Sri Vraja Mandala Parikrama

Respected Maharajas, prabhus and didis,
 
Dandavat pranama. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.
 
Today is the sixth day of Vraja Mandala Parikrama led by Srila Narayana Maharaja. Every day the over 500 assembled devotees (with more arriving everyday) are led on parikrama to holy pastime places and temples in Vrndavana. In the evenings Srila Maharaja has been telling the glories of the pastime places that were visited that day and also has speakers explain the verses of Nectar of Instruction by Srila Rupa Gosvami. Srila Maharaja explained that if we do not know and follow the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami in his Nectar of Instruction and Srila Raghunatha das Gosvami in his Sri Manah-siksa then we cannot understand the glories of the pastimes of Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna in Vrndavana.
 
A few days before the parikrama began, Srila Narayana Maharaja ordered Syamarani dasi and a team of artists to paint the bas reliefs (sculptures) of Govardhana-lila that are in the entrance and the back wall of the new Sri Giriraja Govardhana temple. Last year the artists drew black and white line drawings for the sculpturer to follow and now about 20 devotees are painting them and assisting in the project. The paintings need to be complete by Nov. 7th before the parikrama party moves to Govardhana for 19 days (November 10-29). On November 27th and 28th Srila Maharaja will be installing the Deities of Sri Radha-vinode-bihari, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Giriraja Govardhana.
 
Due to the intense schedule of finishing these 32 paintings in such a short time, we will be unable to send out any lectures of Srila Maharaja until after November 10th. Please forgive us for this and we hope that you will accept these pictures of the parikrama and bless us that we can continue to send lectures and photos in a timely manner.
 
Your aspiring servants,
Anita, Syamarani and Vasanti dasis


Evening class in the pandal at Gopinath bhavan in Vrndavana


Syamarani dasi painting Sri Balarama prabhu


Artists painting the back wall of the Govardhana temple. On the back wall are Dasa-avatara (the 10 incarnations of Sri Krsna), boat pastime of Krsna taking the gopis across Manasi Ganga, Holi and Rasa-lila.


Sri Rupa-Sanatana Gaudiya Math, one of the temples visited on parikrama and built by Srila Maharaja and his followers. Sri Radha-vinode-bihari and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (middle), Srimati Vrnda-devi (right) and Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja (left). Srimati Vrnda-devi is only present in two temples; this temple and also in the forest of Kamyavana.


Seva Kunja painting which is worshipped in its own altar on the 2nd floor of Sri Rupa Sanatana Gaudiya Matha.