That night, Srila Prabhupada called me. I was attending Srila Prabhupada – actually one of us used to always be with Srila Prabhupada for two hours. My shift was 12am-2am. So it must have been around 1am. Srila Prabhupada called me, and told me: “The time has come for me to leave this planet, therefore you should make arrangement to take me to Vrindavan immediately.” He wanted to leave his body in Vrindavan. I was completely shocked and immediately ran downstairs to wake up Tamal Krishna Maharaj.

Around 8 a.m. on August 6th I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues and her body was quite limp. I took this opportunity to sing the Maha Mantra one last time while she received her final bath.

After the disappearance of Jayananda Das on May 1, 1977, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada instructed devotees all over the world to commemorate the event every year as they would any great Vaishnava's disappearance day. Therefore we respectfully submit these pages to all devotees and friends of ISKCON as a means to remember and understand more about Jayananda's devotional service. Of course, we will see how he joined ISKCON and how he left this mortal world. More importantly, we shall see the astounding qualities possessed by a tru...

From the very beginning of our association I sensed something special about Jayananda, and always felt extremely happy and contented in his company. I certainly considered him to be my spiritual superior, but never felt uncomfortable or intimidated in his presence. He was like a kind elder brother. I could sense that his heart was filled with genuine humility and spiritual affection, and this instantly endeared him to me. Never one to condescend, Jayananda would always take the humble position and solicit my advice on matters which he ...

This document is a report of some of the details that occurred during the last five days of Srila Prabhupada's presence with us in Vrndavan, India. It is a diary which was written everyday in Vrndavan at that time. It herewith is delivered as it was written down 38 years ago in l977, with no additions. 11 November l977. I arrive at the Mandir (from California) at about 9:30 A. M. As soon as possible I enter Srila Prabhupada's room. He is lying on his back in his King-Sized bed, being massaged gently by his close associates. There is a kirtan in progress. Srila Prabhupada is inc...

Sriman Jayananda Thakura left his body in full glory during the auspicious time of brahma-muhurta on May 1, 1977, listening to a tape of his beloved spiritual master chanting in his ear, and with a maha garland from Lord Jagannatha cradling his neck and resting on his chest. Srila Prabhupada remarked that “Jayananda’s death is glorious,” and instructed all the devotees from all over the world to commemorate the auspicious disappearance day of Jayananda Thakura as...

On this particular morning I was caring for a woman named Jane Kohr, who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person, and I enjoyed the time I spent with her. Around 8 a.m. on August 6, I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues, and her body was limp. I sang the maha-mantra one last time, while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family, who were always fr...

We became close to Yamuna and Dinatarine Prabhus over the last five years. We run a busy college outreach program in Gainesville and, in 2006, looking for a getaway during the summer breaks, we decided to visit Saranagati, as we had lived and served in Vancouver temple years ago and had many friends there

I am saddened by my feeling of separation from you, that I will not see you again on this planet, yet I still feel close to you. Our relationship transcends material boundaries and You are in my, and many people's hearts. Let us all pray for your continued spiritual journey, which makes me happy, as you are not in pain anymore, and with our beloved Spiritual Master, and Radha and Krishna

Though I was not in constant contact with Brahmananda Prabhu I always had great affection for him and Gargamuni Prabhu, the “love brothers” because of their unflinching faith in and pure unalloyed love for Srila Prabhupada. Brahmananda Prabhu was archetypal of what it meant to be a “Prabhupada man.” He would take a bullet for Srila Prabhupada and be happy to have had the opportunity.

The dreaded day has come, you have left the planet! In 2002, I was together with you in Sridhama Mayapur outside the main gate on the Bhaktisiddhanta road, we stood there for hours waiting for Tamal Krsna Maharaja, who had left his body in a car accident. You told me then that this is not just the end of Tamal Krsna Maharaja, this is the end of an era. It is like that today, there was only one Brahamanda, a giant among the followers of Srila Prabhupapada, who has no equal, because of the gr...

His grace Brahmananda Prabhu was my 1st temple president on 26 2nd Ave. I am eternally grateful to him as he gave me such spiritual, Krishna conscious protection. I was always moved by his unwavering devotion to Srila Prabhupada. AT the time, a new, young devotee that I was, was not familiar with the term “siksa guru” but in retrospect, can see that he was this to me. At the same time, I felt him to be my older brother, godbrother as I was 16-17 years old and he was in hi...

