Kartik and the TOVP – A Message from Ambarisa and Braja Vilasa Prabhus

Dear Worldwide ISKCON Devotees and Congregation,

Please accept our obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

We would like to wish you a happy Kartik month full of divine service to Lord Damodar and hope you and your family are well and in blissful Krishna-conscious spirits. This time of the year is always greeted with great anticipation and excitement by devotees eager to chant the Damodarastakam and remember the pastimes of the Lord with Mother Yashoda.

One important lesson to learn from this pastime is that Krishna responds to desire and effort in His service. These two elements, desire, and effort, are essential in devotional service and play a key role in our progress towards love of God, Krishna prema. And therefore, it’s no wonder that the Lord tests us to see the extent of our strength of purpose and resolve in this regard and rewards us accordingly. Krishna wants our love so we can join Him in His eternal lilas in the spiritual world and be happy, but He doesn’t force us to express it; it must come from our own heart. His job is to find ways to draw it out of us more and more as part of His lila.

The same principle applies to the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. How much do we desire to build this for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and our acharyas to fulfill their desire to spread Krishna consciousness? The intensity of our desire and willingness to sacrifice must be there for it to manifest. This pleases Krishna more than even the temple itself, just as Mother Yashoda’s sweat and tears pleased Lord Damodar more than being bound with the rope. Rather, He was bound by Mother Yashoda’s love, which overwhelmed Him.

Now, we are approaching the next historic phase of the project, the opening of the completed Nrsimhadeva Wing, the largest Nrsimhadeva Temple in the world, during the 2024 Gaura Purnima Festival, from February 29 – March. February 29 is the auspicious 150th anniversary appearance day of His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, and this will be a most appropriate time to offer the Nrsimha Wing to our Prabhupada, who can in turn offer it to Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura.

With that in mind, we are making an appeal for financial help again for the above-stated Nrsimha Wing completion. All our focus, finances, manpower, etc., is on this goal. Our humble request to each and every one of you is to continue to support the TOVP. Many of you have made and completed pledges for which we are most grateful, and you even continue to give again and again. For those who have outstanding pledges, we request you complete the payments as soon as possible. Some of you made pledges but, at some point, stopped making payments. Some have never started their payments. Some have just a little ways to go to complete their pledges. Please re-evaluate your commitment to this project, strengthen and renew your level of enthusiasm, and show Lord Damodar, Lord Nrsimhadeva, Srila Prabhupada, and our acharyas that it is your heart’s desire to open Nrsimhadeva’s Wing, and ultimately the TOVP. And the month of Kartik is a most auspicious time to do that.

Kindly consider the above and go to the Give To Nrsimha Campaign page or the Pledge Payments (International) or Pledge Payments (Indian Residents) page on the website during this auspicious Kartik time. You can begin or complete your pledges there or sponsor one of the many new options we have available.

Thank you again, and may the Lord bless you and your loved ones with unlimited mercy.

Your servants,
Ambarisa das
Braja Vilasa das