How I came to Krsna Consciousness - H.G. Rasika Sudevi Devi Dasi

Hare Krishna Esteemed Devotees,

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Jagadguru Srila Prabhupada!

My memories of Krishna consciousness go back to childhood Janmashtami celebrations, when in our neighborhood, close to Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi temple in Delhi, children would come together to create jhankis(tableaux) depicting Krishna’s birth and pastimes. We collected donations, built mountains with stones, shaped rivers with crushed blue chalk, and portrayed Vasudeva carrying baby Krishna across the Yamuna—from the prison of Mathura to the lush forests of Vrindavan. Weeks of preparation culminated in Janmashtami day, when visitors admired our displays and offered donations, and we served them boondi from the local halwai, named Vishnu! Through these simple, playful acts, we expressed our love and devotion to the Lord.

Growing up in India, I could regularly visited holy dhams and temples, drawn especially to the beautiful deities and the vibrant lanes filled with devotees—Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar, Radha Damodar, Radha Raman, Radha Madanmohan, Radha Gokulananda, and many more. Though the forms were many, their essence was one: Lord Sri Krishna, the all-attractive, eternally beautiful Supreme Lord.

Years later, after coming to the United States for work, I found myself humming Western songs – ‘We are spirits in this material world’, only later realizing their resonance with Srila Prabhupada’s teachings. My visits to the ISKCON temple of Sri Sri Rukmini Dvarakadish in Los Angeles soon became regular, as I lived nearby. Gradually, I began chanting the maha-mantra and immersing myself in the joy of kirtans. Srila Prabhupada’s garden became a place of daily refuge and inspiration. After marriage, however, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

After my daughter was born, we resumed visiting the ISKCON temple, which soon became central to our family life. One weekend, we watched a play on Lord Nrsimhadeva performed by the youth at the Sri Sri Radha-Madhavahari temple, which awakened in me a deeper desire to learn about the Lord and His pastimes. Inspired, I enrolled my daughter in Vedic school, and by the Lord’s mercy we eventually moved to California, where we met many wonderful devotees, continued our spiritual journey with Sri Sri Radha Madanmohan, and received the mercy of my Spiritual Master.

Looking back, I see that it has always been the temple—as a place of learning, worship, and association—that has drawn me closer to Krishna. Whether in Vrindavan, Jagannath Puri, or in Mountain View, Berkeley, or our own Yogapeeth under the shelter of Sri Sri Nitai Gaur Sundar, 

Wherever the Lord is worshiped in the company of His devotees becomes a dham. In these sacred spaces, the eternal relationship between the soul and the Supreme Lord is continually revealed.

Thank you! Hare Krishna!

Your humble servant,

Rasikā Sudevi Devī Dāsī