In the years since the first installation, the temple at Govindadvipa has undergone many changes. These have been both structural and in terms of personnel. One thing that hasn’t changed is that Their Lordships remain the centre focus for the community. The service continues and without a doubt, the devotion shows! In that time we have had a minium of 118 pujaris (priests/priestesses) that performed direct service and ably assisted by many, many others who performed supporting roles. Whole families have grown up in the service of Sri Sri Radha Govinda.
Devotion is fixed in the heart of an advance devotee, but Krishna is so kind that He appears along with His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani the manifestation of pure bhakt and pleasure potency, just so we can focus our devotion. This is an astonishing benediction. Any mother can attest to the focus and concentration given to looking after a child or a lover focusing on the beloved, it is in the manifestation of wanting to please that we can serve nicely. Similarly when we have a beautiful form of Krishna to serve, we can dovetail all our propensities into a loving sacrifice for God’s pleasure. Of course there is not difference between any aspect of God – His name, form, pastimes, features or creations but one must be very advanced to fully appreciate this in more than theoretical terms. Therefore the performance of all service and activities for the pleasure of Krishna and offering the results out of love, are made so much more accessible when we have beautiful Deity forms to focus on.
We pray that we can continue to do so and ask everyone to help us do so and directly become involved in offering service. There are many ways to do this.
You can offer practical service in doing work, volunteering devotional service, on the island at Govindadvipa and in other practical ways. We always need people to help with maintaining the island, helping with repairs, decorating the temple for festivals etc. Whatever skills you have, these can be offered with devotion to Krishna.
You can offer support in the form of regular patronage of an affordable amount that suits your means. Patron forms are available to download or from the temple for both Euro and Sterling contributions by direct debit.
You can sponsor flowers, a feast or some of amenity facilities that are required as a once off or non-regular contribution – see our facebook page for up-to-date lists on Facebook: Sri Sri Radha Govinda 30th Anniversary 2016. A full list of birthday gifts for the anniversary and sponsorship opportunities are uploaded.
Join our “Fiver a Week” campaign or our version of Fiver Friday! If we have just 25 to 30 individuals who can join this campaign we can meet the shopping needs for Their Lordships India fund each year. This is when we purchase specialist items annually and this is our minimum requirements – as a new campaign we have just 3 slots filled at this time – let’s do what we can to change that. For some people this is not a steady sum due to their means so club together with someone else! On the other hand, it is a small sum that most people would possibly not even notice being spent on something useless or frivolous. So this is an easy way to sustain the seva into the future.
Off a bench, gazebo or mural art in honor of a guru, family member etc. that will reflect the pastimes of The Lord on the island and around the parikrama trail. These can be placed with or without a memorial plaque.
If you have specific skills in building, design, electrician, plumbing, boat maintenance or renovation, landscaping etc. then we would have engagement in these areas to the extent that you can offer service.
Planting a tree that will sustain the island shelter belt and facilities into the future. This requires the tree to be protected from wild deer etc. therefore if planting, this needs to be costed in as a protective guard.
Sponsor a cow to ensure that Krishna’s cows are always cared for.
Help repair the temple and keep it in optimum shape as the House of God/ Govinda’s abode and follow our renovation funding appeal on Go Fund Me. This is a preliminary start to the process but we have a long list of work to be completed including development into the future. So help with the immediate requirements in phrase one on
Temple fund campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/5swd4r2k
