Planet ISKCON

[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Melbourne, Australia]

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[Congregation program at Melbourne, Australia]

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Preaching program in Szombathely, Hungary (Album of photos)
Last night Sivarama Swami gave a presentation on Compassionate Liv...

Avanti House explores Faith Ethos.
Teachers and staff from the Avanti House Secondary School in Stanmore came to the Manor for a special presentation by Navin Krishna das (Nitesh Gor). Nitesh who is the Founder and Chief Executive, Avanti Schools Trust, explained “The purpose was to explore the faith ethos of Avanti schools.” All the attendees then received first class hospitality provided by the Visitors and Tours team and kitchen crew. ISKCON is the faith affiliate for the Avanti Schools.

Transcendental Art in ISKCON.
With the help of Bhaktivedanta Manor, in a new academic documentary Professor Gwilym Beckerlegge explores the importance of sacred books and ‘transcendental art’ in the life of ISKCON. The film is now part of the teaching materials of ‘Exploring Religion’ - the Open University’s latest introductory course in the study of religions. The film and the associated book are linked to the part of the course that examines religious texts, including oral traditions and art as well as sacred books. Professor Gwilym Beckerlegge is a member of the Department of Religious Studies at The Open University whose work centres on the study of contemporary Hindu movements.

We invite all of the devotees to come and take part in this years’ Jhulan Yatra festival. Adhivas will be held on Radha Madhava’s altar after Sandhya Arati, on Tuesday 21st August; then 22nd to 26th August is the festival at Jhulan Gardens [Srila Prabhupada Ashram, next to Goshalla]. The Deity Procession will leave the […]

The post Jhulan Yatra Festival 2018 Invitation appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Pol’and’Rock - 2nd Day (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: As hundreds of thousands of people flooded the Pol’and’Rock Festival, Krsna’s Village of Peace went into action. From Ratha Yatra down the main avenue, to prasadam distribution and continuous kirtan in our Mantra Yoga tent, the sincere efforts of over 700 devotees caused a tidal wave of mercy.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/qJ3yG6

Why are sports so popular? According to Vaishnava teachings, everything here, including the sporting propensity, is an imperfect or distorted reflection of the original, blissful activities of all-attractive Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately, although in this material realm sports may be attractive, their charm is illusory. We can’t enjoy the Real Thing here. At best we can try to squeeze pleasure out of a perverted representation, like a mirage in the desert. When it comes to genuine, pure fun or sport, Lord Krishna is the unrivaled champion, the unabashed connoisseur, as we see in Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.18.19: “Krishna, who knows all sports and games, then called together the cowherd boys and spoke as follows: 'Hey cowherd boys! Let's play now! We'll divide ourselves into two even teams.'" Continue reading "Sri Krishna and the Original Sporting Propensity
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"Both the Vaishnava theists and the materialists each present their own set of amazing stories. The choice is . . . which set of amazing stories to believe." It is the grand conceit of the materialistic worldview that “man is the measure of all things.” When we dig a little deeper, we find that this premise is based on a profoundly arrogant presumption, namely, that all reality can ultimately be subordinated to our sense perception and intellect. Continue reading "In Defense of the Vedic View
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Is Krishna consciousness polytheistic? A discussion of panchopasana provides a clear answer that also helps us understand all religions. At first blush, Vaishnavism may seem polytheistic, given the various gods associated with the Vedic pantheon. But if we look slightly beneath the surface, we see there is more to this so-called polytheism than meets the eye. The concept of monotheism – that there is only one God – tends to be associated with the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), but it is found elsewhere as well. So the first point to be acknowledged is that monotheism is more pervasive than is commonly understood. Continue reading "Many Gods or One? Five Prominent Deities and Their Universal Meaning
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Answer Podcast

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Lokanatha Goswami was the eldest of the Goswamis living in Vraja-bhumi. He shunned name and fame so much that he asked Krishna Dasa Kaviraja to keep his name out of Caitanya-Caritamrita.

“Anyone who reads the Srimad Bhagavatam,” said Lokanatha Goswami, “he is my friend.”

Once Krsna Himself appeared and gave Lokanatha a Deity of Radha-Vinoda. Lokanatha Goswami carried his Deity all over Vraja in a cloth bag hung around his neck.

