sweet.”

Next, the children participated in ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Rathayatra by helping to make outfits for their classroom Jagannath Deities, decorating a small cart that community members came together to build, and pulling it while having an ecstatic kirtan. All the parents then made a special offering of cupcakes and cookies to Lord Jagannath, and distributed them to the children.

On Janmastami, the students got to bathe their Radha Krishna Deities in saffron water, and take turns pushing them on a special Jhulan Yatra swing that had been constructed for the occasion.

And on October 25^th, a week before Halloween, the teachers and parents got creative and held a Krishna-ized Halloween party with all the children dressed as demons from Srila Prabhupada’s book Krishna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead. The parents then ascended a stage with their child and narrated the pastime of how Lord Krishna dispatched that particular demon.

Meanwhile in honor of the 50^th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival to the West, the children got to decorate a construction paper “Jaladuta” ship and glue blue cotton balls around it to represent the ocean.

After the video depicting all these activities, the children stood and sang classic gurukula songs like “My Name is Aghasura,” “Krishna’s Devotees Had A Farm,”and Mercy’s own composition to the tune of “Mary Had A Little Lamb” – “Krishna Has A Little Calf.” They also demonstrated their “ABCs.”

Sundari and Mercy then presented proposed plans for improving the preschool in 2016.

“As next year will be more focused on academics and learning, we will introduce a worksheet program, teaching the kids how to trace and write letters so that they can start learning how to write their own names,” says Sundari. “We’ll also start teaching them the Spanish and Sanskrit for English words they’re learning.”

Health will also be a priority. There will be more outdoor games, and yoga taught by Sundari – who has a diploma from Bangalore’s VYASA yoga university – so that the children can burn off their energy and learn motor skills. Lunch time, instead of consisting of store-bought snacks as it did this year, will feature a full meal such as rice, dahl and bread cooked by a different parent each day.

Inside the classroom, individual cubbies will be installed for each child to learn to put away their jackets, shoes and personal items.

And as always, Krishna consciousness will be a priority: a proper altar will replace the current dovetailed bookshelf. “We also want to have a couple of Laddhu Gopal Deities, so that the children can learn to dress Them and offer their food to Them,” Sundari says.

To conclude the graduation program, the children were presented with certificates. Finally, principal Ruci Dasi and president Jaya Krsna Das spoke, thanking Sundari and Mercy for their dedication and enthusiasm and praising how the school has brought the community together.

“It’s wonderful to see the kids hugging each other when they come in, and to see all the parents becoming friends,” said Jaya Krsna. “Many of them would not even know each other if the pre-school didn’t exist, as they live several miles apart from each other.” 

He was glad to see the preschool training the children so early in life in Krishna consciousness, in a way that would be a challenge for their parents to do with their busy schedules. He also appreciated that the preschool gave parents, especially mothers, some much needed free time in which to rest, chant, or engage in other activities, while feeling assured that their children are being nicely taken care of.

Weeks after the graduation event, Jaya Krsna is still bubbling over with enthusiasm and appreciation for the preschool.

“For me, it’s just Krishna’s magic,” he says. “These kids are our future; and so the preschool is doing nothing less than building the future of New Vrindaban.”

ISKCON New Vrindaban and Eco-V Boards Meeting on December 4^th – 6^th. 

The board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban humbly invite all New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers to participate in the upcoming weekend activities.  Please see the detailed schedule below. We hope to see you all!

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Friday, December 4th.

7:30 pm to 8:30 pm: Dinner Prasadam with Board Members & GBCs (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

Saturday, December 5th.

9:45 am to 1:30 pm: Department Head Presentations for 2015 (under the Lodge)

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Lunch Prasadam (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

2:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Community Dialog (under the Lodge)

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm: Srila Prabhupada Sangam & Dinner Prasadam (at his Palace)

Sunday, December 6th.

10:00 am to 1:00 pm: New Vrindaban Community Tour (various locations, weather permitting)

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Sunday Program & Feast (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

3:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Lifetime Community Service Appreciations (under the Lodge)

New Vrindaban Recipes: Community, Camaraderie and Cookies

Dharmakala Cooking Biscuits in RVC Temple devotee kitchen – 1984.

By Madhava Smullen

Dharmakala Dasi’s destiny seemed set from the start – she grew up with the smell of fresh baked bread and cookies lingering throughout her home.

“My parents had eight kids, so we didn’t really go out to eat – my mother just cooked constantly to feed us all,” she says. “So being around it all the time, I started cooking myself when I was a little kid. I baked my first brownies at the age of seven.”

But with all that good old-fashioned home cooking, Dharmakala never tasted anything quite like the Sunday Feast at the Hare Krishna temple in Ocean City, Maryland, in 1972 – “It was totally out of this world,” she says. And it was this that would lead to her cooking for Lord Krishna, and becoming synonymous with New Vrindaban’s celebrated history of prasadam baking.

First, though, she joined ISKCON in Ocean City, then moved to New York, where she was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1973. There, she began baking “Prabhupada cookies” and offered her first cake to the Lord, a huge multi-layered whipped mango affair for Radhastami.

Srila Prabhupada outside the Henry Street Temple 1973 – Dharmakala offering obeisances on left.

In July 1974, Dharmakala decided to move to New Vrindaban, West Virginia, where she received second initiation the following year, and thereafter began cooking daily for the Deities for approximately the next fifteen years.

New Vrindaban, a remote, austere rural community, couldn’t have been more different from New York City. Dharmakala prepared the legendary 4pm offering of fried curd, milk sweets, cookies, cheesecake, and more using a wood oven and wood stove that had to be constantly stoked.

“There wasn’t anything electric at all at the Bahulaban kitchen – everything had to be done by hand,” she says. “The curd used in the cheesecake had to be kneaded out by hand to smooth it, as there were no blenders.”

The upside to the simple life was that all the dairy products were made from the milk of the sacred village’s protected cows, which was thick with cream. It was this cream that was separated from the milk and used in Dharmakala’s much coveted maha-prasadam condensed milk, or kheer, which was often served with peaches, strawberries and bananas.

“The feasts and Deity offerings in Bahulaban back then were so outrageously opulent you wouldn’t believe it,” Dharmakala says.

Until 1989 – during which the kitchen moved from Bahulaban to Radha Vrindabanchandra’s current temple – Dharmakala cooked full-time for the Deities and devotees.

