By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Syama Gauri Devi Dasi, originally from Hungary, shared some of her spiritual journey in a recent interview with ISKCON News. Her service over the years has taken her around Europe, including temples in Budapest, Scotland, and most recently to Folkestone, UK. She now lives there with her husband, Priya Kunda Das who hails from Liverpool, and together they run a small preaching center called Atma Lounge in the seaside town of Folkestone, in southern England.
From a young age, Syama Gauri sought answers to life’s more profound questions despite being raised in an atheist environment. “I could never reconcile with the atheist idea that we cease to exist,” she recalled. At 18, a friend introduced her to a Catholic priest who helped her believe in God’s existence after hours of conversation. He helped her see that life’s purpose was to connect with Him.
At 21, her path took a profound turn when she attended a Hare Krishna program in Hungary. “Hearing the monk speak about the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita was a ‘lightbulb’ moment. It was exactly what I had been searching for,” she said. After reading The Science of Self-Realization (recommended to her by the monk), she also explored the Bhagavad-gita. Shortly after, she met more devotees and soon surrendered her life to Krishna.
In 1992, Syama Gauri officially joined the Hare Krishna movement. Later in 1999, she moved to the UK, where she dedicated herself to book distribution and congregational preaching. She also performed pujari service in Scotland, where she served as the temple commander for two and a half years.
Her inspiration to start Atma Lounge with her husband came from her early days in Krishna Consciousness, when she opened a small preaching center with three other Vaishnavis. “We would go out on Sankirtan every day—distributing books and leaflets and inviting people to programs. It was a humble start, but those years built the foundation for what I’m doing now,” she shared.
Atma Lounge has since blossomed into a place of vibrant spiritual activity, offering meditation classes, Bhagavatam readings, and community gatherings. Describing the space, she said, “We have a little shop on the first floor where we sell Indian and Nepali goods alongside a temple room and kitchen. On the second floor, we have a meditation room and one guest room where a devotee stays. For 25 years, she has run a vegetarian eatery called Cafe Atma, but now it’s a “Prasadarian” cafe, as everything served has been offered. “We joined the cafe and shop and are running them together,” explained Syama Gauri Devi Dasi.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/devotees-build-community-and-foster-devotion-in-seaside-village/
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