Tattva-viveka
Pioneering Madhuvan, Costa Rica
Nitaisundara Das - November 26, 2007 4:14 pm
So....
We arrived on time and got a rental car which would take us to a hotel and then we would go pick up our purchased car the next day. It took a while to find a place to stay but when we did we decided to rent it for a full month because it was incredibly cheap with pretty good accomodations. This is a great find because it takes the rush off of setting up camp and is more convenient while we still have errands to run everyday. The next day Vrindaranya and GM went to get the car and I stayed back and made lunch. After lunch we went to go see the land and were encountering some problemas con un carro, problems with the car?, something like that (I'm trying to learn spanish so I can understand what GM and Vrindaranya are saying about me 
) Juan, the son of the previous owner of the land, went a got a mecanico and brought him to take a look, he helped some but told us we would have to go to a mecanico on monday(which is today, and I am writing this using the free wireless at the mechanic's). We did get up to the land for about 10 minutes before rain started coming....it is amazing. Gm and Vrindaranya were happy with all the work that Juan has done, although I don't know exactly what it is. I do know he has planted some coconut and mango trees!! On the way up we saw an armadillo and were greeted loudly by howler monkeys. On sunday the car wouldn't start until we positioned it for a rolling start, after running some errands and so forth(having to get a running start everytime we turned off the car) the car totally died in Samara. Thankfully Ticos(Costa Ricans) are muchos amigables and one guy after trying to help push start, went and got his truck and after trying to jump start, went back home and got tools to swap our batterias so we used his to start the car, then with the car running he switched them back, wow he was nice. Since the chances were that the car wouldn't start again once turned off we decided to go all the way to Nicoya(past our cabina) and park the car at the mecanico so it would be there in the morning. Apparently lights, windsheild wipers, and automatic windows run off of the battery because our lights were so dim that we just kept getting behind other cars and keeping the pace so that we could see from their lights. Finally we were allowed to park across the street from el mecanico and then pushed the car over today. The repairs are looking good and the high speed internet is a bonus.
Anyway as it turns out, Juans brother is an expert in water systems, so plans for that are underway. And other then the car everything is going nicely. Everything is beautiful here, the climate is great. I overheat quite easily but I think I'll adjust with time and as I lose more weight. This country seems absolutomente perfecto para sadhana bhakti. The locals have a great disposition, and life can be simple but not overly austere. Don't forget the amazing fruits and flowers you can offer to the deities!! Vrindaranya has been snapping some pics so maybe she'll post them soon, but we havent even gone through the land yet. More to come.......
Syamasundara - November 26, 2007 4:34 pm
Oh my... 
Syamasundara - November 26, 2007 4:53 pm
By the way, what did/do you cook?
Babhru Das - November 26, 2007 5:36 pm
What a wonderful report. Thanks, Nitai.
Sounds as though the car may have an alternator problem, or something like that, if the battery isn't getting charged and the lights aren't getting much juice. That's just a guess from a guy who has owned some real turkeys over the last several decades, not un mecanico.
Nitaisundara Das - November 26, 2007 6:01 pm
yo cocinan papas fritas y arroz con oregano. Other than that it's sandwiches con aguacate y queso y tomate, and alot of fresh fruit. as we settle more there will be mas cocinan.
Jiva-daya Dasa - November 26, 2007 6:04 pm
I'm sure they will have you on your way soon enough. Thanks for the update. Glad the weather is nice. I don't remember it raining too much in Guanacaste times I've been in and through there but it can get soggy... Please explore the fruit options as much as you can... i miss it... Also, I had no idea that GM and Vrindaranya were so fluent, how cool is that! Vos ya estarás platicando en un dos por tres! You'll be chatting away in no time I'm sure! Keep us posted when you can and it was really special to see you last week. Ah, the separation...
Vrindaranya Dasi - November 26, 2007 8:51 pm
Here is Guru Maharaja chanting on our first morning in Costa Rica. The second picture is Guru Maharaja having breakfast.
Juan cutting open some young coconuts for drinking:
Day two:
In Nicoya to get the car fixed. Guru Maharaja and Nitai chanting. Pictures from our hotel.
The weather has been great: 72˚ nights/ 85˚ day. It has only rained for about 15 minutes one day, although the rainy season doesn't technically end until mid-Dec. Great to be back here. I love the laid back attitude. Although we have had a lot of trouble with our new car (bought from a German who assured us that we would love it and that he kept it in perfect condition), it was inspiring to see how Costa Ricans went out of their way to help us for no compensation.
Vamsidhari Dasa - November 27, 2007 6:32 am
Thanks for the update and pictures. I've been so anxious to hear from you.
Sounds like things are getting into place. Keep us posted.
Swami - November 27, 2007 2:34 pm
It is incredibly beautiful here, as well as clean and peaceful. We are all well, and except for the car problems that should be solved today, we are progressing as planned with what seems to be a favorable wind behind us and good visabiity ahead. I am praying to Rama Hari to be instrumental in making this place conducive for all of you to spend time here absorbed in their seva. As it is, our land is very Vrndavanesque of old, although more mountainous, or Govardhanous .
Nitaisundara Das - November 27, 2007 2:51 pm
We are back at the mechanic and the car should good to go in a few hours. We still need one part which will come in a few days but we can drive fine until then. So today it's back to nuestros cabina and continue on our way. Adios mi amigos
Vrindaranya Dasi - November 27, 2007 4:57 pm
Day 3: We met a nice American here at the Super Servicio. He's lived in Costa Rica since the 70s. He revealed the method of planting pineapples: purchase pineapple, chop off top, push pineapple top in ground. Wait for pineapples to appear. He also commented, "Here you can take a dead plant, throw it out the window, and in the morning it will be growing again." He also opined that it would be no problem getting cell reception on our land.
Plan for afternoon:
Meet lawyer to finalize car transfer and open bank account.
Get papers for opening a cell phone account.
Meet with architect to go over cabin designs.
Syamasundara - November 27, 2007 5:08 pm
Nitai you crack me up. I can see how learning another language for an English speaker is a quadruple endeavor, with all those masculin, feminine, sometimes neutral, and plural to keep in my mind for the same word!
Be glad it's not German. Keep up the good work. De pronto vamos a conversar en Español sin que te des ni cuenta. Are you using a book?
Babhru Das - November 27, 2007 5:18 pm
Day 3: We met a nice American here at the Super Servicio. He's lived in Costa Rica since the 70s. He revealed the method of planting pineapples: purchase pineapple, chop off top, push pineapple top in ground. Wait for pineapples to appear. He also commented, "Here you can take a dead plant, throw it out the window, and in the morning it will be growing again."
That's how we grow pineapples in Hawaii. I have (had?) a pineapple patch in our back yard. In fact, it's hard to kill plants there, and I guess it's pretty much the same in CR. The temperatures there sound like the temperatures in Puna.
Vrindaranya Dasi - November 27, 2007 5:21 pm
Less rain here though!
Babhru Das - November 27, 2007 11:17 pm
Most likely. Hilo and Puna get about 135-140 inches a year. What's the annual average there?
Syamasundara - November 28, 2007 4:36 am
As far as the pineapples, what was so special about it? That's the only method I've always known for planting them.
It sounds great though, all those varieties of bananas, pineapple, coconut, we could even cultivate macadamia for the deities! And guava, and campaka, tuberose, and even our own ginger. I planted some ginger once at Audarya... I am still waiting for it to find the congenial temperature.
Jiva-daya Dasa - November 28, 2007 3:00 pm
I love that picture of Guru Maharaja and Nitai chanting... You can just feel that warm breeze... to say we're a little jealous would be an understatement... I know you have a lot of work ahead but I hope there will be plenty of time for rest and recharging. Keep those photos coming please: we are living vicariously through them here in chilly NC
Babhru Das - November 28, 2007 3:24 pm
As far as the pineapples, what was so special about it? That's the only method I've always known for planting them.It sounds great though, all those varieties of bananas, pineapple, coconut, we could even cultivate macadamia for the deities! And guava, and campaka, tuberose, and even our own ginger. I planted some ginger once at Audarya... I am still waiting for it to find the congenial temperature.
That's the only way I know to grow pineapples, too, but it must seem cool to someone who just discovered that's how you do it. (I can't remember what I thought when I first learned many years ago, but I probably thought it was cool.) And ginger--oh, yeah, let's grow some organic ginger root. And white ginger flowers, and yellow, and red ginger, too.
Vrindaranya Dasi - November 28, 2007 11:30 pm
Most likely. Hilo and Puna get about 135-140 inches a year. What's the annual average there?
About half of that: 60-80 inches
Krsangi Dasi - November 29, 2007 12:39 pm
As far as the pineapples, what was so special about it? That's the only method I've always known for planting them.
Well, it's pretty special for little Finnish me. 
I can't wait to get to Costa Rica, I'm so excited about coming there in less than a month! I'm just a bit annoyed by the fact that I studied four foreign languages at school, but none of them was Spanish. :Raised Eyebrow:
Please let us know if there's anything you need that we can bring with us!
Jiva-daya Dasa - November 29, 2007 2:28 pm
Well, it's pretty special for little Finnish me.
Please let us know if there's anything you need that we can bring with us!
I am sure the pioneers will agree that, although it might be nice to know some Spanish, it definitely isn't a must for visiting CR. You're going to love it there! I hope some pitahaya, zapote, mamones and maracuyá are planted as well as the piñas... Any aguacate on the property? ¡Qué ricoooooooooooo!
Vrindaranya Dasi - November 30, 2007 2:33 pm
I've been receiving congratulations from Tattva-vivekis on my fluency (due to Nitaisundara's post). Unfortunately, I have to admit that my level of Spanish is hardly beyond "el pero es negro." :Raised Eyebrow:
We're back at the car repair center to have the speedometer fixed. We were just informed that a part will have to be ordered, so we'll have to come back tomorrow.
Yesterday we started setting up camp on the land next to some lemon and avocado trees. We're hoping that we can get a tractor to come soon to widen the roads on the property. Our caretaker has done extensive work clearing some of the building sites.
Here are some more pics.
Bhrigu - November 30, 2007 3:16 pm
What a beautiful place! That third pictures is simply breathtaking. As a teenager, I saw a picture in a book of a lone sadhu wandering in the Himalayas. This picture conjures up the same, half-forgotten feelings. This must be the perfect place for an ashram!
Jiva-daya Dasa - November 30, 2007 4:34 pm
Spectacular photos! I can smell that rich, dew laden volcanic soil just looking at them.
¡Mil gracias!
Babhru Das - November 30, 2007 4:49 pm
Entonces, aguacate si. And the others are familiar to me, too, but by other names: lilikoi (maracuya), rambutan (mamones), dragon fruit (pitahaya), and sapote (zapote) all make wonderful offerings and delicious, nutritious food.
Jiva-daya Dasa - November 30, 2007 4:57 pm
Entonces, aguacate si. And the others are familiar to me, too, but by other names: lilikoi (maracuya), rambutan (mamones), dragon fruit (pitahaya), and sapote (zapote) all make wonderful offerings and delicious, nutritious food.
What color is the "dragon fruit" inside where you live? Here on the East Coast they import what they call "dragon fruit" but it's white on the instead - What we call pitahaya is much more juicy and is a wonderfully deep fucia color - genial para frescos! Just wondering...
Oh yeah, don't forget the marañones - a wonderful fruit that has a special nut (cashew) :Raised Eyebrow:
Nanda-tanuja Dasa - November 30, 2007 5:32 pm
Mind blowing pictures! Thank you for sharing those. I can already hear the trumpeting song of temple conch in the early morning waking up misty hills.
Syamasundara - November 30, 2007 6:45 pm
I've been receiving congratulations from Tattva-vivekis on my fluency (due to Nitaisundara's post). Unfortunately, I have to admit that my level of Spanish is hardly beyond "el pero es negro."
The pear tree is black? :Raised Eyebrow:
Great pics, did somebody ever post an image of the property, its shape and how it lies on the ridge?
Syamasundara - November 30, 2007 6:47 pm
Mind blowing pictures! Thank you for sharing those. I can already hear the trumpeting song of temple conch in the early morning waking up misty hills.
And Mel Gibson :Raised Eyebrow:
Rama-Govinda Dasa - November 30, 2007 11:06 pm
Thanks for pictures .There are amazing.I right now sitting on my bed and looking by the window and see just rain ,wet streets, and cold wind weather and I think this place is not for me but there is like dream.:Raised Eyebrow: I hope so that one day we do nice kirtan all together there
Caitanya-daya Dd - December 1, 2007 11:37 am
breathtaking ...
hopefully my portuguese can help me get around ...
Vrindaranya Dasi - December 1, 2007 8:18 pm
We investigated a spring at the top of the property today. If we put a water holding tank up there, we'll have plenty of water pressure without the need of a pressure tank. The seeds I planted the day we arrived are doing good. I also planted 4 Hawaiian plumeria cuttings that are hopefully taking root. The day after tomorrow we'll be picking up James, who will help with installing our micro hydro turbine for electricity. Wednesday Citta Hari arrives.
Syama Gopala Dasa - December 2, 2007 7:33 pm
Wow, that one picture with the tent on it, looks like the caretaker has done a really nice job. Where is that pic taken?
Vrindaranya Dasi - December 3, 2007 4:14 pm
The avocado site.
Vrindaranya Dasi - December 3, 2007 5:17 pm
Today I'm back at the car repair shop--yawn--still trying to resolve our car problems. Guru Maharaja is at the land overseeing some road work, and Nitaisundara is at the cabin cooking lunch.
Yesterday we managed to take a day off and went to Mondeverde cloud forest reserve (originally established by by Quakers). Our first stop, naturally, was the Mondeverde Cheese factory, which in addition to an impressive array of cheeses had the best ice cream and milkshakes ever. Guru Maharaja, the consummate cowherd boy, got one for each hand.
Next we visited an orchid garden and took a tour with the owner's son. Note the bee in the second picture. The orchid mimics a bee and gets a real bee to pollinate it.
The largest flower in Costa Rica starting to unfurl:
After the orchid tour, we visited some beautiful local shops, seeing the handiwork of the artisians and writers who were attracted to Mondeverde from around the world.
Prema-bhakti - December 3, 2007 10:00 pm
Great pics Vrindaranya! Thank you.
Vamsidhari Dasa - December 4, 2007 12:43 am
Wow!
Vrindaranya you must be in heaven with all these orchids around! Thanks so much for posting these I cannot wait to visit.
Zvonimir Tosic - December 4, 2007 12:08 pm
A firework of colours. All images clearly show all your excitements.
Thank you for sharing your lilas with us.
Ys, Z.
Guru-nistha Das - December 10, 2007 1:38 am
I drove Citta Hari to Santa Rosa this week and Jagadishvara took him to the airport from there. He had a bunch of micro hydro equipment in his luggage and some of it looked just like a bomb, so we were a bit worried whether he'll make it through the border control or not.
I haven't heard from him since , but I'm not expecting a post card from Guantanamo since I heard that they have electricity and water on the property now, so that must mean that Citta Hari made it!
I also heard (through Gaurasundara) that they have some kind of a bathhouse system up now. And Vrinda wrote that they have several roads bulldozed inside the property. Things seem to progress light speed.
Guru-nistha Das - December 10, 2007 6:34 pm
I just got this email from Guru Maharaja! It blows my mind what they've been able to get done in two weeks. The beginning of the mail might be confusing if you haven't been on the property, but you'll get the gist of the extent of the work that has been done already:
I am writing from the land. We have made an incredible amount of
progress here thus far.
We now have a road (200 m) down to the three sites on the left as you
enter the land at the main gate. This week we will also make a road
on the flat area slated for the yoga retreat just above and to the
left of the main entry road. This new road will take one from just
within the front gate through the entire yoga retreat area (300 m),
circling up to a beautiful, lofty site about 200 feet high. It is
here that we hope to build the yoga pavillion.
In the meantime we now have a road through middle of the property,
enabling one to drive from the gate through the avocado and temple
site area all the way to the top palm site at the far end and extreme
height of the usable mouantain side (1km). It makes for a very nice
walk with huge hardwoods along the road side. Next we will level the
four palm tree sites and then build a small road (200 m) connecting
the avocado site (5 trees 3 types) to the temple site. Then we will
level the temple site.
After this we will need to change tractors and bring in a back hoe to
level the rest of the more quaint sites. With this machine we will
also create small, flat 25'x25' or so sites along the road and
wherever else the land is relatively flat. This will make for many
cabin sites throughout the property. All of this really ties the
place together and enables one to get a handle on how the whole
property fits works. However, this description does not include any
development of the lot sites down below the avocado site. We have not
had time to look again at that area yet.
We are going to try to put together a picture tour of all of this,
but if we don't get time, Kamalaksa will be assigned the seva when he
arrives later this month (we are almost ready to host guests)
Juan's brother, a contractor, is working with us to bring in gravity
fed water everywhere. We should have running water for showers, etc.
early next week at all the sites. We also have a provisional toilet
in place built by local labor. We have a tent shower up and we will
have an outdoor metal shower with concrete floor on site by Tuesday.
Outdoor concrete sinks will also be installed this week. The hydro
electric is presently generating electricity and being fine tuned.
Looks like we will have plenty of electricity (more than Audarya)
with no need to use any of it for pumping water.
About a dozen fruit trees have been planted. We brought melon, bell
pepper, tomato, basil, and okra seeds that have now sprouted and are
are ready to plant. We are buying milk from Juan's cow (mmmm) and
will install a refrigerator later this week.
My basic idea at this point is to put our money and effort into the
infrastructure--trails, roads, leveling ground, outdoor showers and
toilets here and there, camp sites, gathering areas, water,
electricity, etc. This will give us a huge campground to plug into
and effectively use throughout the dry season even without buidling
anything, since the climate is so mild. With all of this in place we
could even hold a tent festival next year at Audarya Del Sur!
We should have a cell phone by the first week of January. The local
tower, although not visible from the land, provides a clear signal.
For about $7/month we will have internet access through the mobile
phone, and all incoming calls are free, including international
calls. Pura Vida!
Prema-bhakti - December 10, 2007 7:42 pm
:Just Kidding: AWESOME!
Babhru Das - December 10, 2007 8:39 pm
Wow. (I can't think of more to say right now.) Wow.
Syama Gopala Dasa - December 10, 2007 8:45 pm
Mindblowing!!
Vrindaranya Dasi - December 10, 2007 8:54 pm
Here's a partial viewing of the cast of characters here at Audarya del Sur:
Emel, our caretaker and the previous owner of the land. He has been overseeing the roadwork:
One of Emel's sons, Hermez, a carpenter. He has been heading up the crew that is installing our water system.
James, mastermind of our micro hydro-electric system.
Citta Hari sporting new machete.
Nitatisundara, after a long, trying day with an unexpected downpour, going into an ecstasy at the sight of a can of Pringles queso chips.
Vrindaranya Dasi - December 10, 2007 9:03 pm
James and Citta carrying batteries for the micro hydro system:
New roads:
Construction of provisional bathroom:
Our new shower tent:
Jiva-daya Dasa - December 10, 2007 9:23 pm
Looking great! I hope that not too much top soil is removed from the building sites as the first six inches or so contains the most nutrient-rich, living, part of the soil. Here in the U.S. they sell it from builing sites then truck in different top soil where they need it. You have to love that new ponpon 
Syamasundara - December 10, 2007 11:11 pm
Anything about this thread always makes me start giggle in excitement.
I was also thinking about the top soil. Are the pavillion and cabins also going to be straw bale buildings?
Can someone (Citta Hari) make a sketch of how the property is laid out and where what is going to be? I forgot if I already asked, sorry.
I wonder if the retreats can start even before everything is spiffy, maybe at a lower fee, so that people are encouraged to come, and with that money we can make it better for their next retreat; create a whole campaign or something.
Is there a local breed of cows?
Vamsidhari Dasa - December 11, 2007 3:25 pm
This is all amazing! It really looks like Audarya, as if it is the same, but different!!!!!
Guru-nistha Das - December 11, 2007 4:54 pm
The top soil will not be an issue, the ex-landowner told that the topsoil goes 3 feet deep, so no problem.
Jiva-daya Dasa - December 12, 2007 3:53 pm
Many folks down that way know how to make very nice and sturdy clay ovens (horno de barro). You've probably already thought of it but my wife and I were saying yesterday that we would definitely have one if we were there: a lovely and self-sufficient way to help feed the pioneers
Syamasundara - December 12, 2007 7:00 pm
Oh, myself I'm planning on having a small one in the kitchen, one outside in the patio, and a kiln for my pottery.
Bijaya Kumara Das - December 29, 2007 8:36 am
what beautiful shots of the progress, stores and surroundings
thanks for the updates but give me more
you must all be working like little honey bees for gurumaharaja to get this done so quickly
cant wait to see more of the progress
Syamasundara - December 30, 2007 5:46 am
So... ki khabor? I guess you are just waiting to have this cell phone internet next week.
Prema-bhakti - January 8, 2008 7:15 pm
I came across an article on msn.com's green page called, "The New Costa Rica" written from the perspective of an eco-tourist.
http://travel.msn.com/Guides/greenarticle....9278>1=10832
So many of my friends and acquaintances have CR on their trip agendas and they are particularly interested in staying at a place that will give them a novel adventurous retreat experience. A family I know plans to go on a horse whisperer retreat in CR. 
:Confused:
CR is definately a hot destination spot and our mission has a presence due to GM's vision and divine inspiration.
Caitanya-daya Dd - January 8, 2008 9:39 pm
next destination: costa rica
Jason - January 9, 2008 1:21 am
My folks do the "time share" vacation thing and have a week for Chris and I to use this summer. Entertaining the idea of going there for a trip to check things out.
Syamasundara - January 9, 2008 6:40 am
Are K&K already there? I am dying with anticipation
Syama Gopala Dasa - January 9, 2008 4:47 pm
I think they should be back already, so yes we want photos!
Syamasundara - January 11, 2008 8:47 pm
We need news!!!! :Confused: 
Vrindaranya Dasi - January 11, 2008 11:52 pm
Hi everyone,
We haven't had electricity for the last several weeks because our microhydro system had to be moved to a different creek, hence little computer usage. A lot has happened and unfortunately I can only post a few pictures to whet your appetite, as it is getting dark and I need to get back to the land. Kamalaksa and Krsangi should be posting more details soon.
Perhaps the biggest news is that Kamalaksa and Krsangi have bought a horse for Guru Maharaja. Her name is Sundari. They have actually given enough for two horses complete with saddles, so as soon as we find another suitable horse, Audarya del Sur will be home to two horses.
Here is Krsangi riding Sundari and Guru Maharaja riding Juan's horse Nistha:
Photos from a trip to Monteverde. We went on a canopy tour, which is a series of bridges that pass through the cloud forest canopy:
Here is an iguana on our land and Jagadisvara and Citta Hari looking on:
Cows grazing on our land:
A butterfly that has landed on Don Emel's machete:
Guru Maharaja overlooking some excavation work:
I've got more pictures ... I'll upload them as soon as I get a chance. Sorry for the long delay!
Syamasundara - January 12, 2008 12:24 am
Cows of 3 colors!!! 
Wow it's really humid there, though. I guess strawbale houses are not an option after all. Maybe just wood frame and cob.
How did the horses come about? Were they Juan's or you actually bought them at some horse store?
Braja-sundari Dasi - January 12, 2008 9:34 am
Perhaps the biggest news is that Kamalaksa and Krsangi have bought a horse for Guru Maharaja. Her name is Sundari. They have actually given enough for two horses complete with saddles, so as soon as we find another suitable horse, Audarya del Sur will be home to two horses.
Oh my God! She`s really beautiful! Who will take care of her when you all come back to Audarya? Or maybe she is coming also?
Jagadish - January 13, 2008 6:55 pm
Oh my God! She`s really beautiful!
Good Morning Braja-Sundari!
Dhiralalita and I just returned from Audarya del Sur. In answer to your question, the horses will stay in the care of Juan, who has sourced the horses for Swami and is giving the lessons in horse care the Tico way. Juan in all likely hood will become a caretaker for Audarya del Sur. He is a member of the local police and is one of the son's of Don Emel, the former owner, and good friend of Swami's now.
Actually, Swami is practically part of their family, and they are helping in every way possible.
-Jagadish
Braja-sundari Dasi - January 13, 2008 7:29 pm
Good Morning Braja-Sundari!
Dhiralalita and I just returned from Audarya del Sur. In answer to your question, the horses will stay in the care of Juan, who has sourced the horses for Swami and is giving the lessons in horse care the Tico way. Juan in all likely hood will become a caretaker for Audarya del Sur. He is a member of the local police and is one of the son's of Don Emel, the former owner, and good friend of Swami's now.
So Audarya del Sur has a really good protector.
I`m looking forward to hear more...
Tadiya Dasi - January 14, 2008 11:59 am
Thank you for the update, Vrindaranya! (And for the photos)
Sundari is really beautiful, and I love the picture of Guru Maharaj waving his hat 
Good Morning Braja-Sundari!
Dhiralalita and I just returned from Audarya del Sur. In answer to your question, the horses will stay in the care of Juan, who has sourced the horses for Swami and is giving the lessons in horse care the Tico way. Juan in all likely hood will become a caretaker for Audarya del Sur. He is a member of the local police and is one of the son's of Don Emel, the former owner, and good friend of Swami's now.
Actually, Swami is practically part of their family, and they are helping in every way possible.
-Jagadish
It's wonderful to see how someone like Guru Maharaj goes around practically anywhere, and ends up engaging all these people who otherwise wouldn't have connection with Krishna consciousness. Divine intervention, indeed.
Dhiralalita - January 14, 2008 3:48 pm
Dhiralalita - January 14, 2008 3:50 pm
Jagadish - January 14, 2008 4:19 pm
Sunset Audarya del sur, the sky here is constantly changing kaleidoscope of color and variety!
Base Camp 1 Audarya del sur, Swami's "house" in front!
Kamalaksa Das - January 14, 2008 6:04 pm
We had barely retrieved our lost luggage (please contact the Paris airport if you want to rid yourself of material attachments) before demands for a full disclosure of our trip began emerging on this forum. And rightly so, as I too would be dying to know what life at Audarya del Sur was like. Had I not had the priviledge of experiencing it first hand, that is.
The problem is that once returning to the much more Northern part of the Northern hemisphere the physical distance to our Southern family grew longer. And as a correlation of this our physical distance to our everyday lives and duties grew much closer. To be honest with you, a bit too close for comfort. In practical terms this meant that the people at work were just as eager to see us as you here are to hear from us, but for reasons entirely different. (Giving a six-hour class on typography while being severely jetlagged is something I wouldn't want to do again any time soon...) This is one reason for our silence.
There is also another reason for this silence. What we went through during our stay was quite overwhelming. And to sort it all out, to somehow be able to adequately articulate, takes time. Like fine wine matures over a longer period, so too does thought only achieve clarity when left to develope without force. If rushed, the result would be to turn to the ubiqutous terms employed so often when wanting to describe events of this caliber and nature.
Saying that the trip was ecstatic, nectarean and blissfull would certainly be true. How could it not be? But by simply making use of these overused terms which nearly have lost their meaning would actually serve only to rob the events of their significance. The reality of our stay in the jungles of Costa Rica was a so much more nuanced experience than these words could serve to illustrate.
Many words were spoken, hopefully even more were heard. Stunning plans were presented. Plans that in their magnitude still makes my head spin. In some ways the experience was akin to that of sitting down at camp when darkness had cast itself over our heads, looking up towards the sky. Witnessing the endlessness of stars arching all over the sky is a humiliating experience. At least for a city dweller like myself, whose closest enclounter of the kind is seeing the neon sign of a local bank revolve around its axle, this made me speechless. My head is still spinning, and I'm still trying to make sense out of it all.
I give you a promise, here and now, that a report will ensue. But I cannot say exactly when. You have to be patient with me, and give me some time so that the taste of the wine won't come out all foul.
Kamalaksa das
Postscript
For the record: Yes, it was ecstatic! We were among friends, the weather was great, the sun kept shining, and the surroundings were breathtakingly beautiful in a way no camera can do justice to. At least no camera in my hands. Instead of showing you at this time some of my second grade pictures I give you a piece of advice. Pack your bags and run to the airport. Sell your parents' house if you need to, but do not miss out on this one!
Jagadish - January 15, 2008 2:47 am
The daily outlook, Audarya del sur
Come on down, the water is fine!
Just increasing your desire. Jai Sri Hari!
Syamasundara - January 15, 2008 5:38 am
Now, THAT's what I call a view. Now I can appreciate the fog and the mountain atmosphere at Audarya, but when we first moved, everybody was so enthusiastic about the view, and I would always think: "What view? There is a whole ridge in front of us barring the view! And then even the fog comes down."
This costa rica pic is great: endless sky, endless green land, and just a touch mountainy, not to make it boring.
Syama Gopala Dasa - January 15, 2008 6:08 pm
See Syamasundara, Costa Rica has nice views and skies after all
Syamasundara - January 16, 2008 8:05 am
So, it's going to remain "Audarya del Sur", huh?
What's wrong with such a simple name as dhanya-vela-ratna (the jewel of Costa Rica [rich coast]) ? :Just Kidding:
Actually I like it now.
Syamasundara - January 28, 2008 8:16 pm
I don't mean to sound accusatory, but so many people have gone to Costa Rica, and so many have already come back, but so many more are still wondering what the news are.
If you don't feel like typing so much, make a video and post it somewhere.
I'm going to fast until my next meal to express my discontent 
Jiva-daya Dasa - January 28, 2008 9:43 pm
¡Y que lo digas! Yes, we are both eager to see and hear «qué tal por allá».
Más fotos por fa
Jason - January 30, 2008 4:01 am
Which airport does one fly into to get to Audarya Del Sur? Liberia? Then do you need a car to drive? What is the town. Curious...
Thanks,
J
Citta Hari Dasa - January 30, 2008 4:05 pm
Which airport does one fly into to get to Audarya Del Sur? Liberia? Then do you need a car to drive? What is the town. Curious...
Yes, Liberia. It's a couple hours or so from there to Audarya del Sur, so you would need a car, preferably four wheel drive. The town nearby (about 40 minutes from AdS) where people can stay and do internet and so forth is Samara, which is on the beach.
Jiva-daya Dasa - January 30, 2008 4:57 pm
Yes, Liberia. It's a couple hours or so from there to Audarya del Sur, so you would need a car, preferably four wheel drive. The town nearby (about 40 minutes from AdS) where people can stay and do internet and so forth is Samara, which is on the beach.
What's the name of the nearest town? Is AdS off 150? Thanks. It's been a while since I was in that area and don't remember 150 to well, but know that's what we would take to from the Nicoya area to the shore.
Syama Gopala Dasa - January 30, 2008 7:10 pm
What's the name of the nearest town? Is AdS off 150? Thanks. It's been a while since I was in that area and don't remember 150 to well, but know that's what we would take to from the Nicoya area to the shore.
If that's the road from Nicoya to Samara, correct my memory if wrong, then that's the one.
Citta Hari Dasa - January 30, 2008 10:40 pm
I think 150 is it. AdS is about half way between Nicoya and Samara, about a 20 minute drive into the hills from 150.
Jason - January 31, 2008 5:40 am
Sadly, it doesn't look like there is a shuttle from Liberia International Airport to Samara (nor to Nosara or Carillo). I guess one would need a private shuttle which is about $100 (as opposed to a $20 shared shuttle). Is Samara a big enough town to rent a car there, or is it better to just rent in Liberia and make the drive?
Thanks!
Syama Gopala Dasa - January 31, 2008 6:50 pm
I think 150 is it. AdS is about half way between Nicoya and Samara, about a 20 minute drive into the hills from 150.
I can't remember the name of that little town you drive through to exit to AdS, do you?
Vrindaranya Dasi - February 3, 2008 3:49 pm
Belin is the town. There are two Belins though and our Belin is the smaller one that isn't on many maps.
Nitai plans to write something about Costa Rica soon. Meanwhile, here are some pics.
Horse shots. The first one is Guru Maharaja on Audarya del Sur's second horse, Jaya Sri. She is Guru Maharaja's favorite:
Buildings and pictures of some of the workers. The first picture is the power shed, the second is a rancho. A cabin for Guru Maharaja is currently under construction; pictures soon.
Pictures of one of the nearby waterfalls and a lake above the waterfall, which attracts a lot of interesting birds:
Picture showing some beautiful yellow trees in bloom at Audarya del Sur:
Costa Rican graffiti:
Animals at a zoo:
Braja-sundari Dasi - February 3, 2008 4:07 pm
Wow! It seems that soon everything will be ready there!
At first I thought that crocodile`s photo was taken in AdS. I`m happy it`s not
Vamsidhari Dasa - February 3, 2008 6:32 pm
so beautiful thanks for posting these. i was also and wondering if maybe the lake also attracts interesting shakes and scary things? this is all so breath taking. i cant wait to be able to see it. mostly i cant wait for all of you to come back home and tell us all about it. i hope you still remember how to speak english?
Syamasundara - February 3, 2008 6:45 pm
Thank you so much
So, it looks like regular cement is being used after all.
Nearby fall means outside the property? Does it belong to anyone? That sure reminds everyone of the Yamuna in the forest, much more than the actual Yamuna flowing through the city of Vrndavana. How far is it? Would be great to be there on a full moon.
Bijaya Kumara Das - February 8, 2008 6:37 am
the progress looks great and Guru Maharaja seems blissfull
thank you so much for the updates
Nitaisundara Das - March 7, 2008 7:17 pm
I would like to announce the return of Guru Maharaja to the United States after 4 months. We are currently in Houston waiting for our connecting flight to SFO.
