Project of Gouranga Radha Vrajesvara From India 10/27/13

Dear devotees

Because you are all Vrinda Family members, today I will talk about one of the major projects we are developing : The project of completing our offering to Their Lordships Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara . This is an offering, most of all, artistic and loving, despite heavy expenditure involved in the construction and development of the ceilings, etc. . , it is completely a gift of love from the entire mission.

You know, I like architecture of natural style, simple. For me, we should all live in natural caves, but there are not many caves for it. Only Siddhanti Maharaj in Spain has a cave which is a great temple in Palma de Mallorca, we also have a temple of Sri Nrishimhadeva in Eco Truly Park, but not enough for all to live there :) Also, in cities like Medellín we have built our own caves or oasis of Krishna Consciousness . However, the temple of Gauranga Radha Vrajesvar is different , because it is the birthplace of the Vrinda Family and therefore it is very important.

By Krishna's  arrangements and unexpectedly, as it was , the idea of making an offering a temple to the Worshiipable Lordships that, and at the same time, it is an art installation with the pastime of Gopakumar travelling history . The same way that the realization of project of the Yoga Planetarium in Peru which came years ago and gave us much joy in its result..It ended up being something very appealing that has touched the hearts of many people . Now that the Vrinda mission has expanded to many parts, it would be a very nice service for everyone to identify and participate in one way or another in this great task, with the heart in the service of Sri Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara . It does not deal with Lakshmi or arts themselves , is something from the heart , as we are building this beautiful temple with no employees, only with devotees who are currently involved.

The temple of Sri Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara is the site of many important meetings, for example, now in January next year we will host the international meeting of the Eco Villages of America, where all the people who are seeking a more natural life come and are going to gather in Varsana. Before that, in December will make a kiwa (meaning the temple of the heart of Mother Earth ), a temple style that originated in ancient Mexican tradition which will towns will participate throughout the Americas . It is of utter historical importance that the people of America come together and build a temple of worship to Mother Nature in Varsana , 8 meters from the Temple of our beloved Lordships. Sure, we support this and gave all the facilities to do so, but it was not our decision , it was theirs.

Then , we must realize that Sri Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara is opening another dimension to touching the hearts of people around the world, so the temple construction work is crucial, whose importance has not yet been completely understood by the devotees of Bogota and Colombia, not even by our promoters of Inbound tours who are very good but have not yet grasped the value of this project for the Yoga process itself. It is so important because the aim of this Yoga Planetarium is to demonstrate the development process of love of God, Bhakti Yoga , which will cause a lot of impact on people . It will help to involve people in the development of consciousness, in spiritual growth, commitment to Mother Earth and animals. It's as if all eyes are going towards to Varsana . It's of so much potential that it can unite the loving spirit to protect our planet.

You can see something important and Varsana is a sanctuary to the Huisca tradition, a place of worship that is very important even for native people. And the formation of stones we have in what is now the park "Krsna, the winner of obstacles " is also of great importance . It is a Huisca sanctuary Huisca also. When I was in the Sierra Nevada of Colombia and met the shrines of the Arhuacos I realized that the Varsana site was really important and the mamos and the grandparent huiscas confirmed it as well. As a place of prayer, invocation and payment, it is always a very special place .

Therefore, the act of putting the story of Gopa Kumar as an offering to Mother Earth into art made ​​by a sincere and wonderful group of artists is something very special. Artists of the stature of Braja Mohan prabhu, Yadu Kumar, mother Radha Vilasini and many others of great capacity. A group of true artists of a spectacular category in skill nor do I know where they appeared from, but they were sent by Krishna . They are truly of level and quality. With all this you can see that it is a very special project .

Sure, the Vrinda Mission in Colombia is not alone, we have centers in Italy, in Germany, in Spain, over here in India with Paramahamsa Maharaj but Varsana is the center of our mission and there are key sites there such as the Samadhi of Srila Harijan Maharaj and many historical sites that mark our family .