As well as the 4pm offering, she also made popcorn, cereal, breadsticks and other snacks for the devotees in the afternoon, and cooked chapatis over gas flames on a large griddle for lunch.

New Vrindaban’s 6th Annual Janmastami celebration. Group photo taken at the Bahulaban Barn in 1975 (Dharmakala pictured).

“Together our team would do a thousand chapatis a day,” she says.

But over the years, Dharmakala became most famous for her baking.

In the mornings, she often baked bread for the devotees. On Sunday feasts and festivals, she would make orange cake, date nut bars, or apple and rhubarb strawberry crisp for 800 people, sending huge trays to locations all over the community.

And nothing was ever half-baked – if you’ll pardon the pun – with Dharmakala.

“Whatever I did, I would do to the best of my ability,” she says. “For instance, instead of just making normal sugar cookies for the 4pm offering, I’d make coconut walnut squares or sandwich cookies. That would be two Prabhupada cookies with a filling of fresh strawberry jam and an icing glaze on top.”

Dharmakala worked very hard, often spending eleven-hour days from 10am to nearly 9pm in the kitchen, with no days off.

“I remember being eight-and-a-half months pregnant with my daughter Dinataruni one Thanksgiving, and baking as many pumpkins as I could for pumpkin pie well into the night, because we didn’t have any canned pumpkin,” she says. “The next morning, I went in, made the crusts, and finished up ten trays of pie with fresh whipped cream on top. All while I was about to pop!”

But for Dharmakala, the memories are good, full of the kind of loving exchanges between godbrothers and godsisters that Srila Pabhupada formed ISKCON to facilitate.

Prabhupada 1973 NY Henry Street Temple – Dharmakala lower right corner.

“Kuladri’s wife Kutila taught me how to make milk sweets; Prabhupada’s servant Nanda Kumar oversaw the kitchen; and Hari-Kirtana, Vraja Kumari and Gita from Canada were my chapati crew,” she says. “Everybody was working together, and it was such good teamwork and camaraderie. It was devotional service for us, and we just wanted to make a nice lunch for Krishna. You just had that intention that it was going to turn out great, and it always did.”

After 1989, Dharmakala stopped serving full-time at the temple kitchen, but continued to make cakes for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations held in New Vrindaban, a service she offers to this day.

“I make chocolate, carob, and vanilla cakes, carrot cakes, and more,” she says. “Whatever people want. I always use organic, non-GMO ingredients. I use organic flour, demerrara sugar or Sucanat, and for vegan cakes, I make my own soymilk from organic soybeans.”

In 1995, Dharmakala started her own company, “World’s Best Cookie,” selling to health food stores and coffee shops along the East Coast. Her products include raisin, chocolate-chip, carob-chip, and pumpkin-spice oatmeal cookies, along with wheat-free raisin and chocholate-chip options, and an energy cookie.

Dharmakala Baking Worlds Best Cookies.

So far, she has made 500,000 of these, all by hand, in pink ovens decorated with hearts and the inscription “Baked with the intention of love,” at her bakery on the ECO-V farm. What’s more, each and every cookie is offered to Srila Prabhupada, whose murti oversees the bakery from his vyasasana. He reminds Dharmakala of a special loving moment.

“I remember that when Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban in 1976, he was giving out cookies in the tiny Bahulaban temple room,” she says. “It was absolutely packed with devotees, and I was eight months pregnant with my son Suddha Sattva and afraid that I’d get pushed or shoved. So I hid in a corner to the side of his vyasasana, and just held out my hand, and he gave me a cookie. I put it in my beadbag, then held out my hand again, and he gave me another cookie. And again, and again. I left with six cookies!”

Today, after decades of service cooking for the Lord and his devotees and raising her five children, Dharmakala is still living in New Vrindaban. And just as it did back in the ‘70s, it’s the camaraderie and devotee association that keeps her there.

“My friends are the reason,” she says. “We all built this place together. So we’re like family.”

And when asked what advice she has for the next wave of New Vrindaban residents, Dharmakala suggests trying out the simplicity that made those early days special.

“Turn off the electric, get away from your computer, and see what you can manifest,” she says. “And, in the kitchen as well as in life, work from your heart!”

Dharmakala’s Coconut Walnut Squares

“I love this recipe because it’s super rich and opulent. It has been a favorite at New Vrindaban for years, since I used to make it in the Deity kitchen for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra.”

Makes 18 squares.

Ingredients:

1st layer:
1 cup of butter (melted)
½ cup of brown sugar
2 ½ cups of flour

2nd layer:
1/3 cup of yogurt
2 cups of brown sugar
¼ cup of flour
1 cup of shredded coconut
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
½ cup of chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of grated lemon rind
½ teaspoon of salt

Glaze (optional):
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of butter (melted)
3 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Directions:

To make the first layer, mix the ingredients together and press firmly into a 9 x 12 inch baking tray.

Before putting the first layer into the pan, make sure the inside of the tray is lightly greased with butter (or vegetable oil). Next, sprinkle a small amount of flour over the butter (or use parchment paper). This will help minimize sticking.

Bake the first layer for approximately 10 minutes at 400 F. Remove from the oven and and cool slightly.

To make the second layer, mix all ingredients and spread over top of the first layer.

Bake at 350 F for around 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove tray from oven and allow to cool.

For the glaze, combine ingredients together, stir until smooth and drizzle over the entire tray.

Finally, cut into 18 good-sized squares, offer and serve.

Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day Festival 

The festival began with an inspiring class given by His Holiness Varsana Swami, who enlivened devotees by showing his appreciation for his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. Sankirtan Prabhu then continued with a slide-show presentation describing how the Hare Krishna Movement came to the west.

Devotees gathered in front of Srila Prabhupada to share their personal appreciations; Nityodita Prabhu invited the devotees present to share their interaction with Srila Prabhupada and how he inspires them in their Krsna Consciousness.

What followed was a pushpanjali offering to Srila Prabhupada and an ecstatic kirtan where everyone danced very joyfully with gratitude.

A grand feast cooked by Prabhupada’s disciples Advaita Prabhu, Kaladri Prabhu, Katila, Madri, Gopisa, Tejomaya, Jayasri and others followed the kirtan. Our locally well-known cake maker, Lakshman Isvara, made a gigantic cake for Srila Prabhupada’s pleasure. Later in the evening, there was also a program at Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold where devotees gathered to offer more stories and appreciations. 

