His Grace Revatinandana Prabhu (ACBSPgen1)
Honolulu,
Her Grace Kunkuma DD advises that His Grace Revatinandana Prabhu, former Revatinandana Swami passed away in Honolulu in the night of December 16th 2021 at 11:45pm local time, after a short illness of lymph cancer. All glories to the followers of Srila Prabhupada!
New Delhi
14 November, 1973
73-11-14
Edinburgh, Scotland
My Dear Revatinandana Swami,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 27, 1973 and also the letter from Partha Das. I am glad that you are traveling and preaching. This is your main business. For a sannyasi the more he wanders and preaches, the more he becomes experienced. The people benefit, he benefits, and from a material point of view he’ll profit. So constantly travel and distribute books as much as possible.
I have received report from New York today as follows: “we have just broken all ISKCON records for the number of books distributed. On October 27 we distributed 13,486 books in one day. On Nov. 3 we distributed 13,127 in one day along with 10,000 lugdo’s.” Now New York is heading the list.
Regarding the auto accident, just hold a condolence meeting for Raghava dasa brahmacari and pray for his soul to Krsna for giving him a good chance for advancement in Krsna consciousness. Certainly Krsna will give him a good place to take birth where he can again begin in Krsna consciousness activities. That is sure. But, we offer our condolences to a departed soul separated from a Vaisnava. Do you know that there must be prasadam distributed? After three days after the demise of a Vaisnava a function should be held for offering the departed soul and all others prasadam. This is the system.
Yes I have received reports of London that it is going on nicely. But one report is not satisfactory. That chandelier in the temple has been taken away by the supplier because Syamasundara took it on credit and has not paid. I do not know if it is a fact but it is regretable.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/bs
Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Revatinandana — New Delhi 14 November, 1973
Los Angeles
9 January, 1974
74-01-09
London
My dear Revatinandana Swami,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter Jan. 4, 1974 with the enclosed cookbook.
I know you are a very good cook and I can understand that you have found the books useful for distribution. I have no objection to your printing it with the name “Revatinandana Swami’s Cookbook”, but the royalty should go to the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Just as I am publishing Bhagavad-gita As It Is with Macmillan Co. but the royalty is going to the BBT. I think this method is appropriate. If you yourself take the royalty it will be personal interest in money and trade, and this will deviate your principle of sannyasa. Sannyasi means he is in renounced order and lives by begging alms for the bare necessities of life. It is not good to make trade to get money for personal expenditure. If the royalty is given to the BBT, we will keep a separate account from this royalty and necessary expenditures for your preaching may be supplied from the BBT.
Mukunda das has sent me a pamphlet in which the pictures are objectionable. The name of the place at Letchmore Heath we have already named Bhaktivedanta Manor, European Center of ISKCON. He has printed “Gokula Vrindaban”. In the last picture there is a cowhead like a slaughterhouse cow with t-lock on. I have sent him a telegram to stop it and a detailed letter will follow to Mukunda. The telegram reads as follows: “Pamphlet picture most objectionable. Stop immediately. Letter follows.” Please see that this is stopped by Mukunda.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
N.B. Regarding taking snuff, I myself take it sometimes at night because I am working at night on my books, and sometimes I become dizzy. But it is not for you to take. You should not imitate this, neither you work like me at night.
Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Revatinandana — Los Angeles 9 January, 1974
Vrndavana
8 September, 1976
76-09-08
Los Angeles
My Dear Ramesvara,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 29, 1976 and have noted the contents with care. It is very good that all this business has stopped sato vrtte sadhu sange. Revatinandana Swami is a very good preacher and you should encourage him. He can do nicely.
Let the restaurant go on. This is a very nice plan and I have discussed this with Rsabhadeva das. He may show you some communications on the subject. The householders who cannot sell books should be encouraged to work honestly on this restaurant project.
