Dear GBC Members and TOVP Executive Committee Members,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Regarding our plan which was previously submitted to yourselves, to move Srī Srī Rādhā-Mādhava to the top of the Cosmic Chandelier in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, and situate them within a specially constructed Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb, some 100 meters or 300 feet up, it has come to our attention that Mother Arundhati has expressed some concern about the safety of the Deities in that situation.
Well, we really do take this concern very seriously. To alleviate any safety concerns which might be present about the safety of the Deities, we have prepared this Safety & Security Plan. No one takes the safety and security of the Deities more seriously than us! No one!
The Real Danger
We know it may be surprising to many, but we believe that the vast majority of devotees will actually agree that Srī Srī Rādhā-Mādhava will in truth be safer suspended up at 300 feet. How can that be? The answer has to do with the difference between real and perceived threats. At first glance, being suspended up so high leads to a perceived danger. The Deities are high up, so they may possibly fall. The only problem with that reasoning is that devotees are very careful about the Deity arrangements, and there are many expert devotee engineers. Therefore, it would be quite surprising if there was some kind of engineering failure, and let us say, for example, the entire contraption of the Cosmic Chandelier came crashing down on the very first day, smashing all the Deities into thousands of pieces. In theory, something like that could definitely happen, but it seems extremely unlikely.
What, then, is the “real” danger? The real danger can be identified from real events, such as the kidnapping of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī from the Māyāpura Temple in 1984, and the shooting up of the Deities in New Vrindavana in the 70s. So would Srī Srī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa be safer from kidnappers and shooters suspended 300 feet up? We are sure there will be unanimous consent from all devotees that the Deities would in fact be safer from those kinds of threats. Much, much safer from kidnapping. And much safer from shooting as well, since shooters would have to make their way much further into the Temple, or be shooting from much further away.
This is why we say the Deities will probably in fact be safer and more secure suspended up 300 feet.
Unsought Danger
Another important point to consider is that the danger from the high-up suspension is unsought by us. We are simply looking for the best spot for Srī Srī Rādhā-Mādhava. Actually, we are certain that all the TOVP Executive Members and GBC Members and devotees in general will agree that placing Srī Srī Rādhā-Mādhava at the top of the Cosmic Chandelier is completely logical… once Srī Srī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa have been removed from the Main Altar. The hard part is getting Srī Srī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa off the Main Altar. Once that hard part has been accomplished, we are certain all would agree that placing Srī Srī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa at the top of the Cosmic Chandelier is practically obvious really. So there is not some sneaky attempt here to endanger the Deities (“We assure you!”). They are simply being situated in the next most obvious place.
In addition, we are certain that all the devotees will agree that the dangerous aspects of this enterprise have not been introduced by us, but rather directly by Śrīla Prabhupāda. For instance, simply the fact that there is a huge, high-up dome from which things can fall has been introduced by Śrīla Prabhupāda, and not by us. Furthermore, the whole idea of having a Cosmic Chandelier, which is suspended high up, and can possibly fall, has also been introduced by Śrīla Prabhupāda, and not by us. It is at the top of this Cosmic Chandelier that we have proposed to situate Srī Srī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, simply because it is obvious. The danger part is something else.
In this kind of situation, we are certain that the great majority of devotees would agree that the way forward in this kind of situation is to carry through the project, but to take extra safety precautions. Therefore, let us immediately lay out some additional safety precautions proposed to be built into the setup.
Fail-Fail-Safe Titanium Cables
Let us start with a triple set of titanium cables. So what we are saying is that if two of the titanium cables failed for some reason, there would still be one titanium cable holding up the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb.
High Railings
These high railings are obviously for the pūjārīs, and not the Deities. But we certainly do not want any pūjārīs plunging spectacularly downwards either! These high railings are envisioned to be on the Swan Alter, and also on the front opening of the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb, for when pūjārīs enter to change the Deities’ clothes.
Nāgagarbhodaka Fountain
As a final protective measure against the falling danger, it is herein proposed that a fountain be constructed for the purpose. In fact, we appear to have here a pleasing double-function because the concept for the Central Dome is the Causal Ocean, the Garbhodaka Ocean; and a fountain, we are sure all would agree, is a very natural and obvious way to represent an ocean. Besides that, fountains are just pure class, as everyone doubtless agrees. So we are looking at producing some high-quality art with an original fountain design, representing the Garbhodaka Ocean, and of course protecting Srī Srī Rādhā-Mādhava from a possible fall.
Moving onto the concept to base the fountain around, besides only the Causal Ocean, there is not a great amount of detailed information about the Garbhodaka Ocean in the śāstras. Some of the readers may be wondering if the Causal Ocean is perhaps inhabited by fearsome, giant, prehistoric monsters! Sorry Prabhus! We have seen nothing about such monsters. In fact, the śāstras only appear to indicate three residents for sure, namely Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu of course, and then Goddess Lakṣmī as well, and lastly Śeṣanāga, the resting place of Lord Viṣṇu. Out of these three, we are certain that practically every devotee will agree that Śeṣanāga is the best as a concept for the fountain. That is where the name for the fountain comes from: Nāgagarbhodaka Fountain, “The Nāga of the Garbhodaka Ocean.”
To be more specific about what is envisaged for this special fountain, it must be directly in the center of the Central Dome, so that it can fulfil its first purpose of catching the Deities if they should somehow fall. As for diameter, it seems to us that the fountain should be somewhat larger than the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb, which we can estimate would have a diameter of between 9 and 15 feet. So let us say that Nāgagarbhodaka Fountain would have a diameter of at least 25 feet (or 8 meters). As for depth, we do not want to overdo it, because thousands and thousands of gallons of water are not really desired, because they could possibly cause water damage on the lower levels of the Planetarium Temple. So let us say a depth of 15 feet (or 5 meters) for now, deep enough to provide a good cushion for the Deities if they were to fall, but not overdoing it on depth, to protect against flooding.