We would like to give a special thanks to Lokadristi devi dasi, Harinam dasi, and Bhaktin Stacy for decorating Srila Prabupada’s vyasasana so nicely. 

Srila Prabhupada Ki- Jaya! 

Govardhan Puja & Diwali Festival

 With the autumn season ending, the time of Kartik at its peak and thanksgiving just around the corner, this year’s Govardhan Puja Festival set a sweet mood for family bonding and devotee association. 

 
This year’s festival had an extra sweet mood with many New Vrindaban community devotees participating. Devotees prepared sweets for Govardhan and made a transcendental Govardhan Hill, headed by Mother Sundari. The Govardhan hill was made of delicious halava, potatoes, squash, cookies, sandesh, and sweet balls. Three Govardhan Silas sat comfortably on top. 


The abhiseka started around 5pm when devotees met in the Temple room to bathe the Govardhan sila with scented water, honey and other bonafide liquids. Sankirtan Prabhu, known for his storytelling, gave a class about Govardhan Lila which followed by an evening Aarti, Govardhan Puja Song with the community members and the circumambulation of Govardhan Hill. 
The community members were very blessed to have Varsana Maharaj who joined the evening program to circumambulate Govardhan Hill. 

Then, there was a feast prepared by Sivaraj and Sri Rupa Prabhus: a combination of rice, dhal, two subjis, puris, pakoras, sweet rice, and many, many other sweet offerings!

On Saturday, the New Vrindaban Preaching team hosted a Diwali Festival in honor of Lord Ramachandra’s return to his Kingdom of Ayodhya. Many guests came to offer candles which were set around the temple room in front of Radha Vrindabana Chandra and Srila Prabhupada as an offering to Lord Ramachandra. A fire sacrafice was also offered to honor this auspicious night; the celebration ended with fireworks at Kusam Sarovara. 

All Glories to Lord Ramachandra!

Kartik 24-Hour Kirtan

 
The end of October came suddenly and kirtaniyas arrived from all over the world to New Vrindaban to participate in this year’s Kartik 24 Hour Kirtan event.

The festival began Friday evening October 30^th with an inauguration kirtan from 7-9 pm. Amala Kirtan Das led the kirtan as guests tricked in to attend. In the morning, Srimad Bhagavatam class was led by Varsana Maharaj and shortly after devotees congregated in the temple lobby for harinam to the Palace of Gold to retrieve Srila Prabhupada’s bongo drum, a common ritual for the 24 hour kirtans. Amala Harinam was our first kirtaniya followed by Rupanuga das from New Vrindaban and many others.
 

The festival continued with a Kartik mood and sweet Damodara prayers sung both in the morning and the evening. Our special guests Agnideva, Karnamrita Dasi, Ajamil, Amala Harinam, and Amala Kirtan kept the temple room roaring with the Holy Name.

Both Saturday and Sunday lunches were cooked by Radha devi dasi and her sisters. T-shirts with Srila Prabhupada’s plea to Krsna, “Make Me Dance” inscribed on the front, were being sold in the temple lobby along with Mother Jaya Sri’s famous organic, homemade donuts.

 We would like to thank all the New Vrindaban community members who attended and volunteered their time for the pleasure of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vrindabana Chandra. We would also like to especially thank all the kirtaniyas who came to share the Holy name. The 24-hour kirtan event in New Vrindaban continues to be a truly memorable event.

 

​

Srila Prabhupada:  “I am always praying to Krsna that the New Vrndavana attempt will be more and more successful and ideal for your country. That is my only prayer.” – Letter November 10th, 1975 from Bombay.

 

 

Srila Prabupada’s Arrival Festival in Butler, PA

 
Butler, PA, the place Srila Prabhupada started his preaching in the West, is a special thirtha for all ISKCON members. To honor the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in America, ISKCON New Vrindaban organized a festival in Butler which took place on Saturday, October 24^th , 2015. Devotees came from all over America for the event, including devotees from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Toronto, New Vrindaban, and New York. As the 50^th anniversary for Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival Festival began, devotees merrily greeted one another and assembled outside for Harinam. From the 3^rd story of the often-mentioned YMCA to the Argarwal condos where Srila Prabhupada stayed for a month, the Harinam Sankirtan party paraded the streets while steaming up the falling rain. Bhakti Marg Maharaj and Nityodita Prabhu took the lead and others followed with dancing feet.
 
The party then commemorated in the ballroom hall for the special speaking presentations. Vrindavan Das, the New Vrindaban Director of Communications and event organizer, introduced the guest speakers who took turns appreciating Srila Prabhupada and telling personal anecdotes and their exchanges with His Divine Grace. Speakers included Mother Krsna Nandini, Sikhi Mahiti Prabhu, Mother Jaya Sri, Mother Visvadika, Akhilananda Prabhu, Jaya Krsna Prabhu, Subavilas das, Archalata devi dasi and Nityodita Prabhu.

 
The event concluded with a 20-minute dancing Harinama party inside the ballroom where all attendees gathered to chant the Holy Name, laugh and dance, with the encouragement of Bhakti Marg Maharaj who is known to bring the life out of people through his unique and unifying dances.
 
After catching sweet breaths of ecstatic kirtan air, the crowd simmered to a cool, offered humble pranams to their spiritual masters, and assembled in line for a grand feast cooked by Radha devi dasi and her sisters.

 
We would like to thank the special guests who brought their sweet stories, the YMCA hosts, Ballroom hosts, Jaya Krsna Prabhu, representative of the New Vrindaban temple which sponsored the event as well as Vrindavan Das, the festival organizer. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

 

Upcoming Events!

 

 

November 22nd, 2015 :       Utthana Ekadasi (break fast Monday the 23rd 7:16 – 10:31 am)

November 26th, 2015 :        Thanksgiving Lunch for community members

November 27th-28th, 2015 :   Thanksgiving Festival 

December 5th-6th, 2015 :          ISKCON New Vrindaban and Eco-V Open Joint Board Meetings (Schedule Below)

 

The board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban humbly invite all New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers to participate in the upcoming weekend activities.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE OPEN JOINT BOARD MEETINGS

 

Friday, December 4th.

 

7:30 pm to 8:30 pm: Dinner Prasadam with Board Members & GBCs (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

Saturday, December 5th.