It will be very nice if you GBC men can relieve me from the heavy burden of management.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/hs
Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Ramesvara — Vrndavana 8 September, 1976
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SANKA Prabhu (ACBSP.gen1), Srila Prabhupada’s flower boy, passed away. (From ISKCONNews.org)
Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda gives the following translation to Sri Vaisnava Pranama:
vanca kalpa tarubhyas ca krpa sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah
“Let us kiss over and over again the holy feet of the devotees of Krishna who are like purpose trees, yielding the fruit of all our devotional desires. They are oceans of kindness and purifiers of the fallen.”
“Sanka Das, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada known for his compassionate and giving nature, his cooking and gardening, his smile, and his “huge heart,” passed away peacefully on the auspicious day of Govardhana Puja, November 5th, in Alachua, Florida. He was 73.
Sanka left during the Brahmamuhurta hour of 2:50am while looking at a picture of Srila Prabhupada, listening to Prabhupada’s lectures and Aindra Das’s kirtan, and holding japa beads in his hands. A Vietnam war veteran, he had been exposed to Agent Orange during his years of active duty, and had battled cancer for a number of years. He will be remembered by his three children, grandchildren, and the many devotees whose lives he touched.
……..That same year (1973), Sanka offered a box of organic vegetables to Srila Prabhupada in Los Angeles. In turn, Prabhupada gave him his first instruction: “You must go to Mayapur and make gardens.” Sanka immediately went on traveling sankirtana to raise money for Mayapur.
In 1974, he was at the first Mayapur Festival. There, he was given hundreds of acres to cultivate. Sometime later, Srila Prabhupada sent him to the Bombay, Juhu temple, where he also started cultivating gardens. Daily, Srila Prabhupada would watch him from his balcony and would accept a flower from his garden. It was in Bombay that Sanka also acquired most of his famous cooking skills. He helped cook the first offering at Vrindavan temple in 1975, and in 1976, the first offering at Hyderabad and Bombay.”
Srila Prabhupada’s Flower Boy
Sanka Das in the gardens
In his book “I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story,” Giriraja Swami recounts how Srila Prabhupada summoned Sanka to Bombay. Sanka asked Prabhupada, “What would you like me to do?” And Prabhupada replied, “I want you to plant a flower in every square inch of Hare Krishna Land.”
Prabhupada would pass by the garden every day on his morning walk, and some time after Sanka’s arrival, when Prabhupada noticed there still weren’t any fruits or flowers growing, he commented, “He’s simply bluffing.” But one morning, after Prabhupada had returned from traveling in India, he went out for his walk and saw that the garden was full of fruits and flowers. He was very pleased with Sanka’s service, and thereafter, Sanka would offer Prabhupada a flower every day and became known as “Prabhupada’s flower boy.” The editor met and interacted with HG Sanka Prabhu in Bombay and Hyderabad during his extensive stay in India 1976-1977.
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This is November 30th 2021, 17.00 hours and the news have just come in that Her Grace Param Bhava (ACBSP gen 2) has left us to go back home back to Godhead. We offer our sincere condolences to family and friends. All glories to Srila Prabhupada’s distinguished ISKCON family!!!
Actually, Her Grace Param Bhava (ACBSPgen 2) once gave me a stern spiritual order as follows: We sometimes met by chance at the Brisbane metropolitan Market in Rocklea. She told me how she was involved as a life coach and then she pronounced the pivotal and determining words: “Yadavendra, you should also become a life coach.” At the time I was not at all in the mood of becoming a life coach not even close, just like Laurenzo whom I meet this evening after Hari Nam in Noosa responded clearly that he was not at all ready to give up illicit sex. So I though at the time: “Never going to happen, not interested!” But since a few days I find the expression life coach extremely helpful. It’s not as scary as Guru in the general societal set up, but carries pretty much the same meaning when used in a Hare Krishna context. Actually, life coach is the undercover name for Guru. It came clear, straightforward, and strong, American style, where she was from. Thank you very much, Mother Param Bhava, for your contribution to my future in Krishna consciousness. I offer my humble obeisances at your holy feet. Note added on 16/01/2022, as it came to mind.