Beyond those details, Nāgagarbhodaka Fountain is envisaged to be composed of two primary types of elements. The first is that the walls of the fountain are envisaged to be very thick glass, like the glass used in massive aquariums, so that it seems like the water is suspended in the air, which appears to us to be on-concept for the Causal Ocean. Everything else beyond those glass walls is envisaged to be serpent: serpent coils and serpent body and serpent heads. And of course, every serpent head should also be a fountain head with water emerging from it.
Since we know that all the devotees are very intelligent, we are sure they will all know what should come next, which is to put the artists on this project. Best would probably be an ISKCON-wide artistic competition to find the best artistic conception. There are many great devotee artists, so we are certain that some very respectable artistic conceptions can be manifested.
This completes the safety measures against Srī Srī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa falling, which, as we mentioned, we do not even think is a highly likely danger. But let us protect against that danger anyways and be on the safe side, and have the safety measures right here within the plan, and include a very high-class artistic fountain as well.
The Kṣatriya Defenders
Moving forward, the most dangerous threats to the Deities, it appears to us, are horribly evil demons, and woefully ignorant terrorists or religious extremists. Whatever the reason for attacking the Deities, or attacking the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, or attacking the devotees or visitors, human defenders appear to us to be the most important part of any defense.
Therefore, it has been previously proposed by us that a special Kṣatriya Order be formed, with their Sacred Homebase being within the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, and with all Members of the Order sworn to defend the Deities and Temple at all costs.
To put this project in perspective, it can be compared to the sacred base of the Order of the Knights Templar, which was the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, believed to be the original site of the Temple of Solomon. Another example is the Shaolin Monastery, certainly recognized by all as the sacred home and base of the Shaolin Monks.
The original goal of the Narakān Level Project had nothing to do with founding a Kṣatriya Order. The original idea was to create a supporting shrine based upon Pitṛloka, in the infamous hellish regions of the Vedic Cosmos, known as the “Narakān” regions, that word coming from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.26.5. We picked the Narakān regions because they are quite famous, and we figured no one else would want to be bothered with them, since they are so hellish. Pitṛloka is the planet where the ancestors are said to go, and also the abode of Lord Yamarāja, the God of Death, and it is actually said to not be hellish, but rather to be quite pleasant, which is what made us select it as a promising exhibit possibility. One important element of the planned shrine was proposed to be the Four Doors, which are a legend connected to the most famous Yamarāja Temple in India, Chaurasi Mandir in Bharmour, which is said to have four doors going to each of the four directions, and with each door being of a different metal, namely of iron, copper, silver, and gold. So the question came up to us previously, “If we have a solid golden door, won’t it be somewhat of a target, and aren’t we going to need some defenders?” So this is how kṣatriyas came into the picture, in a very indirect manner.
As to what or who those defenders might be, what with this being the Pitṛloka Exhibit, and Lord Yamarāja’s Throne Room, we know you are all very intelligent out there and can tell us who the defenders are going to be: the Yamadūtas of course! What has been described here is the background to the idea of founding this Kṣatriya Order.
We think one of the top things devotees will like about this idea is that it is very counterintuitive and surprising. We would of course expect the Vaiṣṇavas to have the Viṣṇudūtās, if they were going to have any kind of Martial Order at all. But no, we have here the Yamadūtas. So all of the devotees will be able to say, “We Krishnas are full of surprises. Yes, the black, spikey battle-tanks are with us.”
Which brings us nicely into how these proposed Kṣatriyas are envisioned to appear. There are descriptions in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and in the Brahma Purāṇa and Garuḍa Purāṇa about how the Yamadūtas look and what equipment they use. For instance, they are said to be black colored, and with hair standing on end, and to wield weapons such as tridents and bows. So these Yamadūta Guardians in the Planetarium Temple are envisioned to be in black spikey armor, and to wield tridents, and also bows and hand crossbows. Equipping the Yamadūtas with guns, however, did not seem like it would be very fitting, and seemed to us like it would ruin the artistic presentation of the Narakān Level Project and of the Planetarium Temple. Therefore, we have previously proposed that firearms be prohibited to Members of the Order, at least inside the Planetarium Temple, and in Māyāpura Dhāma. To make up for the disadvantage of not being able to use guns, it has also been proposed that the Yamadūta Guardians be specifically equipped with bulletproof armor. That covers appearance and equipment.
And just so everyone knows, the part about the Yamadūtas’ hair standing on end, which is the justification for making the armor spikey, comes directly from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.1.28, where the Yamadūtas are described as having “hair standing erect on their bodies.” And by the way, we should like them to look somewhat spikey of course, but not so spikey that they will be impaling people by bumping into them or anything like that. In addition, these Yamadūta Kṣatriyas are envisioned to be equipped with ropes and small iron clubs, which are also specifically mentioned in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
It has to be emphasized here something that we believe everyone knows, that the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is supposed to be a high-level artistic presentation. It is supposed to attract visitors. So we do not want it to be dull or boring. We want to spice up the entire experience in every which way, as long as it is not concoction. So one way this current process can be looked at is as spicing up the security forces, and adding to the overall novelty of the whole experience for visitors. It is a cultural presentation, and the last thing we want is dull or boring or normal.
In fact, all of the foregoing is directly in line with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions with respect to the Planetarium Temple. For example, Śrīla Prabhupāda stated, “they’ll come to see the civilization culture, the philosophical culture, the religious culture by practical demonstration with dolls and other things” (Morning Walk – February 27, 1976, Māyāpura).
And what could be more cultural than Yamadūtas? And the application certainly appears to be “practical” because safety and security are practical.
And we should note that the Yamadūtas can be specifically related to the philosophical culture and religious culture because they are directly related to punishment for sins.
We should also add that when your plan end ups with some black, spiky, bulletproof armored warriors armed with tridents, you know you must be on the right track.
