My Disciple, Sevananda Das, Survives Nepal Earthquake

After the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake ravaged Nepal on 25 April 2015 I was very much concerned about the well-being of my Nepali disciple, Sevananda Das, and his family. I tried emailing him with no response. I called the ISKCON temple in Kathmandu, Nepal and was not able to communicate properly with the devotee who answered to the phone due to his not knowing English well. So I was greatly concerned that my beloved disciple and family were among the thousands of people killed in Nepal. But then on the morning of 29 April 2015 I was greatly relieved to receive the following email message:

My Dearest Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

My dearest Gurudeva, due to your mercy and blessings, Krishna has protected my body and the whole family unit from the earthquake. In fact, He has shown great mercy upon this insignificant soul. Please let me share with you briefly some details about my rendezvous with death personified.

At that crucial moment, I was beside my 1.5 years old son who was sleeping in our room on the second floor of our house. As soon as the building started shaking and I realized that it was an earthquake, I grabbed my toddler and pressing him against my bosom tried to run out of the room with the view to escape the building, but hardly had I reached the doorway of our room and all hell was let loose. I have experienced earthquakes before, but never had I experienced anything close to this one. By that time the ceiling, the walls, and the floor were shaking so vigorously that it was difficult to even keep standing let alone running or escaping. So, I stood there holding onto the wall expecting the ceiling and the walls to collapse on top of us at any moment.

At that crucial moment, Srila Gurudeva, the most divine thing happened - The Holy Names appeared within my mouth and my tongue started chanting: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Oh, what mercy! what more could have I asked from Krishna than that? Even death would have been the most fortunate thing.

My dearest Gurudeva, before that moment, I have always had a doubt whether or not I will be able to remember Krishna at the final moment before leaving this body. But, now, after this incidence, my hope that I will be able to remember Krishna at my final moment has strengthened many fold. Therefore, even though the earthquake has wrought great havoc and misfortune to millions, personally, I am deriving great joy out of it for that very particular reason.

So, thank you, my dear Gurudeva, my dear savior for your causeless mercy. It is only due to your benediction - the fact that I am related to you and am under your shelter and that you take kindly of me - that the Holy Names choose to manifest upon my tongue at the most crucial moment.

There is nothing that I can say which will correctly quantify my degree of indebtedness to you, but I just want you to know that I am eternally indebted to you.

A servant of your servants,
Sevananda Das

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We are very thankful to Krishna that the ISKCON temple was not destroyed by the earthquake and that Sevananda Das and his family as well as their home are okay. (There are half million people in Nepal whose homes have been destroyed.)

Sevananda Das and Family Before the Earthquake

Devastating Earthquake Hits Nepal. Over 5,000 People Killed.

Severely Injured Woman Rescued from Collapsed Building

Earthquake Victim Being Rushed to Medical Care

ISKCON Nepal Feeds Hungry Earthquake Victims

 Testimonial From Hemamukhi Devi Dasi 

I appreciate Thoughts For the Day of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari because they help me to cope with troubles that I face in my life. Everyday Thoughts remind me that this world with it's ups and downs is only temporary and that I have to base my happiness on eternal antimaterial substance.

This everyday e-mails of my beloved spiritual master give me inspiration and enthusiasm to continue and to go deeper into my practice of bhakti yoga, i.e. to rise early in the morning, to chant Hare Krishna more attentively, to serve devotees with love etc., because this everyday Thoughts are filled with the taste of spiritual bliss of their author. And this taste is spreading through e-mails, like bhakti-virus, virus of ecstatic devotional service to the Lord.

I find it very helpful, that there is a question and answer section also. It is amazing that everyone can write to the spiritual master and ask any question that bothers him! In this part I found a lot of answers for my questions also, what helped me to get rid of doubts and confusions and to understand philosophy of Krishna consciousness better.

Thoughts For The Day are embodiments of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari compassion to all human beings. All glories to the author of this wonderful messages of truth! I offer my humble obeisances to Him.

Hemamukhi Devi Dasi
Kaliningrad, Russia

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: How to Always Feel Happy?

What can I do to feel always happy without getting bored?

Y.S.

Answer: Only Look for Love in Krishna

The way to always feel happy and never feel bored is to give all of your love to Krishna. When you do that Krishna will personally shower you within and within with unlimited oceans of mercy to make sure that you are always feeling happy. In other words, if you will take good care of Krishna by always remembering, glorifying, and serving Him, He will personally take good care of you better than any other lover anywhere throughout all the three worlds. Therefore you should not look for love anywhere in this material world. If you so do, you will only be terribly frustrated. You should instead only look for love in Krishna. You will be swimming in an ocean of unlimited spiritual bliss.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari