Report on the 30 years of the Vrinda Family 9/28/14

Hare Krishna dear devotees and mothers
Please accept my obeisances
All glories to Srila Guru Maharaja, Srila Atulananda Acharya and Srila Harijan Maharaja

Srila Guru Maharaja and Srila Atulananda Acharya can be found in Peru at Eco Truly celebrating the International Vaishnava Mela.

Several devotees from different parts of the world have come to Eco Truly Park to share in this wonderful festival. Celebrating 30 years together as Vrinda Family. Thirty years is a considerable amount of time.
Our family has entered a mature stage, where many pioneering projects have already been consolidated and expanded very efficiently.

Our Guru Maharaja spent 40 years preaching the message of Srila Prabhupada without stopping and 30 years of the Vrinda Family are the fruition of that tireless and loving preaching.

Our Guru Maharaja and our Gurudeva Atulananda have devoted much time and effort to serve Srila Prabhupada through their service to all mankind. The examples of the great Vaishnavas that we receive from the scriptures are present in the daily service of our Gurudevas. In them we see all the qualities of a devotee, without exception. They are the light that removes all traces of ignorance. They are the refuge that soothes the hearts of the devotees in difficult times.

Srila B. P. Puri Goswami Maharaj appeared in this world on a day like today, and His Vyasapuja is celebrated in every corner by members of different Vaishnava missions. He was the first president of the World Vaishnava Association, and that position he accepted with great humility following the request of our beloved Guru Maharaja. Our Guru Maharaja accepted Srila B. P. Puri Goswami Maharaj as his siksa guru after Srila Prabhupada's departure in 1977 and the departure of Srila Sridhar Maharaj in 1988.

Srila Guru Maharaj always shares very sweet pastimes about his relationship with Srila B.P. Puri Goswami Maharaj.One of them is the purchase of the Temple of Gopinath Gaudiya Math (the mission founded by Srila BP Puri Goswami Maharaj). Srila Puri Maharaj had been looking for a place for his temple in Vrindavan.

After Srila Guru Maharaj had bought Vrinda Kunja in the 90's, Srila BP Puri Goswami Maharaj approached our Gurudeva and asked him what he had done to get such a nice place so quickly, as he (Srila Puri Maharaj) had been looking for long. Srila Guru Maharaj told Srila Puri Maharaj that he had been trying several times to get places for a temple, but without any good results, until someone told him that for that to be effective, he would have to seek the blessings of Sri Gopesvara Mahadeva. So Srila Guru Maharaj followed the instruction as he was told and went to Sri Gopesvara Mahadev to ask for His blessing to find a place where the family could set Vrinda so to offer a humble service to the Dham and to the feet of Srila Prabhupada, Srila Sridhar Maharaj and all Vaishnavas.

Shortly after, Srila Guru Maharaj was walking through the market and a vrajavasi  offered a land that day which later became the beautiful Vrinda Kunja, which today is the main temple of our family in Sri Vrindavan Dham.

Today, in the same "Dauji Mandir",the Vyasapuja of Srila BP Puri Goswami Maharaj was held and all the devotees from Vrinda Kunja were invited to participate in the festival. It was a very nice celebration, full of devotees from different missions of the Gaudiya Math and other Vaishnava sampradayas. Thanks to the mercy of our beloved spiritual master, our family members can participate in those beautiful celebrations that are a reflection of "unity in diversity" that characterizes the World Vaishnava Association.

Srila B. P. Puri Goswami Maharaj was a promoter of "unity in diversity", he agreed to become president of the WVA yet he said he did not feel qualified to be. And today, the WVA continues to work under the same slogan of bringing all the Vaishnavas together in order to create an open platform which can the support the preaching of Sanatan Dharma around the world. Once again, thanks to the mercy of our Gurudeva, Vrinda family members from around the world have been involved in various services offered to the feet of all the Vaishnavas.

