As last year, I once again decided to visit New Mayapur in France for the festival of Lord Balarama's appearance. In any other temple in Europe, it would be a three-hour festival, but here in New Mayapur the devotees celebrate the event over three to four days...!
New Mayapur is an historic early-20th-century castle - Srila Prabhupada installed beautiful, big marble Krishna-Balarama Deities here in 1975 - the first Krishna-Balarama Deities ever installed in the Western world. Furthermore, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-Madhava are mercifully accepting our loving service. Srila Prabhupada visited here twice, in 1975 and 1976, and his quarters are being maintained as a museum - a peaceful place to chant japa.
New Mayapur is an historic early-20th-century castle - Srila Prabhupada installed beautiful, big marble Krishna-Balarama Deities here in 1975 - the first Krishna-Balarama Deities ever installed in the Western world. Furthermore, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-Madhava are mercifully accepting our loving service. Srila Prabhupada visited here twice, in 1975 and 1976, and his quarters are being maintained as a museum - a peaceful place to chant japa.
Out of the many activities performed everyday here is farming - something that Srila Prabhupada gave special importance to. New Mayapur has a vast property of forests and farmland - more than 200 acres. Devotees grow
around half a ton to a ton of grains - spelt, wheat or barley. They are also growing a variety of vegetables, fruits and flowers, and since the milk from Jersey cows is very rich, it is being transformed into yogurt, butter and ghee.
For this year's festival, we had the great honour to welcome HH Jayananda Maharaja, HH Bhakti Sundar Maharaja, HG Adikarta Prabhu, Mondakini Mataji and some young kirtaneers. Around 350 devotees came together, some also from the UK and other neighboring countries.
I reached New Maypaur on the day before Ekadashi which marks the beginning of the festivities. Quite a few devotees were already there, so I was invited to offer 2 sessions on raising children in Krishna consciousness and a session on prajalpa. I also gave a morning class on the day after Lord Balarama's appearance, when many devotees were still there.
Every evening the devotees assembled in the garden to swing Their Lordships
Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-Madhava on a beautifully decorated swing, tuning
their hearts into the upcoming appearance of Lord Balarama. The atmosphere was festive and sweet, and the darshan of Their Lordships was a festival to our eyes and hearts - an ocean of flowers from the garden...!
During the festival days I spent all day at the book table making myself available to the devotees. I had a blissful time connecting with devotees and distributed lots of copies of the five books I published - I can't wait to present the Vanaprastha book next year...!
around half a ton to a ton of grains - spelt, wheat or barley. They are also growing a variety of vegetables, fruits and flowers, and since the milk from Jersey cows is very rich, it is being transformed into yogurt, butter and ghee.
For this year's festival, we had the great honour to welcome HH Jayananda Maharaja, HH Bhakti Sundar Maharaja, HG Adikarta Prabhu, Mondakini Mataji and some young kirtaneers. Around 350 devotees came together, some also from the UK and other neighboring countries.
I reached New Maypaur on the day before Ekadashi which marks the beginning of the festivities. Quite a few devotees were already there, so I was invited to offer 2 sessions on raising children in Krishna consciousness and a session on prajalpa. I also gave a morning class on the day after Lord Balarama's appearance, when many devotees were still there.
Every evening the devotees assembled in the garden to swing Their Lordships
Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-Madhava on a beautifully decorated swing, tuning
their hearts into the upcoming appearance of Lord Balarama. The atmosphere was festive and sweet, and the darshan of Their Lordships was a festival to our eyes and hearts - an ocean of flowers from the garden...!
During the festival days I spent all day at the book table making myself available to the devotees. I had a blissful time connecting with devotees and distributed lots of copies of the five books I published - I can't wait to present the Vanaprastha book next year...!
Throughout his books and lectures, Srila Prabhupada refers to the vanaprastha-ashrama as retirement from family life - something which is natural. In the purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.6), he states:
"In the order of gradual cultural development, one's life may be divided into four divisions: celibacy, household life, retirement, and renunciation."