Please find below an extract from a letter of Srila Prabhupada dated December 14 th 1972 to His disciple Tusta Krishna about having an ISKCON in the spiritual sky.
“….Your next question, after leaving this material realm does the devotee remain forever with his spiritual master? The answer is yes. But I think you have got the mistaken idea in this connection. You speak of pure devotee, that he is saktyavesa avatara, that we should obey him only — these things are the wrong idea. If anyone thinks like that, that a pure devotee should be obeyed and no one else, that means he is a nonsense. We advise everyone to address one another as Prabhu. Prabhu means master, so how the master should be disobeyed? Others, they are also pure devotees. All of my disciples are pure devotees. (This statement would have to apply to Srila Prabhupada’s granddisciples as well.) Anyone sincerely serving the spiritual master is a pure devotee, it may be Siddhasvarupa or others, a-Siddhasvarupa. This must be very clearly stated. It is not only that your Siddhasvarupa is a pure devotee and not others. Do not try to make a faction. Siddhasvarupa is a good soul. But others should not be misled. Anyone who is surrendered to the spiritual master is a pure devotee, it doesn’t matter if Siddhasvarupa or non-Siddhasvarupa. Amongst ourselves one should respect others as Prabhu, master, one another. As soon as we distinguish here is a pure devotee, here is a non-pure devotee, that means I am a nonsense. Why you only want to be in the spiritual sky with Siddhasvarupa? Why not all? If Siddhasvarupa can go, why not everyone? Siddhasvarupa will go, you will go, Syamasundara will go, all others will go. We will have another ISKCON there. Of course, Mr. Nair must stay.”
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RAJENDRANANDANA PRABHU (ACBSPgen1) LEAVES HIS BODY
Hare Krishna. Rajendranandana prabhu (Sam Rogers) a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and beloved by many devotees around the world, left his body yesterday (Tuesday, November 10th) at approximately 1:15pm local time in San Diego, California. He was at home and being lovingly cared for by his wife, son, and fellow devotees.
Rajendranandana prabhu’s health had been failing for some time, and two or three weeks ago he was diagnosed with terminal spinal cancer. He was given three months to live. In the Vaisnava fashion so typical of Raj prabhu, he took the diagnosis as Krishna’s mercy and began to prepare himself for this final test. By the merciful arrangement of the Supreme Lord, he passed away within two weeks (instead of the projected several months).
Rajendranandana prabhu was speaking until the last day and a half, in spite of his condition—sharing Krishna katha and sweet exchanges with devotees who came to offer their respects. At one point, he asked his caretaker “Why are there so many people in the room?” although only Raj prabhu and his caretaker were there at the time. The caretaker, Jagadananda prabhu, inquired “Are they the good people? Raj prabhu smiled and said softly “Oh, yes”.
Rajendranandana prabhu left his body hearing a kirtan by Srila Prabhupada. Although he had not been speaking for a day and a half, with his last breath, he said “Hare Krishna” and left this world.
Rajendranandana prabhu joined ISKCON in the mid-1970s and initially served at ISKCON’s school (gurukula) in Dallas, Texas. Amongst his many services over the years, he served as the temple president of the San Diego temple and then as president of the temple in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In recent years, he and his family spent much of their time at ISKCON Mayapur, where he was much beloved by the local devotees.
Srila Prabhupada was asked by a disciple, after the disciple’s devotee friend had recently passed away: “I know the philosophy. I know that the body is temporary and the soul is eternal. Still, I am feeling sad”. Srila Prabhupada replied: “After all, we are not dull stones. We naturally miss the association of devotees we have known and loved.”
Rajendranandana prabhu will be sorely-missed by devotees around the world—and that is how it should be. He lived an exemplary devotional life. He was always full of affection, philosophy, blissful details about the lilas of the Lord and His devotees, and encouragement—and, when needed, some words of gentle chastisement. His was a life lived nobly. We are certain that he has either gone directly back to Krishna in Goloka Vrindaban or to join Srila Prabhupada somewhere else to help his beloved spiritual master give Krishna consciousness to the conditioned souls.
