Varanasi: Amid the horrors of the Russia-Ukraine war, the love story of a loving couple from these two countries had a sad end in India. Desperate after losing several family members in the war, 50-year-old Kostyantyn Belyaev from Ukraine came to India in search of peace and lived in an ashram in Haridwar. He adopted Sanatan Dharma and got the name Kripa Baba. He came to Varanasi on November 29 last year and ended his life by hanging himself in the guest house where he stayed on the night of December 26.
His girlfriend Natasha, a resident of Russia, who was staying at Munna Guest House in Bhelupur since November 28, was in Tamil Nadu that day. Natasha and Belyaev had known each other for many years. Bhelupur ACP Praveen Kumar Singh told that on getting the information, Natasha came to Varanasi and expressed her wish for Belyaev’s cremation. Bhelupur ACP told that when the officials of the Embassy of Ukraine in Delhi contacted Belyaev’s mother, she asked for cremation at the hands of a Ukrainian. After this came to know about Yana Chernanya of Ukraine studying in Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. Natasha was present when Belyaev was cremated on December 29 at Harishchandra Ghat according to the eternal tradition.
Dr. Lekhmani Tripathi of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University told that Natasha had contacted us. Upon learning that Belyaev had retired from the discipleship tradition at an ashram in Haridwar, we advised Natasha to perform some rites. He heard the chanting of Garuda Purana and performed some other rituals with the help of local priests.
Umapati Pandey, director of Munna Guest House, told that Natasha also wanted to offer Brahmabhoj. I advised him to donate food in an ashram. He provided food to the poor and helpless on the ghat. On December 25, Belyaev had talked about going to an ashram in Sasaram, Bihar. But the next day when he did not come out of the room for a long time, we broke open the door. His dead body was hanging. He didn’t leave any suicide note. According to people around the guesthouse, he was depressed over the loss of several family members in the Russia-Ukraine war. They used to talk about attaining salvation after death in Kashi.