In 1969 Srila Prabhupad resided in his ancient farm house for approximately one month. New Vrindavan began here, Kirtananada Maharaja and Hayagriva Prabhu, they were searching for a rural land, because that was one of Prabhupad’s prominent desires in establishing ISKCON that there be farm communities. But at that time our movement had no funds. So in a news paper in Sanfransisco, they found that for 99 years, there was a 99 year lease. Unfortunately no vehicle could get here, we have to walk about two or three miles up the Mary road, over mountains to come here. So they came and they invited Srila Prabhupad in Montreal and Srila Prabhupad is benevolent and compassionate as he is, he agreed to come. Srila Prabhupad had to walk the majority of the road because the vehicle got stuck, do not operate, from that time the road was given the name Aghasura, because it devoured all devotees that tried to pass through it. And Srila Prabhupad was here, he actually we could say installed Vrindavan in this place. The supreme personality of Godhead, Advaita acharya Prabhu exclaimed that where ever the lotus feet of the lord or his pure devotees are, that place is Vrindavan. Because their feet never leave Vrindavan.

That is the spirit. So when Prabhupad came here he gave a vision that this would be New Vrindavan. And he explains what Vrindavan was in India. Vrindavan is the land which is the eternal aboard of the Lord Krishna. In His spiritual world, in Krishna loka there was ethnic sector is Goloka or Vrindavan. That is where Krishna performs His eternal leela with the supreme Godess of fortune Srimati Radha Rani, gopas and gopis. Once in a day of Brahma, the Lord in His supreme original forms of Shyamasundar descends into this material universe and with Him, He brings the land of Vrindavan. When it comes to this world, Bhakti Sidhanta Saraswathi Tagore explains it becomes Gokul Vrindavan. The difference between Goloka and Gokula is simply one is eternally in the spiritual world and one manifested in this world. Krishna performed His most beautiful past times of love in Vrindavan dham, in order to attract all of our hearts back to His loving service. The record of these past time where given by Krishna in the vedic literatures, in the puranas, and especially in a most highest essence in Srimad Bhagavatam in Maha purana. When Lord Chaitanya, who is Krishna, appeared in the Kaliyuga, came to this world, He wanted Vrindavan in its full glory to attract people from all over the world. Thus He walked all the way from Jagannath Puri to Vrindavan Dham through the Jarikhanda forest and Varanasi, Perhaps well over 1000 kilometers. When He came, it is explained by Kavi Raj Goswami in his biographer, when Lord Chaitanya was in Puri, the part of Vrindavan would increase the ecstasy of His love many times. When He was walking to Vrindavan through Jarikhanda forest, He was in such spiritual ecstasy with that happiness increased by hundreds of times. His happiness was so deep not only what He was enjoying Himself but He wanted to share that ecstasy with everyone, even with the tigers, the elephants, the snakes, the plants and the birds. He infused them all with the perfection of love of God as He was chanting and dancing through the forest. When He came to Mathura and bathed in the Viswam Ghat, the Jamuna, that ecstasy increased hundreds of times. When He entered into the twelve forests of Vrindavan that ecstasy increased unlimitedly. When Lord Chaitanya was in Vrindavan, He came home. Even the deer’s, the cows, they would gather round licking him, smelling Him, pleading Him and gazing Him with their tearful eyes, welcoming their eternal friend back home to Vrindavan. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu remained in Vrindavan for about two months. He came at Karthika purnima and stayed until the month of Magha. Our acharyas tell us that He was happy to remain their only, after all it was His long desire to come to Vrindavan. When he first took initiation from Eswarapuri, immediately he started running to Vrindavan. But a celestial voice in the sky told him that your mission is to establish Harinam sankirtan in Navadveep, go to Vrindavan later, now you perform your mission to save the bounds of this material world. So he gave up his desire to go to Vrindavan and he went to Navadveep which ultimately is non-different to Vrindavan and there he established Harinam sankirtan with his devotees at the house of Srivas Chandra sekhar and even in the streets. In order to reach the most rebellious stubborn fallen souls even the blasphemes the Lord accepted sanyas in a place called Khatbhag lokanaknaga from Khesa Bharathi Maharaja. Immediately after he received his name Sri Krishna Chaitanya, his danda and his sanyasa mantra, he danced in ecstasy and proclaimed I will go to Vrindavan now. After all I have now renounced the world to go to Vrindavan. So he