Lokanatha Goswami accepted Narottama Dasa for initiation as his only disciple. He appreciated his genuine humility and determination to serve. Every night for one year Narottama Dasa secretly served his guru by carefully cleaning the field where Lokanatha Goswami passed stool.

Lokanatha Goswami’s original Deities of Radha-Vinoda are now worshiped in Jaipur, Rajasthan. A prati-bhu murti (expanded form of the original Deity) of Radha-Vinoda adorns the altar at the Radha-Gokulananda temple in Vrindavan. The samadhi of Lokanatha Goswami is the largest one in the temple courtyard. 

He serves Srimati Radharani as Manjuali-manjari in nitya Vrindavan lila.

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[Seminar at Bhakti Lounge, Wellington, New Zealand]

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[Seminar at Bhakti Lounge, Wellington, New Zealand]

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[Seminar at Bhakti Lounge, Wellington, New Zealand]

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The post 3 principles for spiritual community building – Session 1 – Authenticity appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Seminar at Community Hall, Melbourne, Australia]

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The post From ritual to spiritual 2 – Analysis of Krishna’s pastime with the ritualistic brahmanas – Understanding the brahmans appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Rathayatra in Vladivostok (Album of photos)
Vladivostok is a major Pacific port city in Russia overlooking Golden Horn Bay, ne...

Welcome to the Conch Aug 2018 Issue.
The monthly newsletter for the community of ISKCON New Govardhana (Krishna Farm)
Table of Contents: Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Lord Balarama Appears
Historic Building Breathes New Life
52 Years and Counting!
Krishna Pad News
Northern Adventures
Maha Jewellery by Manjula
In Focus: Krpalu Krsna Balarama Dasa
Magic in Krishna’s Gardens
The Lord’s Plan
Ratha-Yatra Snapshot
Read it online here: https://conch.org.au/conch_2018_08_aug/

“I’m here to make a sacrifice”
Question: You gave an example of Vyasadeva, who compiled the Vedic literatures and Narada Muni said it was all useless because it didn’t have a connection to the Supreme Lord, so is there any use of propagating Ayurveda, Yoga and things like that, to attract people or better we should represent pure devotional service?
His Holiness Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami: We should always represent pure devotional service. There’s no question about that. We’re not here to teach people how to make money. We’re not here just to teach people how to be healthy. We’re not here to teach people how to become fertile and have more children. We’re here to teach people how to become devotees of Krishna.
You see, but there are some aspects of Vedic culture which people do find attractive. So therefore will show those to people in order to attract them.
It’s just like in Gita Krishna tells Arjuna, He says “In the beginning of the creation I sent forth the generations of demigods and sacrifices to be performed.
He said “Be thou happy by the performance of sacrifice”
But this is not necessarily what Krishna wants us to do that we would perform Vedic sacrifice. Ultimately what does Krishna wants us to do? Can anyone remember the verse from the Bhagavad-Gita that will read last night?
Krishna wants full surrender, exactly.
Krishna doesn’t want that we just do some yajna so that we could go to material heaven. Krishna wants full surrender, so that we can come into a relationship with him.
Like we see the examples of Krishna’s great devotees. We see the standard of sacrifice they are willing to perform. The sacrifices that they perform that’s illuminated in the shastra. So we should understand that a high level of sacrifice is required if we wish to enter into a relationship with God.
Like the sacrifice of the happiness of family or material society, or material friends, or material wealth and all those different things. So a very high level of sacrifice is required.
But still Krishna says then you should do some yajna and by the performance of the yajna you will be happy. What is the psychology attached to that? That if you perform yajna you will associate with the learned people or Brahmans. And even though you are performing some ritual - the Brahmans will give you a higher instruction.
So we can give some instruction in yoga, we can teach people about ayurveda, because it is the natural way by which people can heal themselves, but we will always try to get people to chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, taking Srila Prabhupada’s books.
See we have to remain focused on that, otherwise it just becomes mundane. Unless we are focused on preaching and giving Krishna Consciousness - it becomes mundane. And then we see that we become materialistic, devotees just become progressively more and more materialistic and they forget the process that “I’m here to make a sacrifice”.
Anything we can use in Krishna’s service, but we will use these things to attract people and engage people in the Lord’s pure devotional service.