A memorial will be held at the San Diego temple on Sunday, November 21st starting at 3:30pm. More details to follow.
Your servant,
Badrinarayan Swami
Editor’s note: We met and knew Rajendranandana Prabhu in Vrindavana in 1976 and 1977. Even then he was attached to the gurukula. We are confident that he reached his desired goal.
“Being always engaged in the service of Krishna, a Krishna conscious person’s senses have no chance of being otherwise engaged, and at the end of life, naturally he is transferred to the transcendental plane of Lord Krishna, without attempting to increase the duration od life.” Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 4.29, purport.
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My offering to HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja
By Indradyumna Swami
Dear disciples of Bhakti Charu Maharaja,
Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
On this auspicious day of Guru Purnima I want to express my condolences to all of you on the departure of your beloved spiritual master, Bhakti Charu Maharaja. I had planned to write an offering to him today, but I feel a letter to console all of you in your grief would be of greater service to him.
My heart goes out to all of you wherever you are in the world. The outpouring of love and appreciation for your spiritual master currently flooding the worldwide ISKCON community shows the immensity of his influence and personality. He touched the hearts of countless devotees, even those he never met:
“The transcendental attractive qualities of an exalted devotee popularise his presence everywhere even though he may be hidden from public view, just as musk spreads its fragrance everywhere even when locked away in a tight container.”
[Srila Rupa Goswami – Vidagdha Madhava]As your Guru Maharaja was a close friend of mine for many years, I am crying alongside you. Although we know intellectually from our philosophy that the “soul is eternal and never dies”, we cannot deny the sadness we feel when a devotee departs. Srila Prabhupada refers to the devotees’ soft-heartedness in a purport in Bhagavad Gita:
“While observing the situation of his enemy, Arjuna stood up on the chariot, but he was so afflicted with lamentation that he sat down again, setting aside his bow and arrows. Such a kind and soft-hearted person, in the devotional service of the Lord, is fit to receive self-knowledge.”
[Bhagavad-gita 1.46]These next few days and weeks will be a time of grieving for you. Please know that I and our entire movement grieve with you. It must be so.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, a time to die … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”
[Ecclesiastes 3:1-8]In a Vyasa Puja offering he wrote in 1961 our beloved Srila Prabhupada personally expressed the same anguish we are all now feeling in reference to the departure of his spiritual master:
“On this day, O my master, I made a cry of grief; I was not able to tolerate the absence of my guru.”
I and all my dear godbrothers and godsisters have also experienced this in the loss of our spiritual master. To this day I have not recovered from Srila Prabhupada’s departure. I live in a constant state of separation from my beloved master, as well as from other godbrothers and godsisters who have since departed.
“Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.”
[ George Elliot ]The question many of you are pondering now is how you will continue on without the physical presence of the dearest person in your life. The answer is that you will continue on by remembering all the many valuable lessons you learned from him both through all that he did and all that he said.
The most important thing to remember is that there is never any question of separation from your spiritual master. Through the transcendental medium he will always be with you. This is confirmed in a 1929 edition of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati’s Harmonist magazine where we find the famous stanza Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur wrote after visiting the samadhi of Srila Haridasa Thakura in Jagannatha Puri:
“He reasons ill who tells that Vaisnavas die
when thou art living still in sound.
The Vaisnavas die to live and living try
to spread a holy life around!”
Srila Prabhupada personally expressed the same sentiment in a letter he wrote to me in 1971:
“My dear Bhakta Brian, I can understand your feelings of separation from me after I left the Detroit temple. I am also feeling separation from my guru maharaja, although I feel he is always watching over and protecting me.”
You can also find solace in knowing that although Bhakti Charu Maharaja has left us, he is Srila Prabhupada’s eternal servant and is either on another preaching adventure with Srila Prabhupada or is, by his grace, engaged in eternal life in the transcendental realm. Srila Prabhupada himself confirms that, for the devotee, both living and dying are the same:
Prabhupada: We have no such difference, disappearance and appearance.
Giriraja: Except in your case. We don’t want disappearance.
