By Suresvara Dasa
After artist Caruhasa Prabhu suffered a massive stroke in 2013, he had to retire to a nursing home, where there was no devotee association, prasadam, or lifestyle to support his remembrance of Lord Krishna. By the Lord’s mercy, though, he did have a family member in Chandini Devi, who resolved to create a spiritual assisted care facility to help Caruhasa and elderly or disabled devotees like him.
After gathering the necessary resources to build such a home, Chandini and her daughters, along with Bhakta Robert Nielson, began looking for a suitable location. Their search eventually took them to Southern Arizona, with its dry, gentle winters, and finally to Tucson and a growing ISKCON community led by Prabhupada initiate Sandamini Devi.
“Sandamini already understood the need for spiritual assisted care,” says Chandini, “and immediately encouraged us to build in Tucson, with its relatively inexpensive cost of living and abundant resources for retirees. Once I got to know the Tucson devotees and the spiritual oasis Sandamini has created there, I was sold.”
With the help of devotee realtor Atula Govinda Prabhu, Chandini and Robert found a suitable plot on the same street as the temple, just a short japa walk away. On Sunday, March 7th, Temple Priest Kirtan Yajna Prabhu led the devotees in a Bhoomi Puja at the site, seeking Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna’s blessings for the construction, offering them incense, fruits, and flowers, and even a Bharata Natyam Bhoomi Mangalam dance by Chandini.
While Madhusudana and Nikunja Vilasini Prabhus guided a drone camera overhead, all the devotees concluded the ceremony with a rip-roaring kirtan, sealing the project’s success.
Once Chandini and Robert’s contractor have pulled the required permits, construction will commence. Krishna’s Home Assisted Care Tucson is designed with Vedic Vastu alignment and will house up to ten residents. One area will be for ladies, another for gentlemen, each room either a single or for sharing up to two. A large living room and dining room will provide places where devotees can come together, plus another sacred space will afford a place for meditation and worship.
Krishna’s Home will follow the principles Srila Prabhupada established for ISKCON as well as the guidelines for assisted living homes in Arizona. To qualify for residence, applicants will need a Social Security number plus medical insurance valid in the USA. Once they are approved, residents may live at the home short-term or long-term, depending on their needs.
Devotees outside Arizona will go through an administrative process to move into the state. Full- and part-time jobs will be available for devotees with a professional background in care-giving. Applications will be posted at the website below, where positions for administration and management will also be available.
Krishna’s Home will be a spiritual haven for devotees who have dedicated their lives to Srila Prabhupada’s movement and now need help to meet their basic health and hygiene needs. According to their talents and capacity, the home will also provide opportunities for residents to continue their devotional service (preparing prasadam, making flower garlands, etc.), either for the home or the ISKCON temple nearby.
Chandini and Robert will be updating the home’s website and Facebook page regularly, with progress reports on the construction. Krishna Nam Prabhu will also broadcast updates on his local radio show, “Krishna Cafe.”
Lord willing, Krishna’s Home will be completed in early 2022. Meantime, residential and employment applications may be submitted at the website, along with questions, comments, and suggestions.
Caruhasa Prabhu, who inspired the whole project, is eager to move in, and as his spiritual family, Chandini and Robert are eager to serve him and more devotees in their time of need.
Krishna’s Home is a nonprofit organization that will fundraise online to facilitate its residents’ specialized care. May Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna continue to shower their blessings upon this noble service.
Hare Krishna!
Krishna’s Home Adult Care Tucson Website url: https://www.krishnashome.org
Facebook Page: Krishna’s Home Adult Care Tucson
Email: krishnashometucson@gmail.com
Phone: 775 513 6596 Bhakta Robert Nielson and Chandini Breathwaite Devi Dasi