by Jayasri dasi

We would like to invite everyone to join us in partaking of the fresh and tasteful prasadam cuisine being served at our newly renovated Govinda’s Restaurant situated under the Lodge across from the Radha Vrindaban Candra Temple.  The restaurant is undergoing many improvements which we hope will make our restaurant more efficient and comfortable for our guests and our staff.  We are adding another room of seating onto the existing area and have redesigned the kitchen to include a spacious walk-in cooler, self standing grill, 15 quart mixer and another candy stove.  We will also be acquiring a larger buffet table that will be located in a more convenient space.  Although the work is not completed as of yet we hope to have it finished in the beginning of May.

We are happy to retain our most qualified Brahmin cook Madhan Mohan das who has been our main chef for the last seven years.  He is well known for the first class quality preparations that he cooks in our restaurant to please Krishna and His devotees.

Our menu is on the next page for your inspection and we have added several new western preparations including vegetarian cupcakes and cheesecakes, veggie lasagna, veggie burgers and veggie dogs, all of which have been well received by our guests

The restaurant hours and contact information are as follows:

Monday to Friday: 4.00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday: 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Sunday: 7:00 am to 7:30 pm except long weekends

Govinda’s Restaurant, New Vrindaban

Box 319, Rd 1, Moundsville – WV-26041 – 304-843-1600 Ex 107

Govinda’s menu

I invite you to visit my ATELIER website www.mendrilla.com and view a collection of dresses entitled:

SLAVE2LOVE

IN MEMORIAM

ELI-NITAI-BUTTERFLY

(1980-2012-FOREVER AND EVER)

Recently, in January 2012, as many of you know, I suffered the loss of my husband Nitai Das. I have therefore chosen to dedicate the most recent collection of haute couture dresses I was working on at that time to him, and to the selfless love that he embodied for me.

The collection is entitled Slave2Love (S2L) and is an expression of the fragile nature of the human form, versus the eternality of indwelling spirit. Inspired by Chuang Tzi’s butterfly metempsychosis, and the eternal wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, the fluttering organic hand painted silk cloth expresses a longing for attainment of undying worlds within.

The subtle appeal of the stretch cotton jersey base combined with the flow of silken embellishments provide an unusual simultaneous feel of attraction and nurturing as well as a sense of existence in parallel dimensions. Designed and hand crafted for celebrations of the resort and fall seasons, S2L is a tribute to the everlasting flame of love and lifetime dedication of true friends. The basic colors of black and white accentuated with red, yellow, green, violet and blue evoke primeval emotions of affection, awe, hope and excitement providing a playground for a myriad of combinations of the latter thus leaving the lady in the dress enamored with the world in the completeness of its display.

The collection was made in New Vrindavan.
I would like to thank Harinam Dasi for sewing and construction as well as design suggestions, Radhika Patel and Rasikananda Das for photographing and editing the photos, Vishaka Turner and Usa Ramkaree for modeling, Rupanuga das and Vani Dasi for photoshoot accomodation and equipment and Radha Dasi and Vidya Dasi for makeup and hair. I would also like to thank my Nitai for everything and more.

S2L was originally scheduled to be premiered at the Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Week. However I have decided not to display this collection on a catwalk, but instead to simply make it available for viewing as art, on my ATELIER website www.mendrilla.com, The release date, April 29th 2012, corresponds with Nitai’s birthday. After this presentation, I will not be exhibiting for the remainder of 2012, instead I will be dedicating this year to preserving and promoting my husband’s legacy project “Krishna Kitchen.”

Keeping with the spirit of my dedication, I have included a brief biography of Nitai’s for those of you who did not know him:

Elisha Drury/Nitai Das, born in Saranac Lake, New York, was an artist, visionary, director of the Krishna Kitchen and founder of the Food for Life Experience non-profit organization.
Elisha spent his life exploring modern art, traveling worldwide, studying the Vedas in India, as well as practicing bhakti yoga under the guidance of his guru Srila Radhanath Swami. Nitai took a vital part in organizing the Krishna Camp at several Rainbow Gatherings as well as Burning Man Festivals together with his friends. In 2007. they organized the first traditional Jagannatha Ratha Yatra at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada which made international news. In 2010 the Krishna camp at Burning Man catered a 12 course Krishna Janmastami feast to 2000 festival goers in the midst of desert survival conditions.
Intrigued by the concept of nurturing the planet with devotional cooking, and inspired by his mentor and guide Yamuna Devi, the author of the award winning cookbook Lord Krishna’s Cuisine, Nitai had dedicated the last few years of his life to sharing the culture of gourmet sacred vegan food called ‘prasadam’ (sanskrit for blessed food). He also founded the Krishna Kitchen, which has become one of the most beloved vegan food vendors, for festival goers throughout the United States.

Tragically, Nitai was in a car accident and passed away this year at the age of thirty one, leaving many stunned by the sudden loss. In his short life he’s touched the lives of many who are now dedicated to continuing the legacy of service that he started.

SLAVE2LOVE premieres April 29th 2012 at www.mendrilla.com

With love,
your humble servant,
Mandali Dasi

May 2, 2012

by Lilasuka dasi

We have recently completed 99% of the renovations in the Radha Vrindabanchandra temple ashramas.  We are now ready to move the residents back in.  Renovations began at the beginning of this last winter, and now the hallways are freshly painted, with new floors and lights.  Each room has two new  computer desks and two big sets of shelves, with clothes hanging rods for two residents per room.    The bathrooms have also been totally re-done and are ready to go.

