Tattva-viveka
Deity Seva & Vrindavana Trip
Vrindaranya Dasi - October 21, 2007 2:33 am
Next Tuesday, Guru Maharaja, Nitaisundara, and I will be going to Vrindavana to negotiate the land purchase. We will keep you posted on the developments.
It would be an ideal time to purchase new outfits and ornaments for Gaura-Nitai for the grand opening of the temple. Let's do something stunning! Most of Gaura Nitai's outfits are getting old, and Guru Maharaja would like to have gorgeous worship now that the new temple is (almost) finished. If we can find them, it would be awesome to get some large marble cows for the altar as well. Anyone who would like to donate towards this historic event can do so by sending a check to Audarya or informing Shyam-gopala to debit your credit card. Paypal is another option (although they charge the most for processing). Please also post your donation here. If you want to remain anonymous, email me directly so I know how much we'll have to bring.
We have already collected two donations:
$200 Prema Bhakti (plus $100 for Giri Maharaja who was pivotal in arranging our land purchase)
$100 Vamsi-dhari
Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!
P.S. The grand opening will be for Gaura Purnima. Mark your calendar and book your flights!!! The date is the weekend of March 21-23, 2008.
Syamasundara - October 21, 2007 7:25 am
Oh, finally some feedback! I thought I was the only one who was going wild about the historicity of the inauguration.
I definitely have to donate something for the marble cows, I'll have to see how my finances are going in the next days.
Swami - October 22, 2007 6:23 pm
We have several hurdles to cross to secure the land at seva kunja, as it should be I suppose. It is an ideal setting for bhajana and I am very excited about it. It's very close to Yamunaji, Radha Damodara, Nityananda Vat, Sri Rupa and Jiva Goswamis, and Srila Prabhupada. What a neighborhood! Just reminding everyone of how what a wonderful opportunity it is. We will keep you posted as the spiritual drama unfolds. As those of you who have been following this drama know, it has been exciting thus far. Jaya Radhe!
Regarding Gaura Purnima and the opening of the temple here at Audarya, don't miss it! I have chosen to name it "Gaura Vijaya Mandir." Gaura vijaya, Gaura vijaya! This is the cry of Nitai.
Syamasundara - October 22, 2007 7:17 pm
I have chosen to name it "Gaura Vijaya Mandir." Gaura vijaya, Gaura vijaya! This is the cry of Nitai.
This made me laugh, out of happiness I guess. As far as Nitai's cry, is this a reference or your feeling?
Gaura Vijaya Mandira ki jaya!
1 vijaya m. contest for victory , victory , conquest , triumph , superiority RV. &c. &c. (fig. applied to `" the sword "' and to `" punishment "' MBh. xii , 6204 ; 4428) ; the prize of victory , booty Ka1tyS3r. ; N. of a partic. hour of the day (esp. the 17th , and the hour of Kr2ishn2a's birth accord. to some the 11th Muhu1rta) MBh. Hariv. &c. ; the third month L. ; the 27th (or first) year of Jupiter's cycle VarBr2S. ; a kind of military array Ka1m. ; a province , district HParis3. ; (in music) a kind of flute Sam2gi1t. ; a kind of measure ib. ; a kind of composition ib. ; a divine car , chariot of the gods (?) L. ; N. of Yama L. ; of a son of Jayanta (son of Indra) Hariv. ; of a son of Vasu-deva ib. ; of a son of Kr2ishn2a BhP. ; of an attendant of Vishn2u ib. ; of an attendant of Padmapa1n2i W. ; of a son of Sva-rocis Ma1rkP. ; of a Muni Hariv. ; of a prince MBh. ; of a son of Dhr2itara1sht2ra (?) ib. ; of a warrior on the side of the Pa1n2d2avas ib. ; of one of the eight councillors of Das3aratha R. ; of Arjuna MBh. BhP. ; of a son of Jaya Hariv. Pur. ; of a son of Can5cu or Cun5cu ib. ; of a son of Sam2jaya VP. ; of a son of Su-deva BhP. ; of a son of Puru1ravas ib. ; of a son (or grandson) of Br2ihan-manas Hariv. Pur. ; of a son of Yajn5a-s3ri1 Pur. ; of the founder of Buddhist civilisation in Ceylon MW. ; (with Jainas) N. of one of the 9 white Balas and of one of the 5 Anuttaras ; of the 20th Arhat of the future and of the father of the 21st Arhat of the present Avasarpin2i1 ; of the attendant of the 8th Arhat of the same ; of a son of Kalki KalkiP. ; of a son of Kalpa Ka1lP. ; of a hare Katha1s. ; of the lance of Rudra (personified) MBh. ; (pl.) of a people MBh. ; (%{A}) f. N. of various plants (accord to L. Terminalia Chebula ; Sesbania Aegyptiaca ; Vitex Negundo ; Rubia Munjista ; Premna Spinosa ; a kind of hemp ; a kind of %{zamI} ; = %{vacA}) VarBr2S. Sus3r. &c. ; of a partic. Tithi or lunar day (the 12th day in the light half of S3ra1van2a i.e. Kr2ishn2a's birthday , the 10th in that of A1s3vina , being a festival in honour of Durga1 , and the 7th in that of Bha1drapada , if it falls on a Sunday ; also the 7th night in the Karma-ma1sa) VarBr2S. BhP. &c. ; of a partic. magical formula Bhat2t2. ; N. of Durga1 MBh. Hariv. ; of a female friend of Durga1 Mudr. ; of the wife of Yama L. ; of another goddess Cat. ; of a Yogini1 Hcat. ; of a Sura7n3gana1 Sin6ha7s. ; of the mother of the 2nd Arhat of the present Avasarpin2i1 L. ; of a daughter of Daksha R. ; of the mother of various Su-hotras MBh. ; of Kr2ishn2a's garland MBh. ; of a Kuma1ri1 (i.e. small flag-staff) on Indra's banner VarBr2S. ; of a partic. spear R. ; n. the poisonous root of the plant Vijaya1 Sus3r. ; a royal tent Va1stuv. ; a kind of pavilion ib. ; N. of a sacred district in Kas3mi1ra Katha1s. (cf. %{-kSetra}) ; mfn. leading to victory , proclaiming victory MBh. ; victorious , triumphant L.
Guru-nistha Das - October 23, 2007 4:44 am
We've received new donations for the Deity outfits!
Mayapurchandra: $20
Brahma: $100
Anonymous: $500
Nanda-Tanuja $200
Our heartfelt thank you's for everyone who donated for the Gaura Vijaya mandir opening!
Also, don't feel intimidated by the big amounts some people are giving. Any kind of donation is important and goes directly to be used for the pleasure of the Lords of Gaura Vijaya Mandir. We are planning on purchasing more jewelery as well, preferably several sets, because the ones we have are quite old.
Philip Breakenridge - October 24, 2007 3:59 pm
Syama Gopala,
Would you please debit my VISA for $20? I wish I could give more, but I'm saving all of my extra money so I can move to the Bay area next year. 
Also, I'd be happy to make the Lords some new necklaces, bracelets, and anklets for Christmas. Syamasundara has given me Their measurements. Are there any particular colour combos that are needed?
P.S. Here are some pics of my Lords in Their new outfits from L.A.
Guru-nistha Das - October 24, 2007 4:37 pm
Yet another donor:
Grant Upson: $100
Thank you Philip and Grant! Phil, I'll talk about the color combinations with the others and get back to you.
Syama Gopala Dasa - October 24, 2007 5:57 pm
Philip, read the message, will charge your card.
Guru-nistha Das - October 24, 2007 8:53 pm
Shyamasundara: $50 (for the altar cows)
Haribolo!
Nanda-tanuja Dasa - October 24, 2007 9:08 pm
I also would like to add $100 for Sri Narasimha Sila, please get him something nice! Are you in contact with Vrindaranya? Let her know.
Vrindaranya Dasi - October 25, 2007 1:54 am
We've arrived in India. It was a very smooth trip. Guru Maharaja has some awesome ideas for the outfits. We'll keep you posted.
Ys,
Vrindaranya
Prema-bhakti - October 25, 2007 2:38 am
Great news!
Vamsidhari Dasa - October 25, 2007 3:23 am
great to gear you got home safely. im eager to hear everything you can share. keep us posted.
Nitaisundara Das - October 25, 2007 6:12 am
So it's ten thirty in the morning and we are at Hotel Swati waiting to hear if they have a room for us tonight. Vrinda is going shopping for supplies for the store. Once she does that the plan is for her to come back, we will have lunch and then head out to buy the necessary elements to fulfill GM's vision of how to dress Gaura-Nityananda in their new home, the Gaura Vijaya Mandir. I'm really excited to tag along the new ideas for outfits sound great, but I'll leave that to the designers(GM and Vrindaranya) to explain.