For example, Saksi Gopal prabhu,who at the beginning of the World Vaishnava Association was responsible for organizing the melas and meetings in addition to printing several WVA publications. Bhagavatamrta prabhu from Colombia, Gour Kesava prabhu from Germany who to this day maintain the Vaishnava page news www.vina.cc and actively participates for many years in the publication of WVA magazines and books. Pancatattwa prabhu who has also spent several years maintaining web services and communications for the World Vaishnava Association. Arup Govinda Das from Mayapur, who has been a great reporter of events for the different Maths in India. BV Madhusudhan Maharaj from Ecuador, who was for years directing Vrinda Ashrams in India and supporting all WVA services. Dasavatar prabhu from Argentina who in recent years has been dedicated to maintaining the most visited page of the WVA called "News from the world from the perspective of the Vedas", which has been a service greatly celebrated by Srila Guru Maharaj. Prem Kumari dd from Brazil who, for some time, supports and participates in maintaining multiple web services in WVA. Dina Bandhu prabhu from Chile, who from Yamuna Kunja in India supports and participates in public relations with the various temples of the WVA. And so many devotees and mothers of our spiritual family who have had the opportunity to make designs for the WVA such as Sarasvati Dasi and Damodarastaka Dasi from Colombia, Brahma Samhita Das from Sweden, Tulsi Dasi from Bulgaria, Radhe Shyam Dasi from Australia, among others.

Currently, the WVA is hosting a new exhibition of the Museum of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada, this time in Vrindavan during the month of Kartik. This exhibition is a humble offering to our spiritual master, to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura's lotus feet, and all the Parampara of our line. For this exhibition, devotees and mothers of our family are actively involved. This exhibit was designed with the help of Vishvakarma prabhu and Stoka Krishna prabhu from Colombia, who are graphics experts.  Sarasvati Dasi did all the research and compilation of pictures with the help of Brahma Samhita Das from Sweden who compiled the texts of each graph.Ramesvari Dasi from Peru revised and corrected each of the texts in English. And Mahatma prabhu along with the Vrinda Kunja team is organizing all the details of the exhibition which will be inaugurated on October 9 by the mercy of Srivatsa Goswami Maharaj, who is Acharya in service of the Sri Radha Gokulananda temple in Vrindavan.

So, devotees of our family have had (and still have) multiple opportunities to offer service at the feet of the Vaishnavas of different missions. All thanks to the mercy of our spiritual master, who is a faithful representative of the acharyas of the past. That is the characteristic of the Vrinda family: Being an instrument of service to mankind under the guidance of our Gurudevas; and it is thanks to them and their mercy, who teach us about the distribution of the message of love to all souls of Sri Caitanya; it is thanks to their mercy that we can celebrate together in the various temples the 30 years of life of VRINDA.

Now devotees gathered at the Mela are celebrating with great joy and many service plans, these 30 years.

As part of that celebration, yesterday at the Eco Truly Park it was launched the "Review of 30 years of Vrinda," which was the result of the unified effort of a group of devotees and mothers from different countries and it came out just a few days ago. The SEVAS managers will be making copies of this magazine to later distribute them to all the temples, then to be distributed to all family members and friends who want to know more about our Mission.

Along with the launch of the magazine, these days we inaugurated a new hall in Eco Truly Park called "The chacana" which aims to become a meeting and working place of UDSA (University of Ancestral Wisdom) which is quite q development project in which Srila Gurudeva is putting a lot of energy with the help of devotees from different countries. The UDSA's objective is to create an educational platform open to all people, where they can share traditional teachings of various ancestral people and cultures who share the same ideals of love and respect for all living entities, which are of the same ideals to those of the Vaishnava culture of India. Now the UDSA will have an important place in the Eco Truly Park in Peru, where you can strengthen your service to humanity.