9:45 am to 1:30 pm: Department Head Presentations for 2015 (under the Lodge)

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Lunch Prasadam (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

2:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Community Dialog (under the Lodge)

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm: Srila Prabhupada Sangam & Dinner Prasadam (at his Palace)

Sunday, December 6th.

10:00 am to 1:00 pm: New Vrindaban Community Tour (various locations, weather permitting)

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Sunday Program & Feast (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

3:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Lifetime Community Service Appreciations (under the Lodge)

Questions or comments please call 1-304-843-1600 ext.111 or 106

Srila Prabhupada’s Murti at the Palace of Gold.

By Madhava Smullen

“It was devastating,” says Advaita Das, bowing his head. 

Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day is coming up on November 15^th in New Vrindaban. And Advaita, who has been a resident since the early 1970s, is reliving the day in 1977 when he and the other devotees at Prabhupada’s first farm community heard the news of his passing.

“We had had a couple of false alarms, and we thought it was all going to be okay. We weren’t going to lose Prabhupada. Then the news hit, and it was like coming out of the fourth round pumped and ready to go, and taking a right cross to the head.”

Advaita recalls snow falling softly outside as the devotees chanted Je Anilo Prema Dhana, everyone sobbing openly as they sang. Even as they mourned, however, they planned a celebration of chanting, dancing, and feasting; for a pure devotee’s passing on to be with Krishna eternally is also a cause for rejoicing.

“I remember walking down to the outdoor kitchens we called ‘the pits’ to cook with everybody,” Advaita says. “We were heartbroken, yet simultaneously kind of ecstatic. It was such a mix of emotions.”

Devotees fasted all that day, and in the evening spoke their remembrances of Srila Prabhupada at his Palace, which, at that time, they were still building as a home for him. They had spent the day beautifully decorating his Vyasasana in fall colors, and his picture smiled out from it – the same place where his murti now sits. After offering him a huge feast and honoring the prasadam, they then chanted kirtan throughout the night. 

Varshana Swami sharing about Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance.

Varshana Swami, another longtime resident, had an experience similar to Advaita’s.

“It was dark outside — there were no lights installed inside the Palace at that time,” he says. “And it was the darkest night for us. We were all crying and faltering, and the devotees were literally holding one another up. We felt so weak. How could we go on without Srila Prabhupada?”

As they chanted together throughout the night, their mood of separation intensified beyond anything they had ever experienced before. Devotees were ready to give up their lives for Prabhupada. And then, suddenly, at around three in the morning, the mood shifted.

“We were borne aloft on a tide of perennial joy,” says Varshana Swami. “The devotees could not contain their ecstasy as they danced in jubilation throughout the night. We talked to each other, and the experience had been unanimous: we had never felt so close to Srila Prabhupada before.”

This, according to Varshana Swami, was Srila Prabhupada’s final lesson: that the deepest sacrament of the Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta is service in separation – a relationship which never ends.

Ever since, devotees at New Vrindaban have been observing Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance day in a similar way – with chanting, remembering, and feasting – and trying to develop that relationship in a deeper and deeper way.

This year is no different. Community residents as well as devotees from nearby cities like Pittsburgh and Columbus will gather for this special, intimate festival, beginning with a Bhagavatam class on Srila Prabhupada’s contributions and teachings at 8:00am.

At 10:30am, there will be bhajans, remembrances and homages to Srila Prabhupada by his disciples and grand disciples; and at 1:00pm, pushpanjali, guru puja and kirtan in Radha-Vrindabanchandra’s temple room.

Advaita and others in the ‘pits’ cooking feast.

Then, at 1:30pm, a sumptuous feast offered to Srila Prabhupada will be served. It will be prepared amongst others by Advaita, who put all the love in his heart into cooking something special for Prabhupada on that momentous day back in 1977, and will do the same on November 15^th this year. He’ll be joined by many of the friends he cooked with at Srila Prabhupada’s Appearance and Disappearance Day festivals over the years at New Vrindaban, including his wife Madri, Sudhanu and his wife Lajjavati, Tejoymaya Das, and perhaps Kuladri and his wife Kutila too.

 “It’s always the best feast of the year,” says festival organizer Vrindavana Das. “They’re so delectable, absolutely mouth-watering. I can never forget those feasts!”

From 6 to 8:30 in the evening, the Brijabasis will gather at Srila Prabhupada’s Palace, just as they did back on that transformational night in 1977.

“The Palace is Srila Prabhupada’s home, and everyone feels so connected with him there,” says Vrindavana. “So the memories shared there are especially sweet and moving. You can really feel Prabhupada’s greatness through the stories about how he was able to relate to each devotee differently based on their mood and relationship with him. For younger devotees like myself, who didn’t have personal association with Srila Prabhupada, it’s really inspiring to hear how he encouraged and motivated his disciples in devotional service.”

And ultimately, that care is the essence that senior devotees like Advaita would like to see carried over from earlier festivals to today’s celebrations of Prabhupada’s appearance and disappearance.

“That’s what the devotees celebrated in Prabhupada – we all knew that he cared about us,” Advaita says, and the emotion comes through in his voice. “We were wretched creatures, but Prabhupada opened his arms to us. And that’s what made us love Prabhupada.”

“So we need to show real love, real appreciation, real care for the devotees, like Prabhupada showed to us,” he concludes. “And that’s what will revive the community spirit that made those early festivals so special.”

Srila Prabhupada’s Murti at the Palace of Gold.

By Madhava Smullen

“It was devastating,” says Advaita Das, bowing his head. 

Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day is coming up on November 15^th in New Vrindaban. And Advaita, who has been a resident since the early 1970s, is reliving the day in 1977 when he and the other devotees at Prabhupada’s first farm community heard the news of his passing.

“We had had a couple of false alarms, and we thought it was all going to be okay. We weren’t going to lose Prabhupada. Then the news hit, and it was like coming out of the fourth round pumped and ready to go, and taking a right cross to the head.”

Advaita recalls snow falling softly outside as the devotees chanted Je Anilo Prema Dhana, everyone sobbing openly as they sang. Even as they mourned, however, they planned a celebration of chanting, dancing, and feasting; for a pure devotee’s passing on to be with Krishna eternally is also a cause for rejoicing.

“I remember walking down to the outdoor kitchens we called ‘the pits’ to cook with everybody,” Advaita says. “We were heartbroken, yet simultaneously kind of ecstatic. It was such a mix of emotions.”

