Vanipedia:News and Views

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Today is Sunday, April 28, 2024; it is now 17:26 UTC.

Progress report from March 08

On the 21st of March we launched the introductory version of Vanipedia to communicate the vision of the project. Since then we have been working on different logistical stuff.

Evaluating the platforms

We spent time checking out some platforms for the other petals, and even challenged ourselves to see if wiki was the platform that we would continue with for Vanisource, Vaniquotes and Vanipedia. We bounced back and forth the advantages of a centralized database system against the wiki platform of individual non related pages. After some soul searching we again embraced Wiki as the platform for developing these three petals. The conclusion was that while a centralized database system has some advantages to it, at this stage with the manpower and resources we have it is totally beyond us to create a platform that offers a centralized database and all the other features needed for collaboration that wiki does. While this exercise took some time it ended up deepening our resolve to go with the wiki platform due to its wonderful collaborating possibilities. We love wiki. It flows, feels good, is easy to handle, and their philosophy of liberal distribution of knowledge resonates very much with Srila Prabhupada mood. The difference is only in their definition of what real knowledge actually is.

Compling form for Vaniquotes

So with that exercise out of the way, Acyuta started making a compiling form for transferring Vedabase text into Vaniquotes pages with all the links to Vanisource. This took time as the there are many complicated variables in the Vedabases references, and all of that had to be worked out so that we could end up having clean links from Vaniquotes into Vanisource. We have at the moment a pretty clean form and now as more people use it for compiling any last dead links can be worked out.

Compiling Manual

Rita and Matea started a crash course on compiling and writing a manual simultaneously. They did a great job and now we have a pretty good beginning manual for compilers to refer to after being trained by a vanitutor. As compilers become more familiar with the compiling process and use the manual we will be able to fine tune it further. As we envision to have hundreds of compilers the time spent on the manual has been well worth it, as it is a great help to refer to when one gets a little lost.

Completing Vanisource

This is a work in process. Now we have all of the major texts included, photos on each page, the speakers of every verse of the Bhagavatam on the bottom of each page (great resource when coming in from Vaniquotes) and practically all the links from cited verses in purports working. Haven’t started as yet, but as an ongoing thing we will be linking different key words from Vanisource back into Vaniquotes. There is still some more content to place in; the original 1972 version of the Gita, the legal documents, pre 1966 BTGs, and Prabhupada's diaries. We will do that as the time allows. Need more of you to be involved.....

Constructing new facilities

With faith that there is a steady future for Vanipedia we are moving forward with the construction of an extension on to BLS's existing building. The architectural plans were submitted for permission on the 27th of August, and they have 115 days to reply. So lets see what happens there. The extension will be 5 living rooms and storage facilities for the books. When it is finished we will move things around to create a more efficient setup for BLS on the ground floor. Shop, office, mail-order, packing and book storage. This will also give Vanipedia a really cool facility on the first floor with two nice offices (we only have one now), a great kitchen and the 5 extra living rooms will mean that more devotees can come forward to join the core team to help with all the infrastructural stuff needed to get this Vanivision off the ground and flying high.

Are people really getting involved?

Acyutananda Caitanya dasa - Columbia - Croatia

Anasuya dasi - Belgium

Archana devi dasi - Sinpapore

Arundhati Biswas (Aparajita Radika dasi) - India - USA

Jamuna Priya devi dasi - UK - India

Laksmipriya devi dasi - Slovakia - Radhadesh

I have been serving with BLS for the last 6 years and have loved every part of it from the very beginning. What can be better than being surrounded with all the wonderful books every day? When I came in, I said: "I want to learn everything about BLS" and over time I did. By now I have mastered quite a few things and am always eager to be fully engaged. The nature of the service with BLS is wavelike, which means that it comes in waves - sometimes I don’t know what to start first and sometimes I am wondering how to be engaged.

Assisting from the sideline, I have seen the conception and birth of Vanipedia, understanding the potential and the greatness of the whole project. In spite of that, I felt hesitant to become engaged in compiling, thinking that its not really for me. After all, I already spend so much time in front of a computer and I am more of a physical person, even though I love reading Srila Prabhupada's books every day.