At this time, Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Gurudeva Atulananda and the devotees accompanying them are returning to Lima to celebrate Rasa Yatra along the streets of the capital of Peru. That is why Srila Guru Maharaj could not send his weekly message today and rather we have shared with you this little commemorative report of 30 years of VRINDA and it service to humanity. We also share with you that within the next few days Srila Guru Maharaj will be making his arrival in Vrindavan Dham alongside the company of Srila Gurudeva Atulananda, where they will also celebrate 30 years of the Vrinda family and 30 years of Vraja Mandal Parikram.

Devotees and mothers from Vrinda Kunja Ashram have been working hard in recent months for this celebration.

Already more than 100 devotees and mothers from our family have confirmed their participation during the parikrama, which is a great joy for the devotees who do service in Vrindavan Dhama.

Sixty devotees have already arrived at the Dhama from South America and in the coming days there will be more and more arriving. All of them are very happy to participate in this beautiful Vaishnava celebration. The home team will do their best to convey the daily morning conferences of our spiritual masters and to share every day the parikram nectar through photographic and video reports.

In the coming days details of the transmissions will be announced. Thank you very much to everyone for participating today in the Sunday report.

Please, excuse any offenses and disadvantages.

Thanks to Dasavatar prabhu for translation into English and Laksmi Priya dd from Antofagasta (Chile) for later editing and publishing the report.

Please accept my obeisances again. 

All glories to Srila Guru Maharaj! 

Haribol!

Invitation to India. 02/23/2014

                                               From Vrinda kuñja .
My dear devotees
Receive all my affection from Vrindavan.

India is wonderful and the biggest secret of India is that it sent the seed of sacred culture to be sown throughout the world. A seed filled with love, tenderness and beauty. A message that can build a temple in the heart of every person. Whoever lets this message reach their heart and nourishes it with the energy of devotional service chanting the Holy names of the Infinite Lord is on the right track.

This India invited us, giving us through her pure devotee, Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and others, a real home in her sacred womb. That's the Vrinda Kunja, the sacred shrine of Vrindavan. A shrine near the sacred river Yamuna. Protected by Ksetra pal, Sri Gopisvara Mahadeva, who guards the entrance to the Infinite dance of the Lord and His devotees, eternal associates.

Vrinda Kunja is open to members of the Vrinda family and friends. They have been coming now for 30 years to Vrindavan to take refuge in the inspiration of service to this infinite love and its expansions around the world. Vrindavan is a place of study, deepening the mystical secrets of the Srimad Bhagavatam, which tells the whole story of Sri Krsna and His divine teachings. Visiting the many destinations of these manifestations of love in Braja Mandala with a months worth of workshops, offerings, meetings, yajnas, festivals like diwali, appearance of the sacred Radha- Kunda, the commemoration of the destruction of the false ego of the king of the sky ( Indra ) because of Krsna as a child who lifts the Govardhan hill to give shelter to those who seek it. It also celebrates the sacred Go -puja to remember the love of the Infinite Lord for all animals. Especially for sacred cows. Go up to the mountain of the Lord Shiva in Adi- Kedarnath and learn the spirit of service to the holy Dhama, becoming humble guardians who are trying to clean both the heart and those around us.

The month of Braj mandal parikrama is accompanied by deep reflection of our journey on Earth, towards the perfection of yoga. The maximum development of the love that our soul is capable of cultivating. Times in which the Divine manifests His special mercy is also recalled. For Example, at half day at the Surya Kunda, the sacred lake of Surya Narayana will be visited, where Lord Krishna shows His opulences to those who are seeking Him.

Sitting in the boat, singing beautiful prayers, we feel the charm of the beautiful nature of the bird sanctuary of Vrindavan. And getting close to Mathura, to the temple of the mystic Yogi Durvasa Muni, who has his kutir at the top of a mountain from where you can see the Vishram Ghat where brothers and sisters take vows of a sacred consecrated life and pilgrims take their vows.

For 30 years I have had the infinite mercy to guide these inspiring groups of hearts, that led our family all over the world. And presenting them to the holy feet of my eternal master at his bhajan kutir in Radha Damodar and his samadhi mandir in Raman Reti. We also welcome the appearance of our guardian and teacher of  sannyasi life, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Maharaj.