Devotees fasted all that day, and in the evening spoke their remembrances of Srila Prabhupada at his Palace, which, at that time, they were still building as a home for him. They had spent the day beautifully decorating his Vyasasana in fall colors, and his picture smiled out from it – the same place where his murti now sits. After offering him a huge feast and honoring the prasadam, they then chanted kirtan throughout the night. 

Varshana Swami sharing about Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance.

Varshana Swami, another longtime resident, had an experience similar to Advaita’s.

“It was dark outside — there were no lights installed inside the Palace at that time,” he says. “And it was the darkest night for us. We were all crying and faltering, and the devotees were literally holding one another up. We felt so weak. How could we go on without Srila Prabhupada?”

As they chanted together throughout the night, their mood of separation intensified beyond anything they had ever experienced before. Devotees were ready to give up their lives for Prabhupada. And then, suddenly, at around three in the morning, the mood shifted.

“We were borne aloft on a tide of perennial joy,” says Varshana Swami. “The devotees could not contain their ecstasy as they danced in jubilation throughout the night. We talked to each other, and the experience had been unanimous: we had never felt so close to Srila Prabhupada before.”

This, according to Varshana Swami, was Srila Prabhupada’s final lesson: that the deepest sacrament of the Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta is service in separation – a relationship which never ends.

Ever since, devotees at New Vrindaban have been observing Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance day in a similar way – with chanting, remembering, and feasting – and trying to develop that relationship in a deeper and deeper way.

This year is no different. Community residents as well as devotees from nearby cities like Pittsburgh and Columbus will gather for this special, intimate festival, beginning with a Bhagavatam class on Srila Prabhupada’s contributions and teachings at 8:00am.

At 10:30am, there will be bhajans, remembrances and homages to Srila Prabhupada by his disciples and grand disciples; and at 1:00pm, pushpanjali, guru puja and kirtan in Radha-Vrindabanchandra’s temple room.

Advaita and others in the ‘pits’ cooking feast.

Then, at 1:30pm, a sumptuous feast offered to Srila Prabhupada will be served. It will be prepared amongst others by Advaita, who put all the love in his heart into cooking something special for Prabhupada on that momentous day back in 1977, and will do the same on November 15^th this year. He’ll be joined by many of the friends he cooked with at Srila Prabhupada’s Appearance and Disappearance Day festivals over the years at New Vrindaban, including his wife Madri, Sudhanu and his wife Lajjavati, Tejoymaya Das, and perhaps Kuladri and his wife Kutila too.

 “It’s always the best feast of the year,” says festival organizer Vrindavana Das. “They’re so delectable, absolutely mouth-watering. I can never forget those feasts!”

From 6 to 8:30 in the evening, the Brijabasis will gather at Srila Prabhupada’s Palace, just as they did back on that transformational night in 1977.

“The Palace is Srila Prabhupada’s home, and everyone feels so connected with him there,” says Vrindavana. “So the memories shared there are especially sweet and moving. You can really feel Prabhupada’s greatness through the stories about how he was able to relate to each devotee differently based on their mood and relationship with him. For younger devotees like myself, who didn’t have personal association with Srila Prabhupada, it’s really inspiring to hear how he encouraged and motivated his disciples in devotional service.”

And ultimately, that care is the essence that senior devotees like Advaita would like to see carried over from earlier festivals to today’s celebrations of Prabhupada’s appearance and disappearance.

“That’s what the devotees celebrated in Prabhupada – we all knew that he cared about us,” Advaita says, and the emotion comes through in his voice. “We were wretched creatures, but Prabhupada opened his arms to us. And that’s what made us love Prabhupada.”

“So we need to show real love, real appreciation, real care for the devotees, like Prabhupada showed to us,” he concludes. “And that’s what will revive the community spirit that made those early festivals so special.”

By Madhava Smullen

It’s not something you see every day.

A group of young girls and boys are huddled in the middle of the temple hall, some shocked and some cheering. They’re looking unbelievingly at the particularly effulgent boy at their center as he lifts an impossibly heavy burden.

The young boys and girls might be made of cardboard, but their emotion and the divine pastime they’re portraying shines through as if it’s really there. The hill Lord Krishna’s lifting, fashioned out of cloth by artist Laksmana Dasi, looks like it weighs a ton. And above it, hanging high above the the temple hall, the demigod Indra grips a dark cloud and peers over the edge as shimmering icicle lights make it look as if it’s really raining through flashes of lightning.

It must be Govardhana Puja at New Vrindaban.

Coming up on Thursday November 12^th this year, the festival will see residents and visiting devotees absorb the Vrindavana atmosphere the makeshift hill creates during the morning program. They’ll also be invited to bring their own home Govardhana Silas to worship on the temple altar for the day. Then, around noon, they’ll head out for parikrama of the real life-sized Govardhana Hill outside.

“I am hopeful that our New Vrindaban will be an exact replica of Vrindaban in India,” Srila Prabhupada wrote to his early disciples, adding, “The hills may be renamed as New Govardhana. And if there are lakes, they can be renamed as Syamakunda and Radhakunda.” He later referred to New Vrindaban as “non-different from Vrindavana.”

The devotees attending Govardhana puja this year will get that experience as they begin the hour-and-a-half-long tour by viewing three new dioramas also created by Laksmana, now kept in the temple room but set to be placed on the Parikrama path. They show Uddhava speaking to Lord Krishna’s queens at Kusum Sarovara; Gopalnathji telling Madhavendra Puri in a dream to excavate Him from Govardhana Hill; and the Lord helping Srimati Radharani down from a tree.

Outside in the cool autumn air, the devotees will hear about Lord Krishna’s boat pastimes with the gopis while looking over the mirror-like waters of New Vrindaban’s Kusum Sarovara, where the community’s famous swan boat festivals are held.

Next they’ll hear about Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda’s pastimes as they gaze up at Their 40-foot-tall sculptures. They’ll see and hear the glories of Manasi Ganga; Lalita Kunda, where the aptly named Lalita Gopi Dasi has constructed a beautiful waterfall; and Gopisvara Mahadeva. And they’ll hear how Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda were created in transcendental competition by the Lord and Srimati Radharani Themselves.

“When they sprinkle the water from the lakes on their heads, many devotees and pilgrims actually have tears in their eyes, because they’re so happy to be in this holiest of places,” says festival organizer and tour guide Gauranataraj Das.  

