Since my last diary post some weeks have gone by, and life has once again drastically changed...
My time in Zurich/Switzerland had come to an end. I had spent five weeks in the temple to continue working on my next book and had a blissful time - until the war in Ukraine started, which filled my heart with unlimited pain and sorrow...
The devotees own a big former banker's villa in Zurich which serves as a perfect facility for a temple: a spacious palace for Gaur Nitai and Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra. After having been the TP for the last 14 years, Krishna Prema Rupa Prabhu had now handed over the management to the next generation - Damodar Prasad Prabhu, a 28-year-old brahmachari. Empowering the young generation brings along fresh energy and a youthful, dynamic spirit which is attractive. I was amazed to see so many nice people coming to the Sunday program - my most blissful time while standing at the book table in the entrance hall, showing people Srila Prabhupada's books and also those I published. It gave me a great opportunity to make myself available to many devotees and newcomers - by Krishna's mercy, I managed to reach a few hearts...
I settled into a good routine of working on my book during the week, going for daily walks in a nearby forest in the afternoons and giving programs on the weekends: morning classes, Sunday program, a Matajis' sanga, and a question-answer session called 'Wisdom Talks' arranged by the College for Vedic Studies. And above all, I spent time with devotees privately. In this way, it was a busy and productive time.
The devotees own a big former banker's villa in Zurich which serves as a perfect facility for a temple: a spacious palace for Gaur Nitai and Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra. After having been the TP for the last 14 years, Krishna Prema Rupa Prabhu had now handed over the management to the next generation - Damodar Prasad Prabhu, a 28-year-old brahmachari. Empowering the young generation brings along fresh energy and a youthful, dynamic spirit which is attractive. I was amazed to see so many nice people coming to the Sunday program - my most blissful time while standing at the book table in the entrance hall, showing people Srila Prabhupada's books and also those I published. It gave me a great opportunity to make myself available to many devotees and newcomers - by Krishna's mercy, I managed to reach a few hearts...
I settled into a good routine of working on my book during the week, going for daily walks in a nearby forest in the afternoons and giving programs on the weekends: morning classes, Sunday program, a Matajis' sanga, and a question-answer session called 'Wisdom Talks' arranged by the College for Vedic Studies. And above all, I spent time with devotees privately. In this way, it was a busy and productive time.
One of the highlights was Lord Nityananda's appearance. I had the opportunity to engage in my favorite service of buying flowers and arranging the vases for Srila Prabhupada's vyasasana. The darshan on Nityananda's appearance was very beautiful - imbued with bhakti! I especially noticed the nice decorations made from flowers and petals: mukuts, bracelets, earrings and various other decorations. Their Lordships like them the best...! Even though the festival fell on a Monday, around one hundred devotees joined the celebration in the afternoon: We bathed Their Lordships, and I was invited to give the lecture glorifying Lord Nityananda while remembering one of my favorite holy places: Ekachakra Dham.... A tumultuous kirtan swept everyone away in ecstasy, and an opulent feast concluded the festivities - with lots of little preparations cooked for Lord Nityananda.
Then, at the end of February, the war started in Ukraine - a place very close to my heart which I had regularly visited for the last 22 years. In the beginning of the year 2000, when I had once revealed to HH Niranjana Swami my desire to preach, Maharaja had literally jumped off his chair exclaiming: "Come to Ukraine...!" From then on, whenever I met Maharaja, he would ask me: "So, when will you come to Ukraine...?!" And shortly after I ventured on my very first preaching excursion - around Ukraine...
Now, the thought of all the sincere and dedicated Ukrainian devotees being in distress and danger has been heart-breaking to me. And Kharkov - the city where I had spent a lot of time over the past 18 years - has especially been under attack, being the second largest city of Ukraine and very close to the Russian border. We had made a lot of endeavors and sacrifices to create a nice model of a community with the Deities being in the very centre, and the different ashramas of the brahmacharis, grihasthas and vanaprasthas supporting and serving each other. We had arranged beautiful marble Gaur Nitai Deities, installed Them with Mayapur flair - by a delegation of HH Bhakti Vidya Purna Maharaja's brahmacharis coming all the way from Mayapur. Our murti of Srila Prabhupada is most beautiful - all the way from the US. We had acquired surrounding properties to increase the facilities - how much of all this would be left....? Would all the devotees survive these trials and tribulations?
A situation which helps us to cry out to Krishna in desperation...!
I lost my focus on writing and couldn't concentrate any longer. Sometimes I could hardly sleep or eat. Yet, I also felt inspired receiving the reports of the devotees - how they take shelter of the Lord with such sincerity and genuine Krishna consciousness! In Kharkov, they do Food For Life and distribute meanwhile a thousand meals every day - mainly in the underground metro stations which many people chose as bomb shelters. The government even provides bhoga, money and petrol to the devotees to perform the service. And they cook and serve the prasadam risking their very lives - truly heroic...
Reading these reports I felt in complete maya - sitting here in comfortable Switzerland... Nevertheless, it also reminded me of my experiences and realisations when facing cancer twice. I guess when we are in the middle of such calamities, we have no other choice than taking shelter of the Lord, and Krishna reveals Himself more tangibly and gives us spiritual strength and fearlessness. However, when looking at such a threatening situation from aside, it seems ghastly and horrifying - more difficult to see things with transcendental vision.
