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By Kaunteya das

It was an intense visit. I consider that it was also productive.

On the last day of March three workers of the ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry—Seva Swarupa Das, Sarva Sakti Devi Dasi, and yours truly—left Mayapur and after about thirty-six hours on the train, reached the Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana Mandir in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, the temple hosting the meetings of the ICC (Indian Continental Committee) and RGB (Regional Governing Body).

The long train ride offered the valuable opportunity to discuss different aspects of the Ministry, especially our activities in South America, where Seva Swarupa and Sarva Sakti are among the driving forces in organizing national educational festivals. That discussion itself could fill several articles, but basically we talked about the situation in different countries and how the Ministry could help.

Back in India — At the Ujjain train station we were met early in the morning by devotees eager to serve, equipped with cars for the arriving delegates. To host all the participants — a total of 125, plus the three of us—including eight sannyasis and many disciples of Srila Prabhupada, the local temple booked a couple of hotels, and also sent the temple brahmacaris to the hotel, lending their rooms at the temple to the guests.

By Kaunteya das

Photo: Vrindavan-lila dd

The Mayapur Gaura Purnima Festival is over. This morning also the South Indian Safari group (about two-hundred devotees in four packed buses) left. Mayapur is back to its usual rhythms and I feel the duty to report to you on the last intense three weeks of activities by the Congregational Development Ministry.

By Kaunteya Das

Yesterday we had a meeting with Vanamali Nrisimha Prabhu, the webmaster of two main Vaisnava sites in Russian language, www.nama-hatta.ru and www.krishna.ru. His wife Tarini Caitanya Mataji was also there; Abhyarci Mataji translated for us. The theme was how to make sure that Russian-speaking devotees could get the articles we publish at namahatta.org.

In the course of the dialogue it became apparent that many devotees in Russia have come to equate the Congregational Development Ministry with “Bhakti-vriksha Ministry,” believing that that’s the only method of community building the Ministry really promotes. The idea is certainly inaccurate, both theoretically and practically; even a cursory view of the articles on our web site or in the Congregational Development Journal would reveal that our range of interests and approaches goes well beyond pushing one single system.

by Kaunteya Das

After one and half year's absence I came back to the Congregational Development Ministry's Headquarters. I arrived at night, on Monday the 12th of November; next morning, coming out of the temple room after mangala arati, I met my old friend Navina Nirada Prabhu, who served as Book Distribution Minister and has often cooperated with the Congregational Development Ministry. With pleasant, total disregard for my japa needs (I love his directness!), he updated me on a number of topics, his views of the Mayapur situation, and his personal projects. I willingly let him kidnap me with his vivacious devotional energy.

The text to this article was published at the previous web site of ISKCON Atlanta. When visiting their new web site recently I did not find this article about the Nama-hatta logo anymore. I don't know who wrote it but hope that he or she will have no objections to the publication of this article on namahatta.org. All glories to the unknown writer of this explanation of the Nama-hatta logo!

Kaunteya Prabhu, Secretary of ISKCON's Congregational Development Ministry

Camp: ISKCON Cuzco, Peru

Dear Preachers, Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada

This is what I received today from Candrasekhara Prabhu (ACBSP), long-time director of the ISKCON Prison Ministries:

I need to know which temples in India and Peru and the other countries you may know about have prison programs.

I am very anxious to e-mail the specific devotees who organize things.

So, kindly help: if you are or you know of anyone (anywhere) who is involved or has been involved in preaching in prisons and jails, please send us the information (at least a simple email contact...).

Your servant, Kaunteya das.

This is an "official" request from the Congregational Develoment Ministry to all the devotees presently serving on this planet to share their experiences, reports, anecdotes, realizations, analysis, observations and insights in the field of Vaisnava congregational development and community building.

The news don't have to be necessarily spectacular and the considerations don't have to be necessarily milestones in the history of devotional thought; some simple information, a single understanding will do (photos and other illustrations are very welcome, but if don't have any it's still OK).

You can express yourself in the form of an article, sharing a quote from the acaryas or from some contemporary preacher that you find inspiring, note something you like to see changed or improved, or even just send a picture of yourself, your Nama-hatta orBhakti-vriksha group (with a little explanation).

Basically I want to communicate that this site is open and welcoming towards your contributions. Some have already started to share and I take the opportunity to thank them. At the moment we are focusing mainly on English and Spanish, but among our staff we can also manage Russian, Ukranian and Italian. And don't forget that we can edit your article for you, so don't worry too much about spelling and grammar.

Your servant, Kaunteya Das

During the Congregational Educational Festival the devotees from Bolivia presented the second edition of the Spanish Bhakti-vriksha Manual to the Minister for Congregational Development, HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. The book has a new, original cover (the windows in an urban setting reveal various devotional activities and meetings going on inside the rooms) and it includes appendixes, present in the English version but not in the first Spanish edition. More Spanish speaking devotees will gain a deeper, more systematic understanding of the Bhakti-vriksha dynamics through this book.

Hari Sankirtan Das, President of the National Council of ISKCON Bolivia, Bhakti-vriksha promoter and responsible for the new production (as well as the previous edition), hands over the book to HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. On Hari Sankirtan's right: his wife Mahojjvala Prema Devi Dasi, in charge of the main preaching center in La Paz, the "Centro de Estudios Vedicos" and assistant secretary of the Executive Committee of the National Council, and his daughter, Vrajesvari Vijaya Devi Dasi, studying as a doctor and voting member of the National Council (elected at the festival as representative of the youths). Also in the picture, three Congregational Development Ministry staff; from left to right: Sarva Sakti Devi Dasi, who originally translated the Bhakti-vriksha Manual from English to Spanish, Divya Priya Devi Dasi, in charge of communications, and Seva Swarupa Das, General Manager (and sponsor of the printing).

By Kaunteya das.

(This article ends here.)