The tour will end with kirtan and a class on the pastimes of Govardhana Hill at Aniyor, where the personification of Govardhana is said to have eaten all the offerings of the Brijabasis and called out, “Aniyor! Aniyor!” (“Bring more!”)

After lunch, the devotees will visit the goshala, where they will decorate Krishna’s beloved cows with maha garlands from the altar. Meanwhile, the children of Gopal’s Garden school will dip their hands in colored dyes and cover the cows with multicolored handprints.

“It’s very fitting to honor mother cow on this day, as Govardhana means ‘where cows find shelter and protection,’” says Gauranataraj. 

 After 6pm arati, an offering of sumptuous food will be made to the Lord in the shape of Govardhana, with rice, dahl, puris, pakoras, sweet rice, ladhus, rasgulas, sandesh, and burfis all marked with signs and built to represent various holy places on the hill.

“And then there’s the most joyful, big, dancing kirtan around Govardhana Hill,” says ISKCON New Vrindaban president Jaya Krsna Das.

After everyone has finished jumping, spinning, running, laughing and calling out the Holy Name, they’ll sit down to honor a delicious feast, that will surely have everyone crying out, “Aniyor! Aniyor!”

But that’s not all. The festivities will continue on Saturday November 14^th, with an extended Govardhana Puja/Diwali event for pilgrims who can’t make it during the week.

As well as all the same activities as on the 12^th, this festival will include a special Diwali fire sacrifice to invoke auspiciousness, dramatic retellings of Krishna’s pastimes by award-winning storyteller Sankirtan Das, and the lighting of one thousand lamps for Diwali.

“We put the lamps on plates, which the pilgrims decorate with elaborate rangoli designs,” says Gaurantaraj. “Then we offer the one thousand lamps, and place them all around Srila Prabhupada and in front of Their Lordships. They create such a serene atmosphere and beautiful spectacle.”

Finally, the day ends with a sparkling firework display in the night sky.

“This festival reminds us that we also have Govardhana here at New Vrindaban, and that Govardhana is Krishna Himself,” says Jaya Krsna. “It’s a such a special, joyful, devotional event.”

By Madhava Smullen

Nitaicandra Das has always sought the simple life. It was while living in the forests of Trinidad, remarkably enough, that he received a copy of Srila Prabhupada’s “Science of Self-Realization.”

“Living off the forest wasn’t working out for me,” he says. “And once I read Prabhupada’s book I realized, ‘This is it, it’s all here – this society can fulfill my need to live simply.’”As an ISKCON devotee, Nitaicandra has been growing organic vegetables for around twenty years, including previous stints at New Vrindaban in 1993 and 1999.

For the past four years, he and his wife Sri Tulasi Manjari were caretakers at the ISKCON Escondido farm in California, supplying the San Diego and Laguna Beach temples with flowers, protected cow milk, and thirty different varieties of vegetables.

“At peak time in the summer,” he says, “We were providing the two temples with about 300 pounds of vegetables, 2,000 flowers – mostly marigolds – and 42 gallons of milk per week.”

From his construction and remodeling business, Nitaicandra also feels that he brings a knack for problem-solving – and a lot of experience working with different types of people – to his new role as ECO-Vrindaban’s ox training and local agriculture manager in New Vrindaban.

But perhaps most importantly, he brings a real love for Srila Prabhupada’s first farm project. He’s pumped about the exciting new energy flowing through the community, and glad to get the opportunity to serve in New Vrindaban once again. It is, after all, home to his guru Varsana Swami, who initiated both him and his wife on Nityananda’s Appearance Day in 2014.

Nitaicandra has moved on his own for now, while Sri Tulasi Manjari – who is an advisor to the board of Eco-Vrindaban – stays in California to see their daughter Syama Sundari through her last year of high school and off to college, like her older sister Gaurangi. After that, Sri Tulasi and their fourteen-year-old son Sri Gopa Vallabha (aka Gopa) will move to New Vrindaban next summer.

Meanwhile Nitaicandra – always the hands-on type – started his new service during the second week of September, and is already out working with the ECO-V crew who have been training the oxen.

“It’s a long process,” he says. “It takes a few years to get them into the fields and working.”

He also hopes to collaborate on developing a menu more suited to local and seasonal crops, although he says that this will take some time as it will require a gradual cultural shift.

In the long term, the goal is to provide ISKCON New Vrindaban’s presiding Deities and residents with most of their fresh vegetables throughout the growing season, and to preserve enough by canning, freezing and drying to meet much of their needs during the winter too.

Finally, Nitaicandra will also be overseeing the flower gardens, which are providing more and more of the flowers used to decorate the Deities during the growing seasons.

He is excited about everything that’s ahead of him.

“When I hear about what the pioneer devotees did here, how pleased Srila Prabhupada was with this project, and how much he loves New Vrindaban – that’s what gives me enthusiasm,” he says. “So I’m just really happy to have this opportunity, and I hope that others will also be inspired to come to New Vrindaban, live simply, help with growing our own food and make a go at it.”

Then there’s the local agriculture, which he sees as interconnected and working cohesively with the ox program. Food production, of course, is interdependent with the ISKCON New Vrindaban Deity, devotee, and restaurant kitchens, whose staff Nitaicandra hopes to develop and maintain a close relationship with.

“I’ll be working with them to find out what they need, and will try to supplement the produce they’re using,” he says.  

He also hopes to collaborate on developing a menu more suited to local and seasonal crops, although he says that this will take some time as it will require a gradual cultural shift.

In the long term, the goal is to provide ISKCON New Vrindaban’s presiding Deities and residents with most of their fresh vegetables throughout the growing season, and to preserve enough by canning, freezing and drying to meet much of their needs during the winter too.

Finally, Nitaicandra will also be overseeing the flower gardens, which are providing more and more of the flowers used to decorate the Deities during the growing seasons.

He is excited about everything that’s ahead of him.

“When I hear about what the pioneer devotees did here, how pleased Srila Prabhupada was with this project, and how much he loves New Vrindaban – that’s what gives me enthusiasm,” he says. “So I’m just really happy to have this opportunity, and I hope that others will also be inspired to come to New Vrindaban, live simply, help with growing our own food and make a go at it.”