Yesterday when leaving the land in CR, Guru Maharaja said that this trip took this project from theory to reality. Its been a great success.
Upon leaving we now have electricity, water running to almost all building sites, roads, an improved entry road, fruit trees and veggies growing, a storage house for the microhydro equipment, a provisional rancho for cooking and camping while we build, one cabin 3/4 done and another 1/2 done, 3 horses and the knowledge of how to maintain/utilize them, plans for 2 more cabins to be built while we are away, and a much much better understanding of how things work in Costa Rica and how to accomplish what needs to be. While it can all be summarized in moments, really the progress has been monumental and fast paced.
Now it's full speed ahead to the temple opening and moving Gaura-Nityananda into their new home!!
Vrindaranya Dasi - March 7, 2008 7:27 pm
When Don Emel was moving his cows from the pasture behind his house to one adjoining our property, Guru Maharaja took the opportunity to embrace his constitutional position (Costa Rican style):
Braja-sundari Dasi - March 7, 2008 8:33 pm
Yesterday when leaving the land in CR, Guru Maharaja said that this trip took this project from theory to reality. Its been a great success.Upon leaving we now have electricity, water running to almost all building sites, roads, an improved entry road, fruit trees and veggies growing, a storage house for the microhydro equipment, a provisional rancho for cooking and camping while we build, one cabin 3/4 done and another 1/2 done, 3 horses and the knowledge of how to maintain/utilize them, plans for 2 more cabins to be built while we are away, and a much much better understanding of how things work in Costa Rica and how to accomplish what needs to be. While it can all be summarized in moments, really the progress has been monumental and fast paced.
WOW!!! Wonderful! 
Madan Gopal Das - March 7, 2008 9:02 pm
Welcome back all of you!!!! I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say you were sorely missed. Knowing that glorious happenings were taking place that we have the great fortune to be part of made the separation slightly less severe. What a relief it will be to be with you again soon.
Rebekah - March 27, 2008 6:23 am
This is really very amazing. The woman I work for (Karen) is in Iraq working as a logistics manager. I sent her some photos and was briefing her on the plans to sell the lots and everything (brilliant idea). She said "That really is amazing. This is what I imagine Heaven to look like" That was this morning. Just a little while ago she sent another email and asked if there were still any for sale. She's interested. I told her I didn't think that there would be, but I would still ask. She's "not" a devotee, but I have never seen a better example of "simple living, high thinking" in this material world. I don't imagine you guys would want a stranger in on this, but never the less I told her I would ask. I also sent her a link that Swami Maharaja had posted of the real estate company and prepared her for the disappointment that the lots would be sold already.
Vrindaranya Dasi - March 27, 2008 2:31 pm
At this time there are no more lots available, but there may be in the future. We'll keep you posted!
Rebekah - March 27, 2008 9:58 pm
At this time there are no more lots available, but there may be in the future. We'll keep you posted!
Thanks :Nail Biting: Karen said "tell him to put us on the list". She's kinda bossy, but she means well.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:15 pm
Some 521 years after the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu a group of pioneers established a colony in the mountains of western Costa Rica. Located approximately between the coastal resort of Samara and the larger town of Nicoya was the place where these trailblazers set up camp. Thus settling in the middle of the jungle they met with many challenges, but none deterred them. Even when being bereft of much of what has become to be characterised as basic amenities of civilized life.
Living in small tents, tormented by scorching heat and stormy winds this community slowly began to develop the uninhabited jungle into something different. Working long hours, sparing no efforts, at times in adverse conditions while facing nature as its rawest, the land slowly began to evolve.
Roads were drawn, where previously only small paths had existed, the small streams were harnessed to provide both running water ant light. Thus slowly turning the forest into the haven for a yogic lifestyle it would once become.
It is my, in much lacking, attempt to narrate within the pages of this book the pastimes of these pioneers, who worked with the goal of perfecting paradise.
Their names were Swami B.V. Tripurari, Vrindaranya dasi, Citta Hari dasa, Nitai Sundara dasa, Dhira Lalita dasi and Jagadishvara dasa.
May their fame spread throughout the three worlds!
Signed by the most insignificant scribe,
Kamalaksa das
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:16 pm
Many of you have been very persistant in your requests for pictures taken during our vacation in Audarya del Sur. My silence had its explanation, which I was unwilling to give, lest it spoil the surprise.
As many of you know I was asked to document the pioneering phases of Audarya del Sur by Guru Maharaja himself. Given this, he was also the first I wanted to share the result with. Upon arriving at Audarya a week before Vyasa-puja and Gaura Purnima, I handed over the pictures as a gift. The final product was made into an old-styled photo album, now located to my knowledge in the library of Guru Maharaja.
The pictures displayed here on the forum are the same as in the book. But the general feeling of looking at pictures from a screen in comparison to actually holding an album in your hand is vast. But if you are visiting Audarya you might be granted access to Guru Maharajas quarters, and if you ask kindly, he just might give you an oportunity to read the book yourself.
And now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak, I am more than willing to share both pictures and stories from the land near by the equator. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed being given the priviledge to part take in the life at the camp as well as shooting the pictures.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:16 pm
When I told friends about doing the pictures from Costa Rica in black and white many questioned my sanity. So before you do the same let me at least offer you my reasoning behind this admittedly unorthodox choise.
While the whole scenery was one of wilderness and those living there were pioneers clearing the land for future settlement, I saw it befitting to chose an older, documentary style to depict the events. I know some of you might not agree with this logic, but hey, you can always go there and shoot your own pictures. :Talking Ear Off:
And I got a certain confirmation for having done something right when Guru Maharaja, upon receiving the book, exclaimed "It seems it was worth having you running around with your camera there after all!"
Now to the pictures!
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:18 pm
We have often heard that it is the feeling of the pure devotee projected upon the external reality that transforms it into something magical. So also in our base camp. When eating lunch one day Guru Maharaja asked us what we saw when we looked at the trees in front of the kitchen tent.
Krishangi volontered that the trunks were two instead of one, being intertwined. "Yes, that's part of it" Guru Maharaja said, "but there's more to it. Look at the branches, who holds their hands like that?"
At this part it was clear he was talking about Mahaprabhu and Nitai, who were for our duration at the camp the presiding deities. Their legs crossed, their long arms stretching out as the prime weapons in the fight against maya in this day and age. I offer my respectful obeisencies to these two trees.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:20 pm
Our two construction workers having a short break inbetween long shifts.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:21 pm
Not a bonsai tree, even though the form might fool you. Some very Japanese aesthetics present in this photography. And an interesting parallel to the style of Audarya North and its architecture. Same but different.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:25 pm
Vrindaranya and Citta Hari down by the river. Nitai had made some delicious sandwiches for us to devour by the cool flow of water down in the valley. So much to explore, slippery stones along a small stream growing stronger. Eventually forming incredible waterfalls and pools. Something rather experienced than read about.
I encourage you, make it your objective to one day take a dive in the cooling waters flowing at Audarya del Sur!
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:29 pm
The kitchen tent equipped with a smiling Dhira-lalita. She tried to teach Krishangi (didn't even bother with me...) to make good chapatis. But somehow the form of our chapatis always seem to resemble more the coastline of Iceland than the perfect round ones made by, say, Dhira.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:35 pm
A moment in the sun. Guru Maharaja ever innovative in his search for a comfortable position in an otherwise somewhat rickety plastic chair. Citta Hari settling for firmer ground. Those small peaceful moments of laughter and sharing stories. And a time of unravelings of big plans from the side of Guru Maharaja.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:36 pm
The panoramic wiew of the valley below. Morning mist still visible aproximately during the time of mangala arati, only to disappear as soon as the first rays of sun hit the scenery.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:38 pm
By the horripilation tree. During the tour of the area our guide took us to a tree exhibiting from being allowed to stand in so close proximity to the vaisnavas. Though you wouldnt want to run up against one - the spikes being sharp and hard. Reminding us that the external symptoms of spiritual ecstacy can be both frightening and hard to understand if lacking the proper orientation.
All in all the forest's bounty impressed us Finns with all its offerings. With us being brought up with trees sharing mainly pine cones with us, these plants were something else.
During our stay at the camp Guru Maharaja many times returned to how the Goswamis were so in tune with nature, noticing every nuance of its variagetedness, seeing it as a backdrop for Krishnas play. He noted with great respect how Don Emel and Juan held this same high regard for the area, sharing with us all kinds of details about the flora and fauna of their region.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:42 pm
Citta Hari and Jagadishvara preparing for the descent. While the river might not have been far away when measured in feet and inches, the perceived distance was much longer.
The hills were steep, and the pipes and wires sure didn't get to the bottom by themselves. Adding to this, the hydro plant had to be moved from a smaller stream that almost dried up during the dry season, to a place with stronger flow further down. Meaning in practical terms that the material initially put up in one part of the forest had to be dismounted, then moved to another part. With no proper (or even improper) roads or paths, in between them.
If you are looking for a way to lose weight, running up and down those hills are guaranteed to work!
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 7:44 pm
As far as mechanics go, I basically understand the principle upon which the camera works. This in no way implies that I could construct one, just that I theoretically understand the relationship between shutter speed and apperture.
This said, I am always awestruck with someone skilled at practical work. Both Jagadishvara and Citta Hari made noble attempts at explaining to me the physics that allowed for generation of power, how the mass of waters flow could by certain formulas could be calculated and how the length of the pipe played into all of this.
I kind of understood the words, but the context was like a foreign language to me. For me, electricity has always been something that comes from two holes in a wall, and can be dangerous should you be bathing and someone drops a hairdryer in the tub.
But now that I have been educated in the matter I, during intense mental strainings, gathered that it was a question of some form of black magic. Those of you who disagree are free to build your own powerplant and prove me wrong.
*
Pictured here Citta Hari giving us the moves.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 8:10 pm
One thing that always is a bit unsettling for me is how quickly things move around Guru Maharaja. Myself being a person who is more prone to contemplating meaningless details for ages, Guru Maharaja exhibits at times characteristics in complete contrast to this. And by this I am not implying that the decisions are whimsical, just that I occasionally (read: almost always) have a hard time following his rapid pace.
So too with the means of transportation. Guru Maharaja had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the car and all problems it brought with it. Either the mirrors where damaged or the back doors didn't open properly or the front window didn't close or any other variety of things that cars can suffer from. In addition to it havning been extensively repaired prior to us arriving. (The back door not opening properly was expertly fixed by Jagadishvara, who unlocked the childproof mechanism inhibiting us from opening the door from inside once seated. :Talking Ear Off: )
The solution - in an foreseeable future get rid of the car, and replace it with horses. Said and done, Juan was contacted, and asked to scout for good horses. And before we knew, we had two of them at our camp.
While I was perplexed witnessing this, dear Krishangi saw it in a different light: Now was her opportunity to start taking riding lessons, labeling them as part of devotional service. For one has to be able to ride if one wants to serve at Audarya del Sur, right?
Her classes start tomorrow, having enrolled in the senior group, so you all wish her luck.
*
Juan giving guidelines of how the horses are to be treated, using a combination of Spanish and the always working form of sign language.
Kamalaksa Das - March 31, 2008 9:06 pm
In the end I'm not sure how long the pipe was, but it was long. And once filled with water it was heavy too. Probably even heavier han our workmen had expected, as it cracked on a few spots. Leaving it to be fixed with the most vile-smelling substance I have encountered for a while. Some PVC compound, I presume. Probably a very good substance if you should be into sniffing glue.
Which neither Jagadishvara or Citta Hari to my knowledge were. So instead of minds being wrecked, pipes were fixed. With the added help of every handymans second best fix-it-all material - steel wire.
The upside of working down by the stream was that it was pleasantly cool down there. But beware of those rocks - they are slippery. I know I already mentioned it earlier on, but it sure is a warning worth repeating. Only by chance did my camera and I escape an involonatary bath.
The second picture shows the installing of the pipe. From what I understood, it was important that the angle from the start to the end of the line was consistently sloping downwards, resulting at times in mounting the pipe in a fashion involving both a show of raw power as well as acrobatic skills
*
Either Citta Hari or Jagadisvara will probably share with us the amount of water running through the pipe per minute (I guess that's how it was measured...) and how much power this generates. I can only tell you that we ran a fridge, a lamp and charged both computers and camera batteries with it. Which is just about as much as I need to know.
Krsangi Dasi - March 31, 2008 9:19 pm
As we know a proper conceptual orientation is of prime importance in the beginning of ones spiritual life. No less is this proper orientation needed when entering the dhama. Without it one might find oneself lost and confused, and worst of all alone in the woods. To help all those planing to visit Audarya del Sur, Krishangi offers a small guide, hoping it to prove helpful for each and everyone! - Kamalaksa
*
At New Year I ventured into the deep jungles of Costa Rica, my mission being making a map of the vast uncharted regions where no prosthetic foot had been set down before. I hiked up and down the hills with the help of my trusted Finnish Nordic walking poles, and came home with a wrinkled piece of paper with some sketches on it. From the sketches this map evolved and was given to Guru Maharaja when we visited Audarya at Gaura Purnima, and now I thought I'd let you all take a look.
On the map you can see Audarya del Sur as it was a few months ago, I'm told that it's changed a lot already as cabins and ranchos are constructed. But what should still be the same are the mountains and valleys and the steep paths connecting them. Coming to Audarya in March I was struck by its similarity to its Southern equivalent: the same winding sand roads, steep slopes, red clay under my feet, morning mist in the valley... The two Audaryas are like reflections of one another, with different manifestations of Gaura-Nitai watching over both of them.
As Kamalaksa has a minor obsession with old maps he demanded that I some cool borders and the compass, which made the map look a bit more professional. I'm afraid that I have no idea if the compass is showing the right directions or not, probably not.
But you can see Guru Maharaja chanting by his tent, looking over the valley and seeing the temple, gardens, cabins, restaurant and yoga studio that still are unmanifest in my eyes.
Vrindaranya is driving the car up the hill, hopefully not getting stuck in the soft sand. She's still weak with fever but won't leave her service to go and rest at a hotel in town as we suggested.
Nitai is in the kitchen, working his magic. There sometimes don't seem to be anything else than potatoes and canned tomatoes on the shelves, but still he manages to cook us two delicious meals every day.
Citta Hari and Jagadishvara are no lesser magicians, as they make electricity out of water. I don't dare follow them down a path that looks more like a straight fall in my eyes. (Note that Citta Hari is a real man: he refuses to let the doctor take a look at the strange large bump on his hand. Later, back at Audarya, it turns out that an uninvited guest is living in there.)
Dhira-lalita is sitting by our tent, making a beautiful drawing of the Gaura-Nitai trees. In the evening she tells us about her years in the Art Department and I feel so tiny - both as an artist and a devotee.
Don Emel comes galloping down the road, looking like he was born on a horse. He knows every tree and every animal and it's just so nice to see how happy he is that it's Guru Maharaja who's bought the land that he loves so much.
Juan is walking around, limping slightly because of a motorcycle accident but not sparing his leg in his eagerness to show us all the best fruit trees and drinking spots for the horses. The dogs are following him wherever he goes, sometimes sliding downhill.
We don't see Hermes that often, he's hidden in the jungle, working tirelessly to make Guru Maharaja's vision come true. In the evening he comes up the hill and generously lends us his car for the following day's trip, even though he must know that the long drive will be a huge strain on the worn-down engine.
Sundari is very beautiful, with a shiny coat and long eyelashes. She's not quite used to the steep and narrow paths yet, but she's very friendly and tolerant of us not so used to riding.
The neighbor's cows are grazing on an impossibly steep pasture, barely visible without a binocular. Guru Maharaja's property is huge, like an enchanted forest filled with secret sites to be discovered in the years to come.
And Kamalaksa and I are walking in the pleasant shadow of the exotic trees that we've previously only seen in our schoolbooks. Guru Maharaja has once again lead us to a place we wouldn't even have dared to dream about. Spiritual life doesn't need to be a daily struggle with obstacles and austerities, instead it can be an ever-expanding adventure!
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:06 pm
Big tree - small people. Down by the river once again. This time with Krishangi and Jagadishvara.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:09 pm
The gardener and her little helper.
Vrindaranya waters her test garden and Krishangi expertly supervises. Growing anything is always a miracle for urban city dwellers with us, skilled only in slow euthanasia for a vide variety of plants. To call our home a death row for any photosynthesising entity would not be far from the truth. But as witnessed in Vrindaranya, there are those more in tune with nature and its workings.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:10 pm
Breakfast many times consisted of bread toasted on a frying pan, resulting more often than one wished for in something described by Vrindaranya as the "burn and scrape" method.
And while there might have been some fault on the side of the person behind the frying pan, there were other circumstances that added to the repeated failures as well. For the gas stove, however practical, had the disadvantage of being very sensitive to wind. Which was something to factor in in the equation in comparison to that of an ordinary kitchen, as the walls were made of thin mesh. Mesh of course being good for keeping out the bugs, but not really serving any purpose in blocking air flow.
This minor detail upped the level of making toast a bit, but the real trouble came when cooking lunch. Estimating cooking times suddenly turned into more of guesswork depending on the power and direction of the breeze.
We still managed to cook something edible each time we were requested to do so. But in all honesty, I suppose our success in this matter was more a question of a stronger than usual appetite from the side of the campers than our culinary achievements.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:13 pm
Salon del Sur. One of the first things the by now up and running electricity was utilised for, was to freshen up the campers' hairstyles to be better in tune with the vaisnava fashion. Call it the British gentleman's code or something else, but there is no excuse for looking scruffy, even if living in the jungle!
In the first picture the camp's hairdressers' look approximates the look of my dentist when I open my mouth. Thankfully Nitai fared much better at the barbershop than I at my encounters with the dental professionals. Although it has to be said that his wayward sikha seemed to pose some minor problems for our stylist.
After seing Nitai survive the cut, Guru Maharaja himself was seated in the chair. Nitai in the background, obviously enlivened by his cooler scalp, tests one of the camps favorite gadgets - the wind meter.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:15 pm
Krishangi on a horse. It is interesting how all our desires gradually seem to be fulfilled when associating with bhakti. Not that it is (or at least should be) the purpose, or the reason for our practise. But at least from my limited perspective most fine things and experiences in life have manifested themselves in connection to bhakti.
I guess it is a benediction bestowed upon those of us who are in the very beginning stages of devotional life. I honestly fear the day when I am to prove myself when faced with adversity. The lives of the Pandavas come to my mind. But for now, my life of a sadhaka in the most early stages is the most exciting life I could envision. Yet somehow a slight feeling is lingering that I too am heading for stormy waters. Please pray for me that I will be prepared for it once it hits.
But let us return to the horse - for it had been Krishangi's life long dream to ride, and where would that dream have been fulfilled if not at Audarya del Sur. (She was a little disturbed by the fact that she was led when seated on the horse though. It's hard for a person who should be good at anything to visibly need help from others. But this little cloud of embarassment could not cast any significant shadow upon the otherwise exhilarating experience.)
I on the other hand found great amusement in the fact that the dog in the foreground was called "el Perro Negro" - the Black dog. Being born with a somewhat different sense of humour I found this to be one of the funniest things. I will not even try to explain myself here.
El Perro Negro - how great is that not?!
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:16 pm
My regret is that this is the closest we got to a group picture during our stay In Costa Rica. Clearly a shortcoming from my side. Missing here is obviously Dhira-lalita, but on the other hand I manage to capture in it Juan, Sundari and El Perro Negro.
This was taken just when Sundari decided to join us. Juan showing us how to feed her.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:17 pm
Don Emel leading the way, Guru Maharaja on horseback. This was one particularily hot day, and one I thought would be well suited for a long walk. So we hitched a ride down to Juans place (more pictures and stories from there to be posted) with Jagadishvara and Citta Hari, who were going shopping for hardware.
The plan being that we would either ride or hike up the hill. Don Emel accompanied us for part of the walk, all the way up to his house, after which I, as the old horsehandler I am, took over leading Krishangi's ride.
Sitting in the back of a 4 x 4 gives you a certain feeling of the steepness of the hills, but I assure you, it is not until you walked them that you really have acquired proper knowledge of where the base camp is situated. I have always enjoyed long walks, and to be honest this was no exception. Yet it probably was one of the sweatiest walks I had undertaken.
My unfounded optimism was probably the thing that kept me going. For when every corner approach I eagerly asked whether this was the final stretch. To which Guru Maharaja patiently yet clearly somewhat amusedly replyed that this was not yet the last corner, but that we were approaching it step by step. So I gladly kept on going. (Then again, the alternative would have been to lie down and let the vultures feast on my skinny corpse...)
I guess there could be a parallel to spiritual life drawn here. Should we know how much uphill still awaits us during our journey we might give up all together. But when the goal seems to be just within reach there is an immediecy in its pursuit. However self-deceiving thinking like this might be it just might do the trick.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:18 pm
Living in the city (or even a smaller town as Krishangi and I) one easily envisions oneself to be bigger and of greater consequence than one in reality is. On the other hand, when faced with nature in all its vastness and certain unpredictableness one quickly has to face the limited capacity one has to be in control of things. Or the right to demand comforts and convinience.
This is something I personally have experienced most vividly when being out on the sea in stormy weather. The sea viewed from the softly cushioned sofa in the living room might be aesthetically pleasing, but only when surrounded by the waves does nature really speak to us in a loud and clear manner. We are small and our independence is most illusory.
*
A sunny day, Citta Hari glancing over the forrest.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:19 pm
For me this is a historical picture. It is the first one which Vrindaranya herself asked me to take of her. Prior to this the only thing you would see of her after picking up the camera were dust clouds stirred up while she ran away. Which incidentally isn't at all as photogenic a situation as one might think.
The other entity is what at least at the time of shooting the picture was suspected to be an orchid.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:20 pm
The evening sky.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 5:23 pm
The explorer and the cartographer scouting yet uncharted territories.
*
More pictures and stories tomorrow. I think.
Kamalaksa Das - April 1, 2008 6:50 pm
I'm sorry Citta Hari.
But this picture was such a hit among all devotees intoxicated from all the sugar during Gaura Purnima that I had no option but to share it.
*
And then my for my justification: As the night is growing later over here, and the standard of humor is rapidly lowering I decided to still share with you this picture. If not for any other reason than in fond remembrance of Hari Bhakti, who upon seeing the picture almost choked on her sweet rice. So hard was she laughing! (No point in trying to deny it, Hari Bhakti!)
For those who feel all my credibility as a photographer has gone the way of the dodo, I wish to explain myself. You see when I was taking the picture I didn't quite envision the result to be what it became. That is funny. If you are as immature as most of those who have seen the picture, present company included... 
*
For those more seriously inclined the picture shows water flowing through the turbine, in order to reach a sufficient level of pressure. I guess. Again, technical assistance would be more than welcome.
Rathi Krishna Dasa - April 1, 2008 7:07 pm
Thanks Kamalaksa! These are great pics!
Jiva-daya Dasa - April 1, 2008 7:11 pm
More pictures and stories tomorrow. I think.
Thank you so much Kamalaksa and Krsangi!
I can hardly wait for this summer...
Gaura Krsna Dasa - April 1, 2008 8:43 pm
Dear Kamalaksa,
Thanks and thanks again for the beautiful images and lively commentary. For the record I should mention that I think that quite aside from your obvious and abundant talents, you and Krsangi are two of the most intelligent and elegant people I have ever met. I know your people don't seem to take compliments easily, and you don't have to, but you are role models for many of us. Sorry about that.
At first I was wondering why you would shoot the lush jungles of the Americas in black and white, but now I think I like it better! They look a little "Raiders of the Last Arc," or more closely, National Geographic magazine in the 1940s -back before the earth was doomed and world was still wide open to adventure and discovery. I think you've captured that mood of adventure and made the little hardships into something attractive. How appropriate for the devotees!
Nice work! Thanks again.
Madan Gopal Das - April 1, 2008 10:29 pm
I think Kamalaksa deserves some title like Kaviraja or something. I just love your narrative style. So unique, humorous, appropriate, and enjoyable to read. Thanks Kavi!
Bijaya Kumara Das - April 2, 2008 1:34 pm
Thank you so much. This is a definite need for any traveler. And how delightful.
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2008 3:36 pm
Thank you all for your all too kind words. I feel a bit awkvard for receiving such praise, and my natural reaction would be to run and hide in the kitchen. Yet on a forum like this the effect would probably be less than functional, as I have now idea where the forum's kitchen is located. And at the same time silence could easily be construed as lacking even the most rudimentary civilised manners. Whcih would be an utter embarasment for any gentleman.
To be frank, I am truly touched by the things written, and hope that I in some ways in the future will be able to live up to these words. And I am glad that someone is actually reading these entries, late as they may be. But, as the fictional character Moomin Mother, from Tove Jansons books once said "Sometimes you need time - occasionally it takes a very, very long time before things clear up."
Now my only problem is how to deal with the writer's block springing from having the bar raised by your too generous feed back.
But let us continue.
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2008 3:37 pm
We will be having dining at the captains table tonight, darling!
Those who are used to seeing Guru Maharaja and his entourage at Audarya during a festival or on some of his tours would have been surprised to witness life at the camp. Life was very informal and intimate. Like an extended family (perchance a somewhat eccentric extended family, but a family none the less...) happily living in seclusion from the rest of the world.
Life in Dvaraka is different from life in Vrindavana.
*
The certain unpretentious atmosphere was tangiable to the extent that Krishangi became a bit worried - where are all the rules and codes of conduct? What is the etiquette of living with your guru in a tent village? How come all sastras are silent on this point? Can life of bhakti really be this free? (She has always been a very rules and regulations oriented person, so I am sure that this experience did her a lot of good.)
We shared our meals around the little plastic table, a free flow of discussions filling the ether, with topics ranging from more serious ones dealing with the on going construction to more leasurely plans of when to take a trip to have a swim in the sea.
Not to forget the high flying visions Guru Maharaja that startled at least me. He clearly saw all the buildings and the pavillions already there with people gathering from nearby towns and villages to worship Mahaprabhu. All while others participated in yoga retreats on the other side of the area.
What I saw was just a wild jungle up on a mountain top while envisioning a frightening price tag. This is my unfortunate shortcoming. And the reason why cold-hearted rationalists like me never will achieve anything of consequense.
*
Nitai explaining some finer points of philosophy to a slightly doubtful Citta Hari.
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2008 3:39 pm
Krishangi searched for a long time for a place in the realm of bhakti where women were given equal opportunity - not mere rhetoric. Or upright chauvinism for that matter. Something she didn't encounter until coming in contact with Guru Maharajas sangha. No more is there the constant need to rationalize anachronistic statements or try to turn the blind eye to obvious injusticies performed under the banner of tradition. No more is the prime expression of saranagati covering one's head and keeping quiet.
In more ways than one she has found her perfect home among the Audaryians. And in Vrindaranya she found her role model. That's the reason she's laughing!
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2008 3:40 pm
Sometimes the feelings one wishes to express have already been expressed so much more eloquently and with more feeling that there seems to be nothing left to say. So instead of labouring to produce a sub-par caption here, I do what I usually do when language fails me. I borrow words from others.
Therefore I now share with you in script a scene from one of the classics of 80's movies. I leave it for you to connect the dots.
*
Crocodile Dundee is threatened by a mugger with a switchblade.
Sue Charlton: Mick, give him your wallet!
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: What for?
Sue Charlton: He's got a knife.
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: [chuckling] That's not a knife. [Dundee draws a large Bowie knife]
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: *That's* a knife.
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2008 3:42 pm
At times I wondered what all the operators of all CIA spy satelites made out of the power plant's storage unit. To my eyes all the batteries (big, black and bulky) wide variety of wiring and some covered up switchboard with blinking LEDs came very close to looking like an explosive device capable of leveling most of the mountain we were sitting on.
Then there was the control panel that was routinely rewired (again by C-H and J) with obscure references to a user's manual that I for one ever saw even a glimpse of. And even at the risk of sounding like an arrogant fool I will say this: It seemed to me that the way the powerplant finally started working had more to do with a lucky guess, than with complete knowledge of the positions the switches were supposed to be in.
But there was a lot of talk about volts and watts too. Plus several mentions of an almost mythical figure called James who apart from being a micro hydro expert living on a nearby mountain also was a person living "off the grid", feeding his family veterinary medicine and producing large quantities of babies. I never met him, but his fame sure preceded him, if you will.
*
Eventually we had power. Luck favours the courageous, as a Finish saying goes.
*
(If some of you are getting bored with my recollections of the power plant, please skip ahead. But at the same time I wish to underscore how important it was in the development of Audarya del Sur. Indeed, it was one of the main goals of this particular stay there.)
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2008 3:43 pm
Gee, Toto, I don't think we are in Finland anymore...
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2008 3:44 pm
In our pursuit of discovering the many facets of Costa Rican nature and wildlife we one day headed in the direction of Monteverde. The journey was destined to be long, measured both in distance and time. Knowing this in advance, a decision was made to go by two cars.
Problem was, the camp had only one car, and even though fitting more than the planned amount of people in it worked fine on short distances, this was not an option for this journey. But again the family of Don Emel came to rescue - his other son and Juan's brother, Hermes, volonteered to lend us his car. Which was a very generous offer. We picked up the car, some (Japanese?) sedan, from Hermes's house.
We distributed the load so that the jeep held Guru Maharaja, Vrindaranya and Nitai, while the sedan was packed with Jagadishvara, Dhira-lalita, Krishangi and me. At first everything went just as planned, although the sun made it a bit hot inside.
Still, during our trip to, and especially from Monteverde I had to keep reminding myself of another Finnish proverb - One should not look at he teeth of a gift horse. (Don't worry if this makes no sense what so ever. We will get there.)
Once we came closer to Monteverde the roads grew increasingly bad. This was of course known to the gang in the other car, as they had already once visited Monteverde. They had even warned us, but there was no way I could imagine the roads to be in such terrible shape. I mean, this was one of their main tourist attractions!
Then the engine of Hermes's sedan started to overheat. The strain of the climb combined with the load was too much for it, it seemed. So we redistributed personel, moving Krishangi and me to the jeep. This helped out, but didn't really solve the problem, leaving the engine cooking every now and then.
Still, after some minor setbacks we made it to the Monteverde Milkshake factory. Few times have I seen Guru Maharaja as enlivened as when he witnessed the steady stream of fat cream emitting from the thick pipe filling up a huge barrel of the milky substance. I think taking a dip in the tub was not far from his thoughts.
As first aid we treated him, as well as ourselves, to the most gigantic servings of milkshakes so chunky that sucking it up through the straw probably burnt more calories than were gained from drinking. Milkshakes, after thus being downed, caused a not to slight sugar rush, and a slightly nauseous feeling. At least me, a feeling augmented by the both curvy and bumpy roads that still lay ahead of us on our way towards the rain.
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2008 3:45 pm
A short explanation for those of you who (rightfully so) wonder wheather or not I might have been fired from work or kicked out of our home as the texts produced within the past few days have been quite extensive: The priviledge of being paid to sit in front of a group of people working is at times a dream come true. My students, nice as they are, rarely bother me with questions, leaving me time to share memories with you.
Only occasionally I am interrupted in my recollections to share thoughts about fonts - another very pleasant way of spending time on this planet.
Jiva-daya Dasa - April 2, 2008 5:13 pm
I was reading a post that Madan made on another thread talking about really large and healthy tulasi plants growing in a courtyard in India and it made me wonder: How's the CR climate for her? Would tulasi grow nicely there if planted? Would she need extensive care? Rainy season is long, but from what I remember, we got less rain where I was in Guanacaste. I picture her growing like wild in groves all over the place.
Krsangi Dasi - April 2, 2008 5:58 pm
Thanks and thanks again for the beautiful images and lively commentary. For the record I should mention that I think that quite aside from your obvious and abundant talents, you and Krsangi are two of the most intelligent and elegant people I have ever met. I know your people don't seem to take compliments easily, and you don't have to, but you are role models for many of us. Sorry about that.
Oooh... :Bring It On: It's just a Finnish custom to pretend not to like compliments. In the privacy of our own home we lock the doors, pull down the curtains and jump around shouting at the top of our lungs: We're the best! We're the best! 
Babhru Das - April 2, 2008 7:36 pm
I was reading a post that Madan made on another thread talking about really large and healthy tulasi plants growing in a courtyard in India and it made me wonder: How's the CR climate for her? Would tulasi grow nicely there if planted? Would she need extensive care? Rainy season is long, but from what I remember, we got less rain where I was in Guanacaste. I picture her growing like wild in groves all over the place.
I'd say the climate there, being very much like Hawaii's--is perfect for huge, healthy Tulasi plants. I look forward to that. Our Tulasis on the Big Island, where it rains about 135-140 inches a year, grow really well. In Honolulu I had Tulasis that were over eight feet tall. I've heard similar things about the Philppines as well. Tico Tulasis ki jay!
Rathi Krishna Dasa - April 2, 2008 7:43 pm
Oooh... :Bring It On: It's just a Finnish custom to pretend not to like compliments. In the privacy of our own home we lock the doors, pull down the curtains and jump around shouting at the top of our lungs: We're the best! We're the best!
I knew it!
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:45 pm
A hike in the cloud forest. As proper cult members we are all wearing the same clothing. Kindly provided by the tour's organiser - they are not called rain forests for nothing!
We followed a 1,9 mile path through the forest that took us to some eight bridges, ranging in length from a 170 feet to a cool 560 feet. But these numbers do the walk no justice - being high above the tree tops and witnessing nature from a completely new perspective was the true gift of this tour.
It seemed that every plant had another smaller plant growing on it. And it didn't take much imagination to envision a growl emitting from somewhere in the forest to be followed by Tarzan flinging by on a wine.
