By Ananda Tirtha das PVS
More photos of the event are available at the link below, courtesy of Laksmivan Prabhu (ACBSP)
http://flickr.com/photos/12079478@N03/
Between June 22 to 24, New Vrindaban was the place to be in the ISKCON world. A privileged number of ISKCON leaders and supporters gathered from around North America for an extraordinary lineup of kirtan, association, prasadam, and festivities at the inaugural Patron-Leader Weekend of Bhakti. Thirty of ISKCON North America’s top donors, supporters, and managers found themselves hosted by luminaries such as HH BB Govinda Swami, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami, HH Lokanath Swami, HH Radhanath Swami, HH Romapada Swami, HG Anuttama Prabhu, HG Gopal Bhatta Prabhu, HG Kuladri Prabhu, HG Malati Devi, HG Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, and HG Rukmini Devi.
Most attendees arrived on Friday, and after they had settled in to their specially prepared accommodation, the festival began with an extended sit-down kirtan session led by Radhanath Swami and Lokanath Swami in the temple. Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s altar and temple was especially resplendent with elegant flower arrangements and the temple grounds had also been given a thorough cleaning. The crowd of participants was swelled by the usual large numbers of weekend guests at New Vrindaban as well as many devotees from surrounding areas who came to catch the public aspects of the festival. Also, devotee cooks, musicians, and photographers had come in from New York and Washington DC to help with all the arrangements.
On both Saturday and Sunday, the entire morning program was conducted by the senior devotees. How often does one get to attend mangala-aratis, gurupujas and Srimad-Bhagavatam classes by BB Govinda Swami, Lokanath Swami, and Radhanath Swami two days in a row? Radhanath Swami’s Saturday class was a powerful presentation on the glories and importance of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Govinda Maharaja continued on the same theme in his class the next day, as well as screening his Kazakhstan appeal video.
Saturday’s opening session on ISKCON North America’s Strategic Planning Initiative was chaired by Gopal Bhatta Prabhu and triggered lively feedback from attendees, who shared their vision of ISKCON’s future based on their experience.
The major part of the day was then spent in “Vaisnava Sanga” sessions, where the attendees broke into groups and had the opportunity to spend quality personal time with the leaders. As the Caitanya-caritamrta states, even a moment’s association with a sadhu can bring about all spiritual success, what then to speak of hours with several of the senior most Vaisnavas on the planet!
Perhaps New Vrindaban’s most stunning event is the Swan Boat festival and that night’s was one of the best ever. HH Lokanath Swami led a pulsating torch lit kirtan procession from the temple to the lake where Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra glided majestically over the lake in their gorgeous Swan Boat. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, a dazzling fireworks display exploded overheard, illuminating the starlit sky.
Sunday saw Srila Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold as the venue for a morning of special Prabhupada katha. Some of the original New Vrindaban devotees and artisans who worked on building the Palace gave a personalized Palace tour and shared intimate memories of their association with Srila Prabhupada. The weekend ended officially with all the attendees gasping in amazement as they were gifted an original, never-before-released oil portrait of Srila Prabhupada painted by Kuladri Prabhu himself.
Despite all the amazing lineup of events, the most accolades were reserved for the prasadam, expertly choreographed by Radha Sundari Devi Dasi. A pretty open air tent was erected on the grassy island next to the temple where a team of cheerful servants meticulously saw to the diners’ every need. As Anuttama Prabhu, ISKCON International Minister of Communication, said of the formal Italian dinner on Saturday, “I’ve never seen such a high class dinner in all my years in ISKCON!” How about a main course featuring soup, salad, risotto, ratatouille, lasagna, bread rolls, and individual pizzas washed down with sparkling grape juice followed by a dessert of baklava, dipped strawberries, and lemon chiffon cheesecake topped with mangos, strawberries and whipped cream? Just one reason why one prasadam aficionado stated that “Prasadam gets an excellent as there is no category above it!”
The proceeds from this year’s event are going to fund the creation of ISKCON North America’s Temple Support Office which will help all the temples in North America in legal and financial issues such as branding, grants, advertising, organizational management, fundraising, and more.
Despite the resounding success of this year’s inaugural event, the organizers promise an even better lineup for next year, starting with increased promotion so that more devotees have the opportunity to take advantage of this unique event. Look out for next year’s date and mark it in your calendars! Hare Krsna.
More photos of the event are available at the link below, courtesy of Laksmivan Prabhu (ACBSP)
http://flickr.com/photos/12079478@N03/
Perhaps, for those of us who are not in the know, you could explain what the “patron-leader” event was? I have never heard of that before. Thank you.