This was my second visit to the community of Villa Vrindavan near Florence/Italy. I was surprised how cool the weather was - I expected it to be warmer at this time of the year being mid of April. And the big mansion of the temple building was of course not heated any longer, and thus rather cold. Some little tapasya - especially for Rasarani, who is used to the Mayapur temperatures...
Villa Vrindavan is a very appropriate name for this community. It is surrounded by beautiful nature, and every morning and evening one can hear the peacocks calling, which inevitably makes one remember Vrindavan. Infact, here we hear them more often than in Vrindavan these days....
And of course, Sri Sri Radha Vraja Sundara are the center of the enitre community.
Villa Vrindavan is a very appropriate name for this community. It is surrounded by beautiful nature, and every morning and evening one can hear the peacocks calling, which inevitably makes one remember Vrindavan. Infact, here we hear them more often than in Vrindavan these days....
And of course, Sri Sri Radha Vraja Sundara are the center of the enitre community.
I was scheduled to give the course "Men and Women in Spiritual Culture". A nice and steady group of serious devotees assembled in order to participate in this transformational journey. We conducted the sessions over five days as morning and evening program, and we also included the Sunday feast lecture. Devotees were eagerly participating and received deep insights into spiritual culture, at the same time honestly assessing themselves in how much they had already transformed to gradually make the day of the materialist into their very night.
Italy has a strong heritage of spiritual culture. Some time ago people were very religious and pious here, and we can still find so many beautiful and very old churches all over the country. Infact in the South we can still find very old Greek temples dating back to the Roman Empire. And the standard of life was rather simple, and people were not so well off. One of my aunties is married to an Italian and lives in Milano, and in my childhood we were visiting Italy almost every year during our school holidays, traveling all around the country, especially to the South where there is not much industry.
It is not so long ago at all, that we could find the same principles of spiritual culture in daily life here which we also know from our Vaisnava culture. I remember distinctly how in my childhood my mother took great care that we would cover our bodies very nicely while visiting Italy. She discouraged us from wearing shorts and other kind of clothing which would be revealing and provoking lusty thoughts and desires in men.
Also I remember how our family was discussing the fact that my auntie, now being married to an Italian, was not encouraged to leave the house alone in the evenings, especially when it was already dark. This was a sensational fact for us Germans in those days - that she was not "allowed" to freely move around as she liked. So the idea that a woman should be protected also existed then, in Italy. Krsna's system was somewhat still more present than it is now in these modern days.
It is not so long ago at all, that we could find the same principles of spiritual culture in daily life here which we also know from our Vaisnava culture. I remember distinctly how in my childhood my mother took great care that we would cover our bodies very nicely while visiting Italy. She discouraged us from wearing shorts and other kind of clothing which would be revealing and provoking lusty thoughts and desires in men.
Also I remember how our family was discussing the fact that my auntie, now being married to an Italian, was not encouraged to leave the house alone in the evenings, especially when it was already dark. This was a sensational fact for us Germans in those days - that she was not "allowed" to freely move around as she liked. So the idea that a woman should be protected also existed then, in Italy. Krsna's system was somewhat still more present than it is now in these modern days.
Interesting to note that protecting a woman is one of the heroic missions for men. It is built into the male nature and gives him a lot of satisfaction - a higher purpose in life which increases his self esteem. Krsna has given this quality to men, just to make sure women receive the protection they are meant to have.
Whenever I travel on a train in Germany, I never lift my own luggage into the train, but turn to a young fellow and request him to kindly help me. And they always do it with great pleasure! I can always very clearly observe, how happily they play this role of helping and protecting a woman.
Whenever I travel on a train in Germany, I never lift my own luggage into the train, but turn to a young fellow and request him to kindly help me. And they always do it with great pleasure! I can always very clearly observe, how happily they play this role of helping and protecting a woman.
In order for a man to play this role, we women have to accept the subordinate position. Otherwise he cannot protect a woman. As soon as a woman wants to be equal to a man, he will not be able to give protection. Infact, a man loses this most important function he plays within human society. I remember one mataji in South India once shared with me, how she was traveling on a bus when being highly pregnant. None of the passengers got up to give her a seat. After some time she approached a young fellow and requested him to let her sit down. The young man answered: "You women want to be equal! Why should I give you my seat.....?!" He hit the nail on the head. Nevertheless, because he still had some little cultured behavior in his blood, he stood up to give her his seat.
In Bangladesh I have also experienced, how this principle of protecting a woman does not only protect her, but also him. It protects a man from using women for sense gratification. In spiritual culture the principle of protecting women is the very highest principle - far above the principle of brahmacari life for example. It is indeed the greatest honor for a man to play this role. If he somehow violates this principle, and maybe even uses the situation for his sense gratification, he will lose all honor and respect and would almost be rejected from the entire society. It is worse than death for a man. Thus the role of protecting a woman channels his male nature and energy in an uplifting and constructive direction, which protects her as well as him. Now, in these modern days, men have lost this heroic contribution to human society, and thus as a global reaction their male energy can easily be misdirected into a violent and abusive nature.
Furthermore, in order to receive protection one has to be willing to give up one's independance. This is the price to be paid. We cannot maintain independance and at the same time expect protection. This principle we find between Krsna and His devotees (as you surrender unto Me I reward you accordingly), and even also within temple life. The more we serve within a temple community and give up our independance, the more the devotees will feel impelled to give protection to us. It is a natural way of reciprocation within any affectionate relationship - and also in the man-woman relatoinship.
For the devotees in Italy these underlying principles of spiritual culture were not very difficult to understand. It has not been so long ago that they were practiced here also, even within the general society.
For the devotees in Italy these underlying principles of spiritual culture were not very difficult to understand. It has not been so long ago that they were practiced here also, even within the general society.
Of course, what put Krsna's system out of place is the fact, that the entire society became less God conscious, and thus men used their superior position in order to exploit and abuse. Krsna's Divine order for protection turned into a system for abuse. This is what happens when sense gratification becomes the goal in life, instead of God consciousness. And it develops proportionally to economic development. Nevertheless, the solution to abuse and exploitation is not independance and equality. The solution is to put Krsna back on the top of the hierarchy - Krsna's Divine order for protection. An intelligent and Krsna conscious woman will thus carefully chose who to depend on, and who to be protected by.
My visit to Villa Vrindavan was full of uplifting and loving exchanges. I was flooded with nice little gifts - home made organic olives and fig jam, which both tasted out of this world, and generous donations offered with words of gratitude and appreciation. Existing relationships were deepened, and new relationships were established. On the last day of my visit I was invited for a sumptious lunch at a grhastha's home, which perfected all loving exchanges. And I was requested to soon visit again - to give another course on spiritual culture.....
On the 28th of April I flew off to Moscow while Rasarani remained in Villa Vrindavan for the upcoming three weeks.....
Your servant, Devaki dd
My visit to Villa Vrindavan was full of uplifting and loving exchanges. I was flooded with nice little gifts - home made organic olives and fig jam, which both tasted out of this world, and generous donations offered with words of gratitude and appreciation. Existing relationships were deepened, and new relationships were established. On the last day of my visit I was invited for a sumptious lunch at a grhastha's home, which perfected all loving exchanges. And I was requested to soon visit again - to give another course on spiritual culture.....
On the 28th of April I flew off to Moscow while Rasarani remained in Villa Vrindavan for the upcoming three weeks.....
Your servant, Devaki dd
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