By Atma Tattva Das
Nestled in the vibrant city of Oslo, Norway, the ISKCON Oslo Yatra is a community that has undergone significant growth and transformation over the years. The Oslo temple serves as a beacon of spirituality in one of the world’s most secular countries, serving both long-standing devotees and newcomers to Krishna consciousness. At the helm of this dynamic congregation is Sanatani Dasi, the temple president, whose leadership and dedication have guided the Yatra through its challenges and helped it flourish.
In an interview with ISKCON News, Sanatani reflected on the evolving nature of her service and the challenges of managing a growing congregation. “I’ve been cooking the Sunday feast, giving the class, leading the kirtan, doing the arati, doing the offering—everything for a Sunday program instead of trusting and engaging other people,” she explained, emphasizing the difficulties of balancing perfectionism with leadership. She highlighted the shift in focus that occurred after a visit from Gaura Narayan Das, who encouraged her and the temple’s management team to delegate more and cultivate new leaders. “He inspired us to get in contact with Pradyumna Das, a disciple of Jayadvaita Swami, who is now mentoring us on how to become better leaders instead of managers,” she added. This mentorship has been a critical turning point in helping Sanatani and her team build a more sustainable and inclusive leadership structure.
Sanatani’s spiritual journey began in Denmark in 2007, and she later moved to Norway in 2010, where she immediately became involved in various temple services and activities. At that time, the temple housed the deities of Gaura-Gadadhara – traditionally, a somewhat unusual set for ISKCON temples. However, before her arrival, when ISKCON in Norway was larger, the community had been cared for by Vaishnavi Dasi and Tilakanth Das, with Sadbhuja as the presiding deity. Vaishnavi had also established and run Krishna’s Cuisine, a Govinda’s restaurant located in the heart of the city, for over 20 years. To this day, Krishna’s Cuisine continues to thrive under the leadership of Jalendra Das.
Upon returning from Vrindavan after completing her Bhakti Shastri studies in 2012, Sanatani’s connection with Jagannath deepened. “I was really attached to Jagannath, and out of the blue, I got an email from a Swedish lady saying, ‘I have all these deities. I cannot worship them anymore. Can you please take them?'” Sanatani recalled. When she returned to Norway, she was greeted by a beautiful, hand-carved set of Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra deities from Puri. These deities became the heart of the temple, and under Sanatani’s care, ISKCON Oslo’s devotional focus was reinvigorated.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/cultivating-devotion-and-leadership-in-norways-capital/
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