Chant and be Still!
Ananda Vrindavaneswari: There is a great connection between stillness and listening. “Don’t move” we say when we hear some noise around the house in the middle of the night. In yoga we hold the body still in order to hear the breath. We will hold the shoulders of our child while we tell her something important.

In the tradition of mantra meditation, the repetition of a sacred sound, how we listen, how we hear the mantra is the difference between a successful practice or not. Although in the Krishna Bhakti practice there are no hard and fast rules for chanting, and we are encouraged to chant in whatever way works best for us, being still while we do our daily japa meditation is very helpful for the practitioner wishing to advance.

When I sit down to do my mantra meditation I make a commitment not to move for 15 mins (that’s about 2 rounds on the japa beads). It’s important to make sure we are comfortable and the lower back is supported. Then I begin the meditation. Holding the body still immediately helps my mind to settle down. I move quickly to a clear sense of separation from the outer world to the inner world. I have arrived at an important place and time and the holding still invites me to be present.

Besides the small movements of the beads through my fingers, and the audible chanting, all else is quiet and my focus is on hearing the mantra and hearing it again and again. With a still body, my mind is easier to control, easier to bring back to the mantra with better focus and feelings. After 2 rounds I adjust my sitting position and set it again for another 15 minutes.

Be warned! When we hold the body still, it talks to us. We are more conscious of it than usual and it will twitch and itch and pain. But it’s a powerful experience to ignore all that and lean into the sound of the mantra.

At the end of the day it’s important to be careful about our practice so that it does the work it’s meant to do - remind us of who we are beyond our body and awaken pure love. Deep listening to the maha-mantra has a lot to tell us. Stillness can help us hear the message better.

Pol'and’ Rock 2018 - First Day (10 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: n this video we see the buildup to this year’s Poland’and’Rock festival, formally known as Polish Woodstock. Krsna’s Village of Peace plays an important part of the event. The sheer numbers of people who come to our village attests to that! We plan to distribute 150,000 full plates of prasadam in 72 hours!

Maha-Harinama with HH Sacinandana Swami and Pandava Sena - Stockholm 4 Aug 2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: A person w...

Krishna calls just another soul back to Him!
Shastrakrit Das: All you kind hearted Mahatmas out there please listen to this nectar: His name is Omkar, hardly 10 years old. He approached my book table and told me that recently he finished reading The Bhagavad Gita as it is cover to cover in two weeks. I asked him what is his conclusion after reading the Gita. He said that “Krishna is simply awesome”, I asked him where he got the Gita from? He reminded me that I gifted him the book couple of months ago. I asked him what book he wants to read next from the collection? He spontaneously picked up the Krishna book and gave $5. The funny part of the exchange is that when I asked his mother to bring him to our ashram sometimes, she thought I’m asking her to let him join the ashram and she said “ I’m sorry he is my only child, I can’t do that “

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcribed by: Suresh Gupta

Question: How can we change the chain of thoughts in our mind?

Answer: We can change the chain of thoughts in our mind. There are three broad ways in which it can be done. They are as follows:

1. Force ourselves to focus on the physical reality. For example, if we are driving while being lost in our own thoughts, and suddenly we see another car charging towards us, we are forced to come back to the physical reality and then navigate our way around. If there is something that demands our attention at the physical level of reality, then we quickly snap out of our thoughts. In some ways, deep breathing helps. Taking deep breaths and becoming conscious of our breaths bring us to the physical level, thereby breaking the chain of thoughts. Some people also go for a walk or a jog.

2. Analysis at the level of the thoughts itself, is another way. If an undesirable thought comes, then we try to change that thought. However, that is only possible if we have something more attractive to direct our thought to. Suppose we are worried or angry about something. For us to change such thought, we need something which is more attractive to us. If somebody is watching a movie, then they need to see something else which is more attractive than the movie to give up watching movie. Therefore, developing healthy mental habits help us change our thoughts. Healthy not just in terms of being beneficial but in the sense that we become attached to it.

3. The third level is the spiritual level. At a spiritual level, if we become aware that we are different from these thoughts and that we are the inner seer, that helps. In general, thoughts are like pop-up windows. If we don’t click on those windows, they will stay for some time and then they disappear. Another example is that sometimes kids make some strange faces to catch attention. If nobody pays attention to them, they will make more and more faces, but after some time when they see that nobody is paying attention, then they eventually just stop. In the same way, if we can understand we are different from these thoughts and then we neglect them by situating ourselves at the spiritual level, then that will free us from the chain of thoughts we get caught up in.

Overall, the physical level is the easiest method, but it is not always effective. We may try to take deep breaths a few times but then soon after we may again find ourselves caught in our thoughts. Therefore, the most effective method is at the spiritual level itself. However, cultivating that takes time. The more we gain knowledge and become spiritually situated, we can recognise our thoughts and have the strength to neglect them.

End of transcription.

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NEW VRINDABAN DAYS

As New Vrindaban enters its 50th anniversary (1968 to 2018), I wrote this series of articles for the Brijabasi Spirit in an attempt to give the reader not only an “understanding,” but more importantly a “taste,” of what life in early New Vrindaban was like – through the stories of one devotee’s personal journey.

The title of the series, “New Vrindaban Days,” is in tribute to the wonderful book “Vrindaban Days: Memories of an Indian Holy Town” written by Howard Wheeler, Hayagriva Das. He was one of Srila Prabhupada’s first disciples, a co-founder of New Vrindaban, and, a great writer. As with Hayagriva’s book, this series focuses on a period of time in the 1970’s.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank Chaitanya Mangala Dasa, for spending untold hours assisting me in refining my writing for your reading pleasure.

I have been asked to describe certain aspects of early New Vrindaban Community life such as the nature of the austerities, what it was like for a new person coming here, cooking, anecdotes about particular devotees, etc.

I attempt to tell these stories in some semblance of a chronological order, beginning with my first meeting with devotees in 1968, leading to my arrival in New Vrindaban in late 1973 and carrying through to the official opening of Srila Prabhupada’s Palace in 1979.

In this particular article I do not tell a story but rather try to give a “stream of consciousness” breakdown of “the landscape” of New Vrindaban Community when I arrived to stay on January 17, 1974. I also suggest a list of the devotees that were in New Vrindaban, when I arrived. I apologize for any of those devotees whose names I have forgotten or gotten wrong.

Please know I firmly believe without all these wonderful devotees there would be no “New Vrindaban Days” for any of us.

Advaitacharya Dasa

CHAPTER FIVE: THE NEW VRINDABAN LANDSCAPE – JANUARY 1974

The Bahulaban Farmhouse, early 1970s.

BAHULABAN:

Main Deities: Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra

Location: State Road – McCreary’s Ridge

Temple Building: 100 Year old farm house purchased from the Coffield Family circa 1971.

Ground Floor: Temple Room (a recent extension to the original farmhouse), Prasadam Room, Pujari Room, Tulasi Greenhouse (plexiglass build on to the side of the farmhouse), a primitive hand drawn “water well” with a black rubber bucket hanging on a rope. The well is partially covered with a concrete slab that contains a child’s handprint under which is the name “JUDY.” This was made by the daughter of Floyd Coffield, the person Bahulaban was purchased from. In 1973 Judy Coffield was likely in her twenties.

Second Floor: 3 Supply Rooms

Third Fl. Attic: Brahmacarini living quarters

Original Coffield Barn: Fifty yards south directly across the patio from the temple – approximately 20 milking cows.

Swami’s Cabin: Kirtanananda Swami’s living quarters and “office” of the project, located just east, about twenty yards above the temple farmhouse, on the hillside.

Utility Buildings: Deity Kitchen (15 ft. block building), Incense Warehouse (15 ft. block building), Women’s Bathhouse (12 ft. block building), Corn Crib, Wood shed, Outhouse, Hilltop Pavilion (scene of Prabhupada’s Bhagavat Dharma Discourses – 1972),

Householder Heights: 2 wood buildings with small rooms for householder couples located 100 yards up the hill above the Swami’s cabin and the incense warehouse (1 building has 6 “apartments,” the other has 2).

Bahulaban Residents:

Community President and GBC: Kirtanananda Swami.

Couples: Amburish and Vijaya, Kuladri and Kutila, Sudhanu and Lajjavati, Paramananda and Satyabhama, Adi Pati and Pracidevi, Vahna and Visvadhika, Daivata and Parayana, Gadadhara and Sarvesvari, Dulal Candra and Tarkik, Dharmatma and Lakhima, Yudisthira and Kamalavati, Yadunandana and Taruni, Bhidhan Candra and Ugrasena, Kirtiraja and Haripuja, Carney Ed and Bhaktin Lynn, Bhagavatananda and Yamini, Gajendra and Sucitra, Radha Kanta and Madhuryalilananda, Hayagriva and Shyama Dasi, Syamakunda and Girindra, Samba and Nandini Gokula, etc.

