From Jaya Sila and Vimala
On the last week of January we visited the New Gupta Vraja near Otaki in Wellington. Jaya Sila was asked to perform the civil marriage ceremony of Gaura Raya and Sundarangi. The wedding was well-organised, with about 50 guests seated comfortably in the spacious and decorated lounge of the main building of the retreat centre.
The happy couple exchanged their vows amidst the resounding blessings of the assembled Vaisnavas and guests. One relative of the bride, commented after the service that he was usually bored by such events, but found the ceremony beautiful and the wedding lecture quite fascinating.
We were also very impressed with what these dedicated and hard working devotees have achieved at New Gupta Vraja. The flourishing gardens provide lots of fresh vegetables for cooking and catering and all the buildings are well kept and maintained. The community’s cow, Radhika is well nurtured and we were happy to sample her rich creamy milk for breakfast the following morning. We left after that delicious breakfast. Our visit was a short one, but we look forward to many more.