Venu Gopal Charan das: Can you believe this? This is something I never expected!
Right now I’m in West Africa, in the country of Togo, in a small city called Lomé. Out of curiosity, I searched online to see if there was an ISKCON temple here.
And to my absolute amazement—there really is an ISKCON temple in Lomé!
I could hardly believe it. An ISKCON temple in a small city, in a small country, in West Africa! I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit. From my hotel it was only about four kilometers away.
Everyone had warned me not to leave the hotel because this area is considered unsafe. Even our local agent strongly advised us not to go out. But taking shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, I decided to go anyway. I had no idea what would happen or whether I would even be able to have darshan, but I was incredibly excited. I wanted to see this wonderful place with my own eyes.
After exchanging some local currency and arranging a taxi, I headed toward the temple early in the morning, hoping to arrive in time for mangala-arati.
And then… there I was.
I had actually reached the temple!
It was truly unbelievable. I stood there in amazement, hardly able to believe that I was standing before an ISKCON temple in such a remote part of West Africa.
As soon as I entered, heavy rain suddenly began to pour. But by the time it was time for me to leave, the rain had completely stopped.
The temple is small, but so beautiful. There is even a goshala with four cows. A new temple building is under construction, and the devotees explained that they hope to move there when it is completed.
Joining the devotees, we chanted the Hare Krishna maha-mantra together. It was a wonderful experience.
Seeing the devotion of the devotees here left me deeply moved.
We often make excuses in our spiritual life. We say we don’t have enough facilities, that the temple is too far away, that our family doesn’t support us, that our health is not good, or we find so many other reasons.
But what I witnessed here completely humbled me.
In this place, many people don’t even know what vegetarian food is. Forget about onion and garlic—many people have never even heard of vegetarianism. Yet here, these devotees are faithfully practicing Krishna consciousness.
The four regulative principles, which are so casually broken by society around them, are being sincerely followed by these devotees.
Their previous temple building was damaged when its roof collapsed, so they had to move into a small temporary hut. This is a very poor country, and they simply don’t have the financial resources to rebuild quickly.
They have very few facilities.
And yet, despite all these difficulties, they continue serving Krishna with such dedication. They continue their sadhana, their devotional service, and their preaching with great determination.
I was truly amazed.
This is the mercy of Srila Prabhupada.
I had always heard how Srila Prabhupada traveled throughout the Western countries and delivered people everywhere. But when I now travel to different countries myself and witness these temples with my own eyes, I am left speechless.
Is this really true?
Am I really standing in such a place, in the middle of West Africa, where Sri Sri Radha-Krishna are being worshiped?
It was completely beyond anything I expected.
This place is not considered safe. We had been strongly warned not to go outside because of crime and poverty. There is a great deal of corruption here, and life is not easy.
Yet despite all these challenges, Krishna consciousness is flourishing.
Oh, my Krishna…
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Later, after returning to my hotel, I reflected on the wonderful morning I had experienced.
I participated in Guru-puja, Narasimha-arati, Tulasi-puja, and sang during the aratis. There were only three devotees present, and they warmly encouraged me to lead the kirtana. We all chanted together with great happiness.
It was such a joyful experience.
Now I am preparing to leave for India after almost six and a half months abroad.
But this unexpected visit to the ISKCON temple in Lomé will remain one of the most unforgettable experiences of my journey.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada, whose mercy has carried Krishna consciousness to every corner of the world.