Dear Friends of Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra,
Hare Krishna! You may have heard that we were closed for some time due to a new covid case in our community. However, the risk from that case has now cleared, and the temple is open again under updated covid safety guidelines. After reviewing our covid protocols according to professional standards, we have decided that we will continue following the mask mandate indoors, but we are not requiring proof of vaccination or a recent covid test. We are expecting our guests to take personal responsibility for their own health and safety and that of others. So, if you have been exposed to covid or are feeling at all unwell, please stay at home, and if you are unvaccinated, please take extra precautions.
That said, we are happy to announce that we will be going ahead with our annual Kartik 24-hour Kirtan event. Due to the indoor mask mandate, we will be slightly modifying the format of the program. Because it can be difficult to sing through a mask for long periods of time, the kirtan will be interspersed with narrations of Krishna’s beautiful Vrindavan pastimes, so you can just sit peacefully and listen. This will also aid in deepening everyone’s meditation and focus during kirtan—hence the new name of the festival: Kartik 24-hour Kirtan and Katha Festival!
As usual, we will also have loudspeakers outdoors to facilitate those who would like to be outside without masks and listen. The beloved and illustrious Gauravani has already agreed to be one of our main guests of honor and we are still waiting for confirmation from other kirtan leaders. The program will begin at 11:00am on Saturday and end at 12:00 noon on Sunday so please book your accommodations accordingly to stay for the whole event.
Although most of us have had to again cancel our plans to go to India in Kartik due to covid, Srila Prabhupada said that New Vrindaban is non-different from Vrindavan, India. In fact, he said it’s even better because there are no Mayavadis impersonalists! So, please, be in Vrindavan with us at New Vrindaban, and immerse yourself in the transcendental activities of hearing the Lord’s pastimes, chanting the holy names, and associating with devotees. These devotional activities are extremely powerful and especially so during Kartik, when the benefits are multiplied one thousand times. Not only that, but these activities also invoke the presence of the Lord.
Please book your room soon to assure your place for this event, or you may camp in our field for a small fee. If required, we can assist you in booking a room at a hotel nearby. Whatever it takes, please take full advantage of this chance to leave the material world behind for 24-hours and absorb yourself in the nectar of Krishna’s holy names, forms, qualities, and pastimes. The material world can be a draining place, and we all need to recharge our spiritual batteries from time to time to maintain a spiritual outlook on life and keep the goal in site. So, please come and bathe your mind, rejuvenate your heart, and nourish your soul at New Vrindaban’s Kartik 24-hour Kirtan and Katha Festival.
Hope to see you there!
Jaya Krsna das
Temple President