Speaking of being on the right track, we were also looking for a good official name for these kṣatriyas, and came across this so-perfect Sanskrit word for trident: “tri-śikham,” from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.59.9, with the name presumably coming from the fact that the three points of a trident look similar to 3 śikhas. So the official name of the Order has previously been proposed to be the “Triśikham Order,” and the individuals would be “Triśikham Kṣatriyas” or “Triśikham Warriors.” But beyond those official names, they are certainly also envisioned be known as “the Yamadūtas,” and “Yamadūta Guardians,” and “the Yamadūta Division,” and also as “the Servants of the Lord of Death” (remembering that their Sacred Homebase is indeed envisioned to be a genuine Temple or Shrine of the God of Death).
So let us say, for example, a woefully ignorant terrorist comes to the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium with a portable rocket-launcher, and he is planning to shoot at the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb with Srī Srī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in it. We should all be able to see that we need human guardians to deal with this threat, and that mechanical interventions such as the triple titanium fail-fail-safe cables that we mentioned earlier cannot help us. So if the terrorist gets out his portable rocket-launcher, the plan is that the Triśikham Kṣatriyas will see that, and immediately exterminate the terrorist’s miserable life… with a hand crossbow, or with a regular bow and arrow, or with a thrown trident, or possibly with hand-to-hand trident if they are close enough (or possibly some other weapon as well). The point here is to have a plan for this eventuality. There is here envisaged to always be at least one Triśikham Kṣatriya in each of the 3 Main Domes at all times, ready to deal with such threats.
And actually, the other defensive measures that we mentioned earlier could factually save the day. For instance, let us say that the Yamadūta Guardian sees the terrorist pulling out his mini-portable rocket launcher, and the Yamadūta Guardian fires on the terrorist with his hand crossbow, but he has a bit of an upset stomach and therefore misses the terrorist. So the terrorist then gets his missile off, and let us say that the missile hits the support array for the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb, and the missile takes out two of the titanium support cables. But that still leaves the third titanium support cable, which would save the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb and the Deities from falling.
Or we could easily imagine that the terrorist gets off his missile and blows out the bottom of the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb, and then the Deities would presumably fall. But this is why we set up the Nāgagarbhodaka Fountain, which can now catch the Deities, and hopefully save the Deities from breaking. So these are examples of how those safety measures could play a role in saving the Deities in the case of a rocket attack.
Or to give another very possible example, we are sure that everyone reading can very easily imagine how the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, the largest Hindu Temple on Earth, could end up being a target for Enraged Muslim Mobs. So in this case, the Yamadūta Division should be ready to lock down the Planetarium Temple, and be ready to repel the mob! We are certain that all the GBC Members and TOVP Executive Committee Members and all the devotees will be in agreement with this position. Obviously, the Planetarium Temple is the result of massive efforts and sacrifices by so, so many devotees, and it must be protected.
It is perhaps worth noting that terrorists are not always wrong, like for example Nelson Mandela was once a terrorist. However, there is practically never a reason to attack a place of worship, or an ISKCON Temple, and it is a very serious error, and the type of error that can easily get one killed. That is why we say that such terrorists are woefully ignorant. They really should know better. They do know better. The punishment for attacking sacred temples is death, and the terrorists already know that. And if any terrorists persist with such doomed actions despite knowing better, then they should be immediately exterminated. It is good karma for them to be exterminated in this way. Śrīla Prabhupāda has clearly explained this philosophical point in his purport to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.1.8:
“If the disease is very serious, the medicine must be strong. The weight of a murderer’s sin is very great, and therefore according to Manu-saṁhitā a murderer must be killed. By killing a murderer the government shows mercy to him because if a murderer is not killed in this life, he will be killed and forced to suffer many times in future lives.”
And a person who attacks a sacred temple is even worse than a murderer! So they deserve to be killed even more! We are certain that the GBC and TOVP Executive Committee and all the devotees will agree with this standpoint.
As for Enraged Muslim Mobs, the Krishnas or ISKCON have no issue with Islam in general (besides utterly condemning their past destruction of important Hindu Temples of course). Śrīla Prabhupāda appeared to consider the main enemy of the devotees to be atheists, and he did not seem to quarrel much with other religions. But if despite that, Enraged Muslim Mobs come for the Planetarium Temple, then they should find some Servants of the Lord of Death waiting for them. We would really want to advise any Enraged Muslim Mobs to avoid the Planetarium Temple. We are sure that the GBC and TOVP Executive Committee and all the devotees will agree that any Enraged Muslim Mobs must be forcefully stopped in their tracks. Hopefully, simply having these Yamadūta Guardians on the job will be enough to keep the great majority of any enraged mobs of religious extremists away.
However, if despite the presence of the Yamadūta Divisions, Enraged Muslim Mobs descend on the Planetarium Temple, the kṣatriyas should remind themselves of these words of His Divine Grace Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:
“I wish that every selfless, tender-hearted person of Gaudiya Math will be prepared to shed two hundred gallons of blood for the nourishment of the spiritual corpus of every individual of this world.”
The nourishment of the spiritual corpus of every individual in this world is being provided, in this case, by the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. And if Enraged Muslim Mobs descend on the Temple, then the Triśikham Kṣatriyas may well have to shed two hundred gallons of blood, or even more!
That will suffice for examples. We are sure that all devotees would agree that the kinds of threats we have described, such as terrorists and violent mobs of religious extremists, are entirely possible, and even likely. We are sure all the devotees and followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda will say, “Don’t be naïve! Do the needful! Have the defenders ready!”
We should also mention that any of these Kṣatriyas that slay any interlopers, or terrorists, etc., directly in the act of trying to attack the deities or temple, have been proposed to receive a special Kṣatriya Decoration, “The Trident of Death,” or “Mṛtyoḥ Triśikham.” This is envisioned to be a small red trident which can be mounted on the Yamadūta Armor.