Prabhupada: Jivo va maro va. Because we are going to accept eternity, so appearance and disappearance of this body is not a very important thing. Nitya-lila, eternal life – that is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
[Room conversation, Vrindavan, 1977]You can be very proud of your spiritual master! He spent a lifetime in service to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna; he captured their hearts and they have taken him from this world of birth and death to be with them.
“O best of My devotees, for so many lifetimes you have abandoned your wife and home to attain Me. For the sake of My service you endured untold miseries such as cold, wind, hunger, thirst, and pain. Maintaining your life by begging, you tolerated countless abuses and insults from others. Unable to repay you, I have become indebted to you. For you, lordship over the entire earth, sovereignty of the heavenly planets, the position of Lord Brahma and all the various mystic perfections, are completely unsuitable. How could I grant them to you? These things are grass and straw which animals find enjoyable, but they are not fit for humans. Though I’m unconquerable, today I’ve certainly been conquered by you. Now I’m taking shelter of the creeper of your excellent character and gentle conduct!”
[Madhurya Kadambini, Srila Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur, Eight Nectar Shower, 4b, Bhagavan glorifies His devotee]Once again, my heart goes out to all of you. If I can be of any service to any one of you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Your servant in service to your spiritual master,
Indradyumna Swami
The whole world collapsed for me
My dear disciples of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I will not attempt to imagine the pain and emotions you are going through at this moment after the departure of your beloved Guru Maharaja. I can only join Anuttama Prabhu’s memory of the pain and emotions we experienced when His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left this mortal world. Although we were aware that Srila Prabhupada was very sick at that time, the thought that he could pass away from this world never crossed my mind, not even for a second. Srila Prabhupada was my life and soul – period. When I received the devastating news of Srila Prabhupada’s departure while preaching in Beirut (Lebanon) at that time, I was sitting in my room for two days, not being able to eat or sleep or do anything else, except chanting the Holy Name and remembering Srila Prabhupada with tears constantly flowing from my eyes. The whole world collapsed for me. Was there any use to continue?
Now I had to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s vani form, remembering him saying that he always felt the presence of his Guru Maharaja. This form of the spiritual master the disciple can render service to day and night, and Srila Prabhupada reciprocated in so many ways. Additionally, I had the association of all the wonderful Godbrothers and -sisters of which I am ever grateful. They all shared their precious experience with Srila Prabhupada, which broadened the limited experience I had with His Divine Grace. This vani form of Srila Prabhupada always remains with me till my last breath.
All I am trying to say is that we disciples of Srila Prabhupada would like to ask your permission to give our support to you at this difficult time in your spiritual life. We love and respect you, because you are the spiritual sons and daughters of your Guru Maharaja whom we love and respect dearly. As Anuttama Prabhu so nicely wrote, your Guru Maharaja often stressed the importance of cooperating with each other in our service to Srila Prabhupada’s movement. This was the direct instruction of Srila Prabhupada. If we can serve that instruction, your Guru Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada will be very pleased.
Your servant,
Bhaktivaibhava Swami
HH Bhakti Charu Swami has tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently in critical condition in the ICU
Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We write today to inform you that HH Bhakti Charu Swami has tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently in critical condition in the ICU at a hospital in the USA.
We request the worldwide community of devotees to offer heartfelt prayers for Maharaja’s prompt and smooth recovery.
As you all know, HH Bhakti Charu Swami is a most respected Vaisnava leader who has generously given his life to the service of his beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Maharaja is an initiating spiritual master, a member of the Governing Body Commission, a renowned speaker on the Vedic scriptures, a most melodic kirtan leader, an innovator in Krishna conscious arts and culture, and above all, a dedicated servant of Srila Prabhupada in whichever capacity he serves. He began his life in Krishna consciousness as Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant and secretary and continues every day to serve Srila Prabhupada in the same personal manner.
Again, please pray with all your heart, in line with the instructions Srila Prabhupada gave his own disciples when he was not well, “My Dear Lord Krishna, if you so desire, please cure His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami.”
