On the 8th of August a comfortable train ride took us from Goloka Dham to Koeln - along the beautiful Rhine valley with its castles and old settlements....
Yes, Germany is indeed a very beautiful place - beautiful to the sense perception of our eyes.
Once we look a little deeper we discover that underneath the pleasant and attractive surface it is all rotting away....
People are depressed, frustrated and empty within their hearts - all the comfort, beauty and sense enjoyment is simply not satisfying to the soul....
People cannot find a higher purpose in life.
Without Krsna it is all zero.
If we could only add Krsna, then it would be indeed like a heavenly
planet - the one in front of the many zeros makes it a million....
Yes, Germany is indeed a very beautiful place - beautiful to the sense perception of our eyes.
Once we look a little deeper we discover that underneath the pleasant and attractive surface it is all rotting away....
People are depressed, frustrated and empty within their hearts - all the comfort, beauty and sense enjoyment is simply not satisfying to the soul....
People cannot find a higher purpose in life.
Without Krsna it is all zero.
If we could only add Krsna, then it would be indeed like a heavenly
planet - the one in front of the many zeros makes it a million....
We can clearly see that it is not too long ago that Germany had indeed a strong spiritual culture. Every village has a beautiful old church - in the very center of it!
We also came past big old monastries which indicate that in the past some part of the population was indeed giving their life to serving God.
Now these monastries are empty and simply have become historic monuments - sometimes being used for cultural programs or as a conference center.
I was indeed born during the best time of German's recent history: in 1958 people had well recovered from the war, but life was not as degraded, godless and crazy as it is now.
Life was still OK in those days, and the village where I grew up was very pitoresque and idyllic: with a nice little creek going through the very center, flanked by big chestnut trees, and every second house was a farm house....
Every evening I used to go and fetch the milk from the farmers - it was still warm, and we used to put the little milk bucket to our mouth and drink from it on the way home.....
What a happy childhood....!
I used to go to school by tram - a really beautiful one made from wood, which was slowly making it's way through the forests and fields, from one village to another, until it reached the next bigger city....
Fifty years later the village has become a suburb to the city, and of course the creek, chestnut trees and old tram have disappeared! And instead there is now a bus going on a fast road, which connects everybody swiftly with the city center....
The times they are a'changing.....(song by Bob Dylan.....)
This was my very first visit to the Koeln yatra.....
Beautiful marble Sri Sri Gaur Nitai own a nice three-story building in one of the suburbs of Koeln - maybe not in the most fancy neighbourhood, but as a result of this the devotees are not being disturbed by disgruntled neighbors complaining about too much noise....
Stepping outside the temple door I almost felt like being back in Dhaka - every person I saw was a Muslim.....!
We visited the devotees for three days over the weekend and were busily engaged with programs: the morning Bhagavatam class, an evening program reading from my favorite book "Our Srila Prabhupada - A Friend To All", and a Japa Workshop on Sunday morning followed by the Sunday Feast class.
The Koeln yatra is one of the most established communities in Germany - the Sunday program is attended by around sixty nice people, which is a good crowd for this part of the world.
There is also a large Russian congregation - I had the pleasure to meet some of them in private discussions.
Devotees seemed enlivened by our presence and eager for association. I also had a nice longer exchange with one of the leaders - Rama Gopal Prabhu, the care taker and father of the young boys living in the temple.
He shared some visions and plans and requested me to come more often......
On Monday morning we took the train to Tuebingen to visit my mother for a couple of days.
We took a really fast train - it was sometimes going 300 kilometers per hour! I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the information of the speed being displayed on a digital speedometer. And I must admit I started feeling somewhat a little uncomfortable at this speed. Looking out the windows would almost make me dizzy - everything was simply whizzing past my eyes.....
I smilingly remembered the slow trains in Bangladesh.....
People are proud for this amazing technological advancement. But ironically, the trains are more delayed than ever before....!
On our arrival in Tuebingen we locked away our luggage at the train station, and I took Margarita for a quick tour around the old part of the city. Tuebingen has a university which goes back almost 800 years - before Mahaprabhu appeared in this world. This part of Germany was not destroyed during the war, and all the old houses are nicely restaurated and very impressive to see. Everything looks so well maintained, beautiful and clean!
I took Margarita the steep little lane up to the old Castle, and while enjoying the nice view over the city I was preaching to her how difficult it is to practice Krsna consciousness in such beautiful environment. Maya is so much stronger here, keeping us in the illusion that life in this material world is not so bad after all....
I also showed her the very spot where I saw the first harinama and received a Bhagavad Gita in 1972......
I was unsure how my visit at my mother's would go having an assistant with me, and to my surprise it turned out to be the most harmonious and jolly time I had had with my mother for a very long time....
Having a stranger there inspired her to play the role of a host receiving a guest, and she was so sweet and friendly to Margarita! It was simply wonderful! She was showing herself from her very best side, and trying to impress Margarita she was also telling her that she had been to India two times.
I suggested to my mother to show Margarita some photos of her India trip, and she happily got her diary out and requested me to read aloud, all the while being absorbed in memories of Vrindavan and Mayapur.....
Thus we experienced a visit to the Dham within our mind, which was a very uplifting and joyful way to pass the time.....
