Malati Dasi: Dearest Devotee’s and Well wishers:
Srimate Rasajna devi dasi quietly departed for the Lotus Feet of Srila Prabhupada Monday afternoon in Austin, TX. Yesterday, Sumati devi dasi, her care taker, feeling the end was immanent, called a god-brothers who lived locally for kirtan. Rasa had indicated her pleasure with the kirtan of Adani (this is not the full name, but at this time, it is all we know) and he arrived this morning along with another local kirtaneer and god-brother, Ragava das (may be more to his name). Together with Sumati, they kirtan began around 10:45 central time and continued until around 2 pm when they broke for prasad, which lasted one hour approximately. Rasa was somewhat propped up to aid her breathing, which occured with difficulty. When they returned, Sumati noticed a dramatic difference in Rasa’s composure. She lifted the blanket and saw that in that one hour space of time, her hands, fingers, feet, elbows, etc were purplish blue and she was breathing very very slowly, with spaces in between each labored breath. They resumed kirtan, loudly this time. Greg, Rasa’s husband also joined in the kirtan, so now they were four in number, intensely chanting the holy name with great feeling. Sumati recalled recent instructions from Sangita dd regarding careing for Vaishnave’s at the time of departure. She already had tulasi, sacred waters and dust from Vrindavan dham ready. She put that holy dust in her mouth and then glanced to the near by window ledge where she had left Tulasi leaf along with sacred waters. She recalled the housekeeper had been there the day before and thought that she may have removed the leaf, unaware of it’s value and significance. It was gone! Sumati rushed to Rasa’s altar and took the sacred tulasi leaf from the lotus foot of Sri Shyam and rushed back to Rasa’s room to find that she had just departed. Sumati place the tulasi prasad into her mouth, along with the water from Radha Kunde and Shyama Kunde and the kirtan continued. Rasa’s sister and another devotee friend (I am sorry, I do not recall her name) arrived, and together with Sumati, they performed the final bathing rites, smearing her body with Narshima oil from Mayapur, marking her body with prominent tilak, and writing KRSNA on her chest with tilak. She was dressed in a yellow (her favorite color) saree. Sumati reported that she looked very beautiful, even radiant, in her final repose.
There will be a Memorial Service in her home on Thursday. The cremation will take place later (up to six days later) as there is a delay due to holidays. Please forgive the many short comings in this brief announcement. I did not want to delay this news from reaching the ‘Vaishnave’s. I am sure more will be said later. Please continue your prayers for Rasa and offer thanks to Krishna from empowering and inspiring Sumati devi das to serve in such a magnanimous, selfless manner. She is a glorious soul.
yr servant, malati dasi