When the last wave of wondering how to keep myself engaged came, Visnu Murti suggested that he train me in compiling in Vaniquotes, so being unengaged I agreed. After the initial training session I started to explore the whole world of Vanipedia and Vaniquotes in detail. I have become awestruck. Diving deeper and deeper into the different compilations and finding the pearls of exquisite beauty of Srila Prabhupada's usage of language was such a soul refreshing shelter, that I couldn’t hold my happiness for myself. We discussed, and brainstormed on everything we can compile and how we can organize things to develop better the project.

My first steps in making the different compilations on my own felt a little insecure, but with each and every new push of the save button, I became more confident to continue on. I realize how Srila Prabhupada is calling us again and again to assist him in his service and how making these compilations available are such a wealth of treasure for every devotee and for all people.

I am very much gladdened and grateful to Acyuta who made the compiling process so easy and automated by creating the compiling form. Its really simple and everyone can learn it, if they so desire. Hare Krishna.

Matea Zajec - Croatia

Rita Gupta - USA - Radhadesh

I feel very fortunate to be a core member of Vanipedia. Thanks to this service, I have developed skills that will last a lifetime. I have also made friendships that will last a lifetime -- and other lifetimes as well!

Since beginning this service, I have reached a deeper appreciation for the devotees. I can see that the processes established by Srila Prabhupada are working.

I hope Vanipedia develops into a forum for the glorification of Srila Prabhupada's teachings. I am very grateful to be engaged with Vanipedia.

Sahadeva dasa - UK - Vrndavana

At the beginning of this year Visnu Murti prabhu introduced me to a wonderful way of glorifying Srila Prabhupada and Krsna lila! This Vanipedia project offers a new way to study and research with a computer and Internet connection. I'm very interested in seeing who's who in Krsna lila and Gaura lila and so started researching the Vedabase for all references Srila Prabhupada makes to different personalities. This seva is an absorbing way of reading i.e. to choose a subject and fully research it over hours and sometimes days and then to present the results of that work on the Web for others to benefit is very satisfying. Vanipedia allows for anyone to contribute on subjects that interest them and as Srila Prabhupada wrote and spoke about so many different things, we now have a place on the Web to collect, preserve and refer to all of his vani nectar.

Yajnesh dasa - France

Visnu Murti dasa - NZ - Radhadesh

What can I say, I have such an enthusiasm for Vanipedia that it is overwhelming me. My prayers for developing the abilities needed to help the whole project to be realized are more intense than in any other project I have ever served with. Serving in Vanipedia means directly serving Prabhupada's heart, and I have seen there is some very special mercy to be experienced, so I just keep diving into the ocean of Vani.

Big party saying thank you to Eivind

Two years ago in September 2006, Eivind Morland came for a few months to BLS to help with the distribution of books. He offered services in customer care, packing up books for shipping, cleaning, and little general tasks to help. Joyful Eivind created a nice spirit around him, as he was always available to do whatever was asked of him.

In October 2006, Visnu Murti requested him to spend some time looking for the best platform to begin the Vanipedia project. He jumped into it, and spent whatever time he could surfing around the web. In January 07 we decided on wiki and we bought the domain name Vanipedia. As this was in his real nature and passion we freed Eivind to work on Vanipedia full time. So little by little, along with Acyuta who came in May of 2007, they both built the whole site up to what it is today. Eivind spent many hours becoming expert in different areas of web management.

Now after two years of wonderful service he is going back to Norway to see what the next things are that Krsna has in store for him. Eivind will always be a founding member of Vanipedia, stop being a core team member, and will now offer different services to Vanipedia as a volunteer from his home land.

We want to take this opportunity to thank Eivind from the bottom of our hearts. There is no doubt in our minds that Vanipedia will one day grow to become the standard of how we approach Prabhupada's teachings for qualitative research on all topics. Thousands and millions of people will use Vanipedia in the future and every one of them, when understanding the history of how it all began, will be able to thank Eivind that he came forward when he did, and how he was chosen by Krsna to begin a very strategic service for the glorification of Srila Prabhupada and the spreading of Krsna consciousness throughout the world.