My mother asked me for permission to give the hand-painted bagde of Mahaprabhu which I had presented her many years ago to Margarita as a gift, and of course I happily agreed to this proposal.
Both of them were almost moved to tears when engaging in the affectionate exchange of giving and accepting a gift....
I should always visit my mother with an assistant.....
It somewhat dispells the emotional entanglement and reduces the tendency to argue over little details. It helps cultivating the mood of giving rather than expecting and demanding......
On the 14th of August we flew from Stuttgart to Lvov in Ukraine for yet another transcendental event - a Holy Name Retreat in the Carpathian Mountains.....
Your servant, Devaki dd
We also came past big old monastries which indicate that in the past some part of the population was indeed giving their life to serving God.
Now these monastries are empty and simply have become historic monuments - sometimes being used for cultural programs or as a conference center.
I was indeed born during the best time of German's recent history: in 1958 people had well recovered from the war, but life was not as degraded, godless and crazy as it is now.
Life was still OK in those days, and the village where I grew up was very pitoresque and idyllic: with a nice little creek going through the very center, flanked by big chestnut trees, and every second house was a farm house....
Every evening I used to go and fetch the milk from the farmers - it was still warm, and we used to put the little milk bucket to our mouth and drink from it on the way home.....
What a happy childhood....!
I used to go to school by tram - a really beautiful one made from wood, which was slowly making it's way through the forests and fields, from one village to another, until it reached the next bigger city....
Fifty years later the village has become a suburb to the city, and of course the creek, chestnut trees and old tram have disappeared! And instead there is now a bus going on a fast road, which connects everybody swiftly with the city center....
The times they are a'changing.....(song by Bob Dylan.....)
This was my very first visit to the Koeln yatra.....
Beautiful marble Sri Sri Gaur Nitai own a nice three-story building in one of the suburbs of Koeln - maybe not in the most fancy neighbourhood, but as a result of this the devotees are not being disturbed by disgruntled neighbors complaining about too much noise....
Stepping outside the temple door I almost felt like being back in Dhaka - every person I saw was a Muslim.....!
We visited the devotees for three days over the weekend and were busily engaged with programs: the morning Bhagavatam class, an evening program reading from my favorite book "Our Srila Prabhupada - A Friend To All", and a Japa Workshop on Sunday morning followed by the Sunday Feast class.
The Koeln yatra is one of the most established communities in Germany - the Sunday program is attended by around sixty nice people, which is a good crowd for this part of the world.
There is also a large Russian congregation - I had the pleasure to meet some of them in private discussions.
Devotees seemed enlivened by our presence and eager for association. I also had a nice longer exchange with one of the leaders - Rama Gopal Prabhu, the care taker and father of the young boys living in the temple.
He shared some visions and plans and requested me to come more often......
On Monday morning we took the train to Tuebingen to visit my mother for a couple of days.
We took a really fast train - it was sometimes going 300 kilometers per hour! I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the information of the speed being displayed on a digital speedometer. And I must admit I started feeling somewhat a little uncomfortable at this speed. Looking out the windows would almost make me dizzy - everything was simply whizzing past my eyes.....
I smilingly remembered the slow trains in Bangladesh.....
People are proud for this amazing technological advancement. But ironically, the trains are more delayed than ever before....!
On our arrival in Tuebingen we locked away our luggage at the train station, and I took Margarita for a quick tour around the old part of the city. Tuebingen has a university which goes back almost 800 years - before Mahaprabhu appeared in this world. This part of Germany was not destroyed during the war, and all the old houses are nicely restaurated and very impressive to see. Everything looks so well maintained, beautiful and clean!
I took Margarita the steep little lane up to the old Castle, and while enjoying the nice view over the city I was preaching to her how difficult it is to practice Krsna consciousness in such beautiful environment. Maya is so much stronger here, keeping us in the illusion that life in this material world is not so bad after all....
I also showed her the very spot where I saw the first harinama and received a Bhagavad Gita in 1972......
I was unsure how my visit at my mother's would go having an assistant with me, and to my surprise it turned out to be the most harmonious and jolly time I had had with my mother for a very long time....
Having a stranger there inspired her to play the role of a host receiving a guest, and she was so sweet and friendly to Margarita! It was simply wonderful! She was showing herself from her very best side, and trying to impress Margarita she was also telling her that she had been to India two times.
I suggested to my mother to show Margarita some photos of her India trip, and she happily got her diary out and requested me to read aloud, all the while being absorbed in memories of Vrindavan and Mayapur.....
Thus we experienced a visit to the Dham within our mind, which was a very uplifting and joyful way to pass the time.....
My mother asked me for permission to give the hand-painted bagde of Mahaprabhu which I had presented her many years ago to Margarita as a gift, and of course I happily agreed to this proposal.
Both of them were almost moved to tears when engaging in the affectionate exchange of giving and accepting a gift....
I should always visit my mother with an assistant.....
It somewhat dispells the emotional entanglement and reduces the tendency to argue over little details. It helps cultivating the mood of giving rather than expecting and demanding......
On the 14th of August we flew from Stuttgart to Lvov in Ukraine for yet another transcendental event - a Holy Name Retreat in the Carpathian Mountains.....
Your servant, Devaki dd
RSS Feed