Today, in this sacred precinct of Vrinda Kunja in Vrindavan , I was inspired to invite you to be part of the wonderful project of offering a temple to Radha Vrajesvar Gauranga . In truth , I'm not much to build great temples, I like to build sanctuaries to Mother Nature, build communities, build homes which are of rather pleasant atmospheres . I like the temples in big old houses with courtyards and gardens where you can grow and make a nice community. But in the end, the place where devotees chant the Maha Mantra and hear the Srimad Bhagavatam is a temple, whether it is a garage or anything . A sanctuary is the site of where sadhana is performed. Also, the temple of Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara is a site of sadhana where Nitya Kirtan Prabhu  is protecting the Yoga monastery, a sanctuary of human quality .

From Vrinda Kunja to Varsana I want to send this message to inspire one another about the wonderful things the devotees are doing ther. Varsana is the name of the place where Srimati Radharani lived , then the mere thought that our main temple has that place can transform the heart of anyone. I invite each of you who are reading this message to think about how they want to participate in the project of the Yoga Planetarium in Varsana . Personally I guarantee that all donations that are sent to it will be handled carefully and transparently. This is not a fundraising methodology, but it is an effort to unite our hearts around a beautiful cause .

Varsana has a long life and next year we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Vrinda Family, which was born in Varsana with the appearance of Their Lordships Sri Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara. This is what I share with you . You can participate in many ways, even spreading this same message. Thus energy and focus can help finish this offering . That would be something beautiful and wonderful you will be very happy because you are connecting with something that is really worth while. There is something that you have to remember and that is that the opulence of Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara is in all places where you carry the holy name of Krishna, it is not solely in Granada - Cundinamarca , but it is in any Planet no matter how far as long as the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is there. The opulence of Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara are all of you and the message that is being preaching in connection, in Santa Catarina , in Majorca or wherever  Lord Krishna has sent you, either as brahmacaris as grhastas as vanaprasthas or sannyasis, all that matter is that you are to be connected to Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara  and where Krishna has manifested for us , this is even difficult to understand for me, but Sri Krishna one can not understand, one can only admire, adore and be fascinated with Him.

My dear , the project of Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara is a bit slow, because there are many details to cover. Practically what we need to finish are the following:

- Finish the floor around the planetarium which is a very large area.
- Complete 16 secondary altars that mark the journey of Gopakumar and his teachings and a meditation on Krishna Consciousness . Each of these altars is double-sided (front and back)
- Finish the main truly and the main altar. Currently is at an early stage but already has 1.60 meters, which is a great start . Vijay Prabhu and Bhakta Prabhu who are building there are very dedicated devotees with special ability to do so. They have been very courageous in carrying out this project .
- Finish the job of every truly ceiling. We have been thinking about different options for these ceilings , there is nothing definite yet but recently commissioned some materials to try. Something a little modern but very nice that we can decorate .
- Complete coverage of the entire area of ​​the Planetarium .
- Produce gardening work throughout the surrounding area .
- Organize the parking area and reception.

That's more or less what is left to do is lot of work , but our way of building has been as "a living art workshop " therefore anyone who visits can see the Planetarium and also the work that these artists are doing. We do not want to be a construction site, but a large art studio where they can see the artists in action. So everyone is invited , from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego to participate in this beautiful offering. We are keeping all the records of those who have participated in one way or another, either as personal or representing their Yatras .

A beautiful divine plan, a plan for Krishna .

Today, from Vrinda Kunja , I wanted to share with you the hope that this project vibrates with our whole family, in every corner, with the greatest joy of life. Just as today we are with so much joy doing international Braj Mandal Parikrama this year has been totally blessed by many devotees who purchased economical tickets and could get here. That was a great mercy . Everyone talks of crisis, the crisis here and there, but with all crises and we have over 70 people in India doing parikrama . These are Krishna 's plans. The only crisis we have is to lose the desire to serve and lose the desire to chant Hare Krishna. That is a real crisis. The rest of the material world crises are usable by the department of " every cloud has a silver lining ." So we hope you are encouraged . You are invited to Varsana , if you want to drop by and give a little hand, we have volunteer groups organized by Prabhu Askalita weekly.

Thank you very much to all of you for sharing these words today .

I leave all my affection from Sri Vrindavan Dham .

Jay Srila Prabhupada!

Your Always Well Wisher,
Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti

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!