Finding Answers: got to ww.mayapur.info to see pics of HH Tam

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Text PAMHO:5370594 (106 lines)

Vrndavana dasa Thakura (das) (Northampton, MA - USA)

27-Mar-02 16:24 (11:24 -0500)

Virabahu (das) ACBSP (GBC)

Ganga (dd) IDS (CIS SysOp)

stevem (AT) gator (DOT) net

Cc: Jayapataka Swami (GBC)

For: Free Forum (Announcements)

Reference: Text PAMHO:5338166 by <stevem (AT) gator (DOT) net>

Re: Finding Answers: Re: got to ww.mayapur.info to see pics of HH

Tamal

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Dear Prabhu,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

I appreciated your comments on this and thought I would address you directly

as a concerned party willing to explore ideas and speak up. If you find what

I say of any value, feel free to send it to whomever you see fit. I did send

it to all the original recipients and I'd appreciate your thoughts.

 

>On a related point, at the risk of speaking too soon on more routine

>topics, I hope more emphasis will be placed on protecting the devotees who

>are traveling to and from the Dhama.

 

When people hear that anyone died on that road, no one is totally surprised.

There is shock and mourning when it is someone we know; in this case, much,

much more. But the fact is that the conditions are nothing short of

ridiculous to anyone accustomed to driving in the west. We might imagine a

western materialist who had somehow traveled that road. Having heard that

someone "important" died, we hear their knee-jerk crass and cynical response

of "maybe now they'll do something about it."

 

A day after the tragedy I had a brainstorm of a way to address the obviously

treacherous driving situation while not undermining the glory of the

passing of an exalted soul by paying "too much heed" to material details

(routine topics, as you put it) like Indian driving - arguably not fully

material by dint of being entirely other-worldly . Here is what dawned on

me:

 

Is there any scope for building a highway from Calcutta to Mayapura, like

the one that was built from Delhi to Vraja? I understand that road was just

as bad at one time. Now when traveling to Vrndavana it at least resembles a

western freeway atmosphere: wide lanes - yes, lanes; a clear curbed divider;

even signs.

 

It seems we could glorify Maharaja were we to construct a similar road to

Mayapura, naming it after him and in his honor.

 

A highway may at first seem like a tasteless, garish thing to name after

such an exalted soul. But are we not indeed pilgrims? A road is a profound

thing, and a sannyasi is the emblem of traveling for the sake of preaching.

This is not an ordinary road either. It is a road to the Audarya Dhama. What

are we doing - in all of our preaching - besides building a 'road' to that

place? Can we claim to do much more?

 

Mayapura as the named "world headquarters" of ISKCON deserves a world-suited

travel route. And this route would incur the remembrance of a great soul - a

glorious Vaisnava who brought many to that Dhama and whose Samadhi is

located there - every time one traveled it.

 

I pray I have not repelled anyone by my daydreaming, nor incurred offenses

towards Maharaja or his friends and disciples. I tend to be ostentatious in

my vision, and this may be absurdly beyond ISKCON's capacity anyhow. I have

no idea of the logistics of such a project, especially in India. Surely this

has been thought of already by senior devotees who travel that road far more

than I, but as I heard nothing quite like it yet, I thought I'd stick it out

there for the pleasure (or ridicule) of the Vaisnavas.

 

Your servant,

Vrndavana dasa Thakura dasa

-

 

 

>Dear Virabahu prabhu,

 

>Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

>Thank you for sending this excerpt from Srimad Bhagavatam. It has helped me

>understand the passing of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami. Goswami

>Maharaja was a great inspiration and guide for us all, and we will miss him

>dearly.

 

>On a related point, at the risk of speaking too soon on more routine

>topics, I hope more emphasis will be placed on protecting the devotees who

>are travelling to and from the Dhama. I heard talk that Maharaja's driver

>had too little rest and was very tired when they started out. Maybe it's

>just an unfounded rumour, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were true.

 

>I also have first-hand experience of the horrors of Indian taxiis. A while

>back, I had arranged for a taxi through a devotee in Mayapura. On the way

>to the Dhama, our taxi driver hit a child. I will spare you the details,

>but suffice it to say that our driver was completely at fault. He could

>have easily avoided hitting the child, but in an effort to keep up his

>speed he tried to anticipate which way she was going turn while she was

>running zig-zag fashion on the road. For the whole of our trip, his driving

>was much too fast. He passed everyone and everything at high speed, was way

>too aggressive, even angry, and he caused a great tragedy.

 

>Especially if taxi services are arranged via the Mayapura management or by

>some devotees doing business at the Dhama, we should demand good drivers

>who are rested and who do not drive unnecessarily fast or aggressively.

 

>I know that India is India, and while our drivers may drive more

>cautiously, hardly anyone else on the road will slow down - but at least we

>will not be paying someone to drive in a way that is a threat to everyone.

 

>I am going to write to the authorities in Mayapura, as well as my dear

>siksha guru, His Holiness Jayapataka Swami, who is an ocean of compassion,

>with some ideas. If we can impress upon the drivers that they will not get

>our business if they drive too fast, and if the devotees doing business

>know that there is some accountability in terms of a taxi safety record,

>then maybe we can make things a little safer for the Vaishnavas - and all

>the innocent, vulnerable people on the side of the road.

 

>Your servant,

 

>Pancha Tattva Dasa

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