By Madhava Smullen

New Vrindaban’s autumn 24 Hour Kirtan – held during the sacred month of Kartik — is rapidly catching up to its summer cousin in popularity. Up from 100 attendees in 2011, this year’s festival is expected to attract over 400, looking for the authentic Vrindavan Kartik experience without having to travel seven-and-a-half thousand miles.

“Many devotees go to the original Vrindavan in India for Kartik,” says organizer Vrindavan Das. “But they can also get the same experience and benefit in New Vrindaban – as Srila Prabhupada often said, ‘New Vrindaban is non-different from Vrindavan.’”

ISKCON devotees will arrive from Toronto, Montreal, New York, Baltimore, Washington D.C. , Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Chicago and beyond. They’ll be joined by several student groups from local schools like West Virginia University and Cincinnati State Community College, eager to see what the increasingly popular practice of kirtan is all about.

A special inauguration kirtan will set the tone on Friday October 30^th from 6pm to 9pm at Prabhupada’s Palace, where devotees will seek the ISKCON Founder-Acharya’s blessings.

At 9:30 the next morning, everyone will gather outside Radha-Vrindabanchandra’s temple for a tour of Vrindavan’s holy places: Kusum Sarovara, Manasi Ganga, Radha Kunda, Shyama Kunda, Radha Gopinath Mandir, and Govardhana Hill, which have all revealed themselves at New Vrindaban too. At each spot, senior devotees will tell stories of the Lord’s pastimes. And of course, no Vrindavan experience can be complete without a visit to Krishna’s cows at His goshala.

Next there’ll be a large Harinama Sankirtana procession to Prabhupada’s Palace, where devotees will see the bongo drum Srila Prabhupada played at the Western world’s first public kirtan in Tompkins Square Park, New York. They’ll then escort the drum to Radha Vrindabanchandra’s temple, where the 24 Hour Kirtan will officially begin at 10:00am.

A host of renowned kirtaniyas will lead the chanting, switching every hour or half hour, including Ajamila, Amala Kirtan, Amala Harinam, Bhaktimarga Swami, and Karnamrita Dasi – who is originally from New Vrindaban. They’ll be joined by resident kirtaniyas Rupanuga, Gauranga Prasad, Lilasuka, Ananda Vidya and others, as well as a special one-hour kids’ kirtan.

Throughout the day, devotees will offer ghee lamps to a special form of baby Damodar and His mother Yashoda – but the highlights will be the 8:00am and 8:30pm group lamp offerings while the Damodarastakam prayers are chanted. The bonding created by hundreds of devotees offering their glowing golden lamps together in the cosy warmth of the temple room, safe from the chilly autumn weather, encapsulates the sweetness of the Kartik 24 Hour Kirtan.

“There is a transcendental Vrindavan atmosphere,” Vrindavan says. “You can feel that the room is filled with love and devotion for the Lord and his devotees.”

Meanwhile, delicious prasadam breakfast, lunch and evening snack will be served, along with hot tea; and spontaneous sangas with devotees discussing the Lord’s pastimes or reading the “Krsna” book together will pop up throughout the day alongside the kirtan.

The chanting will continue through the night, and finally end at 11 o’clock on Sunday morning.

“It’s a wonderful, transformative experience,” says Vrindavan. “Many people who come to both the summer and Kartik 24 hour kirtans say they prefer the Kartik one, due to the meditative, reflective and connecting atmosphere. Because Kartik is a very auspicious month, during which the merit of devotional practice is increased, the mood is particularly focused. Everyone really gives themselves to the chanting.”

By Madhava Smullen

Since it was introduced in 2012, ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Festival of Colors has dramatically improved public perception of the West Virginia farm community, mended lost relationships with locals and built new ones.

The spiritual rejuvination festival is advertised with thousands of flyers and posters in local shops, restaurants, and universities, billboards in the local towns of Moundsville and Wheeling, social media, and coverage from virtually every local newspaper, TV channel and radio station.

Festival participation has continued to grow each year since its launch, drawing mostly locals from the surrounding tri-state area of West Virgina, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The event has even been renamed “The Ohio-Valley Festival of Colors” to better describe its inclusive approach.

While attendance at this year’s festival on Saturday September 12^th was somewhat lower due to inclement weather, it didn’t stop anyone from having a great time.

“You could say it was the brightest gloomy day you’ve ever seen,” said the reporter for local channel WTOV9.

From noon to 5pm, festivalgoers danced their hearts out to Ananda Groove and Atma’s mantra rock and hip-hop, sang the Hare Krishna mantra (inscribed on banners on either side of the huge stage) at the top of their lungs, and hurled powdered organic colors into the sky every half hour.

They also participated in a yoga class, took tours of Srila Prabhupada’s Palace and its award-winning rose gardens,  purchased many of Prabhupada’s books, browsed clothing stalls and sampled Indian and Western prasadam cuisine.

Plastered with color, everyone’s racial, economic and religious designations fell away, and participants connected with each other as fellow souls. Locals left with broad grins and a great impression of New Vrindaban.

“No politics, just some good food and good music – you can’t beat it,” said one young festivalgoer.

“It’s our first time, and it was absolutely amazing,” another commented. “Everyone just coming together and being nice to everybody. Good vibes everywhere.”

And people get hooked. Many participants, both students and middle-aged men and women with their families, were repeat visitors.

“I spoke to a young couple in the temple room who were contemplating the Deities at length,” says Gopaswami Das, a devotee from France who participated. “They had received one of Prabhupada’s books at last year’s Festival, and this time they asked me many questions about Krishna consciousness. Finally they bought a Bhagavad-gita and a japa mala, and left happily chanting the maha-mantra.”

While many local people have seen New Vrindaban as a place to stay away from since its historical challenges in the 1980s, Festival of Colors is turning things around, according to Jaya Krsna, ISKCON New Vrindaban’s president.

“Whenever we go to town and speak with anybody, and they find out we’re from New Vrindaban, their reaction is so positive,” he says. “ They go, ‘Oh, I was there for Festival of Colors, it was so wonderful, I want to come again!’ Recently I was getting a haircut, and the hairdresser said, ‘Oh, you’re from the Palace of Gold? I haven’t been there for 25 years, but my 13-year-old daughter really wants to go for Festival of Colors, are you still doing it?’ ”

And people don’t just come for Festival of Colors itself. The event has taken down fences and misgivings that were up for years and opened locals up to visiting Sri Sri Radha-Vrindabanchandra’s temple and the ISKCON New Vrindaban grounds throughout the year, too.

