10/30/97 - 1149

Shri Mayapur News

Shri Mayapur News. Vol 1, Number 2. October 1997.

adbhuta mandira ei haibe prakash
gauranga nitya-seva haibe vikasa

'One astounding temple will appear, from where Lord Gauranga's
eternal service will be preached all over the world'.

Lord Nityananda in the Navadwip Mahatmya.

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Editorial.
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It is always rewarding to receive feedback for our service. You can imagine how we felt when we received 130 letters after our last e.mail newsletter. Your feedback was a real boost. We are very encouraged and very grateful to everyone who wrote. I hope I managed to answer your questions and queries to your satisfaction. I offer my apologies to anyone who was inadvertently missed out.

This month, we have introduced a tentative structure to the newsletter. We will aim to have one main feature, a shorter article, a profile of someone working within the project, and some up to the minute news.

This month we start with our news, a feature on the Project Management office from Rajarama das, and a profile of Sadaputa prabhu. There is a longer feature on the Exhibitions Division, and some service opportunities. I hope you like this format, and I do hope you will continue to let us have your feedback. If you have any questions about anything in this edition, please get back to me.

Your Servant Bhagavat Dharma das

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# Hot news #
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The actual location of the temple has been fixed. Engineers had raised issues that may have meant a slight move, but in the end, it was decided to stick to the original plan. The temple will be built on the intersection of a line from Srila Prabhupada's samadhi and a line from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur's house to Sri Yoga Pitha.

The Master Planning team in Bangalore is working against the clock to finalise the road pattern of the Mayapur city.

The Design team in Radlett held a one-day meeting with engineers from Fulcrum and Alan Baxter Associates, two of the professional companies we have engaged, to make plans for natural ventilation in the Temple.

An Internet link has been set up between the offices in Radlett and the Project Management in Maryland. Drawings are scanned in Radlett, sent to Maryland and converted into digital format for ongoing computer aided design.

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The Project Management Team - Leadership and Authority. =======================================================

The Project Management office is based in Maryland, in the USA. The office is managed by Rajarama das, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who designed and managed the construction of the Shri-Shri Radha-Radhanath temple in Durban, South Africa.

Rajarama writes:

Our goal is to execute the directives of the Shri Mayapur Project Development Committee. We carry out very careful co-ordination of all the many activities going on simultaneously. This is a complex project, and we keep proper records and complete documentation, and issue instructions as needed for smooth interaction. We set long term directives, mid-term and short-term goals. We oversee total project costs and develop year by year budgets.

It is our job to make sure the project is developing in a most efficient and focused way for the best possible outcome. Members of the team are constantly researching ways to move the project forward. We prepare documents for the SMPDC to help them make their decisions. We look ahead for possible trouble spots and we develop plans to deal with them before they become critical.

As well as making detailed plans for the construction according to economic, technical, manpower and budget considerations, we develop the schedules for the temple design program and the relevant consultants. We supervise the hired engineers and we control and check the work of the divisions and the consultants for quality, appropriateness, cost efficiency, and timeliness.

Our main tasks at the present time are:

1) Ongoing co-ordination of all activities, and cost control. 2) Forward Planning. Putting together an activity plan and budget for 1998. 3) Overall project costing, including the temple, the Prabhupada Avenue exhibitions and management and engineers accommodation and offices. 4) Troubleshooting. 5) Guiding our consultants in India in setting up our own office in Calcutta. 6) Doing preparation work for the start of construction in three years 7) Working on the legal issues of setting up our official profile in Mayapur. 8) Developing a public relations campaign.

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Profile - Sadaputa das
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Sadaputa das was asked by the SMPDC to be the main designer for the exhibitions that will play such a large part in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. He works closely with Jayapataka Swami and Priyavrata das. He is designing exhibits using 3D computer animation and multimedia techniques.

Sadaputa Prabhu met Srila Prabhupada in New York in 1973. In 1974, he received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University, where he specialised in probability theory and statistical mechanics. He was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1975, and was a founder member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute.

He did research in quantum physics and mathematical biology at the State University of New York, Cambridge University in the UK, and the La Lolla Institute in San Diego.