Vrinda Kunja is an oasis located in the heart of old Vrindavan. Very close to Keshi Ghat, where the future museum of the WVA ( Pandavali kunja ) and Yamuna Kunja are and from where we serve the entire Vaishnava community.

Kartik is a month of preparation. Especially for our Vrinda Family it is a month of union. Where the sacred Andes connect with his brother the Himalayas, the home of Eastern wisdom. In the company of my dear brother, Atulananda we prepare to continue the sacred pilgrimage to several amazing destinations.

After Braja Mandal parikrama this year we will visit the city of Mayapur, where we will continue touring the sacred pilgrimage sites of Sri Caitanya and Sri Nityananda. Then go to where Sri Nityananda Prabhu appeared in Ekachakra, Ambika Kalna where we see the first life-size deities of Gouri Das Pandit, Panihati where Sri Raghunath Das Goswami received mercy and Remuna, the site celebrated the by the mercy of Ksiracora Gopinath.

Coming finally to the sacred site of Sri Jagannath, where we will visit important places like Sri Ksetra. So in this maha - parikrama we will cover the three main routes of the Gaudiya - Vaishnava.

This year is a year of gratitude to sacred India and its great teachers for giving to our spiritual family. We pray to our Lord, "Please let me be an instrument of your love Oh , my Lord, let me serve you in this life in your family of love." With these ceremonies it culminates to the celebration of 30 years of the Vrinda Family and its pilgrimages .I feel very honored and grateful that, with the permission of the local spiritual leaders, it could be possible that each of you gets to participate in the parikrama.

As for practical service this is my suggestion : take advantage of your empty suitcases so when you come to Vrindavan  bring gifts for dhama-vasis in the form of useful learning articles, clothes that can be distributed in our schools and villages in Braja. I also ask you to bring pictures of your deities and your temples which will be beautifully mounted on display during the festival.

With that I say goodbye for today.
Meditating on this beautiful festival that we have ahead of us. I hope to have each of you here. All my love to you.

Jay Srila Prabhupada!
Your always well wisher,
Ba Paramadvaiti Swami

Srila Narottama Das Thakura Cleaning Project 7/28/13

My dearest devotees,

Receive all my affection from Nandafalva. I've been sharing my days with all the devotees here. Beautiful concerts, news, new initiates ...

Today I wish to share with you a few words about a very important personality in our sampradaya. One of the greatest poets who composed many of the songs we sing every day in our programs,Srila Narottama Das Thakura.

Narottama Das Thakura was a disciple of Srila Lokanath Das Goswami and he reminds us of the true meaning of initiation. Narottam Das Thakur Das received initiation from Srila Lokanath Das Goswami after a long time. Narottam Das Thakur was announced by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. He had the direct inspiration of Krishna Prema that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu deposited in the river Padma for Srila Narottama Das Thakura.

So, it is told in the book called "Narottam Vilas" which tells about the time Sri Narottama Das Thakura went to the river, and how the personality, Padma River gave Krishna Prema to a young Narottama .

Since the beginning of his existence, Srilaa Narottam Das Thakur was a very inspiring acharya, someone who had a clear mission in the world to share love of God with others. He was the son of a great king. His father was very anxious to make young Narottama his successor, but the young man did not want anything to do with kingdoms. He invested his time listening  to a brahmana tell the glories of Gauranga and Nityananda. He was always very eager to hear more about the glories of the Lord.

Finally, Narottam escaped his father when he was going to present him as his successor. When he traveled on the float for the event, Narottam asked to stop to go to the bathroom and escaped, hiding in the jungle. So he walked through the jungle for days without food or rest. Until he came to a crossroads where he passed out from exhaustion. There, one of the guards from his father found him and told him he would take him back. Narottama was very determined. Narottama told the guard "you better do something else, because I'm to Vrindavan and have important things to do there."

