{"id":13947,"date":"2014-11-02T09:36:09","date_gmt":"2014-11-02T09:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=13947"},"modified":"2014-11-02T09:36:09","modified_gmt":"2014-11-02T09:36:09","slug":"my-experience-at-bhaktivedanta-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=13947","title":{"rendered":"My Experience at Bhaktivedanta Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Radha Bhakti Devi Dasi (Toronto, Canada)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Member of&nbsp;Toronto V-Care Team\/Strategic Planning Committee&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/unnamed-48.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" ilo-full-src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/unnamed-48-196x300.jpg\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3248\" src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/unnamed-48-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"unnamed-4\" height=\"197\" width=\"129\"><\/a>In January of 2014, I ventured to Mumbai to interview some staff and patients at the Bhaktivedanta Hospital, and to write down their stories. I was told that many transformations of heart have occurred there, and that their stories should be written. &nbsp;I was apprehensive at first; what would it be like to spend so much time in a hospital? I, like many people, dread hospitals. The sounds, the smells, the overall vibe\u2026I have only ever been to hospitals for bad reasons. Needless to say, I was extremely anxious.As I prepared for my trip, I had no idea what to expect. Would I be able to be around sickness and death all day? Would I be able to be in a hospital, where there is typically so much grief and negativity? Could I stomach it? So it was with great trepidation that I walked into Bhaktivedanta Hospital that day in early January. And I couldn\u2019t believe what I saw.Srila Prabhupada\u2019s deity was greeting me in the lobby. Immediately I offered obeisances.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" ilo-full-src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images.jpeg\" class=\"alignright wp-image-3236\" src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images.jpeg\" alt=\"images\" height=\"131\" width=\"222\"><\/a>I looked arou<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" ilo-full-src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-5.jpeg\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3235\" src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-5.jpeg\" alt=\"images-5\" height=\"146\" width=\"196\">nd. <i>\u201cWait, is this the hospital?\u201d <\/i>I thought to myself. <i>\u201cWhy does everyone look so\u2026happy?\u201d<\/i> I smelled incense and camphor. There was BBT art on all the walls. Everyone was wearing vaisnava attire and tilak. There was a book stall on the left. Srila Prabhupada\u2019s chanting of the mahamantra was softly playing in the background. And, it was immaculate. For the next five weeks, I stayed at the hospital and spoke to a number of staff, patients, and their families. &nbsp;It was a life-altering experience. I wanted to share a few lines from my journal whilst I was staying at the hospital:<\/p>\n<p>For the next five weeks, I stayed at the hospital and spoke to a number of staff, patients, and their families. &nbsp;It was a life-altering experience. I wanted to share a few lines from my journal whilst I was staying at the hospital:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-8.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" ilo-full-src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-8-300x158.jpeg\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3239\" src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-8-300x158.jpeg\" alt=\"images-8\" height=\"134\" width=\"254\"><\/a>The staff here is not from this world. They are demigods who are most definitely going back to Godhead after this life. Except they\u2019d probably opt to stay here because of their unbelievable service attitude and commitment to Srila Prabhupada<\/li>\n<li>There is no difference between the Bhaktivedanta Hospital and the spiritual world<\/li>\n<li>I feel Srila Prabhupada here more than anywhere else in the world<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s brilliant \u2013 the perfect venue to bring people closer to Krishna consciousness. We read all the time in the scriptures about the miseries of the material world, not the least of which are birth, death, disease and old age. Here, those things are so apparent \u2013 we are exposed to those things on a daily basis. &nbsp;I can see the scriptures in action \u2013 as soon as we realize that the material world is a place characterized by suffering, we become ripe and eager for Krishna. This is genius \u2013 more effective than any temple.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-4.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" ilo-full-src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-4.jpeg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3238\" src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-4.jpeg\" alt=\"images-4\" height=\"127\" width=\"227\"><\/a>Lord Jagannatha is the presiding deity here. I always knew He was merciful, but I didn\u2019t realize how much. Every day, He goes with Lord Balarama and Subhadra Maharani into each patient\u2019s room to give them the opportunity to offer a flower and to have His darshan.<\/li>\n<li>I just met with a number of women from the Spiritual Care Department. They are looking after me so nicely \u2013 arranging my prasadam, my accommodation. Their service attitude is melting my heart, and all I want to do is assist them in their service! I would consider that to be my greatest success.<\/li>\n<li>Here, people are looked after from the \u201cwomb to the tomb.\u201d They have programs for pregnant women, and they have an extensive palliative care philosophy and team. And everything is based on Srila Prabhupada\u2019s teachings. This place is magic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"\">There is so much I could say about this hospital but it wouldn\u2019t do it justice. I heard so many amazing stories of how people\u2019s lives, and those of their families, were completely transformed. People come to the hospital to treat a physical ailment and leave having mended the important relationships in their lives. They come back for the outreach programs, they chant Hare Krishna, they eat prasadam, they hear the holy names. They make friends with <a href=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-2.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" ilo-full-src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-2.jpeg\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3237\" src=\"http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/images-2.jpeg\" alt=\"images-2\" height=\"142\" width=\"190\"><\/a>their doctors and nurses. This hospital is the most genius preaching tool. I humbly bow down to Srila Prabhupada, to His Holiness Radhanatha Swami, and to all the staff at the hospital for their amazing, selfless service. I have no words to do this institution or my experience justice.<\/p>\n<p>All glories to Bhaktivedanta Hospital! I hope the whole world takes notice of their unparalleled service and care.<\/p>\n<p>Source: http:\/\/vaisnavascare.org\/?p=3234<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dandavats.com\/wp-content\/uploads4\/2014-11-02_10-34-17.jpg\" alt=\"Hare Krishna\"\/><strong>By Radha Bhakti Devi Dasi<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I looked around. \u201cWait, is this the hospital?\u201d I thought to myself. \u201cWhy does everyone look so\u2026happy?\u201d I smelled incense and camphor. There was BBT art on all the walls. Everyone was wearing vaisnava attire and tilak. There was a book stall on the left. Srila Prabhupada\u2019s chanting of the mahamantra was softly playing in the background. And, it was immaculate. For the next five weeks, I stayed at the hospital and spoke to a number of staff, patients, and their families.  <!--more--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13947"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13949,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13947\/revisions\/13949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}