Things Were Looking Good in 1983

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  • February 9, 2008

The current RVC temple was opened in 1983 with a lavish installation ceremony that was well attended and publicized. At that point, it still seemed that New Vrindaban would become the successful place of pilgrimage in the West that Srila Prabhupada had envisioned.

radhanath-and-mollahan-medium.jpg

This is a picture from the installation festivities showing Radhanath Swami giving a tour to the then, and current, US Congressman from West Virginia representing our district, Alan Mollahan. This was like a coming out party for New Vrindaban into the national stage.

Everything seemed so hopeful and bright then. Imagine what could have been if foolish mistakes hadn’t been made. Imagine what could still be.

radhanath-and-mollahan.jpg

Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.

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February 9th, 2008
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Kailasa
Posted on:
February 11, 2008 at 12:32 pm

I never got the impression that the only foolish (to put it extremely politely) mistakes made that resulted in our obvious demise in so many ways came ONLY after 1983. They only came to light and were covered up, denied, and un self-corredted, after 1983. They began, from the begining, with basic fundamental misunderstandings of the philosophy that were acted on more and more fanatically and egotistically throughout the years; until it could ‘justify’ things like murder, child abuse, women’s abuse, fraud as a way of life, and so many other forms of villany supposedly in the name of Krishna and Guru.
And as long as those are not finished with both actively and karmically, we are only spinning our wheels and asking for more of the same crap to pollute our own and other’s spiritual lives.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
mg
Posted on:
February 13, 2008 at 1:57 pm

Yes, it is sad to say that, to a degree, what you are saying is true. While most of the devotees were sincere and much of their experience was positive, mistakes were made.

Most of the mistakes happened after Srila Prabhupada left the planet. Hopefully that is all behind us and devotees and well wishers can see beyond those past mistakes and once again began the process of building a place of pilgrimage in the West for Srila Prabhupada.

Maya doesn’t want this project to succeed so it will take the positive energies and prayers of everyone to help it.

I think that SP’s vision for NV was fundamentally correct:

“My idea of developing New Vrindaban is to create an atmosphere of spiritual life where people in bona fide order of social division, namely, Brahmacaris, Grhasthas, Vanaprastha, Sannyasis, or specifically Brahmacaris and Sannyasis, and Vanaprasthas, will live there independently, completely depending on agricultural produce and milk from the cows. The life should be simplified without being hampered by laboring day and night for economic development, without any spiritual understanding. The New Vrindaban idea is that persons who live there will accept the bare necessities of life to maintain the body and soul together and the major part of time should be engaged in development of Krishna Consciousness.”

Letter to: Hayagriva — Montreal 17 August, 1968

The farther we got from that, the more Maya was able to enter and create difficulties.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Brijabasi Spirit -
Posted on:
February 17, 2008 at 9:14 pm

[…] thanks to MG for posting the photograph of Radhanath Swami with United States Congressman from West Virginia Alan Mollohan and other guests and dignitaries. If I am not mistaken, that is West Virginia House of Delegates […]