After having been married long enough for the children to be grown up and settled in life, and the worldly duties undoubtedly diminish, the natural cycle of life proposes a new phase to move forward to. It is something exciting - something to joyfully embrace. Finally, we will find the time to do all those things in Krishna consciousness which we were dreaming to do and never could get around to during our busy time as a householder - when the children were small. Now, the time finally approaches when we can embark on this liberating and thrilling adventure…
Our scriptures are full of instructive examples of great personalities entering the vanaprastha-ashrama: Prithu Maharaja, Yudhisthira Maharaja, Bharata Maharaja, King Priyavrata to name a few. Often, they would be accompanied by their wives who would share the same austerities in cultivating the renounced mentality and deep absorption in remembering the Lord. Not only great kings would enter this phase on their life journey, but every civilised person. It was commonly understood to be compulsory.
Even though Srila Prabhupada emphasises again and again the importance of this ashrama, we may very well call it the forgotten ashrama. We have established the brahmachari-ashrama, the grihastha-ashrama and the order of sannyasa. Seminars and classes on these topics are widely offered, and handbooks and manuals are available. However, the vanaprastha-ashrama and its importance has not been fully recognised by the general devotees, and therefore this ashrama has not been firmly established as yet. This fact however is not surprising as our society is young. Now the time has come where devotees gradually become more mature in age and spiritual development which will awaken an increasing interest and awareness of the deep significance of this last phase in life. Srila Prabhupada stresses the timeline of fifty years of age to accept the vanaprastha-ashrama. Now, since ISKCON is just over fifty years old, it seems the perfect time to bring attention to this topic. ISKCON has arrived at the stage where it is certainly ready to accept and implement vanaprastha life…
Not many preachers address the subject of the vanaprastha stage in life - we have not offered much education and training in this connection. So far, there is not much literature published on this topic, and rarely do we see a seminar or systematic course offered on this important phase in life. As a rule, a lack of knowledge results in fear and variegated misconceptions; devotees may even feel threatened at the thought and keep themselves in the belief that this is not for them. Some years ago when I offered a presentation on the vanaprastha-ashrama at the ILS (ISKCON Leadership Sanga) in Mayapur, I was disappointed to observe how little awareness there was of this topic, even though a good portion of the leaders who participated were over fifty. Many devotees asked me about the topic of my presentation, and when I related the title, a common response was: "Oh, that's not for me. I don't want to hear about this topic." And when I further inquired about the reason, the answer was: "I don't want to become a vanaprastha. That's not me."
On another occasion I was coordinating a pandal program in Mayapur on this theme. I had arranged several senior householders and well-known sannyasis to participate and share some words of wisdom, in the hope of bringing attention to this subject. I had printed up colourful leaflets, and when I was strolling around the Mayapur campus to distribute them, I met a disciple of Srila Prabhupada well known to me, accompanied by some friends. I was happily inviting them to the upcoming event by offering them a leaflet, when one of the ladies angrily snatched the invitation from her husband's hands, exclaiming: "Don't you give him crazy ideas...!" I was perplexed - truly caught by surprise at her reaction, and the situation became embarrassing and awkward as she was not joking but rather upset and distraught. I tried my best to smooth it over by pacifying her; yet, the encounter ended on an uneasy and somewhat edgy note.
Due to the lack of training and education, devotees may have developed numerous misconceptions and speculations when it comes to the vanaprastha-ashrama which may be threatening and almost frightening to them. As a result we may develop an averse mindset and unwillingness to openly hear about this yet so important phase in life. We may find ourselves trapped in a negative way of thinking, rejecting the thought of ever embarking on this yet so joyful journey. A very common misconception and horrifying understanding for both, ladies as well as men, is that a husband puts on saffron cloth and walks out the door overnight leaving his wife - never to be seen again. We may call this irresponsibility in the name of vanaprastha. Srila Prabhupada's example of leaving his household life is exceptional and not to be cheaply imitated.
There are various aspects and principles of retired family life which we can gradually cultivate over a period of time - externally and internally. In this way, we can eventually be freed from mundane conditioning and achieve a higher taste in Krishna consciousness. By following these guiding principles of the vanaprastha-ashrama, our interest in spiritual life will once again become stronger and will continue to increase throughout the remainder of our life, offering a treasured foundation of spiritual strength to overcome the challenges which old age and approaching death will undoubtedly bring along; meeting death with joy…
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
"In the order of gradual cultural development, one's life may be divided into four divisions: celibacy, household life, retirement, and renunciation."
