Ramnaumi Darshan

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees

 

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai,

Krsna Balarama, Radha Shyamsunder, Lalita and Vishaka!!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

 

This year we celebrated the 31st anniversary of Sri Sri Krsna Balarama

Mandir.

Here is an excerpt from Srila Prabhupadas Lilamrta giving us some insight

into Srila Prabhupadas desire to have a temple in Vrindavan Dham.

 

 

Sr…la Prabhup€da was meditating on constructing his Krishna-Balaram Mandir.

In April of 1972 he asked his disciple Surabhi, who had drawn the plans for

the Bombay center, to execute drawings, basing the design on Indian

renaissance architecture. Prabhup€da liked the Govindaj… temple, located

near the original Govindaj… temple constructed by R™pa Gosv€m…. He liked its

open courtyard surrounded by many arches and its front steps leading up to

the Deity darana area. He suggested that some features of the temple be

incorporated into his temple. Surabhi, with the assistance of a Vnd€vana

architect, executed the plans, and Prabhup€da approved.

This will be the grandest temple in Vrndavana. Many high-class gentlemen in

Delhi who are also devotees will relish the chance to live with us on

weekends and it will be for them just like Vaikuntha. You must construct

something wonderful. Otherwise it will be a discredit to you American boys.

That will absolve the position of America and India. And this Vnd€vana

project is one of the most important of ours in ISKCON.

As early as April of 1972, Prabhup€da had asked that the Deities in

Vnd€vana be KŠa and Balar€ma. "KŠa may be black, Balar€ma of white, and

the pose in the back of the Back to Godhead magazine is very nice." He asked

that a sign be put out front announcing, "Shri Krishna Balaram Mandir."

One reason Prabhup€da chose KŠa and Balar€ma as the presiding Deities was

that most of the Vnd€vana temples were of R€dh€ and KŠa; ISKCON's temple

would be unique in Vnd€vana. Another reason was that the ISKCON land was

located in RamaŠa-reti, an area of forest and soft sands where KŠa and

Balar€ma had enjoyed Their childhood pastimes five thousand years ago. To

celebrate and worship the youthful sports of KŠa and Balar€ma in

RamaŠa-reti was fitting.

There was another particular significance in Prabhup€da's choosing KŠa and

Balar€ma as the central object of worship in his Vnd€vana temple. Lord

Balar€ma is the first expansion from Lord KŠa, and in His incarnation of

Sa‰karaŠa, He upholds all the universes. The VaiŠavas, therefore, worship

Balar€ma for spiritual strength. "You can pray to Lord Balar€ma," Prabhup€da

said, "to help you in your deficiency." As the source of spiritual strength,

Lord Balar€ma is also known as the original spiritual master.

As in Prabhup€da's other large ISKCON temples, there would be three altars,

and beside KŠa and Balar€ma would stand the Deities of Lord Caitanya and

Lord Nity€nanda. Lord Caitanya is KŠa Himself, and Lord Nity€nanda is Lord

Balar€ma, a fact the Krishna-Balaram Mandir would proclaim to the world.

Lord Nity€nanda is especially referred to as the kp€-avat€ra, the form of

God most merciful to the fallen conditioned souls. Thus the worship of KŠa

and Balar€ma as Lord Caitanya and Lord Nity€nanda would emphasize

distributing KŠa consciousness to others. Prabhup€da also wanted to

install Deities of R€dh€-®y€masundara along with Their two attendant gop…s,

Lalit€ and Vi€kh€.

 

Darshan attached...

 

Your servant

Adi Kesava Das