Eighttrn
Da-ys 5ri Pul;rta-ldlt!l's
Milyaput-lilo
Our Modern-duy ViSvakarma A "quiet bloke," a fine artist, an extraordinary humility... As the preparations for the instarllation o[Sn Panca-tartva unfo]clecl throughout the year, Mayapllr was a hive o[ activity: The casting ol the deities was the prime activ- ity, ancl around that, other preparations bcgan. The most significant was the reno- vations and alterations to the area of the Maydpur Candroclaya Manclir, where the deities woulcl resicle. The souncl o[ hammering echoecl througl-rout the vast temple. plaster flew brick walls were erected, and a new entrance appearcd at the northern end o[ the temple. Amicl this hectic atmosphere, one man was overseeing the con- struction, an arduous task at the best o[ times. But aclclecl to his burclen was the lact that it was h-rdia, a notoriously difficult environmen[ flor conducting such a huge project: on top oI that, he was also overseeing the casting ol'the deities in South India. With the two most important events of this year gracing his'to clo' list, this person had to be some l<ind of special... It's harcl to track clown Bharata Maharaja Dasa in Mayipur. He's inevitably at the constrllction site of the ternple, or attencling to a thousalrcl details that in the west would be called "srnall," but which in Inclia assrlule gigantic proporrions. Even after tracking hirn down, he doesn't. have much to say. Mainly because he doesn't really have much time to stand around chatting, br.rt really becausc he's.just a very cluiet bloke. . . An unassuming Australian, Bharata Maharaja DAsa-Bharata to the local clevo- tees-has lived in Mdyapur for l6 years. He met the devorees in S1,dney, and .ioined ISKCON at the Colo River property north o[ Syclney in I98l with his wife, Bhakta Gana Dasi. Both qualifiecl teachers, they were asked to take up service at New Govardhana, the farming comrnunity in the tropical northeast corner o[ New South Wales. The school was seeking both accreditation as a government-recog- nized school, and funding to assist in its operation. Both were granted and the school flourished. Bharata and Bhakta Gana stayecl at New Govarclhana unril rhe
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