Regarding the MacMillan Company's printing Srimad-Bhagavatam, we may note herewith that the MacMillan's publication of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and our publication of Teachings of Lord Caitanya is the difference between heaven and hell. In the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, we have cut short the pages under the instruction of the MacMillan Company, without explaining many important verses.

Bruce Scharf had just graduated from New York University and was applying for a job. One day an exroommate told him about the Swami he had visited down on Second Avenue. "They sing there," his friend said, "and they have this far-out thing where they have some dancing. And Allen Ginsberg was there." The Swami was difficult to understand, his friend explained, and besides that, his followers recorded his talks on a tape recorder. "Why should he have a big tape recorder? That's not very spir...

Much can be said about our dear godbrother Bramhananda, but you know some devotees are just special. Just seeing him could make one smile and as one of Prabhupada's original "white elephants" his efforts to serve him "in the day" are legendary. As one of the heavy pullers of our "mule team" for Prabhupada, those early devotees did so much for him. They cleared and paved the way for later devotees and enlivened many. Days were glorious but rigorous, filled with exhaustion and sweet surrender. Time...

Brahmananda prabhu was virtually the first ISKCON devotee—senior to everyone. Actually, we are all here because of his invaluable service to Srila Prabhupada—especially in the early days when he so selflessly assisted Srila Prabhupada in starting ISKCON. For one example, anyone who has ever read Bhagavad-gita As It Is, owes an eternal debt to Brahmananda prabhu, who first arranged to publish it. He was able and willing to do anything Prabhupada wanted, and his personal dedication both sust...

Then I heard a prayer, offered to Lord Caitanya, that seemed to reflect Brahmananda Prabhu’s mood in relation to Srila Prabhupada—and the mood for which I aspire. “Birth after birth, You are our father, mother, son, and master. May we never forget Your lotus feet. O Lord, it does not matter where we take birth, but may we always have loving devotion for Your lotus feet.” Brahmananda Prabhu, please think kindly upon us and keep us close to your lotus feet, that we may engage in everlasti...

I noticed that in the foreword of the book, professor Thomas J Hopkins who started visiting different ISKCON events since its early days makes a very important observation: “There were many young people at these events and it took me a while to get to know them as individuals. It didn’t take long, however to recognize Brahmananda as the most knowledgable among them. Bhaktivedanta must have felt the same way because he increasingly relied on him. Bhaktivedanta soon chose him to be secretary ...

His Holiness Sridhar Swami has given me a lifetime of work in service to Srila Prabhupada. Although jivo va maro va, to live or die is the same for a devotee—and certainly that was true of Maharaja—my own feelings are mixed. I think, “He has left so much service for me, given me so many instructions. So I must stay and execute his mission.” I think the same about Tamal Krishna Goswami. Even though part of me misses them terribly and wants to be with them, mainly I think, “They left me so many instructions. I have so much service to do for them here.” Of course, how long we have ...

He said, "Oh, my Lord. The destined time for my life span in this world is now exhausted. Now it is time to depart from this world and go on to my next destination. Who is anyone's son? Who is anyone's father? We are all living beings meant to go on in our journey from one body to the next. Oh my Lord, I simply pray to Your lotus feet. Please forgive me for any offenses I may have committed in your presence, and please allow me to continue to my next ...

In the afternoon he came and woke me up and I went out on one of the famous New York Temple Harinams. We came back to the temple and I took some milk Prasadam with Jayananda. That night I stayed with another Bhakta and was woke up the next morning. Jayananda Prabhu personally took care of me that morning explaining to me everything that I should do. He told me that I should sit with him and chart japa. He noticed that I was chanting very quickly and he told me to take the beads out of the japa bag. He noticed that I was moving the bead forward unconsciously while I w...

Once in India Srila Prabhupada said to you “Yamuna you will become as famous as the river Yamuna.” In the mood of a pilgrim at the banks of a sacred river offering drops back to the river in the hope of receiving its blessings, so I offer to you words from your own life of devotion in the hope that this fallen soul may receive your mercy . The above prophetic words were spoken by Srila Prabhupada after a gentleman in India had just shown him a glowing newspaper article about the success of Sri Sri Radha Londonisvari with pictures of the Deities. It was largely down to your...