As Sadhu Sanga turns a decade old, the crescendo of celebration coincides with the Gita Jayanti Day, which marks the inaugural of New Navadvip Dham—a celebration spanning December 22-25 in McAllen, Texas. The event unfolds with the recitation of the Bhagavad Gita, enrapturing kirtans, enlightening classes by revered personalities, and the resonance of Harinam. Devotees can join the festivities beginning with the Yajna and Gita recitation at 3 pm CDT, USA, on December 22, on their Facebook and YouTube channels. 

In a visionary gesture, Sarvajaya Madhava Das extends a thousand-acre haven from his sprawling 7500-acre domain in the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas, earmarking it for the realization of the New Navadvip Dham named by HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj and HH Indradyumna Swami Maharaj. Furthermore, the divine endorsement of Their Holinesses Radhanath Swami and Giriraja Swami graces this visionary project.

New Navadvip Dham stands as a fertile expanse not only in proximity to the public eye but also harmoniously blending farming allure with the necessities of the modern age. The nucleus of this endeavor orbits the creation of a Krishna Conscious Community, providing an unprecedented bastion of sustenance for devotees. The invitation is extended, beckoning devotees to converge, preach, and sow the seeds of devotion in the fertile soil of the Rio Grande Valley.

Govinda Caran Das, one of the organizers of Sadhu Sanga Retreat, gave us details about the whole initiative. He said, “Sadhu Sanga has already established itself in North America, and we want to take the relationship to the next level to make it more substantial and tangible permanently for the devotee community. We already have a community, but we meet only four days a year. We asked, ‘What if we can build a community where Sadhu Sanga happens every day?’ One of the main motivations is to become a powerful medium.”

He continued, “Our goal is to build a community-centered devotee care where devotees can benefit each other by developing their businesses. This will solve the economic problem and also the need for associating with devotees in a protected community. We want to contribute to the vision of Srila Prabhupada for ‘Simple Living, High Thinking.’ “

HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj and HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj looking at the New Navadwip Dham site plan.

Speaking about the challenges faced, Govinda Caran stated, “One of the challenges in building a community is that they are too far away from the public. This property has the advantage of being a farming land in addition to the access to modern amenities required for emergencies or preaching. There are thousands of university students near the area. The cost of living is also very low here in this part of Texas. So, you get to preach and build your self-sufficient farming community, and you can also provide devotee care to the residents.”

He continued, “Our main Sadhu Sanga retreat happens every May. Next year, we will have it in Dallas. But we don’t have any place that can hold 3,000 devotees in one place. We rent places with huge conference rooms to facilitate the retreat. But a property like this will help us to build our retreat center and save so many costs for future retreats. We are inviting our established community members to build something wonderful to have our retreat center and not depend on outside sources to offer so much more for the public along with the devotees like yoga classes, kirtans, weddings, and many more things.”

Remarkably, the aspirations of New Navadvip Dham align with the visions articulated by His Holiness Tamal Krsna Goswami Maharaja some three decades ago. Inaugurating the New Navadvip Dham project on Gita Jayanti day—the anniversary of Krishna’s impartation of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna 5,000 years ago—marks the initial stride in manifesting Goswami Maharaja’s prophetic vision.

In this context, Govinda Caran Das exclaimed, “He envisioned building the Arjuna-Krishna temple where the Bhagavad Gita is recited daily and preached and distributed to the people. Because of this vision of Maharaj, we thought that we could have this first program on the property on Gita Jayanti Day.”

Though the temple is yet to manifest physically, the seeds are sown for a future where Gita Jayanti becomes synonymous with the birth of New Navadvip Dham. Govinda Caran explained, “We do not yet have any structure that will manifest in the subsequent years, but right now, we want to organize this as a 4-day annual event on Gita Jayanti Day. We don’t hold any Gita conferences for the public even though we have the best Bhagavad Gita. It would be like an annual conference inviting both from the academia and devotee segments. We want to organize more events for now. Part of the Sadhu Sanga team is helping to develop this event.”

This will be followed by engaging kirtans and enlightening classes by esteemed personalities, including His Holiness Guruprasada Swami, His Grace Caru Prabhu, His Grace Nityananda Prabhu, His Grace Sri Prahlad Prabhu, and His Grace Radhika Ramana Prabhu. There is also an addition of Harinaam Sankirtan at the renowned South Padre Beach, coupled with a comprehensive tour of the New Navadvip Dham property, encompassing pony rides, fruit harvesting, a goshala, and sumptuous prasadam.

Govinda Caran Das concluded, “Already 250 devotees have registered. Essentially, we are inviting devotees to help us develop this community. Come, preach, and cultivate alongside us.”

To learn more about the project, visit the NewNavadvipDham.org website or email them.

Again, to join live beginning at 3 pm CDT, USA, visit their YouTube channel and Facebook page.