Help Sacred Vedic Arts feed Miami’s hungry

(The top image on this page features Srimati Syamarani Didi, also known as Jadurani dasi, in the late 1960s on the left, and in the present on the right.)

Feeding Miami’s hungry and underserved is one of our key spiritual missions – and we’re struggling to fulfill it as best as we could.

We need your help.

"We have to see that nobody goes hungry within a 10-mile radius." -- Srila Bhaktivedana Swami Maharaja Prabhupada

Such is a core tenet of Bhakti yoga, in which we see all humans with equal vision, regardless of how the rest of the world may see them.

Sacred Vedic Arts, a 501(c)3 under the auspices of Srimati Syamarani Didi (Jadurani dasi), aims to live these every day in the heart of Miami since we established ourselves in the city earlier this year.

Feeding the hungry in Miami, Sacred Vedic Arts’ new home, is a key part of the mission of our founder, Srimati Syamarani Didi (Jadurani dasi). But Miami is faced with a crippling food insecurity problem: People with homes and unhoused alike regularly go hungry.

We have the devotee volunteer power to do so for the 10 miles around our temple in Buena Vista, Miami, close to the city’s thriving, wealthy arts districts, but also just a few miles from serious deprivation and homelessness.

We receive regular donations of vegetarian ingredients from Feeding South Florida, a nonprofit that aims to end hunger by rescuing leftover raw food and partnering with other organizations to receive and distribute meals.

As best as we can with our residential facilities, we prepare, feed, and serve sanctified vegetarian and vegan meals to our community. We consider everyone a neighbor, whether they step inside our temple doors or not, and however they live.

But we have run out of storage and preparation space to properly distribute all of this nourishing food. We need your help building out a true, small commercial kitchen space on our property to reach more souls.

Can you help us fulfill this critical mission of Syamarani Didi’s life, and the vision of her spiritual teachers and our lineage?

As humble members of the Sacred Vedic Arts community, we stand united with a shared purpose.

We serve and uplift the vision of our beloved spiritual guide, Srimati Syamarani Didi, and her spiritual teachers – Srila Bhaktivedana Swami Maharaja Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, and all the teachers in our spiritual tradition.

For nearly 58 years, “Didi,” as she is affectionately known, has lived as the embodiment of selfless devotion, tirelessly dedicated to spreading the wisdom of her teachers and traditions, and expressing it all in transcendental art.

As part of Didi's sacred mission, we are committed to making feeding the hungry an integral part of the jewel of her life's work. This endeavor is not just about nourishing bodies, but also souls – and about fulfilling the profound vision she has selflessly carried forward for decades.

In her unwavering humility, Didi would never ask for help herself, yet we, as the Sacred Vedic Arts community, recognize the critical need to support her in this mission.

We are writing on her behalf, driven by the deep desire to ensure that her legacy of love and service continues to expand.

Our mission is to extend our hands further, to feed more mouths, and to create a haven of compassion for those struggling with hunger – both spiritual and physical – in our beloved Miami.

Now, we turn to you, our cherished community, to be the heroes in this chapter of our journey. Together, we can build a proper commercial kitchen — a sanctified space where love is transformed into nourishment, and where no one is turned away hungry.

About Food Insecurity in our Community of Miami:

Food insecurity affects many local residents, regardless of where or how they live or how they look.

Feeding America defines food insecurity as such: “the lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is associated with numerous adverse social and health outcomes and is increasingly considered a critical public health issue. Key drivers of food insecurity include unemployment, poverty, and income shocks, which can prevent adequate access to food.”

Their last survey of the county, in 2020, estimates over 10% of the county’s residents face this struggle: more than a quarter of a million people.

At the same time, the Homeless Trust reports that their census of unhoused people in the county – those who could be counted – had increased by seven percent overall between 2021 and 2022.

We meet many of these community members out on food distribution in Miami’s downtown core, and welcome them regularly to our center’s programs and feasts.

A Breakdown of What Funds We Need and How They Will Be Used:

The key part of our request is simply creating a proper preparation and cooking space to prepare and distribute meals. We currently are completely volunteer-powered, and receive regular donations of raw ingredients.

But we are struggling to prepare them in the residential kitchen of a converted, single-family rental home.

On our center’s property, we have an empty space under Syamarani Didi’s quarters, currently used for ingredient storage, that we aim to renovate as a proper commercial kitchen. We aim to do this as economically as possible, but the costs are beyond our current means.

Here is a breakdown of the estimated construction and professional labor costs:

$19,790

Exhaust hood, stainless steel wall panels, grease filters, exhaust fan, air supply fan, fire suppression system, electric controls, and labor to install it all.

You may peruse our provider’s detailed professional estimate of costs here and here.

$2000

Commercial-grade stove

$1200

Industrial stainless steel sink and faucet

$7000

Plumber and electrician labor throughout the life of the renovation project

TOTAL:

$29,990, which we have rounded up to $35,000 to cover mild unexpected cost adjustments, and deductions taken from each donation by GoFundMe and credit card processing.

Please forgive any offenses for doing so.

Why We Have Turned to GoFundMe:

The core of our service extends beyond the sanctified feasts that nurture hungry souls. It encompasses the essence of spiritual teachings, wisdom talks, kirtan mantra music sessions, student outreach at college campuses, prison outreach, and the vibrant presence at events throughout South Florida.

All of this, every act of love and service, is powered entirely by volunteers, including our live-in ashram community of full-time sevaks, with no outside income.

This is all only possible by the generosity of donors who believe in the power of Bhakti yoga to transform lives.

