Hare Krsna
Below we have two separate letters from Srila Prabhupada regarding how Vrndavana and New Vrndavana should be developed. Both should be a village like atmosphere where simple living goes on, just the it was 5000 years ago when Krsna and Balaram was there.
Today we have a totally different picture developing and even by the ones who are supposed to be Krsna’s devotees. The devotees in N Vrndavana have opened their land there for gas fracking which destroys the water tables below and makes the water non drinkable. And In Vrndavana India, more of the same by building skyscraper buildings and bringing in high tech apartments and other such dwellings-and still calling it- Vrndavana.
So the question should be asked–why do these devotees do these things???
Hare Krsna-“these things are going on”….
damaghosa das
——————————-
1.) June 14 1969 Letter to Hayagriva–
Vrindaban does not require to be modernized because Krishna’s Vrindaban is transcendental village. They completely depend on nature’s beauty and nature’s protection. The community in which Krishna preferred to belong was Vaisya community, because Nanda Maharaja happened to be a Vaisya king, or landholder, and his main business was cow protection. It is understood that he had 900,000 cows and Krishna and Balarama used to take charge of them, along with His many cowherd boy friends, and every day, in the morning He used to go out with His friends and cows into the pasturing grounds. So, if you seriously want to convert this new spot as New Vrindaban, I shall advise you not to make it very much modernized. But as you are American boys, you must make it just suitable to your minimum needs. Not to make it too much luxurious as generally Europeans and Americans are accustomed. Better to live there without modern amenities. But to live a natural healthy life for executing Krishna Consciousness.It may be an ideal village where the residents will have plain living and high thinking. For plain living we must have sufficient land for raising crops and pasturing grounds for the cows. If there is sufficient grains and production of milk, then the whole economic problem is solved
2.) Letter to Hayagriva, 17th August, 1968
“I am so glad to receive your note dated August 13th, 1968, with the copy of lease agreement and I have gone through it carefully. When you were here I suggested to purchase the land outright. But I think it has not been possible. But on the face of the lease it appears as good as sale document. But the clause, ‘Excepting and reserving however, all of the coal within and underlying said property, and subject to the mining rights and privileges set forth in the deed conveying said coal made by Joseph E. McCombs, et al., dated March 30, 1903, recorded in the said clerks office in Deed Book 98, at page 185,’ has caused my headache.
I do not know what is written there in the Clerk’s office in Deed Book 98, but on common sense, it appears that the area is coal mine or oil mine. Under the circumstances, if in future [the] coal industry is developed and if it is required, the government may at once ask us to vacate and no law can stop it. Even the government does not acquire our land, if in our vicinity some such industry (coal or oil industry) is started, the whole idea of New Vrndavana will fade away.
(Like the gas fracking which is now going on the N Vrndavan property)
Vrndavana conception is a transcendental village, without any botheration of the modern industrial atmosphere. My idea of developing New Vrndavana is to create an atmosphere of spiritual life where people in bona fide order of social division, namely, brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas, sannyasis, or specifically brahmacaris, sannyasis, and vanaprasthas will live there independently, completely depending on agricultural produce and milk from the cows. The life should be simplified without being hampered by laboring day and night for economic development, without any spiritual understanding.
The New Vrndavana idea is that persons who live there will accept the bare necessities of life to maintain the body and soul together and the major part of time should be engaged in the development of Krsna consciousness.
The whole Vedic principle is to develop Krsna consciousness, without creating much botheration for the program of sense gratification. Industrial development (or mining industry) in the neighboring places will mar the whole idea. Now you have to consider yourself, looking forward to the future of the land, and then decide what to do. I do not like to have New Vrndavana with industrial or mining areas. I have got experience of them in India, that the mining areas are simply next to dungeon. The workers in the mines are considered to be residing in hell. And we can never expect any good behavior from such workers. So we must think of the atmosphere around Vrndavana.
In India also, our present government are trying to develop industries in the vast tracts of land around Vrndavana and creating a hellish atmosphere. So I shall request you to be assured of the future of the land, and then do the needful. The summary is that the face of the lease agreement appears to be all right, but I am thinking of a spiritual development. I hope you have received my previous letter and I am expecting your reply as soon as possible.”