temples / deities

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srinivasa Acarya, Sri Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, Sri Bhagavan dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja and later Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura of Calcutta always engaged in nama-bhajana and certainly did not live anywhere but Vrndavana. Presently, the members of the Hare Krsna movement throughout the world live in materially opulent cities, such as London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Moscow, Zurich and Stockholm. However, we are satisfied with following in the footsteps of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and other acaryas. Because we live in the temples of Radha-Krsna and continuously hold hari-nama-sahkirtana-the chanting of Hare Krsna-we consequently live in Vrndavana and nowhere else. We are also following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by attempting to construct a temple in Vrndavana for our disciples throughout the world to visit.    (More...)

Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami maintains that the Radha and Krsna Deities show us how to serve Radha and Krsna. The Madana-mohana Deities simply establish that "I am Your eternal servant." With Govinda, however, there is actual acceptance of service, and therefore He is called the functional Deity. The Gopinatha Deity is Krsna as master and proprietor of the gopis. He attracted all the gopis, or cowherd girls, by the sound of His flute, and when they came, He danced with them. These activities are all described in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. These gopis were childhood friends of Krsna, and they were all married, for in India the girls are married by the age of twelve. The boys, however, are not married before eighteen, so Krsna, who was fifteen or sixteen at the time, was not married. Nonetheless He called these girls from their homes and invited them to dance with Him. That dance is called the rasa-lila dance, and it is the most elevated of all the Vrndavana pastimes. Krsna is therefore called Gopinatha because He is the beloved master of the gopis.    (More...)

By the grace of Krsna, I am able to serve you with my life's energy. I left the United States in 1967 in poor health; but life and death-everything-depends on Krsna. I thought, "Let me go back to Vrndavana, because Vrndavana is a sanctified place where Krsna consciousness is very strong." I thought that I might go there and die in Krsna consciousness. Of course, if you are always in the atmosphere of Krsna consciousness, then here also you can have Vrndavana. Vrndavana is not a particular place that is called Vrndavana. Krsna says, "It is not that I live in the Kingdom of God, Vaikuntha; nor is it that I live in the heart of the yogin." The yogin wants to find out where Krsna is within the heart. But Krsna says, "I am not in the abode in the spiritual sky, nor am I in the heart of the yogin." Then where are You? Krsna says, "I stay where My pure devotees are chanting My glories." That is Vrndavana.    (More...)

So, if that is Vrndavana, then I am there. There is no difference. Wherever there is electric light, there is electricity. It is naturally understood. Similarly, wherever there is Krsna consciousness, it is Vrndavana. We can create Vrndavana by the mercy of Krsna, if we chant Hare Krsna. Perfect this Krsna consciousness; try to understand the philosophy behind it. It is a science, not a bluff. We can speak from any angle of vision.    (More...)