Guest guest Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 www.Pandharpur.org Dear Maharajas and Prabhus, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Hare Krishna. Srila Prabhupada began his journey from India across the Atlantic ocean on this historic day 41 years ago. We are reminded of that Atlantic Ocean by the now oceanic Candrabhaga River as she floods her banks. We remember Srila Prabhupada's sacrifice and struggle. We pray for the inner strength and courage to follow in his footsteps. As we gaze out the window this morning we see another ocean outside of ISKCON Pandharpur. Our land has become an ocean -- a wet, wild, swirling, breezy, windy ocean. The current estimated damages to ISKCON Pandharpur are Rs. 10 lahk (USD $20,000). Newspapers report, "Swirling floodwaters inundated several towns and cities in western and southern India on Tuesday as the military deployed helicopters and boats to help hundreds of thousands of marooned people" Just outside our ashram, a small transistor radio has a group of devotees gathered around it. They strain to listen through the interference as the announcer jabbers excitedly in Marathi. The translation - "In Maharashtra, 650,000 people are now homeless due to the flood. More than 100 are dead as a result of the rushing waters." Bala Krishna Das dons his gumcha (swimming gear) as the sun rises. Climbing down the metal stairs to the water below, he sets out across the fields. Lofting his camera high above his head, he avoids submersion. The photos attached to this text are the result of Bala Krishna's adventurous morning walk/swim approximatly 12 hours ago, this morning. I am also attaching one photo he took yesterday afternoon with some of our devotees in front of the temple. Please visit www.Pandharpur.org for more photos and information. Yesterday, there were some smiles. Today, devotees are sober and serious. The temple now lies almost completely underneath the water. It is submerged at least three feet deeper than during last year's historical flood. We are afraid that the ceramic tiles on the roof of the temple may drift away with the strong current. And the flood continues to rush in and rise. A friend with connections in a Maharashtra Government office calls urgently, "They are releasing more water", he says intensely. "Be prepared for the water to rise another three feet!" A new thought arrives on my mental horizon, "Wow! That current, right outside my window, sure is fast. I hope the foundation of this building holds." Mental images of the building collapsing into the water wash across my screen. The wind is whipping our ashram, making cooking a challenging task and shaking our sheet metal roof causing dust and tiny pieces of plaster to fall. dattva cakram ca raksartham na niscinto janardanah svayam tan nikatam yati tam drastum raksanaya "Lord Janardana is not content even after engaging Sudarsana to protect His devotees, so He personally goes to see and protect them." [Narada Pancaratra 1.2.34 ] As I take my noon bath in the rapidly flowing Candrabhaga River helicopters are flying overhead. The military seems to be checking on us. They fly across the Candrabhaga to rescue those stranded by the flood. In the evening, Solapur devotees send prasadam by boat. Bala Krishna returns to Solapur with them to upload images to our website. www.Pandharpur.org Please pray for us to your local Deities, Lord Janardana, and Lord Nrsimhadeva for the protection of Sri Sri Radha Pandharinath and Their devotees. I would like to thank all the devotees who have voiced their support, and who have written encourage us. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I would especially like to thank our first donors: .. From USA: Karen Lowens (My mother): USD $200 .. From Belgium: H.G. Raktambhara Das: EU 50 EUR. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. May Sri Sri Radha Pandharinath bestow Their most merciful blessings upon you. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . As the flood waters increase to historical proportions, the damages are also rising correspondingly. The current estimated damages are Rs. 10 lahk (USD $20,000). I would humbly like to beg the devotees of our ISKCON worldwide community to please give generously to help us through this hour of dire need. Please send your much-needed donations today. Kind donors, please send us your complete postal address so that we can send you a receipt for your tax purposes as well as a special gift from Sri Pandharpur Dhama. If anyone is inspired to help us distribute ISKCON Food-For-Life, to feed the victims of the flood with Sri Krishna Prasadam, we would like to spend Rs. 35,000 /- (Approx USD $760) for one week or Rs. 5,000 /- or (Approx USD $108) per day to bring Prasadam and Harinama to the poor residents of Pandharpur who are now homeless - having had their homes on the bank of the Candrabhaga, now washed away by the flood. Here's the information on how to send your donation for ISKCON Pandharpur Flood Relief: .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . Send your donation through Paypal to Balarama Prabhu in the USA at: BPW (AT) Brianpwalter (DOT) com .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . To send your check in the USA, please use the following address: Karen Lowens 36 Hopke Avenue Hastings-On-Hudson NY 10706 Address the check to: Karen Lowens Please write "Pandharpur Flood" in the subject line. .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . To send donations from the European Community or from anywhere in the world, you can send donations to one of the two following accounts: 1. To The Netherlands Account number: 4548857 Name Bank: ING Bank Amsterdam Section: Foreign Operations Address: Po Box 1800 Place: 1000 BV Amsterdam Country: The Netherlands IBAN number: NL37 PSTB 0004 5488 57 BIC number: PSTBNL21 Account holder: Mr. P. Bisesser Address: Valkenboslaan 248 Postal code: 2524 EM Place: The Hague Country: The Netherlands For the following European Community countries it should be possible to send money without charge of any costs: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. 2. To India Account number: 01192473659 Bank: STATE BANK OF INDIA Section: NRI Division, PBB Address: 11, Sansad Marg Place: NEW DELHI - 110001 Country: INDIA Swift code: SBI NIN BB 183 Account holder: Mr. P. Bisesser Address: Valkenboslaan 248 Postal code: 2524 EM Place: The Hague Country: The Netherlands When someone sends a donation please mention for what (like for Pandharpur Flood) and if possible please acknowledge Premanjana by e-mail: premanjana.lok (AT) pamho (DOT) net Premanjana is checking the accounts regularly. .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . In India, you can send a check or Bank Draft directly to ISKCON Pandharpur. You can make the check out to ISKCON and send it to: Prahlad Das Pandharpur Flood Relief ISKCON Pandharpur Hare Krishna Dhama Across Candrabhaga River Pandharpur - 413 304 Dist. Solapur (Mah.) India If anyone would like to speak with me personally, my number is 09370421715. Prahlad Prabhu, our temple president, can be reached on 09423335991. Thank you once again for your kind support for Sri Sri Radha Pandharinath Mandir, ISKCON Pandharpur. May Sri Sri Radha Pandharinath bestow Their choicest blessings upon you and your family. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Always hoping to remain, servant of the servant of your servants, Ekalavya Das ekalavya.lok (AT) pamho (DOT) net www.pandharpur.org www.padayatra.com www.lokanathswami.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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