A Typical Day

Specifically, how are the residents of New Vrndavana engaged? The day begins at 5 a.m. as a gong announces a lively aratrika, which involves dancing and the singing of Sanskrit songs and hymns. Then there is a group chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra and a reading and discussion of Bhagavad-gita. This lasts until 7 a.m. Breakfast prasadam is served after the chanting, and by 8 a.m. the men are out in the fields working on the pasture or in the gardens-cultivating flowers, grains, fruits and vegetables-or building roads, clearing land, building walkways and buildings, milking cows, tending the animals, or any one of the many farm chores; and the women are engaged in preparing the main noon meal, tending children, churning butter, and cleaning. Most of the daily chores are carried on between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., at which time the main meal of the day is served. The remainder of the afternoon is devoted to personal activities-which may include chanting, reading or bathing at the waterfall and stream that run through the property. Then at 7 p.m. another aratrika and chanting is begun. There is usually a lecture on Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam following the chanting. These activities usually last until 9 p.m., when more food is taken. Everyone is usually in bed around 10 or 10:30.

The children are on a slightly different schedule. They attend school from 10 to 12 a.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. During the other hours, their training is of a practical sort, and they are under the guidance of one of the older members in the various departments of activity.