51st issue - Nitya-seva Newsletter

 December 2019.

Dear Devotees,
 
At the end of each year Lord Caitanya’s soldiers from New Vraja Dhama, and throughout ISKCON, take the opportunity offered by the seasonal buying frenzy, to deliver the greatest gift to everyone on the streets of Hungary as well as in other countries. The Farm becomes almost desolate but those who remain at home looking after Sri Sri Radha-Syama and the project, stay connected to the fire of the Marathon spirit by meditating on the success of this important mission and hoping their heartfelt prayers will inspire an increase in transcendental book distribution! Every morning they anxiously wait for the scores to come in, eager to hear how it went.

This year, the sincere effort and prayers of all the devotees was rewarded with exceptional distribution results.  Each day the scores attested to the great success of the collective Marathon effort. So many books were distributed, and much lakshmi was collected for the maintenance of Sri Sri Radha-Syama’s home.

Book distribution is a wonderful opportunity to interact with those who are not aware of Krishna Consciousness and offer them a chance to learn about the benefit of engaging in the Lord’s service. By receiving a book and making any donation, unknowingly, small or large, one is automatically blessed to receive the benefits of contributing to this most subline cause! Yet even greater is the benefit of volunteering to serve Krishna by distributing books and inspiring others to contribute.  Sri Krisna is pleased when someone offers service and/or money from the heart, like so many of our readers are doing!

This December we finally completed the construction of our new pujari kitchen. A brand new, sparkling kitchen was offered to Sri Sri Radha-Syamasundara only a week before the end of 2019. This kitchen’s construction started in September and was competed in only 3,5 months! Everything is entirely made from stainless steal. The cupboards for storing the cooking utensils, the worktables, the ovens and the utensils themselves are all brand new. Since there are different sections in the same kitchen for cooking different meals, it is like three kitchens in one.  The devotees who sacrificed for so many weeks, cooking in a cold, outdoor, temporary kitchen, were happy to finally be able to cook in this newly constructed and warm facility and we pray that Radha-Syama will be happy with the offerings prepared in this kitchen for many years to come.

We would like to conclude the final newsletter of the year with the story of one donor who finished paying the last installment of her Nitya-seva this December. This elderly lady is a wonderful example of a surrendered soul. She lives in New Vraja Dhama but is one of the few who to live here not as a volunteer but as a supporter. She gets no financial support from the community and relies on her pension for personal support. She volunteers regularly as a pujari, personally serving Radha-Syama and she has donated for two Nitya-sevas previously. Her example of using both body and resources in Radha-Syama’s service is inspirational.

Three years ago, she started donating for her third Nitya-seva. This month, on Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja disappearance day, she finished all the payments. In order to save the required funds to meet her pledge she sacrificed privileges that she enjoyed in the past. For example, generally she would go to India on parikrama yearly however the last few years she stopped going so that she could save money for her Nitya-seva. She also stopped buying herself new saris.  To further cut down expenses she refrained from cooking for herself and instead took her quota of whatever maha-prasadam the temple distributed freely to the devotees. When asked, she said that donating for Nitya-seva is her way of showing the Lord her gratitude. Since we receive everything from the Lord and by His mercy, He maintains us,-- she felt she wanted to reciprocate by giving back to Him and choose Nitya-seva as the best means to do so.

Jaya Radha-Syama!

In the name of the Nitya-seva team your servant,
Syamajiu Dasi

11th January, 2020., New Vraja Dhama