Translation from the Deepl website.
Hare Krishna dear friends
I'd like to start a little project about old age. Next summer I'll be 77 years old. I'm no longer a young man. I am, however, in good health. I want to share with you these moments of old age as a devotee of Krishna. Of course, the consciousness of a devotee is different from that of materialists who think only of enjoying their senses, whereas the devotee of Krishna acts in order to please Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada tells us that the onset of old age begins at the age of fifty. So I'm well into it, and I'm sure I'm not alone among those who receive the newsletters I send out every week.
I produced this video a few years ago, which gives a good insight into old age. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz_me0DqVeY
I want to share with you a few articles that will show you the Krishna devotee's mentality towards old age and approaching death. Many people don't like to hear about this, because these are difficult moments in life. They prefer to forget these moments, while the devotee prepares to face and reduce the suffering caused by old age and death. Srila Prabhupada gives the example of the cat that takes a mouse in its mouth to eat it, he also takes his kitten in his mouth, but to take care of it. Death and old age can be difficult for the materialist, but it's different for the devotee, because Krishna protects him.
Recently my sister, who is 70 and lives a few minutes from me, told me she was interested in moving into a residence. After taking a few steps, she invited me to go with her to the residence. A few times before she told me all this, the idea of going to live in a place for the elderly crossed my mind. Because my health is still very good, I didn't pay too much attention to it. I live on the third floor and I'm always quick to climb the stairs.
So I went with her to this residence and the idea of living there crossed my mind. With her, I visited a few apartments and saw what a beautiful place it was. A friend of my sister's lives there, and he talked about his experience in this building of about one hundred and fifteen apartments. He's been living there for over four years and really likes it.
When I met my sister in the building, I began to like the idea of living there too. I left my contact details with the nice lady in charge at that meeting.
At the time of the meeting, this lady told my sister that in a few days she would be able to go before the selection committee to find out if she could be accepted into the residence. The next day she received a call asking her to appear before the committee in a few days. The next day, she received a call asking her to appear before the committee in a few days' time. The next day she received another phone call to tell her that she had been accepted and could visit the apartment the following day. She could, if she wished, stay there in two months' time. She was very happy.
I went with her to see the apartment and my desire to go and live there grew. Of course for a devotee to go and live with materialists is not the best choice, but I've already been living in a building of non-devotees for over 20 years. I'd certainly prefer to end my days surrounded by devotees, as they don't waste their time talking about worldly things like materialists do.
This residence was started by Vietnamese people, many of whom are vegetarians. What's more, they have a Buddha temple right next door. We know from the Vedas that Buddha is also Krishna. He came to preach the philosophy of impersonalism. The Vedas tell us that there was a reason for this. I'll talk about this in a future article.
To get back to the administration of the residences building, I've been told that if I wish, I can also go before the committee soon. I'm very happy about that, and of course it makes me think about the situation. If I'm told I'll be able to live there, I'll accept it.
Also, a few days ago, I looked into other possibilities with devotees across the planet. Several replied, but not all. They suggested a few solutions that I like more or less, because it's so far away. I've even been told about a place with a community of devotees in the jungle in India. I'm not too keen on the jungle. A few other ideas have come from other devotees, but in places too far away. There's also my friend Alberto, who helps me with the vedaveda.com website, who suggested I go and live in one of his homes in Spain and Switzerland. He said I could spend time in one country and then the other. I'm not rejecting the idea, but all this research with devotees has got me thinking.
So I'll be the first devotee in our group to go to a home for the elderly. Of course, some of those who receive the newsletters I send out are also elderly, and it would be nice for them to have an alternative with the devotees. If you have any ideas, please let me know at
I've been presented with a few suggestions that have made me think hard about new ideas that I hadn't expected at all. I'll tell you more about these ideas in the next article, probably next week.
It feels a little strange to be writing about the last stage of my life. I'm also watching my older sisters and the youngest members of the family I'm currently in grow old.
I'll leave you with these words and prepare the next article.
Aprakrita dasa
Aprakrita dasa