Holy Name Retreat
  • Retreat at Ekachakra
  • Registration
  • Ekachakra
  • Devaki dd
  • Diary
  • Recordings
  • Photos
  • Testimonials

Visiting Lord Nrsimhadeva

10/15/2018

 
On my arrival in Cologne on the 2nd of October I received Julia and Polina from Ukraine, who I had invited to join me on a little tour around Germany. I consider it to be very educational to visit temples in other countries. It broadens our experience and leaves valuable impressions on our minds and hearts.
Picture
A six-hour train ride took us to Simhachalam near Passau, situated in the Bavarian Forest - a mountainous and touristy region near the Czech border. In German they call Lord Nrsimhadeva's abode the 'Lion Temple', and it is even listed in all kinds of touristic brochures and websites as a place of special interest. People come to have some "time out for the soul" - as the devotees advertise it. In this way, people get in contact with Krishna consciousness....
Picture
This was my first visit to Simhachalam outside the Nrsimha Caturdasi festival. And I was impressed how much Lord Nrsimhadev is the very center of the entire community - not only during the festival, but every day. So many devotees assemble to attend Mangal Artik - quite amazing! Everybody is so eager to take darshan of the Lord, serve Him and glorify Him. Every Saturday the devotees perform an elaborate yajna for Nrsimhadeva, and every Sunday early morning is a special public abhishek of the big murti. I was invited to come on the altar and participate, which was a special experience. I could strongly perceive His presence - an undeniable fact.
Picture
Picture
Ramananda Prabhu serves as the head pujari for Lord Nrsimhadeva, and he gives his heart and soul to this service. I have never seen anybody offer the artik like he does: he leans forward while offering each and every item to the Lord in a very personal way. He is actually offering the item to Him, rather than merely performing a ritual. One can see without doubt that he connects with the Lord in a personal relationship, trying his best to please Him. His mood of service permeates the whole community and infects everyone with the same spirit.

More and more devotees are coming here to join this community - grhasthas as well as brahmacaris. It is one of the few temples in Germany which has a lively brahmacari ashram with a strong Sankirtan spirit: the boys are always out on traveling Sankirtan.
For the last couple of years Gour Mohan Prabhu has been serving as the temple president - he was born in Krishna consciousness and is only 27 years old. He was a brahmacari for seven years in this community and is now preparing to enter married life. A wonderful example of allowing the young generation to take over and bring a youthful and lively spirit into a community.
Picture
I had come to offer the course "Entering the Grhastha Ashram" over three morning- and two evening-programs. Within the last six months the community had experienced several unsuccessful and painful attempts of devotees trying to get married. Thus they had invited me to offer this course. Gour Mohan Prabhu had even called all his brahmacaris and bhaktas to come back from traveling Sankirtan to participate in the seminar. How revolutionary to give such training to the brahmacaris!
It was very well attended by more than 35 devotees, and it was a big eye opener for everyone who participated. Senior devotees realized that they need to establish a marriage committee in order to help devotees change ashrams.
Picture
It was very enlivening to visit Simhachalam - I might visit again outside the festival and give more courses here. The devotees are keen.....

Our next destination was Tuebingen, where we visited my mother for two days.
The three of us spent a nice and harmonious time with her - with walks in autumn colored nature, excursions around the old part of the village, nice prasadam and meaningful talks. She is 88 years old now - every visit could be the last one......

On the 11th of October we took the train back to Cologne. My two companions from Ukraine received many interesting insights and impressions on their little tour. Once while sitting in the train and looking out the window Julia asked, why in Germany the grass in the fields is always cut so nicely. I explained that as a rule the land in Germany is used and cultivated - not like in Ukraine, where one sees so much uncultivated land. And the farmers cut the grass to feed the cows or make hay for the winter. She laughingly exclaimed: "Oh, I thought they cut it to make it look nice - like a big park....!" Yes, in comparison to other parts of the world, Germany could almost be viewed like one big park.....
Especially South Germany where my mother lives is rather beautiful.

Back in Cologne I offered the seminar "Secrets of Success in the Grhastha Ashram" as a weekend course. As part of the seminar, we did an interesting exercise: we collected all possible traps, challenges and difficulties which this ashram can offer - starting from financial difficulties, attachment to sense enjoyment, arguments between husband and wife, challenges in child raising, and so forth. Then we discussed in detail the foremost secrets of success for this ashram:

 1) Regular sravanam kirtanam being the watering process of the bhakti lata.  2) Regular association with devotees and having a mentor who can guide us.
 3) Keeping our life simple.

And we discovered that these main secrets of success indeed offer the solution to all possible traps and problems! It was an eye-opening revelation......! But the challenge of the application remains.....!
However, this is what it means to mold our family life into an ashram: that we put these secrets of success as main priorities into our life.

On the 15th of October I flew off to India, while Julia and Polina returned to Ukraine. They had realized that Germany certainly offers more comfort and sense gratification, while Ukraine offers a more eager spirit amongst the devotees.....! And thus they happily returned to Kharkov......

Your servant, Devaki dd


Comments are closed.

    Devaki Devi Dasi's Travel Diary

    Devaki Devi Dasi is sharing her realizations and adventures in her Traveling Diary.Welcome to relish this nectar!

    Archives

    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.