Narottama he argued in such a wonderful poetic form, which convinced the guard to go back without him. Narottama said to the guard, " many have come to find me and none of them yet to find me, so there is no problem, you can be another one of them and no one will be surprised. Please let me go and continue on your way."

So the young Narottama finally came to Vrindavan. An incredible story of great renunciation, so much so that he  left all varieties of  an opulent lifestyle just to follow his ideal of service to the Lord. Sometimes, for someone who has almost no material possessions it is easy to say, leave everything because they have not had much, but a special personality such as Narottama das Thakur, who had access to all opulence, he shined more when he gave them up and gave his life to God, with no interest in material things.

When Narottam came to Vrindavan, Srila Jiva Goswami was still there. So Narottam visited all the major Vaishnavas of that time. But his heart was completely conquered when he met Srila Lokanath Das Goswami. Narottama decided to become his disciple. He approached and Srila Lokanath Das Goswami accepted him as his disciple. Srila Lokanath Goswami was very moved by the request and replied: My dear boy, I am very flattered by what you're saying, but I regret to inform you that I vowed to never accept any disciple, and that can be done by someone else, so go your way, please. Srila Lokanath Goswami was one of the busiest in the dhama seva in Vrindavan. He found more than 300 holy places in the dhama, identified them and made sure that those places of lila were clear. He was someone very important in that service, therefore, he was always moving from one place to another. So Srila Lokanath Goswami continued and said, please find someone who can accept you as his disciple, Vrindavan is full of great souls who can.

Narottama was very sad with this answer ... not knowing what to do and so he asked for advice from other devotees. They told him to try to do some service. Then Narottama turned to Srila Lokanath Das Goswami and said,  "Goswamiji, Is there a service I can do for you?" But Goswami Lokanath thought Narottama was trying to convince Him again and said to not insist any further. Narottam again became extremely sad. Hecried and cried without cessation. Then someone said, 'Why do not you do a secret service Lokanath Goswami? So, Narottama started watching Lokanath Goswami every day in secret. He saw everything he did and followed him, with an intense longing in his heart to serve. He saw when Srila Lokanath stood, when he went to take his bath in the Yamuna, when he went to the temple of Sri Radha Gokulananda to worship their deities ...

My dear devotees ... imagine that determination of Narottama Das Thakur to serve his Gurudeva in anyway. We are very fortunate to connect with the pastimes of the Vaishnavas ... and we are more fortunate at our temple in Vrindavan, Vrinda Kunja which is located right in the heart of the area where these pastimes occurred. So when we started our little attempt to do service for the dhama, we called it the "Narottam Das Thakur cleaning project" in honor of the intense service that Srila Narottama did for his Gurudeva and the Dhama.

Well, we're cleaning the same areas as Srila Narottam Das Thakur cleaned in honor of his Gurudeva. Thus Narottama Das Goswami would clean all the areas where Srila Lokanath Das Goswami had been, even the area where his Gurudeva performed his physical needs. He cleaned everything with love ... and did so for a long time without Srila Lokanatha Goswami knowing. (All this is narrated in the Bhakti Ratnakar, a book full of nectar.).

Our devotees also perform annual cleaning of the 64 samadhi places of Vrindavan, near the temple of Radha Govindaji ... it is one of the qualities that make our Braj Mandal Parikrama something very special, because we do not just visit the holy places, but the devotees go and do service there, a genuine connection with the dhama.

