Pandharpur Flood: From Destruction to Devotion

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www.pandharpur.org

 

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

 

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

 

Hare Krishna.

 

Please find the following report on the current status of the Pandharpur

Flood 2006 damage, plus information about our Pandharpur Flood Relief Food

For Life Prasadam distribution.

 

Please visit www.pandharpur.org for more plus a wonderful Radhastami photo

gallery!

 

On behalf of H.H. Lokanath Swami Maharaja, the regional secretary and H.G.

Prahlad Prabhu, the temple president, I would like to extend our heartfelt

gratitude to all the devotees who have pledged their help, sent in

Pandharpur Flood Relief Funds and are actively campaigning on our behalf.

 

Your servant,

Ekalavya Das

 

Pandharpur, Maharashtra

www.pandharpur.org

 

>From Destruction to Devotion

 

The Candrabhaga River has come and visited us and now she has retreated. In

her wake she has left destruction.

 

The flood waters have gone down. The fields still remain a muddy mess,

filled with pools of Chandrabhaga, here and there, dotting. The trees still

standing in the fields seem relieved that the water has gone, reflecting my

own inner emotions.

 

As I view the mud encrusted fields, now graveyards for our crops of high

expectations, I experience a realization that the energies of this world are

not meant for us to lord over or enjoy. As Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati

Thakur has put it, this material world is no place for a gentleman.

 

Like the phoenix bird rising out of the ashes, out of the destruction to the

temple, buildings, crops and properties, the devotion of the ISKCON

Pandharpur devotees is now rising out of the mud.

 

The devotees of ISKCON Pandharpur are not incapacitated and lamenting their

loss and crippled condition. Following in the footsteps of Srila

Prabhupada, they are displaying the compassionate qualities of vaisnavas by

daily cooking prasadam to feed 500 people and then going out, chanting Hare

Krishna with the people, and distributing that prasadam in the towns and

villages near Pandharpur that have been the hit the hardest by the floods.

 

Dasaratha Prabhu, a brahmachari from Oriya, walked with Padayatra India for

ten years. Now, his shinning face lights up the goshalla (cow barn) where

we have set up a gigantic wok to cook enough delicious kichari prasadam for

more than 500 people on a daily basis. . The prasadam is tasty and

nutritious. It is cooked with love and devotion; and contains sumptuous

chunks of potatoes, pumpkin, tomatoes, and eggplant along with a variety of

spices.

 

For more than one week, daily 500 full plates of Kichari prasadam is

distributed by Dasaratha Prabhu and his team. They go to different villages

along the banks of the Candrabhaga River, as well as into the heart of

Pandharpur to distribute the prasadam.

 

Villages we have distributed to so far include Shaigaon, Degaon, Adiyov,

Gopalpur, Vrdha Ashram (for old people), and Pandharpur City. Our

Pandharpur City distribution was accompanied by a full Harinama Sankirtan

chanting party of all the devotees of our ashram. We have also done some

additional small villages along the banks of the river.

 

The Trax Jeep has a loudspeaker on the roof playing Srila Prabhupada singing

the classic traditional melody of the Hare Krishna maha mantra. During the

prasadam distribution, Dasaratha takes every opportunity to encourage the

people to chant Hare Krishna at the top of their lungs. They seem to relish

the chanting as much as the prasadam.

 

The people are thrilled that we are bringing prasadam to them. Their faces

light up with big smiles when they hear the sound of Hare Krishna through

the loudspeaker on top of our vehicle. They run to bring their own metal

plates. For those that don't have their own plates, we provide ecological

biodegradable leaf plates for them.

 

The other day, Bal Krishna Prabhu went with the distribution team and was

enchanted to see four children sitting together around one leaf plate of

prasadam, relishing the hot kichari.

 

We are grateful to our generous donors. So far, with the mercy of Lord

Krishna and our donors, we have collected approx Rs. 5 lakh (USD $10,000).

