Newsletter May 2026
Dear friends of Goloka Dhama!
In this newsletter, we would like to share with you a short report on the Bhakti Immersion retreat that took place in April, a Spring awakening in Goloka Dhama, and an invitation to the Youth Sanga Festival.
The Easter Bhakti Immersion retreat is now behind us, and I would like to share a few highlights that still resonate within me.
We were fortunate to attend seminars by H.H. Sacinandana Swami and H.G. Hari Parshad Prabhu. Hari Parsad Prabhu started his Seminer with the example of the life of the medieval Muslim poet Kabir and his fearless honesty, HH Sacinandana Swami led us to reflect on an important question for our spiritual journey: “What should I do today to nourish my enthusiasm?” He also encouraged us to become “morning monks” on a daily basis, finding time to be alone with the Lord.
We had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the Lord’s pastimes during the evening sessions by HH Sacinandana Swami and midday lectures given by H.G. Hari Parshad Prabhu.
During the seminar “The Crooked Path of Prema,” we were introduced to two parallel paths—the path of mati (intelligence) and rati (affection). Another seminar of H.G. Hari Parsad Prabhu, “The Last Remaining Leg of Dharma,” addressed the topic of honesty in spiritual life.
Unexpected and unique compared to other retreats was a seminar on devotional poetry, where we were repeatedly invited to relish the works of saintly Vaishnava poets and to discover our own poetic voice. The poems we heard confirmed that poetic language often allows us to express what cannot be conveyed in ordinary words. It reminded me of a short poem:
„What is the use of words
which do not enliven the heart
and give wings to the soul?
Without poetry,
it is almost impossible
to express the subtleties of spiritual reality.“
(by H.H. Sacinandana Swami)
The retreat program continued with beautiful Vrindavan bhajan sessions with Syamananda Prabhu und Ratna Manjari dd, which transported us to a different realm and gave us great inspiration to go deeper in our relationship with the Lord.
Therefore, we would like to invite everyone who didn’t have a chance to attend this time to participate in the Bhakti Immersion retreat next year!
Finally, Spring is in full bloom in Goloka Dhama. Nature all around is awakening—the delicate, beautiful flowers, the shy green leaves, the birds singing in the early morning, and the sweet fragrance of blossoms in the evening—all remind us that, of all seasons, Krishna is the flower-bearing Spring!
Gradually, more and more devotees, under the kind guidance of our Indulekha Gopi, are beginning to care for the flowers around the temple. Little blue and pink hyacinths, as well as yellow and white narcissi, remind us of the Lord’s beauty. Indeed, it is said that Krishna values even simple offerings like flowers more than the most precious jewelry and gold. Hopefully, with the help of the Sun, we will soon be able to offer many beautiful self grown flowers to Śrī Śrī Rādhā Madana-Mohana.
Last but not least, we are happy to announce that in May, a Youth Sanga Festival will take place in Goloka Dhama. The idea is to create opportunities for young devotees—whether they live on the project, in nearby towns, or visit the temple regularly—to come together and connect in meaningful ways.
The program includes Harinama in Trier, an evening of music and poetry, outdoor games and a warm gathering around the campfire. The festival is meant to deepen friendships among young devotees, find new friends, strengthen our network of young people connected to Goloka Dhama, and simply have fun together.
To conclude, I would like to share a beautiful poetic verse quoted by H.G. Hari Parshad Prabhu about the true friendship.
„Real friends - The peacocks are on the mountains, whereas their friends – the dark rainclouds – are far above in the sky. The lotus is in the lake, whereas its friend – the sun – is a hundred thousand yojanas (miles) away. Similarly, the moon is two hundred thousand yojanas (miles) away, yet it delights its friend – the night lily. Truly speaking, those who are friends are never far away from each other.“
(source: Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāram)
Your servant, Lāvaṇya-mayī Rādhā dd, for and on behalf of Goloka Dhama