This was my second visit to the Spanish yatra - I came here before in 2016. In my childhood I had sometimes spent my school holidays in Spain, together with my family. In those days, it was a rather poor but beautiful country, and people lived very simple and off the land. Now, 55 years later, economic development and the advancement of Kali-yuga have brought along so many changes - like everywhere else in Europe....
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After visiting Krishna Island in Northern Ireland, I spent some days visiting the preaching centre in Dublin, offering a variety of programs at the centre and in devotees' homes.
The preaching centre is in excellent location - in the middle of the city, with a Govinda's Restaurant on the ground floor, and three more floors above, with the temple room on the top floor. They worship a relief carving of the Pancha Tattva - perfect for a preaching centre with a simple standard of worship. Especially on Sundays a good crowd of people come, but also during the week people are interested to join discussions on relevant and catchy topics. This year I spent Janmastami and Srila Prabhupada's appearance in Ireland - on Inish Rath, or Krishna Island.
As last year, I once again decided to visit New Mayapur in France for the festival of Lord Balarama's appearance. In any other temple in Europe, it would be a three-hour festival, but here in New Mayapur the devotees celebrate the event over three to four days...!
New Mayapur is an historic early-20th-century castle - Srila Prabhupada installed beautiful, big marble Krishna-Balarama Deities here in 1975 - the first Krishna-Balarama Deities ever installed in the Western world. Furthermore, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-Madhava are mercifully accepting our loving service. Srila Prabhupada visited here twice, in 1975 and 1976, and his quarters are being maintained as a museum - a peaceful place to chant japa. On the 1st of August I arrived in Riga/Latvia - after 3 weeks of heat in Mayapur it felt good to be in a cooler climate again. I had not visited the Riga temple for many years - now I fondly remembered the early days, when my former husband and I came here in 1989 to establish a temple. It was perfect timing - just when the communist system collapsed. In those days the borders were open, and many devotees came from all around the former Soviet Union to join our temple. We had around 65 brahmacharis and 30 brahmacharini in the ashrams - they were exciting and adventurous times in pioneer work...!
I have known Vrajalalana Mataji for more than 30 years - I consider her to be one of my 'spiritual daughters'. Therefore I decided to put my preaching activities aside and spent 3 weeks with her in Mayapur during the month of July, trying to assist her in approaching death. I arrived on the 11th of July and I stayed in the same flat with her, so I could be available all around the clock and take care of her, overseeing her medical treatments and taking care of all her needs. Unfortunately I was not able to stay until the moment when she left this world - I had to leave Mayapur on the 31st of July.
I arrived in Mayapur on the 11th of July - not my usual time to visit Mayapur. I came on a special mission: To accompany one of my "spiritual daughters" on her final journey to prepare for death.
We have known each other since 1991 - for more than 30 years. I had traveled with her a lot, arranged her marriage and accompanied her through her whole devotional life. I felt compelled to put my preaching activities aside and serve her during these testing times, encouraging her to move on to her next destination. After spending one month in Krishnuv Dvur in the Czech Republic, compiling the preliminary manuscript for my new book on the vanaprastha-ashrama, I decided to visit the devotees in Slovakia. It was my first visit to this part of Europe, and I spent one week at the nice preaching centre in Zvolen, and one week at New Ekachakra in the Eastern part of Slovakia, near the border to Ukraine.
The devotees eagerly received me and arranged various programs at the temple, and also in a grihastha's home. We enjoyed each other's association while churning relevant topics related to our practical spiritual life. I had come to Krishnuv Dvur, the farm outside of Prague, to stay for one month - with the mission of going into hiding to compile the manuscript for my next book entitled "The Vanaprastha-Ashrama - Meeting Death with Joy". Jaya Gopinath Mataji and her family welcomed me in their house - I usually stay with them and have meanwhile developed a nice friendship with her, her husband and their three daughters.
I settled into a good routine of not showing up at the temple from Monday to Friday; simply getting up, chanting most of my rounds, and after breakfast I was glued to my computer for 6 to 7 hours, working on my book. In the early evening I went for a one-hour walk in nice nature, getting some exercise and refreshing my brain. On the weekends I would go to the morning program and mix with devotees, accept invitations for lunch and have private meetings with devotees. I also offered a few classes and took part in special events such as HH Bhakti Vaibhava Maharaja's Vyasa Puja with his personal presence, and the Ratha Yatra in Prague. Amazingly enough, during this one month I managed to put the preliminary manuscript for the whole book together which will have around 300 book pages. I never expected it to go so swiftly! In this way, I spent a productive month in wonderful association. Simhachalam in Germany is for me the BEST place to celebrate Nrsimha Caturdasi - a MUST in my yearly schedule. Even Mayapur can not compare to this....! In this rural community situated in the Bavarian Forest, around 3 hours away from Munich, the devotees serve big Lord Nrsimhadeva in a devoted way, and His appearance day is celebrated in a grandiose style over 5 days. It is one of the main festivals - not only within Germany, but in Europe. Many devotees assemble from the neighboring countries such as Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland and even all the way from the UK. This year we had the good fortune to welcome many saintly personalities: HH Sacinandana Swami, HH Candramauli Swami, HH Jayadvaita Swami, HH Bhakti Vaibhava Swami, HH Bhakti Mukund Swami, HG Krishna Premarupa Prabhu, and many young generation kirtaniyas.
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Devaki Devi Dasi's Travel DiaryDevaki Devi Dasi is sharing her realizations and adventures in her Traveling Diary.Welcome to relish this nectar! Archives
March 2024
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