We also encountered a flock of small birds that resembled footballs with beaks (soccer balls for you Americans...) running around. The birds, apparently not too keen on flying, ran around at a rapid pace just next to our path.
Krishangi's only dismay was that we didn't see any sloths. It being the animal she most identifies with. (This is not some scornful slander but the truth - just ask her yourself!)
She takes much pleasure in the fact that here is a creature that resents bathing as much as she does - it often has moss growing on its pelt for just this reason. (I guess it also helps to camouflage the beast from hungry predators, but that's a whole other story.)
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:47 pm
Moving the tent.
During our stay at the camp we learned that around the time of the new year there are strong winds blowing over Costa Rica. We were comforted by the locals that these winds usually only last for a few days. Which turned out to be true.
Still, during those three windy days we saw quite some action in our small tent village. First off we moved Guru Maharajas tent down hill, as it kept on collapsing. Being quite squarish in its form, it was most susceptible to the wind, and being located on an larger opening didn't help either.
So we took it down, and put it up again on a smaller opening downhill. But even there it could not really stand the test of the weather. So like the inhabitants of Vrindavana chose to move when pestered by so many different demons, we too saw it best to try out a new place. (The Wicked Witch was clearly trying to pull a Wizard of Oz-trick on Guru Maharaja.)
In one of his talks Guru Maharaja aptly gives us a way of think about how to approach spiritual life. The teaching had its application here too. I think it was Nanda Maharaja who, upon planing the relocation of the village gave the logic behind such a change:
"We should analyze the situation in the following way - what is wrong with the place where we are, and what is good about the place where we are going?"
In this particular case the conclusion was something of a common sense solution: At this place the tent kept collapsing - at the next place it just might not. Maybe not the most profound realization, but one that worked!
And as spiritual life is all about change, we again dismounted the tent with Nitai, and this time moved it to the road leading to the clothesline. Not exactly the most scenic spot for a tent, or even the most serene for that matter, but well sheltered from the wind. And there it stood for a few days.
Only to once more be moved as the stormy winds gave up. This time to its original place. I guess this falls well in tune with our cyclical world view.
*
Still, this was not the only trouble Guru Maharaja had with his tent. For some reason a horde of ants also took a keen interest in his tent. I know this from first hand experience, as I was there among others emptying the whole thent, sweeping the ants out. (Jada Bharata, anyone?) And apparently this was something Nitai had had the privilege of doing earlier on, too.
The solution was to get rid of the tarp that covered the floor, under which the ants made their happy little home. I think the ant infestation problem was hereby solved, at least until we left .
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:48 pm
The day of the legendary quote "a bad day of surfing beats a good day at work".
We crammed everyone into the car, with Citta Hari, Nitai and myself squeezing in the back, and headed for Samara. White sand and palm trees - here I come!
What can I say - I love the beach, I love the sea, and a love the warmth of the sun on my pale skin. I was in paradise! Plus I found a cheap children's body board at the local mini-mart, so I really had it made.
The others, more responsible ones in our group, took care of different chores. Nitai went shopping for groceries, Guru Maharaja and Vrindaranya took care of corresponding with Audarya, and so forth. I on the other hand ran to the sea with my body board (decorated with dolphins) looking for waves.
After a while I was joined by the rest of the group, and a small competition ensued over who was the body boarding champion. Not to toot my own horn, but let us say I didn't finish last... :Bring It On:
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:50 pm
The night that all darkness was dispelled.
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:51 pm
You all probably know of those kitschy posters where some beuaty is showered by a tropical waterfall sold at some wal-mart-like store along with other similar works of high art.
Well this place was just like that, but without the kitsch factor. It was the most incredible swimming hole I have ever been to, with pools upon pools of crystal clear water, waterfalls, and rocks you could jump from.
Even without any swimming gear I could not resist the temptation of jumping in. And it felt just as good (if not better) as it looked! So I climbed up again, and went for it again. Twice.
Which was good, as this was the incident that preceded our herculean climb from Juan's place to the campsite. So having wet clothing for once was something of a blessing. At least it cooled the otherwise quite hot journey to a bearable level. The "what's hot for you might be cold for me" example of Guru Maharaja's comes to mind here.
*
Pictured here is some local, executing a much more convincing entry than I ever could. And he wasn't even screaming while racing trough the air!
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:53 pm
As Lord Shiva took the foot wash water from Vishnu on his head, so too did I with Guru Maharaja's when he bathed his feet in the stream. The trick was to do it discreetly as not to upset those involved. :Bring It On:
*
Guru Maharaja and Krishangi enjoying their much respected lunch sandwiches after the hike down to the valley.
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:57 pm
One windy day. Gadget of the year-award of Audarya del Sur goes with flying colors to the Skywatch. Pictured here giving readings of 39.1, but went as high as well over 50.
As I am accustomed to measuring wind in meters per second these units say little to me. But keeping in mind that the wind knocked over both Guru Maharaja's and Vrindaranya's tents, plus broke poles from Nitais tent as well as our kitchen tent, it is safe to say it was quite strong.
Guru Maharaja finding obvious joy in observing occurrences in nature. His gamsha doing its best to live up to the example of Marilyn Monroes dress.
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:58 pm
Yet another trek down to the valley. Citta Hari passing Don Emel's old house. And there you have the miracle box from emitting power. Our handyman wipes sweat of his forehead after having readings go off the scale in the meter he holds in his other hand.
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 2:59 pm
Krishangi and the tent that didn't blow over. :Bring It On:
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 3:01 pm
Working with the workers. The guy driving the bulldozer had the appearance of the ultimate macho man: designer shades and on his arm a tattoo depicting the infamous mudflap girl.
But he sure worked miracles on the roads up to the camp. Depicted here receiving instructions from Guru Maharaja in regard to which areas would be next up for landscaping. Citta Hari and Jagadishvara clearly a bit jealous over the fine machine he got to drive. :Bring It On:
Hermes, on the other hand, was much more low-key. Even when compared to his brother Juan. Easily recognized by his cap, shorts, and work west, he led the workers with what seemed to me like a firm hand.
As a testimony to this serves that when we hadn't been down to Vrindaranya's tent for a few days, we were surprised to witness a nearly completed rancho in front of it, once we made it down there.
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 3:03 pm
One thing that especially struck me as very charming was how Guru Maharaja was treated by Juan and the rest of his family. We have all read how a visiting sannyasi should be hosted and try our best to our ability to follow this code.
But seeing how all vaisnava etiquette was so naturally present in Juan when he welcomed Guru Maharaja to his home really moved me. A friendly greeting, offering of a seat, and an offering of something fo eat a drink, all presented without the even the slightest pretentiousness.
Even when we showed up unannounced, he was quick to see to it that we were not thirsty or uncomfortable. Grabbing a long stick he quite expertly whacked down a few coconuts from the palm tree in front of his house. Then opening them with his machete, and pouring drinks up for all of us. Thus impressing at least two Finns. Coconut palms growing in your own front yard - this can't be real!
He also made a real effort in trying to understand what our dietary restrictions were, so that he could invite Guru Maharaja over to have dinner with his family. An amusing discussion ensued when he and Guru Maharaja discussed about whether or not tuna is a vegetable, Juan with a can of it in his hand. Frutti di mare - isn't that what they are called?
This time though he offered us something clearly in tune with our choice of vegetarianism - some corn porridge with milk. Which is what Guru Maharaja is eating on the porch in the picture with Juan and Don Emel. A small and simple house, but clearly filled with much warmth and love.
*
Then another short lesson in languages: Even when my spanish may be lacking in many respects, I was still able to understand one specific word combined with our names. It was when Guru Mahara was explaining to Juan about Krishangi's and mine dislike for bananas. Loco! Guru Maharaja uttered nodding in our direction. And Juan was quick to follow suit, his laughter accompanying his words "Si! Loco!"
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 3:04 pm
A bear fishing for salmon? No, silly, it's just Jagadishvara washing up.
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 3:05 pm
Performing maintenance work on our dwellings. On warmer nights we removed the outer covering all together, sleeping under starry skies. Who says romance is dead?
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 3:08 pm
King of the hill! No questions about it.
*
Now I guess that enough pictures and stories have been shared - next up is your stories! I am eagerly awaiting, now that I have fulfilled my part of the deal - a promise made much earlier on in this thread.
There are still some pictures I might post at a later time, but I guess for now everyone has had their fill.
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 3:09 pm
Thus ends wretched Kamalaksa's narration over the events that took place in the forests of Costa Rica 521 years after the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Anyone who reads this recollection with an open heart will be sure to book a trip to Audarya del Sur in this lifetime.
Kamalaksa Das - April 3, 2008 3:10 pm
A small postscript - the road back to maya
On our trip back to the gray dullness of post global warming winter Finland we stayed overnight in Miami. Now for two Finns who's perception of the city came from two different sources (television, our guide to life, showed us Miami Vice and CSI Miami), this too was part of the adventure.
But once again we were unable to escape our nerdiness, even when staying in Miami, a city some would call the party capital of the world. So we didn't head for the beach to enjoy the scenery abundant with beutiful and scantily clad young people ever partying on an endless vacation until one of them mysteriously dies (Hey, remember, I'm getting this info from television!).
Instead, as it so happened, our hotel was located just a few blocks from two incredible museums. One, the Jewish Heritage Museum, had an exhibition showing art from the golden age of comic books. This was enjoyed especially by Krishangi, who for one finds great pleasure in the adventures of Wonder Woman. (Wonder Woman beat up evil nazi men on a regular basis - how can you not love that?!)
Also, in the section of the Jewish faith Krishangi immensely enjoyed finding a religion that had even more obscure dietary restrictions that ours. I mean, we can usually do with one kitchen, but here were displayed families with two separate ones for different products. Compared to this the observance of ekadasi every second week seems like the most rational thing to do.
My own highlight during our stay in Florida came when we walked past a place called the Wolfsonian. We literally just bumped into this little gem, and to make things even better, they had an exhibition of the late great master of photomontage, John Heartfield, of Berlin Dada fame.
I could give a short speech of his importance and achievements, but given the nature of this forum I will limit myself to expressing how impressed I was. Plus we nearly blew our time tables when it took Krishangi longer than expected to pry me out of the museum store.
Visiting museums in Miami - such is the life of two geeks.
Ps. We didn't have time to visit the toy museum we drove past on our way from the airport. But judging from the huge Dr. Seuss bilboard it most certainly would have much to offer two kidults like us.
Babhru Das - April 3, 2008 4:00 pm
Krishangi and the tent that didn't blow over.
Moral: Keep a low profile.
Vamsidhari Dasa - April 3, 2008 4:05 pm
Wow, great pictures. I really appreciate the pioneering aspect of them. They look like the old west except they are the new south. Cant's wait to go there.
Babhru Das - April 3, 2008 4:17 pm
The day of the legendary quote "a bad day of surfing beats a good day at work".
We crammed everyone into the car, with Citta Hari, Nitai and myself squeezing in the back, and headed for Samara. White sand and palm trees - here I come!
What can I say - I love the beach, I love the sea, and a love the warmth of the sun on my pale skin. I was in paradise! Plus I found a cheap children's body board at the local mini-mart, so I really had it made.
The others, more responsible ones in our group, took care of different chores. Nitai went shopping for groceries, Guru Maharaja and Vrindaranya took care of corresponding with Audarya, and so forth. I on the other hand ran to the sea with my body board (decorated with dolphins) looking for waves.
After a while I was joined by the rest of the group, and a small competition ensued over who was the body boarding champion. Not to toot my own horn, but let us say I didn't finish last...
Now, speaking as an old surfer, body surfer, and one of the first bodyboarders (I was in fact one of the first people on Oahu to have one of Tom Morey's original Boogie Boards), I want to remind us all of Krishna's instruction to Arjuna that we can mitigate material misery by moderate indulgence in recreation (yukta viharasya). Somehow, I've got to get my bodyboard and fins from the attic of our house in Puna to AdS.
Thanks so much, Kamalaksa, for taking the time and trouble to put this together to share with us. Your pictures and your narrative show your genius, almost as much as Swami's.
Syamasundara - April 3, 2008 6:12 pm
Frutti di mare - isn't that what they are called?
That means fruits of the sea, but in Italian, and it refers to mollusks and other weird sea critters that resemble fruits. A tuna is quite unmistakably a fish...
Syama Gopala Dasa - April 3, 2008 8:02 pm
A tuna is quite unmistakably a fish...
I don't think anybody here was doubting that.
Syamasundara - April 3, 2008 8:18 pm
No, I meant, I don't know what Juan's (?) trip was. I understand that for some the concept of non-violence is really foreign, and they probably think we just don't eat certain meat and we eat other meat, but to think that a tuna is a vegetable...
Vamsidhari Dasa - April 3, 2008 8:39 pm
Everybosy knows that tuna is "the chicken of the sea!!!!" some people do not consider fish to be meat. In fact, as you know, Catholics eat fish during fasting days. So, it is quite naturan for Juan to think that we might eat fish as well.
Swami - April 3, 2008 9:25 pm
It was anchovies, not tuna.
Zvonimir Tosic - April 4, 2008 12:52 am
Everybosy knows that tuna is "the chicken of the sea!!!!" some people do not consider fish to be meat. In fact, as you know, Catholics eat fish during fasting days. So, it is quite naturan for Juan to think that we might eat fish as well.
The idea was encouraged by the Vatican council for those who cannot endure fasting days, but many people accepted it as an official encouragement But through the history, we can see all different approaches to fasting and practising faith. In my youth I was always inspired by the examples of St Francis and St Anthony of Padua. In the midst of turbulent times and the horrors of the medieval age, they've showed something really different, some new taste of faith that has inspired many great people since.
In the line of one of the previous posts, the apparent appearance of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje, the children who witnessed her appearance also stressed the importance of fasting as it should be, practising it as much as possible and not taking any form of meat, including fish. That man should reduce killing as much as it can be done. That was her desire. Who listened?
Add to this that during the war in Balkans the most horrific scenes happened close to meat factories and that "accidental" grenades destroyed such places in big cities like veterinary hospitals where many animals were gone through "painless" euthanasia for decades.
I apologise for going slightly off topic with this.
Syamasundara - April 4, 2008 4:43 am
I also remember she said that "if you keep eating cows, you'll have a war in which you'll kill each other, among brothers."
People from NE Italy used to naturally shop for meat in Yugoslavia on Saturdays, because it was so cheap.
Anyway, enough of that on this thread.
Guru-nistha Das - May 31, 2008 11:10 pm
Costa Rice welcomed us with a hurricane. It pretty much started exactly when we came to the property on Tuesday night. Two cabins are mostly done, there are some details to be done and unfortunately the windows didn't have glasses yet and as the winds and rain kept rising, we decided to spend the night in the cabin closest to the temple site, which right now has a big rancho with three tents, a small kitchen and a social space under it, and which also is the center of the property at the moment. The rain started pouring so hard at one point that we could hardly hear inside the 16'x16' cabin what the other person was saying, we were shouting to each other like retired people.
It's quite impressive how much has been done during the year I've been gone. It was all jungle, and it still is, but now there are two nice looking cabins, roads going everywhere, two other cabins in the works on the other side of the property, waterlines and electricity. Especially seeing how the locals build stuff, without practically any kinds of power tools other than a sander, they've done a lot. Guru Maharaja has said several times that this place lives its own life. And we just try to facilitate that flow to the best of our ability and flexibility.
The rain lasted for 36 hours. There was thunder, pantry items, chairs and racks flying around, and rain was a rapid fire. All of our boots and clothes were soaking wet and nothing would dry. Also, there weren't alot of food in the pantry, and we were stuck at the property, because there was no question of driving down our road to get more groceries, propane, or even toilet paper. I started to get a little worried because we had no idea if it was going to be like this for weeks (we didn't know at that point that it was a hurricane). Luckily Vrindaranya had planted a little garden last time so we had our own peppers, eggplants and bitter melon. There are avocado trees as well, so we knocked down some avocados and let them ripen up.
Yesterday the rain started subsiding and even to have a drizzle instead of a down pour was a relief. The voltage level of the batteries had started going down so we went down to the river to check out the hydro system. It turned out that the flooding river had kinked the beginning of the tube where the water is supposed to run, so the turbine wasn't creating any electricity. All kinds of brush and big branches were stuck on the pipe and Guru Maharaja jumped into the water to clear them out with my help. The stream was really hard and knowing Guru Maharaja's fearless nature, Vrindaranya and I were aftraid that the stream would was him down the stream. Luckily we got the pipe straightened out but we started running out of sun light so we had to head back to camp.
Today I got to do some pione work. A big tree had fallen on the road. Hermes came here in the morning, I had a quick breakfast and rode down the road with Hermes to the tree. It took us a couple of hours, since the tree was a peyote (it has huge thorns on the trunk) and it had fallen from one bank to the other bank on the other side of the road (both of the banks are about 12 feet high) and cracked in the middle. It was exhausting and the language barrier was bothersome, but we got it done. We were supposed to go to the town to buy supplies today and the weather was really nice this morning, sunny and warm, but just as I'm typing this the metal roof is drumming like Keith Moon on speed and there's no way we can get out (or get back) of here when the road gets really muddy. We ran out of salt and oil, but stuff like that's expected I guess, when you're pioneering.
Other than that, we set up the kitchen in the other cabin and we brought Krsna-Balarama shilas with us. We're living, cooking and worshipping with a simple program, and trying to get the systems in place.
Syamasundara - May 31, 2008 11:54 pm
Wow, with Krsna and Balarama there... that's intense. You are practically living the govardhana-lila...
Things can only flourish. I can't even start to think what it's like to be without salt (you can have all the toilet paper, though), but even that has an intrinsic sweetness to it. You have Guru, you have Krsna and Balarama, reality stripped of any unnecessary distraction. Nothing outside, you can only go within. I almost envy you.
Nitaisundara Das - June 1, 2008 2:55 am
Whoa!! sounds exciting, and crazy
Bijaya Kumara Das - June 1, 2008 10:07 am
What a great narration. It sounds like a lot of danger mixed with a lot of fun other than the supplies running low. It must be exciting at ever minute. Wish I could help. Please protect Gurudeva. We need him greatly and would not want him to be washed down stream. Saftey first like with a tether line.
Citta Hari Dasa - June 1, 2008 6:05 pm
since the tree was a peyote (it has huge thorns on the trunk)
Costa Rica is full of surprises, eh?
Not to split pharmacological hairs, Gnu, but the tree you're referring to is a pochote. Peyote is the hallucinogenic cactus that grows in the Southwestern US and Mexico.
Babhru Das - June 1, 2008 7:05 pm
Costa Rica is full of surprises, eh?
Not to split pharmacological hairs, Gnu, but the tree you're referring to is a pochote. Peyote is the hallucinogenic cactus that grows in the Southwestern US and Mexico.
I was thinking that must be one big cactus!
Vamsidhari Dasa - June 3, 2008 6:05 am
. It took us a couple of hours, since the tree was a peyote (it has huge thorns on the trunk) and it had fallen from one bank to the other bank on the other side of the road (both of the banks are about 12 feet high) and cracked in the middle. It was exhausting and the language barrier was bothersome, but we got it done.
is that after you ate the tree? I bet no language barriers after that? 
:LMAO:
It cannot be Peyote you FOREIGNER thats a cactus not a tree!
Of course CH has his hallucinogenic trees correct!
I am just glad you are all safe.
Vrindaranya Dasi - June 3, 2008 2:49 pm
A quick note to let everyone know we're OK! The storm was apparently one of the three biggest in history. It only lasted about three days. Since then we've had normal rainy season weather: a couple of hours of rain a day (sometimes at night) and otherwise beautiful weather.
Swami - June 3, 2008 4:11 pm
Yes, we are alive and well! I have renamed Audarya Del Sur "Madhuvan." How sweet it is! we are just around the corner from being able to station two or three monastics here with internet access on a permanent basis. My plans are undergoing reassessment with regard to how to proceed here. Hold on.
Hari Bhakti - June 3, 2008 8:26 pm
Yes, we are alive and well! I have renamed Audarya Del Sur "Madhuvan." How sweet it is! we are just around the corner from being able to station two or three monastics here with internet access on a permanent basis. My plans are undergoing reassessment with regard to how to proceed here. Hold on.
I am so happy to hear you are alive and well!
Coincidentally I was reading the story of Dhruva Maharaja yesterday, it says Dhruva left home (after being scolded my his step-mother) and went to Madhuvan to chant the mantra he was given by Narada. Madhuvan is said to be on the Yamuna - is this another name for Vrindavana-dham?
Swami - June 3, 2008 8:35 pm
Some information:
This is the first forest to be visited on Braja Mandala parikrama, after leaving Mathura. Madhuvana forest is 5km west of Mathura. It is said that one will satisfy all desires in this forest. Madhu means “honey.”
Krishna appeared in Madhuvana in all four yugas. In Satya-yuga He appeared before Dhruva Maharaja. In Treta-yuga He came as Satrughna and killed the demon Lavanasura. He came as Lord Krishna in Dwapara-yuga and as Lord Caitanya in Kali-yuga.There is a Balarama (Dauji) Temple right next to Krishna Kunda The village Deity is Balarama. His right hand is raised, and He is pitch black. It is said that Balarama is black, because he became so absorbed in chanting Krishna’s name that he himself turned black.
Syamasundara - June 3, 2008 10:48 pm
Oooh I like the name Madhuvan much better. So easy to say for a Spanish speaker, too.
I didn't know Dauji was in Madhuvan. Now I like it even more!
Can't wait to hear about the new vision for the place.
Prema-bhakti - June 4, 2008 12:02 am
Jaya Madhuvan!!
Here's a link to an article by Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja about Madhuvan forest.
Atmananda Dasa - June 4, 2008 6:53 pm
Yes, we are alive and well! I have renamed Audarya Del Sur "Madhuvan." How sweet it is! we are just around the corner from being able to station two or three monastics here with internet access on a permanent basis. My plans are undergoing reassessment with regard to how to proceed here. Hold on.
This sounds really exciting! I can't wait to hear!
Hari Bhakti - June 5, 2008 2:35 am
Thanks for sharing Prema-bhakti and Guru Maharaja! Jaya Madhuvan!
Gandiva Dasi - June 5, 2008 2:46 pm
A quick note to let everyone know we're OK! The storm was apparently one of the three biggest in history. It only lasted about three days. Since then we've had normal rainy season weather: a couple of hours of rain a day (sometimes at night) and otherwise beautiful weather.
Very glad to hear that you're all ok in Madhuvan! I didn't realize how much I was thinking of you all till I had a dream in Spanish the other night!
Guru-nistha Das - June 5, 2008 5:43 pm
Hey all,
here's something I wrote about a week ago.
Well, the same day I ended my previous report when it was still raining cats and dogs (maybe that's where all the stray dogs appeared on our property?), it stopped suddenly in the afternoon and we decided to ride the horses to the closest little town which is about 6 miles away, to stock up on our pantry. The road was still too wet to drive a car on.
Anybody who has been here knows that it's a pretty long horse ride. We set off at 2:30 and the weather was beautiful. Fresh, calm, and sunny. I had only been on a horse once before when last year I got to come down the path but at that time someone was holding the reigns and walking the horse. This time it was real cowboy style. I got Nistha, the feistiest of them all. I learned that pulling back the reigns makes her stop and digging your heals into her sides makes her gallop. It was fun! I raced Guru Maharaja and Vrindaranya, and I bet if any riding instructor would've seen what i was doing when riding for the first time, they would've turned pink from shouting at me so hard. It's hard to make them stop too when the leader starts running, and it turned out Nistha was the matriarch of the bunch and man, when she started going, all I could do was to squeeze my thighs together as hard as possible and hope for the best.
We went past Don Emil's house and Juan's house, and Guru Maharaja asked them to have some mangoes and freshly milked milk ready when we come back. Guru Maharaja was saying to us a little later how he really loves the lifestyle. He seems natural in the environment, riding down the road, greeting people.
The locals seemed to be a little amused by us in Belen. It's funny, they are trying to be like us, have nice cars and all the latest toys, and we are trying to be like the farmers, riding our horses to the local store. As we were coming back, I tried to get back on Nistha's sattle in front of this little pub. The people in the pub and on the yards of the neighboring houses were already watching us with amusement and curiosity and once they realized I was going to try to get on the sattle, I could just feel how time stopped. Naturally the sattle had gotten loose during the ride and it flopped on the side of the horse under my weight, and I almost took a nose dive. People around us were laughing and whistling, and I could've sworn there was a text "gringo" on my t-shirt when i looked down to make sure the horse wasn't trampling my feet.
Anyway, some nice local guys tightened up the sattle and we headed back. We finally reached Madhuvan when the sun had set already around 6:30 and we were so sore from riding for four hours.
Since what I wrote above (about a week ago) things have settled into a good routine in the camp. I'm doing puja to Krsna-Balarama in the morning, Vrindarnya cooks the breakfast and normally lunch, then we do differenet kinds of projects, read and chant, scheme about how to go about everything. Then in the evening I do a little offering for the Deities and yesterday Guru Maharaja started having an evening reading from Caitanya-caritamrta, I'm really excited about that.
It's really great how this projet is moving along so much faster than Audarya. Guru Maharaja is super excited about the prospect of having to funcioning monasteries in great locations, and he is planning on stationing devotees here on a permanent basis from now on, and just leaving the krsna-Balarama Shilas here until the Deities from India arrive (note: Citta Hari and Prema are going to Vrindavana in the fall and Bringing KRsna-Balarama Deities with them.)
Citta Hari Dasa - June 5, 2008 6:14 pm
Wow, what a ride that must have been--beautiful. Well, at least the gringo gave the Belen locals a good laugh. I sure got one from your description! Live and learn, right? And what a great place when just about any local knows how to ride a horse! With any luck they'll see that the North American lifestyle is not all it's made out to be and stick to their traditional ways, albeit more informed, perhaps.
The name change to Madhuvana is of course perfect. I had been meditating on the project as Vrndavana manifesting in the West, and it's so nice to see the name reflect that. Krsna and Dauji have appeared there along with Guru Maharaja--what else could one possibly need? You're getting some mercy to be the first to worship them there!
Jaya Guru Maharaja! Jaya Krsna-Balarama! Jaya Sri Madhuvana!
Syamasundara - June 6, 2008 12:15 am
At first my thought was: "Oh my God, the sun sets before 7pm???
Now all I am thinking about is Krsna and Balarama in Madhuvana; and I might find myself there....
kabe habe, bolo, se dina amar?
Nitaisundara Das - June 6, 2008 3:22 am
I got Nistha, the feistiest of them all.
Blasphemy!!! Everyone knows Sundari is the wild dominant one. Nistha was named for just that trait, steady, calm, no frills kinda' gal. Sundari on the other hand....while beautiful, she had a bit of a Sridama(the red bull) complex going on. Now I suppose things may have changed, but still I felt the need to address this in the public arena .
Guru-nistha Das - June 24, 2008 9:30 pm
Hi everyone,
we should be getting the internet setup to Madhuvan tomorrow, so I'll begin the reporting again.
I haven't been out much, and it's been really busy setting up the place, hence the silence.
We have found a beautiful cow! Guru Maharaja has been anxious to have a cow, he said one morning, "There's really no meaning to an ashram without a cow". Our caretaker Juan took Guru Maharaja to a dairy operation in the closest town to us, Belen, and they had a 2-year-old cow there who had given birth to a bull calf. She is giving 3-4 gallons of milk daily, and we decided to get her. She is at Juan's place right now, and we are tightening our belts now to come up with the $700 the cow (plus the calf) costs. If anyone is interested in donating for the first two members of Krsna-Balarama's herd, we'd appreciate it greatly.
More tomorrow or soon. Hasta luego!
Prema-bhakti - June 24, 2008 11:15 pm
We'll donate $250 for the cows on behalf of Rasa-parayana and Chaitanya. We'll do a quick raid of their piggy banks. :Big Grin:
Rathi Krishna Dasa - June 25, 2008 3:27 pm
I sent in a donation via swami.org store.
Guru-nistha Das - June 27, 2008 2:35 am
Thank you so much Rathi and Prema!
Guru Maharaja named the cow Mangala and she and her calf will arrive to Madhuvan tomorrow at 7 AM. We just finished a cow pen for her in the rancho where my tent is also located and where the workers unfortunately still sand and stain boards. Anyway, I'll have a new neighbor soon.
I'll write more tomorrow and post some pics of the property and cabins too.
Bijaya Kumara Das - June 27, 2008 8:28 am
Great to hear that Guru Maharajas' herd has expanded. Keep up the good work Gurudeva many more to come we hope.
Vamsidhari Dasa - June 27, 2008 2:43 pm
Its amazing to know that you have internet in the jungle. Having cows as neighbors and internet thats just out of this world!!!
Guru-nistha Das - June 27, 2008 2:59 pm
The first members of the herd have arrived!
About half of the price is covered now, let see if these shots excite any more donations:
Nitaisundara Das - June 27, 2008 3:07 pm
rati could live comfortably inside one of those ears!!
Guru-nistha Das - June 27, 2008 3:26 pm
Here's some random impressions from Madhuvan:
Phew, it has been a very tough few days. Ever since the news of the fire started trickling in, it has been a huge mental distress. It has been extremely frustrating to witness something like this from a distance, when you can't just jump there like Hanuman and fight the fire.
Thank God things seem so much better now and there's no immanent danger.
Otherwise, things are going quite good in this end. It has been relaxed but focused, we've got a lot of groundwork done and we're slowly establishing Guru Maharaja's inspiration. Mayapur flew here about two weeks ago and it made the situation easier, to have one more person in the team. We are in the midst of moving the shower and toilet, we moved the laundry station and built a pen for the cow and the calf.
Guru Maharaja wants to build a provisional temple and we will begin that after the rainy season. Right now we just want to get the place set up well and have the systems run smoothly. talking about systems, we've faced some difficulties with the micro hydro. the inlet where the water enters into the pipe clogs up periodically, all kinds of debris slows down the water income and that brings down the pressure that the water hits the wheel that creates the electricity in the turbine. We've had to go down to the river several times, and it's a pretty tough hike. One day in paricular was tough. Before Mayapur came here, we had had a couple of rough days and we wanted to pace ourselves a little. Sure enough, the inverter started to go on red and we went down to check the system. It turned out that several of the pipes had squished so no water was running through them. The river is not so easy to access, and especially when it's raining, it swells up and is quite intense. So Guru Maharaja and I had to get these 20 feet long, 4 inches wide PVC pipes from the local hardware store. Then each of us dragged two of them down to the river. To make it a little more exciting, it started raining really hard just as we got the pipes down to the river. It was serious, the river and the rain were so loud that we had to shout to each other, we were completely wet and we had to replace, glue together and brace a bunch of pipes in a very difficult situation. The rocks were slippery and the current was strong and I was afraid that it would wash Guru Maharaja or Vrinda away with it, it could've been deadly. Murphy's law proved itself to be true again, when at one point we dropped the PVC glue brush into the river and the current took it with it. But thank god for brahman underwear, we tore up kaupins and used them instead! It started becoming dark after we had struggled for four long hours to get the pipes replaced. The rain subsided, the river calmed down and we headed back to the camp. my hiking boots must have had at least half a gallon of water in each of them, Guru Maharaja had PVC glue all over his clothes and we were all soaked, but the spirits were high after the success with the pipes. The power was back on.
It's so easy to grow your own food here. We have corn, beans, rice, plantains, bananas and avocados growing right now, all of ehich will be ready either in a couple of months or in a year. Soon we will plant mango trees, orange trees, guabana trees, lemon trees and grapefruit trees, papayas, miracle trees, and after a couple of years we can start harvesting.
The rainy season hasn't been as bad as all as I was expecting. Sometimes it rains in the morning or night, often it rains a little bit in the afternoon and in the evening, but a lot of the times it's quite nice. Plus the fact that the weather stays always above 70 and below 90 is really great. Although i heard that in September, when the rains peak, it's really intense. But then we'll have more time for bhajan (=wishful thinking). Mayapur and I could be stationed here for six months, a year, it's totally open still. It all goes according to necessity. And I don't have a problem with that at all. Guru Maharaja wants to have too ashrams running and we are lucky enough to be pioneering Costa Rica. Pioneering can be really tough sometimes though. When I was leaving to come here, some devotees expressed a (good willed) jealousy over the fact that I was chosen to go to a 'spiritual vacation"... Well, I have boogie boarded a couple of times, but it's pretty austere and physical life out here. Trying to combine a ritualistic spiritual program-which very much rests on punctuality and a schedule-with pioneering, which is full of unexpectedness, danger, uncertainty and constant change, can be disconcerting. But I'm not complaining, it's still just a struggle in paradise!
Vamsidhari Dasa - June 27, 2008 3:27 pm
rati could live comfortably inside one of those ears!!
LOL! Its true they are so cute with these big ears. They seem to be thinking, "I don't know about all these photos. Yes, of course I can hear you." But of course I am just anthropomorphizing.
Prema-bhakti - June 27, 2008 3:42 pm
Guru Maharaja named the cow Mangala and she and her calf will arrive to Madhuvan tomorrow at 7 AM.
Does the bull calf have a name?
Guru-nistha Das - June 27, 2008 4:40 pm
Oh sorry, the bull is called Dauji.
Grant Upson - June 27, 2008 4:52 pm
The first members of the herd have arrived!About half of the price is covered now, let see if these shots excite any more donations:
Well when you put it that way...
$150 from me!
Prema-bhakti - June 27, 2008 5:21 pm
Oh sorry, the bull is called Dauji.
Awwwwww!
Citta Hari Dasa - June 27, 2008 6:50 pm
Sri Mangala, Sri Dauji, go-seva, Sri Madhuvana ki jaya!
