Celebrate with us – 4 major festivals
Devotee spotlight: Anadi-rupa das
For the past two years, Anadi-rupa Prabhu has been serving as a dedicated pujari here at New Gokula Farm, bringing with him a deep spiritual foundation rooted in the holy land of Mayapur, West Bengal.
His journey began at just eight years old, when a visiting brahmacari from Mayapur came to his village as part of a nama-hatta outreach program. The experience left a lasting impression, and by 1996, at the age of sixteen, Anadi-rupa joined the temple in Mayapur as a brahmacari. At the same time, his whole family – already practising devotees – relocated to Mayapur as well.
In 1997, he received initiation from Jayapataka Swami and soon immersed himself in preaching and devotional service. For many years, he travelled throughout the region conducting house programs, bhajans, pujas, and cooking feasts for the Lord – skills he began developing as a child under the loving guidance of his mother.
In 2017, Anadi-rupa Prabhu got married to a lovely Vaisnavi from Mayapur. The couple has a four-year-old daughter, and although his family remains in Mayapur, they are in daily communication and feel spiritually connected across the distance.
Now serving Sri Radha Gokulananda with great joy and dedication, Anadi-rupa prabhu says he appreciates the village atmosphere, the peaceful environment, and the beautiful deities of New Gokula. For him, every day is a reminder of the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, and he feels grateful to contribute to the mission here in Australia.
Special visits
We have been blessed with the association of several esteemed guests at New Gokula.
We were honoured to host Urmila Devi Dasi, a distinguished disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who visited the farm to share her deep wisdom through a series of engaging seminars.
Looking ahead to Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja celebrations, we are excited to welcome two very special guests: Gunarnava Prabhu and Vishalani Devi Dasi, both direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada who were personally involved in establishing the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in Vrindavana.
Gunarnava Prabhu was sent to Vrndavana in 1972 by Srila Prabhupada with the monumental task of building the Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir. Alongside Surabhi das, the Dutch architect responsible for the Vrindavan, Mayapur, and Bombay temple designs, Gunarnava Prabhu helped bring Prabhupada’s vision to life. Under Prabhupada’s direct guidance, he served with heart and soul and later went on to serve as temple president in Vrindavan for many years.
Vishalani Devi Dasi lived in Vrindavan from 1972 to 15, raising her family while also taking on pivotal services. She liaised with government ministers to secure grants for the temple, presented Srila Prabhupada’s books to Indira Gandhi, and lovingly cooked for the gurukula children.
Both Gunarnava Prabhu and Vishalani Devi Dasi will be sharing their memories of Srila Prabhupada during our Vyasa-puja celebrations this year. It will be a rare and cherished opportunity to hear firsthand accounts from those who served Srila Prabhupada during the early days of ISKCON’s development in India.
We warmly invite you to join us for this special occasion and be inspired by their lives of dedicated service.
Preparing for Spring
The upcoming summer season will feature some of our most commonly used vegetables in prasadam cooking: zucchini, eggplant, capsicum, loki, pumpkin, cucumber, and bitter melon. This year will also see the first-ever planting of cassava and arrowroot, chosen not only for their culinary and medicinal value, but for their ability to reproduce underground, making them sustainable long-term crops.
Manapati is also experimenting with less common crops like jikama (a crunchy, raw edible root) and maca, a nutrient-dense superfood native to Peru. These trials reflect a broader ethos of biodiversity and regenerative agroforestry, principles close to his heart. There are challenges too, organic seed sourcing is difficult, and pests and birds have taken a liking to the marigolds.
Manapati is also experimenting with less common crops like jikama (a crunchy, raw edible root) and maca, a nutrient-dense superfood native to Peru. These trials reflect a broader ethos of biodiversity and regenerative agroforestry, principles close to his heart. There are challenges too, organic seed sourcing is difficult, and pests and birds have taken a liking to the marigolds.
Currently, New Gokula is home to over 20 varieties of fruit trees, and Manapati is now introducing native bush tucker plants such as finger lime and kakadu plum, both rich in nutrients and flavour.
Manapati brings with him a lifetime of wisdom. Born in post-World War II Croatia, he experienced firsthand the scarcity of food, recalling aid planes dropping food parcels during his youth. This shaped his deep appreciation for nature’s bounty. After joining ISKCON in Zagreb in 1985, he went on to serve at ten different ISKCON farms, making New Gokula his latest chapter in a long and devoted service to Srila Prabhupada’s vision of sustainable farm communities.
ith his steady hands, sharp mind, and soft heart for the land, Manapati Prabhu continues to cultivate not just food, but a legacy of devotional, sustainable living.
3 ingredient scones
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
1 cup thickened cream (heavy cream – not whipped)
1 cup lemonade
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a tray with baking/parchment paper.
Combine the flour, cream and lemonade in a bowl and mix until the flour is mostly combined. Do not over-mix, it will make the scones dense! The dough should be soft and fairly sticky.
Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead gently just 3 – 5 times to bring the dough together, then gently pat into a disc shape 2.5cm thick.
Use a 6cm round cutter to cut rounds – press straight up and down (don’t twist), flour the cutter in between.
Use a knife or similar to scoop up (avoid touching sides) and place on tray, slightly touching each other (they help each other rise).
Brush the tops lightly with milk.
Bake for 15 minutes until golden on top. Place on a rack to cool. Place a tea towel over them to stop the tops from getting crusty.
Serve with copious amounts of cream and jam.
Offer to Krishna and enjoy!
New Gokula Farm
83 Lewis Road, Millfield, NSW, 2325
(02) 49 98 1800
