by Vijaya Venugopal dasa and Prema Padmini dd

My husband explained that Bhakti-vriksha groups were the base units of the Vaisnava community we are trying to create according to Srila Prabhupada's vision. This is Lord Caitanya's Golden Age, and the creation of such communities all over the world has to take place as predicted. All activities of a yatra are part of the Bhakti-vriksha program—not just the weekly sessions, but also study classes, Bhakti-sastri courses, Sunday programs, deity worship, outreach programs, festivals, book distribution, and temple construction. Only if there is a complete set of activities to engage all devotees will the Vaishnava community really be alive. Srila Prabhupada said everything was already there, and that only time was separating us from this perfect situation.

Hearing that HH Jayapataka Maharaja, our guru-maharaja, had arrived, we rushed out and saw him getting out of a car, being greeted by Angira Muni Prabhu. Seeing us, he beckoned, and asked how we found the weather compared to the Arabian Gulf (a sweltering 45 degrees Celsius). We told him about the Russian devotees' enthusiastic response to our Bhakti-vriksha seminars, and when he went for prasadam—he had not eaten the whole day—we returned to the hall.

Now was a play about Chand Kazi and Nrsimhadeva appearing in his dream. The costumes were excellent, as was the acting. Soon HH Jayapataka Maharaja entered and spoke about his recent travels, including seventy-five initiations in Mathuradesh and the Nrsimha-caturdasi festival in Mayapur. He also spoke about Bhakti-vriksha and our visit to Russia.

Today, after another round of kirtana and dance, Angira Muni Prabhu asked me to give Srimad-Bhagavatam class, on the verse wherein Prahlada Maharaja glorifies preachers, saying that Krishna loves them—an inspiring verse for Bhakti-vriksha preachers!

Then we visited the school again. The program began with a seminar for grihasthas, followed by questions about Bhakti-vriksha.

During the grihastha seminar, married couples had to write down five good qualities of their spouse. Most were young couples, and it was amazing how much they praised each other and how happy they felt to express their feelings! Jaya Madhava Prabhu and Angira Muni Prabhu also participated, and asked my husband and I to join as well.

by Vijaya Venugopala dasa and Prema Padmini dd

To Moscow (Friday, 27 April 2007)

The night flight to Dubai, in transit to Moscow, arrived at one o’clock in the morning. The “Quiet Lounge” was full, so our night’s rest would have to be in one of the normal chairs. My husband stretched out on the floor, while I rested on the chairs. Of course it was a fitful sleep, though others seemed to sleep blissfully undisturbed by the announcements, lights, and continuous flow of chattering passengers. After making a few phone calls and some purchases in the Duty Free complex, we boarded the plane.

We played hide-and-seek with a cute Russian boy in the row ahead of us; he was shuttling between his mother and father, smiling a lot. For lunch we had some of the ample Ekadasi prasadam packed by Nitya Yogini Mataji. The methi parathas made by Paresh Krishna Prabhu’s mother were kept for emergency use in Russia—they stayed delicious for the entire two weeks!

by Kaunteya Das

Yesterday I met Mataji Abhyarci Devi Dasi, who is a staff member of the Congregational Development Ministry, in charge of communication with Russia (and other Russian-speaking areas and devotees) for the first time. She lives in Sri Mayapur with her husband and son. I was impressed by her seriousness and her efforts in contacting the local leaders of Russia and establishing a working relationship with them.

With her and Seva Swarupa Prabhu, the Ministry's General Manager, we discussed different plans, including having special sessions with the leaders of the Russian congregations during the upcoming Gaura Purnima Festival in Mayapur.

Image from MosNews(!)

According to the Russian news-site MosNews the Mayor of Moscow agreed during a visit of Srmt. Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister of New Delhi, to allot land for ISKCON's Moscow temple project. In 2004 the previous temple was demolished under a city development plan, and a new plot of land promised to the devotees. After protests from the Russian-Orthodox Church and others, though, the city administration went back on that promise, and only now has the mayor agreed to provide space for a new ISKCON temple in Moscow.

Read on for the original news article.

Most devotees will be aware of the development in Moscow, where ISKCON's previous temple has been demolished to allow construction of a housing-block according to the city's master plan. This was the first temple of Lord Krishna in Russia, the first center of Hinduism in what used to be the Soviet Union - a center of worship for a community of 5,000 - 10,000 Krishna-devotees in the Russian capital.

Krishna Movement “Not Normal” — Russian Rabbi

Created: 02.04.2004 17:52 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 19:04 MSK

MosNews

One of Russia’s chief rabbis, Adolf Shayevich, has suggested the Russian office of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness build its temple on the Chukotka or Yamal Peninsula instead of in Moscow, Interfax reported Friday. The rabbi called the movement “mercantile” and “not normal” and at odds with the Russian tradition. He said he was concerned the society was “making Russians forget their roots and the country’s religion”.

This is the text of the Archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Mayor of Moscow, Mr. Luzhkov, advising the Mayor to prevent ISKCON from constructing a temple in Moscow.