How did you get married?

We have been married for 37 years. We met before we were devotees through mutual friends. Tamohara was 19 and I was 23. We had each already had failed marriages by that time and had a child (each) from them. We were both searching for a spiritual path and had an instinct that our teacher would come from India. Little did we know the wonderful gift that was in front of us.

Do you have any children?

We have four daughters: Gopinatha devi dasi (40 years old), Rachel (38 years old), Lalita Sakhi devi dasi (34 years old), and Jaya Radhe dasi (29 years old). We have three grandchildren: Catleya (11 years old), Hari das (five years old), and Karuna Mayi dasi (three years old)

How did you join ISKCON?

We had done a lot of searching together for a spiritual path. We wanted community, a different type of education for our child, vegetarianism, and a teacher/guru. We first saw the devotees chanting at a Rock Festival and thought they were Buddhists because of their saffron robes. Thereafter, we bought a Bhagavad-gita, As It Is, the Radha Krishna Temple Album, and Krishna posters /incense at our local bookstore. A devotee came with a sankirtan party to distribute books at the local university in our town, and stayed at our house, preaching to us. We joined ISKCON (Chicago Temple) a few months later in 1972. We were initiated by Srila Prabhupada nine months later.

What type of service have you done?

Tamohara did mostly book distribution and sankirtana for many years. He was the temple vice-president at New Hastinapur, Potomac, MD; Manager of the BBT Temple Services in Los Angeles, CA; and temple president and teacher at the Bhaktivedanta Village Gurukula in Three Rivers, CA. We stepped back from direct service in ISKCON in the 90’s, while we both went back to school and worked. In 2004, Tamohara became Director of the ISKCON Child Protection Office, and more recently, GBC.
Mantrini spent many years, while raising our children, as a deity seamstress and pujari for Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan, Potomac, MD; Sri Sri Radha Kalachanji, Dallas, TX; and Sri Panca Tattva, Bhaktivedanta Village, CA. She was the BBT Corresponding Secretary for several years and Gurukula teacher at Bhaktivedanta Village Gurukula, Three Rivers, CA. She continues pujari service, counseling, and working with the ISKCON Child Protection Office.
What is your professional background? Tamohara has an Ed.D. in Educational Psychology, and has spent many years teaching psychology and human development in professional colleges of psychology. He was also Dean of the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. Mantrini has a B.S. in Child and Family Studies, the precursor to Marriage and Family Therapy study. We both are certified PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement) Marriage Educators. We have used this professional background and training in our devotee counseling, the Grihastha Vision Team, and work with the ISKCON Child Protection Office.

What are your concerns about contemporary Vaisnava families?

Our greatest concern is that the problems in Vaisnava families (unresolved conflict, domestic violence, acrimony, divorce, neglected/abused children, etc.) mirror their incidence in the greater society. As Vaisnavas, we have received the greatest “gift” in the form of the chanting of the holy name and Lord Caitanya’s blessings, but we can’t seem to cross over the Kali Yuga qualities of quarrel and hypocrisy within our families. We hope that through education, counseling, and preaching we can put the emphasis back into building strong families based on mutual respect, protection, care, and love for all members.

In 20 words or less, what wisdom from your personal experience would you pass on to a new couple?

Mantrini: Find your spiritual common ground early on and try to “live” there, then all your $10 problems will be solved.
Tamohara: Always keep Krishna in the center, work on your spiritual life, and all other problems will be solved: keep lines of communication open and clearly express needs/expectations in the relationship.