By Niranjana Swami
This picture of Mother Isa, taken in 1974, was published in a 1974 Back to Godhead magazine article describing the dedication and devotion of those who assist Srila Prabhupada in publishing transcendental literature for the enlightenment of the whole world. It was during this time that Mother Isa was serving in the BBT in Brooklyn, New York, transcribing Srila Prabhupada’s translations and purports to Srimad Bhagavatam.
My visit to Mother Isa
About two weeks ago Syamarupa dasa, Caitya Guru dasa and I drove eighty miles south of Boston to visit my godsister, Mother Isa, in southern Massachusetts. I have spoken about Mother Isa many times in my lectures. She is an amazing devotee who would only speak about Krsna and Srila Prabhupada throughout all the time I had known her (at least thirty-five years). I was very eager to see Isa again, especially since I had not seen her since 2006, shortly after the time she had a severe stroke at age 89. The stroke took away almost all of her memory.
Before continuing with this blog, please CLICK HERE to read the Vyasa Puja homage I offered to Srila Prabhupada in 2008. After reading my homage, you will have a very good background to better help you understand all that will follow.
Shortly after Mother Isa’s stroke, I, along with several other devotees who knew Mother Isa, made several attempts to situate her in a place where she could be cared for by devotees. Unfortunately, we ran into many obstacles. Among them was a strong resistance from Isa’s only living family member, her niece, who would not permit Isa to leave the area. After many weeks of research and inquiries on Isa’s behalf, we all had to accept that Isa would have to remain where she was.
Soon thereafter we learned that Mother Isa was released from the rehabilitation hospital and was sent to a nearby assisted-living facility. I arranged for devotees to visit her from time to time and would always inquire about her whenever I visited Boston. Some time later she was put under the care of a state nursing home where she now lives.
When we arrived at the nursing home, we signed in and were then directed to a place where we could find Mother Isa. I was taken aback by her appearance, but soon remembered that she is now ninety-five years old. Time has a way changing the body’s appearance, but as I was soon to observe, it can not take away the essence of the soul’s yearning for Krsna.
I spent the first part of our meeting trying to establish some connection with Mother Isa, but was disappointed to find that she was extremely tired and for the most part was unresponsive to my attempts for a dialogue with her. After fifteen minutes or so, I went back to the nurses’ station to tell them who I was in relation to Mother Isa and to ask them if they could tell me all they knew about her current medical state. I did not expect them to be able to tell me about her state of consciousness, knowing that they would probably not understand Mother Isa’s symtoms of devotion to Krsna. Still, I explained that she seemed a lot less responsive since the last time I saw her in 2006.
I was told that mornings were not a good time for Isa and that if we wanted her to be more responsive, afternoons were always a better time to get her to speak and to hear her sing the “Krsna chant.” I immediately smiled when I heard “the Krsna chant” and was relieved to learn that she still seemed to be the same Mother Isa I always knew. I couldn’t imagine Mother Isa not chanting Hare Krsna. I returned to the visitor’s room and tried once again to establish communication with her.
This time I held out my hand, started talking to Isa about Srila Prabhupada and Krsna and then tried to induce her to respond to the mahamantra. She gripped my hand tightly, looked very intently, right into my eyes, and started to enthusiastically chant the Hare Krsna mantra together with me two words at a time. This went on for several minutes but it appeared she was too tired for a long session with us. Though I tried to get her to say something else related to Krsna, it seemed that the only words she could speak without difficulty were the Hare Krsna mahamantra. I had hoped for a lot more, but I figured that if that’s all she can remember, then what else does she really need?
After spending approximately forty-five minutes with her, we decided that it was probably best to let her rest and to just hope for a better session during another time when we could visit in the latter part of the day.
As we were leaving the nursing home, there was a vehicle for disabled persons just outside the front door. One by one, residents from the home were being carried into the vehicle in their wheelchairs. One of the nurses who worked there and who was assisting all of them saw me out of the corner of her eye. She noticed that I was dressed in robes and approached me to ask who I had come to see. I told her that I was there to see Edith Graves, which is the name Mother Isa is known by in the nursing home.
The woman immediately burst into a huge smile and exclaimed, “I knew it! When I saw your robes I knew that you must have come to see Edith! I love that woman! Everyone loves that woman! I’m so happy that someone has come to see her. You should come and see her on Friday afternoons at 2:00 PM when we are all gathered to sing patriotic songs. She leads everyone in singing the Krsna song with such enthusiasm.”
But that wasn’t all. Another elderly woman in a wheelchair was listening nearby. She extended her hand to me and introduced herself as Kay. With the most pleasant smile and a look filled with charm and respect she also started glorifying Mother Isa. “I love that woman too”, she said. “She’s a real live wire, especially when she sings that beautiful Krsna song for all of us.” She went on to express her appreciation for Isa and once again confirmed that everyone who knew Isa had nothing but feelings of affection towards her. They described her as the most self-contented person in the whole building. Then she asked, “Can you tell me how old Edith is?” I told her that she was ninety-five years old. The woman smiled again and said that she was always wondering how old she was. She then asked all of us to please come back to visit again.