Brahmacharinis: Mahara, Rupa Ramesvari, Gunya Rupini, Isani, Kunjari, Kunti, Vajasana, Vajresvari, Mankumari, Vidya, Gomata, Radhabhavani, Carani, Hladini, Sudakari, Krsnamayi, Sukalina, Bhaktinidhi, etc.

Bahulaban is the hub of the New Vrindaban village. Everything is directed from the Swami’s cabin which sits on the hillside just above the temple building in the center of the patio. Every day after the morning program men gather in the cabin to figure out what projects will get priority that day.

Kuladri is regarded by most as the “Temple President” but he is in Los Angeles learning to paint. At one point Radha Kanta is serving as the President in his absence. For a little bit it is Vipina Purandara. They may act as the temporary presidents but it is Kuladri’s wife, Kutila, who is everywhere and involved in all things. She is the personification of the surrender of the devotees of New Vrindaban. Although she has just had her first child she is back working in the Deity kitchen with her baby girl Pritha on her back the very next day. All the women look to her, and all the men admire and respect her.

Kutila dasi, an inspiration to the New Vrindaban pioneers.

There are very few young children, so there is no formal school at this time (some had been sent to Dallas). The women in Bahulaban are involved everywhere. The brahmacharis walk down from the Vrindaban farm and work all over Bahulaban during the day. The barn is filled with cows who are milked twice daily by hand. The cooking needs done. The manure needs spread. The horse teams need worked. The firewood needs dragged in.

Girindra Mohini washing laundry by hand.

On the top of the largest hill they have broken ground for one of the Seven Temples: Govindaji. Srila Prabhupada had visited in 1972 and held a series of lectures called the Bhagavat Dharma Discourses in the pavilion on the top of the hill above Bahulaban. Sruti Kurti was in charge of the cooking for that festival and Sudhanu Das from NYC came to assist. Sudhanu was so taken by the place that he wound up staying.

In the side of the hill just above the central patio between the Swami’s cabin and the incense warehouse is an entrance to a cave they say they are going to hand dig through the mountain and out the other side about a mile away. At the time there is only about 20 feet dug out. In the back of the tunnel someone dug out a three foot deep hole that has filled in with spring water and serves as makeshift refrigeration.

Deep in the woods where the tunnel is predicted to come out of the hill is New Vrindaban’s “Syama Kunda.” In the original Vrindavan of India Syama Kunda is the sacred bathing place of Lord Krishna and the cowherd boys. In this area they say will be an amusement park celebrating the pastimes of Krishna.

There are rumors we are building a Palace for Srila Prabhupada to come and live in but in the realm of Bahulaban there is no sign of it.

There is no hot water and there won’t be for another couple of years. Everywhere you go and at all times it is cold and any signs of thawing are met with an ocean of mud everywhere. Providing firewood alone for the few buildings there are requires a full time staff of at least four men that are working on it all day long, seven days a week, outside in the weather. This includes cutting down the trees, hauling in the logs, cutting the logs to length, splitting the wood into the right sizes, and carting the wood to the different buildings.

Amburish heads up the cow barn and is joined in milking by devotees like Kuladri, Sudhanu, Samba and Cirantana as well as some the brahmacharis including Candramauli and Radhanath. All of the milking of is done by hand at this time.

Bahulaban barn with Kirtanananda, Devakinandana, Taru, Cirantana & resident cows heading in for a milking.

Some of the couples that make up the solid core are Kuladri and Kutila, Amburish and Vijaya, Sudhanu and Lajjavati, and Bhagavatananda and Yamini. Isani does the jewelry, Vidya does the flowers and garlands, Sudhakari does the sewing, Ruparamesvari, Gunyarupini, Mankumari, Mahara, and a host of others work in all kinds of day to day activities designed to help us simply to survive, what to speak of expand. Babies are delivered by Adi Pati, a male devotee who lives a half mile back in the woods in a one room mud house with his wife Pracidevi and their young son, Krsnastami.

Because we are often harassed by guns shot into the air by passersby in the middle of the night, different pairs of men take times serving as night guards seven days a week.