began dancing to Vrindavan, Khesa Bharathi and everyone involved in it. After sometime he embarrassed the Sanyaspurva and told you must go to Vrindavan. He is so eager to Vrindavan, so eager. When he saw the Ganga, he thought it must be the Jamuna. And Nityananda prabhu understood his ecstasy. Nityananda prabhu also understood the actual heart of the Lord. The Lord is more concerned about the welfare of the form, He is more concerned with the pleasing of the devotees and He is about His own ecstasy. Nityananda was such a transcendental person. Actually Lord Chaitanya one time told Nityananda prabhu do not come back to Puri every year, stay in Bengal and preach. And the next year Lord Nityananda came to Puri. Krishna das kaviraj Goswami tells that no one can understand the mind of Nityananda. He is actually no different than Lord Chaitanya, He is Balaram Sakthi, He is Balaram Himself. He perfectly knows the inner most heart of the Lord. So he tells some cowherd boys, when this sanyasi asks to which way is Vrindavan and Jamuna, you point the way of Shantipur and Ganga. So the Lord saw the Ganga after following these instructions and began bathing in it, offering obeisance’s to Jamuna, offering prayers to Jamuna and when Advaitacharya who happened to be come by Nityananda Prabhu that the Lord is coming, came with some dry set of clothes on a boat and the Lord said, what are you doing in Vrindavan? Advaitacharya didn’t understand, he said, this is Ganga and this is Shantipur. The Lord said that Nityananda Prabhu has trick played. So we can understand how the Lord longed to go to Vrindavan. And when in Puri again and again and again he would beg permission of the devotees, please let me go to Vrindavan, I cannot go without your blessings and permission. And the devotees said yes, yes, you can go, but first we should celebrate Rathayatra. The Lord could not refuse the request of the loving devotees. After Rathayatra, now it is Catur maasya, you should wait till after Catur masa. When catur masa was finished they said now it is actually too cold, they said you should wait till doly yatra, then in spring time and you can go. Then after doly yatra the Lord said, now can I go to Vrindavan? They said Ratha yatra is coming. In this way for several years the Lord remained longing and then He revealed His heart and longing, and crying to go to Vrindavan, please give me your blessings and then the devotees felt very bad, they felt that they for their own purposes, they were obstructing His journey. So they said you can go but we will all go with you. So many people were going to Vrindavan. Lord Chaitanya will not love Gadhadar pandit, because Gadhadar pandit was the pujari of RadhaGopinath and he took vow of kshetra sanyas. You know what is kshetra sanyas? kshetra sanyas means you never ever ever leave the place where you worship your deities, you always stay there for your whole life. Sarvabhauma Battacharya was a kshetra sanyasi although he was married, had children and grand children also but he vowed never to leave the city of Lord Jagannath, his worship able deities. Now this Gopinath deities, according to some great scholars of Orissa, is the original deity of the Lord, by Lord Brahma was revealed the highest truth that the dawn of creation that the supreme personality of Godhead appeared in this form of Gopinath and Brahma to glorify Him chanted the Brahma samhita. So it is the oldest deity of the creation and that deity was given to Gadhadar pandit by Lord Chaitanya to worship. So when the Lord is going to Vrindavan, Gadhadar said I am coming with you, the Lord said ‘No’ you are not coming with Me, you must stay and worship Gopinath. And he said wherever you are...Your lotus feet are, that senior senior lotus feet is like worshiping Gopinath millions and millions of times. But you have taken a vow of kshetra sanyas, then Gadhadar pandit gave a very profound philosophical (14.41), he said to hell with my (14.44) you are going to Vrindavan, I am going to Vrindavan. The Lord said if you go to Vrindavan, then I will be the cause of breaking your vow, I cannot take this responsibility. He said I am not going with you, I am going to visit your mother Sachi, because I want to see her and I want to go to Vrindavan on my own and there is nothing to do with You. Lord chaitanya was walking and he was walking on the middle of his side, he was exactly in the group. And they came to Randveep river, Maharaja Prataparudra arranged accommodation, food, beautiful boats to serve the devotees whatever they want. So Lord Chaitanya was about to cross this river which is really coming out of the (15.46 ) of Jaganathpuri, He called Gadhadar to come, Gadhadar pandit approached the Lord, He said now you are successful, you left Puri. Now you go back and worship Gopinath. He said I will not hear any reply from you, it is my desire, go back to Gopinath. Then the Lord left on the boat and Gadhadar pandit fell unconscious, in separation. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told, Sarvabhauma Battacharya please take care of him. Sarvabhauma Battacharya said to Gadhadar pandit, you are so fortunate, how the Lord loves you. Actually the separation of you from the Lord is so painful, but just to protect your vow He is experiencing so much agony Himself, just like Krishna. Krishna was willing to break His own promise to protect (16.52) in the same way the Lord is willing to endure the pain of separation form you just to protect your promise your vow. So Gadhadar pandit went back and Lord Chaitanya went forward. What a trip that was, in Navadweep tens and millions of people came begging forgiveness for offenses wonderful kirtans and then from Navadeveep when the Lord left for Vrindavan tens and millions of people followed Him. Can you imagine that sankirtan procession, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu dancing and singing. They came to Ramkeli, the capital of the Logo king, who hated Hindus and applauded any public demonstration of Hindu faith in right in the city, there is millions of people tumultuously chanting the mahamantra and dancing with ecstasy with drums and instruments and horns. The Lord was fearless and the devotees just being with the Lord were fearless. After that kirtan the two chief ministers of the Nawab Hussain Shah, the Beer khas and the Sakarmaka, they disguised themselves, in the middle of the night the Lord was sitting under a tamal tree which is right beside a kadamba tree, there these three brothers, they completely surrender their lives in the ultimate state of genuine and humility. Sri Chaitanya Maha prabhu accepted them (18.54) as the eternal associates. He picked them up, bathed them with His tears as he embrace them, such that speaking with such humility breaking my heart. The Lord gave them the names Rupa Goswamy and Sanathana Goswamy along with their brother Anupam. Sanatan Goswamy advised Lord Chaitanya better You go to Vrindavan with only few people or yourself not with millions. The next morning Lord Chaitanya went to Khanan natasala, beautiful beautiful hill with wonderful trees which perfectly represents Brindavan itself and there the Lord accepted Sanatan Goswami’s advice and said I will return to Puri. So when He came to Puri, He told the devotees that Krishna will not allow Me to go to Vrindavan because I heard the heart of Gadhadar pandit, unless he gives me his blessings and his heartfelt permissions, Krishna will not allow Me to go. This is a very important lesson. To please vaisnavas, if you hurt the heart of vaishnavas Krishna will not give permission to enter into Vrindavan, whoever you are, whatever you do. Gadhadhar pandit was embarrassed, he said, You are the independent supreme personality of Godhead, come to my house for prasadam, stay for some time and when the rainy season is finished, then you go to Vrindavan. So the Lord went with only one servant, Balabadra Bhattacharya and his sister. And we have explained the anticipation of the Lord going to Vrindavan through Jarikhand forest, then He came to Mathura and He roamed through all the twelve forests, the defection, of the essence of His ecstasy, Lord Chaitanya is Krishna in the mood of Smt. Radha Rani and we learned from Radha Rani’s prayers at Kurukshetra that Her home, Her heart is Her home, Her heart and Her home is only Vrindavan. But yet Balabadra Battacharya requested the Lord after two months to go back to Puri. It was very difficult for Him because so many Brajvasis and other religions were coming with invitations for the Lord and the Lord was in so much ecstasy. Balabadra Battacharya didn’t know that how he could protect him from his own ecstasy in the holy land. So just to please His devotees he left Vrindavan to go back to Puri. The love He was there, He discovered Radhakund, Shyamakund, He performed the parikrama of Govardhan, He worshipped the deity of adikeshav, Haridev. When He was in Prayag, with Rupa Goswami and Varanasi with Sanathan Goswami, , He requested them, in fact He ordered them, you go to Vrindavan and you reside there. Build beautiful temples, establish deity worship, by your example show people proper lifestyle of living in Vrindavan in renounced order, write literatures extracting the essence of all knowledge of Vedas of pure unalloyed devotion to Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan. On the order of Lord chaitanya, Rupa and Sanathan along with Raghunath Das Goswami, Gopal Bhatt Goswami, Raghunath Bhatt Goswami, Srila Jeeva Goswami, they have gone throughout the twelve forests of Vrindavan and actually showed the world the very places where Radha and Krishna, the Gopis and the Gopas performed their divine eternal leelas. Because in Vrindavan Dham Lord’s leela is eternally being enacted, if we have the pure the vision to