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3 Devotees in Fatal Car Accident by Chakra editorial board Posted February 3, 2012 Chakra has just learned that three beloved devotees, Nitai das, Gopinath das and Yadupati das, were killed in a crash with a semi-truck in the early morning hours of February 1, on their way back from a kirtan, near Jacksonville, FL. We extend our thoughts and prayers to their families and loved ones.
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Open letter from ex-Prabhavisnu Swami To the members of the GBC and devotees of ISKCON, Dear Maharajas and prabhus, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupad! It is with deep regret that I wish to inform you that I have resigned from all positions of leadership within ISKCON, including GBC member, sannyas, and initiating guru. This is because in recent times I have not been able to maintain the required spiritual standards for those who hold such positions. I have become physically and mentally exhausted due to constant travel and managerial pressures. It has been especially draining for me to try to solve disputes amongst devotees, as I am by nature a non-conflictive type of person. I have travelled almost constantly throughout my life since childhood and now I feel the need to settle in one place where I find the climate and culture to be agreeable my physical and mental nature. I am considering staying in Thailand as I find it to be such a place, and as I have also developed some affection for a person there who is decent, kind-hearted, diligent and humble. If that works out for me then I certainly hope to render some service to ISKCON there. If not, then I would hope to try and live in an ISKCON temple or community, perhaps in South India. I am very sorry to have let you all down. I have never asked to be put in any of these positions of leadership, but by Krsna's arrangement they have been conferred upon me. I have tried my best, but somehow I no longer feel able to continue in such capacity. Nevertheless, I have always been very happy in ISKCON from the moment I joined till the present. It has been a great honour for me to have had the opportunity to render some service to Srila Prabhupad's movement, and to have had all of your association. I hope to be able to continue to maintain contact with devotees, visit ISKCON temples from time to time and render service to ISKCON in the future. Once again my deepest apologies to you all. Kindly forgive any mistakes that I have made or any offences that I may have committed to any of you. I hope this finds you in good health and Krsna conscious mood,
Your unqualified servant, |
Bhakta Kapila Das Passes Away by Devala das (ISKCON Toronto) Posted March 27, 2012
We wish to inform all devotees, especially those who have served or will serve the Vancouver temple, of the sad departure of Kapila das about three weeks ago there. He had been suffering from cancer for more than three months. A lot can be written about this dedicated devotee. But firstly, I met Kapila das (then Keith) when I saw him walking into the temple property sometime around 1985. At that time, he was around 40. He quickly joined the fold and started to practise devotional service. There was no turning back to material life, nor did he exhibit desires to do so. Later he received formal initiation and was given the name Kapila das.
At the outset, Kapila das gave me the impression of a matured man, and he proved that to me, especailly with his tolerance. I once offended him on the travelling road "sankeertan" painting business (and later apologised), I re-organised his room without his permission, and once I even took pleasure reporting him to the then temple president Dharmarupa das for smoking, but he never complained, confronted me or even discussed a word about the incidents with me.
Lest one point fingers to his smoking, there is something "wonderful" about it. It wasn't an accidental fall, but in fact the last spin of the wheel of his former smoking habit. As Prabhuppad writes in the purport of Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, 3:31, "Because one is not resentful of the injunctions of the Lord and works sincerely without consideration of defeat and hopelessness, he will surely be promoted to the stage of pure Krishna consciousness." True to this teaching of Prabhupad, Kapila das afterwards served Prabhupaad and Shri Shri Radha Madana Mohan in his deity service with pure bhakti for the next twenty-five years. When I used to live in the Vancouver temple in the company of the ex-Vipramukhya Swami, he used to tell me how Krishna has never described a sannyasi in the sixth chapter as someone like him, carrying a danda and dressed in saffrron, and that anyone who is surrendered with his mind, body and words is a sannyasi. The same point was repeated by Prabhupad in a lecture I listened to recently. It seems he always has some guidance — if one wants it — as to what one may be experiencing at the moment. Fittingly, in that lectiure, which I heard during Kapila's illness, I heard him saying of Arjuna, a military man: "sa sannyaasee ca yogee ca — he is a sannyasi and yogi." The same can be said of Kapila das, as he was a soul fully surrendered to Krishna. There is one outstanding quality that Kapila das possessed (along with some other devotees) and that was his freedom from envy. It was this quality and the encouragement I knew I would get from him that made me want to complete an article, "A Night in Salzburg "- — having spent a night in that city — and which would be a reply, I hope, by Prabhupad's mercy, to Ilana Kirchberger prabhu's Sampradaya Sun article "What have Austrians done wrong"? Though I had joined the temple about three years earlier, Kapila das was the first devotee to explain to me, while we were in a van somewhere in Saskatoon in the province of Saskatchewan, who Srimati Radharani is. While in hospice, he was well taken care of by my close friend Revatipranatha das (ACBSP 1973) and his British fiancée and other devotees in the Vancouver temple. Throughout his sickness, Revati prabhu kept me informed about his condition though texting me. One day last month I was fortunate to speak to Kapila for a good ten minutes. In the conversation, he was quite happy, despite his sickness and impending departure from this mortal world. In a typical Canadian way of speaking, he said, "Oh yeah" repeatedly, in response to me. In 2009 I attended Rathayatra in Vancouver, and of course, I ensured I took pictures of Kapila das. Here are two temple photos of him for the pleasure of those devotees who know him and are living in other parts of the world. When Revati das told me that Kapila prabhu was about to leave his body, I texted him, saying: "Let's hope Mahaprabhu takes him back to His abode." What else can we wish for this great soul? Kapila das was cremated recently, and then another Vedic ceremony was held in the Vancouver temple for his departure.
Many of us will miss his company. All glories to Kapila das!
Most Revered Sri Srimad Bhakti Kumud Sant Goswami Maharaj leaves his dear disciples, associates and followers in separation grief today. This is a great loss not only to the Gaudiya Vaishnavas but to the entire world. One of the brightest stars in the Gaudiya sky, Srila Bhakti Kumud Sant Goswami Maharaj took his last breath at 1.05 AM IST on January 7th, 2012 in a private nursing home. Earlier Srila Maharaj was admitted to the hospital as he had problem in respiration due to severe cold few days ago. Doctors also diagnosed that he had fever, sugar and liver problem. He is the last disciple of Nitya-lila Pravista Om Vishnupad 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupa, Founder of Gaudia Math. At 9.45 AM IST Srila Maharaj's transcendental body was brought to the Math in Behala, Kolkata and was placed in front of the Deities. He was performed Arati, Pushpanjali. Countless devotees of various organizations visited the math and offered flowers to his body. Later he was shifted to the bhajan kutir in the 2nd floor where devotees stood in queue to get their turn to have darsan. The grief of the devotees cannot be phrased and expressed in any language of the world.
The Maha Samadhi of His Divine Grace Nityalila Pravista Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Sri Srimad Bhakti Kumud Santa Goswami Maharaj was established at Sri Gouranga Math in Keshihari, Midnapur Dist. W. Bengal - India.
"Early this morning on Saphala Ekadasi in Florida, our very dear Godsister
Yamuna left this world. Don't have any details yet, but Dina Tarini found
her asleep with her hand in her beadbag. One of Prabhupada's first and
dearest daughters, he said she cooks just like Radharani. So now she must be
helping Radharani to cook for Shyamasundara. Too shocked to say more right
now, but on 23rd in Vrindavan, we will have a memorial service! Now let us
join with all the devotees around the world and offer prayers to Srila
Prabhupada to bring her to his lotus feet."
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