India is pretty crazy, as most of you have experienced. Lesson #1: 
when walking, dont walk through the small piles of trash on the sidewalks and road :Shame On You: . Today we took a stroll to see if we could find some potential shops for our deity seva, and I walked through a seemingly innocent pile of trash and got a rusty nail in my foot. It didn't go far in, just a little blood, but enough to keep me on my toes(no pun intended) when walking in the city. Then the young insole-wallas came and tried to sell me shoe inserts as if they would have prevented the incident... And no Nanda Tanuja, I'm not getting a shot.
It's a little agitating being called a Hare Krsna left and right, but as Gm pointed out it dosen't have as bad of a connotation here as in USA.
I'm excited to get out of delhi and to Vrindavan. I was thinking about how I won't have the eyes to see the dhama at all, but I'm sure I'll appreciate it to some extent. So I was thinking that at this point whatever appreciation I can have for the dhama is really only my faith in the devotees who can see it and have put it into words as much as possible, like what GM says about faith in the Deity. And even that faith in the devotees perception can be so motivated, like all of our pursuit of bhakti. Faith can come from just desiring safety so we identify with a philosophy we feel gives us that, and then may appear to have much faith but it is out of necessity for mental well being.
This trip is mainly for getting the land and Gm has stressed that to me a few times, and that I need to be focused to do whatever is necessary to assist that and other goals. I'ts cool I'm not going into it with much of an enjoying spirit, like to see all the deities etc. That is no doubt the best type of enjoyment but it feels even more fruitful to know you may have to forgo darshan of the deities of the Gosvami's and other acharyas in order to serve the deity in Sri Guru's heart, which will in time give me a darshan worth so much more then the "eye exercise" that I engage in now. Anyway, I have a feeling we will get to take alot of darshans anyway so I just blabbering.....
Well we got a room and will be transferring there any minute now so I should go now. More updates later from the center of the universe, Sri Vrindavan Dhama.....although we wont have high speed there, so maybe less frequent...... :Cow: 
:Monkey:
Vivek - October 25, 2007 6:44 am
Does GM plan to meet architects for the temple and guest house also, or does he plan to do that only after he has finalized the deal for the land?
Syamasundara - October 25, 2007 7:12 am
I walked through a seemingly innocent pile of trash and got a rusty nail in my foot. It didn't go far in, just a little blood, but enough to keep me on my toes(no pun intended) when walking in the city. Then the young insole-wallas came and tried to sell me shoe inserts as if they would have prevented the incident... And no Nanda Tanuja, I'm not getting a shot.
You can't ignore it either, though. Last time I was in India, I would always carry an antibiotic gel with me (still have it). Once I got just a scratch on my foot and immediately took it out and applied it; there was an Indian guy who didn't know what to make of me. The thing is that in India not only carrots are different (they are red and pungent), even the germs of a simple cold or any other virus are more wicked there. Keep in mind you are half of GM staff there. Keeping in good health is part of the seva.
I am really curious about the outfits. How special or different can they be?
Madan Gopal Das - October 25, 2007 1:37 pm
Must be nice to be in the dhama during damodara-masa, working on acquiring a place at damodara's feet. Doesn't get better than that!
Prema-bhakti - October 25, 2007 2:42 pm
I walked through a seemingly innocent pile of trash and got a rusty nail in my foot. It didn't go far in, just a little blood, but enough to keep me on my toes(no pun intended) when walking in the city. Then the young insole-wallas came and tried to sell me shoe inserts as if they would have prevented the incident... And no Nanda Tanuja, I'm not getting a shot.
Hey little bhai, I hope you got that tetanus shot I suggested before you left.
Caitanya-daya Dd - October 25, 2007 4:12 pm
ew ... smelly delhi!
Watch where you walk, Nitaisundara--there is a lot of stuff on those roads that you don't want to be messing with ...
Glad to hear you made it safely to india!
Syamasundara - October 26, 2007 12:45 am
By the way, I'd like to buy an extra sankha to blow during gaura arati or abhisekhas and what not, and keep among the instruments. Let me know how much it is. I believe Audarya lila already brought a new bell for the temple. I figure it's better if you buy it, instead of me online from somewhere.
Tadiya Dasi - October 26, 2007 1:03 pm
Glad to hear that you guys made it safely to India!