Here, then, are the proposed Guardians of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, to guard against the “real” threats the Deities will likely face, such as woefully ignorant, but dangerous terrorists, and also raging mobs of religious extremists.
The Kṣatriya Academy
An important part of the bigger picture surrounding this proposed Kṣatriya Order is that the training Academy is also anticipated to be based right there in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. It is envisioned that this Academy will start out with 108 students, and gradually expand to a capacity of 1008 students every academic year. A two-year intensive training program is envisioned, after which students would receive a “Bhakti-Paraśurāma Degree in the Kṣatriya Arts,” and they would receive an Iron Axe Kṣatriya Decoration to mount on their armor, the metal being taken from one of the Four Doors.
The curriculum is anticipated to be quite martially oriented, with classes in trident fighting of course, but also in sword fighting, axe fighting, wrestling, bow and arrow, hand crossbows, and Shaolin Kung Fu. Additionally, the students are anticipated to study horse-riding, handling of battle hounds, and also the discipline of Parkour, also known as Freerunning, since most ISKCON Temples are in urban areas, and that is a useful skill to have, especially when chasing down thieving dacoits! Additionally, a selection of non-martial classes is anticipated to be offered, including a class on “Ideal Rulers in the Śāstras,” and also Sanskrit classes, Temple Finances, Armoring, and Battlefield Medicine. Many of the graduates are anticipated to possibly end up as ISKCON Temple Presidents, or as Chiefs of Temple Security, so financial skills are accepted to be useful for that kind of position, and in other positions of responsibility as well.
It is also anticipated that many of the graduates will go on to fulfilling careers in Temple Security throughout the important pilgrimage temples of India. Such temples probably have security already, but we doubt that they have anything quite so picturesque as we are planning here, with the black spikey armor and tridents and everything.
We also anticipate that the Government of India will doubtless want a division or two. The existing Honor Guards do look very good of course, but once again, the black spikey armor look is something completely different. And as we mentioned earlier, what could be more cultural than Yamadūtas? So we expect the Government will probably want at least 50-100 for honor guards.
And beyond that, graduates can also do things like start a martial arts dojo in any city, or join the Armed Forces of their country, and other possibilities of that type. The career opportunities actually look quite rich.
Now an important point is that the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is anticipated to only take the best graduates of this Kṣatriya Academy, especially with respect to having a friendly demeanor. They are expected to be friendly hosts to all the guests and pilgrims, to take pictures with the children, to answer questions, and so on. The kṣatriyas that are very grim or unfriendly can go take a position as Temple Security in one of the hundreds of ISKCON Temples, or they can join the armed forces of their native country, etc. Those kinds of positions do not seem to require a friendly demeanor so much. But at the Planetarium Temple, only the friendly ones, the best of the best, are desired, to be goodwill ambassadors to the world, but also the Defenders of the Temple as needed.
As for where to situate this Kṣatriya Academy, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is huge, as everyone very well knows. So there is plenty of space. For starters, there is the 69 room Pūjārī Level. We are quite certain that the pūjārīs are not going to need all of those 69 rooms. Many of them can be used by the Kṣatriyas for various purposes, such as offices, store rooms, and classrooms. Additionally, the 8 chatris or towers which surround the Planetarium Temple would probably be ideal for defensive installations, or for the offices of the highest Triśikham Kṣatriyas.
And there is also already a proposed name for the Academy, namely “Yavaneśvara Kṣatriya Āśrama,” or the English version would be “Yavaneśvara Kṣatriya Academy.” This name comes directly from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.29.3:
“The followers of Yavaneśvara [Yamarāja] are called the Soldiers of Death.”
Alright, that is enough about the Kṣatriya Academy. If the reader wishes to get more up to speed on this project, they are welcome to read the more in-depth Narakān Level Project writeup which we will provide a link to at the end. Our aim here is only to give a quick overview, and to understand where these specialized kṣatriyas are envisioned to come from.
The point is these proposed kṣatriyas are not going to grow on trees obviously, or simply materialize out of thin air. There is a factual plan here for a Kṣatriya Academy that will produce the Kṣatriyas, so there are going to many Instructors, and also many students. Besides being great for producing kṣatriyas, it is perhaps worth mentioning that colleges and universities in general tend to bring a lot of positive, vibrant energy, simply because there are many young adults with their whole lives ahead of them, and it is just a lot of good energy. This should help to imagine it.
Kṣatriya Tournaments
It is also probably worth mentioning that some regular Kṣatriya Tournaments are anticipated to be held, once or twice a year. Five events have been proposed, namely Trident Fighting, Thrown Trident, Wrestling, Archery with Bow and Arrows, and Archery with Hand-Crossbows. The winners are envisaged to receive small bronze Kṣatriya Decorations as trophies which can be mounted on their Yamadūta Armor, the bronze metal being selected from one of the Four Doors. Also, we have said that a requirement for holding the position of Supreme Trident, who would be the leader of these kṣatriyas, and who would wear a gold medallion of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva around their neck, would be to have previously won a trident tournament (or to have earned the Trident of Death). So the tournaments would be fulfilling a few different purposes. Lastly, we should mention that the precedent for such tournaments comes from the śāstras, like for example the tournament where Arjuna won the hand of Draupadi.
But the most important part for the GBC and the TOVP Executive Committee to think about is that Kṣatriya tournaments will doubtless attract hordes and hordes of visitors! Everyone knows how popular events like Mixed Martial Arts tournaments are. So these tournaments would be similar, and probably even more popular, since the black spikey armor is so unusual! Many more hotels will probably be needed! Many, many more hotels!!