After having been married long enough for the children to be grown up and settled in life, and the worldly duties undoubtedly diminish, the natural cycle of life proposes a new phase to move forward to. It is something exciting - something to joyfully embrace. Finally, we will find the time to do all those things in Krishna consciousness which we were dreaming to do and never could get around to during our busy time as a householder - when the children were small. Now, the time finally approaches when we can embark on this liberating and thrilling adventure…
Our scriptures are full of instructive examples of great personalities entering the vanaprastha-ashrama: Prithu Maharaja, Yudhisthira Maharaja, Bharata Maharaja, King Priyavrata to name a few. Often, they would be accompanied by their wives who would share the same austerities in cultivating the renounced mentality and deep absorption in remembering the Lord. Not only great kings would enter this phase on their life journey, but every civilised person. It was commonly understood to be compulsory.
Even though Srila Prabhupada emphasises again and again the importance of this ashrama, we may very well call it the forgotten ashrama. We have established the brahmachari-ashrama, the grihastha-ashrama and the order of sannyasa. Seminars and classes on these topics are widely offered, and handbooks and manuals are available. However, the vanaprastha-ashrama and its importance has not been fully recognised by the general devotees, and therefore this ashrama has not been firmly established as yet. This fact however is not surprising as our society is young. Now the time has come where devotees gradually become more mature in age and spiritual development which will awaken an increasing interest and awareness of the deep significance of this last phase in life. Srila Prabhupada stresses the timeline of fifty years of age to accept the vanaprastha-ashrama. Now, since ISKCON is just over fifty years old, it seems the perfect time to bring attention to this topic. ISKCON has arrived at the stage where it is certainly ready to accept and implement vanaprastha life…
Not many preachers address the subject of the vanaprastha stage in life - we have not offered much education and training in this connection. So far, there is not much literature published on this topic, and rarely do we see a seminar or systematic course offered on this important phase in life. As a rule, a lack of knowledge results in fear and variegated misconceptions; devotees may even feel threatened at the thought and keep themselves in the belief that this is not for them. Some years ago when I offered a presentation on the vanaprastha-ashrama at the ILS (ISKCON Leadership Sanga) in Mayapur, I was disappointed to observe how little awareness there was of this topic, even though a good portion of the leaders who participated were over fifty. Many devotees asked me about the topic of my presentation, and when I related the title, a common response was: "Oh, that's not for me. I don't want to hear about this topic." And when I further inquired about the reason, the answer was: "I don't want to become a vanaprastha. That's not me."
On another occasion I was coordinating a pandal program in Mayapur on this theme. I had arranged several senior householders and well-known sannyasis to participate and share some words of wisdom, in the hope of bringing attention to this subject. I had printed up colourful leaflets, and when I was strolling around the Mayapur campus to distribute them, I met a disciple of Srila Prabhupada well known to me, accompanied by some friends. I was happily inviting them to the upcoming event by offering them a leaflet, when one of the ladies angrily snatched the invitation from her husband's hands, exclaiming: "Don't you give him crazy ideas...!" I was perplexed - truly caught by surprise at her reaction, and the situation became embarrassing and awkward as she was not joking but rather upset and distraught. I tried my best to smooth it over by pacifying her; yet, the encounter ended on an uneasy and somewhat edgy note.
Due to the lack of training and education, devotees may have developed numerous misconceptions and speculations when it comes to the vanaprastha-ashrama which may be threatening and almost frightening to them. As a result we may develop an averse mindset and unwillingness to openly hear about this yet so important phase in life. We may find ourselves trapped in a negative way of thinking, rejecting the thought of ever embarking on this yet so joyful journey. A very common misconception and horrifying understanding for both, ladies as well as men, is that a husband puts on saffron cloth and walks out the door overnight leaving his wife - never to be seen again. We may call this irresponsibility in the name of vanaprastha. Srila Prabhupada's example of leaving his household life is exceptional and not to be cheaply imitated.
There are various aspects and principles of retired family life which we can gradually cultivate over a period of time - externally and internally. In this way, we can eventually be freed from mundane conditioning and achieve a higher taste in Krishna consciousness. By following these guiding principles of the vanaprastha-ashrama, our interest in spiritual life will once again become stronger and will continue to increase throughout the remainder of our life, offering a treasured foundation of spiritual strength to overcome the challenges which old age and approaching death will undoubtedly bring along; meeting death with joy…
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
RSS Feed