Nitaisundara - take care of yourself (and your foot :Shame On You:)!
Syama Gopala Dasa - October 30, 2007 5:15 pm
http://nimaihuset.blogspot.com/2007/10/gre...ngar-fraan.html
click above to see a picture of GM and Paramadvaiti Mhj in Vrindavan!
Vrindaranya Dasi - November 17, 2007 8:26 pm
Here are some photos from the Vrindavana trip. Nitaisundara will be posting some reflections soon, probably after we get camp set up in Costa Rica.
Guru Maharaja and the Goswamis sealing the deal in front of Radha Damodara.
Guru Maharaja and Narasingha Maharaja offering obeisances to Srila Prabhupada after the deal was sealed.
View of the Jamuna from the end of our road.
Guru Maharaja giving class with Paramadvaiti Maharaja.
Guru Maharaja talking with Narasingha Maharaja.
A sadhu who lives on our road with his calf Madhumangala. He has a cot that he sleeps on and Madhuji sleeps next to him in the corner. Madhuji's mom, Laksmi, lives in an adjoining room.
A five-day-old calf at a small temple with Jagannatha dasa Babaji's Gaura-Nitai Deities. Interestingly, the temple is run by women devotees.
Citta Hari Dasa - November 18, 2007 2:44 am
A sadhu who lives on our road with his calf Madhumangala. He has a cot that he sleeps on and Madhuji sleeps next to him in the corner. Madhuji's mom, Laksmi, lives in an adjoining room.
That is one of the sweetest pictures I have ever seen.
Nitaisundara Das - November 26, 2007 3:41 pm
As promised I will try to write something about the India trip but it's a little hard seeing as since then we've had a Govardhana Puja festival, a week long tour in NC and now shipped off to Costa Rica which has been pretty eventful thus far.
India was quite an experience. First was delhi, which is hellish; the pollution and noise are unbelievable. Then off to Vrindavan.
I don't know where to start about Vrindavan. It wasn't the forest groves I had pictured, as most of you know. We were fairly busy with the land negotiations and shopping at Loi Bazar, but I was able to see many deities with GM and Vrindaranya and sometimes just Vrindaranya and I went. Vrindaranya's ability to navigate Vrindavan was impressive. The main thing I kept feeling while having the darshan of deities that Mahaprabhu's nitya parishads personally worshipped was how theoretical it all is for me. I'd come, see the lord, or the place of bhajan of one of the goswami's, etc, offer my obeisances, maybe try to submit some prayer, stand up, do some eye exercise and continue on my way. It didn't stick with me and cause any perceivable change, if any change at all. I wish I could say the whole thing was blissfull and I want to go back and never leave, but that'd be an exaggeration. Of course I do want to go back. There was a mood that I was able to appreciate, just the fact of such a small town with so many devotees packed in. I felt like given a period of time(a couple months maybe) I could really enjoy having a daily routine there. Going to the subji market, cooking cleaning, all interspersed between arati at various temples, walks by the Yamuna, etc.
Another big part of my stay was the fact that I shared a room with Gm for 2 weeks. I think that was a large part of my overall experience. I also think I had some realizations about my spiritual life which stemmed more from being with GM then being in Vrindavan, but then again, same difference.
The best part by far was, of course, the sadhus!! Giri Maharaja was the highlight of my visit. It is said one who visits a holy place and doesn't hear from the holy people is no better then a cow or an ass. Fortunately I was going with GM therefore I would be spared from such name-calling from the get-go, but still, when it comes to sadhus, the more the merrier. I got to accompany Gm and Vrindaranya to his home maybe 4 or 5 times. And Vrindaranya and I were allowed to follow him for some of his evening routine, beginning at Radha-Govinda(if I remember correctly). Then in the morning we went to Radha-Damodara for Mangala arati and went on Vrindavan Parikrama with him. Unfortunately I went barefoot and with the rough trail could only make it half way. I felt like such a quitter. But Giri maharaja was very kind, the next time we saw him he said he would have told me to wear sandals if he had known we were coming. The last night Vrindaranya and I sat at his feet and he spoke for maybe an hour, it was great. The main emphasis of his talk was that only by crying can we get there, not by becoming a pundit or anything else, Only by crying like a baby bird cries for the mother to come because it cannot fly on it's own.
There were plenty of other noteworthy occurrences but they seem less noteworthy with time, and I want to now switch threads and update you, the dear reader, on Costa Rica...........