The original New Vrindaban farmhouse.

VRINDABAN:

Main Deities: Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath

Location: Three miles up an old logging road through the woods on a landlocked property.

Temple Building: 100+ year old small farmhouse secured by Hayagriva on a 99 year lease from the Rose family.

Ground Floor: Temple Room, Pujari Room

Second Floor: Brahmachari Ashram

Basement: Kitchen, Bathhouse

Out Buildings: Small Cow Barn (a few cows) – Pole Pavilion – Swami’s Log Cabin – 3 or 4 Brahmachari cabins- Hayagriva’s A-Frame.

Resident Brahmacharis: Radhanath, Param Brahma, Romaharsana, Bhakta Mark (Madhava Ghosh), Bhakta George (Jalakolahali), Bhakta Jim ( Jagat Trata), Papastaya, Chandra Mauli, Kasyapa, Kripacharya, Garga Rsi, Bhakta Burt (Bhavishat), Bhakta Ron (Gopinatha), Caidyasatru, Parasara, Bhakta Dennis (Damodar Pandit ), Somadas, Bhakta Atticus (Tapanacharya), Taru, Kiranasa, Nrsinghananda, Sridhara, Devakinandana, Murari Gupta, Krishna Sravana, Vasudhama, Cirantana, Gatravan, Vipina Purandara, Ajitananda & Haridhama.

Gargarsi (playing flute) walking with Kaliya (ISKCON’s original cow) along the path to Vrindaban farmhouse.

It is the original New Vrindaban farm. It is the site where Srila Prabhupada spent a month at in 1969 and where he pointed out the future sites of New Vrindaban’s own Govardhan Hill and Kesi Ghat.

About thirty brahmacharis live in the ashram. The majority of them sleep on the floor in one room. There are cubbyhole shelves along the walls for the devotees to put their personal things in which don’t amount to much more than a change of clothes, a sleeping bag, one of Prabhupada’s books, and a toothbrush.

Param Brahma is the temple president. Radhanath is the pujari. Candramauli spends most of his time in the basement kitchen having his eyes burned out by wood smoke while he cooks the offerings and milk sweets for Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath. Kasyapa is the horse driver and is considered by many to be the hardest worker in the community. Somadas is the carpenter. Bhakta Mark (soon to be initiated as Madhava Gosh) is doing the garden and is later to be called the best dancer in the movement by Tamal Krishna Goswami. Caidyasatru is the community avadhuta – he feeds goats, eats from the compost, and at times wears newspaper Brahmin underwear.

Taru cooking in the Bahulaban pits.

Taru is the scholar and the most infamous “Prasadam Addict” in the community. The older, wizened Romaharsana is the consummate woodsmen. Kripacharya is the blacksmith. Papastaya works in the garden. Bhakta Burt (soon to be Bhavishat) assists Romaharsana. Bhakta Dennis (soon to be Damodara Pandit) is starting the Brijabasi Spirit with visiting Sannyasi Paramahamsa Maharaja. Devotees like Bhakta George (soon to be Jalakolahali), Bhakta Jim (soon to be Jagat Trata), Haridhama, and others work at random other services. As hard as they work, they sankirtan even harder.

They are all young men. All working hard, eating little, and sleeping even less. Some are saintly and composed. Well, maybe one or two. And, the majority of the others are agitated out of their minds. Austerity, sense control, and deprivation interact to create an explosive combination. There is pressure on all sides. Other than Radhanath and Candramauli, all brahmacharis walk a muddy logging road the three miles through the dense woods every day to work at Bahulaban. They make the same walk back every evening. After the Sunday feast each week in Bahulaban the Swami and a few of the married men make the trip up the road with them to spend the night with Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath.

Radhanath Dasa painting the outside of the Madhuban Temple building (a decade later he became a Swami).

MADHUBAN:

Main Deities: Sri Sri Radha Madhava

Location: Second property purchased after the original Vrindaban farm in 1971. Almost directly east, across the valley from the Vrindaban farm and about three miles North, up the state road from Bahulaban.

Temple Building: 100 year old farmhouse

1st Floor: Temple Room, Kitchen

Out Buildings: Small tin roof shelter for cows and horses.