Rasa-parayana - June 27, 2008 8:08 pm
Aw,the and the bull are so cute
Guru-nistha Das - June 27, 2008 9:18 pm
I can tell you Ras, they are even cuter in real life.
Dauji broke out today through the barbed wire fence and I tried to lasso him, but it looks a lot easier in the westerns than what it is. After a while he jumped back through the fence, though.
Syamasundara - June 27, 2008 11:51 pm
But thank god for brahman underwear, we tore up kaupins and used them instead! It started becoming dark after we had struggled for four long hours to get the pipes replaced.
Oh, so Ratha Yatra without you? And Janmastami, Govardhana Puja 
Well, I'm gonna have to go to CR to see you as soon as the deities arrive.
Syamasundara - June 27, 2008 11:56 pm
Oh sorry, the bull is called Dauji.
Awww, perfect!
Those ears are huge, real Vrndavana style. So, horses were totally foreign to precolombian America, I wonder how cows made it over there and from where.
Vrindaranya Dasi - June 28, 2008 12:20 am
Mangala is 3/4 Brown Swiss, which are bigger than Jerseys but give more milk. More importantly, some devotees think that Brown Swiss cows will give milk for a longer period of time than other breeds. For example, Visakha of Gita Nagari (a Brown Swiss) gave something like three gallons of milk every day for over four years! Mangala was bred to a beautiful pure Brahma. Guru Maharaja named her bull Dauji because he will be the older brother of all the forthcoming calves.
Syamasundara - June 28, 2008 12:32 am
She looks nothing like the cows I'd see in Switzerland, but Swiss cows in general are famous for their generous udders.
Sounds great! With all that land, if the cows look like Vrndavana cows, who cares for the miniature version (that was an issue in the 2 acres of Eugene).
How many acres is it there again?
Prema-bhakti - June 28, 2008 12:40 am
Guru Maharaja named her bull Dauji because he will be the older brother of all the forthcoming calves.
That's what I was thinking. Yeah more calves!!
Babhru Das - June 28, 2008 1:30 am
Mangala and Dauji look very sweet, and I look forward to meeting them, but I'd like to make a quick case for the miniature zebus. They are extraordinarily beautiful, and their milk is absolutely amazing. I remember that Sadananda, the devotee from whom I bought milk when I lived in San Diego, had a body of evidence that, when Ayurveda talks about the health benefits of milk, it means milk from zebus, not other breeds. (Yeah, he seemed really zealous about this. But his cows' milk was really good!)
That said, the long period of production sounds good, too.
Zvonimir Tosic - June 28, 2008 1:39 am
Those ears are huge, real Vrndavana style. So, horses were totally foreign to precolombian America, I wonder how cows made it over there and from where.
You mean buffalos? Buffalos are also a member of bovinae family.
Buffalos were native to America. Now they're almost gone.
In Vedic jargon, we can say American nation was the result of the biggest cow sacrifice in human history.
Prema-bhakti - June 28, 2008 1:42 am
I don't know much about Ayurveda but I can personally attest to the fact that Visakha's milk was muy delicioso. Great ice cream, cheese, and curd too.
Syamasundara - June 28, 2008 1:55 am
You mean buffalos? Buffalos are also a member of bovinae family.Buffalos were native to America. Now they're almost gone.
No, I meant cows. Bison are from such a higher latitude I would have never thought of them being raised by Mayans, Aztecs, etc.
Vrindaranya Dasi - June 28, 2008 2:12 am
Here are some current pictures of Madhuvan.
Vamsidhari Dasa - June 28, 2008 7:31 am
Ohhhh, thank you for posting the pictures Sri Krishna Balaram I've been missing Them soooo much since They withdrew from the altar, albeit temporarily. Everything else is beautiful too, of course.
Guru-nistha Das - June 28, 2008 11:02 am
Margaret Dale donated the remaining part of the price of the cow. Mangala is ours. Thank you!
Vrindaranya Dasi - June 28, 2008 9:17 pm
The cows arrive at Madhuvan!
First milking
Dauji
Syamasundara - June 28, 2008 10:22 pm
Those teats must be a walk in the park after Raga, huh?
Tell us about their personalities.
Nitaisundara Das - June 28, 2008 11:13 pm
Oh my god, look at that bag!!! 
Gaurasundara Das - June 30, 2008 5:55 pm
wow!
Babhru Das - June 30, 2008 9:04 pm
Wow, indeed!
Vamsidhari Dasa - July 1, 2008 5:56 am
Yeah, yeah, thats all great and stuff: new s, greener pastures, tropical paradise, etc, but it is really time for you to COME HOME! Because some other s need milking, not to mention people who need your company
Mayapurcandra Das - July 2, 2008 1:31 pm
Last night I took Guru Maharaja and Vrindaranya to Liberia, because they are flying out. I've spent with them only 3 weeks and now together with Gurunistha we have to bear pain of separation from them for next few months.
So now in Madhuvan is only Krsna Balarama, Mangala, Dauji, horses Gurunistha and me. It's gonna be really interesting time!
Mangala and Dauji 
sunset in Madhuvan
Rathi Krishna Dasa - July 2, 2008 3:13 pm
sunset in Madhuvan
Beautiful.
Vamsidhari Dasa - July 2, 2008 5:07 pm
Gurunistha and me. It's gonna be really interesting time!
Just tell GuruNistha that Bob is there too
Syamasundara - July 2, 2008 9:35 pm
So now in Madhuvan is only Krsna Balarama, Mangala, Dauji, horses Gurunistha and me. It's gonna be really interesting time!
Mangala and Dauji
You guys do have a first aid kit, right?
Guru-nistha Das - July 6, 2008 3:23 pm
As Mayapur wrote, Guru Maharaja and Vrindaranya left last Wednesday and since then it's been just the two of us holding up the tropical fort here.
I've been thinking about the early ISKCON devotees alot, how they'd just take a plane to Saudi Arabia or Kongo, with maybe 50 dollars in the pocket, and start a temple. If I ever feel frustrated about the fact that we hardly speak any spanish, know the local customs etc. I just think of those devotees and I realize that we have things so easy here comparatively. We have an internet connection to Audarya, the project is going on full speed and we don't have to do the ground work, we have a vehicle and money, and so on. but it's still a challenge, no doubt. Trying explain things can be hard. But even harder is to try to understand what the locals are replying. People are quite nice, though, and pretty forbearing. Maybe they think it's funny or cute or whatever. But we're learning fast, by force of circumstance, and it's good. Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur are a part of our daily sadhana, for sure.
We have a nice program going and we're staying upbeat. We do kirtan in the morning from 4 AM to maybe 4:45 AM, a puja, chanting, reading, cow seva and breakfast before 8 AM and then we do errands and work at Madhuvan until 5-6 PM, cook a dinner, study spanish, micro hydro and do correspondence and hit the sack at 8 PM.
We are still trying to work on the micro hydro, have it run perfectly. We've had some problems with keeping the pressure up in the turbine, and that's been consuming our thoughts lately. Last night it rained hard for along time and this morning the pressure went down, but Mayapur hiked down to the river and fixed the problem.
The other day we went to run errands with Mayapur, and on the dirt road from our property to the village of Belen, the clutch of our truck stopped working. There happened to be a couple of locals on the field and one of them said, no problem, just take my horse and ride to the mechanic in Belen and ask him to come with you. So i jumped on the horse and started off. Man, was he trained up well! He galloped the whole 2 km, and was going so fast. I had hard time stopping him from running. The dirt road ended and I pulled hard to make him go slow. he started walking on the side of the asphalt road, but after a while just took off. He had horseshoes on and every time I tried pulling the reigns, he started slipping, it was like on ice. We were going down hill fast and he was slipping really bad. I lost my balance and fell off the horse on the asphalt, hit my head and rolled into the concrete ditch. There were some locals around and they started shouting and running towards me. I was in a shock and couldn't get up because my hip was hurting so much. One older local guy helped me up and some lady jumped in the car and was ready to take me to a hospital. As I got up, I asked the guy with my broken spanish: do you know where the mechanic is? He probably thought I was delirious from hitting my head, a foreigner slamming from a horse and asking for a mechanic? To my big surprise I didn't hurt myself that bad, so I started walking the horse towards Belen. I was bleeding from a couple of places and some locals were laughing at me and asking why I wasn't riding the horse. (I didn't think it was all that funny) Finally found the mechanic. We didn't really understand each other but i had met this bar owner the other day who spoke English, so I took the mechanic to him and he translated. The mechanic got to our car and found out the problem and he left his shop, jumped to our car and drove with us to a bigger city Nicoya to buy the right part. he even fixed the car right there on the street of Nicoya. He told my story to other locals in the car part shop and they got a good laugh. One young guy came to the car and told me in English: Don't ride horses on the street! Thanks for the tip, wise guy.
The mechanic took us back and didn't even rip us off. People here can be so nice.
Anyway, now everything is calmed down, I still can't do much of physical work but all I got is a sore butt and some small bruises. I really feel like I'm being protected by Krsna-Balarama, i could've hurt myself way worse.
Vamsidhari Dasa - July 6, 2008 5:59 pm
OMG, Gurunistha! Be careful! I am glad to hear you did not get hurt too badly, but it seems like it was a bad fall. Thank God it was not worse. Thanks for posting it is so nice to read this except for the hurt part of course! But you will see in a matter of 3-6 months you will speak Spanish fluently enough and things will be all better.
Syamasundara - July 6, 2008 10:49 pm
Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur are a part of our daily sadhana, for sure.
Right on! Can't wait to hear you guys. Ya sé que me partiré de las risas
So i jumped on the horse and started off. Man, was he trained up well! He galloped the whole 2 km, and was going so fast.
I don't get it. I took some horse riding 17 years ago and my sacrum would hurt so much I couldn't sit for days. I can't even think of gallopping down a hill on a horse without airbags.
Get well soon guru bro. Que mejores pronto! And if you have any doubts on something (Rosetta is cool but a little passive), and the time difference allows it, we can chat in Spanish, or about Spanish whenever you want. All my login names are in my profile. The invitation is open to all the other CR dreamers, too, of course.
Mayapurcandra Das - July 6, 2008 11:47 pm
We have a nice program going and we're staying upbeat. We do kirtan in the morning from 4 AM to maybe 4:45 AM, a puja, chanting, reading, cow seva and breakfast before 8 AM and then we do errands and work at Madhuvan until 5-6 PM, cook a dinner, study spanish, micro hydro and do correspondence and hit the sack at 8 PM.
yes, that's true we have really nice program here and whats great we can do kirtan with mridanga and karatals
I've been wondering what the workers are thinking when they hear a drum or see us in devotional clothes. We must seem for them a bit weird and boring people, with shaved up heads, bed sheets as our clothes and no free days
We are still trying to work on the micro hydro, have it run perfectly. We've had some problems with keeping the pressure up in the turbine, and that's been consuming our thoughts lately...
turbine works really good, only sometimes, especially after heavy rains we have some problems. It's still couple of things we have to figure out to make the turbine work more smooth. ( OK maybe I am just too optimistic)
The other day we were making a small inlet upgrade
the creek
Jiva-daya Dasa - July 7, 2008 11:30 pm
I'll be in Nicaragua for a short spell and was hoping to be in your neck of the woods the first week or so of August. I don't know if I'd be much help, sounds like you've got the language covered, but I'm eager to check things out and was wondering the best way to get in touch with you when I'm in Guanacaste. ¡Vivan los pioneros!
Syamasundara - July 8, 2008 12:06 am
¡Que vivan!
Language covered? I think you'd be of great help even just for that; make sure the workers know what to do for the next few months, have them touch bases with GNu and Mayapur for anything...
GNu was rambling about peyote only a short time ago, you don't know WHAT he's been telling them so far...
Guru-nistha Das - July 8, 2008 1:50 am
Check this out, Shyam:
Amo lingüística italiana del wannabe!
(Fyi, I used an online language translator to come up with that)
Syamasundara - July 8, 2008 4:16 am
You don't say?
That means: "I love Italian linguistic of the wannabe"
Aha... :Raised Eyebrow:
Guru-nistha Das - July 8, 2008 2:14 pm
That means: "I love Italian linguistic of the wannabe"
Just see. :Raised Eyebrow:
We're pretty far from fluent spanish, but motioning goes pretty far.
Jiva-Daya, the best way to get in contact with us is certainly the internet. We'll be checking our mail every day.
See you in a month!
Guru-nistha Das - July 11, 2008 3:56 pm
Guru Maharaja has mentioned that he wants us say the following mantra everytime we go on the altar to do our service:
naham vipro na ca nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
naham varni na ca grha-patir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah
"I am not a brahmana; I am not a ksatriya; I am not a vaisya or a sudra. Nor am I a brahmacari, a householder, a vanaprastha, or a sannyasi. I identify myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, the maintainer of the gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and he is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance." (Padyavali 74)
Today I thought about this mantra differently.
Staying here in Madhuvan and dealing a lot with the so-called normal people has made me really feel different. Obviously the fact that we are in the middle of a very different culture than our own, adds to it. But even in our own cultural context, we are anomalies. Even in today's western society, people are boxed in according to what they do, what's their gender and so on, what to speak of in here. But we really don't fit into any of those boxes. The locals must be totally bewildered. They see us in our "funny" robes, they hear that we play instruments and pray on our beads, so maybe they think, "they are priests", but the next moment we pick up a machette and work side by side with them. "Maybe they are workers", they may think, but then they'll see us dealing with money, buying things like cows and internet satellites, and they may think, "ok, they must be merchants" but then we are telling them what to do, run projects and and administrate and they may think we are managers.
But we are none of them obviously and they just can't pin us down.
The other day I went to get some wood for the cabins with Hermes, the contractor. After a long silence, while miles of country side road had passed, he asked me, " Do you work for Swami or are you just his friend?"
I tried to explain that I'm kind of both and that we are a community, but I don't know what he really thought.
Another common question is,"are you a family?"
This kind of situation of being out of step with the straight world makes it easier to pray Rupa Goswami's prayer with feeling. We really aren't any of those things. We are just aspiring to be the servants of the servants, and a little awkwardness in social dealings is a very small austerity compared to what society we will some day be a part of.
***
Things are going really good here. We are slowly learning the ways of the locals, getting more accustomed to living in Central America. We just planted some fruit and flower trees. Right now we have coconuts, guanabanas (soursop, really good), mangoes, oranges, lemons, sweet lemons, miracle fruit, jasmins, plumerias, gardenias, roses, marygolds, corn, bananas, plantains, beans and rice.
The two new cabins are advancing. Both of them have roofs on them and the workers will start on the insides now, I'm assuming.
Unfortunately the pasture that some of the workers have been working on won't be ready until two months, so one of our daily pastimes is to go out with the truck and cut grass on the sides of the roads, bag it and take it to Mangala. She eats so much compared to the cows in Audarya! I'm afraid we'll find ourselvs in San Jose one day, looking for roads that we haven't cut the grass from yet. It's a pretty modern version of go-seva, I have to say.
Swami - July 11, 2008 5:35 pm
Guru Maharaja has mentioned that he wants us say the following mantra everytime we go on the altar to do our service:
naham vipro na ca nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
naham varni na ca grha-patir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah
"I am not a brahmana; I am not a ksatriya; I am not a vaisya or a sudra. Nor am I a brahmacari, a householder, a vanaprastha, or a sannyasi. I identify myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, the maintainer of the gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and he is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance." (Padyavali 74)
This kind of situation of being out of step with the straight world makes it easier to pray Rupa Goswami's prayer with feeling.
Note that this verse, while appearing in Sri Rupa's Padyavali, was not written by him. It has ben attriibuted to Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Guru-nistha Das - July 11, 2008 10:59 pm
Right. I should have known that :Raised Eyebrow:
Jiva-daya Dasa - July 12, 2008 12:08 am
I think it's very fortunate to be in a rural area of the country when getting aclamated to a new culture. Urban vs. rural customs and life style - pretty universal. The streets of San José, Tegucigalpa, Managua and such places have a very different feel and rhythm. I've always found that while in the campo, one is somehow spared from some of the sting of desperate poverty and the darker sides of humanity. I am sure that you are making a very positive impression on the folks you have met and that they speak positively about you among their friends and family. I haven't even been down yet but I get the feeling that they might have a sense of the devotional energy driving the project - I bet they're proud to know you and to be part of such a tremendous undertaking.
¡Ánimo! What you're doing and the way you're doing it is an inspirational to us all!
Zvonimir Tosic - July 12, 2008 11:40 am
Right. I should have known that :Raised Eyebrow:
Yes, very true. And what was actually written by Rupa, or Sanatana or any of us?
Even the sweetest verses of ours are just reflections of Gaura Govinda's blissful smiles.
Guru-nistha Das - July 12, 2008 4:43 pm
Even the sweetest verses of ours are just reflections of Gaura Govinda's blissful smiles.
What do you mean? Sounds awfully cheesy, but what's the philosophical background for this statement?
Nitaisundara Das - July 12, 2008 4:55 pm
Maybe I am missing something but Rupa and Sanatana are fully spiritual entities, they are acting from their actual position within absolute reality. I would lean more towards saying that they did actually write. Their writings could not just come from anyone, and I would think that if one knew them deeply they could see their specific positions coming through their words, like if one knew Guru Maharaja deeply they could see him in his writing. Every real devotee is unique and the truth they bring is dynamic, so I think that they are indeed writing. Guru Maharaja sometimes says that after a certain point Krsna scoops up the devotee because they are telling to many intimate things about him, "You know that about me?" Mahaprabhu felt Ramananda Raya to be his guru, but Ramananda claimed all the wonderful things coming from his mouth were Mahaprabhu speaking through him. If we just focus on God coming through his devotees, we lose the best part of God (his devotees).
As for us....our verses tend to be a reflection of our unbecoming desires....even the sweet ones
Syamasundara - July 13, 2008 2:01 am
Well, for the sake of balance (and I can't believe I'm taking Zvonimir's side, although I don't agree with the wording and the full extent of his words), from the point of view of tattva, Krsna is in fact the only doer, there is a series of verses about that in the BG.
Nitaisundara Das - July 13, 2008 3:16 am
I acknowledge that, and I think I did somewhat in my post as well (in presenting Ramananda's view of who was doing the talking). I thought to post again and clarify but did not get around to it. My main point was really that it seems more relevant for us to stress the devotee side of things, and indeed much sweeter. On the other hand, I guess balance is needed, after all we are not rasika bhaktas. It just felt like an overly de-emphasized presentation, coupled with grouping everyone else, in a sense, into the class of Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis. The teachings of an acarya have their distinct flavor mixed in, this is the personality coming through.
The second point was that our own compositions, no matter how sweet, are not necessarily anything spiritual. I think sweetness in this sense is really reffering to verses that convey knowledge and beauty, two components of aishvarya. So we should not be mesmerized and think they are inherently inspired by Gaura Govinda. Putana was beautiful, on the surface.
Syamasundara - July 13, 2008 4:57 am
Gotcha. Very nicely put now.
Mayapurcandra Das - July 16, 2008 3:48 am
a small update:
The project on the other two new cabins is going pretty good and maybe 3 or 4 more weeks and they will be done. We still have to put the electrical cable to this spot. It is amazing how Hermes and his crew are able to build there without any electricity.
Below a picture of those cabins
We've got a second pasture and rice field fenced in with barbed wire. So maybe 1 or 2 months more and Mangala and Dauji will be able to spend some time on the pasture and eat fresh grass.
Gurunistha seems to be totally cured after the horse accident, furthermore he is already able to ride a horse.
A proof below...
Citta Hari Dasa - July 16, 2008 3:19 pm
Thanks for the update Mayapura! It's wonderful to see things progressing so well.
Syama Gopala Dasa - July 17, 2008 7:47 pm
[quote name='Mayapurcandra das' date='Jul 16 2008, 05:48 AM' post='16070
Gurunistha seems to be totally cured after the horse accident, furthermore he is already able to ride a horse.
A proof below...
I'll believe you once I see him ride a horse, not sit on it.
Guru-nistha Das - July 18, 2008 9:55 am
I'll believe you once I see him ride a horse, not sit on it.
Funny that you should mention...
We just finished a video about our lives here, which happens to include some wild galloping footage as well!
A Day in Eternity:
Syamasundara - July 18, 2008 12:30 pm
Thank you so much, I think I almost giggled to death.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - July 18, 2008 1:04 pm
Thank you so much, I think I almost giggled to death.
Great Guru-nistha. Great service.
Madan Gopal Das - July 18, 2008 1:52 pm
very sweet. makes me miss your sanga even more...
Bhrigu - July 18, 2008 3:22 pm
That was nice, Gurunistha! Thank you for making the video. Mayapur and you are doing great service.
Guru-nistha Das - July 18, 2008 3:54 pm
Thank you all. I'd like to make the point though, that Mayapur was just as involved in the video project as I was.
The vidoes are pretty easy and fast to make, so expect some more at some point.
Prema-bhakti - July 18, 2008 4:10 pm
Oh Bhais, thank you so much for the video. It is so sweet and endearing. I can't estimate how much you are both pleasing Guru Maharaja with this endeavor. Dandavats to you both. 
Citta Hari Dasa - July 18, 2008 4:17 pm
Great vid gents! You're real cowherders now! I offer my dandavats to you both and your guru seva.
Syama Gopala Dasa - July 18, 2008 4:47 pm
Very nice video brothers. Amazing to see all these changes.
(great choice, jiv jago and a day in eternity)
Braja-sundari Dasi - July 18, 2008 9:42 pm
What a great video! Thank you brothers!!!
Babhru Das - July 18, 2008 11:42 pm
Very cool; very inspiring. Thanks so much.
Gandiva Dasi - July 19, 2008 2:19 am
Thanks so much for including us and giving us an experience of Madhuvan. I feel as though I've visited. It's very beautiful and I know there must be many challenges but I was struck by how much is the same, rising, worshiping, cooking offering, cow seva, etc., to Audarya . All glories to your service. Just knowing that's going on there helps me here.
Gaurasundara Das - July 19, 2008 3:28 am
I miss you guys.
Tadiya Dasi - July 19, 2008 6:15 am
I miss you guys.
My thoughts exactly.
Thank you for the wonderful glimpse to your life and service there.
Syamasundara - July 19, 2008 8:51 am
Just come back from a loooong day, but a day that was punctuated by the image in my mind of you guys untying the calf so he would drink all the milk. That's like straight out of the Bhagavatam!
Only, no mischief was meant this time...
Yes, do send some more. We haven't seen much of the workers (or of the sky during the blue spells). And where are the gardens? And can you go to the beach one day?
I don't know why they say that yantra-vijnana (technology) is demoniac.
Babhru Das - July 20, 2008 3:06 am
I don't know why they say that yantra-vijnana (technology) is demoniac.
I think that's because it encourages exploitation. But here's how good it can get when yantra-vijnana is exploited for divine purposes: tonight GM gave class here at Audarya and the boys at Madhuvana attended with us. And afterward we got to talk to them. Oh, brave new world that has such gadgets in't!
Jiva-daya Dasa - July 22, 2008 3:16 am
Thank you so much for sharing, se me salieron lágrimas al verlo todo... qué servicio el suyo - what service! mil gracias
Madan Gopal Das - July 22, 2008 2:24 pm
But here's how good it can get when yantra-vijnana is exploited for divine purposes: tonight GM gave class here at Audarya and the boys at Madhuvana attended with us.
Anyway we can exploit it just a little bit more, so more of us can go to class? :Raised Eyebrow: :Big Grin: 
Swami - July 22, 2008 2:50 pm
Anyway we can exploit it just a little bit more, so more of us can go to class? :Raised Eyebrow: :Big Grin:
We are working on this.
Citta Hari Dasa - July 22, 2008 2:50 pm
I'm all for the technology as well--when I was at Audarya helping out during the fire crisis we were videoconferencing with Guru Maharaja daily. That is definitely the next best thing to being in his company! And I hope, like Madana Gopal said, that we will be able to do larger group classes at some point. . .
Bijaya Kumara Das - July 27, 2008 6:48 am
I'm all for the technology as well--when I was at Audarya helping out during the fire crisis we were videoconferencing with Guru Maharaja daily. That is definitely the next best thing to being in his company! And I hope, like Madana Gopal said, that we will be able to do larger group classes at some point. . .
are you doing it on skype ? or what venue so we can log in
Syama Gopala Dasa - July 27, 2008 7:51 pm
Did Audarya's connection get upgraded?
Nitaisundara Das - July 28, 2008 4:11 am
business grade T1 my man
Syamasundara - August 4, 2008 5:27 am
GOT MILK?
OH, GOT TOO MUCH OF IT?
WELL, GET CHURNING...!
Panir is fine and well, but it doesn't have a long shelf life and needs to be refrigerated (do you guys even have a fridge?). If he doesn't want bad cholesterol to come out of his nostrils, the expert cowherd-monk will learn how to make ghi out of yogurt. This will have the double effect of making your yogurt low-fat, so you can consume it daily, and of having, well, ghi, that has a very long shelf life, can be used raw for ayurvedic purposes (remember: aged ghi cures craziness), or for cooking of course. Oh, and you get buttermilk in the process. Sweet. And don't forget the ghi wicks!
I can't wait to see the next video with the two of you on either side of a pochote wood hand-made churn, pulling on those ropes while singing about Krsna, bangles shaking and clinging, veils falling from your heads (no, wait a second... 
!?).
On Yamuna's big book, if you have the beaten-up one, you'll find recipes for flavored panir, I believe even pickled or somehow jarred (that's an idea!), and herbed ghee, that you can also go wild with, considering the supply of milk.
Then, if you wanted to invest on a huge karhai-type pot, like the milk sweetmakers have in Vrndavana, you can get some coals going to save on the gas, and boil the milk down until you get khoa, which is the stage before milk powder. It's dry, like grated cheese, and very versatile in many recipes, from sweets to... oh, you name it.
Too bad you don't have a cool, dry environment there for cheese-making. You could put salt and herbs in some panir, rub it with salt daily, turn it, and get some nice kinds of cheese.
Now if I was there, I would make mozzarella, which is usually kept in its own whey. Been trying to put my hands on some raw milk for a long time.
You probably will never embark in that (or anything I've said), but think about it, should some of your milk go bad.
There you go, the fruit of my days' worth research. Then you say I never think of you.
For the details on how to make ghi from yogurt, check out this web page.
:Cow::Cow::Cow::Cow::Cow::Cow::Cow:
Mayapurcandra Das - August 4, 2008 1:20 pm
Thanks Syamu for this post, especially for stuff about making ghee from yogurt-sounds awesome-we will try it out very soon.
p.s. now shortly, but more news from Madhuvan we gonna write later!
Jay Rama Govinda!
Guru-nistha Das - August 4, 2008 2:52 pm
Thank you so much Syamu! This was THE BEST post you've ever made (no pun intended, seriously)!
I've been anxious about making some ghee. And that khoa sounds great. can you do it with a non-stick too?
And how do you make mozzarella?
Thanks again.
p.s. We have a kind of a "director's block" on the movie making but we'll try to work something out later.
Syamasundara - August 4, 2008 11:26 pm
Thank you so much Syamu! This was THE BEST post you've ever made (no pun intended, seriously)!
I'm so happy I could be of some service!
And that khoa sounds great. can you do it with a non-stick too?
I guess so, but if you do it on a normal size pot and on a gas stove, it's going to take forever to boil the milk down to that level. Then again, who ever said you have to make half gallon batches every time; maybe you can just use whatever milk is left at the end of the day and cook it down. Only thing, the smaller the batch, the easier it is to burn it.
And how do you make mozzarella?
Save some whey from the curd in a bottle at room temperature. When you open the bottle and it's "carbonated" and fizzy, it's ready. Next time you have some raw milk sitting around for more than 24h (do you have a fridge or not?) you start heating it up at gulab jamun temperature (stick pinky in milk, and start counting; if it burns at 10, it's ready), then add the fizzy whey, all this while constantly stirring, circular stirring is what makes the curd turn into filament and wrap around the spoon. Once you have the dough, you just pinch off balls and there you have it. That's what mozzarella means in Italian: "Little cut-off thing", mozzata means cut off, "ella" makes it cute, and Neapolitan accent made the rest, so mozzatella>mozzadella>mozzarella
I think I skipped a couple of passages, maybe I'll post a link to a website that I find bona fide and in English.
p.s. We have a kind of a "director's block" on the movie making but we'll try to work something out later.
Meaning he can't perform, or he got vetoed?
Syamasundara - August 4, 2008 11:31 pm
Another thing, whatever ghi, yogurt, and butter you make, make sure you hide it high up, because Krsna and Balarama are right there but maybe you can keep them at bay by making ras malai, or learning how to, no excuses now!
Or mango lassi, or shrikhand... life is good.
Syamasundara - August 4, 2008 11:48 pm
Here, give this a try. Don't burn your hands!
Babhru Das - August 5, 2008 12:35 am
And kefir! If you can get good kefir "grains," you'll have plenty of milk in a very healthful form. I'll find some stuff about it later and post it (unless someone beats me to it--I've been kept a little busy lately).
Syamasundara - August 5, 2008 12:58 am
Yes, myself I am about to order the grains and equipment from Lifeway as soon as I have that kind of extra-money. I don't know why I didn't think of suggesting it.
Kefir, compared to yogurt, has a more square, cheesy flavor. I like it as it is, but I don't know if I would make dairy products with it; well, maybe cheese. Actually, I think you can make about everything with it, why not.
Kefir comes from some Turkish root (from the area where people live over 100 because of drinking it) that means something like "I dig it", in the sense of "appreciate". In all the arabic languages, all the way to French, that took most of its slang from the North African immigrants, you can find a similar verb. Kefir is in fact good stuff.
Syamasundara - August 5, 2008 1:21 am
Oh, and a friend years ago told me that in Pakisthan once the water is evaporated from the ghi, they filter any impurity by pouring cracked rice, or semolina, in it which will sink and trap all the scum with it, then they poor off the ghi, and they make halava with the soaked grains. Sounds like fun.
Also, he told me of how heavenly bhasmati rice smells when you cook it fresh (as in "tender grains straight from the plant"). I wonder if you can grow bhasmati there.
Babhru Das - August 5, 2008 1:21 am
I'd suggest looking into live grains, rather than freeze-dried grains. If you use the freeze-dried kind (which is what I guess you buy at health-food stores--I'm not sure what Lifeway sells), I've heard it takes a while for the full vitality to come back. The live grains are available, sometimes for free and sometimes for nominal fees, and you could probably find sources on the Web.
Guru-nistha Das - August 5, 2008 3:04 pm
Yes, Kefir sounds great. The people at the local farm supply will think we're even crazier when we'll spit that one out with our broken spanish: "Tiene granos de Kefir?" The clerk was pretty amused already yesterday when we went to ask for instruments to make butter. 
The workers finished on the cabins and Mayapur and I will do the final touches, like windows, doors, closets and sinks. Two workers are still milling wood for us for this week and after that we will be on our own.
We finished the outhouses finally last week, we extended the garden and planted zuchini, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers and salad. We also started bringing wood up from the milling spot and we'll start making furniture for the cabins once the wood dried out. On our way down we found some lijanas (those ropes that hang from old trees) Man, was it fun to swing in them! We found a steep hill where you could go really high if you swung hard from the hill. You'll see in the next movie.
We finally fixed the inlet so now it doesn't lose pressure every third day. It's been going non-stop for almost three weeks.
The rice will be planted this week and the beans a little later. The corn is doing good (although Mangala broke out once when we were on errands and ate some) and the banana and plantain trees are growing super fast. Now that the costruction crew is gone, we can concentrate much more on tightening the loose ends and so on.
The pasture will be ready this week's Thursday and we don't have to go cut the grass all the time anymore. That's going to give us more time to do other things as well.
We started taking Mangala on the temple site for grazing, that's been real cowherd boy fun. We have a stick japa mala and we let her eat for an hour or so in the morning, more in the afternoon. The weather has been incredible, so it's super nice to chant in the monrning there, when the sun is rising and the fog lingers in the vallies of the hills. Totally serene moments.
Syamasundara - August 5, 2008 11:09 pm
Nice. What's a stick japa mala?
By the way, not like it's any decision of yours, but what about planting two Nima trees? Even just from seed, as I doubt you'll find them locally. Whenever they are fully grown, they'll provide a lot of goodies for the gardens and the cows, besides taking our minds to Gaura lila.
Seen its sacredness, I doubt we'd ever harvest its wood or bark, unless some branches or twigs fall somehow, still, every part of the neem tree contains a certain chemical that makes pests sterile, the eggs of neem-treated bugs will never hatch, we could get neem oil from the seeds (it escapes me how at present) and the seed cake that remains is a great soil conditioner that keeps the dirt disinfected and free of viruses and stuff.
The leaves can be mixed with the cow crunch and they'll make their blood repellent to biting insects, and the oil can be smeared around their eyes.
When we were in Point Arena I saw a web site of some Indian businessman that for $100 would ship you a whole container of neem products.
Anyway, think about it. I know I'll have one neem tree if and when God wants me to live there.
Syamasundara - August 5, 2008 11:13 pm
By the way, you don't really need fancy instruments to make butter. I was already thinking of making a huge round earthen pot for you guys if I can save by December, but really, any whisk in a container container will do. You could even get a branch with a lot of shooters, strip it of its bark and clean it well, and then you spin it back and forth between your palms.
Mayapurcandra Das - August 6, 2008 3:19 pm
Indeed Syamu, we do not need fancy instruments to make butter...at all!
Yesterday morning we decided to do one more experiment, and we left milk (2 liters) in the fridge for 24 hours. Today, after the puja I took out the plastic bowl with milk, and I started collecting the cream. Man, today we got half a cup of cream! Definitely it was a new Madhuvan record. After the breakfast, I proposed to Gurunistha, that maybe while he is doing dishes I can try make butter.
