December 31st
2006 PANCHA TATTWA ARE COMING
I have something to share with you before the year ends.
Here at Gopinatha dham our year has been a time for hard work and anticipation. We have been trying to complete our gallery/museum of the three holy dhamas. Still the work continues.
In the very beginning of 2006 I visited Mayapura and requested Jananivasa Prabhu to arrange the making of a fibreglass display of the Panca Tattva for our Mayapura section. Midway through the year we received word that the work was complete [see above].
My plan was to include a trip to Mayapura in my visit to India during the last few months.I was eager to see if the PancaTattwa were painted and ready.
Asta Sakhi dasi, a very talented Russian devotee, [now living in Mayapura] had agreed to paint Them. After recently completing the painting of all the deities on the three altars in Mayapura, she was free to begin. I know the value of her time. When I arrived therefore I quickly visited her room. She showed me her progress.
My next challenge was how to safely ship Them to Perth.
T o avoid extensive costs Asta Sakhi suggested we carefully pack PancaTattwa and Palika, who was staying temporarily in Mayapura, could bring Them to Vrindavana. Thus They appeared unexpectedly, all packed and ready to go, during my last few days before returning to Perth. Suddenly I became the bearer of a greatly valuable treasure.
I wrote "FRAGILE" and "GLASS INSIDE" all over the cloth package,and the AirMalaysia staff assured me that They would be treated with care.
When I arrived in Perth and collected my baggage,I could feel immediatly that the PancaTattwa were slightly damaged, however after a quick unwrap and repair They were ready for Their first viewing.
Tomorrow a New Year begins, with new challenges and new services. Srila Prabhupada would often tell us that the most valuable thing in the world is time. We cannot buy back even one second of our life for any price! Therefore he urged us to always use our time wisely in service to Krishna.
For the few devotees who live here at Gopinatha dham, this coming year will be all about trying to complete this gallery/museum and thus introduce these three Holy dhamas - Maypaura, Puri and Vrindavana - to those who visit us here personally or through this website.
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So PancaTattwa are here......
......and tonight is New Year"s Eve, at least here in Perth, West Australia. They are here. and as I sit here, writing to you, the year ends with a sweet kirtan playing quietly .
Srila Prabhupada Ki jaya
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