perceive it, “premanjana churita bhakti vilocenena” if one’s eyes are anointed with the ornament of love, Krishna reveals His past times to us in the holy land of Vrindavan, but if we have material vision and we may see the external appearance, material covering. But Lord Chaitanya Maha prabhu warned Rupa and Sanathan to establish temples, to establish philosophy, to establish the life style by which the people can actually enter into the essence of Vrindavan. Not only in Vrindavan but in his own heart but where ever one may be residing. So they built Madanmohan, Govindaji temple, Gopinath temple, Radhavrindavan temple, Radharaman temple, Shyam Sundar temple, to establish in His holy place. And at that time so many vedacharyas came to reside in Vrindavan. Narotham Das Tagore, Srinivasacharya, we heard about them the other day, they were living in Vrindavan but on Jeeva Goswami’s instruction they sent them out to preach to Orissa, to Bengal and to other various places. His divine grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad is residing in Vrindavan. (25.51 ) Gopal temple right in the bank of Jamuna near Khesi Ghat and he lived in Sri Radha Damodar temple. Those of who know Vrindavan Dham, Radha Damodar temple is in Sevakhunj. That’s the area of Vrindavan Dham, Vraj Bhumi where the most intimate leelas of the Rasa dance take place. That is the place where Rupa Goswami, Sanathan Goswami, Raghunath Goswami, Gopal Batt Goswami, Raghunath Batt Goswami, Sri Jeeva Goswami, all the six Goswami’s would gather there on a regular basis to perform kirtans, to have Harikatha and to plan how they are going to write literatures and preaches in such a way to establish the mission of the Lord throughout the world. It was in that place in the very heart of Vrindavan Dham, which is the heart of the Universe. But Srila Prabhupad on the order of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda coming through Srila Bhakti Sidhanta Saraswathi Tagore, Srila Prabhupad was living there preparing to bring Vrindavan to the world. This was his compassion, this was his mission, not to simply enjoy living in Vrindavan, but to bring the spirit, the energy of Vrindavan to every town and village of the world to the congregation of chanting of the holy names. Srila Prabhupad was riding back to Godhead, when he began Srimad Bhagavatam, when he completed the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, he got the blessing of his Guru Maharaja, Sri Radha Damodar and Sri Rupa Goswami. Prabhupad every day would sit right at the Samadhi the tomb of Rupa Goswami and pray for his mercy. Then Prabhupad went to Bombay, somehow or the other after many preaching programs begged he got a ticket to New York city. I remember there was a news paper reporter, actually its printed this dialogue, that one Indian gentleman was asking Prabhupad, why did you go to Newyork, why not London? Your Guru Maharaja sent his disciples to London, London is the centre of the world. In this situation, Prabhupad was so humble, he told the story, he said that Srimati Murarje of the India’s kingship company, she gave me a free ticket and the boat only went to Newyork, they did not stop in London. So he was just completely surrender and dependent on Krishna’s mercy. Of course in other times he did explained that New York became the capital of Maya’s influence in the world, that was the heart of Maya’s power and he wanted to go there. The most powerful, wealthy kingdom of maya and here is the seventy years old, little, Bengali sadhu, who had just endured two major heart attacks, sea sickness, paralysis and he has no money, no friends, no contacts and he has come to conquer Maya’s kingdom, that is Srila Prabhupad. So in twenty sixth second avenue there were only about five or six people who were taking interest, there was no money, in fact they got the first month’s rent somehow or other and they told swamiji that we cannot promise the next month’s rent. Oh, here he is in the middle of store front in the Lower East side of New York with a few people not even initiated who are just taking interest and he makes the charter to cooperate his institution and calls that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the devotees could not understand, International, this is all, this is a tiny place in New York and then Prabhupad explained that there was going to be temples all over the world, whose going to be millions of book distributed widely and he explained he wanted to establish place of pilgrimage in the western world to be real Krishna’s past times. What a vision Srila Prabhupad had. He had nothing, no one, seventy years old, he just came out of near death crisis and he has such ambitious plans with no help. And just couple of years later he came here, he walked up that muddy road and when you sees around, there is nothing here, there use to be an old barn that was later torn