I realised that I have a long way to go to be on the transcendental platform...
As the attacks on Kharkov became more and more intense, around 70 devotees managed to leave the city and traveled to our rural project in Magdalinovka, around 2 hours' drive outside of Kharkov. It is a nice project - a former summer camp of the Soviet era - which has served our devotees as a retreat centre and refuge camp when the war broke out in the Dombas some eight years ago. Now, hearing the news that many devotees from Kharkov were able to move there pacified my heart to some extent. Others managed to escape towards the West, trying to leave the country. Nevertheless, there are many other devotees who are still suffering greatly, being confined to their cellars - without electricity, heating, water and food. How long can one survive like this....?!
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.24.59) it is stated:
"Although the demons who take possession of the government are dressed like men of government, they do not know the duty of the government. Consequently, by the arrangement of God, such demons, who possess great military strength, fight with one another, and thus the great burden of demons on the surface of the earth is reduced. The demons increase their military power by the will of the Supreme, so that their numbers will be diminished and the devotees will have a chance to advance in Krishna consciousness."
And in the purport, Srila Prabhupad elaborates:
"Demons may falsely accuse the preachers of the Krishna consciousness movement, but Krishna will arrange a fight between the demons in which all their military power will be engaged and both parties of demons will be annihilated."
I wonder whether now the time has come for Srila Prabhupada's prediction to manifest....?! Let's hope enough devotees survive so they can continue to spread Krishna consciousness...
I spontaneously decided to visit the holy dham to recharge and find solace.
On the 4th of March I left Zurich to embark on a little farewell tour around Germany before leaving for India...
Your servant, Devaki dd
Now, the thought of all the sincere and dedicated Ukrainian devotees being in distress and danger has been heart-breaking to me. And Kharkov - the city where I had spent a lot of time over the past 18 years - has especially been under attack, being the second largest city of Ukraine and very close to the Russian border. We had made a lot of endeavors and sacrifices to create a nice model of a community with the Deities being in the very centre, and the different ashramas of the brahmacharis, grihasthas and vanaprasthas supporting and serving each other. We had arranged beautiful marble Gaur Nitai Deities, installed Them with Mayapur flair - by a delegation of HH Bhakti Vidya Purna Maharaja's brahmacharis coming all the way from Mayapur. Our murti of Srila Prabhupada is most beautiful - all the way from the US. We had acquired surrounding properties to increase the facilities - how much of all this would be left....? Would all the devotees survive these trials and tribulations?
A situation which helps us to cry out to Krishna in desperation...!
I lost my focus on writing and couldn't concentrate any longer. Sometimes I could hardly sleep or eat. Yet, I also felt inspired receiving the reports of the devotees - how they take shelter of the Lord with such sincerity and genuine Krishna consciousness! In Kharkov, they do Food For Life and distribute meanwhile a thousand meals every day - mainly in the underground metro stations which many people chose as bomb shelters. The government even provides bhoga, money and petrol to the devotees to perform the service. And they cook and serve the prasadam risking their very lives - truly heroic...
Reading these reports I felt in complete maya - sitting here in comfortable Switzerland... Nevertheless, it also reminded me of my experiences and realisations when facing cancer twice. I guess when we are in the middle of such calamities, we have no other choice than taking shelter of the Lord, and Krishna reveals Himself more tangibly and gives us spiritual strength and fearlessness. However, when looking at such a threatening situation from aside, it seems ghastly and horrifying - more difficult to see things with transcendental vision.
I realised that I have a long way to go to be on the transcendental platform...
As the attacks on Kharkov became more and more intense, around 70 devotees managed to leave the city and traveled to our rural project in Magdalinovka, around 2 hours' drive outside of Kharkov. It is a nice project - a former summer camp of the Soviet era - which has served our devotees as a retreat centre and refuge camp when the war broke out in the Dombas some eight years ago. Now, hearing the news that many devotees from Kharkov were able to move there pacified my heart to some extent. Others managed to escape towards the West, trying to leave the country. Nevertheless, there are many other devotees who are still suffering greatly, being confined to their cellars - without electricity, heating, water and food. How long can one survive like this....?!
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.24.59) it is stated:
"Although the demons who take possession of the government are dressed like men of government, they do not know the duty of the government. Consequently, by the arrangement of God, such demons, who possess great military strength, fight with one another, and thus the great burden of demons on the surface of the earth is reduced. The demons increase their military power by the will of the Supreme, so that their numbers will be diminished and the devotees will have a chance to advance in Krishna consciousness."
And in the purport, Srila Prabhupad elaborates:
"Demons may falsely accuse the preachers of the Krishna consciousness movement, but Krishna will arrange a fight between the demons in which all their military power will be engaged and both parties of demons will be annihilated."
I wonder whether now the time has come for Srila Prabhupada's prediction to manifest....?! Let's hope enough devotees survive so they can continue to spread Krishna consciousness...
I spontaneously decided to visit the holy dham to recharge and find solace.
On the 4th of March I left Zurich to embark on a little farewell tour around Germany before leaving for India...
Your servant, Devaki dd
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