The ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry serves to help inspire and educate devotees in the art of deity worship. To help facilitate this, the Mayapur Academy was established to offer devotees a four-month intensive training course equipping devotees with the necessary knowledge, skills, and values to better serve in their home temples. Successful graduates receive a diploma in arcana.
Mayapur Academy has had great success over the past 10 years, yet it is not always easy for devotees to be away from their service or home for four months. To address this challenge faced by some devotees, ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry is now bringing Mayapur Academy to the world of ISKCON for the first time.
This April, ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry, partnering with ISKCON Villa Vrindavan, will expand its offerings by conducting a 12-week training program at beautiful Villa Vrindavan.
Villa Vrindavan will become a regional campus of the Mayapur Academy and offer course units in temple worship, brahminical culture & ethics, deity dressing, cooking for the deity, temple festivals (including maha abhisek), jewellry making, and a course in caring for and worshiping Tulasi devi.
This will be the first time that devotees will be able to receive comparable training outside of Mayapur, and we encourage all interested devotees to participate.
Your servant,
Nrsimha Kavaca dasa
ISKCON Deity Worship Minister
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Dear Maharajas, Prabhus, Mataji Please accept my respectful obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada
We are happy to announce that in the period April / July Villa Vrindavana in collaboration with Mayapur Academy will host an official training course for Deity worship Please find attached an presentation article and photos of the Deities. For more information and to register please see http://www.villavrindavana.org/en/academy/
your servant
Parabhakti dasa (Temple President)
Some history.
In 2005 when I accepted to manage Villa Vrindavana the situation was critical and along with all of the other areas of this enormous property, we were struggling with the Divinity adoration; sad stories circulated on grave
In 2005 when I accepted to manage Villa Vrindavana the situation was critical and along with all of the other areas of this enormous property, we were struggling with the Divinity adoration; sad stories circulated on grave neglect and superficiality regarding our relationship with the murtis. I imeadiately organized the formation of a committee for adoration of the Divinities/pujari consisting of two older devotees and the younger Karunarasa dd, who I repeatedly encouraged because, due to her luminous modesty, she did not feel sufficiently competent for the task. After a brief period, the other devotees, for various reasons, abandoned this very challenging service and Karunarasa was left alone. For me it was a clear message that Krishna wanted her as His principal assistent but when I comunicated my intention of nominating her as head pujari she stared at me in wonder.
With serene conviction I continued to expalin to her that not only was she competent as pujari, she was and remains profoundly in love with our beloved Murtis. I reminded her of her great service to Them and of her enormous sacrifices, certain of her devoted dedication for the future.
The first years of the new management of the Villa were extremely difficult. There were few devotees, no funds, no preaching, only debts to pay, relationships to mend, old conflicts to resolve and as a consequence the pujaris were in a difficult position of guaranteeing good service.
With a proactive attitude aimed at fundraising, the pujari department began to produce Maha prasadam distributing it for a donation at their “Vishvam-bar”. They created their own line of insence , and more… In this way and thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices and desire of the group that gradually grew, funds were generated that did improve the situation. The pujari area, previously in an unfortunate condition has been rennovated, currently the Divinities are offered numerous new clothes during the year and new festivities like Pushpa Abhiseka, Vrinda Devi and Chappan Bhoga have been added to the calender in order to offer devotees and friends more occasions to unite and glorify Krishna.
The second step in our program was to organize courses on basic worshiping open to all those interested and on Divinity adoration opened to devotees with the second initiation.
Basic courses have been activated and those for adoration are finally open for enrollment.
The project has taken form thanks to Devaprastha dasa, Lalita Lila dasi and Devaki Rupa dasi, all pujaris at the Villa who have established a synergy with and gained the support of Manohara dasa and Vishaka dasi. his wife , instructors in the Mayapur Academy and important collaborators in the Deities Ministry.
In close collaboration with the Villa Vrindavana Comunication Team, directed by Naradamuni dasa, also responsabile for the preparation of didactic material, presently Villa Vrindavana offers an official course of formation for pujaris which until now was available only at the Mayapur Academy.
An historical moment that proves how love, devotion, perseverence and desire can transform difficult situations into positive dynamics and development.
neglect and superficiality regarding our relationship with the murtis. I imeadiately organized the formation of a committee for adoration of the Divinities/pujari consisting of two older devotees and the younger Karunarasa dd, who I repeatedly encouraged because, due to her luminous modesty, she did not feel sufficiently competent for the task. After a brief period, the other devotees, for various reasons, abandoned this very challenging service and Karunarasa was left alone. For me it was a clear message that Krishna wanted her as His principal assistent but when I comunicated my intention of nominating her as head pujari she stared at me in wonder.
With serene conviction I continued to expalin to her that not only was she competent as pujari, she was and remains profoundly in love with our beloved Murtis. I reminded her of her great service to Them and of her enormous sacrifices, certain of her devoted dedication for the future.
The first years of the new management of the Villa were extremely difficult. There were few devotees, no funds, no preaching, only debts to pay, relationships to mend, old conflicts to resolve and as a consequence the pujaris were in a difficult position of guaranteeing good service.
With a proactive attitude aimed at fundraising, the pujari department began to produce Maha prasadam distributing it for a donation at their “Vishvam-bar”. They created their own line of insence , and more… In this way and thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices and desire of the group that gradually grew, funds were generated that did improve the situation. The pujari area, previously in an unfortunate condition has been rennovated, currently the Divinities are offered numerous new clothes during the year and new festivities like Pushpa Abhiseka, Vrinda Devi and Chappan Bhoga have been added to the calender in order to offer devotees and friends more occasions to unite and glorify Krishna.
The second step in our program was to organize courses on basic worshiping open to all those interested and on Divinity adoration opened to devotees with the second initiation.
Basic courses have been activated and those for adoration are finally open for enrollment.
The project has taken form thanks to Devaprastha dasa, Lalita Lila dasi and Devaki Rupa dasi, all pujaris at the Villa who have established a synergy with and gained the support of Manohara dasa and Vishaka dasi. his wife , instructors in the Mayapur Academy and important collaborators in the Deities Ministry.
In close collaboration with the Villa Vrindavana Comunication Team, directed by Naradamuni dasa, also responsabile for the preparation of didactic material, presently Villa Vrindavana offers an official course of formation for pujaris which until now was available only at the Mayapur Academy.
An historical moment that proves how love, devotion, perseverence and desire can transform difficult situations into positive dynamics and development.
Comments
4 months ... better make it round 5. hare krishna