I used a small glass jar, and I started shaking. After maybe 5 minutes, it started transforming into more condensed stage. Finally it started to separate to buttermilkand butter! Now we have our first 1/3 cup of butter!
Jay Kana Rama! Jay Mangala! Jay Madhuvan!
Citta Hari Dasa - August 6, 2008 4:24 pm
Indeed Syamu, we do not need fancy instruments to make butter...at all!Yesterday morning we decided to do one more experiment, and we left milk (2 liters) in the fridge for 24 hours. Today, after the puja I took out the plastic bowl with milk, and I started collecting the cream. Man, today we got half a cup of cream! Definitely it was a new Madhuvan record. After the breakfast, I proposed to Gurunistha, that maybe while he is doing dishes I can try make butter.
I used a small glass jar, and I started shaking. After maybe 5 minutes, it started transforming into more condensed stage. Finally it started to separate to buttermilkand butter! Now we have our first 1/3 cup of butter!
Jay Kana Rama! Jay Mangala! Jay Madhuvan!
Sweet! Fresh butter is the best!
Swami - August 6, 2008 5:20 pm
Indeed Syamu, we do not need fancy instruments to make butter...at all!Yesterday morning we decided to do one more experiment, and we left milk (2 liters) in the fridge for 24 hours. Today, after the puja I took out the plastic bowl with milk, and I started collecting the cream. Man, today we got half a cup of cream! Definitely it was a new Madhuvan record. After the breakfast, I proposed to Gurunistha, that maybe while he is doing dishes I can try make butter.
I used a small glass jar, and I started shaking. After maybe 5 minutes, it started transforming into more condensed stage. Finally it started to separate to buttermilkand butter! Now we have our first 1/3 cup of butter!
Jay Kana Rama! Jay Mangala! Jay Madhuvan!
Wow! So 1.5 cups of cream = .33 cups of butter. I always wondered what the formula was.
Swami - August 6, 2008 5:29 pm
Perhaps this is the place and time to reveal that we have been seriously contemplating acquiring a milker here at Audarya. Some jealousy of Madhuvan is there no doubt. Our beautiful herd here just does not give much milk. One Jersey will give us 5 gallons a day, and if we mated her to our small bulls, we would produce a reasonably sized calf. Audarya is so bountiful with produce, but milk and its byproducts are hard to come by except during festival when guests visit. Imagine what nice things we could produce and offer with 5 gallons pouring in daily! Only the inhabitants of Madhuvan know this joy.
Rathi Krishna Dasa - August 6, 2008 5:55 pm
Madhuvan... Audarya... *gasp and swoon*
Guru-nistha Das - August 6, 2008 8:10 pm
Wow! So 1.5 cups of cream = .33 cups of butter. I always wondered what the formula was.
Guru Maharaja, to make you even more jealous, the ratio is actually .5 cups cream= .33 butter!! Soon we'll try our next batch of home made ghee. Life's too good.
Syama Gopala Dasa - August 6, 2008 8:34 pm
Citta Hari Dasa - August 6, 2008 10:46 pm
Hmmm, a little transcendental competition, methinks! Excellent!
Syamasundara - August 7, 2008 12:04 am
Oh, so you do have a fridge.
Actually, butter comes from the cream skimmed off raw milk; as simple as that. In fact, when I read about the gopis making butter from yogurt I thought it was a problem of translation. Butter has nothing of the sourness of yogurt; but, after all, nor does shrikhand, or yogurt cheese in general.
I think the point with yogurt has something to do with the milk spoiling fast in warm climates, so better to make it ferment the right way, so, as you keep adding cream to the batch, it will turn into more yogurt, and not just rot.
Anyway, keep it up!
How much cheese and what kind of cheese do they consume there? Maybe the same people that were seeing you cutting grass on the side of the road, will soon see you selling queso fresco!
Jiva-daya Dasa - August 7, 2008 11:56 pm
Pedile a una de las señoras del pueblo que te enseñe a hacer cuajada - podés conseguir las pastillas para hacerlo en el mercado - buen provecho
Syamasundara - August 8, 2008 12:27 am
Oh, they use "vos" in Costa Rica?
What's in those tablets? Are they vegetarian?
Guru-nistha Das - August 10, 2008 3:17 pm
This week's THursday Mangala and Dauji were finally allowed to go to the new pasture. It's great to be able to just let them roam free and enjoy the all you can eat buffet. Here's a video we made about taking them there (unfortunately YouTube cut alittle bit from the beginning and end):
We've been continuing to experiment with milk. Yesterday Mayapur turned 1.5 cups of butter into ghee (only got about 0.5 cup of ghee) and today I made sour cream. Home made sour cream tastes AMAZING. You just put a couple of drops of lemon juice into the cream and leave it covered for 24 hours in a warm place (which is not hard to find here).
Today we left the buttermilk out of the fridge to see how it'll turn out in a day.
All the workers have finished their work and we are on our own. We still have to bring some wood from the forest and let it dry. Tow days ago we brought these huge 20"x1.5x90" boards from the highest peak of our property down. The tree fell in a really difficult and steep spot but the workers were able to saw it with the help of Mayapur. It was exhausting, but we saved a bunch of money and it's nice to supply your own wood too, of course. Now that we know how to use that Alaskan chainsaw mill, we can mill our own boards too. Mayapur studied forestry for 5 years, so at least he knows what he is doing.
Mayapurcandra Das - August 10, 2008 3:22 pm
Dauji and Mangala-first steps on the new pasture
New cabins done by Hermeses crew
Syama Gopala Dasa - August 10, 2008 7:40 pm
Whose cabins will this be?
Madan Gopal Das - August 10, 2008 8:32 pm
Beautiful! NICE cabins! Mangala and Dauji are such beautiful deep colors. I love seeing the bull fighting! That movie had a little Charlie Chaplin soundtrack eh?
Syamasundara - August 10, 2008 9:17 pm
I love seeing the bull fighting!
You mean the bulls! :Rolling Eyes:
Guru-nistha Das - August 22, 2008 2:07 pm
As you know, we were out of electricity for some time. Here's what happened: a little over a week ago there was a lightning storm here in the night (which happens almost every night now that the rainy season is advancing). One of the lightnings apparently hit the creek where our microhydro turbine is and the electric surge traveled in the cables to our inverter, which shut down. After about 10 minutes to the blackout we went to turn the invereter on, and it hit big spark and said “boom”.
So we were out of electricity. Not too bad, though, considering the climate. We read and chanted in the candle lit cabin in the evenings and mornings. It reminded me of my family’s summer cottage in my childhood days. There was no electricity and in the evenings my dad would tell us some quite entertaining bedtime stories of his own invention, in the candle light. Now my bedtime stories are the events of Caitanya-caritamrta, quite entertaining as well.
The only real bummer was that the fridge didn’t work. We would just use up what ever milk we got the same day (by the evening it would turn into something similar to yogurt by itself) and didn’t buy anything that would get spoiled easily. No cream though, no butter, no ghee.
Thank god our water supply is gravity pressurized. Otherwise we would've had to use a lot of time just fetching water.
So Babhru came here on Tuesday morning and brought the "boards" for the inverter. We were kind of shocked to receive the packages, they looked a lot more complicated and delicate that I had thought. We practically replaced almost everything inside the inverter. We dismounted it and carried it into the rancho, and of course it started raining like on doomsday once we got the thing opened up and all the electrical parts exposed. Mayapur covered the heavy thing with his shirt and I was holding the umbrella above it as he carried it back to the powerhouse. We had the same connotation at the same time of carrying down Gaura-Nityananda from the old temple to the new in Audarya. Mayapur said, "The Deity of Madhuvan!". Anyway, you would've had to be there.
After putting everything together and being freaked out by the instructions that said several times "and if you do this, you might blow up the boards or damage them permanently", we connected together 6 9-volt batteries to test the inverter. They said not to hook it up directly to the battery bank. And sure enough the main display didn't work, although some of the lights in other boards lit up. Off to Nicoya to call the tech support. I started feeling pretty discouraged, but thankfully Mayapur has an amazing ability to stay upbeat, so he dragged me along.
After getting some tips from the tech support and getting some much needed energy from calling Guru Mahraja, we headed back while the sun was setting. We went back to the inverter and I was thinking to myself, if this doesn't work, we'll be out of electricity until Gaurasundara comes in a month. We hooked everything up and to our great happiness, the inverter kicked off. We were sceraming and patting each other in the backs, like after the successful last second slapshot in the Stanley Cup finals.
As we went back to the cabin, we found out that there was no water. I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't ekadasi, you know how all this stuff always clusters on those days. Anyway, next morning we took a morning bath in the nearby creek with Mayapur (like true sannyasis would), and after the morning program troubleshot the water system. This one was a quick one, relatively speaking. We rode the horses to the source, cut, sucked on and glued together some pipes and got the thing working. Then we rode to the other tanks that supply the water to the cabins and found out they were clogged too. After some more cutting and sucking, we got it to work. It was only 9 AM and we were already exhausted.
Thank god Babhru came. Otherwise we would've had to cook the breakfast too. A third person makes a huge difference, we can accomplish a lot more now, which feels great.
Citta Hari Dasa - August 22, 2008 2:45 pm
Ahhh, the adventures of pioneering the wilderness! Nice job, fellas!
Syamasundara - September 9, 2008 1:43 pm
Lil update, maybe? 
Babhru Das - September 9, 2008 2:11 pm
More rain, and more mud. Much more of both, and not much electricity in the meantime.
Last week we had an enormous rainstorm for at least a day. The trail to the cabin we use as a temple and kitchen became a raging (!) stream. No electricity. Our system in the stream hasn't held up well against the rainy season so far. And the incessant drain on the battery bank has rendered them almost useless. As it turns out, this storm last week took out some of our penstock in the stream--two or three pipes just gone. In the afternoon we decided to go to Nicoya for some supplies, only to discover that we we trapped by a huge mudslide blocking the road out of Madhuvana. We started digging, but it was too much mud (and trees, and roots). Mayapura and Guru-nistha worked heroically for two days. However, it seemed clear that this would be several days' work, at least.
On Saturday, on his day off, Juan came on his horse to check on us. In the afternoon, he brought a guy with a tractor, who dug us out. Yesterday Mayapura and Guru-nistha got the power back up, and things seem to be more or less normal, for now. Of course the bummer in the whole story is that Mayapura is leaving today for three weeks in Poland, so we will miss his company.
These two men, Guru-nishta and Mayapura Chandra, are heroes in my book. I was already more than impressed with them and Gaurasundara, based on the time I spent with them at Audarya this past winter. Now it's just awe.
Maybe Guru-nistha will post pix later.
Syamasundara - September 9, 2008 5:34 pm
Wow, and the funds are low... It sounds like it's time to think of some micro eolic and micro solar on the side, or whatever else. This creek doesn't seem to be stable enough for the pioneering days, imagine for when something is established.
Last year I found all kinds of videos on youtube about 0 energy.
All the scientists in the comments ridiculed and trashed the authors, because some ever-so-tiny amount of initial energy was required, but heck, if with a tiny amount you can start a whole dynamo spinning thing that produces 10 times as much electricity, and in my understanding, including the energy to run itself, I wouldn't mind that, even if it implied pedaling for one hour.
Swami - September 9, 2008 7:02 pm
Wow, and the funds are low... It sounds like it's time to think of some micro eolic and micro solar on the side, or whatever else. This creek doesn't seem to be stable enough for the pioneering days, imagine for when something is established.
Last year I found all kinds of videos on youtube about 0 energy.
All the scientists in the comments ridiculed and trashed the authors, because some ever-so-tiny amount of initial energy was required, but heck, if with a tiny amount you can start a whole dynamo spinning thing that produces 10 times as much electricity, and in my understanding, including the energy to run itself, I wouldn't mind that, even if it implied pedaling for one hour.
I think the micro hyrdo will be fine. We are just working out the kinks this year. The next six weeks will bring a lot of rain. After the monsoons we will be able to secure the turbine inlet to withstand just about anything. Once we get deep cycle renewable batteries, we should be set. We have been working off of truck batteries, which are not made for this kind of operation. As for the funds, please increase your monthly donation
Babhru Das - September 9, 2008 9:46 pm
I think the micro hyrdo will be fine. We are just working out the kinks this year.
That's our sense here. As I remember, the system was installed last year after the rainy season. And I suppose truck batteries were used because no one really anticipated the kind of damage that stream would do and figured we didn't really need deep-cycle batteries. Now we know. It has been hard on the monks here at moments, but they're young, dedicated, full of faith, and resilient. They'll have cool stories to tell when they're longer in the tooth.
Someone on another board suggested we need to shift to wind power; what a joke! This is the best system for this place, and it will be great once the problems are ironed out.
In the meantime, it has been my pleasure (well, there's the matter of mud and more mud) and my honor to be able to do some small service to help keep things going.
Guru-nistha Das - September 10, 2008 2:24 am
THis is definitely the hardest part in getting Madhuvan going. The devotees pioneered Audarya, took cold baths in the winter rains etc., now it's our time to pay our dues, I guess. This is the first rainy season we are spending here in Costa Rica, so it's totally untraversed territory. When it rains here, it really rains. But it's still not raining as much as I was expecting. We've had 4 or 5 days of beautiful weather with no rains at all. I'm just dreading for the next storm though. I'm not used to being on the mercy of the nature like this. It's a good lesson from a philosophical point of view and a pain in the ASS from a practical.
Today I took Mayapur to the bus in Nicoya and worked on the rice field, weeding with a machette. The rice field should yield about 100 gallons of rice, which should last for a whole year with this size crew. I always thought that rice needs a ton of water, but I learned that the chinese actually flood the fields so they don't have to weed them. Good thinking, it's painful work.
Babhru has been doing all the Deity seva and cooking, taking care of the kitchen and the gardens while me and Mayapur have been on a marathon pace during the recent problems. Thank God Babhru came here, it would've been super hard otherwise.
We also have some workers making another pasture for us, to secure enough to eat for the animals during the dry season.
Gaurasundara will fly here on Thursday and we'll drive to San Jose straight away to buy deep cycle batteries and to get the system running better. We changed the location of the inlet after the big storm ripped up the beginning of the penstock, it's back to the old spot in a secured concrete box. It's been working great thus far.
Other than that, we have to change cables that run to the cabins, put up a fence around the pasture, process a bunch of corn, pull a waterline for Mangala on a new pasture, get Dauji castrated, and a bunch of other maintenance stuff. We'll definitely have a good collection of cool stories in our old days, as Babhru said.
Syamasundara - September 10, 2008 5:03 am
As for the funds, please increase your monthly donation
Done.
Syamasundara - September 10, 2008 5:06 am
Gaurasundara will fly here on Thursday
Are you ever coming back?
get Dauji castrated
Oh? They don't crimp over there?
Nitaisundara Das - September 10, 2008 4:47 pm
Today I took Mayapur to the bus in Nicoya and worked on the rice field, weeding with a machette. The rice field should yield about 100 gallons of rice, which should last for a whole year with this size crew.
If you mean a hundred gallons dry then that would last only a year if you were eating almost 9 CUPS cooked a day!! Sounds more like 2-3 years to me!
Syamasundara - September 10, 2008 6:13 pm
Really? When I only eat rice and dal, I use half a cup for myself. Supposing an average of 4 people living there, and taking two rice-based meals a day every day, that's 91.25 gallons a year right there.
Nitaisundara Das - September 10, 2008 9:11 pm
Really? When I only eat rice and dal, I use half a cup for myself. Supposing an average of 4 people living there, and taking two rice-based meals a day every day, that's 91.25 gallons a year right there.
2 cups of cooked rice a day per person is alot, especially when you have gallons of milk and bountiful gardens.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - September 10, 2008 9:24 pm
THis is definitely the hardest part in getting Madhuvan going. The devotees pioneered Audarya, took cold baths in the winter rains etc., now it's our time to pay our dues, I guess. This is the first rainy season we are spending here in Costa Rica, so it's totally untraversed territory. When it rains here, it really rains. But it's still not raining as much as I was expecting. We've had 4 or 5 days of beautiful weather with no rains at all. I'm just dreading for the next storm though. I'm not used to being on the mercy of the nature like this. It's a good lesson from a philosophical point of view and a pain in the ASS from a practical.
Today I took Mayapur to the bus in Nicoya and worked on the rice field, weeding with a machette. The rice field should yield about 100 gallons of rice, which should last for a whole year with this size crew. I always thought that rice needs a ton of water, but I learned that the chinese actually flood the fields so they don't have to weed them. Good thinking, it's painful work.
Babhru has been doing all the Deity seva and cooking, taking care of the kitchen and the gardens while me and Mayapur have been on a marathon pace during the recent problems. Thank God Babhru came here, it would've been super hard otherwise.
We also have some workers making another pasture for us, to secure enough to eat for the animals during the dry season.
Gaurasundara will fly here on Thursday and we'll drive to San Jose straight away to buy deep cycle batteries and to get the system running better. We changed the location of the inlet after the big storm ripped up the beginning of the penstock, it's back to the old spot in a secured concrete box. It's been working great thus far.
Other than that, we have to change cables that run to the cabins, put up a fence around the pasture, process a bunch of corn, pull a waterline for Mangala on a new pasture, get Dauji castrated, and a bunch of other maintenance stuff. We'll definitely have a good collection of cool stories in our old days, as Babhru said.
great work brothers. you guys are just too inspirational.
Syamasundara - September 17, 2008 4:57 am
OMG it just dawned on me! No Mayapurcandra, no videos!!! :D
Only a report from GS can make me live on. :Batting Eyelashes:
Gaurasundara Das - September 19, 2008 4:50 pm
maduvan is beautiful. and big
cows and palm trees go perfectly together.
Syamasundara - September 20, 2008 3:28 am
Oh, OK.
Tadiya Dasi - September 21, 2008 8:59 am
cows and palm trees go perfectly together.
Bijaya Kumara Das - September 23, 2008 4:45 pm
wow guys it sure sounds exciting and a load of joyful work. thanks so much for the narritives. it is like being there. keep up the great endeavors.
wishing you all the best and look forward to hard working future visit, but by the time I will be able to come it will probably look like Audarya
Gaurasundara Das - October 1, 2008 5:18 pm
¿anybody have any good bitter melon recipies?
Prahlad Das - October 2, 2008 4:39 am
¿anybody have any good bitter melon recipies?
I will ask Anuradha and Brajalila.
Braja-sundari Dasi - October 2, 2008 5:02 pm
http://bittermelon.org/eat/bittermelonweekrecipes
Here is one link with some recipes. They will need some adjustment to be offerable though...
Swami - October 2, 2008 5:48 pm
¿anybody have any good bitter melon recipies?
hmmm. that's a difficult question, but w/o a taste for bitter melon how will one enter Nadiya? This question has been bothering me for some time. I do like it fried crispy and salted though. funny it is moe prominent in gaura-lila than krsna-lila but it grows more in Madhuvan (like wild!) than at Audarya.
Babhru Das - October 2, 2008 8:14 pm
Fried, crispy, and salted is great! I like it as a snack on occasion, even on frequent occasion. I'm no longer sure about it as a staple, though.
funny it is moe prominent in gaura-lila than krsna-lila but it grows more in Madhuvan (like wild!) than at Audarya.
Maybe that just shows Krishna's sense of humor.
Syamasundara - October 2, 2008 8:49 pm
w/o a taste for bitter melon how will one enter Nadiya? This question has been bothering me for some time.
Audarya-lila Dasa - October 3, 2008 1:56 am
The fried bitter melon is easy to have a taste for. The only recipe I ever liked (and it was really good) was one that Krsna Balarama Swami taught me when I was in Malaysia. It was so long ago I can't remember it unfortunately. I know there was a small amount of brown sugar involved....
Gandiva Dasi - October 3, 2008 9:29 am
I've got a few that I really like, (Gujurati) stuffed karela is yummy but I don't have an exact recipe you par boil karela after removing the inside seeds and white stuff (by slitting it lengthwise and scooping out with a small spoon) , in salted water then drain, let them dry/drain
Stuff with a filling made of grated carrot and ground roasted cashew nuts, a little yoghurt to bind everything and and roasted besan flour.
The filling is precooked in a little oil with spices like fennel, cumin hing corriander powder, red chilli salt , sugar , coconut powder and frsh corriander leaf.
Fill the karelas, tie them up with cotton string which you'll cut off before serving and pan fry in a bit of oil, turning until they are evenly browned and you can easily put a knife through.
One of my guru Tamal Krishna Goswami's fav. dishes.
Some people substitute peanuts for cashews, other recipes call for a filling made of seasoned mashed potato.
I also have a nice shukta recipe somewhere from an old Bengali widow in Mayapur, that I really like I'll try to find and post it.
Here in HK the sindhis make it deep fried and then in a spicy tomato gravy. Before frying they cut it, rub it with salt and leave it to sit for a while, to remove some of the bitterness, they also add generous amounts of gur or brown sugar to the gravy.
Karela is supposed to increase your appetitite so, can be eaten at the start of a meal, its also supposed to lower your blood sugar and is used in Ayurveda to treat diabetes.
Gandiva Dasi - October 3, 2008 4:58 pm
I found it.
Didi Ma Shukta
(Serves 6)
Use any 4 varieties of the vegetables mentioned in the article plus the bitter melon mentioned below to familiarize yourself with this dish; then forget the measurements.
Spice paste:
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½-inch piece ginger root
1–2 cloves
1–2 jalapeno chilies, as desired
¼ teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons water
Vegetables:
3 lbs. mixed vegetables, cut into large 1¼" pieces
optional oil or ghee for pan-frying
¼ to ½ cup sliced bitter melons
Toasted spice seasoning and assembly:
1 tablespoon unrefined corn oil or ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 cassia or bay leaf, crushed
6 cups water or 4 cups water and 2 cups milk
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Combine in a blender all the ingredients for the spice paste, process until smooth, and then transfer to a bowl.
Fry the root vegetables, eggplant, or starchy vegetables in batches until golden brown. (Alternatively, steam or oven-roast the vegetables until tender.) Set aside.
In a little oil or ghee, fry sliced bitter melons until brown and crispy; remove with a slotted spoon and let drain.
In a large saucepan, heat the corn oil or ghee over moderately high heat. Add the cumin and bay leaf and fry until the cumin darkens a few shades. Add the spice paste and fry until nearly dry. Pour in the water or liquids and bring to a boil. Add all of the vegetables, bring to a gentle boil and cook to the desired texture. Season with salt and pepper and fold in fresh herbs. Then offer to Krishna.
Gaurasundara Das - October 4, 2008 7:08 pm
Great thanks gandiva. we will try them out for sure.
keep them coming if anyone has any more
Gaurasundara Das - October 6, 2008 5:05 pm
'sukuta' bali' avajna na kariha citte
sukutaya ye sukha prabhura, taha nahe pancamrte
Do not neglect sukuta because it is a bitter preparation. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu derived more happiness from eating this sukuta than from drinking pancamrta [a preparation of milk, sugar, ghee, honey and curd].
bhava-grahi mahaprabhu sneha-matra laya
sukuta pata kasandite maha-sukha paya
Since Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He extracts the purpose from everything. He accepted Damayanti's affection for Him, and therefore He derived great pleasure even from the dried bitter leaves of sukuta and from kasandi [a sour condiment].
I read this just by chance this morning..... coincidence
Gaurasundara Das - October 19, 2008 5:28 pm
cow with tilak
Syamasundara - October 19, 2008 5:41 pm
I'd say it's a bull from the Sri Sampradaya.
Bijaya Kumara Das - October 20, 2008 5:12 am
cow with tilak
wow is it our cow ?
it looks fantasic
Mayapurcandra Das - October 28, 2008 2:02 am
today we went with Gaurasundar to check out rice field. We were really surprised how big it grew. It is something special to be in the middle of rice field, when it is not raining, and weather is just perfect.
A small glimpse of what I am talking about:
Syamasundara - October 28, 2008 4:29 am
Oh you are back in Madhuvan? Since when? Where is Babhru?
The videos are back!!
By the way what kind of rice is it? My housemate in Ireland told me he used to go to Pakisthan for his import business and he once ate bhasmati rice cooked fresh, meaning before drying the grains after the harvest, and it tasted and smelled otherwordly.
Braja-sundari Dasi - October 28, 2008 9:38 am
I had no idea that rice grows so tall!
Mayapurcandra Das - October 28, 2008 2:00 pm
yeap, I am back since 30th of September. We think to make some short video from Govardhana Puja, (here it is gonna be tomorrow) and post it here asap.
Keep in touch.
Babhru Das - October 28, 2008 2:03 pm
Oh you are back in Madhuvan? Since when? Where is Babhru?
Oh, back in Alachua for the moment. Bless me, Syamu, that I may return soon.
Babhru Das - October 28, 2008 2:06 pm
And speaking of news from Madhuvan, what else is happening there? Is the electricity up again? Or are you sitting at the Internet cafe in Nicoya?
Gaurasundara Das - November 20, 2008 1:05 am
Today was an exciting day at Madhuvan. The rice harvest has begun. For the last few weeks we have been seeing the locals drying their harvest in the sun, groups of people cutting down their fields and the funny tables you whack the rice on the sides of roads. Juan came up a few days ago to check out our crop and to gauge when it would be done. It had turned a nice golden color so he said that it should be harvested this week. He checked with his dad to see that the moon was favorable and told us we should go ahead. It's really cool here, the locals do all their planting, harvesting and even castrating according to the moon. They have so much knowledge, useful knowledge. It's been a great experience getting to learn some of this from them. The simple life is very attractive. So we started today and got about 1/3 of the field cut and the rice whacked. This ended up being approx 300 lbs of unhusked grains. We still have over half the field to go. When its all done we dry it out in the sun for a bunch of days and then take it to a nearby town where there is a de-husking machine that everyone uses. Harvesting rice for Krsna and Balaram is probably the coolest thing I have ever participated in. It's all Guru Maharaj's mercy.
Gaurasundara Das - November 20, 2008 1:08 am
And here are some other pics from govardhana puja
Prema-bhakti - November 20, 2008 3:37 am
BOLO! Great photos Gaurasundara! You are a natural. The rice harvest is amazing.
Dauji and his mama are so sweet.
Bijaya Kumara Das - November 21, 2008 3:05 pm
It is nice to see the self sufficientcy taking place. Wow what great fun it must be.
Citta Hari Dasa - November 21, 2008 6:41 pm
Today was an exciting day at Madhuvan. The rice harvest has begun. For the last few weeks we have been seeing the locals drying their harvest in the sun, groups of people cutting down their fields and the funny tables you whack the rice on the sides of roads. Juan came up a few days ago to check out our crop and to gauge when it would be done. It had turned a nice golden color so he said that it should be harvested this week. He checked with his dad to see that the moon was favorable and told us we should go ahead. It's really cool here, the locals do all their planting, harvesting and even castrating according to the moon. They have so much knowledge, useful knowledge. It's been a great experience getting to learn some of this from them. The simple life is very attractive. So we started today and got about 1/3 of the field cut and the rice whacked. This ended up being approx 300 lbs of unhusked grains. We still have over half the field to go. When its all done we dry it out in the sun for a bunch of days and then take it to a nearby town where there is a de-husking machine that everyone uses. Harvesting rice for Krsna and Balaram is probably the coolest thing I have ever participated in. It's all Guru Maharaj's mercy.
This has to be one of the coolest things ever. You're getting an invaluable education there Gaurasundara. Thanks for the pics!
Citta Hari Dasa - November 21, 2008 7:00 pm
And here are some other pics from govardhana puja
The two brothers are looking particularly happy here. And stunningly beautiful, I might add.
Syamasundara - November 22, 2008 5:44 am
He checked with his dad to see that the moon was favorable and told us we should go ahead.
They go by the moon, too? Aw.... I already like 'em.
Tadiya Dasi - November 22, 2008 12:31 pm
Krishna & Balarama look so beautiful in that picture! Wow 
. The cows also look so healthy and shiny and beautiful...Thanks for sharing the photos!
Syamasundara - December 4, 2008 1:51 am
So who's the crew these days? What are the activities?
Our meditation shouldn't be based on imagination.
Madan Gopal Das - December 4, 2008 4:47 am
GM just went there yesterday to head the crew. I'm sure we'll hear soon what's going on.
Syamasundara - January 7, 2009 1:54 pm
How many of you knew there are now 4 cows at Madhuvan? I guess it was said in some swami call, but I wasn't there for all of them.
At any rate, I promise I'll update the heck out of my stay here.
More later, I guess. I have some pics, but I am still a little out of it from the trip, and breakfast is served momentarily.
Jaya Rama Govinda!
Syamasundara - January 8, 2009 11:01 pm
Wow, the first day was quite intense. I am not sure of what help I can be here, so I am learning everything, accompanying Gaurasundara in everything that looks like a daily chore. So far I learned how to take the cows and the horses to the pasture land, how to swing from vines, saddle and ride a horse, strip the bark off teak logs, and use an outhouse.
The garden is slowly coming back to life after the rain season, iguanas, and the lack of care due to reduced manpower.
We have tons of basil though, so I am naturally thinking of some tico version of pesto to make for Krsna and Balarama. The cow population now consists of the original Mangala and Dauji, plus Surabhi and little Kishori.
There are now three complete cabins for living, one that functions as kitchen/temple, a rice field and a pasture. Before noon Gaurasundara gave Kamalaksa, Krsangi and me a complete training on vine swinging (levels 1, 2 and 3). Pictures and videos to come after editing and approval.
In the afternoon GM took Krsangi and me on a horse ride around the property. During the ride I realized two things: a) That riding a horse is not as traumatic as I remembered from when I was 16, and b ) The clouds in the sky don't have such an impact on my s.a.d. because the sun is so hot when shining that you really welcome the spells of cloudy sky so one can work and function.
At the end of the ride, GM fed us some miracle fruits, which I had seen on TV and are so cool! Imagine some olive pits, surrounded by gelatinous grape pulp, and covered by cherry skin. What's cool about them is that they alter the perception of flavors in the mouth. GM said it makes limes taste so sweet; on TV they tried with blue cheese and beer, and everything tasted amazingly different!
Just see how such a packed day results in only a few lines. Oh well.
Today beach party before we say good bye to K&K.
Syamasundara - January 9, 2009 2:24 pm
Well, I can't seem to fall asleep, and my red, sunburned shoulders may have something to do with it, but I know I'll have the sweetest morning tomorrow, because now that K&K have left, Gaurasundara moved back into his cabin, and I upgraded to a tent where I can stand, and when I sleep I have no rocks under my vital organs; I even have a mattress!
As you may have noticed, I can't really post in real time, as the power is still limited, so we connect the internet setup only a couple of hours a day.
I tried to upload a video of only 150MB with the forest creatures saying good morning to Krsna and Balarama, but there was no way. I'll just make a flickr account and post the pics at least.
So yes, we went to the beach! Oh boy, my Cancer rising needed that contact with water so much, but everybody else was happy and euphoric.
GM was obviously the first one to enter the water, and I would have been the second, but I sacrificed for the sake of my video and photoreporter seva, so Vrndaranya was next, then me, Gaurasundara, K&K and Vrajabhumi.
The water was so warm! And relatively clean, although there was only sand to see at the bottom. I liked the golden of the coconut palms against the blue sky. The waves weren't very spectacular for body surfing, but we sure got the most fun out of them. I wasn't intimate enough to start any water sport with anybody, but I can think of a couple of guys among you who I would have gotten into a splash war with. Still, Kamalaksa and Krsangi jumped around each other a bit, and Vrndaranya played to old water snake trick on GM.
Then we finally got out, took a group picture (that I won't soon forget, since Kamalaksa announced it before I joined the rest on the shore, so I started to baste myself in sunscreen, and in the picture I'll look like a ghost), and went back to Samara (we were in Carrillo) for a pizza lookalike and that's where we had to leave K&K.
I was happy to get to know them better since Gaura Purnima. They can actually talk! And so can Gaurasundara!
Once back at Madhuvan, I got into some cheese making (ricotta tosta) for the pesto project, and while I was at it, I cooked dinner, or I tried. The kitchen is better than the tent we had at Audarya, but I still need to get to know it well.
The view all around here is just beautiful, and when the sun comes out of the clouds, the clay of the tilled fields and of the roads becomes golden, which goes well with the blue sky and green grass.
Oh! On the way to the beach we talked about our soon-to-come-out booklet about SP's sakhya rati (by the way, at some point, on a pasture along the road, we saw cows of all four colors; the local cows are beautiful), then we drifted off to linguistics, and then GM said he found a Bengali book in a library called Gauranga Vijaya, written by a disciple of Dhananjaya pandita (one of the 12 gopalas in Gaura lila), and from the little English introduction it seems to contain a lot of recounts about Sri Nityananda Prabhu!! So he's naturally wanting to work on it.
While in the water GM told me about a couple of books he had for me to read if I wanted, that were by some post-modern guy. I am not even sure who he said he is, because all the while I was thinking: "I only have one book on my mind since you mentioned it", but I stayed silent.
Ok the aloe vera lotion has soaked into my shoulders, not like they hurt any less... I am trying to count all the different bugs and birds I'm hearing right now, but it's impossible; so many birds. One was really beautiful this morning, it had the color and shine of copper, and was so sinuous, like it had no bones. During the day, the various birds cry their calls at regular intervals, and sometimes GM likes to echo them (SB 10.18.14 )
Don't underestimate the birds and bugs at Madhuvan. They are so many, and so weird and unusual looking that you are constantly reminded to be humble, because: "This is not your land." Of course they mean it's theirs, but I take it to mean that we are not here to exploit and enjoy, and if we do, it's in the context of our seva to Rama-govinda.
