Anandini Dasi passed away on August 18^th at the age of 84. She was one of the first communications devotees in Russia.

“Krishna is grateful. He never forgets what a person does for Him. He takes care of his fate. And Srila Prabhupada has said that Lord Caitanya would personally come for the preacher and neutralize all his faults. Srimati Anandini remained a preacher until her last days and did so much for Lord Caitanya’s movement in our country. 

She joined the movement at the height of the persecution of the Hare Krishnas in the Soviet Union — in 1985 —and preached in those years, risking her life. She is the author of the first translations of Srila Prabhupada’s books into Russian. As a professional translator, she felt the drawbacks of the first Russian translations and therefore edited them with great enthusiasm. She was engaged in this activity until her last day, including the publication in Russian of the books of her guru, Srila Radhanatha Maharaj. 

In the underground years she had an important service — reception of honorable guests. Quite early Srila Prabhupada’s students began to come to us from abroad, and many of them lived in her apartment. 

When the Movement in our country was officially registered in 1988, Srimati Anandini also showed heroic enthusiasm, participating in all the harinams and in the first Ratha Yatra, held at different places of our country. 

She was the first senior mataji in Moscow. She’d always wanted there to be a brahmacharini Ashram and did a lot for this, but historically another devotee was assigned as the first senior mataji in the Moscow Society for Krishna consciousness. However, according to the brahmacarinis plea, this service was again given to Srimati Anandini. Many now senior Vaishnavis owe her their Krishna consciousness, and not only in Moscow. The role of Srimati Anandini in the creation of the Bhaktivedanta Institute in Moscow was significant. In fact, this project, which is the execution of Srila Prabhupada’s direct instruction to preach in the scientific community, was initiated by the efforts of three devotees, one of whom was Srimati Anandini. Her preaching in scientific towns is still remembered by the devotees who manifested there thanks to her.

Finally, it is impossible not to mention her successful preaching to the highest ranks of power in the USSR.

She had a very special relationship with Srila Prabhupada. She began her spiritual search among the first persecuted Soviet yogis, and it was in their association that Srila Prabhupada appeared to her for the first time. It was a very bright mystical experience through which she easily recognized him later from the first illegal editions of his books. And she carried her loyalty to Srila Prabhupada through her life, which helped her to survive all the upheavals that fell to the Krishna consciousness movement in our country. Her faith in Srila Prabhupada and her desire to continue his mission never wavered. 
I had the opportunity to communicate with Srimati Anandini until her last days — though mostly by phone. From our usually long telephone conversations, I could tell that her Krishna consciousness was not diminishing at all, despite the apparent decrease of bodily capabilities. She always remained a Vaiṣṇava — very demanding of herself and demanding of others. When a person is as demanding of himself as she is, he has the right to be demanding of others as well. Her apartment is a temple. There to her last days she worshipped the Deities, that came to that apartment about 30 years ago. There also lives a beautiful Tulasi tree. There is also a huge library of Vaisnav books. Her thirst for Krishna conscious literature was never satisfied — she always asked me for all the novelties of this literature in English. At one time I asked the brahmacaris from Bhaktivedanta Ashram to go to Srimati Anandini and record her memories. They had a good interview, and when they came back they immediately asked me to arrange for them another visit, because the atmosphere of the apartment was so unique.

I am sure that if a person leaves the body in such an atmosphere, there is no need to worry about his further fate. 

Srimati Anandini Ki — Jai!

Ваш слуга,

Krishnananda Das”