down, the houses over here came much later, Prabhupad was sitting up here and at that time this temple the wall was with that pillar is and that was the end of the house. What we see beyond this is the modern addition. That was considered as a very vast expansion (32.27) devotees were just shocked and how big the temple is. When Prabhupad came the wall was where that pillar is and this was the kitchen back here and the altar actually came out. Anyways the temple was half the size of it is it now and this is really in mid 80’s this place was opulently renovated, the floor, the wall, the plaster, everything is renovated even the wood outside, this was really a shabby old. Wrapped house, one hundred years old. Prabhupad was sitting up here telling the devotees that this is the New Vrindavan. In fact he writes in Chaitanya Charitamrutha that New Vrindavan in west Virginia is no different in Goloka Vrindavan, because of the spirit of simplicity in devotion. That is meant to be and he told he is going to build Madan Mohan temple, Radha Govindaji temple, Radha Raman temple, Radha Damodar temple, Radha Gokulananda temple, Radha Shyam Sundar temple, Radha Giridhari temple, Rishibi kesi ghat, you see this hill next right to this house, Prabhupad says that is Govardhan hill, ( 34.11 ) Prabhupad said that is Govardhan Hill. When he heard about some place where the devotees were bathing in a creek down below the hill, that would be the Khesi Ghat, he said we should also make Shyama kund, Radha Kund. Of course we should understand the principle of achintya Veda vedatatva that is one in different, obviously Giriraj Govardhan in Vraj bhumi, is the original Govardhan hill, but when Prabhupad said this is Govardhan hill, he meant is if the devotees on the basis of his prayer and vision, if the devotees honor this as Govardhan hill and remember Govardhan hill, remember Krishna’s Govardhan leela by seeing this they will get the same effect as being the Govardhan hill. It was Krishna’s past time, Krishna’s mercy, is not limited to be a graphical limitations. So Prabhupad ordered devotees to make this Vrindavan. In fact he says we should get all this land around, we should purchase it. And out of these he says we should buy all the west Virginia and make it New Vrindavan. Anyways so much more land could be at one time, it was over hundred acres and then it came up to about 5000 acres and it has expanded and then Prabhupad said you can name this when you found a new property you call this as Brunda bhan, you call it as Mahuvan. Prabhupad wanted New Vrindavan to be a place of pilgrims, for people without going all the way to India, because how many Americans will go all the way to India, if they can that’s wonderful, but they should get the same spiritual experience of going on pilgrimage to Vrindavan by coming to New Vrindavan, it was how accessible Prabhupad made Krishna’s mercy and the mercy of the Dham, that was his vision. That month that Srila Prabhupad fade was the beginning of the real history of New Vrindavan. There was Kirtanananda Maharaja, Hayagreva Prabhu, one devotee just came out of a mental hospital and he immediately (37.13) you to a hospital in the New York, he was preached by a devotee there and as soon as he got discharged he immediately came to New Vrindavan. So Srila Prabhupad agreed to come and one of the very very few people who was the eye witness to Prabhupad’s past times we weren’t here, she is amongst us here. Her name is Chintamani Devi Mataji. She was here, I believe the entire month the Prabhupad was here, she came here with Prabhupad , to Columbus Ohio Athens to Ohio, Athens to Columbus, she was initiated by Prabhupad at that time in 1969 and she was faithfully serving Srila Prabhupad’s since that time. In fact she was worshipping the little deities of Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra and her husband accepted sanyas and she approached Srila Prabhupad and Prabhupad said every woman should have a husband. So Jagannath will be your husband and Balaram and Shubhadra will be your son and daughter. You serve them in that way. After in 1972, when I came and I was living up here with just a few other people, Chintamani Mataji came with her deities of Jagannath, this altar was not here at that time, but she put them on the altar and we were so fortunate to have Prabhupad’s associates and living right on the hill of Govardhan, Hayagreva prabhu was living with his wife and son (39.26 ). So we grew up here in New Vrindavan in those days just hearing about Srila Prabhupad’s mercy, his vision and his love for New Vrindavan. And what is his love for New Vrindavan? It is his love for all conditional souls to bring in back home back to Godhead. So at this time we sincerely request Chintamani Mataji to illuminate our hearts with her candled eye witness remembrances of Srila Prabhupad here in Vrindavan in 1969. Thank You.