We have heard that some kind of progress has been made on possibly reacquiring the land that was stolen, the land where the Planetarium Temple was originally planned to be built. If the efforts to reacquire that land are successful, it does appear to us that there might be a very suitable space to place a kṣatriya field for holding tournaments, or for regular kṣatriya training, and also for physical activities for devotees in general. Additionally, it sounds like that land could be used for building some student dormitories to house all the anticipated students. Additionally, the Yamadūta Armory could go there, where the special armor and tridents would be produced. And, of course, space for the many additional hotels we were just talking about.
Reestablishing Varṇāśrama
A final very important point that must be mentioned and taken into consideration is that Śrīla Prabhupāda, as everyone doubtless knows, has given specific instructions to reestablish Varṇāśrama Dharma. So this project that we have described here is, we believe, one small step in that direction, certainly with respect to reestablishing kṣatriya dharma. The Kṣatriya Academy is envisioned to produce quite a specific kind of kṣatriya, which we could call a “Temple Defender.” But we are sure that all devotees will agree that they would be legitimate kṣatriyas, and many of the graduates may also get into other, more regular kṣatriya fields, such as Special Forces, or opening a martial arts dojo. We are certain that the training regimen we have proposed will serve the graduates very nicely wherever their kṣatriya careers may take them. But the main point here is about getting the Kṣatriya Dharma reestablished in ISKCON, and where better to do so than in the heart of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, in the Shrine of the King of Justice and God of Death, Lord Yamarāja.
Training the Trainers
Obviously, setting up a Kṣatriya Academy is no small task. The trainers must be trained, the armor and tridents must be designed and produced, various training spaces and offices must be set up within and without the Planetarium Temple, everything must be set up to admit the first class of 108 students in 2027 including places to live for them all and accepting and reviewing all their applications, then also the various defensive measures which have been described must be installed, and much, much more.
It is perhaps worth mentioning that kṣatriya endeavors have a reputation for being frightfully expensive. For example, if we want to bring the best trident master in the world to train the trainers in Māyāpura Dhāma, it will probably be quite costly. Also, let us say we have 54 trainers that we are training, then they all have to be compensated, which would also be very costly. Then, the special bulletproof, spiked armor we have described must also be designed and constructed, which will doubtless be very costly as well. So everything is expected add up to quite a huge sum. This is, we believe, rather typical for kṣatriya projects. And we believe it is healthy for the GBC and TOVP Executive Committee to just face this truth about the high costs of kṣatriya endeavors head on. Not only to face it head on, but to realize an endeavor like this would need full-throated support from the GBC and TOVP Executive Committee, and full funding from the TOVP Fundraising Arm. With such a large and significant kṣatriya project in the works, overall fundraising would probably rise dramatically, and besides that, it just appears to make sense that funding the creation of the Triśikham Temple Guardians would come from the general Planetarium Temple fundraising fund.
The other important point, regarding the training, is that the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is scheduled to open in two years. So that gives us right around exactly two years to train the trainers from right now. But none of these supposed trainers has been contacted yet, there is no funding yet, there is no anything yet except this plan. So all those things will take time, and there will not even be a full two years to train the trainers, before the Planetarium Temple opens, and the first regular classes start, and the Temple will require constant guarding. That is not very ideal. More time to train the trainers is better. Four years to train them would truly be superior. But at this rate, we would be fortunate if we were able to train the trainers for one year and six months.
The point is that the GBC and TOVP Executive Committee both need to move fast if they want to make this project a reality, and have the initial Yamadūta Guardians ready with some respectable amount of training on Day 1, training with the tridents, with the bows, with the armor, with everything.
The Coming of Lord Balarāma!
While we are on this subject of the Kṣatriya Order, it pleases us to make an important announcement about a huge new development in the Narakān Level Project, the addition of a Balarāma Deity to the plan!
It is very interesting the way this all came about, because we were not previously thinking at all about the addition of Lords Kṛṣṇa or Balarāma into the Narakān Level. The original Deity Plan for the Narakān Level was to install Lord Yamarāja of course, and then also four other accompanying Deities which are given in the Viṣṇu-dharmottara, which is a Vaiṣṇava text with instructions about Deity installations, mentioned as an “authoritative scripture” by Śrīla Prabhupāda in his purport to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.3.15. Those other four Deities from the Viṣṇu-dharmottara were Goddess Dhūmorṇā, Lord Yamarāja’s wife, who is said to be the Goddess of the Funeral Pyre; Citragupta, who is known as the Recorder of Fate; and then also Kāla, the Personification of Time; and Mṛtyu, the Personification of Death.
A special note here that Kāla and Mṛtyu are both figures that Lord Kṛṣṇa specifically identifies Himself with in Bhagavad-gītā, more than once, including in 11.32: “Time I am, destroyer of the worlds,” and in 9.19: “I am also death personified.” So those two Deities may be especially appreciated by the devotees for that reason, and also because we believe it is quite unusual to install them. And Lord Yamarāja is also a figure that Lord Kṛṣṇa identifies himself with as well, in Bhagavad-gītā 10.29, stating therein: “Among the dispensers of law I am Yama, lord of death.”
At any rate, those were the 5 Deities that were planned to be installed, and the idea was that it would be a supporting shrine. Major pilgrimage temples tend to have many supporting shrines, sometimes numbering in the hundreds. So this was envisioned to be a fairly hefty “major” supporting shrine, with 5 Deities, and in the style of a Throne Room. The name for the shrine was proposed to be “Narakānrāja Mandir,” or “The King of the Narakān Regions,” and the shrine was envisioned to be in a lower level of the Planetarium Temple, possibly in the 69-room pūjārī level, or possibly further down. (We have had our agents working on acquiring the secret architectural plans for the lower levels of the Planetarium Temple, but we sadly have not had any success with acquiring them yet. We are continuing to work on it!).
It is also very important to note that Lord Yamarāja is recognized as one of the 12 Mahājanas, and has been described by Śrīla Prabhupāda in his purport to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.12.20 as “a great Vaiṣṇava authority.” That was the primary justification for saying the installation would be bona fide, if very unusual. But if we are looking for a supporting shrine Deity, rather than a “regular temple,” we believe most devotees would say that Mahājanas are reasonable enough, or fair game.
