I have a really strange New Vrndavana story. Well, I guess it’s not strange compared to most other ones, but it was really bizarre to me as it was happening.

I had sort of forgotten about this until I was watching Holy Cow Swami, a documentary about New Vrndavana filmed about a year or two before I started living there. It was nice to see some of the devotees I knew like Mother Gopa and Saci (mata). Weird seeing Bhaktipada (who made semi-frequent trips to the dhama when I was living there).

Part of the documentary covered the attack made on Bhaktipada during the brick-laying for the road to the palace. And then it came back to me…

For about a month, I lived with the pipe that was used to attack Bhaktipada, the clothes that he was wearing when he was attacked and the brain scans from his hospital stay (which were said to look like Lord Nrsmhadeva, though I couldn’t see it).

Now, how does a lowly bhakta come into contact with such things? I don’t want to step on any toes here. The devotee to whom I was married to at the time had gotten into Bhaktipada’s house (which was a fairly easy thing to do – I hadn’t done it in 1996, but I had ten years later) with a few friends and taken a display case containing said items. I think they got a bunch of other stuff as well.

This happened over the HUGE Prabhupada centennial celebration when New Vrndavana was unofficially welcomed back into ISKCON (officially, it would take another year or so).

The pipe was in the case, but I can’t remember if they opened it up or not. The clothes still had his blood on them. Along with the brainscans was a song written about how Lord Nrsmhadeva personally protected this “pure devotee.” If anyone remembers the lyrics to that song, let me know.

It was then, right after he was attacked, that he started really deviating from the philosophy. Before that, it was just a power thing, I think. But after that, he started changing everything. But because the devotees there had such a love for him and devotion to him, they went along with it. Everyone did. From Radhanatha Swami down to the common devotees. They really did believe he was a pure devotee. It’s so easy to see now that he never was. But I wasn’t there at the time. Everyone was so caught up in it.

This is what maya does. Maya is illusion. Literally, “that which is not.” These devotees were in maya, very literally. I’m pretty sure even Bhaktipada believed it.

But anyway, back in ‘96, it was a really, really strange time for me. My marriage was coming to an end and I was getting ready to leave New Vrndavana because of it. Half of me wanted to stay and half of me wanted to leave. I sided with the half that wanted to leave and have regretted it here and there, but what can I do? And along with all this strangeness, items from New Vrndavana’s past continually piled up on my living room floor. She wanted to create a museum. That’s an idea that I could get behind. I still think it’s a good idea. At least an archive.

I can’t say that I was opposed to this. I didn’t personally want to go up there to get them, but I was very fascinated with it. Still am. I love New Vrndavana and it’s incredibly freaky history.

In this stash were several of the Franciscan Monks robes worn by devotees a mere three years before this (most stopped wearing them in ‘93). When I first started going to the temple in 1994, some of the pujaris still wore the robes. I wish I had one. I would really like one. Does anyone still have a robe that they wouldn’t mind parting with? It would make me one happy guy.

It was a really strange time for New Vrndavana between ‘93, when they basically stopped the Christian-type services and ‘96, when ISKCON pretty well took over. It was a really strange mix of people. In the temple, we had Mahati and Visvamurti (what happened to them?). In the apartments, we had Sister Piety (who was pretty awesome in silk saffron punjabi talking about “Shreela Bhaktipada!” in her southern accent.

Gopa and Damodara were in charge (and I think they ran it really, really well). Gopa was a sweet motherly figure to me. She was wonderful. Damo was always doing some incredibly unpleasant service that no one else wanted to do. Sometimes, dressed in high rubber boots and big rubber gloves, he’d find you and with a sarcastic grin he’d say, “ohh prabhu, have I got some mercy for you today!” And there was really no getting out of it. But what was great about him was that he would be there doing this crummy service with you! Here was the temple president right along side a bhakta doing whatever had to be done. I can respect that.

I really miss New Vrndavana. But I think a lot has changed since those days. Then, I secretly hoped that ISKCON wouldn’t take it back. That New Vrndavana could somehow continue on with a very ISKCON-friendly vibe and services, but still… not quite back into the fold. It seemed so perfect. I doubt it was. Hell, I know it wasn’t! I was there, sometimes it was hell. But I miss it anyway.

Sorry for going on like this. It’s one of those days.

Oh, and about Holy Cow Swami… even if you don’t want to watch it, watch the first 10 or 15 minutes until you get to the really burned out hippie guy with dreads. That burn out became Hari Bhakta. He was one of my favorite devotees when I lived there. By the time I knew him, he was shaved up. His wife is Gopilila and was living in Columbus when I was. They are wonderful devotees, please keep them in your prayers.

The movie was finished in 1996 with Bhaktipada’s final guilty plea. There was another movie made by West Virginia PBS in 1993ish. I’ve not found anyone who has it.

Related posts:

1. Strange bit of New Vrndavana History
2. In New Vrndavana for Radhastami
3. Hold tight, little (well sorta biggish) pipe!
4. Trip-trapping along the ridge at New Vrndavana
5. New Vrndavana recap-a-thon!