January 2010, India. I returned a week ago from a month long trip to India. Basically I spent about 12 days in Vrndavana, about a week in Jaipur and the rest of the time at Bhaktivedanta Eco Village, Kollur Valley, Karanataka South India.
The trip was successful in that I accomplished basically all that I wanted, went to all the Holy places I have read about over the past 35 years or so,even though this was my 6th trip to India, and got to see many very old devotee friends not seen in over 30 years. However one aspect loomed immediatley imminent before me.
I had heard how polluted Vrndavana had become, but didnt really believe it– until I got there. I first visited Vrndavana way back in 1975, when the Krsna Balarama temple first opened and it was spectacular at that time. There was the Raman Reti sands and forests with lots of peacocks out behind the temple, there was very large open fields right across from the temple on Bhaktivedanta Marg (Road), a packed dirt road all the way into Loi Bazaar and only peddle rickshaws occupied the roads besides the local Brijabasis, who all were walking.
There are many good things going on however despite all this. One of them is Care for Cows a non profit run by Kurma Rupa das a Prabhupada disciple and old friend of mine from Vancouver farm days. I just happened to discover this when we went there and asked the Indian man who was the front man that day there, who spoke perfect English. I asked him where he was from, he told me he used to live in Renton Wash , just about 70 miles from where I presently live, and I was shocked to hear that . Then I asked him the name of the devotee who ran this place he said Kurma rupa–I said I used to know a devotee by that name–did he ever live in Canada I asked?
He said yes I think he told me that once. So he got him on the phone,he came out, and it turned out we did know each other about 30 years ago when we both were living and serving Srila Prabhupada in Canada Vancouver temple .
After tolerating about a half hour of this racket I had had enough, went downstairs and asked somebody with body language, since none of them spoke english, what time this thing was going to be over. They just ignored me like I was not there. So I went down to Radha Raman temple trying to find Padma Nabh the man in charge, in this neighborhood, but he wasnt home, but somebody else was and he was talking to two devotees on the porch below him about some other matters. When they finished, I asked what time this wedding party will end, and he just shrugged his shoulders, basically saying whenever they get tired of it !! I also added for good measure to him that my water was off and he said somebody would come down to fix it. So I was tired, wanted to get some sleep, and mad at the same time. But this is Radharanis town, she is in charge here, and nobody else,since Vrndavana Dhama runs under her authority, the Internal Energy of the Lord.
This was an unusual event for me also, because I have no ongoing personal contact with anybody who associates with the Gaudiya matha, living in the west for practically all my life.So I tried to explain to the Swami that our common guru, Srila Prabhupada did not want us to be around these people at all, or even buy their books, for that matter. But the Swami insisted otherwise, and quickly I could see why he did so. Back in the early days of iskcon breakup after Srila Prabhupada left us, chaos returned and the new “leaders” of iskcon wanted themselves in the acarya seat and all their Godbrothers who objected to this- OUT of all the temples.
So this Swami told me he also objected to these unauthorized changes to Prabhupadas iskcon and they basically told him to get out as well. So I started to imagine being in that situation, living in India with all its hodge podge of swamis, yogis, charlatans, babajis,and others who want to recognized as “somebody”, and what would an iskcon devotee and leader do with himself in this situation? They would gravitate to the Gaudiya Matha since that group was apparantly the source of our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada and maybe they would or could help one in this particular situation-especially since most devotees in those early days knew nothing about all the warnings Prabhupada gave to us about associating with his Godbrothers. Given the Swamis predicament at that time I could understand why he and all others gravitated to the Gaudiya Matha, especially when they “acted” so nice to these neophyte devotees from the west.
But now times are different, we have on CD , MP3 or book form all the instructions that Srila Prabhupada gave to us regarding our spiritual development and the lengthy warnings he gave to us HIS DISCIPLES, about the dangers of associating with his deviant Godbrothers.
The basic problem always facing all of us Bhaktas is ignorance of the truth. We are rotting here in this place because we are ignorant of our real selves, and that ignorance can be removed by faithful and regularly hearing from Krsna’s bona fide representative Srila Prabhupada, the Senapathi bhakta predicted in Caitanya Mangala by Locan das Thakur, 500 years ago,who would deliver Mahaprabhu to the entire world thru his movement.
[Govardhan hill-Damaghosa, Yasoda nandana and wife Apsara]
Damaghosa das
PART 2
The next place I visited was Jaipur, the city of the pink palace and home of Radha Govinda-formerly of Vrndavana dhama . I was told an interesting story about Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan, formerly from Vrndavana.
These Deities were taken from Vrndavana when the Muslims invaded and was installed in Jaipur as Their new home. However , later on, one princess, being a devout Vaisnavi, got herself married to some prince who lived not in Jaipur but about halfway between Vrndavana and Jaipur. She was distraught because she had to move to his palace and would no longer see her Madan Mohan, living so far away. She told the head priest, she wanted the Deity to move to her town when she did, and of course the pujari said thats not possible, He is staying here. She said, you dont understand I have a “special” relationship with Madan Mohan, the priest said sure , and so does everybody else too.This went back and forth until finally the priest said OK, I will hide Madan Mohan in a room of the palace where we have several other deities that look exactly alike to Madan Mohan, and if you can pick Him out among them all, then only can He go with you.
I can quite truthfully recommend this Ashram called BEV, which also has a wonderful school going on daily,as a fit place for any devotee of the Lord to reside for the rest of his or her life. And in addition, one can be part of the overall growth and development which is now taking place. All the infrastructure is in place- the roads, the cottages, ashrams, school, temple, prasadam hall, farming fields, fruit trees, gardens,everything needed to sustain oneself is here. And best of all it is dedicated to Srila Prabhupada and works under his guidance andconstant blessings. What more can one need than that?? If you want to know more please contact either Tattva darshana or his son Krsna Chaitanya-at the website below
http://bev.org.in/base_camp.htm
Hare Krsna
your humble servant
Damaghosa das
I am going to Bev. in April, It is nice to hear you speak so greatly about it. I am very excited!