Sunday, April 4, 2010

Padmalochan Das is with Srila Prabhupada now...

by Vrindavan Lila Dasi

My husband, Padmalochan Das, disciple of Srila Prabhupada,  has left his body on 27 March, Dvadasi.  He was worshiping Vrinda Devi and She took him on Her day (Dvadasi).

One night close to dvadasi (when he left) there was a loud deep voice that called his name twice. At the time i was trying to sleep and woke up from it, Rajendranandana Prabhu who came to stay that night to help with care was just doing something out on veranda... I guess my husband did not know we heard the voice, so he did not mention anything to us, but when Jananivasa came next day (he was coming every day), he told him that Srila Prabhupada was calling him last night...
He was peaceful. The day before he left, he chanted GAURANGA at intervals, every few min repeating name Gauranga... peacefully...

He left body on Dvadasi morning.
He remembered in Vrindavan, Srila Prabhupada was there, I can't remember the ocasion, and my husband was fanning him, suddenly Prabhupad started to motion to him to come closer, he leaned forward, Prabhupad wanted him to come even closer, he put his ear near Prabhupad's mouth and Srila Prabhupada said "go put all the lights on" - so, he went and turned every light on, came back and started to fan Prabhupad again.
The morning he left I did not see any signs that he going to leave at first when I woke up.... then suddenly he started to say "I want to sit up", "put all the lights on" - I did turn lights on and tryed to help him to sit, then he asked me to bring chair in the room, as for someone else - I did bring a chair... then he started to say - "look what's going on outside!" - i did not see anything... then he asked for Tulasi leaves, put them in his mouth and left....
after very strong chest massage offered by one acupuncture doctor, Maithely, who was present in the room then, he came back for short time and his look was unusual - like he is looking at everything at once... (as if compare what kind life he has here if he stays with what he was perceiving, which I could not see...) and taking one very deep breath he left.... - in full conscious, with peaceful mind and understanding of the situation.

For years he felt a lot of pain from seeing that Srila Prabhupada movement isn't been developed true to the original mood that Srila Prabhupada had given... that Srila Prabhupada's direct instructions sometimes manipulated and changed at convenience....
He is a happy person by nature, very understanding of people's nature, compassionate and forgiving... he is also very honest - thus it was really tormenting him - to see the wrongs in Srila Prabhupada's movement that he had no power to help to correct, due to not been given the right opportunity according to his qualities... 
His attachment to Srila Prabhupada is un-measurably deep, he could never leave Prabhupad's movement for another.... he had no interest in Maya's comfort either... so he moved on with Srila Prabhupada....
He told me couple of times that in the past year he kept on seeing same dream few times - he comes in where Srila Prabhupada is sitting on large very beautiful sit and around him many other sitts for devotees, there are uncountable devotees sitting all around Srila Prabhupada, but somehow everyone fits, there is space for everyone, everyone has full opportunity to relate with Srila Prabhupada... So, when he came into the assembly Prabhupad and devotees greated him and he was giving service to show new coming people to their sits. He saw this dream few times...

The day he left many devotees came to have his last darsan and kirtan was going on all day non-stop into the middle of the night.
The next day his body was taking to the Ganga for the funeral - all Gopal dieties in Mayapur and Navadvip area were drinking milk that day... (if offered milk on a spoon Gopal drunk it)... and the weather was beautiful.

Now I am trying to increase my chanting and reading.
* will try to publish his unfinished work on Navadvip book, Audarya Dhama;
* improved Udhava Sandesh (accurate translation from Sanskrit with expanded Notes) is already ready for printing;
* also will try to re-print Gita Mahatmya, with illustrations (for the first time);
* hopping to reprint Pada Sevana;
* also asked Bhakti Vidyapurna Swami to reprint Chintamani Dhama (Vrindavan parikrama), which my husband donated to Mayapur Gurukula;
* hopping to keep Madhurya Dhama in print (guide to Govardhan parikrama).

I am preparing publications now, need sponsors for printing. Please let me know if you interested to contribute for printing of Prabhu's books.

Also, devotees asking me to write my husband's biography, but I need more info to put together, from devotees who knew him at any times, had any service and association with him. I will include all the memories, realizations of him and biography into a publication of Prabhu's unfinished research work on Navadvipa Dhama. Please write something if you knew him.
Below this letter I am posting his basic biographical details.

I beg your blessings to remain Krishna Conscious, accomplish publications I've mentioned above and to join my husband again...
Thank you for association and encouragement in our service that we have received from many devotees over the time.

Hare Krishna,
your servant, Vrindavan Lila Dasi



Basic Biogpaphy of Padmalocan Das, disciple of Srila Prabhupada:

Padmalocan Das was born in England, met Srila Prabhupada in 1971 (18 years old), when he was 19 he moved to India and was assisting Srila Prabhupada establishing His International ISKCON  movement in India (Kolkata, Mayapur, Vrindavan, Bombay, Hyderabad), he had also constructed ISKCON temple in Vidyanagar (Gujarat).
He spent 20 years of his life in Vrindavan, where he was researching deeply the Holy Dham, places of Krishna's pastimes, traveled a lot all over Vraja Mandala, making friends with Vrajabasis. As the result of his travels and research he wrote books - Chintamani Dhama (Vrindavan parikrama), Madhurya Dhama (guide to Govardhana parikrama), he also wrote book about glories of Yamuna Devi (in Hindi), also translated Gita Mahatmya and Tulasi Devi Mahatmya - from Padma Purana (Sanscrit).
He also wrote book Audarya Dhama - Navadvipa Dhama parikrama.
He researched and compiled another book, called Pada Sevana - description of Lord's Lotus feet with pictures of lotus feet and hands of Radha-Krishna and Lord Chaitanya, Nityananda and Advaita.
He also translated Udhava Sandesh  by Srila Rupa Goswami.
Besides writing books he was also actively served in ISKCON Vrindavan temple management in the mid-1970's.
He was a temple comander at some point, he was also in-charge of ISKCON Goshala in Vrindavan (in 1980-s).
When Srila Prabhupada instructed to reduce mahaprasad offerings in Vrindavan temple, he was in-charge of kitchens and he had been accused by some of taking maha-prasad for himself - his answer to the accusations was to STOP eating grains (!), he had not taken grains since then for the rest of his life... in fact he had lived only on milk for 15 years, other times taking non-grain diet...
After living 20 years in Vrindavan, he spent 8 months traveling in Russia with wife Vrindavan Lila dasi,  then they lived for one and half year in England and then came to Mayapur in 1995, where had been living since, until the end of his body on morning 27 March, 2010, at the age of 57...

Gauranga! Hare Krishna