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Beatriz G. Bossini
Almería
Monday, 5 August 2024, 19:03
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The new Krishna temple in Gérgal, Almeria, officially opened on Sunday 4 August, a space that offers spiritual retreats and a number of activities related to Vedic culture. The facility has been open for some time as a spiritual space, but now it has been renovated and has opened as a temple.
Admission to the official opening was free and a vegetarian feast was offered to participants who were invited to wear spiritual clothing and take a musical instrument or a water pistol for the various activities planned throughout the day.
The spiritual family organising the event is called 'Suddha Nityananda Parivara Vaisnava" and the founder of the group was Acharya Sri Prema Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj. His disciple, Swami Shri Prema Rajendra Das, was in charge of the celebration, and also the renovation of the temple.
One of the reasons why the celebration took place on 4 August was to pay tribute to his "master", according to Prema, as the founder's birthday coincided with the inauguration. Acharya Sri Prema Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj passed away three years ago, so it was a very special occasion to remember him. "We are going to hand over the temple to him, even though he is no longer in this world. Many people who loved him very much will come," Prema explained prior to the event.
The Suddha Nityananda Parivara Vaisnava group practises Vaisnava devotional yoga, which comes from Sri Sri Nityananda, who according to Gaudiya-Vaishnava tradition, is an incarnation of Balarama. They practise "Bhakti Yoga", whose purpose is spiritual advancement.
Bhakti Yoga is a central practice of Hinduism that requires pure love and dedication to a deity. Anyone joining the family must let go of their worldly desires, including anger, fear or attachment, and give their all to their goal. Their mantra is "slow and steady" and they say they have been able to improve the lives of many people through methods that are "conscious of true human needs", and which will purge hatred, envy, stress and craving from the selfishness of the spirit, leading to an improvement in the state of the mind, body and soul.
Disciple and master met in Spain in 2001 while hitchhiking and that meeting changed the course of Prema's life forever. Acharya introduced him to the "spiritual world" and to yoga, and later invited him to his temple in Alicante. There he stayed for several years acquiring knowledge until he also became a guru. "We spent a long time travelling around India, around the world, always learning," he explained.
The disciple went on to explain that his master, before acquiring his spiritual rank, was an Andalusian by the name of Domingo. He managed to set up a temple in India, although it was not an easy process as foreigners were not provided with the facilities to set up such a temple. The police and government tried to stop him, but it was not possible. "As he was a very respected and good person, the people of the village defended him," Prema said.
The guru went on to say that they have been in many different places. One of the last was Malaga, until in 2014, when they decided to move to the village of Gérgal. "We came to see the land and we didn't want to leave. We loved the fact that it was in a mountainous and peaceful area," he said.
The faithful and volunteers spent a lot of time preparing the farm to meet their needs. "We have been working all these years, until we were able to carry out this complete restoration. Supporters have managed to add a dome and a lotus flower, similar to the one in India," he added.
The guru commented that the followers of this discipline distinguish between the concepts of temple and ashram. The latter refers to "spiritual refuge", which is the house of the guru or master, and where the students also reside. The temple, on the other hand, is the room where all the divinities are located. They are distinct areas within the same space.
Prema is originally from the Czech Republic, but now feels "more Almerian than Czech", as he has lived in the province for several years. He explained that the space he runs is open to everyone, both to spend the day participating in the activities he organises and for those who want to stay with them indefinitely.
However, a series of rules must be followed in order to become part of this family. No smoking, drinking or eating meat. Also, you must be a "loving" and "helpful" person. These are the "basic rules" if you want to stay with them. The teacher, in turn, clarified that they do not believe in dogmas or doctrines. "We are not a religion. We do yoga," he explained.
In the temple there are many tasks to be done, including chanting, ceremonies, meditation with "japa" (which means mantra in Sanskrit), and the study of Vedic scriptures. It is also necessary to take care of the garden and the various animals, such as cows, peacocks, pigeons, horses and donkeys.
In addition, Bhakti Yoga teachers are up to date with social media and the internet, as they prepare classes through videos, podcasts, books, courses, lectures and various posts. The aim of this dissemination of knowledge is to offer practical learning with personal advice in order to find out the inner spirituality of each person, and also to get to know the whole nature of the knowledge of yoga in the company of their devotees and followers.
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