Thank you very much.
Hare Krsna,
Your servants,
Ramai Swami
Bhakti Caitanya Swami
Bhanu Swami,
GBC Executive Committee
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HIS GRACE HANSADUTTA PRABHU. (ACBSPgen1) Posted May 1st 2020
By Lokanath Swami
In 1976 Hansadutta Swami had come to India with two German busses filled with mostly German and European devotees. I was a new sannyasi and Srila Prabhupada arranged for me to join Hansadutta Swami’s World Travelling Sankirtana Party.
We traveled together all over North India for nearly 5 months holding festivals, performing street Sankirtana and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. Srila Prabhupada was very pleased. We developed a strong bond of friendship and we became buddies. He was one of my favorite kirtaneers. Then we were together again during Srila Prabhupada’s final days in Vrndavana taking turns to sing for Srila Prabhupada. Amongst others, Hansadutta and I were in favor of and were preparing for Srila Prabhupada’s pilgrimage on a bullock cart to Govardhan.
Later on I still maintained my friendship with Hansadutta Prabhu, and yesterday when I heard the news of his departure the fond memories flooded back and stirred up emotions in me and I could not resist crying. I will miss him dearly.
May Srila Prabhupada forgive him and engage him eternally in the service of his Sankirtana movement.
Your servant,
Lokanath Swami
My personal comment:
Hansadutta Prabhu was and is one of my most ecstatic kirtan leader, especially in the early days 1974- 1976 in Schloss Rettershof, near Frankfurt, where Srila Prabhupada gave me first or Hari Nama initiation in 1974. ” Your name is Yadavendra Das.” Video available. We used to travel all week, every week, on Prabhupada book distribution throughout what was then called West Germany. The high light of the week was Hansadutta Prabhu’s Saturday kirtans from about 16.00 hours to 21.00 / 22.00 hours. These were very, very, very ecstatic and energetic times. And I used to dance, dance and dance. What Vaikuntha feelings of liberation Hansadutta Prabhu gave me !!! His Holiness Sacinandan Swami will corroborate these matters, so can His Grace Manidhara Prabhu.
I was part and parcel of the 1976 India bus party mentioned by HH Lokanath Swami. We traveled from Frankfurt, Germany to Vrindavan, UP, India, via New Mayapur, France where we met Srila Prabhupada, Austria, Turkey, Iran along the Caspian Sea, Kabul, Afganistan, where we held some Krishna conscious programs, then Vrindavan where I was recommended for and received second initiation from Srila Prabhupada. Second birth in Vrndavan, that makes me a Vrajabasi! HH Holiness mentions only the 2 big buses. There were 2 smaller, brand new Mercedes vans as well. So four vehicles altogether. At that times I did not have a driver’s licence and therefore never drove any of the vehicles. Other members of the party were HG Iskvaku, (who is also on the picture, just on the right of Hansadutta Prabhu), HG Atmavidya, HG Talamka, HG Uthal Prabhus (who also lives in Brisbane, Australia), HG Urdhvaga Prabhu and others as well. Hansadutta Prabhu did not travel with us. He was waiting for us in India. But the whole thing was going on under his supervision.
I join HH Lokanath Swami in his shedding of tears with my own tears on the news of Hansadutta Prabhu’s departure. But these are also tears of joy, as I feel Hansadutta Prabhu must have reached the ultimate perfection of life and must have returned Back Home, Back to Godhead. There were some serious preaching setbacks under his leadership, but from Srila Prabhupada’s letters, we take it that He never ever rejected him. On the contrary, Srila Prabhupada consoled and supported him when Hansadutta Prabhu was feeling down due to his own failures. We also get often the impression that Srila Prabhupada actually enjoyed Hansadutta prabhu’s association. Just look at the above picture! A totally blissful situation! This may also have been due to the fact that Hansadutta Prabhu pioneered book production and distribution in German language, especially Bhagavad-gita As It Is or in German language Bhagavad-Gita Wie Sie Ist. Anything to do with book production, book distribution and distribution of real knowledge holds a special place not only in Srila Prabhupada’s heart but in the heart of our whole Brahma Madhva Gaudiya sampradaya. And I am not sure what His Holiness means by: “May Srila Prabhupada forgive him.”
