Already three months prior I had agreed with my mother that I would visit her on the 8th/9th/10th of September in her village near Tuebingen. Meanwhile her health condition had decreased - one of her heart valves did not function properly any longer, hardly allowing any blood to flow through with the opening being only one centimeter instead of four. At night she was troubled by strong heart pains and breathing problems, and many doctors and even homeopaths advised her to immediately undergo a surgery in order to receive a new heart valve.
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I had invited Hari Sauri Prabhu to come to Kharkov for Janmastami and Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa Puja, and he had kindly accepted our invitation. Thus on the 31st of August, the day of departure from the Bhakti Sangam Festival we flew together from Lvov to Kharkov.
The Bhakti Sangam Festival in Ukraine is surely one of the most amazing events in the three worlds....
Unfortunately it had to be canceled last year due to the political situation of war raging in Eastern Ukraine. And as the saying goes: absence makes the heart grow fonder - by missing it one year, we all realized even more how dear and meaningful this event had become to us. On my arrival at Berlin Airport on the 8th of August I was received by Mitravinda Mataji, who took me to the venue where Damayanti Mataji and Nila Madhava Prabhu were celebrating their wedding ceremony. My flight had been a little delayed, so I arrived at the very end of the fire yajna - just in time to offer a gift and receive a cute little bag made from lace with some maha sweets, a couple of little metal parrots and a verse rolled up on a little piece of paper and tied together with a ribbon. Everything was well thought out and arranged with so much devotion.....!
On the 26th of July we welcomed 40 ladies in Kharkov/Ukraine, who had traveled all the way from Moscow, Minsk, Moldova, Crimea and various corners of Ukraine to participate in the two-week course for ladies entitled "Exploring the Roots of Spiritual Culture"
For my one week's visit to Kishiniev/Moldova we had scheduled the seminar "Giving and Accepting Shelter" over six sessions in the evenings.
I was nicely accomodated in the big house of one mataji and her daughter in a well-to-do area of Kishiniev, and several ladies stayed with me to take care of all my needs. During the day many devotees came for private discussions, and every evening I visited the temple to hold the seminar. It was very well attended, with around 60 to 70 devotees assembling every evening for two and half hours. Many new young people had shown interest in Krsna consciousness over the last year and were now attending our seminar. Also many senior devotees were there, eager to receive deeper insights into this most important topic. They have been serving as mentors and councelors and were now eager to hear how they could qualify themselves more in this most important way of serving the devotees. This was our second Holy Name Retreat in Odessa. Like last year we rented the same holiday camp in Illichovsk, a small town on the shore of the Black Sea. It was here where we conducted one of the first Bhakti Sangam Festivals around 12 years ago. Nostalgic memories came up within my mind - the wonderful history of this most amazing event, which has now become one of the most nourishing annual festivals for many thousands of devotees.
I remembered the long veranda where I was giving a seminar then...... Little did I know that one day I would conduct a Holy Name Retreat here.... On my arrival in Kharkov on the 10th of June I was welcomed by joyful devotees greeting me with a beautiful garland, affectionate words and happy smiles. It was nice to be back again....
The first stop on my visit to Germany was my mother's home near Tuebingen.
I had decided to visit her over the Christian holiday called Pentecost, which fell on the weekend of the 23rd/24th/25th of May. We spent quality time together, sharing deep and meaningful thoughts and realizations on spiritual topics while sitting on the balcony facing her nice garden. She is now 85 years old, and still so open and inquisitive. What is most difficult for her now in her age is to find people with whom she can have deep exchanges and talks. Most people in her age are either senile, or simply closing themselves off and become intellectually and mentally less flexible and active. |
Devaki Devi Dasi's Travel DiaryDevaki Devi Dasi is sharing her realizations and adventures in her Traveling Diary.Welcome to relish this nectar! Archives
January 2026
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