He has written six books and produced four videos on science and philosophy. Many of his articles have been published in scientific journals and Back To Godhead. His recent book, 'Alien Identities', shows how the ancient Vedic writings describe phenomena very similar to those reported in UFO encounters.

He co-authored 'Forbidden Archaeology' with Drutakarma das. The book looks at anomalies in the archaeological record of history. He and Drutakarma describe how the evidence of bones and artefacts, showing humans like us existed millions of years ago, has been suppressed, ignored, or forgotten.

Sadaputa prabhu has meditated on the instructions of Srila Prabhupada for the Vedic Planetarium for many years. He has conducted extensive research in the Vedic scriptures, and found much in common with current astronomical conclusions. He does not challenge the accuracy or validity of modern astronomy, so much as the historical perspective. Many recent 'discoveries' were known in Vedic times, and the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium will show this clearly.

Sadaputa Prabhu lives in Alachua, Florida with his wife Devamrta Devi Dasi. The couple have a two year-old daughter.

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The Exhibition Division's Creative Vision.
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'...we have asked government to give us 350 acres of land in Mayapura to construct Vedic planetarium, 350 feet high. It will require eight crores of rupees minimum. I shall exhibit there all the planetary systems, Bhurloka, Goloka.' Srila Prabhupada discussing his ideas with Dr. Patel Morning walk in Bombay, April 12th 1976.

The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium will be an impressive place of worship and it will have a dual role as a place of education. Visitors, from all social and cultural backgrounds, will come away with an understanding that the Vedic view of life and the universe is not ancient mythology, but a practical explanation of the world in which we live.

The Bhagavatam is Scientific and Reasonable.

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I spoke with Sadaputa prabhu recently at our office in Radlett. He pointed me to a 1976 letter where Srila Prabhupada requests his Ph. D. disciples to work together to study the 5th canto, and 'make a working model of the universe'. Srila Prabhupada writes, 'If we can explain the passing seasons, eclipses, phases of the moon, passing of day and night etc, then it will be very powerful propaganda'.

The exhibits in the temple will show that the Vedic scriptures give an accurate and logical picture. In some cases, the exhibits will show agreement with the modern view. In other cases, they will directly challenge currently accepted dogmas. The exhibits will feature research in three areas...

a) The astronomical model given in the 5th Canto, including the Bhu-Mandala and the sizes and orbits of the planets will be shown to be largely consistent with the modern scientific view.

b) The physics underlying the Bhagavatam view, involving siddhis and travel through space and time will be shown in terms of higher dimensions and the bending of space-time, both of which are research topics in many universities. A paper released under the US Freedom of Information act shows that the US Army has conducted research into 'remote viewing', a 'paranormal' ability, but one which is documented in the Vedic scriptures. (For example Sanjaya's ability to 'envision' the battle of Kurukshetra for Dhrtarastra.)

c) The timescale of human history held by modern archaeologists will be challenged. Many anomalies have been disregarded to arrive at the current conclusions about the origin of humankind. Recent research by Sadaputa prabhu into the Markendeya Purana will show that evidence of previous yugas is misinterpreted by modern science as 'primitive' and 'stone-age'.

Sadaputa told me that Srila Prabhupada wanted to make good use of modern equipment and technology. Many of the exhibits will be tastefully low-tech, but in some cases, up-to-date computer, electronic and video equipment will be used. The first exciting developments by the Exhibitions Division will be up and running within five years, near Srila Prabhupada's samadhi.

The Pavilions on Prabhupada Avenue.

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The Exhibitions division will begin construction of four pavilions on Prabhupada Avenue, which will be a broad 80m wide tree-lined road running from the samadhi to the new temple. These pavilions will serve as a testing ground and an introduction to the much-expanded presentations that will be included in the temple itself. They will be operational by 2002. The pavilion plans include;

1) Pavilion 1, which will feature the work of Sadaputa prabhu, will include a small planetarium, which will demonstrate the Vedic version of the universe. There will also be an exhibition of Vedic archaeology, following the descriptions of the various yugas in the Markendeya Purana. Their will be a side exhibit showing the extent of the influence of Vedic culture throughout the world.