I thanked both of them profusely and told them that meeting them was the icing on the cake of my visit to see Mother Isa. I was leaving Isa, feeling somewhat disappointed by her lack of responsiveness. But it was now becoming crystal clear that Mother Isa was none other than the Mother Isa I always knew— taking advantage of every opportunity which came her way to induce other’s to chant Krsna’s name. Even at the advanced age of ninety-five, and even though she had lost all memory of her past as a result of severe stroke, she was a shining light of enthusiasm for singing the “Krsna song” to everyone without reservation.
On our way back to Boston I requested Syamarupa dasa to visit Mother Isa on a Friday afternoon in order to film her chanting during the session when everyone sings songs all together. I also asked him if he could interview other workers and residents in order to hear their words of appreciation for Mother Isa. And last but not least, I asked him to establish a clear line of communication with the nursing home so that we could be kept updated if there were any major changes in Mother Isa’s state of health.
As it turned out, Syamarupa dasa was scheduled for an evening kirtan event not far from where Mother Isa resides, just three days after the day when we visited her. I gave him the video camera which Madana-mohana dasa uses for making videos of my lectures when we travel together, and asked him if he could get as much on video as he possibly could.
Unfortunately the nursing home has a strict policy which does not allow visitors to take videos of events. Syamarupa dasa was also unable to interview the residents as we had hoped. Still, he was able to take several video clips of his exchanges with Mother Isa.
Please watch the following edited version of the clips Syamarupa dasa took during his visit with Mother Isa and closely observe her. I’m amazed by her enthusiasm and especially by her spontaneity for chanting Krsna’s names. She seems to be right there, in Krsna consciousness, when she is chanting, remembering nothing else but Krsna in the form of His holy names.
I find these video clips to be precious and my admiration for Mother Isa and my gratitude for what Srila Prabhupada has given to all of us has increased without limit due to my association with her.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Mother Isa!
Hare Krsna
Niranjana Swami
Beautiful story by one of my favorite devotees of all time about one of my favorite devotees of all time.
Niranjana Swami’s complete being is his love for devotees, his seeing them all as special. I have experienced this from the first time I met him; in 1980, when he was Temple President of Boston.
I have also had the good fortune of Mother Isa’s association beginning in 1980. The video of Mother Isa is extremely moving, but I have to say I am not at all surprised. Her dedication to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna was always moving. Her material form has a few more wrinkles then when I first met her, but her transcendental spirit is the same. When I see her being able to do nothing but chant Hare Krishna I think, ” yes that is the Mother Isa I have always known”!
Mother Isa is one of my best memories of ISKCON Boston ,where I spend almost 3 years distributing Srila Prabhupadas books. And I remember so often how she would tell me how pleased Srila Prabhupada was that I was distributing his book, and her sweet comforting words , made me forget all the troubles there might have been,her kindness and compassion for all has endeared all devotees in ISKCON Boston to her.
Being an old ISKCON Boston sankirtana devotee, I am very moved by this and I often wondered where she was and how she was doing. She is always in my prayers, because she has always been like a mother to me .Mother Isa ki jaya….I am very happy to see that Niranjana Swami has kept her close to his heart also over these many years..she deserves all the love and prayers of all devotees…I am very thankful for this article and video of mother Isa..
Wow! This was amazing. My wife and I would see the photo at the top from time to time and wonder where Mother Isa is. We remember her there in Brooklyn. I also worked for the BBT. Back then it was still ISKCON Press. She was older than all of us–like our mother’s age. But, she was, although simple and shy, really into Krishna Consciousness. It is so nice; a real treat to see her again. And, even though her body is no longer working well, she still lights up when chanting Hare Krishna. All glories to Mother Isa!
Thank you all, and especially Niranjana Swami, for making this happen and posting it for all of the devotees.
One devotee called me yesterday to ask me if Isa Mataji is getting prasadam daily , or even vegetarian food, as US old folks home are notorious for not providing that and often very poor care of the elderly
My memories, part 1
Ever since I was head cook in Boston (1987-1994), Mother and Isa and I had a close relationship. She would have been between 65 and 70 at this time. She would always help me with the Sunday feast. She lived in Cape Cod at that time and she would ride her bicycle to her local bus station (I seemed to remember that was about 6 miles???). She would ride the bus and usually arrive around 3-4pm. She would enter the temple through the back door and peek her head in the kitchen to check on me. She would commonly peek in and say “Hari bol spirit soul, one ten thousandth the tip of a hair.”
I would always be so happy to see her. In those days I would usually cook the entire 10 course feast and I was always behind at some point, so every extra set of hands were so welcome. She would say she would be right back and head up the 5 flights of stairs to the ladies asrama to change. She would come back and help me with whatever I needed. I would have her make the all day sweet for Monday, because I was usually beat by the end of the feast to think about the all day sweet. She usually made simply wonderfuls. Mother Isa’s simply wonderfuls were simply the best simplies ever! She would sometime make this ginger walnut variety that would knock your socks off.
