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.
We had a nice and peaceful atmosphere around us, with many meaningful talks and deep and sweet exchanges - connecting from soul to soul. In order to stay attentive during the readings with myself and other devotees, she had come up with the idea to colour children's coloring books - a nice way to deepen her meditation on Krishna and His associates. She especially liked the colouring book of Radha Madhava and the Astha Sakhis. I would again and again read to her about their qualities, services, kunja, the colour of their dress and complexion, and so on. And she would attentively listen and colour the pictures accordingly.
On the 17th of July her food pipe was blocked through a big tumor, when she decided with a cool head to start fasting from food and water, rather than opting to go to Kolkata and undergo a surgery. She was clear that she did not want to leave Mayapur - a very Krishna conscious outlook on her situation. She didn't experience the fasting as being so difficult, since her body already didn't want to accept anything any longer. Thus, she cultivated a mood of getting ready to leave and was quite peaceful and focussed. HH Niranjana Maharaja spoke twice to her during this time, reassuring her and giving her strength to move on. I would write regular updates to him. Gradually she came to a point where she simply wanted to hear and chant, and nothing else.
On the 17th of July her food pipe was blocked through a big tumor, when she decided with a cool head to start fasting from food and water, rather than opting to go to Kolkata and undergo a surgery. She was clear that she did not want to leave Mayapur - a very Krishna conscious outlook on her situation. She didn't experience the fasting as being so difficult, since her body already didn't want to accept anything any longer. Thus, she cultivated a mood of getting ready to leave and was quite peaceful and focussed. HH Niranjana Maharaja spoke twice to her during this time, reassuring her and giving her strength to move on. I would write regular updates to him. Gradually she came to a point where she simply wanted to hear and chant, and nothing else.
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Along the journey of preparing to leave this world we may face several subtle and deep challenges and go through various phases - it is not easy to extricate oneself and withdraw, giving up our attachments to so-called society, friendship and love. To go back to Godhead is not a cheap thing - we have to remember Krishna alone, as He tells us in BG 8.5. It was a great honour for me to have the opportunity to offer some humble service and support to her during this crucial time, which we will all have to meet one day. Accompanying a person in this last phase in life is a highly important service and brings a relationship to perfection, with all its imperfections which may have been there.
I met Vrajalalana Mataji the first time in 1991, when she visited Riga in Latvia while HH Niranjana Maharaja was there. At that time, she worked as an English teacher in Yalta/Crimea, and I convinced her to leave her job and move to Riga in order to help me establish a brahmacharini ashram in our newly founded temple. Without a translator I could not do anything in this country! And so she quit her job and moved to Riga. Within a few short years we had around 65 brahmacharis and 30 brahmacharinis in our temple, who kept us very busy. And Vrajalalana Mataji greatly assisted me in organising and coordinating things.
I met Vrajalalana Mataji the first time in 1991, when she visited Riga in Latvia while HH Niranjana Maharaja was there. At that time, she worked as an English teacher in Yalta/Crimea, and I convinced her to leave her job and move to Riga in order to help me establish a brahmacharini ashram in our newly founded temple. Without a translator I could not do anything in this country! And so she quit her job and moved to Riga. Within a few short years we had around 65 brahmacharis and 30 brahmacharinis in our temple, who kept us very busy. And Vrajalalana Mataji greatly assisted me in organising and coordinating things.
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In those days my former husband and I spent some months during the European winter in Australia to collect laxmi to pay for the temple renovations. In 1992, he had the idea to send a group of Riga devotees from Vladivostok to Melbourne by ship. At that time, the borders of the former Soviet Union were still open, and one could fly for a few Roubles from Riga to Vladivostok, which is already more than half-way to Australia. So Vrajalalana Mataji was in this group of devotees, stepping on a freight ship in Vladivostok and sailing to Melbourne - a journey of two weeks. And I was excited to receive them in the harbour of Melbourne.
She traveled with me for several months in our old ambulance, assisting me in collecting laxmi for our Riga temple. We were living in the back of the ambulance and had a great adventure in Australia, visiting several temples along our journey while performing all kinds of austerities. Nowadays, young devotees would most likely not agree to such a kind of tapasya.
The following year an even larger group of Riga devotees came to Australia - this time by plane, as the option of the freight ship was no longer available. Vrajalalana Mataji was once again in this group, and on the way back to Europe we visited India together. So I had the good fortune of introducing her to the holy dhama of Mayapur and Vrindavan.
In 1994 we arranged her marriage with Gopisvara Prabhu who had been living as a brahmacari in our temple in Riga. In those days my former husband and myself did not have a deeper understanding of matchmaking but rather intuitively introduced devotees to each other, and only with their agreement to marry we performed their vivaha yajna in the Riga temple.
