OUT OF THIS WORLD

Recently we have divided some land into 10 plots for devotees to live in Pandavas Paradise. The designated land is in-between the temple and the waterfalls, with about 10 minutes walk either way. GD and I are hoping to build a house there too and we have already chosen our plot.

Here is a view from one of the plots:

Here is a photo overlooking our plot:

We are currently based in Brasilia, about 260km away, but we would like to spend more of our time in Pandavas Paradise. Life in the city can be a lot more convenient for our material needs – internet, banks, shops etc., but life in a peaceful and devotional, countryside community is a lot more convenient for our spiritual needs.

As missionary types we are concerned about reaching people. In spreading Krishna consciousness, most of the people that we want to reach happen to be concentrated in cities, and, therefore, cities tend to be the most active preaching grounds. At Pandavas Paradise however, we are fortunate that the city folks come to us looking for a some fresh air and, more often than not, a spiritual alternative to their daily grind. They usually find out about us through the internet. When they come to Pandavas Paradise they spend time in our beautiful natural surroundings and they chant Hare Krishna with us, participate in our temple activities, and learn the spiritual knowledge of Krishna consciousness. So even without living in the city, we are still able to reach the city people. And these people usually come from not just one city but from various cities all over Brazil.

In between retreats, GD and I focus on our service of teaching, writing, and internet preaching. Most of this could be done in Pandavas Paradise if we had a good enough internet connection, but right now we only have weak mobile internet there, so it might be some time before we are able to make it our main home. And, for now, we still want to be in Brasilia for “Krishna Sanga” (our weekly Sunday event) and the monthly “Gita Sunday” (6 hours of Gita study with the Brasilia group).

So far only one other devotee has chosen his plot in Pandavas Paradise. He will be retiring in a year or so and looks forward to living there as a vanaprastha. There are several other devotees still considering the possibilty of building a home, or week-end cabin there.

Pandavas Paradise continues to grow, and we are looking forward to finding out what Krishna has in store for us in the future. We are already planning many exciting projects there, including two temples, an International Brahmacharini Training Centre and an Ayurvedic Spa! But more on all that later.