Vrindavan

It was wonderful to be once again in Vrindavan....
Since the Kartik month started very late this year, I had arranged to offer the course "Women in Spiritual Culture" to the ladies of the Vrindavan community and the visiting devotees - just before Kartik started. It was perfect timing since many devotees had arrived already, but the parikramas had not yet begun.

Kusha Mataji from the Community office had helped me to advertise the course, and I had booked the Balaram Hall for five afternoons - from 4pm to 7pm. A wonderful group of around fifty ladies from all around the world eagerly participated, and the seminar was also broadcasted to the local community via radio, in order for devotees to be able to listen from within their homes.

Once again it was wonderful to witness how the ladies eagerly accepted the presented topics - no matter from which part of the world they had come. Especially the young generation of devotees is very open to new and deeper concepts refuting the feministic ideas of women's equality and women's liberation. They can clearly recognise that this whole idea of equality of men and women has not brought any benefit to women whatsoever. On the contrary, it has only made their situation more miserable. As Prabhupada stated, the women are being cheated, in the name of "equal freedom". Infact, it has become an old hat meanwhile, and many are tired of it and are searching for something more profound.
This creates a fertile ground for devotees to be open and eager to explore Prabhupada's instructions from the Bhagavatam purports, which are giving such deep insights into how civilized human life is meant to be lived.

Every day during the morning program Indian bodied devotees approached me and thanked me for giving the seminar - men aswell as ladies. They had listened to it over the radio at home, and had found it so useful and insightful. Some asked me: "Why are you offering this only to the ladies? For us men it is also very interesting...!" And I informed them that I am also giving this course to a mixed audience in Mayapur. And the response was: "Why not in Vrindavan...?" Many devotees were greeting me with big smiles in their faces - especially coming from the Indian community. They almost seemed delighted that a German person was giving insights into (their) spiritual culture....

Оn the last evening of our seminar the participating devotees shared wonderful realizations and offered gifts, thank-you cards and donations. It was almost a little overwhelming. I also had an opportunity to meet with many ladies privately - answering questions and establishing relationships.

Yes, the seminar had certainly created a few waves in Vrindavan, and as usual all kinds of talks were going around - something which is almost unavoidable. Nevertheless, it also gave me an opportunity to connect with senior ladies who had not participated in the seminar, in order to give some little insights into what I was actually teaching.

I spent another week in Vrindavan, connecting with devotees and visiting every day my favorite place of pilgrimage: Srila Prabhupada's rooms. It has become my favorite place for chanting japa. In the early morning I would go upstairs, where Prabhupada sits in the rocking chair. Not many devotees realize that this area is reserved for the ladies, and thus it is a very quiet and peaceful corner - almost a bhajan kutir.....
In the afternoons I would go downstairs to Prabhupada's bedroom and chant there.

As Kartik came closer, more and more devotees arrived. The offering of the lamps in the evenings was indeed an amazing experience: so many devotees had assembled from all around the world, eagerly offering the lights in devotion. Srila Prabhupada must be so pleased....! 

My visit to Vrindavan had been well spent time....

On the 29th of October I flew off to Bangalore....

Your servant, Devaki dd