Srila Prabhupada is simultaneously both a revolutionary and an extremely polished diplomate as well. But in this material world, His main thrust, however, is the Krishna conscious revolution. Srila Prabhupada never hesitated to break the conventional Satyam brüyät priyam brüyät ma brüyät satyam abrüyät. [If one speaks the truth, he should speak it palatably. One should not speak unpalatable truth.] when the need arose.
“A strong faith that by Krishna consciousness one will be elevated to the highest perfection of life is called vyavasäyätmikä intelligence. The Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 22.62) states:
sraddha’-sabde — visvasa kahe sudrdha niscaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya
Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. When one is engaged in the duties of Krishna consciousness, he need not act in relationship to the material world with obligations to family traditions, humanity, or nationality. Fruitive activities are the engagements of one’s reactions from past good or bad deeds. When one is awake in Krishna consciousness, he need no longer endeavor for good results in his activities. When one is situated in Krishna consciousness, all activities are on the absolute plane, for they are no longer subject to dualities like good and bad. The highest perfection of Krishna consciousness is renunciation of the material conception of life. This state is automatically achieved by progressive Krishna consciousness.
The resolute purpose of a person in Krishna consciousness is based on knowledge. Väsudevaù sarvam iti sa mahätmä su-durlabhaù: a person in Krishna consciousness is the rare good soul who knows perfectly that Väsudeva, or Krishna, is the root of all manifested causes. As by watering the root of a tree one automatically distributes water to the leaves and branches, so by acting in Krishna consciousness one can render the highest service to everyone—namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc. If Krishna is satisfied by one’s actions, then everyone will be satisfied.
Service in Krishna consciousness is, however, best practiced under the able guidance of a spiritual master who is a bona fide representative of Krishna, who knows the nature of the student and who can guide him to act in Krishna consciousness. As such, to be well versed in Krishna consciousness one has to act firmly and obey the representative of Krishna, and one should accept the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master as one’s mission in life.” BGAII 2.41 purport.
All glories to His Grace Hansadutta Prabhu and his significant contribution to Lord Caitanya’s worldwide Sankirtan movement!
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HIS GRACE GOPINATH ACHARYA PRABHU. (ACBSPgen1)
It is with sadness that we learned of the passing of His Grace Gopinath Acharya Prabhu, disciple of the Founder Acharya of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada.
He passed away near ISKCON New Govardhana, NSW, Australia, Tuesday 7th of February 2017 at about 6PM. Gopinath Prabhu was an enthusiastic book distributor and later on cared for the cows. May he achieve the best possible destination. Subject to confirmation, heart failure is suspected. Funeral ceremonies will be held tomorrow Friday 1oth at ISKCON New Govardhana. Dated: Thursday, February 9th 2017.
“It is clearly stated that “This Paramätmä, Vishnu, is staying, hrid, hrid-deshe, in the heart.” Therefore heart is always palpitating. And the jivätmä is also there and……. Then when the jivätmä leaves this body, that is called heart failure. That is heart failure. Heart is palpitating, but as soon as the jivätmä goes, heart fails. And these materialist science, they cannot give any cause. They are giving, what is that, oxygen gas and every minute injecting to keep the palpitation of the heart, throbbing of the heart, continuous. But how they can do it? As soon as the living soul is depart from the heart there is no more palpitating. It is simply a lump of matter. That requires intelligence, that this matter is never the living soul.”760404SB.Vrn
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HIS GRACE VENU GOPAL PRABHU. (ACBSPgen1)
We have just received this morning of February 13th 2018, confirmation of the demise of His Grace Venu Gopal Prabhu, another direct disciple of the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. After a long struggle with illness, death has caught up with him, as it will catch up with all of us. Death and taxes cannot be avoided. We remember Srila Prabhupada words about death. The cat catches the kitten in its mouth and the cat catches the rat as well. The former is an affectionate bite. The latter is a death bite. Similarly for those who have dedicated their lives to the service of God, Krishna, and have duly taken initiation in the Brahma Madhya Gaudiya Sampradaya, as did His Grace Venu Gopal Prabhu, death represents a promotion to the best of all worlds, the spiritual world, Vaikuntha, where there is no anxiety. In Vaikuntha everything is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss and everyone gladly accept Sri Krishna as the supreme predominator.
