How did you come to Krishna consciousness?
Whilst growing up and into adulthood, I was extremely curious and interested to learn about Ayurveda, yoga and the philosophies of various religions. In my head, it was a big mess of different philosophies and teachings, but I was leaning more towards the learnings of various yoga systems from Indian gurus. A bit later, I stumbled upon the definition of bhakti yoga (devotional service). In the beginning, I felt like it wasn’t for me but my feelings started to change upon meeting ISKCON devotees. This happened in 2005 in Russia. I visited them at home and on their altar, I saw a photo of Srila Prabhupada. His appearance seemed very exotic to me and I felt instantly drawn to him. The devotees used to explain key concepts from the Bhagavad Gita to me and I started to understand the philosophy better.
A couple of years later, I moved to Australia. I came across a yoga studio in Manly, Sydney and decided to attend a bhakti yoga session there. When I arrived, it turned out that Sri Prahlad Prabhu was teaching the class! I can say that it all really started then. He gave me a contact of a devotee who was leading the Nama Hatta (a small gathering to engage in Krishna consciousness) for Russian devotees in Sydney, who then invited me to the ISKCON temple in North Sydney. At the temple, we helped to prepare prasadam for a kirtan event and I really enjoyed it. I continued to associate with devotees and just six months after, we all travelled together to Vrindavan for Karthik!
What have been your most memorable moments in Vrindavan?
Every time I go to Vrindavan, there is always a feeling that something special is about to happen in my life! It is my favourite place in the world. Everything in Vrindavan is saturated with love and devotion, and when I am there, my whole life fades into the background as I immerse myself into Krishna consciousness all day long. Being in Vrindavan helps me to be completely absorbed in what happened when Krishna manifested His pastimes on planet Earth.
Amongst the many temples there, Radha Damodara Temple has become very dear to me and I try to go there again and again. The temple has the rooms where Srila Prabhupada lived in before he went to America to spread Krishna consciousness to the Western world. In these rooms, Srila Prabhupada wrote his first books and prayed to Srila Rupa Goswami for help and guidance. At the Radha Damodara Temple, I pray to Srila Prabhupada for his mercy always and for strength to continue on my spiritual path. The temple has the samadhis of Srila Rupa Goswami, Jiva Goswami and many other saints who lived in Vrindavan. I am always very happy when I am there! Each time I go, I feel very lucky to be there and my understanding of the spiritual value of being in Vrindavan increases. Sometimes, I get answers to unresolved questions and receive inspiration to continue practising Krishna consciousness with enthusiasm, no matter what happens in life.
There are countless holy places in Vrindavan but I have visited only a few. Some of these holy places hold a very special place in my heart. One such place for me is Vrinda Kunda. When I am in Vrinda Kunda, I can feel the presence of Vrinda Devi. The temple is very small, but very graceful right on the shore of the lake with a magical atmosphere. It is surrounded by many Tulasi trees. Swimming in the lake on a hot day is refreshing and it can give prema (love) to those willing to take it. I pray to Vrinda devi for her mercy to be able to go back to the spiritual world.
Can you share with our readers your most important realizations in Krishna consciousness?
I have realized that I now have support and protection in all given circumstances. No matter what happens in life, we have a best friend and a well-wisher, Krishna, who is always there with us. The greater the difficulties, the more Krishna manifests and helps us to overcome these difficulties. If you turn to Him and pray to Him, answers start to appear. Now, I do not feel alone. This is especially true when chanting the Maha mantra – I feel a strong presence of the Supreme being.
Another realization is that the more selfless you are in service, the greater the satisfaction is in your heart. It doesn’t matter what kind of services you do at the temple – whether you are cooking for the Deities or making garlands or cleaning the temple floor or singing kirtan or helping to manage the temple, the main thing is to approach a given service with the right frame of mind and consciousness. We must remember for Whom we are doing this and in this way, endeavour to serve selflessly. Also, engage yourselves in hearing and reading more about Krishna. The more you know about Him, the more you can think of Him and the more you can remember Him throughout your day. If you want to love someone, serve them. Slowly, your relationship will start to develop and deepen with the Lord which is the ultimate goal of life.
What do you do outside of your devotional life? E.g. work, study, hobbies?
I graduated from University in Russia as a Physics and Mathematics teacher. I realized that it wasn’t for me so I changed my profession to Additional Education for children after school hours. This included things like teaching children camping skills and essential survival skills such as learning to light a fire to cook, using topographic maps to hike and so on.
After moving to Australia, I had to change my occupation due to a lack of English and a lack of understanding of the local education system. I now work as a florist and a housekeeper. I try to use most of the skills I have gained all my life to serve at the temple. Currently, I help to arrange flower vases at the ISKCON Sydney temple weekly. This service brings in me a sense of calmness and is very soothing. Choosing appropriate colours and designs to arrange flowers and leaves encourages creativity, all for the pleasure of the Lord. I also love being outdoors in nature, and after work or at the weekends, I try to be outdoors in nature to feel a sense of rejuvenation.
What tips do you have for our readers on how to approach temple services?
First and foremost, choose a service that you like and enjoy. Ask yourself what it is that you really love to do. For example, do you enjoy singing kirtan or preaching or helping to decorate the altar for a festival or cooking for devotees? Sometimes, it may be that you wish to do a particular service but you feel that you lack the qualifications. In this case, be determined enough to start the service and Krishna will reciprocate. Slowly, ideas will manifest. This has been the case for myself too.
At Govindas Asharam, I started as a Chef feeling like I lacked the expertise but then creative ideas for recipes started to come from Krishna. Sometimes, it may happen that things suddenly do not go according to plan and you start to worry and to desperately look for a way out of the situation. When this happens, turn to Krishna for help and guidance, and who knows, something new and unexpected may come out of it! The most important thing to remember is that we do everything for His pleasure and should not expect anything in return.
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