BTW, I put Krsna and Balarama to bed after such a long time. They looked so simple; everything is simple and rudimentary here, but as I was standing in front of the two sons of Nanda, I felt like nothing else could have filled my life like those two pairs of conch shell eyes.
"For those who have eyes there is no better vision."
I've been here for only two full days, but I am seeing that, between horses, cows and the steep trails, I get to use sticks and ropes a lot, and I honestly feel like they are my best friends, because they help me so much in my seva, and they force my mind to stay on Krsna lila, but in a sweet way 
Uh! And right now I've just heard one bird that can be also heard at Audarya at night, so my mind went back to Gaura-lila, like when you put a teaspoon of dish soap in milk, and by chemical reaction they start to surface one behind the other (
Ok, now it's really bed time.
Starting tomorrow, now that there are no guests (I guess I'm a resident guest), we'll get cracking on the building of the greenhouse, and Gaurasundara and Vrajabhumi asked me to teach them how to play mrdanga, as I'm learning it myself of course, but I do have Bablu's famous coursebook with me, so we'll start to get one hour out of the day to practice that, as kirtans here are also simple and rudimentary....
Syamasundara - January 9, 2009 7:26 pm
You can see the first pictures here .
However, the internet usage is limited, so I need to resize all the rest of the pictures, before I can upload them.
If someone knows how to post the pics in chronological order, please tell me. Otherwise, start watching from the last.
Syamasundara - January 9, 2009 7:45 pm
BTW, my niece said there was an earthquake here, close to San Jose with a few deads, but we didn't feel a thing, and are all well.
Nitaisundara Das - January 9, 2009 7:47 pm
that little gal is so cute! Thanks
Prema-bhakti - January 9, 2009 8:02 pm
Kishori is sooo sweet!
Seeing Gaurasundara with the cows in CR warms my heart. I knew you were a natural GS from the moment I met ya!!
Syama Gopala Dasa - January 9, 2009 11:38 pm
Really nice to see these pictures. I like the ones that give an overview as it helps me put things in perspective. I remember how we were walking there looking for spots to put cabins ducking brushes and walking up steep parts. Great to see that GM's vision is taking shape!
Syamasundara - January 10, 2009 1:40 pm
Ok, the last ten pics are up. The video is going to take more effort and I may have to wait to be in Samara to upload it. Unless someone knows how to shrink them too?
These 10 pics were less than 1MB altogether after I "treated" them. The first batch was 80MB!
Braja-sundari Dasi - January 10, 2009 1:57 pm
So yes, we went to the beach! Oh boy, my Cancer rising needed that contact with water so much, but everybody else was happy and euphoric.GM was obviously the first one to enter the water, and I would have been the second, but I sacrificed for the sake of my video and photoreporter seva, so Vrndaranya was next, then me, Gaurasundara, K&K and Vrajabhumi.
Who is Vrajabhumi?
Babhru Das - January 10, 2009 2:31 pm
Thanks so much for the pix, Syamu. Seeing the devotees and the cows there (and yeah, Kisori's as sweet as burfi) makes my heart ache.
I never had a chance to check out Carillo; we only went to Samara, and it doesn't seem to be a good spot for bodysurfing. We didn't get any good swells the few times we went, and the bottom seems wrong for the swell direction. I'd guess Nosara is better (maybe much better), but it's a bit of a drive.
Gaurasundara took to Madhuvan quite naturally. I'd guess he has become accustomed to cool showers, and maybe the chiggers, too (although he didn't seem to be as annoyed by them as I felt). And it seems to me that the manure pile must be growing quite nicely with Surabhi producing, too. If it can stay covered and get turned a couple of times a week, we should be able to compost the heck out of the garden.
How is Tulasi Maharani doing there now?
Syamasundara - January 10, 2009 3:00 pm
Oh no! Second time with this Vrajabhumi... sorry.
We have Tulasi?? Where?
Syamasundara - January 10, 2009 3:02 pm
And since I got asked twice, Bablu's "book" is really only a collection of photocopies from one of his disciples, and if you read them, it's in as "clear" an English as his video lessons on youtube... but it's something.
Nitaisundara Das - January 10, 2009 3:57 pm
I think Krsna and Balarama's vase is a highlight.
Syamasundara - January 10, 2009 6:32 pm
But the very beginners can check this out. I don't know how far it goes, but a video tutorial goes a long way.
Prahlad Das - January 10, 2009 7:24 pm
Ok, the last ten pics are up. The video is going to take more effort and I may have to wait to be in Samara to upload it. Unless someone knows how to shrink them too?These 10 pics were less than 1MB altogether after I "treated" them. The first batch was 80MB!
Have you tried piccasa?
Syamasundara - January 10, 2009 8:36 pm
Never heard, but feel free to hyperlink away!
Braja-sundari Dasi - January 10, 2009 9:25 pm
We have Tulasi?? Where?
Just next to Gaurasundara`s cabin you can see 3 little pots... Our Tulsis are tiny in compare to other plants therefore it is difficult to see them.
Syamasundara - January 11, 2009 3:55 am
Today seemed so average, but in retrospect it's been a day of great accomplishments.
It started this morning, when Vrndaranya and I could get the water heater going for GM (and I could take a look at the Gauranga Vijaya ). At lunch time GM told us of a guy who can really improve our situation at the inlet, double our power supply and do his best to meet our budget, as long as we feed him and give him tent space. Then GM told me to think of something to do with our milk exuberance, which included half a gallon of soured milk, half of unhappened yogurt, a few pints of old milk, and today's supply; so I brainstormed myself, with the aid of Firefox, and I used some soured milk (and sour cream) to make naan dough, the rest of it and the unhappened yogurt got drained and became cottage cheese, or at worst yogurt cheese: really versatile stuff. The good milk and the old milk have just become one of my best batches of panir, which is going to go into Gaurasundara's breakfast (rajma and naan!). I also soaked the beans for him. It's so nice to be kind to someone without a reason, especially if they could use our help. Incidentally GS would have had to cook breakfast and do the puja to KB, too.
Considering the cheese-making marathon, dough kneading, and bean soaking, for dinner I just made refried pasta, so I could make it in advance and heat it up later, and it's part of the recipe! I made it this way also to give it some flavor, as we don't have many ingredients at present.
Man, I love miracle cooking; sometimes we get into the kitchen and we find two oranges, one potato and a broccoli stem or something, but in the end, between Gaurasundara, Vrajasundari and myself, we always end up whipping up a whole meal each. That's buddhi yoga.
While I was absorbed in my Betty Crocker mood, GM came up and ordered a smoothie with pineapple, orange juice, crushed ice, and whey, to which I suggested ginger juice and guda (jaggery).
Then he poured some in Rama-Kesava's cups and got down the hill shouting to the others: "I've got the stuff!"
I found out at dinner time that they had spent most of the afternoon in the sun, squaring the area for the greenhouse, another of today's accomplishments.
Myself, I got the idea of making whey cubes instead of ice cubes, so the future smoothies will taste less diluted, without having to add too much sugar.
To end the wonderful day, I crazy-glued the eyes on Rama-Govinda, which was pretty far out, because until I was done, they seemed to be winking at me all the time.
I had never worshiped Krsna and Balarama before. Maybe painted, but never worshiped with mula mantras. The novelty of it makes me more attentive to what I am saying and to whom (as if we were ever excused at some point for doing it in auto pilot ). It makes me feel very much at home, but also in awe, as if I was dealing with special guests.
At dinner, we talked about the day and went off a tangent about the concentration of salts in the soil from excessive manuring the same area over the years.
It was really charming. GM says we should become like fish, but until then, the idea of sea mammals, seems more accurate for our stage. We keep coming to the surface and diving back down deep, like a school of dolphins. We may be discussing the most variegated topics, while keeping a sense of the common water underneath, and the deep abysses.
Anyway, this thought had come so nice and clear while I was doing the dishes, but now I have grass hoppers landing on my lap, 2" spiders hunting on the deck, and the iguanas, or who knows what else, moving in the bushes at the same speed of a killer in thrillers... I'm so going to bed.
I hope tomorrow's accomplishment will be to finally fix the mrdanga heads. The gob is all gone, and the drum sounds really said. I had done it once before, but with pottery clay and brown rice. This time all I have is our Madhuvan rice (so good!!!), and Madhuvan red clay. It fell off when dry. I'll try again adding tapioca to the rice, and maybe applying a very thin layer at the time. I made an extensive research today, and the process is supposed to last all day...
Man, now I know why they say this is the kali-yuga of insects...
Babhru Das - January 11, 2009 12:19 pm
Then GM told me to think of something to do with our milk exuberance, which included half a gallon of soured milk, half of unhappened yogurt, a few pints of old milk, and today's supply; so I brainstormed myself, with the aid of Firefox, and I used some soured milk (and sour cream) to make naan dough, the rest of it and the unhappened yogurt got drained and became cottage cheese, or at worst yogurt cheese: really versatile stuff. The good milk and the old milk have just become one of my best batches of panir, which is going to go into Gaurasundara's breakfast (rajma and naan!).
In Honolulu, Srila Prabhupada made these comments:
Syamasundara - January 14, 2009 6:30 pm
In a place called Madhuvan there had to be bees, but why does there have to be a big ol' hive in a tree right before the gate to the pasture?
The other day we were taking the cows to graze (they've almost learned the way!) and Gaurasundara ran down the hill shouting "Bees!!" He got stung on the nape, and while I was helping him, another bee got out of his shirt and stung me right in the center of my upper lip, so now I look like a rhinoceros.
Those were some evil bees, they even had a green helmet on, like the one in the Disney cartoon with Pluto! Ok maybe it was their eyes...
At least they are not African bees, which are also here.
After that we struggled with the watering system for the cows, and while turning the water on and off, the surge of pressure made the tap in the kitchen burst
At lunch we sang the glories of Agni and Ratna. For dinner I used our first zucchini (well, since I've been here) and served pasta on banana leaf plates, since the sink was still unusable and I wanted to reduce the number of dishes to wash in the dark out back. Everyone loved the banana leaves, though.
Now, I am writing from memory, because I am already at that point when I am either too tired or busy to post updates.
So, Monday morning:
Like the congos, or howling monkeys, all the animals seem to patrol and go around the valley, so every day I see a new array of creatures. Today I saw the same parrots you'd see in Vrndavana, only, in Vrndavana they have a way of flying back and forth, like they are really delivering messages between Radha and Krsna, whereas here they are just enjoying the Pura Vida. Then I saw a lot of Morpheo butterflies, huge and blue, the biggest iguanas so far, squirrels, a bug with bell bottoms...
Don Juan came to work on the cow fence. I learned so much in only one morning: how to sharpen a machete, how to have the cows come back to the barn by themselves at the same time every evening. On the way to the pasture we got attacked by the warrior bees again. I got stung on my earlobe. Somehow they were only after me, so at one point I had all kinds of bees on me, and Gaurasundara and Juan smacking me with their hats. By the way, I also learned how to stay perfectly still and silent, and squat down veeeeeery slowly when a warrior bee is checking you out. We also got some bhoga on that day, so I made matar panir with bhatura and a pineapple slushy... and GM didn't come for dinner
Today I had the disgrace of waking up at 4 to pass urine, as they say, so when it was the right time to get up I had no physical spur to get out of bed, and sure enough I didn't; every bone of my body seemed glued to the mattress.
Eventually I managed to get up and started to make steps and clear the paths to everywhere: one of those non-priorities that sure make our lives easier, though. I wanted to mulch the garden and spruce up the plantain trees, but come lunchtime I sat down to check my email, and almost fell asleep on the spot. I feel like I am one day and a half behind between the things GM wants me to do, those I want to do, and those I need to do, but after dinner (which is at 5:30) it's already the dead of night here, but it's probably the best part of the day for me. I get to know Gaurasundara and Vrajasundari a bit more, we laugh and talk. I am by default the oldest one, although really I reason like a kid (and I mean a baby goat, not a child), so I share all kinds of recipes and cooking techniques with them, or memories from the old days. But even better is when they go to sleep, and I remain alone with Krsna and Balarama, cleaning the kitchen, and then I stand in front of them, it feels so right, I offer prayers, I sing and play, and then I put them to bed.
When I got into the kitchen today, GM told me about the KB deities and the plans for the new temple and kitchen. I don't know how long I'll be living here, but I'm not going anywhere until the deities come.
At dinner time, we went on TV and even saw the pictures of them! In my mind I have already designed an outfit made entirely with the leaves and flowers that grow around here, so I'm already booked for that idea.
By the way, I asked GM if it's ok to sing:
sei annamrta pao, rama-krsna guna gao
and he said why not.
These days we are preparing for a judge coming soon to check out our property and see that the fencing is there and visible all around. Tough working day for Gaurasundara tomorrow, maybe I'll make a sweet, too. I like to pamper the devotees; what else is there to do in life? Tonight I gave them a little workshop on how to make kachoris and parathas, they heard me speak of my stuffed parathas with cocoa and panir and they got all excited, so how can I not make them now?
We're having quite a diet here: all kinds of fat and high protein food, but between the hard work and the sweating it shouldn't be an issue at all. Myself, I was thinking of working out, as I was until a month ago, although I really don't know when, but I need to strengthen the muscles around my knees and my lower back, or I won't last long.
The video is coming along, I just don't have time to edit it.
The air smells wonderful right now. I am on the porch, that looks more like an airport, flooded with light and all kinds of flying critters. Gaurasundara has turned the lights off in his cabin, and the internet setup as well, I guess I'll post this in the morning.
For some reason we can't get as much power as we should out of the turbine, so we can't stay connected all the time, but GM is making all kinds of researches about it.
Jaya Rama Govinda!
Bhrigu - January 14, 2009 9:46 pm
Thanks for the excellent reports, Shyamu. Please keep writing!
Guru-nistha Das - January 15, 2009 12:42 am
Now, I am writing from memory, because I am already at that point when I am either too tired or busy to post updates.
I feel like I am one day and a half behind between the things GM wants me to do, those I want to do, and those I need to do
Aha! Maybe you're starting to get the picture why I'm always behind with the reports (some twisted satisfaction is there).
Syamasundara - January 15, 2009 1:02 am
That's right, I was waiting for you with that kind of comment any time!
Still, you're not justified.
Babhru Das - January 15, 2009 1:06 am
I get to know Gaurasundara and Vrajasundari a bit more, we laugh and talk.
That was one of my great pleasures at Audarya; I got to know Gaurasundara somewhat better at Madhuvana, since we lived together in one room.
By the way, I asked GM if it's ok to sing:
sei annamrta pao, rama-krsna guna gao
and he said why not.
Oh, yes! Sign me up!
Syamasundara - January 15, 2009 2:45 am
Today we had an early breakfast, or rather offering, because Gaurasundara had to shoot out and work on clearing the fence line with Juan and his son, Odir. All the posts that were used for the fence are now full grown trees. I thought it was a matter of straightening out the barbed wire, but it was more mowing the grass, so the fence would be visible. Still, quite a job. I cleaned the plaintain trees from the rotten leaves. Before then we debugged Elpe, the cows and the horses. Elpe is short for "el perro" (the dog). Juan lent us two dogs to train as watch dogs. I guess the idea is to buy them at some point.
GM and Vrndaranya went down to the turbine, did some magic and now we have 300 Watts, from the 160 we had before, that means we can keep the internet setup on all the time, so no more offline updates. Also, we can run all our power tools without anxiety. Still, the inlet guy is coming next week to work even more magic.
I also mulched the garden with the bark that we stripped from the logs we are using for the greenhouse. If they had told me a few years ago that in the future I'd be a human chipper in Central America...
Between 2 and 3pm Gaurasundara came back quite tired, we chit chatted and then he got inspired to have his first mrdanga lesson, since the book is in the kitchen (half of it is recipes I collected). Since my first day here he's been saying how little coordination he has, and he doubt he'll ever be able to play, and I've been telling him to shut up. I guess I proved to be right. He went on for much longer than I expected. After a while I went to the shower to get ready for cooking dinner and the valley was so quiet; all you could here was the "te re khe ta" from lesson one. I thought: "That's just the touch we needed. Now it really feels like I am in some village in Bengal."
There is a scene in the movie Nilacale Prabhu, where a devotee is tuning up his mrdanga in the afternoon before a big kirtan, and it felt just the same this afternoon. I finished my shower and he was still going at it. He stopped only because a bunch of cows of Don Imel's broke into our pasture, and then came back for more! I was secretly hoping he would, because the sound of the mrdanga is so purifying, and we don't get to hear it a lot here. Now especially, it's taking me days to fix the gob on the heads, so it doesn't even sound right, still it's very transcendental.
Then I started making the cocoa panir parathas I had been talking about. For the last 3 I called the other two godsiblings into the kitchen and showed them all my paratha making secrets. Gaurasundara was so visibly pleased with the look and taste of the parathas and ginger milk, as he had never tasted either. I was as pleased to see him, but less visibly.
There is a Venezuelan dish that I mentioned to GM when we were bathing in the Ocean last week. We'll have it for lunch tomorrow, but I made it tonight, so Vrajasundari will get some respite; she just needs to make the rice.
GM has great plans for the new kitchen/temple setup.
I guess that's it for today. Soon to come, pictures of Elpe, and Juan and sons I guess, and whatever else may make you feel like you are all here and familiar with everything.
Jaya Rama Govinda!
Nitaisundara Das - January 15, 2009 4:49 am
Still, you're not justified.
touche...
Syamasundara - January 15, 2009 3:24 pm
A little appendix from last night.
At dinner we brushed up the genealogy of the buddies at Audarya, who is whose son or daughter etc. We also analyzed the personality of each. It's interesting how animals are said to be driven by their instinct only, yet they have very distinct tastes and personalities.
After putting the deities to rest I went to Gaura's bungalow because the kitchen porch light was the favorite hangout spot for all the forest bugs at night. We chit-chatted a bit, while he was raiding my devotional music and I was posting here, then we had the great idea of skyping Audarya!
We were so exhausted, but we had to wait 6:50 Pacific Time to be sure we'd find them both together after the arati and prasada; but GNu was already in the multimedia yurt, absorbed in his music production (I haven't seen him in 10 months ) so we caught up with Nitai, but I am not doing double duty and update you about Audarya, too
This morning the weather is incredible! Sunny, you may think. NO, slightly overcast, I can go around in a tank top, but there is just enough moisture (not really a cloud) in front of the sun, and some breeze that make our work much easier!!
I've already cleaned the barn and clipped the xilion manjaris from the basil plants, so we'll have juicier leaves for the pesto, once the ricotta salata is aged enough (10 more days). Oh this morning I made cow patties! Not for breakfast just for fun. I figure, before the rains come, we may have an adobe oven of sort, so we can make all kinds of naan and rotis with cow dung fire...
Gaurasundara has alredy gone to work on the fence line. Gonna be one more day after today. Vrajasundari is over my head painting the roof. I'm going to go back to the basil, then I'll go filter some more red clay for the mrdanga, and shape the paths better with the thin shovel that here they call "palin".
GM hasn't shown up yet.
Atmananda Dasa - January 15, 2009 6:16 pm
Dear Shyamasundar,
These stories are like a transcendental version of a Jack Keroac book. They really keep on you on the edge of you seat.
It's really nice. Thank you so much. It's like On the Road, with Swami! What a journey!
Syamasundara - January 16, 2009 3:11 am
Dear Shyamasundar,
These stories are like a transcendental version of a Jack Keroac book. They really keep on you on the edge of you seat.
It's really nice. Thank you so much. It's like On the Road, with Swami! What a journey!
Mayan, oh mayan, you said it! And you have no idea of what happened today! But that's what I'm here for.
Wow, to tell the truth, I don't even know if I am going to remember all; and I thought it was going to be an ordinary day and I would just post some general reflections...
Morning started as usual. Well, not really; we had another early breakfast offering, so that GS could go work on cleaning the fence with Juan. Oh wait... I already described what happened this morning, basil and all. What I didn't say is that we had Don Imel's cows (Juan's father) broken into our rice field, they spent the whole night there, and when Juan came, he drove them back into their land without even getting off the horse.
So, GM and Vrndaranya came around 9, dropped the car, got some tools and walked back to the cabins measuring the distance for cables and wires.
In the garden there was one zucchini ready for plucking, and of course tons of bitter melon. Today for lunch there was pabellon, or at least my vegetarian version of it: a Venezuelan dish that I've wanted GM to try for some 8 years, so right before lunch... he went to the bank. No, but he promised he would eat it when he comes back.
It came out 95% perfect; it just needed more cilantro, chile and softer black beans. Before that I had my first plumbing experience! Easy one, I just needed to screw a flexible pipe on both ends; anyway, we finally have a dry kitchen floor now. Now that I am reporting it, it doesn't seem much of anything, but for most of the day I felt like I had 4 things going at once, and I probably did: the mrdanga, the compost, the plumbing and the digging of mud steps and trails.
Anyway, here comes the juicy part. Around 3pm GS came back, I was turning and sprinkling the compost pile... and the water pressure went bye bye.
So GS and I hopped on the horses and went to check out the tanks and pipes. I love riding horses! These ones are medium sized and very docile, they know the trails by heart and all, still they start galloping every time the trail goes up, and I would just let him (I was riding Madhu, the male). The first two tanks were half empty, with not enough water to create pressure or gravity feed, so we went to the source, on the other side, by the rice field. Man what a view! Too bad I didn't have my camera on me, but I'll go back there soon. And the horses kept racing each other. When they accelerate you get such a sense of power; I couldn't help but think of... John Wayne. All kinds of western movies were passing in front of my eyes, I was doing the same movements of all those people I'd seen on a horse on TV.
Anyway, the water at the 3 springs was scanty, and to top it all off, two of the 3 pipes that feed the first tank were broken.
We struggled a bit, but then fixed everything and headed down. The horses kept racing each other, and they usually never gallop downhill, but this time they kept going. Man what a rush. Vrajasundari was tending to the cows and saw us gallop back up from the pasture trail with me shouting EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
The only bad thing is that I've had the music of Bonanza in my head since this afternoon.
Anyway, it was past dinner time, so I took a trickle shower (the tanks may be full by tomorrow), and ran to the kitchen. Since there were many leftovers, I just made a simple sabji for K&B. Totally speculated, but came out pretty good! Just some boiled string beans in a thick sauce I made toasting chickpea flour in oil, with hing, cayenne, turmeric and salt and to which I added coconut milk. Yummo!
At dinner we were all pretty beat. GS drove to GM's cabin to check the water there and walked back. The water situation has been such a drag so far. While we were discussing the intense day, we see a headlight coming toward us. It was GM who had locked himself out, so GS went and got a spare key for him. Then we discussed many things. It looked like we wanted to keep talking, so that we wouldn't have to get up and walk aaaaalll the way to our beds. One of the topics was my imitation of me eating a sugarcane, with all the wholesome juices going down my throat... anyway you had to be there.
Eventually GS dragged himself to bed. I went to wash the dishes, and after 5 minutes we hear him shout: "There are cows EVERYWHERE!!"
At the same time, the kitchen tap started to sputter due to the air pockets in the pipes, and I got drenched and had an attack of giggles. What else now?
So, I cleaned the kitchen and put the deities to bed quickly, and when I got down, they told me that Don Imel's cows had broken into our land again, and they were all over the greenhouse and future temple area. Of course all this with no moonlight or any other source of light except our headlights.
Glowing eyes everywhere our lights would hit. One was munching our plantain plants.
We kept Vrajasundari at the entrance of the road to her tent, where the gate into the neighbor's pasture is, and GS and I went to fetch the others. I couldn't find our herding sticks, so I had a rope, GS had a stick and there they were, lying everywhere, standing, chewing the cud. They must have been 30. Soooo beautiful One was patched black and white like a Tao, one had beautiful straight horns like Kishor, some were cinnamon brown, some perfectly white, some black, the calves were yellow and clinging to the side of their mothers.
I was a little scared that some would charge us (considering our misbehaved Mangala), but they were really docile and scared of us. At some point we could funnel them in the right direction and shouted for Vraja to get ready.
What a sight, albeit dimly lit. Two cow herders at the back with ropes and stick, and a sea of beautiful cows in front. We were bathing in the dust raised by their hooves, which by the way, in my estimation made such an auspicious sound when hitting the ground in that chaotic fashion. I kept saying: "This is beautiful! This is wonderful!" and kept giggling.
Then they went down the road; and I mean DOWN. Man that road is steep; I hadn't been where Vraja lives yet. She lives right by the cow pen!
Ok anyway, it was much more intense to be there, now that I've written it, it doesn't do much justice to the day, but that was so much fun.
Syamasundara - January 17, 2009 3:06 am
Today a much deserved easy day, but relatively speaking.
By the way, we read from the Cc in the morning. This morning Mahaprabhu met with Rupa and Sanatana at Ramakeli, and then Advaita arranged for Saci to see her son at his house one more time.
When GS was making breakfast, I stripped the basil "manjaris" of the leaves that were attached to it, and good thing I did it; I could fill a colander with them. I'll probably make a salad dressing for when the inlet people come next week.
While in the kitchen I was playing some bhajans that Vrndaranya had recorded at Radha-Gokulananda. They are really nice songs, but weird. Many of them are about Mahaprabhu as a sannyasy in Puri, not from our acaryas, but nice nonetheless. Every once in a while I would translate for him the lines I would understand. One says: "He who used to sport in the Yamuna is now wandering on the shore of the ocean.... he who used to steal the gopis' clothes is now going around in a kaupina... Ramananda says 'He's no sannyasi'..."
Two very endearing things happened today. One was at this time; I had asked GS: "Do you mind if I take over the puja to KB (which we do on Sundays)?" and he said: "YES!" with a tone like "what are you, crazy?" I thought he would have at least thought about it, since on that day he has to wake up much earlier to be able to do the puja and cook breakfast. Eventually we made a deal, but I'm not revealing anything just yet.
The second one was when I was cooking dinner and Vrajasundari came into the kitchen to do something, bring the milk, the bhoga, I wasn't paying attention, but on her way out she noticed the two smiling faces of our silas and she bowed down. I only saw that with the corner of my eye, but I am pretty sure that's what happened, because it happens to me all the time, too: we are in the middle of so many things, and then you cross those smiling eyes, and you remember who you are doing all that for, and you can only smile back at them.
Anyway, breakfast was pancakes with whipped cream instead of butter, and syrup, or jam. The idea was good, but we were so full I thought I'd fall asleep after 20 min. GM seems to be thriving on probiotic yogurt that Vrndaranya makes for him. I am fine with it now, because, although he's working as much as us, if not twice as much, he's not as active, and our diet right now could kill a sedentary horse.
But not a problem for the rest of the crew. GS and I worked the pancakes right off turning and shaping the compost pile, then I cleaned the cow pen, and adjusted my clay contraption. This mrdanga repair is taking so long... if I had a spare cheesecloth it would take me a few minutes to collect the finer clay particles, but I can't stain one of the only two that we need for milk. Then I went on shaping the trails. I get so tired when I do, but I realize only later, or when I sit down. By lunchtime we were all ready to take a nap, but we started talking about Jagadananda Pandita, Satyabhama, Vrndavana dasa Thakura, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami, Kolaveca Sridhara dasa.
Then we went to fix the hole in the barbed wire, so not to have any more night cow incursions. Every day I get to know GS a bit more. He's been my "well-wished" ever since he was a name on Tattva Viveka, but now that I even know him he's even nicer.
Of course we emerged from the woods way late for me to cook dinner in time, but such is life here.
Anyway, it's been a struggle to post tonight. I'm so tired. Tomorrow I'll write at daytime, and I will share some insights.
Babhru Das - January 17, 2009 3:38 am
This is all sweet music, Syamu. I know about those smiling eyes catching us in the midst of our service. I was happy to read about GM's yogurt (it's hard to keep up with you young folks at meal time), but I was happiest to read about the sweat that goes into maintaining the compost pile. I was determined to start its transformation from a wet, smelly manure pile to a compost pile before leaving, and I'm delighted to hear that it's getting hot and rotten. Thank you, guys.
Gaurangi-priya Devi - January 18, 2009 2:30 am
Thank you Shyamu for writing these posts. It is so impressive and humbling the service, dedication, and work you all are doing down there. True pioneers. Thank you for helping us see the daily routine there, and compiling the history of Madhuvan. Years from now we can read these posts, and see the development.
Jai Madhuvan! Jai Krsna-Balarama! Jai Gurumaharaj! Jai guru-bhais and guru-bhens!
Syamasundara - January 18, 2009 4:11 pm
Transferring pictures into my computer as I type. I suggest those who are interest get an RSS feed or at least bookmark my Flickr page, and check it periodically, as I won't upload pictures here.
Yesterday after breakfast GM told us to run the wire all the way to his cabin. GS and I pulled such a Three Stooges number, and GM had a couple of chuckles at our feats (ok, mine...), but he only saw the beginning of it.
We cut through the jungle, hanging wire on tree branches, or stapling it to tree trunks. At some point I tried to take timed pictures of us for the sake of documentation, and at that moment he was supposed to climb on my shoulders to staple the wire high up and get it across the road. What's funny is that we were all struggling, and all of a sudden he said: "Oh the 30 seconds are almost up!" and he stopped to turn to the camera and smile, and I started to laugh. Too bad the shot is of the moment right after or right before.
Anyway, the pictures are transferred now. Going to upload them on flickr. Don't miss the special darshan of KB!
Syamasundara - January 19, 2009 3:01 am
OK, sorry, I couldn't post the pics right away because I had to translate a phone call, and then GM was on the Swami call and I didn't want to steal the bandwidth.
After the call GM helped Vrndaranya at the turbine; they must have spent 7 hours down there, coming up once or twice for tools and gadgets, but I don't know what the problem (or improvement) was.
Bottom line, we were without power all day and I couldn't post. I did turn the compost instead, and GS fixed a road by the turbine and helped me with the pile, while Vrajasundari was painting the roof of his cabin.
At lunch I brought up three miracle fruits to the table. It was really interesting. I first tasted all there was (rice, cauliflower sabji, orange juice) then ate the berry, and everything after that tasted so sweet, like cream soda, kind of caramelized. I bit into a lime wedge and it was like a lemonade full of corn syrup. However, after a while the whole lunch was tasting so sweet I got almost sick. It was fun, though.
Kishori ran out of the barn twice today, so we all had our workout. These days we are training a dog of Juan's as watchdog for us. All the other dogs hang around him and do nothing all day. However, when Kishori shot out and ran for the main road, they immediately ran past her and drove her back! Real cow herding dogs.
Now everybody is already sleeping. We laugh so much at every meal lately. I was going to write that it's a stress releasing mechanism after the heavy morning or afternoon, but they just told me it didn't use to happen before I came ( )
Anyway... oh! I figured out how to shrink videos, so here is the first one I wanted to post (add that page to your RSS as well), and then more pics on Flickr
Nitaisundara Das - January 19, 2009 3:27 am
The video did not work, but Krsna Balarama look awesome. And el perro looks regal.
Babhru Das - January 19, 2009 5:42 am
Krishna and Balarama look wonderful! And el Perro looks happy. He's such a sweet, loyal guy.
Syamasundara - January 24, 2009 2:31 pm
We've been offline and off everything these days.
Here's an old post from maybe the 19th.
More tonight, God willing.
================================
Well, the ricotta tosta (tough ricotta) is done aging, so now we can make pesto; the mrdanga is fully restored (now we just need to learn how to play it), and the compost is cooking away. One great thing for me the other day was to notice that I started to take care of the compost when the moon couldn't be more favorable.
Today I woke up 20 min earlier for mangala arati, but then I started to feel so tired and sluggish. That compost turning must have done me in; so it was a perfect occasion to chill out and read a PDF about tropical greenhouse gardening that Vrndaranya gave me.
GS was gone most of the day, clearing the fence line from weeds (the judge is coming tomorrow), and Vraja cooked and painted as usual.
At dinner we talked about plastic surgery, and linked it to that CD where GM talks about quality and quantity and says that now society has done a lot of progress on the quantity, but the quality of life isn't much better and people aren't any happier.
Here it's quite the opposite. One of the most beautiful aspects of Madhuvan is that here you get to really appreciate the beauty and value of things. It's easier to see Reality for what it is: the beautiful.
Starting from japa (yajñanam japa-yajño 'smi BG 10.25). When it's japa time, it's also the best time to do stuff, because the sun is not scorching. I tried to chant once after mangala arati, but I was either falling asleep or being distracted.
Here we work instead. Well, not instead, here we work, and we take solace in the fact that when we do get to chant some japa we really feel the privilege of it, and even if we chant 2 rounds, we try to chant a third one and it's hard to stop, like teenagers in love on the phone (you hang up, no you hang up). So again, quality over quantity.
There are so many aspects of life that would be totally neglected in an urban setting, where people are all busy getting high, or divorced or nipped and tucked by a surgeon, and here we can appreciate. Like moon light (naksatranam aham sasi BG 10.21). I am much more conscious of the lunar phases, both for practical reasons (see: the night we got invaded by neighbor cows and the moon hadn't risen yet, and we couldn't see a thing), and also for my lunar gardening trips.
One of these moonless nights I'll take a better look at the firmament. The big dipper looks almost upside-down here, and there are constellations I could never see at higher latitudes. One huge star seems to appear on the Western horizon since my first day here. I am led to think it's actually Jupiter, (Guru in Sanskrit), reminding me that I am here thanks to and with the blessings of Sri Guru. Speaking of the value of things, GM realized why ghi was used in sacrifices as a precious substance: not only it's the essence of milk, which is the principles of dharma in a liquid form, but it requires such a wealth of cows to make even just a little cream, and from that, ghi. Oh, also because it's flammable :Black Eye:
Another thing that come to life here is the lila of Krsna untying the calves, so they would run and drink all the milk. I can see here how we have to keep Kishori always tied or penned up, and whenever we let her free, right after milking, she runs straight to Surabhi, and it reminds me of that lila (vatsān muñcan kvacid asamaye krośa-sañjāta-hāsaḥ SB 10.8.29).
