Simhachalam in Germany is for me the BEST place to be for Nrsimha Caturdasi - a MUST in my yearly schedule. Even Mayapur can not compare to this....!
|
After spending one week visiting Cologne in Germany (which serves as my home base in Europe) and enjoying life churning various topics in the association of nice devotees, I flew to Ljubljana in Slovenia on the 26th of April. It was my first visit after five years, and it was wonderful to meet all the devotees again.
On the 11th of April I traveled to Radhadesh in Belgium to visit this wonderful community for one week. It is one of the main projects within Europe, with around 150 devotees living around the temple. They own quite a substantial amount of land and forests and also have a goshala. The beautiful nineteenth-century chateau near the historic town in the Belgian Ardennes attracts many tourists all around the year, and devotees give guided tours where the visitors also take darshan of the magnificent Deities of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath, Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai and engage in a short kirtan. Powerful preaching...!
Govardhanadesh outside of Bad Oeynhausen in Germany is a rather unique project. Some years ago, a family from Russia bought this Hotel near the forest and turned it into a temple, while at the same time continuing to run it as their family business. Now many devotees from Ukraine have taken shelter here and live in the nearby township or in the hotel. It has almost become like a little Ukrainian colony...
I had been regularly visiting Kishinev in Moldova for the last 23 years - until the pandemic came. Being a neighboring country of Ukraine, the devotees have the same fresh and enthusiastic spirit and eagerness for Krishna consciousness as in Ukraine.
Now, during the first week of April, I finally had an opportunity to visit once again - after a long five years had passed. And it was such a joyful reunion - full of sweet and affectionate exchanges...! I enjoyed the fact that the pandemic was over, and I finally could travel again to all the different places which I had not been able to visit for the last few years. One of those communities was Sofia in Bulgaria which I visited during the last week of March.
In mid-March I spent ten days at my mother's house near Tuebingen. My mission was to sort out some of her belongings after she had left her body in October last year, and to sell off some of her more valuable furniture and other possessions.
This year I had decided to spend Gaur Purnima in Istanbul - a place where I had never visited before. I had met Nrsimha Krishna Prabhu, the Regional Secretary, at the ILS in 2020, just before the pandemic started. Already then he requested me to visit, and finally now I found an opportunity to do so.
My time in Mayapur during January and February was intense but blissful. I offered five courses over 5 weeks, followed by the False Ego course in February, which is always most popular and well attended. Around the same time we observed beautiful festivals in Mayapur - the Pushya Abhishek, Vasanta Pancami celebrating the first day of spring, Advaita Acarya's appearance and Lord Nityananda's appearance. In mid of February the ILS (International Leadership Sanga) took place which was a wonderful opportunity for me to be on my stall from early morning to evening, connecting with leaders and general devotees while offering the four books I have published so far. It was great - like being on Sankirtan! I was invited to give a presentation on the topic of "Prajalpa - it will Destroy this Movement", which was well attended and received, being so immensely relevant, especially at the present challenges ISKCON is facing.
For the first time after the pandemic, we could once again conduct our 3-day Holy Name Retreat at Ekachakra in December, over Christmas - a program which has over the years become very dear to my heart. Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of busy Mayapur and going into seclusion for several days while giving our undivided attention to the holy name allowed us to enter another reality - eternal reality: my relationship with Krishna through chanting His holy name.
|
Devaki Devi Dasi's Travel DiaryDevaki Devi Dasi is sharing her realizations and adventures in her Traveling Diary.Welcome to relish this nectar! Archives
December 2022
|
RSS Feed
