“Legacy of Love: A servants quest” by Yamuna Dasi and Malati Manjari Dasi
This book about Srimati Hladini Devi Dasi was given to me by a dear friend and I’m truly grateful as this book is hard to come by and provides so much inspiration for anyone practicing bhakti yoga, but especially for women.
The beauty of Hladini was in her simplicity and her utter heartfelt devotion and personal relationship with the Lord. The book is very nicely written and you really get a glimpse into what it would be like to be fully absorbed in devotional service while present in this world. No fame, no fanfare, no worshipers or followers. She simply followed her heart and took care of Lord Jagannath as if he were her child. Under all kinds of austerities, in ice and snow, year after year, with lack of money and lack of people to help her, she worked tirelessly to ensure that Lord Jagannath had the best service that she could possibly offer. And by this simple act of love and single minded fixation on the Lord, she became self realized.
Perhaps the most glorious part of Hladini’s story, is that at the moment of death, she remained fixed in her devotion and without a second thought, gave her life to protect the devotees of the Lord. Never once putting herself before others, she is an amazing example of how we can adopt a true service attitude. The only point of this life is to prepare for the moment of death, the final test. And she passed it.