Our target of Rs. 12 lakh (USD $24,000) is not yet reached.

 

Our fervent appeal is that those of you who have been considering sending a

donation, but have not yet sent it, please do so now. We have damaged

buildings including the temple to repair, fields to once again plow and sow,

and cows to purchase grass for. If you are inspired, you could also send a

donation so that we could continue our Hare Krishna Food for Life (FFL)

prasadam distribution to hungry villagers who have been hit hard by the

flood.

 

Please visit www.pandharpur.org for more information and photos on the

Pandharpur Flood Relief situation and the Pandharpur Food for Life (FFL)

Flood Relief program.

 

We would especially like to thank Priyavrata Prabhu and the ISKCON Food for

Life Global (FFLG) team for their kind pledge of USD $2000 to start our

kichari prasadam distribution program.

 

Additional contributors to ISKCON Pandharpur Flood Relief include:

 

Trinidad:

 

Radheshyam Das: USD $1495

 

Persian Gulf:

 

Radha Pandharinath Das and Damodhardesh Yatra (Dubai): USD $1200

 

Europe:

 

Aravindaksa Prabhu- 1000 EUR

Venurati Dasi - 100 EUR

Haripriya Dasi - 60.51 EUR

Mahaprabhu Prabhu: 50 EUR

Raktambhara Prabhu: 50 EUR

 

Fund Raiser currently being conducted by Gaurangi Dasi at New Mayapur

(France) (Euros):

Gaurangi d.d. - 100; Parvati d.d. - 50; Indrayani d.d. - 50; Savitri - 50;

Serita - 50; Sri Devi d.d. - 20; Ciravati d.d. - 25; Mala - 20; Marie Andre

- 10; Donation box - 30; Sales Gaurangi d.d. - 205; Total - 620 Euros so far

 

Fund Raiser conducted by Vijay Das (Singapore) (SGD):

NO NAME OF BHAKTA/TIN AMT Donated, SGD 1 Naam

Sankirtan Prabhu 100 2 Haladhar Prabhu 200 3 Ganesh Prabhu

100

4 Rahul Prabhu 50 5 Naam Sankitanand Pr 10 6 Sridhar Krishna

Prabhu 100 7 Simha Chaitanya Prabhu 40 8 Nitya Goloka Prabhu

20

9 Bhadra Govind Prabhu 20 10 Avatari Krishna Prabhu 20 11

Vadanya Gaur Prabhu 50 12 Vedvit Krishna Prabhu 50 13

Gokulananda

Prabhu 50 14 Acyuta Gaur Prabhu 20 15 Shirish Prabhu 101

16

Kadambakanan Prabhu 50 17 Sheela Mataji 30 18 Rajesh Prabhu

30

19 Sandeep Prabhu 100 20 Vijay das 200 21 Abhijit Prabhu 51

22 Dr Ajit Prabhu 100 23 Shukadev Prabhu 100 24 Rasapriya

Mataji

30 25 Aparna mataji 100 TOTALSGD= 1722 TOTAL USD(with

rate

of 1.588)= 1084 Final collection is SGD 1722(USD1084).

 

USA:

 

Karen Lowens: $200; Susan Ungar, PhD: $100; Cara Ungar-Gutierrez, PhD

 

Pledges:

Janmastami Prabhu: 500 EUR

Gaura Raya Prabhu: 40 EUR

Nandulal Prabhu: 50 EUR

Kausalya Dasi: 50 EUR

 

TOTAL UP TO DATE: Approx $10, 453.47

FLOOD RELIEF CAMPAIGN GOAL: $24,000

 

Please send your donation today. Here's how:

 

Here's the information on how to send your donation for ISKCON Pandharpur

Flood Relief:

 

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Visit www.pandharpur.org and click on the donation link to send a donation

by paypal.

 

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Send your donation through Paypal to Balarama Prabhu in the USA at:

 

BPW (AT) Brianpwalter (DOT) com

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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