Vilasa Kunja to close down

[Ekantin]

Well it looks like the Vilasa Kunja forum is facing an imminent death. According to the latest postings there is a general agreement that the forum is "dead" and plans are to make it a read-only archive like the erstwhile Gaudiya Discussions. There was some musing about the causes of this, that the time for discussions forums is past, but I don't think that's correct. All in all it's sad to see another ship sinking.

Now the Caitanya Symposium is the last man standing.

[Ldd]

Well the Kunj has long been dead. they are just now announcing. At least here new people are joining and reading everyday. If everybody is treated with respect, understanding and given a hearing, this could survive.
We at the Symposium overlook differences and unite for the love of Chaitanya. Love people and they will always come around.
Pride is a destroyer. I remember how people at the Kunj used to tell off poor Nitai. We must prostrate ourselves mentally to everyone. Fighting based on arrogance is offensive and destroys a sangam. (this last part is meant for me)
Of course the big sangams are on Facebook. Maybe that's what's shutting down everything.

[Nitaidas]

I am sorry to hear this. I never go to those sites anymore, but it was nice having them there for people with different tastes and different needs. Perhaps this is the end of online discussion of CV outside the prison camps of the IGM.

This site will of course go on as long as possible, though it too gets slow sometimes. Should we open up some of the forums to the general public and let guests post as we did before? That stirred up some excitement, but often of a frustrating sort, at least for me. What do you the members want to do? Whatever you want to make of this forum, I am happy to oblige, as long as it does not involve censoring anyone or avoiding difficult questions.

I will continue to post my little translations and writings and participate in the discussions and questions that are raised here as much as I am able.

By the way, has anyone read much of Rose Anthon's little book that I posted a link for? (Look for it under the disciples of Premananda Bharati) It is kind of sweet, isn't it? Teaching stories with a CV perspective there in the background.

I also want to start work on publishing Premananda's novel Jim. I have several parts of it in issues of his Light of India, but am missing some pieces. Anyone have a complete copy? It was supposedly published in around 1910-1, but no copy has yet surfaced. I will post parts of that once there are some. That will be after I return to the USA. The segments are at my home.

Jagadish and I also have a complete copy of part one of Lord Gauranga by Shishir Kumar Ghose, another one of our publishing projects. It needs editing and modernizing and I will start on that soon. I will post chapters of that as they are completed. As everyone knows who has observed me over the years, I start things and then get distracted by something else. Nevertheless, I do eventually finish things. I will try to do more finishing than starting for a while.

At any rate, there will be a little more life around here over the next 12 months, I hope.

[Nitaidas]

Let me also encourage others to post their translations. I know that Bishakha dasi is working on some translations of her Sri Gurudeva's work and of course madanamohanji has been gradually presenting his translations here, as well. Of course, translations are not everything, but it would be grand if this were a place where one could count on a kind, but constructively critical reception of one's works in progress.

[Ekantin]

Nov 23, 2009 7:28:07 GMT -6 Nitaidas said:

This site will of course go on as long as possible, though it too gets slow sometimes. Should we open up some of the forums to the general public and let guests post as we did before? That stirred up some excitement, but often of a frustrating sort, at least for me. What do you the members want to do? Whatever you want to make of this forum, I am happy to oblige, as long as it does not involve censoring anyone or avoiding difficult questions.

I think it would be nice to open up some of the forums to public view, but not to allow guest postings. Most of the mischief comes from people who revel in the anonymity. Allowing public view and enabling people to register to post a comment seems a fair transaction for good forum activity?

[Nitaidas]

I agree with you. I am not quite sure how to do this. If I give access to guests, they can see it and post in it. I am not sure how to limit posting to members only. I will poke around a bit more and see if I can figure it out.

[Nitaidas]

Maybe I've figured it out. Let's see if this works for the boards in the General category. If this works what other boards might we make visible but not capable of being posted to by guests?

[Ekantin]

Nov 22, 2009 20:14:32 GMT -6 Ldd said:

I remember how people at the Kunj used to tell off poor Nitai. We must prostrate ourselves mentally to everyone. Fighting based on arrogance is offensive and destroys a sangam. (this last part is meant for me)
Of course the big sangams are on Facebook. Maybe that's what's shutting down everything.

Did they speak against Nitai at VK? I wouldnt know, I hadn't logged in for months but I remember a big furore about his 'Sane Vaishnavism' on GD. But the thing that completely turned me off was when the community turned around on it's founder Madhava/Ananda and demonised him for leaving CV for Buddhism. People like Buddysattva, Malati, Advaita das, I had never seen such savage behaviour before and it sickened me, and finally convinced me that it wasn't just a case of IGM-brand fanaticism but the type of fundamentalism associated with religion when a beloved member turns apostate. So I left.

Are the big sangams happening on Facebook? I wasn't aware of anything happening apart from people posting a choice quote as their status (or a note) and then a long discussion in comments. Is that what you mean, or are there some groups there?

[Ldd]

Thats why we have to come together in peace and leave the people in Iraq to fight. We can't have progressive sangam if savage behavior is not controlled. Nitai was given a similar treatment at the Kunj years back.
The satwic mode uplifts. Tama and raja are binding and destructive.
Good sangams on facebook. I joined some and even the pictures are worth more than a million words. Just watching the devotees and the dham is a spiritual experience.

[Nitaidas]

There still is the Grantha Mandira. Apart from the text repository, which has become immense thanks mostly to Jagat's fevered text inputting, there is a forum there in which discussion on various topics can be carried on. Those of you who are interested in textual questions and studies will find some interesting things there. Jagat is an amazing scholar and bhakta and he frequents those forums. Though he and I started that site years ago with the help of Madhava, he deserves the lion's share of praise for pulling it off and making it the great resource it is today for the study and practice of CV. I will probably start contributing again there, too, both by adding texts as I finish them and by participating in the forums whenever I can. If you are not familiar with the site, you can find it here. Membership is free and there are over 1200 members there, many of them highly accomplished and respected scholars. Membership is free.