Mata would also help a lot in the pujari room. She would sew and iron Srila Prabhupada’s clothes. She would make him bead bags, swami hats, and all kinds of nice things for his vyasasana. It was sometimes a battle between me and the pujari room to get mata on a given Sunday, I seemed to always get her mercy though. She liked helping in the kitchen.
While in the kitchen she would also raise the level of conversation to spiritual consciousness. She always help clean the counters and would always remind me that Radharani does not like a dirty kitchen. She framed and put a picture of Radharani on the mantel. That picture was there the entire time that I was the cook in Boston.
Mother Isa would, in the autumn season, go to the cranberry bogs in Cape Cod and pick cranberries for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha Gopiballava. She would come in with a big plastic shopping bag full of them and say something like, in her high pitched tone, “I have a gift for youuuuu.” I loved getting those cranberries. They were either used in a chutney or halavah. Picked fresh from her pure hands….
Memories part 2:
Mata told me once that she was a badminton champion in college. She would sometimes dismiss it saying, “oh yes, but that was when I was in maya.”
Mata would always be aware of the devotees health and she took great care of us. She would knit us “swami hats”. When she would hear me sniffling in the winter she would tell me to wear that cap at night. She would knit lots of things for the devotees. Bead bags, with handy pockets in them. Bead bag finger warmers. She also use to make some wonderful laminated books marks with either maha garland petals, or tulasi leaves. They were beautiful. I still have a rose book mark from her.
She also made me a gift one time of a bracelet. It was a simple piece of plastic with Velcro to join the ends. On the plastic she wrote in her own hand “atmaramas ca munayo, nirgrantha apy urukrame kurvanty ahaitukim bhaktim, ittam-bhuta-guno harih”. This verse was certainly Mata’s outlook on live. She was not of this world, but was always in some way or other, engaged in glorifying and serving Krsna in bhakti. She was trying to teach me that by this gift. I still have this bracelet today and I showed and talked about it to some students at the Krishna House last year. Her affection lives on, she is a true atmarama.
She sometimes told me that I was her son. I said once, “yeah yeah, of course you are my mata”. She replied grabbing my arm, “no really, you are my son.” I stopped and looked at her, and she looked deep in my eyes with great feeling. I could see she was serious, and I accepted her as my true mother. She would sometime embrace me and care for me as a mother would. I had never embraced a “mata” before, but this felt natural. She is my mata.
Sometimes I was quite passionate in the kitchen. I would run up and down the “ramp” in between the kitchen and walk in cooler. I could see Mata did not like too much passion in me. One time I ran down in a flurry to the walk-in and she purposefully walked on the ramp waiting for me to run back up. I sprinted out the door of the walk-in and almost knocked her over. She looked at me sternly and said, “Are you thinking of Krsna?” No mata, I was not….
The happiest days of my life were as a head cook and a pujari in Boston, and mata was always part of that happiness. I have missed her for all these years. I feel I should try to go and see her again.
This is the really the perfection of life. I thank you maharaj from bottom of my heart to share this. Please accept my humble obeisances.
I do not recall having met Mother Isa, but I was completely moved by reading about her and, especially, seeing and hearing her on video. What a beautiful, pure soul. She has nothing in her life but Krishna—she lives only for Krishna. The holy name and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy have entered deep into the core of her heart and will never leave.
I am also grateful to His Holiness Niranjana Swami for his care for her—and for all of us. Out of the goodness of his heart, he has shared with us the goodness in hers. It is only by the association of such great souls that we are able to maintain our lives in Krishna consciousness.
Their servant eternally,
Giriraj Swami
Thank you Madhava Prabhu ,I miss your offerings of Maha prasadam to Radha Gopijana Vallabha.Boston is world famous for having the best prasadam in ISKCON, you made this happen especially when you was there..your words brings back so many blissfull remembrances of ISKCON Boston , Radha Gopivallabha , Mother Isa, kirtana, book distributing and many loving devotees including Mother Isa and our dear Goduncle Nirajana Swami
I have found this story very moving. Here is a rare opportunity for devotees in Mother Isa’s neighborhood to offer service to a loving devotees. It would be good to know that she is visited and offered prasadam and also to have some recorded kirtan for her to listen to.
Yours Sincerely,
Dahnvantari Das
Dear Payonidhi Prabhu,
Dandavats. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
To briefly answer your question, “yes” she is getting vegetarian food. The nurses there assured me of that, even before I had a chance to ask. And when devotees come to visit, we bring her prasadam.
Unfortunately she lives a distance away, otherwise I would be happy to bring mataji prasadam every day.
your servant
Śyāmarūpa dāsa
Hare Krsna.
I thought it was curious that all the devotees who commented about this glorious mataji were male devotees? Of course I’m not sure about #8 as “deepmh” is not very descriptive. Still it did strike me as odd.