The printing press is the representative of Radharani

All the Vanipedia servants received the following message on the auspicious day of Srimati Radharani's appearance. I speak for myself, but I found it very much inspiring, so much so that I wanted to share it with more devotees. Hope you get inspired too. Your servant Laksmipriya dd

Haribol Prabhus! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Today is Srimati Radharani's appearance day, and so I have been doing a little compiling about Her in Vaniquotes. I came accross this quote which I found very profound.

Letter to Jayagovinda — Los Angeles 4 July, 1969: I am glad that you have named your printing press the Radha Press. It is very gratifying. May your Radha Press be enriched in publishing all our books and literatures in the German language. It is a very nice name. Radharani is the best, topmost servitor of Krishna, and the printing machine is the biggest medium at the present moment for serving Krishna. Therefore, it is really a representative of Srimati Radharani. I like the idea very much.

I want to share with you my realizations:

Here Srila Prabhupada is stating that Radharani is the topmost servitor of Krsna and the printing press is the representative of Radharani as it is the biggest medium at the present moment for serving Krsna.

I note that he says at the present moment. This was written in 1969 and we know that Srila Prabhupada did not ever change his understanding of the power of the printing press in distributing Krsna consciousness for all the time he was phisically with us. He embibed this spirit from his spiritual master Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja who in the 1930's had stated many times that the printing press was the "brhat mrdanga" as it could be heard far more further a field than the mrdanga which could only be heard around the neighborhood.

In May I introduced Radhika Raman prabhu to the vision of Vanipedia. He embraced the vision quickly and could easily understand what we were trying to do. He made two very enthused and clear statements which I could immediately identify with.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Vanipedia will become the standard for how we approach Srila Prabhupada's teachings because it is presented via themes and it is on the web" and he also said "Bhaktisiddanta Sasavati said that the printing press was the brhat mrdanga, and Prabhupada understood it as such. I think that Vanipedia is the brhat brhat mrdanga"

It is this second statement that I want to explore a little. For the best part of the 20th century the printing press and the products that it produced was the tool that resulted in so much successful propaganda by so many groups of people to influence others into their ideals. Prabhupada stated how expert the communists were to spread their influence in India via the pamphlets and books they distributed. Prabhupada used this example to express how he wanted to make a large propaganda program for Krishna consciousness by distributing his books all over the world.

Now in the 21st century the power of influence has shifted to the internet. In the last 20 years it has started to slowly influence how we do things in so many ways. And its influence is not waning. It is on the increase.

Srila Prabhupada's statement of "at the present moment" was made long before the internet started to have any influence on people's lives.

In 1970 Srila Prabhupada wrote this letter to one of his leading disciples Bhagavan dasa

Letter to Bhagavan — Bombay 24 November, 1970: Krishna has said in Bhagavad-gita that "whoever explains my transcendental glories to others is most dear to me in this world and never will there be one more dear to me than he". So go on with your organization for distribution of my books through press and other modern media and Krishna will certainly be pleased upon you. We can use everything—television, radio, movies, or whatever there may be—to tell about Krishna and outside of devotional service all these modern paraphernalia are just so much rubbish.

So it is without doubt that Srila Prabhupada would embrace the internet as a way to communicate to people the truths of Krsna consciousness.

Notice that Prabhupada directly says "go on with your organization for distribution of my books through press and other modern media" so this is indeed what we trying to do with Vanipedia. We are trying to give Srila Prabhupada an unparalleled platform in an unparalleled modern media.

Let us rise to whatever challenges we face and make this significant platform for Srila Prabhupada books. For there is no doubt it is the "biggest medium at the present moment for serving Krishna"

If Radha's Press can be stated by Prabhupada to be "really the representative of Radharani" then we can be sure that Vanipedia is also "really the representative of Radharani"

May Radharani bless you all in your aspirations to assist Her in making Krsna happy.

inspiring stuff........ or at least I think so :-)

your servant Visnu Murti dasa