46. The City Begins

46. The City Begins:

“Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja desired that such American and European devotees may live at Māyāpur for studies of Śrī Caitanya’s philosophy. Now the time is ripe when many American, European, and Japanese students, working as my disciples, are ready to go there for this purpose. In 1967, when I went to India, 5 American disciples were with me.” (Srila Prabhupada Letters 69/2/7)

“In 1972 when Śrīla Prabhupāda arrived at our newly acquired property in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, the first thing he did was to lay the foundation stone for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. In 1977, during his last visit, he again laid the foundation stone at the new, relocated temple site. This shows how important it was for Śrīla Prabhupāda to establish this temple.” (Jananivāsa Dāsa Mayapur Journal 6.3)

The devotees living with Śrīla Prabhupāda in the early days of ISKCON Māyāpur relished an especially sweet taste of devotion mixed with intimacy and friendship. “Śrīla Prabhupāda displayed a roselike softness, an intimate, informal and affectionate nature. The holy dhāma of Māyāpur was the spiritual world, Goloka Vṛndāvana; so, the devotees there were living with Prabhupāda in the spiritual world. “More than most any other place in the world, the devotees living in Māyāpur knew they could walk into Prabhupāda’s room and see him. He sometimes even walked into their rooms. While they were working, reading, or talking, he might suddenly walk in and speak with them, asking how they felt and how they were adjusting to living in India. ‘It is difficult living here?’ he would ask. ‘I think India is too hot. What do you think?’

“One day a storm arose and began to howl through the building. Noticing that Prabhupāda’s doors and windows were open, Śatadhanya rushed into the room and began frantically closing them. But Prabhupāda, seated at his desk, said, ‘Stop, leave all the windows open.’ ‘Prabhupāda,’ Śatadhanya protested, ‘the storm is here.’ ‘Just leave them open,’ Prabhupāda said, as the wind rushed through his room at more than 50 miles an hour. Prabhupāda smiled. ‘There is no place in the world like this!’ he said his saffron robes billowing. (Prabhupada Lilamrta)

In the articles of incorporation, Śrīla Prabhupāda lists one of the purposes of ISKCON: “To erect for the members and for society at large, a holy place of transcendental pastimes, dedicated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa.” “We cannot expect the whole world to become perfect. But at least there should be one place, an ideal place, where perfect human society can be seen--an example to the whole world,” said Śrīla Prabhupāda. (Mayapur Journal 1.2)

Commenting on this, Śrīman Pañca-ratna dāsa said, “This vision for Śrī Māyāpur city is the foundation of our challenge. It is not enough to simply duplicate the spiritual heaven of ISKCON temples on a larger scale. We must bring all aspects of human society to their perfectional state in conjunction with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teachings. “Then spiritual Māyāpur will naturally become the capital of the world, from where the flood of the saṅkīrtana movement will spring. The potential for such development is already lying within the very dust and sanctified atmosphere of Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur. In this degraded age of Kali, God Himself appeared here and inaugurated the future city.” (Mayapur Journal 3.2)

Śrīla Prabhupāda often revealed his vision of the future Māyāpur city. It would be a transcendental place wherein people would quickly become devotees. “Any sincere visitor would be charmed by the beauty of ISKCON’s Māyāpur project and would perceive that here indeed was the spiritual world. And the devotees living in Māyāpur, by remaining constantly immersed in singing Hare Kṛṣṇa kīrtana and discussing the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, would be able to convince any intelligent visitor that the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu are the highest truth. “The devotees would explain the philosophy of the Absolute Truth, which would enable visitors to comprehend actual spiritual truth beyond sectarian religious dogma. Furthermore, the continuous Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana and the blissful devotees engaged in a wide variety of services to Lord Kṛṣṇa would demonstrate that bhakti-yoga was the simplest, most direct process for meditating on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. While staying in ISKCON’s Māyāpur city, a person would quickly become a devotee of the Lord and begin chanting and dancing in ecstasy.” (Prabhupada Lilamrta)

How will the Māyāpur city be built? “Māyāpur will not be built by a few enthusiastic devotees, the Bengalis, or the GBC (ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission).

It will be constructed when our worldwide ISKCON movement is constantly absorbed in the thought of the Lord’s abode with a burning desire to fulfil the prophecy of Lord Nityānanda and Śrīla Prabhupāda.” (Mayapur Journal, Śivarāma Swami)