Dearest Maharaja,
Please accept my respectful obeisances unto the dust of Your lotus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
HpS - AgtSP! I think we are hoping to have lettuce feet. Maybe after that rose, then lotus.
Ooof!
It is great honor to hear from you.
Our visit to Murari was wonderful
I have a vision of ISKCON Murari Sevaka Farm Temple being a part of Your vision. We are here, with land and cows (as well as other wonderful animals),
HpS - What is name of big, slobbering, friendly dog? Bhima, Parasurama??? He was wonderful.
...a few insignificant human servants; Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Nitai Gaurachandra are residing here, personally, physically.; by the mercy as well as sanction of our most merciful as well as far-seeing, most well-wishing Srila Prabhupada, Jagat guru.
I see super charged cow protection, with cow corridors throughout the land, first class fencing, old barns reinstated to their former beauty and use, new animal shelters strategically placed throughout the Property, 5-10 devotee families purchasing 99 year leases on 5 acre plots, more devotees purchasing home sights within 10-30 miles of Murari Sevaka, Nitai-Gaurachandra’s Home renovated to the grandeur befitting the actual Controllers of Tennessee - chateau style windows dotting the Temple building and elegant french doors coming off Temple room opening onto individual iron balconies facing the courtyard, these balconies will be blessed to hold many Tulasi plants and offer fresh air to the hopeful devotees as they chant their rounds.
HpS - Jananivasa das met Srila Prabhupada in England and then recommended his brother Panchanghri to go see him. He was really impressed.
P'ghri went and Srila Prabhupada was talking like you about the future of KC world movement, and P'anghri thought he was joking and was waiting for the punch line.
Then he realized that Srila Prabhupada was serios, and he thought to himself, "This man is mand!".
Then he examined his heart and said in equal surprise, "...and I am going to help him!!!".
I see Murari having a simple, beautiful cottage where You can spend several days a week, and that will welcome other Maharajas who are willing to bless the rugged land of Murari Sevaka with Their visits.
I see young men becoming enthusiastic to work hard to care for Krishna’s land and cows and devotees.
I see impressive plots of Marigolds growing, roses climbing up trellises on southernmost wall of Temple building, vegetable amd herb gardens placed here and there, wheatgrass swaying in the breeze, wild bunnies, wild turkeys visiting our peacocks, children laughing as they run through the fields to care for the baby cows, goats, horses, sheep, etc. Many of the children will be locals as their parents grow attached to spending time and offering service to Sri Sri Nitai Gaurachandra’s holy dhama. More and more locals-already so many neighbors give service to help us keep Murari’s doors open. We love our locals, we could not have come this far in 3 years without their kind help.
I see pujari training, bhakta training, retreats for Bhakti Shastri…, dancing workshops, sewing workshops, cooking workshops, Kirtan workshops, fresh cow’s milk, fresh goat cheese and milk, carpentry workshops; martial arts workshops, dramas being rehearsed, 8+ fulltime Temple devotees, school field trips…
I see everyone within 150 miles becoming eternally blissful as they engage in preserving and developing what Srila Prabhupada so kindly gifted to all of us in 1975-ISKCON Murari Sevaka. Srila Prabhupada noted to the devotees, after studying the map of this part of Middle Tennessee, that Moore County is shaped like India! Srila Prabhupada gave the name Murari (Moore-rari) Sevaka, “Regarding the name of your farm, Murari is a name of Krishna, so Murari Sevaka means a servant of Krishna…”. Letter to Balavanta das.
Please forgive me for taking up too much space on Your divinely inspiring page. Thank You for taking time out of Your ‘bursting at the seams’ transcendental schedule to hear my ideas and dreams on Murari Sevaka.
Your eternal servant,
Mitravinda gopi devi dasi
HpS - It is wonderful. We had to skim a little, but this is super essential letter.
I have been talking with Abhiesaka Das, NgDas, son, president of our NIOS et al about, getting land, within 30-minutes of the Nashville airport.
Build a college.
30 residential students.
accomodations for 30-students for weekend semimars (part of online courses).
12-faculty.
six vanaprastha families around the core campus...
Just an idea.
I think from Balarama we got the idea that management means answering four questions:
- Who am I?
- Who are we?
- What's the Plan?
- What things do we need?
Your letter describes number four in some detail, no???
What about number one?
How do you see your character, spiritual commitment developing things?
Number one for us predicts leaving this body in about a year. So, we are not making work plans. Just seeing how we can communicate a vision to others.
A teacher training college for ISKCON in Nashville seems pretty good.
Murari seems too far for these week end retreats but O.K. for one week retreat.
See you day after tomorrow!