Now, a few weeks before her departure from this world, they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. To maintain a marriage for 30 years is in itself glorious! Nowadays, not many devotees are able to stick to one marriage, without getting divorced. It requires a willingness to work on oneself and cultivate tolerance, rather than blaming one's spouse and walking out. Vrajalalana Mataji was able to introspect and reflect in order to work on herself and learn to tolerate all kinds of challenges which, no doubt, every marriage brings along. I highly respect her for this fact - she set a wonderful example to other devotees of sticking to her marriage vows, no matter what. Divorce simply did not exist in their vocabulary, even though things were not always easy. She and her husband raised two nice children, who are practising Krishna consciousness, which is another great success.
After their wedding they had to leave Riga since the borders closed, and people from Russia and Ukraine needed visas. Shortly thereafter they both went to Boston and served the Deities and community for several years, living in the temple. However, they did not like the American ways of life and decided to return to Kiev/Ukraine. This fact reflects their deep desire for solid Krishna consciousness - they were not attracted by the possibilities of enjoying a more comfortable life in the US, but rather they returned to a simple yet more Krishna conscious atmosphere in Ukraine.
Some years later the entire family moved to Mayapur. For several years she served as a teacher in the SMIS, fully dedicating herself to give her love, attention and Krishna consciousness to the children. While I was now taking care of her, several parents came to visit Vrajalalana Mataji, expressing their gratitude to her and sharing how much they valued the Krishna conscious influence she had on their children; moulding their characters and lives while giving them the right direction.
Vrajalalana Mataji was also known to be a very social person, reaching out to many devotees, patiently listening to them and guiding them.
Now she perfected her life, leaving her body in the holy dhama of Mayapur, being surrounded by loving devotees and family members. We will greatly miss her association and will always keep her dearly in our hearts, fondly remembering her as a special Vaishnavi.
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
She traveled with me for several months in our old ambulance, assisting me in collecting laxmi for our Riga temple. We were living in the back of the ambulance and had a great adventure in Australia, visiting several temples along our journey while performing all kinds of austerities. Nowadays, young devotees would most likely not agree to such a kind of tapasya.
The following year an even larger group of Riga devotees came to Australia - this time by plane, as the option of the freight ship was no longer available. Vrajalalana Mataji was once again in this group, and on the way back to Europe we visited India together. So I had the good fortune of introducing her to the holy dhama of Mayapur and Vrindavan.
In 1994 we arranged her marriage with Gopisvara Prabhu who had been living as a brahmacari in our temple in Riga. In those days my former husband and myself did not have a deeper understanding of matchmaking but rather intuitively introduced devotees to each other, and only with their agreement to marry we performed their vivaha yajna in the Riga temple.
Now, a few weeks before her departure from this world, they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. To maintain a marriage for 30 years is in itself glorious! Nowadays, not many devotees are able to stick to one marriage, without getting divorced. It requires a willingness to work on oneself and cultivate tolerance, rather than blaming one's spouse and walking out. Vrajalalana Mataji was able to introspect and reflect in order to work on herself and learn to tolerate all kinds of challenges which, no doubt, every marriage brings along. I highly respect her for this fact - she set a wonderful example to other devotees of sticking to her marriage vows, no matter what. Divorce simply did not exist in their vocabulary, even though things were not always easy. She and her husband raised two nice children, who are practising Krishna consciousness, which is another great success.
After their wedding they had to leave Riga since the borders closed, and people from Russia and Ukraine needed visas. Shortly thereafter they both went to Boston and served the Deities and community for several years, living in the temple. However, they did not like the American ways of life and decided to return to Kiev/Ukraine. This fact reflects their deep desire for solid Krishna consciousness - they were not attracted by the possibilities of enjoying a more comfortable life in the US, but rather they returned to a simple yet more Krishna conscious atmosphere in Ukraine.
Some years later the entire family moved to Mayapur. For several years she served as a teacher in the SMIS, fully dedicating herself to give her love, attention and Krishna consciousness to the children. While I was now taking care of her, several parents came to visit Vrajalalana Mataji, expressing their gratitude to her and sharing how much they valued the Krishna conscious influence she had on their children; moulding their characters and lives while giving them the right direction.
Vrajalalana Mataji was also known to be a very social person, reaching out to many devotees, patiently listening to them and guiding them.
Now she perfected her life, leaving her body in the holy dhama of Mayapur, being surrounded by loving devotees and family members. We will greatly miss her association and will always keep her dearly in our hearts, fondly remembering her as a special Vaishnavi.
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
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