“Some locals are now coming for our Sunday Feast,” says Jaya Krsna. “One man visiting from Limestone, just ten minutes’ drive from here, said, ‘I haven’t been to New Vrindaban for 35 years, but I’m so happy that I came back.’

While there, people take a tour of the Palace of Gold and the temple, see the Lord, and enjoy New Vrindaban’s unique grounds with its ponds, flowers, peacocks and swans.

“We also give them the core messages of Krishna consciousness – that there is one God, who simply has different names in different religious movements; that you are the soul, not the body; and that you are an eternal servant of God,” says Jaya Krsna.

Outreach beyond New Vrindaban has also received a marked boost, with locals in nearby towns recognizing resident brahmachari Pranatakaruna Das as ‘one of those Festival of Colors people’ and giving him a more receptive audience for his daily street chanting and book distribution.

ISKCON New Vrindaban devotees are also making other efforts to integrate into and serve the local community, open up their village and make connections and relationships with their neighbors. Communications Director Vrindavan Das, for instance, is Vice President of the Marshall County Convention Bureau, which promotes tourism in the area; and New Vrindaban recently hosted the Bureau’s latest tourism meeting with representatives from all the surrounding counties.

In the meantime, Festival of Colors will continue to be one of New Vrindaban’s greatest opportunities to connect with people in the tri-state area, and, despite this year’s weather, organizers expect it to continue to grow – along with the number of locals it inspires to visit New Vrindaban throughout the rest of the year.

October 24th, 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in Butler, PA USA where he planned to spread Krsna Consciousness all over the western world. In honor of Srila Prabhupada and those who made his mission possible, ISKCON North America is putting on a celebration with special guests Bhakti Marge Swami and Sally Argarwal to bring devotees together and to share memories and Krsna Consciousness. Please come and appreciate this 50th year anniversary with us! Starting 2:30pm with a Harinam around the heart of Butler until 7:00pm, when dinner will be served. Detail are in the picture above.

By Madhava Smullen

Lord Krishna’s eternal consort Srimati Radharani is known as the Queen of Vrindavan. So what better place in the Western World to celebrate Her appearance day, Radhastami, than New Vrindaban?

Described by Srila Prabhupada as “non-different” from Vrindavan in India, New Vrindaban’s Radhastami festival on September 21st 2015 drew many devotees from neighboring states, as well thirty students with their professor from nearby Christian liberal arts school Bethany College.

Favored by devotees for its particularly sweet and loving mood, the festival began with the traditional temple morning program when Sri Sri Radha-Vrindabanchandra were revealed in a stunning new dark blue and silver bespoke outfit made in Vrindavan, India.

With Radha carrying an umbrella of marigolds from New Vrindaban’s gardens, Krishna leaning on a staff entwined with flowers, and both Their heads decorated with heart-shaped flower halos, Their Lordships were breathtaking to behold. And, of course, Srimati Radharani’s lotus feet were visible throughout the day, the only day in the year when She bestows this boon upon devotees.

Visiting for three days, Hridayananda Das Goswami brought his scholarly outlook to several classes explaining Radharani’s position as the feminine aspect of God, and Her qualities of compassion and devotion. He also shared memories of Srila Prabhupada’s 1972 visit to New Vrindaban during an evening program at Nityodita Das and Radha Dasi’s home.

At noon, devotees immersed themselves in the Vrindavan mood, gathering in the under-construction Radha Gopinath temple on New Vrindaban’s Govardhan Hill to sing kirtan before the small yet incredibly sweet presiding Deities.

As in the transcendental village She reigns over, many residents of New Vrindaban offered Srimati Radharani dishes they had made with love in their own homes, such as laddhus, baklava, and fruit salad. The preparations included a strawberry-almond cake baked by Lakshman Isvara Das in the shape of a lotus with twelve petals representing the twelve forests of Vraj.

While Radha enjoyed Her offerings, longtime resident Varsana Swami gave a class full of entrancing stories and revelations about Her pastimes with Krishna, including one wherein She beat the Lord in a wrestling match and pinned Him down until He conceded, “I surrender!”

As it was a beautiful day, all the devotees then sat outside on the grass of Govardhana Hill around the glittering waters of New Vrindaban’s Radha-Kunda, Shyama-Kunda and Lalita-Kund to honor a prasadam lunch prepared by the appropriately-named Radha Dasi. A bull was brought up by the resident cowherds and the recently completed ornate “moon tower,” where Radha and Krishna are said to go to survey Their subjects and property, added to the Vrindavan atmosphere.

Meanwhile back at Radha-Vrindabanchandra’s temple, two visiting sisters from Mexico, Hladini and Aindayi, were married to their respective husbands Nimai Pandit and Jacob with a fire yajna and a talk on love and marriage in Krishna consciousness by Hridayananda Goswami. With its beautiful natural surroundings and spiritual vibrations, New Vrindaban has become a popular wedding destination among devotees.

The evening featured an abhisekh bathing ceremony for the small Deities of Radha Vrindavan-nath, along with a New Vrindaban Radhastami special, in which each devotee gets to receive Srimati Radharani’s mercy by submitting their own individual offering to Her.

“Everyone was given the chance to offer Her a stick of incense, a ghee lamp, and a flower,” says ISKCON New Vrindaban president Jaya Krsna Das. “They then each wrote a special vow or prayer to Srimati Radharani, which were all collected and offered in a basket at Her lotus feet. Finally everyone got to take a balloon with a heart-shaped label at the end of its string, each marked with a different one of Radharani’s 1008 names, and place it on the altar.”

The festival also included ecstatic kirtans led by Shyamala Kishori from North Carolina and Shyamasundar Das from Pittsburgh.

It concluded with a multi-course feast cooked by Sundari Dasi featuring a coconut-sauce subji with Arvi, a potato-like vegetable from India that is said to be Radharani’s favorite. There was also an oatmeal-oregano bread; a baked dish called Handvo; paneer subji; pina colada ice cream, and another jaw-dropping cake from Lakshman Iswara in the shape of the steamship Jaladuta, in honor of the recent 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the U.S.

“Radhastami at New Vrindaban is so mellow and pleasing to the heart – hearing Radha’s pastimes and having an opportunity to make our own offerings to Her fills us with oceans of love,” says resident Autumn. “And where else in world – besides Vrindavan, India – can one spend Radhastami on the banks of Radha-Kunda?”