Venu Gopal Prabhu lived near ISKCON’s New Govardhana farm, New South Wales, Australia, with his family. He was an enthusiastic, smiling and friendly member of the Hare Krishna community, an effective orator and held the position of Minister for Cow Protection in the Australian Yatra. Our thoughts are with him and all those near and dear ones he left behind. May he bless us from his current privileged position. He has joined Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON in the spiritual world. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, the Founder Acharya of ISKCON, Institutor of the BBT and Founder of BTG magazine!
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HIS GRACE RAVANARI PRABHU ( THE SERVANT OF THE ENNEMY OF RAVANA) (ACBSPgen1)
Hrimati Mataji: It is with a heavy heart to give the news that our dear godbrother Ravanari Das has left his body March 1, 2018, in Ottawa, Canada. He died of natural causes in a hospital.
Ravanari has lived in Mayapur, senior Brahmachari Ashram for several years. Born in Palestine, he was Srila Prabhupada’s first Muslim disciple. He joined the movement 1974 in Germany. Later on he preached to the Muslim community in the Middle East and India. He moved to Canada and, for 16 years, dedicated his life to translating Srila Prabhupada’s books in his native Arabic language. Ravanari suffered several small strokes, after which he moved to Mayapur.
My personal note: In the seventies, in what was then called “West Germany”, we were comrades in “Krishna Sankirtan Book Distribution combat” and based in Schloss Rettershof, literally the Court of the Savior, in Fishbach, near Koenigstein, where Srila Prabhupada lectured in 1974. This is in the Frankfurt am Main area. We would leave the Schloss every Monday of the week in our vans loaded with Srila Prabhupada’s books and return empty handed Friday evening or Saturday morning depending on distances. For the purpose of fund raising, we sometimes sold records such as Srila Prabhupada’s Krishna Meditation Album. Krishna Meditation Album was recorded at the Schloss in 1974. Srila Prabhupada comments:
“The songs which I have recorded there I have heard today on the record, and they are very nice, especially the “Prayers to the Six Goswamis.” It has come out very successful on the whole. I hope the German people will like the Bengali tunes. What is the report of how they are selling?” 741112let.Hansadutta
Saturday afternoon and evening, Hansaduta Prabhu would lead for several hours some of the most ecstatic kirtans ever. There were between 3 and 6 of us in each van, which represented our home for the week. Ravanari Prabhu was martially spirited, a Sankirtan team leader and an excellent book distributor himself. I shall always remember his distinctive, strong and peculiar way of chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, a bit like a low tone, controlled volume, roaring of a lion. I sometimes felt a little intimidated (from medieval Latin intimidat- ‘made timid’) in his strong presence. Due to his substantial service contribution to Lord Caitanya Sankirtan mission, he has attained the ultimate destination. All glories to Sriman Ravanari Prabhu!
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HIS GRACE NIKHILANANDA PRABHU (ACBSP.gen1)
It is learned from Dandavats.com that my dear Godbrother and old acquaintance from the seventies and eighties in Germany, His Grace Nikhilananda Prabhu has passed away on the 11th of July 2019. He was always in a jovial mood and seemed to me a cool person.
I hadn’t met him for a long time and remember him as in the second picture. May he attain the supreme destination. All glories to HG Nikhilananda Prabhu and his service to Lord Caitanya’s worldwide Sankirtan Movement. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON and Institutor of the BBT and BTG magazine.
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--The Australian Society for Krishna Culture. AUSKCULTURE, operation start 1984 -- ABN 65 231 425 870. 