Bond of Love Interview Series: Nirmala Devi and Rangavati Devi (video)
About Nirmala Devi Dasi
Having grown up in an Italian Catholic family and attending a Catholic grade school, God was definitely a part of our family’s life! In my early teens I got into the counterculture; the music, the dress, and the literature. I also became a vegetarian at age 14. Interestingly enough though, my faith in God wasn’t present during this exploration. Then, in my last year of high school, I panicked because I didn’t have any direction in my life and I desperately turned to prayer; “My dear Lord, whoever you are, wherever you are, please send me some sort of sign”. Within the next day or 2, I received a letter from my sister asking me to visit her at the Detroit Temple, and I did, and I loved it from the minute I walked in! I moved into the Detroit Temple for a short time and then shifted to New Vrindavan.
In July of 1974 Srila Prabhupada visited New Vrindavan and on a beautiful sunny day accepted me as his disciple. I was 17 at this time and by the Lord’s grace, I am still chanting on the sacred beads he handed me.
My service for the next 11 years was book distribution, traveling and living out of a van with my God sisters. We traveled all over North America and Puerto Rico. When Srila Prabhupada was in America we would travel to some of the temples he visited, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
After this chapter of my life I ended up in the natural health field due to a serious health crisis. I met my loving husband, Devarsi das, of 32 years during that time of health restoration. We’ve served the devotees through massage, chiropractic, caretaking, counseling, and Human Design.
Our highlight has been raising our daughter, Vani devi dasi, and assisting her in her journey in Krishna Consciousness. We poured all of our love and care into her life.
About Rangavati Devi Dasi
In 1970 I graduated from Northern Michigan University with a BS in early childhood education. The following week I married my high school sweetheart at the age of 22. This marriage was very short lived and we parted ways with me carrying the pieces of my broken heart. It was Krsna’s mercy to lead me to the Hare Krsna movement in July of 1973.
I spent two years in Detroit and in 1975 traveled to the holy land of India and walked in the dust of Mayapur and once again my heart broke at the thought of leaving. I stayed in India for several years. I did life membership, organized the first “all women's” traveling book party, sold sweets, dabbled in cooking, cleaning His Divine Grace’s apartment, and helped a young girl and her family depart from this world.
Once I returned to America and Canada I did many different types of sankirtan activities, help start a preaching center, taught in three guru kulas, dressed deities and then repeated those services until 1985. That was the year I married my kind and gentle husband Jitari das. We had been bramachari and bramacharini for over 12 years.
Since that time, we have raised our daughter Nadia and have lived in our home in Alachua for 23 years.
Watch it here: https://bit.ly/3eJzPLi