A Portrait of Devotion

A Photo Illustration of Devotee Service at New Vrindaban

The high priest offers "Aarti" to Lord Krishna--the Supreme Being and source of all energy. The sacred offering of auspicious items is given to God six times a day starting at 5 a.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m. as gratitude for the life he breathes in all creation. An important part of the ceremony is the initial sound of the conch shell, which begins the ceremony and purifies the air.

The high priest makes an offering to an alter of Lord Krishna and companion Radha, during the puja ceremony. "Puja" means worship.

Lotus, a devotee, displays the Aarti tray. The conch shell purifies the air, clearing the ether for prayer and devotion. The lotus flower represents beauty and purity. The bell, which is rung three consecutive times, calls attention to the ceremony. The gifts of water and fire are also given back to the deities as an offering.

Mother Dhara prepares a meal to be offered up to Krishna for Mangala Aarti, the early morning ceremony.

Devotees worship the half-man, half-lion form of Lord Krishna, Lord Nrisimhadeva. This material form of Krishna is both man and animal. Lord Krishna came down to Earth in this form to demonstrate his love for his devotees as well as his intolerance with their mistreatments.

A devotee offers respect to the three deities; Jagannath (center), another name for Krishna; Baladev (left) Krishna's brother; and Subhadra (right), Krishna's sister. In this worshiped form, Krishna is never alone, but has the companionship of his siblings.

A devotee offers the "ghee" lamp made of clarified butter and cotton candles called damadar wicks. "Damadar" is another name for Krishna. The devotee offers the light of the fire to the deities as part of "Aarti" which offers earth, wind, fire and water back to the deities.

After the "ghee" lamp is offered to Lord Krishna, a loving exchange is made among the devotees. Each devotee brings their hands to their head over the ghee lamp at the mercy of God.

The Hare Krishna mantra and other chants are put to rhythmic music as a part of worship to Lord Krishna during a service at the temple.

Through rhythm and dance, devotees express a passion for their love of Krishna.

Community members dance as a form of meditation and a way to connect with Lord Krishna. Each person dances to his or her internal beat or as a group to show their devotion and love for God.

Members show their devotion to Krishna in unique ways. Whether lying on the floor in meditation, kneeling before the deities or dancing to the Hare Krishna mantra, they devote their lives to finding eternal peace with God and ultimately, a transcendental existence.

Namaskar is a form of meditation used to show respect. This position is performed during the morning services, upon entering a holy place, to show respect toward another devotee or in front of a deity or person with an elevated position. Children may use this position to show reverence to their parents as well.

New Vrindaban Vice President Janaka meditates to the Hare Krishna mantra during the morning prayer time called "Mangala Aarti." Meditating to the mantra exudes the very essence and importance of Krishna consciousness. It allows the devotees to concentrate on their love for Krishna and tune into their spiritual self.

Devotees at New Vrindaban chant on prayer beads called "jappa" as a form of meditation. Chanting involves repeating the Hare Krishna mantra "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." The mantra is chanted 108 times (once per bead) for 16 rounds.

Drinking the nectar of Krishna's feet is an offering of love and acknowledgment to the Lord and is a way to recognize his purity. The nectar of the feet is made of flower petals, honey, saffron, and water. After drinking the nectar devotees cleanse their hands with water for purity.

The Tulsi tree is the plant form of the Goddess Vrinda, who provided her sacred forest as a sanctuary for Krishna and his companion, Radha. During morning services, devotees circle the Tulsi tree in worship and chant prayers to Vrinda so they may enter her forest where Krishna stays.

Different stages of children's development are celebrated and worshiped as part of their devotion to Lord Krishna. Here the crowned child is celebrating her first grain ceremony, celebrating her first taste of grain at 6 months.

A statue of New Vrindaban founder, His Devine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is worshipped by the devotees. Flowers are offered to their spiritual guru who last visited the community in 1976, before his death.

The high priest blesses each devotee on the forehead before he or she departs at the end of the service.

Like in other religions, these devotees listen to a priest give a Sunday morning sermon. The priest reads scripture from the Bhagavad-Gita, the religion's most sacred book.

President Narada Muni teaches the beliefs of Krishna to students inside the temple.

A father holds his daughter at the early morning service in the temple at New Vrindaban.

Lotus holds "chandan," sacred clay from the Ganges that is used to mark the body as a temple of God. The marking on their forehead is called a tilak which takes the shape of the Tulsi leaf. Each morning devotees mark their bodies in 13 places to cleanse and purify the body with the different names of God.

Vegetarian meals, referred to as prasadam, are served three times a day to the members and guests of New Vrindaban. Prasadam is blessed and offered up to God before it is eaten.

Lotus meditates on Lord Krishna under the warm sun of the community's organic garden. One devotee described Krishna as the sun and each devotee as a ray of sun--not Krishna but a part of him.

New Vrindaban is a vegetarian community. Local farmers grow organic gardens to help feed the community and deities as a service to Lord Krishna.

A holy animal to the Hare Krishnas, the cow, which is believed to be one of their "seven mothers," is treated with the utmost respect. The manure of the cow is used in many resourceful ways including (but not limited to) fertilization and insulation.

To show pure devotion to Lord Krishna, one must respect all living creatures. No meat is eaten in the community. Devotees have developed an "Adopt a Cow" program in which cows are saved from butchering and allowed to live peacefully on the farm.

Devotees celebrate the victory of Lord Rama over the great demon Ravana. Rama, a great king of ancient India, is believed to be an incarnation of Krishna. The center devotee is dressed as Lord Rama, to his left is a devotee dressed as Laxman, Rama's brother and devoted loyal servant, and to his right is Hanuman, the monkey and the greatest servant of Lord Rama personifying selfless service. Together they march to the effigy of Ravana.

In ancient times, there lived the evil King Ravana. Ravana, a 10-headed demon, possessed mystic powers and was infamous for murdering and raping women. Despite his evil ways, he performed austerities, or "tapasya," for 10,000 years because he wished to be God. Every fall, the devotees of New Vrindaban build an effigy of Ravana for the Ram Vijaya festival, which celebrates Rama's victory.

Devotees reenact the battle between Ravana and Lord Krishna, who manifests himself in the form of the great king, Rama. An army of monkeys assist Rama as the great king shoots Ravana with fire-breathing bows and arrows.

Visitors and devotees look on as Ravana burns brilliantly in the dark West Virginian night. The celebration of Rama's victory symbolizes their pure devotion to Krishna and their desire to combat evil.

New Vrindaban devotees cast a lighted Swan boat every weekend on the lake. A symbol of purity, the swan serves as a beautiful boat for Krishna and Radha to ride.

Yoga is used for meditation to bring about inner peace and self realization. Devotee Garanga Kishore teaches visitors the basic Yoga positions.

Male devotees of New Vrindaban shave their head leaving a small lock of hair. This action symbolizes the devotees' surrender to Lord Krishna as their personal God. The males will also wear saffron to symbolize detachment from materialism and attachment to God.

These women began worshipping at 4:30 a.m. Two hours later, they continue their morning at the Palace of Gold and chant to Lord Krishna.

Surrounded by a nationally recognized rose garden, this flowering fountain is found outside the Palace of Gold. These beautiful gardens and fountain are kept to praise Lord Krishna and celebrate his beauty.

The Palace of Gold was built with many spots for devotees to sit and meditate as they worship Lord Krishna.

The Palace of Gold was built in 1979 by the devotees of the community. Nobody that built the palace was skilled in any of the crafts that went into its creation. The Palace was built out of pure devotion and love to Prabhupada, who connects devotees and visitors with Krishna.