(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 14 November 2017, Mayapur, India, Nectar of Devotion Seminar)
In the Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 13, we are talking about residing in Mathura dhama or Mathura mandala which refers to the holy dhama of Vrindavan. Mayapur dhama is non-different. “So this attainment of transcendental loving devotional service to the Lord is the goal of life and it can be achieved very easily for one who lives in Mathura mandala even for a few seconds.” EVEN FOR A FEW SECONDS! Just see all the benefit we are getting by being part of this Movement and understand why Srila Prabhupada wanted to develop projects in these holy dhamas where we could stay.
Of course, the Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya is pointing out that in the age of Kali, Vrindavan will become less and less manifest and Mayapur will become more and more manifest – not that it is any less transcendental; Vrindavan will stay equally transcendental but less manifest to the perception.
So gradually that will happen; materialistic society will enter into the layer that is covering Vrindavan – the layer of yoga-maya, the illusory energy. That layer then becomes polluted and then that layer which covers the dhama is less transparent. The dhama itself, of course, cannot be touched by anything material or by Kali-yuga but the dhama will be less visible. But still, we appreciate it.
It used to be so nice… When I went to the Krsna Balaram mandir, it was so nice. We had neighbours on either side and then on either side of that was open space. Across the road was a big park. After us, basically, Vrindavan would end. Then at the back was Raman Reti – you could see sixty peacocks in Raman Reti. There were even peacocks on the side of the road. The road was small and there would be one car a day going by. There were no scooters, nothing like that. Cycles and tongas, horse carts with wobbly wheels and tiny little horses, that was it.
In Loi Bazar, the shopkeepers would be sleeping. If you wanted to buy something, you had to wake them up. That is how it was. A totally different Vrindavan than what it is now. What can I say? There were no Western things. And there were not all these other people; just people who were coming for a yatra, for a pilgrimage. There were no hotels and guesthouses. There were ashramas. People would stay in ashramas. There was no television so in every house, at night there was kirtan. If you just walk to anywhere in Vrindavan at night, there was kirtan. Forty years ago – a different time. So now, I can see how Vrindavan is becoming more covered; like Yamuna, little bit polluted and so on. What can we say? But Mayapur will become more and more manifest.