On top of that, the installation would be on-concept for the Planetarium Temple, since it involves a non-Earth location in the Vedic Cosmos that the proposed Deity is said to be the king of. Being on-concept is almost more important to us than being bona fide, but the Deity does definitely have to be bona fide as well. Or let us put it this way, it may take the special setting of the Planetarium Temple to make this a bona fide installation for ISKCON. It is a very unusual temple, which opens the door to some very unusual Deity installations.
The King of Justice is also known as being a very powerful figure, and should therefore contribute to making the overall Temple of the Vedic Planetarium more powerful. Evidence of this power can be seen in the Lords of the Four Directions, which feature the most powerful Gods in all of Hinduism, namely Lords Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva… and the fourth is… you guessed it, Lord Yamarāja. A few of the other Deities we mentioned, Kāla and Mṛtyu, for instance, would also appear to be quite powerful Deities that would contribute greatly to the overall power of the Planetarium Temple.
And on top of that, we must remember how the project started, which was simply thinking about a good exhibit for the hellish regions, which are very famous, as everyone doubtless knows. And then Pitṛloka is the only planet in that region which is not filled with the screams of sinners, but is actually quite pleasant. We are sure that practically all devotees would agree that doing an exhibit based on some part of the Narakān Regions is highly legitimate for the Planetarium Temple, since it is a very famous part of the Vedic Cosmos.
And then the project did also have a few important non-Deity elements. Most important were the Four Doors, which we have already mentioned a few times. Furthermore, the plan did also include Lord Yamarāja’s two four-eyed hounds, which are mentioned in no less than the Ṛg Veda itself, and which were envisioned to be sculptures. And then also Lord Yamarāja’s sacred buffalo carrier. So this was the envisioned tableau of Deities and other elements, which we thought was quite respectable, as a supporting shrine plan.
Then, added on top of all that was the Kṣatriya plan, and making this shrine their Sacred Homebase, and starting a Kṣatriya Academy. So there was already quite a lot going on with this supporting shrine project, looking very strong already, and then along came Srī Srī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma.
We had not really been thinking about it, but the abode of King Yamarāja is said to have been visited by Lords Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, to rescue the Brāhmaṇa’s son, which is a story from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in fact, and probably one that most devotees know or at least dimly remember. It is not really a hugely famous līlā of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s, but it is definitely an accepted līlā, and we think it is fairly well-known about, at least among Kṛṣṇa devotees. In fact, it may well be the most well-known story that involves Lord Kṛṣṇa and a non-Earth location, which would seem to make it ideal for a Supporting Shrine in the Planetarium Temple.
We can only offer our thousand apologies for not thinking more along these lines earlier. The Hare Krishnas do tend to be into Sri Kṛṣṇa, so mentioning that this Narakān Level Project involves the most famous non-Earth location that is said to have been visited by Lord Kṛṣṇa probably would have been an excellent move! We are certain that this new standpoint will cause everyone who is familiar with the project to look at it with new eyes. And cause everyone who has not yet read over the project to look at it very, very seriously.
Pardon the slight digression, but focusing artistic efforts for the exhibits on Vedic Cosmos locations said to have been visited by Lord Kṛṣṇa is probably quite a sound approach. For instance, there is the story of Lord Kṛṣṇa acquiring the pārijāta flower from Indraloka. So, for example, a large pārijāta-themed artwork could be created, to be displayed as the primary Indraloka Exhibit. Perhaps a very large pārijāta flower, or a bed of pārijāta flowers, etc. This is another one of those projects where we are sure everyone knows that it should go to the artists, and perhaps we could do another good ISKCON-wide artistic competition for best artistic conception.
Getting back on subject, we come now to the question about which exact Deities to add to Narakānrāja Mandir. It is a fact that we could simply install Srī Srī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, and add them to the 5 Deities already mentioned, a plan which we are certain 100 percent of devotees will agree is bona fide, coming directly out of a līlā in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, as well as being very much on-concept for the Planetarium Temple.
Additionally, this plan would appear to soundly address the concern of Mother Arundhati about any danger from suspending the Deities high up under the Main Dome. Instead, Lord Kṛṣṇa would be in a lower level of the Planetarium Temple, and we could move Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to be with the Aṣṭasakhī Gopis, circled around Goddess Bhūmi Devī on the Main Altar under the Central Dome. So both Deities will have been removed from the falling danger.
And for the final argument in favor of that plan, just the other day we were saying to the GBC Executive Committee and some of the top people at the TOVP that it is nice to get some of our regular Deities into the Planetarium Temple, but we really have to try to get them into a different or unique setting from normal. So this idea of moving Srī Srī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma into the Narakānrāja Mandir is definitely unique, and it will probably be a truly unusual shrine. We have never heard of any shrine or temple with this collection of Deities, certainly not within ISKCON, and not without either. We expect that most devotees will degree that this plan is a real winner in that regard, as far as placing Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Balarāma as well, in a highly different and unusual setting from the normal. So the case for installing Srī Srī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma in the Narakān Level truly does look incredibly strong to us.
There is just one insignificant difficulty with that plan. Will the devotees be willing to remove Lord Kṛṣṇa from the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb at the top of the Vedic Chandelier? Or will the devotees prefer Lord Kṛṣṇa in that location, staying with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, despite the danger of falling? And despite us have such a unique and on-concept alternative supporting shrine available.