Our service in the dhama is always a guided meditation in the service of Srila Narottam Das Thakur who was always looking to please his Gurudeva, even if at the time he did not know. But there came a time when Srila Lokanath Das Goswami began to realize that someone was cleaning the forest. One way or another, Srila Lokanath Goswami began to question what was going on, he realized that something strange was happening. One day, he decided to wait and hide to watch what happened. So he did all of his daily activities and instead of leaving, he sat behind a tree to see what happened ... and so Srila Narottama Das appeared in a gamcha with his broom and started cleaning the place where Srila Lokanatha Das Goswami had been, even cleaning where Srila Lokanatha Das Goswami performed his physical needs. Henceforth, Srila Lokanath Goswami appreciated and told Narottama angrily: Who gave you permission to do that? Narottam replied: Oh Gurudeva, nobody has given permission, but seeing my sadness, some devotees said I should do a secret service for you. And that might please you, even with this indirect service. So Srila Lokanath Goswami felt affected by it all and said softly:

I told you to go to any place where the goswamis were and ask them for initiation. I want you to be happy, have a service and you stay in Vrindavan. But understand that I can not accept disciples, as I did take a vow. Please walk and visit the other Vaishnavas. Then, Narottam Das Thakur intensely composed a poem whose meaning is more or less like this:

"When a woman is in love with a man, but her father arranges for her to marry another, this marriage will never work, because she is really attached to the first."

So, Narottama said this to Lokanath Goswami and Goswami said: you are very foolish, do what you want ... Narottam was very happy and said, Joy! Now my service is authorized by my Gurudeva :) And so he went on cleaning with much more enthusiasm. Sometimes devotees approached Srila Lokanatha Goswami and said to him why do you not take this young man who has so much love for you and give initiation? But Srila Lokanath Goswami was very serious about his vow to not accept disciples.

Until one day, he accepted Srila Narottama and sent for him. When Narottam heard Srila Lokanath Goswami was looking, he ran up and prostrated himself at his feet vigorously. Lokanath Goswami said Narottam My dear, I made this vow to never accept disciples ... and it seems that you made the vow that I should be your Guru. Well, I have concluded that your vow is even more powerful than mine ... so he brought together the ingredients for the initiation ceremony and Narottama's happiness was overwhelming and with the same enthusiasm he brought everything needed for initiation.

Remember the beautiful hobbies and loving exchanges of these Vaishnavas, they fill the heart with happiness. They are able to transform your heart and  teach you what really is sadhu-sanga ... of the way in which the devotees are related to each other, how they reciprocate and appreciate. All these experiences  are very sweet. They are examples that we can apply in our own life's relationships. So, Narottama became an official member of the Gaudiya Sampradaya. And then he continued to incessantly preach and spread the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in many places.

In the same way that Srila Lokanath Goswami initiated Srila Narottam Das Thakur only, Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji also had only one disciple, Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta ... In both cases, the only disciple was a real gem in the sky of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and they each managed to bring the message of Divine Love to many souls. Spiritual life is not a matter of form or quantities, it is a matter of quality and substance.

When I think of Srila Narottam Das Thakur, I feel very fortunate to be connected with his beautiful songs and such. Thus, all our family members who have the ability to share for a month in the Braj Mandal Parikram can live the experience of visiting these sacred places that Narottama and the goswamis were present in and do service there.

Our main service is to serve the Vaishnavas via the Vishva Vaishnava Raj Sabha, providing a bit with our volunteering service through the Internet, etc.. We pray for the blessings of all the Vaishnavas to be useful in this endeavor, because their pleasure is the only goal of our effort. We do not have any other purpose.

I take this opportunity of this Chat Sunday to remind all of you of the great service we have in Colombia for our Ishtadevas Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara, who really are our life and soul.

The Yoga Project Planetarium is a humble offering to Them, our Lords ... I'm really grateful for the great work that devotees are doing there and my sincere hope is that more devotees participate there, either helping in the construction or the arts or financially supporting this offering. Even if its going to take several years to finish it all, the support of all of you will be of great help in this. This is one of the historical architectural contributions of the Vrinda Mission to the world. With this invitation and remembering the sweet pastimes of Srila Narottama Das Thakur I say goodbye for today ...

I am very happy that soon we will meet again in the Latin lands to share more nectar and service to Srila Prabhupada.

With all my affection for you.

Jay Srila Prabhupada!