The recent move from suburban Broward County to the heart of Miami was a bold step, driven by a deep-seated commitment to serve more people in need.

However, this transition has stretched our modest budget to its limits. Unforeseen challenges, like moving costs, structural repairs needed after heavy rains, and more have added to the strain.

Yet, even in the face of these trials, the demand for our outreach events and services throughout the area continues to grow.

Simply put, the scale of our mission has outgrown our current financial capacity. We find ourselves at a juncture where our existing monthly donations, while invaluable, are no longer sufficient to sustain the breadth of our outreach.

Thus, with humility and gratitude, we turn to you, our compassionate community, for the gifts needed to start this monumental project — the renovation of our kitchen.

Your support is not just a donation: It is a sacred offering that fuels the mission of Sacred Vedic Arts and the legacy of Srimati Syamarani Didi.

With your generosity, we can create a space where love and devotion are transformed into tangible acts of compassion, feeding both body and soul.

Thank you for being the driving force behind this chapter.

About Sacred Vedic Arts:

Sacred Vedic Artsis a devotional art gallery, temple, cultural center, and spiritual community in the heart of Miami’s arts districts. We welcome the public by free admission for art viewing, spiritual lectures, festivals, and sacred, cruelty-free cuisine, six days a week.

Rooted in our spiritual lineage of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, we share the teachings of Bhakti-yoga – the yoga of devotion. Our mission is to inspire the public to join us on a journey of introspection and discovery through the power of art and spirituality.

We are committed to preserving, promoting, and propagating the rich cultural heritage of the Vedic tradition, providing a platform for spiritual enrichment, artistic expression, community engagement, and sustainable living.

Our new center in Buena Vista, Miami is just the new phase of a larger vision: a permanent home in the city for a world-renowned institution for the celebration and preservation of Vedic arts.

About Srimati Syamarani Didi (Jadurani dasi):

An encounter with world-renowned spiritual teacher and artist Srimati Syamarani Didi , also known as Jadurani Didi, is a soul-striking look into an incredible journey of 57 years through unwavering spiritual devotion and artistic mastery.

Affectionately known as “Didi” — or “elder sister” in Sanskrit — she has dedicated her life to practicing and propagating the teachings of Bhakti yoga, or “the yoga of devotion.” This ancient spiritual tradition, originally arising in ancient India, informs her more than 400 mesmerizing pieces of spiritually infused artwork.

These images have touched countless lives around the globe, becoming iconic works displayed in temples, distributed in more than half a billion copies of Bhakti literature, and even gracing popular music album covers, posters, T-shirts, and more.

As a teenage art student in 1960s New York City, she became one of the first disciples of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the world-renowned founder-acharya of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). In those historical times, the ancient tradition exploded across the West, and became colloquially known in popular culture as the “Hare Krishna movement.”

Under Srila Prabhupada’s guidance, Syamarani Didi painted some of the most recognizable illustrations in his translations and commentaries, including the Bhagavad Gita As-It-Is. This volume alone, featuring Didi’s work, has been translated into more than 60 languages since 1972, sold more than 40 million copies, and has become the most popular version of the key Indian spiritual text, the Bhagavad Gita.

In November 1977, Srila Prabhupada departed from the vision of the world. In 1992, Syamarani met his spiritual successor and intimate friend, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja. Just before his divine departure, Srila Prabhupada had requested Srila Narayana Maharaja to continue his mission.

Under the latter’s tutelage, Syamarani painted one of the most iconic images in Bhakti yoga, Seva-Kunja. The painting was installed with an elaborate ceremony at the pilgrimage site of Śrī Rūpa-Sanātana Gauḍīya Maṭha in the holy city of Vrindavan, India.

Syamarani Didi's artistic prowess is only matched by her profound devotion and humility. As one of the few female gurus in her lineage, she gives initiation into the chanting of the maha-mantra (“the Hare Krishna mantra”) and other spiritual and priestly rites.

She also fully engages in educating students and seekers in the beautiful truths of Vedic culture. This system of ancient spiritual, philosophical, and cultural traditions is based on the sacred texts known as the Vedas, propounded in such volumes as the Bhagavad Gita and the

Srimad Bhagavatam.

She has also authored two definitive Bhakti-Yoga books, the Art of Spiritual Life, a comprehensive memoir, and Bhakti Art Illuminations, a compendium of all of her artwork.

Major spiritual organizations have recognized Syamarani Didi's artistic achievements with awards. In 2013, the World Vaisnava Association in 2013 gave her the Audarya Award, so named for a Sanskrit word meaning “compassion.”

Organizers of the 2018 Bhakti Fest gave her the spiritual humanitarian award for her contributions to devotional art and philosophical teachings. Organizers marked the event with a presentation from Deepak Chopra.

In 2021, she presented Bhakti Art Illuminations to India's Prime Minister Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. Modi was so impressed by her work that he replayed some of their meeting on his radio show, Maan ki Bat, in which he praised her role in carrying forward India's spiritual and cultural traditions.

Having previously resided in India and traveled the world 25 times in service to her spiritual teachers, Syamarani Didi permanently relocated to South Florida to benefit her health.

Here, she continues to share her profound knowledge of Vedic philosophy and devotional art with the world. Her presence in South Florida is a testament to the region's vibrant spiritual communities and a rare opportunity for those seeking deeper understanding and connection to the sublime wisdom of ancient India.

Connecting with Syamarani Didi offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience to engage with a living legend in the world of Bhakti-yoga art and spirituality. Through her artwork and teachings, she invites us all on a journey of artistic wonder, spiritual exploration, and heartfelt inspiration.