Another lila that comes to life is the Brahma vimohana (SB 10.13.24). Kishori lately seems to be more attached to Surabhi every time we take the cows to the pasture. She starts mooing and Surabhi moos back (in such a Disney, funny way) and they make such a drama. Same when they come back. At night, Surabhi lies right next to Kishori, separated by the fence, and Dauji right next to Mangala. He's such a mama's boy still.
Sometimes a strong wind starts blowing in the morning. It seems to sweep the whole valley and carries all kinds of leaves with it, hovering in the sky like bugs (as if we didn't already have leaf-looking bugs). It feels so purifying (pavanah pavatam asmi BG 10.31).
A few days ago I said we dewormed Elpe and the horses and cows, but actually we didn't have the right needles for the cows. We did give an injection to Elpe, though. It really struck me to see him howl and cry, but at the same time he wouldn't move or bite, he showed some kind of submission and faith that I only have to learn from.
My bumps on my lip and earlobe from the bee sting are gone, but for days I'd be touching my swollen lobe and remember when Juan removed the sting and showed it to me. There was a filament attached to it that was the intestine of the bee. It gave its life to protect the queen. I've felt so humbled by that; it reminds me of the comment GM made on the Brahma-samhita thread about defending once guru.
In this way, every day here we live in a land of gurus, and Vrndavana is only one step away. A leap as big as our ego. Sigh.
Actually the whole universe is but an extension of our ego, the first element that permeates it and gives it a meaning, so to speak. If we could shrink that ego to just our self, and turn it into a serving ego, we would see that everything else around us is Vrndavana already.
Citta Hari Dasa - January 24, 2009 9:47 pm
In this way, every day here we live in a land of gurus, and Vrndavana is only one step away. A leap as big as our ego. Sigh.Actually the whole universe is but an extension of our ego, the first element that permeates it and gives it a meaning, so to speak. If we could shrink that ego to just our self, and turn it into a serving ego, we would see that everything else around us is Vrndavana already.
The whole time I was there I kept thinking that through GM Vrndavana is manifesting in the West. And that Madhuvana is what Bhauma-Vrndavana in India must have looked like prior to Kali-yuga. You never know, Syama, one day you might start seeing the Goswamis chanting under the guanacaste trees.
Babhru Das - January 24, 2009 10:32 pm
I have no doubt that Madhuvan is a manifestation of some internal energy of the Lord's. The short time I spent there made a deep impression on me. It would have been much better if circumstances had been a little different and I could have stayed (or at least stayed longer). And even better if I had been 30 years younger (heck, even 20), at least physically. I simply could not keep up with GN, Mayapura, and Gaura.
Elpe looks like the perro who has been hanging around a while. If you were surprised by his reaction to a worm shot, you should have been there when GM gave him a sort of a bath. (And boy, he really needed one!) You'd have thought he was being tortured.
Syamasundara - January 25, 2009 4:54 pm
Not too much time this morning, but just in case some of you have an RSS feed to my pic page and saw the new ones, here's the facts:
We had a guy and two workers staying here for three days and now we have a super duper microhydro system going on.
This morning I really felt like I was in some muni's hermitage. The deities got dressed with local leaves and flowers, and were offered khir made with our own rice and our cows' milk (black pepper, nutmeg and bay leaf from Maxi Bodega :Black Eye: ).
Well, I'm really too short of time, but you can read the comments under the photos themselves.
For the lazy ones, here is the link again.
Syamasundara - January 25, 2009 7:21 pm
OH and the
Syamasundara - January 28, 2009 2:41 pm
Well, I guess my guru today is a tiny eyelash, or whatever got in my eye at 3am when I got up to answer the call of nature. I couldn't even see it, and it gave me such hell. We think we are the controllers of the universe, and then the most insignificant thing puts us in our place and humbles us.
Ah, but I just got it out! What a liberation. I really had a glimpse of mukti and its bliss.
Today I slept in, and proud of it! As they say in Rome, "quando ce vo', ce vo'" (when you need it, you need it). So tired, I can't even think of making an update at the end of the day.
The greenhouse works have started a while ago. I should post pics of that. We are now sanding posts and sticking them along the perimeter. It's a tropical greenhouse, with fine mesh for walls, for the iguanas, and plexyglass roofing for the rains.
And today the moon is finally in Pisces and waxing! 
That means planting season has begun for me. Today leafy stuff: fenugreek, coriander, lettuce, spinach...
Other than that my day is punctuated by running after cows, horses and dogs. As Mother Sundari said: "Good thing we are not raising iguanas." Every day something. Last night Mother Sundari said that Dauji had his head stuck somewhere in the fence and she couldn't get him out. So I started to clean the kitchen fast, so I could put the deities to rest and get changed, but he got free on his own. The last thing we needed was him panicking, breaking everything, and we had to fix a fence in the dead of (moonless) night.
When I first got here, we had to escort Surabhi, Mangala and Dauji to the new pasture, as they didn't know the way. The cows here are not exactly like our Audarya buddies. They're somewhat duller and less domesticated. Mangala would just turn around and charge us, and GS had to smack them with sticks and ropes. "She'll kill you."
Surabhi is more fearful, but a pain to milk. I've been wanting to learn how to milk a cow forever, but she's a kicker, with Mother Sundari, not even with me! My presence just made her kick more.
So, I gave it up and gave Mangala a butt massage instead. Now Mangala and I have a much better rapport. I brush her and tell her I love her big eyes, and she kisses me under my chin.
Dauji is also very affectionate. He'll lick my hand forever. Yesterday I found them all around me while I was sanding (mystic cows, the gate was closed!) so I grabbed a stick and watched them for a while, since they just wouldn't go to the usual pasture. Dauji was playing butthead with me, only against my thigh, and I was pushing back.
Then Juan told us that the pasture is too hot and sunny, that's why. So as I am typing, Juan is taking them up another path, where they can frolic in the woods, where there is a lot to eat, but in the shade, and they'll come back at 4 for dinner.
And now, off to plant seeds!
Swami - January 28, 2009 5:11 pm
Here is a picture of the final inlet for Krsna Balarama's micro-hydro system. It will mean more to those who have struggled with it over the last year. If you look carefully you will see a submerged metal cage with rocks on top of it. Inside the cage are three four foot perforated tubes wrapped in shade cloth. The water comes into these tubes unaffected by sand or debris even in the height of the rainy season. Then the water passes into one solid tube connected to these three that goes through the newly constructed dam. After it passes through the dam it takes a 90 degree turn into a 20' metal pipe that is now covered in rock. From there it turns once more and heads down the pipeline building pressure until it hits the turbine generating our power.
At last a final solution!
Swami - January 28, 2009 5:13 pm
Another picture. A view of some of the construction described above in progress.
Guru-nistha Das - January 28, 2009 6:05 pm
Victory! This is so satisfying to see after fighting with that thing for so many times.
Babhru Das - January 28, 2009 6:58 pm
:Applause: Very cool! I do look forward to its performance this summer. And the rest of the system is copacetic--batteries, inverter, etc.? :Applause: :Applause: :Applause:Syama Gopala Dasa - January 28, 2009 9:37 pm
That metal cage looks to be lying on the bottom of the river. It looks very ingenious to me!
Happy to hear this news as I'm sure it will help progress at Madhuvan even more.
Syamasundara - January 29, 2009 5:49 pm
Ok, actually it's today that the moon is in Pisces, but yesterday I prepared the trays for the event. I just planted two kinds of lettuce, cabbage, spinach and fenugreek. Mother Sundari is not going by the moon and she planted fruit-bearing stuff, like tomatoes, peppers, etc.
Today GM, GS and I went to a dairy in Belen to grasp their secrets about cow husbandry. We found out that they are in much the same predicament, with the cows giving less milk because of the dry season. We learned that in this season they feed them chopped sugarcane, which is moist and full of minerals, and some other canelike weed. They have rhizomes like bamboo, and they don't only grow during the rainy season; if we water them, we could have a year-round supply of sugarcane. So we came back with a sack of chopped sugarcane for Surabhi, and grafts of camerún to plant as fodder.
Now that GM's cabin is set up with power and internet, he can probably focus on the booklet about SP's rati, or so I hope. On the way to the dairy, he was telling us how some insist that you can only have the bhava of your guru, and cases like Akiñcana Dasa Babaji (where he went "down" to sakhya-rati) are due to more or less serious offenses to one's guru (taking babaji instead of preaching, thus displeasing SBS), as Rupa Goswami states in a somewhat obscure verse, commented upon by VCT and Sri Jiva.
Too bad Akiñcana Dasa Babaji never was in madhurya-rati to begin with
Yesterday I went to open the gates at the new pasture for when the cows come back, and noticed that there is a tract of trail where the clay is bright yellow and fine, pounded and purified by our cows' hooves. I have a feeling someone is going to wear Madhuvan tilak soon
Other than that, this place is magic, in that it's turning my mind into my friend, making it go naturally to Krsna lila.
For example, yesterday I was going to the kitchen and saw some rice in the gutter created by our kitchen drain. I immediately thought of Jagannatha and Raghunatha Dasa Goswami.
The instances are many more, but I only remember two right now. Yesterday the moon looked like an eyelash; a very shy crescent. The Lord is called animisa, because he never closes his eyes; so the moon yesterday reminded of Mahavishnu's barely open eyes in his divine slumber.
Last, but not least, at dinner GS noticed how Elpe looks like a gopi who was putting on kajal on one eye, and when she was about to do the other, she heard Krsna's flute and ran toward it
That dog is really weird, we think it's a demigod in a dog's body.
Syamasundara - January 30, 2009 1:21 pm
Oh my God, I've milked a cow!!!! :Applause: :Applause:
About time, too. Surabhi put up a fight at first of course, so I thought I would just hold the bucket, so Mother Sundari could use both hands. I was also supplying her with chopped sugarcane. Boy, she loves sugarcane, she closes her eyes and munches in ecstasy; much like me. We all love sugarcane.
Anyway, at some point Mother Sundari untied Kishori for a few minutes, so I started to milk one teat, as Kishori was after the others. This way Surabhi was less inclined to kick... and since then I never stopped! I must be responsible for at least a quart (1 liter).
Oh man, I feel better than when I self-taught how to touch type.
Yesterday we went to Juan's brother in law's land, and got two more bags of sugarcane; a more tender and sweet variety. They had a forest of it in their slopy backyard, and it was thriving on the drain water from their kitchen! Needless to say, today we are going to buy biodegradable dish soap and do the same with the root stock we got from there. Juan has just now planted it. Wrong lunar phase for a rhizome, but it's still a fertile, watery day, confirmed by the fact that last night we had a micro shower. Luckily I was still in GS's cabin, but when I went to my tent, everything was damp. A damp bed is something I don't wish to my enemy; all my bones fell asleep with a grimace.
At that "finca" (farm) we also got a bunch of plantains and oranges for half the price, which is great because today is shopping day, and maybe we can buy some fancy ingredient for Advaitacarya with the saved money.
We are also going to buy seeds today. No one can stop us now soon we'll be living off our land for the most part, and save so much money, that can be used for the temple or the new deities, I guess.
Back to the cows, major soap opera these days. We kept Surabhi in the barn, Kishori in her little pen, and Mangala and Dauji got exiled into the woods, on the way to the water tanks, where it's shady, they can go to the creek for water, and there is a whole variety of yummy plants. They didn't take it very well, though. Mangala was missing her confidante, Dauji her auntie. All day mooing back and forth. And last night they even got rained on. Eventually, as the herd grows, we're going to have to let them loose, like Don Imel's cows, and keep only the milkers; I just wish we had a better figured out pasture/cow plan, because they certainly don't like people winging it, and changing their habits every other day.
Prasada is ready, and it looks so good...
Madan Gopal Das - January 30, 2009 2:29 pm
Oh my God, I've milked a cow!!!!
Congrats!!! Goloka must seem so much closer.
I was just wondering, do Madhuvan cows have a lotus on the end of the teat like the Audarya cows? If no one has checked, please ask GM to take you because he is expert at finding it.
Babhru Das - January 30, 2009 5:34 pm
Oh my God, I've milked a cow!!!!
Congratulations, indeed! I was happy to get the chance to milk Mangala while I was there, even though my efforts were pretty clumsy and ineffectual. And I really like the sugar cane thing. (Imagine the milk!) Another thing we found cows really liked, at least in Hawaii, is ti plants, especially the regular green ti. I don't remember seeing anything but red ti in Costa Rica. There are two plants I'd like to try to get going there, though: green Hawaiian ti and Sunrise papayas. After spending pretty much my entire adult life eating sweet Hawaiian papayas, I find those that seem to predominate in Mexico and central America unpalatable.
Citta Hari Dasa - January 30, 2009 5:42 pm
Here is a picture of the final inlet for Krsna Balarama's micro-hydro system. It will mean more to those who have struggled with it over the last year. If you look carefully you will see a submerged metal cage with rocks on top of it. Inside the cage are three four foot perforated tubes wrapped in shade cloth. The water comes into these tubes unaffected by sand or debris even in the height of the rainy season. Then the water passes into one solid tube connected to these three that goes through the newly constructed dam. After it passes through the dam it takes a 90 degree turn into a 20' metal pipe that is now covered in rock. From there it turns once more and heads down the pipeline building pressure until it hits the turbine generating our power.
At last a final solution!
Yahoo! A huge improvement from the provisional system that was there when I left. You all must be so relieved to not have to deal with that any more. Now on to other things, like herding cows and growing food. . .
Syamasundara - January 30, 2009 8:51 pm
Congrats!!! Goloka must seem so much closer.
Yes, that's what GS said when I went up to the kitchen: now I am eligibile for the spiritual world. To that, Mother Sundari was quick to add: "But not just yet!!"
We're a little understaffed here, but a happy bunch.
Syamasundara - January 30, 2009 9:16 pm
The instances are many more, but I only remember two right now.
Oh I remembered another one! Have you ever seen GS eating or talking about sweets? If that doesn't remind one of Madhumangala, I don't know what does. He rolls his eyes and everything...
Syamasundara - February 1, 2009 1:54 am
Yesterday it was shopping day and we went to Nicoya. It was my second time. For those who have experienced India, a place like Costa Rica really lacks character. Even just compared to Mexico and other Latin countries, this country has beautiful landscapes, but for the rest it's quite bla. They don't seem to eat much other than rice and beans, and for whatever local vegetable or root, they just say: "Oh, this is very good boiled with a little salt!"
At least in the stores they call me "my love".
On the way to Nicoya, we stopped at GM's cabin, as he had an additional list for us. When there, he showed us the pearls he had bought for the deities. They are opalescent, one black set, and one white set of collar and bracelet, but they will be restrung.
At breakfast we were talking of previous lives, and Mother Sundari was saying how she doesn't really remember who she was, but often she's had the sensation that her skin, hair and eyes were of the wrong color. So now we call her Mother Africa
Today we began Madhya 3. Perfect timing, too, because tomorrow is the app. of Advaita acarya and we'll read about the feast that he had prepared for Gaura and Nitai. Actually, I already read it tonight while offering dinner. I became so filled with joy at the description, but also sadness, because we don't have those ingredients. Kaviraja goswami says that the feast was served on pots gotten out plantain trunks, and I am wrecking my brains trying to figure out how. After reading, I felt cleared of all my previous sins; no, really. I got up and there were Krsna and Balarama, smiling. I stopped reading right when Nitai was starting to tease Advaita.
While I was cooking, GM had come to milk Surabhi, check the garden, etc. He let Kishori loose. I was tempted to do it; she is always penned up in that little area, but what if she runs away? What a responsibility. However, when GM did it, I realized that with mum and food there, she wasn't going to run away, and sure enough, she ran all around the main area, kicking in the air, exploring up and down the hills and trails.
GM is giving mini classes at night starting tomorrow.
Syamasundara - February 1, 2009 5:02 pm
New pics and vids available on respective pages.
Syamasundara - February 2, 2009 1:24 am
How was your Advaita Saptami? I woke up... and threw out my back before even showering.
Still, I managed to decorate the silas (a total back breaker in itself, as some of you know), and cook my part of the feast.
Krsna and Rama had rice with black mustard, korma, cauliflower pakoras, tomato catni, bhatura, banana coconut halava, and a nectar of pineapple, orange and hibiscus.
At four we had a mini class before milking Surabhi.
Posted two vids on youtube. I wanted to leave them here, but they just won't upload: the feast being served, and Gaurasundara in ecstasy for a coconut burfi filled with spicy chocolate, so much so that he doesn't know what hand he's using
Syamasundara - February 2, 2009 4:33 pm
Ok, the Moon is finally in Taurus, and we are in the second quarter, so I am planting all the plants of which we harvest the fruit (tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, etc) 
I had taken a bunch of pictures of the garden and the greenhouse being built, but couldn't upload them. Taking some new ones after this post.
Mother Africa is cooking, GS is at the greenhouse, I just finished planting, then I'll process some yellow clay for the first batch of Madhuvan tilak, and maybe some red one for the mrdanga (it's still way too thin).
Jiva-daya Dasa - February 4, 2009 10:57 pm
Wonderful to read tus relatos! Thank you for your posts, real nectar for us here in the frozen tundra (not really that cold, but it did snow a good bit yesterday here in NC)
Syamasundara - February 5, 2009 4:41 pm
Madhuvan is undergoing some turbulence. Please remain seated with your seat belts fastened... or you'll fly away.
What's up with this wind?? It started two days ago and it never stopped. It's so heavy on my mind. I'm used to wind that subsides and then the mind goes aaaaah. This wind feels like someone constantly tapping on my shoulder for attention. Argh! I haven't slept in two days. Especially last night, because, besides the noise, the barn's corrugated metal roof sheets started to take off, so Gaura and I tried to protect the cows, because those sheets could have cut you in half. We wanted to let Surabhi loose with Mangala and Dauji, but what about Kishori? We tied her to a post in our cabin, then we moved the Tulasi plants behind the cabin, too. My tent has been lying on its side for two days, if it's still there...
Juan said the weather forecast says two more days of this
Good news: Juan just told me how to tie the rope around Kishori so she won't choke, the plumeria is blooming, and Juan unearthed a humongous root in our pasture called Ñame, so we can eat for a week; or so I thought, before realizing it tastes like styrofoam... maybe we need to know how to cook it, but today it's Ekadasi, so we'll have plenty of chances to try it out.
Nitaisundara Das - February 5, 2009 4:51 pm
Good news: Juan just told me how to tie the rope around Kishori so she won't choke, the plumeria is blooming, and Juan unearthed a humongous root in our pasture called Ñame, so we can eat for a week; or so I thought, before realizing it tastes like styrofoam... maybe we need to know how to cook it, but today it's Ekadasi, so we'll have plenty of chances to try it out.
Any chance of a picture of the plumeria?
Just boil the root and a little salt, duh.
Syamasundara - February 5, 2009 5:23 pm
I should have said the plumeria is budding.
We did boil it with salt. Pure cardboard.
Then for dinner I stir fried it with spices, and all you could taste was the spices, and if the chunks were too big, the flavor wouldn't go in. I am thinking it's a good soup ingredient, like many roots, or for bulk, together with other veggies.
Another good thing that happened yesterday is that I made puris with whey instead of water, but boiling whey, as I had just made panir, so it kind of cooked the dough before I fried it, and everybody liked the texture. So, there you have the first Madhuvan recipe, which we are naturally going to use for Nityananda on Saturday.
Syamasundara - February 6, 2009 2:00 am
Well, considering the eve of this Ekadasi, it turned out to be pretty sweet.
So, so far we've had the ñame boiled, as a bhaji, raw, mashed with potatoes, and as it turns out, it's good raw, with lime juice, but maybe mixed in a salad, so it conveys the crunchiness, like a water chestnut.
After lunch GS and I started to spontaneously brush up on the Gita verses we knew.
At dinner I cooked ñame once again, mashed with plantains, carrots and peppers. While the patties were cooking I was singing and playing the mrdanga for Krsna and Balarama. It just feels so right to be in front of those smiling eyes; every time I can't believe they are looking right back at someone like me. How is it possible? Only thanks to Sri Guru.
At dinner we noticed how Kali Ma (Pochote's girlfriend), was slender-waisted, and from that we started to discuss all those Vedic descriptions (banana trunk thighs, the gaze of a drunken elephant, etc) and we ended up describing Krsna's bodily features as described in BRS. Sometimes we analyze Krsna's names.
What a good company. After a year an a half stranded in San Diego, culturally and emotionally deprived, now I am in the best possible place, with the best possible crew. GS is many times as funny, affectionate and easy-going as I would have ever imagined. He doesn't seem to have much of an ego, and it's easy to get stuff done. He tells me what to do, many times I tell him how to do it better, and then we get on it.
Mother Africa is a trooper and has a good sense of humor, at least enough to endure our jokes. We crack up so much at every meal. The other night we were talking about Elpe; GM says he's the first devotee to have joined at Madhuvan, and that he's a good guy. He sure behaves in a weird, non-canine way. So the other night we were saying that for being the first disciple, he doesn't have much of a spiritual name, unless L.P. stands for .... Lila-parayana; so I called: "Lila-parayana!" and he was there absorbed in his grooming and turned right around like: "What up?" So that was pretty creepy
Anyway, the best thing about this small crew is that, when I freak out and start bitching, instead of becoming all bitchy and negative at me for being negative and bitchy (which was my previous ashram experience), they are very supportive: they acknowledge my frustration, they console me, and five minutes later we are discussing which sweets to make for Gaura Purnima.
Enough with the euology; now off to upload a picture of a bug that looks like a swiss cow, and maybe a short video of the "light breeze" we are experiencing these days.
Nitaisundara Das - February 6, 2009 3:14 am
I think name root might be the same (or at least very similar) as jicama. If so, the way I had it was kind of like you said, grated in a salad with orange slices and citrus dressing, amongst other things.
Syamasundara - February 6, 2009 9:12 pm
As it turns out, the strong and constant wind is due to some typhoon that's going on on the East Coast, where everything is being inundated, and people are undergoing much greater inconvenience, so I'll stop complaining. Meanwhile, all our avocado trees have lost their flowers, so forget it for this year. We're all scratching ourselves like crazy here, because all around there is a furry pod called pica-pica (itchy-itchy), and the wind is spreading its itchy powder EVERYWHERE. We are supposed to wear long sleeves and pants, wash them well daily, dry them inside (good luck), and store them in air-tight containers. We don't even have a closet in our cabin...
Also, the wind has caused a branch to block the road to our property, and this morning we were expecting a big delivery of material for the greenhouse, so before breakfast GS was already working on it with Juan. Too bad the car ended up in a ditch on the way back. GM, GS, Juan and I were on the scene, and tried to get the car out with boards under the wheels, but Juan insisted that the car would slide on the board, and they had to dig in front of the rear wheels instead. Result: the rear wheels, that were the ones in the ditch, had less and less ground to stand on, and the car was weighing more and more on the undercarriage.
Eventually, we decided to let the car slide down into the pasture, cut the barbed wire and get it out where it was at the same level with the road.
And all this of course with wind and dirt hitting us everywhere like tiny bullets.
Fun.
All in all though, Juan is being a terrific help on a daily basis. Today he taught me how to make soap out of some weird fruits we are finding on the ground. He's so gonna get a Chrstmas basket from us this year.
Today Mother Sundari made ñame grated with sugar and citrus juice. It was probably the best way so far. Now I want to make a candy with it!
But really, I feel like scratching myself to death. I've just taken a shower, lotioned my whole body, and I feel like I just spread the pica-pica dust all over me even more.
Syamasundara - February 7, 2009 1:04 pm
Have you ever been kicked in the eye by a cow?
Yeah, pretty much.
I can't believe my good luck, though. It didn't hurt at all (says while bouncing his left eye in his hand...). I guess it was just a warning kick, more like a blessing.
I do feel blessed, because my first reaction was: "I'll never milk a cow again", but then Krsna and Arjuna came to my mind (yogam
ātiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhārata), and I realized that I also have my dharma, or seva, and if my reaction to the first difficulty is tyaga, it means that what I thought to be seva, was just bhoga for me.
Speaking of bhoga, let's go take yet another cold shower and cook for Nityananda Prabhu.
Jaya Surabhi Ma!
Sridamadi jaya, jaya dhenu-vatsa gana!
Jaya Dayal Nitai!
Syamasundara - February 7, 2009 10:47 pm
Nityananda trayodasi is always so intrinsically sweet and merciful. 
Nitai pada kamala, koti candra susitala, the lotus feet of Nitai are as soothing as a million moons. It seems that in order to honor that, the wind today was milder, it felt more like an ocean breeze at the beach, and my mind (presided over by the moon) was much calmer.
While cooking the feast, we had yet another 3 Stooges moment, when Surabhi got out of the (locked!) pen; today I seriously thought she was Houdini's reincarnation. A few minutes later we see Kishori out and about!
So, there we were, in dhotis, sari, and rubber boots, running down the small pasture, with sticks and ropes.
Because of that, the feast was a little late, but boy, what a feast!!! 
I felt a little bad, because this time I hogged most of the preparations, but after tasting it, I had the neat sensation that we had been blessed by Nityananda Prabhu for trying to serve his dear devotee, and somebody other than us really cooked that feast.
The deities had:
Bitter melon chips
Black pepper rice
Jagannatha dal
Cauliflower, potatoes and peas in sour cream
Puris
Some ckickpea flour cubes
Coriander mind catni
Tamarind lemonade
Misthi dahi (yogurt out of condensed milk)
Banana ginger sweet rice
Caramel brittle orange halava
See picture on flickr.
Oh, I need to cook dinner already... I am still blissed out.
PS And GM brought me some pica pica ointment!
Syamasundara - February 11, 2009 12:24 pm
For the records, the wind ceased on Sunday morning. I couldn't believe the quiet, the full moon... for half an hour, then the howling monkeys came back, then the gossipy parrots, the French police car bird, the clicking butterflies, the doves, the dogs, the cows, the woodpecker, etc, but it's much better than that draining wind. My mind was still too agitated to think of decorating the deities, plus the vegetation could use some respite, the banana leaves look like angel's hair.
The pica pica is also practically gone, if I only I could do some laundry to get it off my clothes and sheets, but we're really low on water these days. Luckily the turbine guy, who is a geologist, is coming back and promised to increase our water supply by many times.
The greenhouse is taking shape despite the delayed deliveries, and non-cooperative power tools. You should see my black bean sprouts! In five days I'll plant all the roots: carrot, ginger, radish, sugarcane if Juan brings some more, and two days later it'll be already time to start a new batch of compost.
We also made some wood ash to mix with our biodegradable soap and replace that nasty chemical paste that was polluting the vegetation below the kitchen, where now the sugarcane is growing.
Syamasundara - February 12, 2009 2:01 am
Aaah I've just come back from the temple/kitchen with our first plumeria. It really smells like Mayapur Candrodaya. What a beautiful flower, too. Sorry, I didn't have a camera with me, but there are three more buds on the plant.
Going back to the fact that here things are more real, today it really seemed like the springs had dried out. Nowadays we are so used to always having water coming out of a tap and maybe from another state. Here we are really at the mercy of God, in the form of the various demigods, and ultimately the very ingredients of matter. These small things really put you in place: we are smaller than a trickle in the rock.
Today we worked some more on the greenhouse, that's finally taking shape.
We are starting again tomorrow early, because the sun was really a scorcher today.
Syamasundara - February 12, 2009 12:42 pm
Before coming here one night I remember appreciating that GM didn't call this place "New Madhuvan." If the disciple is well tuned in and blessed, he or she can even learn from the things the guru does not say or do. In other words, if the guru says or does something special, we are more led to look into why he or she did it, but sometimes there are some deep teachings behind the most unassuming actions or decisions, such as calling this place Madhuvan and not New Madhuvan.
Nothing against those who do use that nomenclature, but words like "new", and the material designation they imply, create some distinction and distance. There is Madhuvan there, and then there is this new place here, and they obviously are not in the same place, so they are not the same thing. But this is not what we are training to think: feeling determines reality, bhava determines tattva, Radha's luminous love makes black Krsna visible and beautiful.
bhavad-vidhā bhāgavatās
tīrtha-bhūtāḥ svayaḿ vibho
tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni
svāntaḥ-sthena gadābhṛtā
My Lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage.
I understand GM gave a Swami call about this two weeks ago, then we discussed it at lunch on Advaita's appearance day.
So, this place is Madhuvan if we allow it, and the yellow, fine clay that's pounded by the hooves of our cows when they go to the pasture is our tilaka (working on it, it takes a lot of sifting).
Next forest, Talavan.
prayaccha tāni naḥ kṛṣṇa
gandha-lobhita-cetasām
vāñchāsti mahatī rāma
gamyatāḿ yadi rocate
O Kṛṣṇa! Please get those fruits for us. Our minds are so attracted by their aroma! Dear Balarāma, our desire to have those fruits is very great. If You think it's a good idea, let's go to that Tāla forest.
I've been thinking a lot of that lila, and the tala fruits. Days ago I had a craving for red grapes, so I thought and said: "Let's buy grapes!"
Then the intellect kicked in. Am I imposing my material desires on the deities and the temple budget? Do Krsna and Balarama want grapes? The tattva is that Krsna and Balarama need absolutely nothing; thank God, though, they have lots of desires.
I don't know; I think that if one knows the bases of siddhanta and is under good guidance, then it's ok to have some bhava oil our understanding.
All in all, whether Krsna and Balarama want grapes (now apples, too) or not, it's a much more positive attitude to see our cravings in relation to theirs, rather than beating ourselves up for having cravings.
As soon as I have money, I'll buy grapes and apples 
Syamasundara - February 14, 2009 11:59 am
Just come back from Mangala arati. This place is so merciful: by 7pm we are ready for bed, but we usually make it until 8, still, we get to sleep 8 (much needed) hours, and on account of that we almost never miss the morning program.
I must confess I still haven't found the right boiled rice/red clay ratio for the mrdanga head, so I keep having to do it, but I'm seeing that the thicker it is, the better it sounds, the more my singing is inspired. Yesterday we started reading the story of Madhavendra Puri and Ksiracora Gopinath, and today we read a good chunk because we couldn't stop. That was very inspiring, and it's what reading a bit every day is supposed to do to us in the long run.
The greenhouse is moving along, I may have new pics in my camera. I've almost managed to make mozzarella without starter and rennet, thanks to my friend Parama Karuna's tidbits, so yesterday for dinner we had "pizzadillas" (quesadillas made with yeast dough and pizza ingredients), and slassi (slushy made with yogurt and jaggery).
I have two sturdy water melon seedlings 
it's always been my dream to cultivate water melons.
Babhru Das - February 14, 2009 4:27 pm
Maybe you need some sort of sticky rice, like those they like in Japan, Thailand, etc. to make the gab. There are some short-grain varieties that are more glutinous than others that make the cooked rice really sticky, for rice balls, eating with chopsticks, etc. I don't know how glutinous the rice grown at Madhuvan is.
Go, watermelons!
Syamasundara - February 14, 2009 8:40 pm
For sure, when I did it in Eugene, I used brown rice and clay from a pottery, so it was super fine.
This time the clay is red enough, so it's got iron for the ring, but I can't seem to sift it enough, and our rice is not good. This last application seems good, much more rice than clay, it's not cracking much, but it doesn't feel like plastic. I am supposed to smoothen the surface with a peace of marble, but I think I'm going to have to power sand it lightly, and then I'll apply black ash paste.
Syamasundara - February 14, 2009 9:54 pm
Something interesting happened to me this morning. I needed some horse manure from the path to the pasture, but Mangala and Dauji were there at the gate, hoping I had food for them, so I couldn't quite get in with wheelbarrow and shovel.
I stood there looking at them for a while since Dauji is so sweet, then Surabhi got let in after milking, and at some point they were standing in front of me, side by side next to one another, and I had a glimpse of the river of cows' shoulders, humps and hips that Krsna floats on every day. That stream of cows is one of the most beautiful visions, and I could have it this morning, albeit with three cows.
GM said in one class that Svetadvipa is in the middle of the ocean of milk, and milk means affection, the love that nurtures us. It's through affection that we get to the shore through that ocean of milk, and before we know, those white waves turn into many white cows and we are in Krsna-lila.
From my point of view, I had Mangala, Dauji, and Surabhi, so it looked like I first had to swim through a brown ocean of... but at least my prospect was in sight: Surabhi pure white spine.
Syamasundara - February 16, 2009 12:36 pm
Yesterday GS and I worked on the greenhouse all morning, talking about Krsna and Balarama, how much more merciful their human form is, because we can dress it, how we already have yellow, orange, and red clay to decorate their faces, and we remembered and missed our other godsiblings who also have a declared liking for Krsna and Balarama. I didn't know GS was one of them, and that was quite a pleasant surprise.
He thought it was cute when I told him that when I first was introduced to the concept of rasa and spiritual form, I hoped mine was that of a surabhi
At lunch we talked about the prana-pratistha ceremony, whether we'd do it for our deities, and how doubtful that was. Then Mother Sundari and I told GS about all the instances of deities being "alive", stealing the cherry on top of a sweet, manifesting a third puri on the plate at the time of getting the offering from the altar, even if the cook didn't have time to offer it, putting on weight and not fitting in their usual outfits... So I said "We should have our Krsna Balarama put on weight!", which sounds unlikely, considering that we don't really offer a raja-bhoga or have any such standard, but they eat devotion after all; maybe there is some hope to see this little interaction
Oh, major planting day yesterday and today: roots such as beets, ginger and carrots, and transplanting my super fast-growing black beans.