An important consideration here, we believe, is the point we were making at the beginning about real and perceived danger. Once again, we do know from real life experience that the “real” dangers that face the Deities are abduction and being shot at with firearms. Lord Kṛṣṇa being in the Narakān Level looks safer to us than the Main Altar under Central Dome, because at least it is necessary to penetrate deeper into the Temple to reach the Narakān Level. However, the Narakān Level still does not appear to beat the top of the Cosmic Chandelier for safety. For instance, if someone wanted to abduct Srī Srī Rādhā-Mādhava from the top of the Cosmic Chandelier, they have to somehow get the heavy Deities over a 300 foot drop. And if they wanted to shoot at the Deities, they would need to get up to the top balcony to get a clear shot, and they would be looking, we believe, at a minimum of a 20 ft (6 meter) distance, since they cannot get right up close to the altar. Therefore, it ends up that Lord Kṛṣṇa still looks safer at the top of the Cosmic Chandelier, despite the falling danger.
But we will see what devotees say about this. If the devotees think Lord Kṛṣṇa being in the Narakān Level is better, we would definitely be fine with that. However, for right now, we are going to assume that the devotees would want to keep Lord Kṛṣṇa at the top of the Cosmic Chandelier, in the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb, with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
So if Kṛṣṇa stays in the Goloka Vṛndāvana Orb, should we perhaps install another Kṛṣṇa Deity in the Narakān Level, along with Lord Balarāma? Although not impossible, we believe installing a second Kṛṣṇa Deity in the same temple is not bona fide. One can install secondary small Deities for abhiṣekas and such, but not an entirely separate Deity, we believe. Therefore, let us discard that possibility.
Except… maybe it is actually bona fide to install more than one Kṛṣṇa Deity in the same temple. In fact, it appears that Śrīla Prabhupāda has done exactly that in Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, because Lord Kṛṣṇa is installed with Lord Balarāma and also installed with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the Gopis. But that may have been a special exception just for Vṛndāvana Dhāma though, because we cannot think of any other ISKCON Temples with more than one installed Kṛṣṇa Deity. We can leave the door slightly open here, but we still believe it is generally not bona fide to install more than one Kṛṣṇa Deity in the same temple. The instance of the two installed Kṛṣṇa Deities in Vṛndāvana Dhāma probably has something to do with the two līlās happening in the same place, if we had to make an educated guess about the reason for it. But we cannot claim the same about our two līlās in the Planetarium Temple. The līlā of being in Goloka Vṛndāvana is not happening in the same place as the līlā happening in Pitṛloka, we are certain all devotees would agree.
Moving forward, another possibility is to install Lord Balarāma on His own, without Lord Kṛṣṇa. We would normally not do this, of course, but if most devotees want Lord Kṛṣṇa being situated at the top of the Cosmic Chandelier, then we could say that this is an exception, and a special situation, so we are going to install Lord Balarāma in the Narakān Level without Lord Kṛṣṇa. This does not really seem like a great plan to us, but let us include it for the sake of completeness. Maybe one or two devotees will like it. We shall see.
And as a final possibility, we could install some other Deity as a replacement for Lord Kṛṣṇa. As for what kind of other Deity could possibly serve as a replacement for Lord Kṛṣṇa, one that seemed quite promising to us was Sudarśana Cakra. An argument in favor of this installation is that Narakānrāja Mandir is very associated with Kṣatriya endeavors, as we have been describing earlier, and we are sure that all devotees would agree that the Sudarśana Cakra is certainly a kind of kṣatriya potency of the Lord, and quite possibly the most well-known or powerful kṣatriya potency.
Besides that, there is of course the question about whether installing Sudarśana Cakra would be a bona fide installation. In this case, it looks like we have evidence coming from the most important and authoritative pilgrimage temple in all of India, a temple visited and glorified by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, Śrīdhāma Jagannath Purī Mandir. Possibly, some of the devotees may already know this, but there is factually one more Main Deity, besides Lords Jagannath, Baladeva, Subhadrā, and that Deity is in fact Sudarśana Cakra. So there definitely does not appear to be a problem with the bona fide part here. This plan looks much better to us than having Lord Balarāma on His own.
That gives us three possible Deity configurations: 1. Installing Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma together in the Narakān Level. 2. Installing Lord Balarāma alone. Or 3. Installing Lord Balarāma with Sudarśana Cakra as a stand-in for Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Many devotees may choose Option 3, because of wanting to keep Lord Kṛṣṇa with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī at the top of the Cosmic Chandelier, bearing in mind that this will be the largest and most important temple in ISKCON, and the largest Hindu Temple on Earth. But we think Option 1 could possibly surprise us and be a dark horse, because we think many devotees will truly appreciate what an unusual Kṛṣṇa Temple it will make to have Lord Kṛṣṇa in with Lord Yamarāja, and Kāla and Mṛtyu, and the Four Doors, and everything. With Option 2, we would be surprised if that one had much support. So let us see what other devotees say about this. We titled this section “The Coming of Lord Balarāma!” because He was the only one we were sure about. Most likely, though, Lord Balarāma will be joined by one other additional Deity as well. We shall just have to see which.
Alright, that finishes up our exciting announcement here about the addition of Srī Srī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma (in one form or another) into the Narakān Level Project! We are certain that this development will lead to much more support for this project from all the Kṛṣṇa devotees.
The GBC Resolution
The major new development of including Lord Balarāma in the Narakānrāja Shrine, as well as one or the other of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Sudarśana Cakra, has brought this project to the point where we truly do believe it is time for the GBC to speak to the matter, and say “Yeah” or “Nay.” We have presented the main arguments here and in the other TOVP Deity Plans we have written up. Here is what we would like to see the GBC say about this matter:
“We, the Governing Body Commission of ISKCON, have looked into the future and seen that the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, our greatest project, ISKCON’s greatest project, and arguably Śrīla Prabhupāda’s greatest project besides the founding of ISKCON itself, will in the future come under attack by horribly evil demons and sadly deluded terrorists. We, the GBC, take nothing more seriously than the safety of the Deities, the safety of our temples, and the safety of the devotees. Nothing! And we are also mindful of the direct instruction given to us by Śrīla Prabhupāda to reestablish Varṇāśrama Dharma.