Prabhupada Houses: In the tree line about fifty yards from the temple farmhouse the devotees have begun building “Prabhupada Houses,” made of tamped clay. They are called the Prabhupada houses because it was a form of construction that Srila Prabhupada had suggested in a letter dated 07/27/1973. They consist of only one room about 12 ft. by 15 ft. and are meant to be housing for householders. Some devotees spend short periods of time trying to live in them but they don’t really last. Shyamakunda and Girendra’s daughter Visakha will be the first girl born in New Vrindaban and she will be born on January 23rd.

In the winter of 1974, only a few devotees inhabit Madhuban. The principal devotee there is Paramananda Das who is not only one of the original inhabitants of New Vrindaban, having arrived in the spring of 1969, but he and his wife Satyabhama are also two of the original devotees from 26 Second Avenue. Paramananda and Satyabhama have two sons, Premananda and Madhavendra Puri. Kuntidevi Dasi lives in Madhuban with her young daughter Kham (Karnamrita), along with a few others.

Parmananda painting the Madhuban farmhouse.

Paramananda is the acting head of the entire community’s farming, or the “plough,” department. There is only one old red tractor and three teams of horses. Paramananda is known by many of the local farmers who he travels to meet with to learn about farming in the rough hills of West Virginia. Sometime in the next year Paramananda, his family and a few friends will leave New Vrindaban to found Gita Nagari in Pennsylvania. After that Paramananda will also eventually become a Minister of Agriculture for the greater ISKCON.

About a mile further North past the Madhuban temple live the very austere Yudisthira Das along with his wife Kamalavati and their young son Haladhara. They are living off the land, farming with oxen, in a very small log cabin.
The primary activity at Madhuban is caring for the Deities, Sri Sri Radha Madhava.

TALAVAN:

There is no temple building in the part of the community called Talavan. Living in Talavan are a few more senior, independent devotees including Yadunandana and his wife Taruni.

NANDAGRAM:

There is no temple at this location. There is an old farmhouse and a shelter for a few oxen and cows. Nandagram is inhabited by the family of Hayagriva Das and Shyamadasi, along with their two children, Samba and Haridas. Besides the house, Hayagriva has a very small shelter down in the woods across from the house where goes to write and edit.

Vedic Wedding of 5 couples I attended in December of 1973:

To the best of my knowledge the participants of this wedding ceremony are Sudhanu and Lajjavati, Dulal Chandra and Tarkik, Bidhan Candra and Ugrasena, Mahendra and Sukhada (Pittsburgh Temple), and Samba and Nandinigokula.

Devotee children living in New Vrindaban when I arrived to stay on January 17, 1974:

Kuladri and Kutila’s daughter – Pritha
Kamalavati and Yudisthira son – Haladhara,
Hayagriva and Shama dasi sons – Samba and Haridas,
Kunti’s daughter – Kham-Karnamrta,
Radha Bavani’s daughter – Mallika,
Paramananda and Satyabhama’s sons – Premananda and Madhavendra Puri,
Daivata and Parayana’s daughter – Bhava,
Adi Pati and Pracidevi’s son – Krsnastami,
Yadunandana and Taruni’s son – Sanat Kumar,
Bhagavatananda and Yamini’s son – Bhakti
Gajendra and Sucitra’s son – Purnima
Girindra and Syamakunda’s son – Kiba Jaya (six days later daughter Vishaka is born)

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Did you miss any of the previous chapters? Click the links below to catch up:

Chapter 1: Every Journey Begins With a Single Step

Chapter 2: Srila Prabhupada – Jaya Radha Madhava

Chapter 3: Captured by the Beauty of Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra

Chapter 4: Fired Up – We Depend On Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra

Stay tuned for Chapter 6: In The Woods

Gundica Marjana 2018 at New Govardhana, Australia (4 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: The first result of chanting the maha-mantra...

Sri Krishna Haveli project update (Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK)
Construction work on Bhaktivedanta Manor’s new Haveli has begun and is in full swing with a date of completion for Janmashtami 2019. • The Primary school & Preschool have been relocated. • Radharani’s bakery has been relocated. • New access roads to car parks are in use. • New greenhouses for Tulasi devi are completed • The Site perimeter has been erected for construction • Over 100 truck-loads of subsoil has been removed to level the site • Foundations for the building has been laid • Drainage has been installed • Walls around the cottage have been erected to secure the stability of the building • Concrete slabs for the main buildings have been laid