2) Pavilion 2 will include a 280-degree widescreen movie theatre, designed by Yadubara das. The screen will require 7 video projectors. The first showing in this theatre will be a video, which Yadubara prabhu will make about the holy places of India, according to the Srimad Bhagavatam, as well as a vision of the new temple.

3) Pavilion 3 will be the ISKCON World expo. All the temples will be represented. Visitors will have the opportunity to see how ISKCON is preaching and expanding throughout the world. There will be videos from each temple, and prasadam booths serving the cuisine of many of the various centres.

4) Pavilion 4 will be a transcendental walk-through experience, similar to the FATE museum in Detroit. The work on this exhibit is being designed by Vaineteya das, an accomplished sculptor from Serbia. A team of devotee artists will start work next year.

The Dhams tour and the Temple.

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Srila Prabhupada often quoted this verse from Shri Brahma Samhita in relation to his plans for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium: goloka-namni nija-dhamni tale ca tasya devi-mahesa-hari-dhamasu tesu tesu te te prabhava-nicaya vihitas ca yena govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

"Below the planet named Goloka Vrndavana are the planets known as Devi-dhama, Mahesa-dhama and Hari-dhama. These are opulent in different ways. They are managed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the original Lord. I offer my obeisances unto Him."

(Brahma Samhita 5.43, quoted in Chaitanya Charitamrta Madhya 21.49)

This verse forms the basis for the exhibits in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. Visitors will see the nature and characteristics of the various levels of the universe, according to the Vedic version.

They will first of all see the layout of the universe as it is given in the Srimad Bhagavatam. They will gain an understanding of the position of the Earth in relation to the Sun, the Moon, the planets and the stars. Then they will

begin a journey to the spiritual world. The text below is adapted from a visualisation written for the Mayapur Journal, by Divya Simha das...

'Standing near the central altar, under the main shikara, I become aware that there is some activity going on way up in the top area of the dome. I can make out some kind of bridge crossing the dome and, on prompting, the guide explains that it is the Goloka temple. We walk to the western dome, where we see a huge diorama of Maha Vishnu, and we climb the stairs to the exhibition level.

The dhams tour begins. The guide introduces the visitors to Devi-dham. The exhibition consists of many exquisite dioramas. We see an impressive deity of Durga-devi, the guide explains how she is in charge of the material world. Her pujari is making various offerings of the Lord's prasadam, incense and garlands. The Goddess is positioned in Her vimana tempmany exquisite dioramas. We see

We move on to Mahesh-dham, the abode of Lord Shiva, who is seen here with His consort Parvati, His carrier Nandi and His elephant-headed son Ganesh, at Kailash. We pass through the blinding light of the Brahmajyoti and we enter Hari-dham. The deities of Laxmi - Narayana are worshipped with great opulence and in a mood of awe and veneration. Here we also see the transcendental abode of Ayodhya.

During the dhams tour I take the opportunity to further investigate the architectural features of the temple. I find beautifully finished and ornately crafted carved stone and marble. The various structural elements seem to reconcile with and enhance the effect of each other. Perhaps the most stunning observation I make is the way that the overall appearance and subtle vibration of the temple seem to gradually change as we climb to the higher levels.

Moving on, a smaller group of us, floor by floor, continue our climb. We look up to the Goloka Temple above - somehow it all looks far larger than it did when viewing from the ground. On reaching the Goloka altar we behold the exquisite forms of Sri Sri Radha - Syamasundar. We see mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaj and the gopas and the gopis in their various relationships with the Lord. Just around the corner, we see another altar, bathed in golden light. It is the transcendental realm of Shri Navadwipa dham, and there is a huge effulgent chanting party led by Lord Chaitanya Himself...'

The preaching work of the Exhibitions Division is very innovative and exciting, and we will closely follow further developments in future issues. If you have any questions about the above, please write to me and I will pass on your comments to Sadaputa and Priyavrata prabhus.


See also Service Opportunities

Acknowledgements.
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I would like to acknowledge the following devotees who helped in the
preparation of this month's edition.

Divya Simha das, Priyavrata das, Rajarama das, Sadaputa das and all the devotees who gave their encouragement after the last edition, especially my spiritual master H. H. Mukunda Goswami.