Yesterday, Srila Prabhupada took a tour of each room in the asramas, and He was followed by an excited kirtan party, for an auspicious new start for the RVC residents.  Hare Krishna!

Srila Prabhupada goes back on the altar after ashrama tour

by Lilasuka dasi

Recently Lord Krishna tooketh away something very precious to us all.  The big 90,000 gallon water tank that has been serving the Palace and surrounding grounds and gardens somehow sprung a very big hole and began losing water rapidly.  They had to temporarily discontinue the use of that tank until it can be repaired.

In the meantime, we’ve had to rent 10 smaller 5,000 gallon plastic water tanks and pump in water to those.  So, besides our seasonal water shortage (we’re in the season right now), many of the devotees, especially the ones at the Palace, felt the pinch of this more severe water crisis.

The Palace was only without water for a couple of days.  But this situation has helped us to realize how precious a commodity water is.  Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: “Raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya.” “O son of Kunti, I am the taste of water. ”  We can’t live without water and we thank Krishna for giving us this token reminder about not wasting a drop of water.  We are also reminded that we are definitely not the controllers in our lives, but that Lord Krishna is the only true controller.

The original Sita appeared many many years ago, but a new Brijbasi has taken her name.  Malati gomata gave an easy birth to her first calf on April 30^th around 1:30pm.  Jaya Prabhupada found them both in the barn and moved them to make them more comfortable. Malati is a very good mother and the calf is strong and healthy.  The calf was named Sita because she was born on Sita Devi’s Appearance Day.  Jai Sri Sita Devi!

You are all invited.  Here is the schedule:

JAYANANDA DISAPPEARANCE DAY CELEBRATION
FRIDAY MAY 4, 2012
8:00 AM SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM CLASS WILL CONSIST OF STORIES FROM SEVERAL DEVOTEES WHO HAVE HAD CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH JAYANANDA PRABHU.
PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY IF YOU HAVE ONE.
FOLLOWED BY A SPECIAL BREAKFAST!!

NRSIMHA CATURDASI Schedule 

Weekend of May 4 – 6, 2012

Friday May 4^th

7:00pm            Gaura Arati by HG Gauranga

7:30pm            Narasimha Caturdashi Class by HG Gauranga

8:30pm            Shayan Arati

Saturday May 5^th                   

5.00am            Mangala Artika

5:45am            Japa session

6:00 am            Srimad-Bhagavatam Class by HG Gauranga

(he has to leave early, thus the early class)

7:30am            Sringar Darshan

7:40am            Guru Puja

9:00am            Breakfast

12:30pm          Arati HG Yugal Kishore  / GaurNatraj

1:00pm            Bhagavad-Gita  by Rasa Chaitanya

1:30pm            Lunch Prasadam

4:00 pm          Fire Yajna

5:00pm            Abhishek of Lord Narasimhadeva.

6:00pm            Lecture by HH Varsana Swami Maharaja.

7:00pm            Gaura Arati Shankaranand Das.

7:30pm            Feast

8:30pm            Shayan Arati

Sunday May 6^th

5.00am            Mangala Artika

5:45am            Japa session

7:30am            Sringar Darshan

7:40am            Guru Puja

8:00am            Srimad-Bhagavatam Prembhakti Das.

9:00am            Breakfast

1:00pm            Arati GaurNatraj Das.

1:30pm            Sunday Feast Lecture – Yugal Kishore Das.

2:15pm            Sunday feast prasadam served.

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Jaya Gaura Nitai!

Today marks two weeks from when I arrived at the holy dhama, New Vrindavan. Our Merciful Lord has been showering me with the blessings of a new beautiful family and life of service. I am very excited to be here and more than happy to dig up some dirt and allow for the growth of new life. I am your aspiring servant, Bhakta Rafael. You may call me Bhakta Rafa for short (pronounced Ha-fa).

ECOV has taken me under its wings and is showing me how to grow. and plant life.

All I knew about plants before is that they are conscious beings that need tender loving care in order for them to thrive, kinda like us. And like humans, they suffer from the material world. Uncomfortable weather, mistreated soils, overgrown weeds, animals bothering, people stepping on them, etc…

Still, we are making and effort to allow life to grow and flourish. The goal is to grow foods and flowers from our own (organic) garden, offer it to Godhead, and then nourish our family and community.

The work has been ongoing, lead by seriously devoted and experienced souls; as the saying goes “This generation plants a tree, the next gets the shade”. And that’s the basic principle. Except, we wish to give our children much more than just shade.

So far, at  Madhuban, we’ve planted 10 Chinese chestnut trees, with 20 more to go. Chestnuts were native to this area, and the natives used to live off of Chestnut flour. In a few years, Krishna willing, they will produce fruits and grow to be huge trees! 20 more trees were distributed to the residents to plant on their own land. Jaya!

At the Garden of 7 Gates, with the help of hardworking devotees, Charles and Navadwipa, we dug a 125-foot long bed for asparagus.  These veggies are great, because they are perennials, meaning they will grow back year after year, Krishna willing.

Other perennials are the many varieties of blackberries, blueberries, currants, bush cherries  and raspberries being cultivated in 3 separate beds, also within the 7 gates. After we transplanted them, we are laying down newspaper with hay on top, as mulch. It’s a big job, but it’s better to try to prevent the weeds from growing, than to battle them in the summer, when they grow out of control. Weeding is always necessary!