The greenhouse site is really hot and sunny; it's quite a yajña to work there, but we are almost done.
GM was missed all day, but we finally saw him at 4pm, he came to get the evening milk and other provisions, and he told us about impregnating Surabhi, and how he is back into publishing, now that his two ashrams are somewhat established.
Big week starting today: two ticos are already here to even out the path to the water spring, so a car can go almost all the way up. Paul is coming back and improve our water system big time, which shouldn't take much, as right now the "system" is just a bunch of PVC pipes held together with string, toothpicks and mayonnaise or something. No, he said he might boost the quality of our tapping by 10 times.
With the road evened out, we'll be able to haul good soil from the old greenhouse site.
This is probably going to be the last big marathon before GM leaves. I've already booked my spot at the beach for when we can finally breathe a bit. 
My mind is quite engaged these days. Between GM's direct service and my own trips, I am daily juggling with building the greenhouse, proofreading Babhru's booklet, planting, fixing the mrdanga, making Madhuvan tilak (sifting, etc), and building a cob oven. Plus all kinds of garbage. I have been hunted by material tunes in my head. I just can't get rid of them. As soon as we shift pace after Gaura Purnima, I'll be playing and learning a lot of mrdanga. Right now we only have a kirtan in the morning, and that has to last for the whole day.
We are also reading. Today we went on with the story of Madhavendra Puri, and once back at the cabin, we searched Ksiracora Gopinath's picture.
We have great plans for Gaura Purnima, but not disclosing anything just yet. :)
Swami - February 16, 2009 1:40 pm
No raja-bhoga? It may not be that royal, but we do have such a lunch offering daily (on banana leaf, no?). As for putting on weight, milk helps and we have a good amount of that.
Syamasundara - February 19, 2009 3:20 am
Today we went to Samara and Nicoya to run errands. Before we reach the paved road, there is a good half hour drive along the mountain road, with gorgeous views of the valley, and lots of cows, sometimes in groups, sometimes scattered, white, yellow, red, black, patched. At times I shout at them: "I love youuuu!" Such beauties, it's like pageants.
This morning, while I was being shaken up and down, left and right by the uneven road, I raised my forefinger and said: "There is only one good thing about driving on this road", at which GS said: "There is one? Tell me, I wanna know!" I laughed and told him it reminds me of when Nanda Maharaja decided to move from Gokula to Vrndavana. They put Rohini and Yasoda on a bullock cart in the front, with their sons on their laps, then all the Vrajavasis, their things, their cows, and the men escorting the caravan with bows and arrows. Krsna and Balarama were observing all the new surroundings, then Krsna said: "Look, even the trees are coming with us!", but Yasoda said: "No, it looks like they're moving, but it's only an illusion." GM said in one class: "But it wasn't..." :Just Kidding:
So, the movement of the car makes me feel like on a bullock cart.
Today I went into the kitchen to make dinner, bowed down to Krsna and Balarama, and as I got up, I dove flew right into the window pane, scared me to death, landed on the ground and stood there, a touch stunned.
I saw from inside, as the bird was trying to recover, but then slowly collapsed on one side, breathing fast. I got out and started to chant to the poor bird, as focused as I could, looking straight into that orange eye. Then I went inside and got a flower from GM's picture, and put it on the dove, but it jumped back on its feet as the flower landed, still standing there, and when Kali Ma approached to sniff it, it flew off. Just see how someone's sukriti may begin in the weirdest ways.
By the way, dinner was a first ever. I made a sabji out of plaintain flower. It works much like cabbage, but more fancy-schmancy and tropical, with tamarind, coconut, yogurt and it looked exotic, too.... but boy was it bitter good thing I added fried potatoes to the recipe. Yuck. I mean, good to know. I've always wanted to know what vegetables are bitter, for a feast for example, where you want all the flavors. Well, there you have it, banana flower and you can't go wrong. Let's say it's an acquired taste, and it's good for women (lactation, PMS, etc).
We have all kinds of dogs around here. Juan had lent us his dog, Pechoto, but he was crying all night, tight at the barn. Pechote's girlfriend is a slender, pitchblack, elegant dog, that came out of nowhere. GS and I call her Kali Ma, Mother Sundari some Polish name, and she may be pregnant. I can hear her breathing and snoozing outside of my tent. She used to be so weary of us, but now, although she won't allow us to touch her, she is very affectionate, follows us everywhere and wags her tail a lot, especially since we feed her.
When Juan comes here in the morning to work, Pechoto usually follows him. Then there is Nana (nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipuna for friends), but she comes sporadically.
Elpe is developing such a gut, mooching food from everywhere, but he's funny and affectionate.
The cows and horses are well and happy.
Oh! And two hours ago I made the first mozzarella entirely made in Madhuvan! Meaning, I just used old milk, and rotten whey. Not bad!
Dealing with raw milk allows you to do all kinds of cheese without rennet and starter, it's all in the pH, temperature, and technique. Almost.
Now I'm already thinking of how to develop the idea: I can age it, season it, smoke it...
There is so much potential in this place. Since my first day I've caught myself saying almost on a daily basis: "It can only get better", and that's pretty much the motto for this place.
Tomorrow the works will start at the spring. I wonder if I'll get a chance to take pics.
Boy, it's so late now.... 
Bhrigu - February 19, 2009 9:29 am
Thanks again for your wonderful updates, Shyamu! They are a delight to read.
As far as I have understood (and I've cooked plantain flower only once -- the result wasn't perfect by any means, but it wasn't bitter), you need to boil the flower with salt and turmeric first to get rid of the bitterness. And be careful to remove the mini-size, unripe bananas from inside the flower.
Vrindaranya Dasi - February 19, 2009 12:29 pm
Oh! And two hours ago I made the first mozzarella entirely made in Madhuvan!Dealing with raw milk allows you to do all kinds of cheese without rennet and starter, it's all in the pH, temperature, and technique. Almost.
What chicanery! To claim to make the first mozzarella at Madhuvan by discounting mozzarella made with vegetarian rennet!
Syamasundara - February 19, 2009 1:26 pm
I don't know what chicanery means, but sure, Vrndaranya has been making all kinds of mozzarella, fromage blanc, and maybe more, and they also count as made in Madhuvan.
I was just happy we could do it in a total self-sufficient and old style way. No competition there.
By the way, if somebody wanted to send some kefir grains our way to start a culture... you know how GM likes kefir, and that's something we can't start from scratch.
Gaurasundara Das - March 9, 2009 12:28 pm
Surabhi gave a whole bunch of extra milk this morning for Guru Maharaj's feast 
Swami - March 9, 2009 2:26 pm
Surabhi gave a whole bunch of extra milk this morning for Guru Maharaj's feast
Yes, expect miracles
Syamasundara - March 9, 2009 2:48 pm
We could have used a miracle yesterday, when the modem wouldn't start over. I bet there was a caranabhisekha, puspanjali, 108 preparations and fireworks... In any case we would have got audio only.
Gaurasundara Das - March 12, 2009 7:15 pm
We had a nice Vyasa puja and Gaura purnima here this year. First ones celebrated at Madhuvan I think. Here are some pics from the festivities. The full moon was absolutely beautiful and it illuminated the whole valley. It came up just as we finished Gaura arati. Another nice thing was that Braja found a whole bunch of wild orchids earlier in the day and we were able to decorate the altar and make a garland for the picture of Gaur Nitai ( ie my computer screen ). It was really nice to sing Bhaktivinode's song again as its been a while since I've sang it. It made me miss the evening program at Audarya.
Here's the menu
Guru Maharaj's feast:
khadi sauce
rice
bhatura
tamarind lemonade
cashew burfi
Syama's cabbage curd kofta things
bitter melon
pakoras
coconut tomato chuntey
Mahaprabhu's feast:
plain rice
savory rice
chickpea eggplant subji
gauranga potatoes
mint lemonade
puris
chocolate and vanilla sandesh
banana pakoras
orange simply wonderfuls
tortilla chips
bhaji
sesame burfi
squash fritters
plantain fritters
semolina yogurt balls
almond chocolate brittle
squash kheer
fried nuts
coconut raisin balls
yogurt coconut balls
shak
coriander chutney
dal
beet koftas
orange juice
bananas
Babhru Das - March 12, 2009 7:55 pm
Sounds wonderful! Sorry I missed it. Thanks for sharing that with us, Gauraski.
Swami - March 12, 2009 8:26 pm
We had a nice Vyasa puja and Gaura purnima here this year. First ones celebrated at Madhuvan I think. Here are some pics from the festivities. The full moon was absolutely beautiful and it illuminated the whole valley. It came up just as we finished Gaura arati. Another nice thing was that Braja found a whole bunch of wild orchids earlier in the day and we were able to decorate the altar and make a garland for the picture of Gaur Nitai ( ie my computer screen ). It was really nice to sing Bhaktivinode's song again as its been a while since I've sang it. It made me miss the evening program at Audarya.Here's the menu
Guru Maharaj's feast:
khadi sauce
rice
bhatura
tamarind lemonade
cashew burfi
Syama's cabbage curd kofta things
bitter melon
pakoras
coconut tomato chuntey
Mahaprabhu's feast:
plain rice
savory rice
chickpea eggplant subji
gauranga potatoes
mint lemonade
puris
chocolate and vanilla sandesh
banana pakoras
orange simply wonderfuls
tortilla chips
bhaji
sesame burfi
squash fritters
plantain fritters
semolina yogurt balls
almond chocolate brittle
squash kheer
fried nuts
coconut raisin balls
yogurt coconut balls
shak
coriander chutney
dal
beet koftas
orange juice
bananas
catur-vidha-sri-bhagavat-prasada-
swadv-anna-triptan hari-bhakta-sanghan
kritwaiva triptim bhajatah sadaiva
vande guroh sri-caranaravindam
Vrindaranya Dasi - March 15, 2009 11:03 am
Here's some pictures of the greenhouse being put up:
Babhru Das - March 15, 2009 1:35 pm
Oh, cool! It's big! Thanks, Vrindaranya.
Guru-nistha Das - March 15, 2009 4:52 pm
awesome!
Thanks for the shots.
Syamasundara - April 11, 2009 12:55 pm
It's so tough to make an update after a long time has passed.
Our main preoccupation has been the greenhouse, which is probably going to be finished to the last detail by tomorrow, but has been functioning for a couple of days. We have two long beds: one is full and we are collecting the dirt from elsewhere and making compost for the second one.
The first ditch has most of GS's plants, inherited from Vrndaranya, that are one month older, and needed to be transplanted. Since we are doing companion gardening, VS and I could sneak in some carrots and coriander everywhere, marigolds among the tomatoes, spinach among the eggplants, then there are cucumbers, melons, chiles and peppers.
After sifting, the dirt is really fine, dark, and spongy. So are the batches of compost we've made so far.
Other than that, we have huge, green and ripe avocados dangling over our heads, one more plantain has flowered, and the first two have big bunches that are almost ripe.
The lemon tree has lemons the size of marbles.
It finally rained, too. Not much, but it was a blessing. The spell has been broken, but for now we're still struggling with water and power.
Kisori is practically white now, and not shy anymore. Rather, if you step into the pen, you'll be assaulted and licked to death by her. Mangala has been pregnant for a few weeks hopefully. The moon was in Pisces, so we should expect a female calf. See pictures of the act on my Flickr page (nothing explicit Jiva Daya), as well as of everything else.
We can't seem to be able to equalize the batteries, so I don't think I'll have the power/internet time to upload videos, but you have the link to both pics and vids, so stay tuned.
Jiva-daya Dasa - April 11, 2009 1:55 pm
Just last night I had a dream I was in CR and came to see you guys. Someday...
Mi suegra in Nica says loads of fruit coming in . I've been sharing the pics with my family and everyone is in awe of the work you are doing there - Jaya!
Thanks for the update.
Syamasundara - April 11, 2009 2:04 pm
Oh Nicaragua! I went there, as my 90 days in Costa Rica were over and I had to get out of the country for a while.
Great country, great beaches, the people, the food.... No, actually, as I crossed the border, a guy approached me and told me that if I gave him $25 he would have gotten a stamp from his friend at the counter, and I could have gone right back, instead of waiting 72 hours. I thought about it a lot, but I had read that foreigners do that, and I had too much seva waiting for me, so I did, and spent 19 hours on buses, to Nicaragua and back. Not even 24 hours, but I was so happy to be back. I touched the dust when I got off the car at night, the Tulasi plant seemed so shiny and beautiful, the cows, even the annoying dogs. I was so grateful to be back into that dusty, austere piece of paradise.
Citta Hari Dasa - April 11, 2009 5:04 pm
We all know that Madhuvana is a wonderful place, but it seems that it gets even better.
I happened to catch part of an Oprah show the other day where she had on a fellow named Dan Buettner who has done expeditions all over the world in search of the longest-lived people. He identified four of them (where people are three times more likely to live to be active centenarians than the rest of the world), and coined the term "blue zones" to refer to them.
According to Wikipedia:
Blue Zones is a project of Dan Buettner's Quest Network, Inc that studies the regions of the world where people commonly live active lives past the age of 100 years. Scientists and demographers have classified these longevity hot-spots by their inhabitants' ability to live longer, on average, than anyone else in the world.
The people inhabiting Blue Zones share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity. Among the lifestyle characteristics shared among the Okinawa, Sardinia, and Loma Linda Blue Zones are the following:[4]
Family - Family is put ahead of other concerns.
No Smoking - Centenarians do not typically smoke.
Plant-Based Diet - The majority of food consumed is derived from plants.
Constant Moderate Physical Activity - Moderate physical activity is an inseparable part of life.
Social Engagement - People of all ages are socially active and integrated into their communities.
Legumes - Legumes are commonly consumed.
The other blue zone not mentioned above is the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. Dr. Oz went with Dan and a film crew to the blue zones and met some of the centenarians in each of them. In a remote area in Costa Rica they met one man who was something like 96 years old who cuts brush with a machete EVERY DAY. Dr. Oz examined him and said he has the heart and lungs of a 40 year old. Not bad! Another thing they mentioned about the Nicoya Peninsula was the water: it's high in minerals--particularly calcium--which, along with moderate physical activity amounts to far less bone degeneration in the elderly.
Of all the factors that contribute to longevity Dr. Oz said that the numero uno factor is moderate physical activity. Plenty of that at Madhuvana. It looks like the devotees who are fortunate enough to live there are going to be around for quite some time!
Syamasundara - April 11, 2009 8:42 pm
Yes, GS's mother told him about Oprah, so we asked Juan, and he didn't know the guy, but he said that his grandma lived to 104 and his neighbor to 110.
I nearly fainted this morning, while working on the greenhouse's door under the sun and getting up too fast, and I was only helping GS!
So, yes, if we survive, we're probably going to stay here a loooooong time. When I die, you can cut me in half and count the rings to see how long.
Gaurasundara Das - April 11, 2009 11:09 pm
Thanks to all the devotees who helped bring about KB's greenhouse. The first row of tomatoes and eggplants have been transplanted and are doing well.
Don Imel came by today for a neighborly visit and we showed him around the greenhouse and talked a bit about where this years beans and rice will be planted. He is a great example of the health and longevity of the people around here. He must be in his 70s or 80s and is fit as a fiddle. Last year when we harvested the rice and were hauling it out of the jungle I could barely keep up with him!
Gaurasundara Das - April 11, 2009 11:20 pm
We are so fortunate to be able to live here. Such an opulence our sanga has in owning this land.
Gaurasundara Das - May 8, 2009 11:49 pm
The rainy season has begun here. We were looking forward to it a lot. Within 1 week new sprouts are shooting up everywhere and the valley is turning from gold to green. So with the first rain comes the planting season. With Juan's help we have started preparing the land for this years crops. We have rice, beans, corn and sugarcane being planted. Today we went to Juan's in law's, got the sugarcane and planted it in the afternoon. Juan's brother in law also gave us a huge bag of star fruit from his back yard. We were there once before with Guru Maharaj and we bought over 100 oranges for a few dollars. We have a lot to do to get everything planted but it's exciting to be able to grow all of your own staples on top of vegetables, fruits and milk. Speaking of fruits, the roads in Guanacaste are lined with mangoes right now, free for the taking and our own avacado trees are bearing fruit. You have to climb really high in the trees but we get about 30 each trip up. They also fall to the ground on their own. It's nice that the season is changing. One thing we see now that we didn't see in the dry season is tones of fireflies and glow worms at night. The lightning and thunder is pretty amazing as well. There are so many things here that help you to remember Krsna. Oh ya we also harvested the first plantains bunch from our plants. You can see it hanging infront of the temple/kitchen with some Nrsimha caturdasi decorations (mango leaves). We had big plans for a feast but the car got stuck in the mud for a few hours on the way up to Madhuvan. Just goes to show that ultimately we are not the ones in charge.
Gaurasundara Das - May 8, 2009 11:52 pm
Our encounter with a road block set up by Central America's newest revolutionary movement ¡¡ Vacas Libres !!
Babhru Das - May 9, 2009 1:50 am
Our encounter with a road block set up by Central America's newest revolutionary movement ¡¡ Vacas Libres !!
I remember vacas libres! That was our cry as we passed the pastures. And one day, on the way to samara, we encountered a gang of toros libres. That was fun.
Is there somewhere you can get a fruit picker? Maybe at a ferreterria? If you put one of those on the end of a bamboo pole, it can make picking mangoes easier. Some folks on the Big Island drive around during mango season with a picker strapped to the roof of their car or truck.
I like the mango leaves. Thanks for the pix, Gaurski.
Syamasundara - May 21, 2009 6:38 pm
After the trial of the dry season, the rains have come with a burst of opulence.
We've had our first crop of avocados and plantains, we've planted sugarcane, the greenhouse is producing tomatoes, eggplants and marigolds; we even have a new helper, Bhima, who is the strongest of the litter of 8 donated by the black dog that came out of nowhere and that now has found a new home. Five of the other puppies didn't make it, but two are with the mother, and the strongest, cutest and healthiest is here with us. He's being trained to become a herding dog by yours truly, but for now he's only working on "sit", "let's go" and "come". I really hope we can keep him, because Elpe, as nice as he is, is really only good at eating, and that when he doesn't disappear for 4 days.
With the rains, it's time to get the fields ready. The old greenhouse spot is becoming our rice field this year; we should get double the amount as last year. We are going to plant traditional local crops, such as rice, beans and corn, with Juan's experience and advice, but also experiment with produce that's more dear to us, so to speak, such as chickpeas, ginger, coriander, fenugreek, peanuts, etc.
Unless the plans change again, we'll plant the top field with mostly rice, then one variety of beans (we have red, black, and honey colored, called bayos), and experimental chickpeas (they do best at the end of the rainy season, but maybe we can cover the bed with clear plastic). All around within the fence we'll grow ayote (local squash) and watermelons, and on the barbed wire cucumbers. Outside all around we'll plant ginger. The rice should be ready to harvest by August, and we can get a second and even third harvest of something else until the rains cease. On last year's rice field we'll plant another variety of beans, and for the second crop some corn and peanuts.
It's all very exciting, starting from the fact that we are doing everything organically and we hired the neighbor's oxen to plow the field! They looked so majestic in our little pen. I felt like we had royalty guests.
Two days later, Nishtha helped us even out the field for planting rice. You'll see all the pictures at my flickr page (read the comments there for more info); maybe some videos, too. Problem is, we are offline right now, as a lightening fried our system, so I am doing everything from a cybercafe.
Babhru Das - May 21, 2009 11:47 pm
Thanks, as always, Shyamu. Ginger and coriander (cilantro), peanuts, etc. should be no problem in that climate. They're common in Hawaii.
Bhima is adorable, indeed. And those oxen!
Who is Nishtha? And is there really no solution to the lightning problem?
Syamasundara - May 24, 2009 6:36 pm
Who is Nishtha?
One of our two mares.
Babhru Das - May 24, 2009 7:56 pm
:Batting Eyelashes: Don't I feel stupid. That just shows how long I've been away. Of course, we didn't see them at all for a good part of the time I was there; they appeared to have been scared up into the hills by the huge storm we had.
Prahlad Das - June 30, 2009 2:08 am
Can anyone give directions to Madhuvan. My cousin-in-law, Pushpa, is in Costa Rica on a student exchange program. She wants to visit the ashram while she is there. Is this a possibility for her? My email is nitaistein@hotmail.com.
Thank you
Swami - June 30, 2009 3:49 am
Can anyone give directions to Madhuvan. My cousin-in-law, Pushpa, is in Costa Rica on a student exchange program. She wants to visit the ashram while she is there. Is this a possibility for her? My email is nitaistein@hotmail.com.Thank you
She can call the ashram at 506. 8. 373.1830 and get directions, etc.
Gaurasundara Das - June 30, 2009 11:58 am
She can also email me at gaurasundara.dasa@gmail.com
Prahlad Das - June 30, 2009 2:17 pm
Wonderful! Thank you so much.
I'll let her know
Syamasundara - July 13, 2009 2:42 am
Yes, we are still alive, and happy.
I remember dreading the arrival of the rains, but this is the best period ever! Flowers and fruit coming from everywhere. This is a magical place that inspires you, forces you, and even helps you to serve Krsna and Balarama.
At present we have two fields planted with rice and beans, we have to figure out what to plant for second crop, as the harvest time is approaching. We have a whole side of the greenhouse bursting with tomatoes and eggplants; the rest is peppers, jalopeño, lettuce, radish, carrots, lettuce, mustard greens, cabbages, and basil.
We moved all the cucurbit outside as they prefer loose, slopy soil and they were taking lots of room. Thanks to the merciful and copious rain, we are now growing zucchini, ayote (local squash), water melon, cucumbers, yucca, hybiscus, and something else all around the greenhouse.
Ayote and yucca are our latest discovery; unlike the experience with ñame, a pleasant one this time. Ayote is like a spheric zucchini when greem, and a pumpkin when ripe. Yucca has immediately entered our Ekadasi menus.
We are trying to figure out if Mangala is pregnant or fat, but we'll keep you posted. By the way, we planted a lot of sugar cane for the cows (and for us) as well as other yummy grasses, and we now have three pastures: one for fodder and two for grazing. Kishori is by now totally white, and following the escapist hoof prints of her mother.
With the rains, our plantain and banana plants have also come back to life.
Paul came again in June, and now we have tons of power between the solar panels and the turbine.
On Saturday I started to teach English to the local youth of Las Juntas. I had never taught to a class before, but true to my Brhaspati in the 9th house, it came out pretty good, and they all had a lot of fun. That's also good for the PR, because it turns out that most of the locals thought we were affiliated with the Pachamama resort, a sort of hippy, yoga commune, or, in the locals' own words, a place where they are all Westerners, sometimes they only eat fruit for a week, they all bathe naked in the river together...
The only bad thing about this period is that we were awaiting the arrival of GM that was being delayed more and more, until he said he wouldn't be able to come.
To my pleasure and surprise, instead of getting bummed out, we all spontaneously tried to keep our minds busy with more service.
We took to compulsive gardening and altar remodeling. GS widened our outdoor garden, with the idea of having tons of flowers. I made all kinds of research and got into the production of active aerated compost tea.
Oh, we also bought a Neem tree!
As a matter of fact today we planted it, as it was an auspicious Vaishnava day, and a good planting day. We also planted tons of ginger and many cuttings of Juan's wife's flowers and tropical plants.
The deities also got the throne they deserved and boy do they look happy. They also got a flower outfit with the fruit of our work. Next will be a bed and an asana for their meals.
See all the pictures at the usual FlickR page
Jaya Rama Govinda!
Syamasundara - July 13, 2009 2:49 pm
By the way, I think I mentioned something about the planting video. It's still in the make, but between the works of Paul at the power shed and the planting season, we've been a little preoccupied.
Now things are a little quieter, but yesterday Patryk left for Finland to meet GM (this time for sure), so we are back to 3. He was of great help weeding the fields with us, and cleaning the kitchen after every meal. You'll see him in the video, too.
Babhru Das - July 13, 2009 4:30 pm
These look great, Syamu! Thanks so much. Seeing the bananas and plantains makes me really happy. The other plants, too. Is there some way to get water to the bananas the rest of the year--maybe a drip system? They're heavy feeders (so lots of compost, too!), and if they could be watered year 'round, they'd probably provide plenty of food.
Prema-bhakti - July 13, 2009 8:44 pm
Great photos Syam!! I am so happy you all are so happy there. I can't wait to visit some day.
Ratna Cintamani Dasi - July 20, 2009 4:19 pm
On Saturday I started to teach English to the local youth of Las Juntas. I had never taught to a class before, but true to my Brhaspati in the 9th house, it came out pretty good, and they all had a lot of fun. That's also good for the PR, because it turns out that most of the locals thought we were affiliated with the Pachamama resort, a sort of hippy, yoga commune, or, in the locals' own words, a place where they are all Westerners, sometimes they only eat fruit for a week, they all bathe naked in the river together...
Your service attitude is to be admired and it is very inspiring. This is really nice that you are reaching out to the local youths and is such a nice organic way to associate with them.
Gaurasundara Das - July 31, 2009 9:30 pm
Guru Maharaj gave us this song to sing as part of our daily program here at Madhuvan.
atma-samarpane gela abhiman
nahi korobun nija rakha-vidhan
Surrendering my soul unto You has lifted from me the burden of false pride. No longer will I try to provide for my own safety.
tuwa dhana jani' tuhun rakhobi, nath!
palya godhana jnana kori' tuwa sath
I know that You will give protection to Your treasured possessions, O Lord. I now understand the mentality of Your treasured cows safely maintained by Your side.
caraobi madhava! jamuna-tire
bamsi bajaoto dakobi dhire
When You lead Your herds to pasture, O Madhava, on the banks of the Yamuna river, You will call to them by softly playing on Your flute.
agha-baka marato rakha-vidhan
korobi sada tuhun gokula-kan!
By slaying great demons such as Aghasura and Bakasura You will always provide full protection, O Kan of the cowherd settlement!
rakha korobi tuhun niscoy jani
pana korobun hama jamuna-pani
Fearless and confident of Your protection, I will drink the water of the Yamuna.
kaliya-dokha korobi vinasa
sodhobi nadi-jala, badaobi asa
The Kaliya serpent's venom poisoned the Yamuna's waters, yet that poison will be vanquished. You will purify the Yamuna, and by such heroic deeds enhance our faith.
piyato davanala rakhobi mo'y
'gopala', 'govinda' nama tava hoy
You will surely protect me by swallowing the forest fire. Thus You are called Gopala (protector of the cows) and Govinda (pleaser of the cows).
sura-pati-durmati-nasa vicari'
rakhobi varsane, giri-vara-dhari!
In order to curb the malice of Indra, king of the demigods, You will protect me from his torrents of rain, O lifter of the mighty Govardhana Hill!
catur-anana korabo jab cori
rakha korobi mujhe, gokula-hari!
When the four-headed Brahma abducts me along with Your cowherd boyfriends and calves, then also You will surely protect me, O Gokula Hari!
bhakativinoda-tuwa gokula-dhan
rakhobi kesava! korato jatan
Bhaktivinoda is now the property of Gokula, Your holy abode. O Kesava! Kindly protect him with gentle loving care.
Tadiya Dasi - August 1, 2009 5:20 pm
Thank you for sharing that song with us, Gaurasundara!
Babhru Das - August 1, 2009 10:35 pm
Oh, my goodness! That song never registered with me before, at least as it does now. It's very interesting, I think, whose sentiments the Thakura uses to illustrate complete confidence in Krishna's protection. Thanks, Gaura. Is this to be part of the morning?
Bijaya Kumara Das - August 2, 2009 8:24 am
Guru Maharaj gave us this song to sing as part of our daily program here at Madhuvan.atma-samarpane gela abhiman
nahi korobun nija rakha-vidhan
Surrendering my soul unto You has lifted from me the burden of false pride. No longer will I try to provide for my own safety.
tuwa dhana jani' tuhun rakhobi, nath!
palya godhana jnana kori' tuwa sath
I know that You will give protection to Your treasured possessions, O Lord. I now understand the mentality of Your treasured cows safely maintained by Your side.
caraobi madhava! jamuna-tire
bamsi bajaoto dakobi dhire
When You lead Your herds to pasture, O Madhava, on the banks of the Yamuna river, You will call to them by softly playing on Your flute.
agha-baka marato rakha-vidhan
korobi sada tuhun gokula-kan!
By slaying great demons such as Aghasura and Bakasura You will always provide full protection, O Kan of the cowherd settlement!
rakha korobi tuhun niscoy jani
pana korobun hama jamuna-pani
Fearless and confident of Your protection, I will drink the water of the Yamuna.
kaliya-dokha korobi vinasa
sodhobi nadi-jala, badaobi asa
The Kaliya serpent's venom poisoned the Yamuna's waters, yet that poison will be vanquished. You will purify the Yamuna, and by such heroic deeds enhance our faith.
piyato davanala rakhobi mo'y
'gopala', 'govinda' nama tava hoy
You will surely protect me by swallowing the forest fire. Thus You are called Gopala (protector of the cows) and Govinda (pleaser of the cows).
sura-pati-durmati-nasa vicari'
rakhobi varsane, giri-vara-dhari!
In order to curb the malice of Indra, king of the demigods, You will protect me from his torrents of rain, O lifter of the mighty Govardhana Hill!
catur-anana korabo jab cori
rakha korobi mujhe, gokula-hari!
When the four-headed Brahma abducts me along with Your cowherd boyfriends and calves, then also You will surely protect me, O Gokula Hari!
bhakativinoda-tuwa gokula-dhan
rakhobi kesava! korato jatan
Bhaktivinoda is now the property of Gokula, Your holy abode. O Kesava! Kindly protect him with gentle loving care.
sweet, what rythmn 22 or 34 are we suppose to sing it in ?
Syamasundara - August 2, 2009 12:21 pm
Like many of our songs, the rhythm and melody you like, then of course, some lend themselves to a certain raga rather than another.
What you call 2/2 is actually a 3/4, and the 3/4 is a 4/4.
In other words, you could sing it like Agni sings Sri Sacitanayastaka (two beats with the karatalas and a pause), or with a melody I am using (that I guess people will hear at the festival) in 4/4 (the most common chin chin chiiiin with the karatalas).
Syamasundara - August 2, 2009 12:28 pm
Oh, my goodness! That song never registered with me before, at least as it does now. It's very interesting, I think, whose sentiments the Thakura uses to illustrate complete confidence in Krishna's protection. Thanks, Gaura. Is this to be part of the morning?
I know! It's right there in Saranagati, but when I browsed the whole collection years ago it just struck me as another song about avasya raksibe krsna - visvasa palana. Also, my feelings had no particular shape then. That songs mentions all the cowherd lilas.
Gaurasundara Das - October 25, 2009 11:44 am
Some of our recent agricultural projects. Some veggies, less than half our rice out drying in the sun and also our moong bean crop. We will be growing our own dahl now.
Madan Gopal Das - October 25, 2009 2:50 pm
Wow, you guys and gals and that land is SWEET!
Babhru Das - October 25, 2009 4:49 pm
Man, I'm impressed! Thanks for sharing this with us. You-all rock!
Citta Hari Dasa - November 1, 2009 12:48 am
Very impressive indeed! It's great to see the fruits of the land and of your devotion. Jaya Madhuvana! Madhuvana-jana ki jaya!
BTW, how much rice is that? Is a crop enough to last until the next harvest?
Guru-nistha Das - November 1, 2009 4:32 am
Wonderful!! Keep it up.
Kamalaksa Das - November 15, 2009 9:11 am
In Finland we are faced the darkest time of the year with little or no sunlight visible. And so it will continue for the upcoming months. Dark, damp and depressing. Really no way around it, unfortunately. But it is not all bad. This is a time, when we can calm down a bit, take time for ourselves, to sort out both thoughts and papers that have been seeking order for ages.
It is likewise at a time like this we often look for solace in experiences of warmth and light of days already past. Giving us hope that those days might once again appear.
So I took the time to go through my pictures from Costa Rica in the winter of 2008-2009. For many of you these are new pictures, for me they are pictures filled with memories. Running through them, I felt that now was the time to share them with those of you on Tattvaviveka who too might find yourself deprived of light in life.
I hope you like them. And take the time to go to Madhuvan yourself. These pictures are no substitute for the experience, merely a very limited interpretation.
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Bijaya Kumara Das - November 17, 2009 3:26 pm
Thank you so much for the updates. It looks like every one is ex static
Braja-sundari Dasi - May 1, 2010 7:59 pm
We have a festival in Madhuvan now... Nature is celebrating the beginning of rainy season. Trees, bushes and grasses wear new green outfits, valleys decorate themselves with white veils of early morning`s fog. Birds sing love songs and fireflies decorate the scene with thousands of flashing lights. It is the most beautiful time here probably and too bad it is not possible to show all these wonders in the pictures
Swami - May 1, 2010 10:28 pm
We have a festival in Madhuvan now... Nature is celebrating the beginning of rainy season. Trees, bushes and grasses wear new green outfits, valleys decorate themselves with white veils of early morning`s fog. Birds sing love songs and fireflies decorate the scene with thousands of flashing lights. It is the most beautiful time here probably and too bad it is not possible to show all these wonders in the pictures
Beautiful indeed. Just see what it is doing to you.
Braja-sundari Dasi - May 2, 2010 12:53 am
Beautiful indeed. Just see what it is doing to you.
And your upcoming arrival is the main reason for the festivities!
Syamasundara - May 3, 2010 12:42 am
Yes, it's really a shame that we can't take pictures. When we go to our cabins at night it feels like swimming in a see of firefies.