“We must note that the GBC never normally gets involved with TOVP matters, but we understand that the plans which have been proposed are so unusual that they will require GBC approval for others, such as the leaders of the TOVP Project, to accept them and move forward with them. Therefore, with this resolution, the GBC are not mandating any particular plan to the TOVP leadership, but are simply speaking to the point of whether the plans appear bona fide to us, most specifically the installed Deities.
“Let us then speak to the question of whether the proposed Deities are acceptable, namely Lord Yamarāja, Goddess Dhūmorṇā, Citragupta, Kāla, and Mṛtyu, and also the Sudarśana Cakra. Firstly, we appreciate the argument that installing one of the 12 Mahājanas only in a supporting shrine, rather than as Presiding Deities in a regular temple, would appear to be bona fide. We are also very respectful of the fact that Śrīla Prabhupāda has specifically described Lord Yamarāja as “a great Vaisnava authority.” We are also respectful of the argument that the proposed Deity installations will make the Planetarium Temple more powerful, and that this Supporting Shrine looks like it will serve as a center and Sacred Homebase of a newly founded Kṣatriya Order, the Triśikham Kṣatriyas, solemnly sworn to protect the Planetarium Temple. We, the GBC, are also highly, highly appreciative of the fact that this entire plan is focused on a non-Earth location in the Vedic Cosmos visited by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, and being quite possibly the most famous such location, and therefore being highly appropriate to make a Major Supporting Shrine with installed Deities. And we are certainly respectful of the instructions given in the Viṣṇu-dharmottara, which has been identified by Śrīla Prabhupāda as an authoritative Vaiṣṇava Scripture, about the accompanying Deities to be installed with Lord Yamarāja. Last but not least, the GBC does appreciate the argument that the Planetarium Temple is a very unique temple, and that the installed Deities may be very unique or different than normal as well.
“In light of all the above, we, the GBC, hereby give our opinion that it is bona fide, only under the very specific special situation which is present with the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, to perform an ISKCON installation of Lord Yamarāja, Goddess Dhūmorṇā, Citragupta, Kāla, and Mṛtyu in the proposed Narakānrāja Mandir Shrine.
“It also certainly appears to us to be bona fide to install Srī Srī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma alongside Lord Yamarāja and his Associates, since the combination is based on the līlā directly given in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. And regarding the possibility of replacing Lord Kṛṣṇa with Sudarsana Cakra in the tableau, under the special circumstances which are present, and considering that the Sudarśana Cakra is installed in Jagannatha Puri and certainly bona fide to install, and that the character of the shrine is objectively connected to kṣatriya projects and activities, the substitution of Lord Kṛṣṇa with Sudarśana Cakra appears to be bona fide to us, in only this one special instance, since there appear to be compelling reasons for Lord Kṛṣṇa to remain at the top of the Cosmic Chandelier with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.”
Kāla -Time
Time is a real issue, so we hope that the GBC can pass the above resolution very quickly. Hopefully, the language we have provided will facilitate rapid passage. Please do get approval of the provided resolution back to us within one week please. Just take an online vote! Get it done!
If there are any questions or concerns about anything at all, or the GBC Members want to add in anything at all, we are of course here to address any concerns whatsoever or add anything in that needs to be added in. We can be contacted directly by email, which the GBC has, or GBC Members are welcome to have a formal public discussion about any of this on our website, oceanofmilk.org as well.
A quick note that we are certain there must be some kind of security plan already, but we must admit that after reading many materials and watched many videos about the Planetarium Temple, we have factually not seen the word “security” mentioned even once. So we hope that this plan will fill that gap. Also, even if there is some bare-bones, existing security plan, we are quite certain it is nothing like we have presented here, with setting up a Sacred Kṣatriya Order based in the Temple in the Shrine of the God of Death, designing Nāgagarbhodaka Fountain, etc. We hope the plan is pleasing to the TOVP Executive Committee Members, the GBC Members, and all the devotees.
This plan drew significantly on the previous TOVP Deity Plans prepared by us, especially “The Narakān Level,” but also “Līlā-Avatāras for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium,” and “Incorporating the Existing Māyāpura Deities into the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.” Please just click on the links to access those if one would like more details or background.
This plan started with addressing Mother Arundhati’s concern about danger to Srī Srī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, from being suspended up high at the top of the Cosmic Chandelier. We have seen, perhaps most importantly, that the Deities may well be safer there, certainly from historically real dangers such as kidnappings and shootings. Additionally, in this, the Largest Hindu Temple on Earth, the devotees will probably want to keep Lord Kṛṣṇa together with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and at the top of the Vedic Cosmos as well. Otherwise, the other possibility, of situating Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Narakān Level, in the Throne Room of the Lord of Death, looked somewhat of a superior proposition to us. We think all devotees would agree that it would be a more unusual setting for Lord Kṛṣṇa. The unusual part about the top of the Cosmic Chandelier appears to mostly be from the height, because the Vṛndāvana theme is very common… in ISKCON Temples at least. But the setting of the Throne Room of the God of Death is not common at all. We do not believe it exists anywhere actually. Therefore, this setting does appear to have a sound win in the unusualness category. And it is certainly safer from the danger of falling that Mother Arundhati was worried about…
Let us close with these words from Canakya Pandit: “They are fearless who remain always alert.”
Sent to the GBC on this sacred day of Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī, when it is beginning to get colder, and Lord Jagannath is covered with further layers of clothing. Just as Lord Jagannath needs more protection when it gets colder, so also do great, giant, opulent temples require more protection than normal.
Yours in service to Śrīla Prabhupāda, Srī Srī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, Lord Yamarāja, Goddess Dhūmorṇā, Citraguptaji, Kāla, Mṛtyu, and Sudarśana Cakra,
Your worthless dog-like servant,
Aniruddha dās.
_ __ ___