Varaha-rupa Devi Dasi:
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones. (BG: 2.22)
So where there’s birth, death is sure and after death, birth awaits. I’m sure my father Sriman Vishnu-murti Prabhu has accepted another higher body since he was a sincere devotee, disciple, father and an ideal grihastha (householder).
Sriman Virendra VallabhBhai Patel as known as Vishnu-murti Dasa was born in a family of “Agrarian” on 1st March, 1928 in a small village called Deva, in the district of Kheda, Gujarat. His father was Vallavbhai Revabhai Patel and the mother was Gangaba, both were very jubilant when he was born. He was their eighth child. The eldest sibling Ishwarbhai was twenty years old and in between they had lost six children. Vishnu-murti Prabhu was named Kalidas ,since his parents were followers of Kalidevi.
He used to walk ten kilometers without shoes every day, to go to school in Vaso from Deva. When he turned 19, he received a scholarship from Poddar College in Mumbai (the then Bombay), where he graduated as a B.Com LLB and became a lawyer. Not able to find a job, he opted for charter accountancy course . In the evening he conducted private tuitions and after taking away his minimum personal expenses, he used to send the rest home for his parents who were ailing from paralytic stroke.
Soon he got a job as an apprentice in a Chartered Accountant firm at Fort. He got married with Naliniben Punjabhai Patel from Mombasa, Kenya on 18th May, 1954 and his name changed according to rashi to Virendrakumar. He moved to Kenya by ship for better prospectus in life and the struggle began for the ‘imported husband’ as he was known by his close friends. He worked from 6 am to 11 pm, non-stop travelling by bicycle giving private tuitions, doing accounting, auditing for Petrol pumps and shops etc. Living happily in a room in a chawl, his journey began with the help of his better half (wife), who also struggled sawing baby dresses at home and saving with minimal comfort in life. Soon after, a son was born followed by two daughters. His life, dramatically changed and with success came a better house, car and better life style. Thereafter, he bought his own firm known as V.V.Patel and Sons and became a very popular social figure. He travelled far and wide on conventions to various countries such as Japan, Europe and South Africa (where Indians were not granted visas easily to travel)etc.
In 1970,Vishnu-murti Dasa built a school at Deva, named Saraswati Vidya mandir for the children, since he did not want them to travel very far for their education as he did. He later changed it to “Bhaktivedanta Swami Vidyalaya” in 1996.
In 1978 he constructed a temple of MahaKali ,dedicated to his parents.
In 1971 one of his friends Mr.R.B Pandya, an MLA who was in London U.K for medical purpose, requested him to help his son, Navinbhai in hosting a sanyasi, HDG AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada at his residence in Mombasa, Being an MLA ,he had a very beautiful bungalow near the ocean , the only bungalow of an Indian in the white peoples locality. Vishnumurti being a board member of the Hindu temple council , was accustomed to hosting Sadhus at the temple. He made all the necessary arrangements for receiving Srila Prabhupada at the airport in Mombasa.
With my fathers blessing I ,(Varaharupa devi dasi)was introduced to Srila Prabhupada and do a menial service of making a champa flower garland for receiving him and taking his darshan. Soon association with ISKCON began, especially with H.G Brahmananda Prabhu, who was then the head of the yatra for Kenya. He went on to become the financial guarantor for international devotees visiting Kenya .
Vishnu-murti did not commit himself fully due to his social commitments and involvement in business, but I was pushed ahead in my endeavor to become a devotee at the age of 15. As a dutiful and loving father he escorted me to and fro to the Mombasa Preaching Centre as it was not in a good locality, but did not step in. He was invited for the Nairobi temple opening ceremony in 1972, but could not go instead I went with devotees and had the opportunity to take darshan of Srila Prabhupada again. By then I had decided to become a fulltime devotee, but he wanted his children to be very well educated since he had a big struggle in his life. So his son, Ajay became a doctor at Manipal University in South India and I was send to England where I graduated as a pharmacist.
In 1976 Vishnu-murti Prabhu visited Los-Angeles, USA where he met Srila Prabhupada again, and was given a big rose at mangala arotik, and that was the turning point of his life which came in the form of Srila Prabhupada’s blessings.
In due course of time, my mother took up Krishna Consciousness, and got initiated, my father also gave up his social life and took initiation in 1986 from HH Gopal Krishna Goswami and later on became a Temple president of ISKCON-Mombasa and managed it for 18 years. Again it was a spiritual struggle to maintain the temple, which was financially down and electricity was cut off due to bill unpaid and there were no devotees. Both of them moved into the temple and did all the seva( services) from leading mangala arotik, doing deity worship, giving classes and making congregational devotees, cooking, serving and food for life etc. Using his social network , he engaged his clients and friends,to get things done. He got people to sponsor everyday bhoga, flowers and other necessary things for the temple.
He also maintained his office, since his income was flowing by keeping loyal staffs who worked for him sincerely for almost 30 years. With the permission of his spiritual master he retired and moved to Baroda, India so that he could visit different dhams (holy places) such as Vrindavan during Kartik, Mayapur during Gaurapurnima, Dwarka during Rath yatra. He managed to complete Braj- mandal parikrama , Navadvip mandal , Chardham- yatra , all four Kumbhmelas – Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar.
He also supported the Cow protection program in Baroda, Vrindavan and Mayapur. He was very contented man and very strict in his Sadhana (daily spiritual activities). Every day he used to get up early in the morning at 3:30 am, did yoga, chanting, attending morning programs at the temple and reading Srimad Bhagavatam at night. Last book he read was “The Final call-Death by H.H. Bhakti-purshottama Maharaj” which he received on the last day before leaving Sridham Mayapur during Gaura-purnima festival 2012, where he spent enjoying four days of “Kirtan Mela” out of twenty days in Mayapur Dham.
He used to say what Krishna has given me, I am only returning it back to Him. He offered many singhasans in various temples including Mombasa, Mumbai and Vrindavan.He assisted financially to his spiritual master, H.H. Gopal Krishna Goswami, in his project ‘Glory of India’. He was famous for his charity that he contributed to various ISKCON’s major projects . By doing so he relished it, to his heart’s content to maximize his devotional service. Till to-date, he is the highest donor of Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohanji Temple Project at Kharghar.
When he sponsored the elephants at Sridham-Mayapur, many devotees asked why he sponsored elephants and he would say, they are “vahan”-vehicles, for the pleasure of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madhava- so they used to call him “Hathi mera Sathi”.
He loved to sponsor prasadam for the devotees, since he had eaten very meagerly during his early days. He perfected his life and fulfilled all his duties as a wonderful father, disciple and a good grihastha (house holder). In S.B. canto 7.14.1as Narada- muni explains to Yudhisthir Maharaj about the “ideal family life and the duties of grihastha.
Lord Krishna reciprocated with him, by taking him back at a very auspicious time after hearing five days Ramayana Katha by HH Bhakti Rasamrita Maharaj and taking darshan of Lord Narsimhadev at Mayapur on internet with the help of my dear mother who served him dutifully in her whole life and was called “my wonderful Bibi”, by my father. She assisted him up to his last stage of life by serving Radhakund Jal (water from Radha-kund), Vrajaraj (Vraja-dust) and Tulasi from the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Syamsunder of Vrindavan and in the association of Srila Prabhupada chanting japa in our presence.
Prior to his passing away, Vishnu-murti Prabhu (my father) was not able to chant his rounds for some time due to breathlessness and my mother was very much worried, since he was very particular about his japa, she kept giving him his beads but it would slip out of his hand, then she tried the clicker but that also did not help either. That’s when we had Srila Prabhupada chanting japa box on, all day and night where ever he would sit, he could hear.
Then three hours prior to leaving his body, he started chanting sincerely with eyes closed, and we wondered how he has the energy to chant now, we thought he is probably feeling better and is recovering, little did we know, that he knew that time was coming to an end and our Dear Lord was bestowing His causeless mercy, so that he could chant His holy name, for which he was trying to perfect in this life!
April 2nd just as Ramnaumi was finishing at 3:30am, Suradas ( husband) myself, along with my mother Rohini devi dasi,were chanting together assisting my father –Vishnu-murti Dasa, to depart from this world for his further journey, home back to Godhead, very peacefully as he chanted Krishna! Krishna!!
All glories to such a wonderful soul, Vishnu-murti Prabhu, who became my father in this life, taught us by his example of righteous values in life. Vishnu-murti Prabhu ki jai!