{"id":15297,"date":"2015-01-30T16:20:26","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T16:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=15297"},"modified":"2015-01-30T16:20:26","modified_gmt":"2015-01-30T16:20:26","slug":"devotees-remember-sankara-dasi-on-30th-anniversary-of-her-passing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=15297","title":{"rendered":"Devotees Remember Sankara Dasi on 30th Anniversary of Her Passing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

By Madhava Smullen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friends and family are remembering Srimati Sankara devi dasi — known for her deep love of her children and quiet dedication to Krishna\u2019s service even in the face of adversity — as the 30th<\/sup> anniversary of her passing approaches on January 25th<\/sup>, 2015. On that day, the Sunday Feast program at ISKCON New Vrindaban will be held in her honor.<\/p>\n

Born Sylvia S. Walker on January 5th<\/sup>, 1946, Sankara dasi was raised in Michigan. She first met ISKCON devotees in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco in 1969, two years after the first ever Rathayatra there. <\/p>\n

Moving back to Michigan, she lived near the Detroit temple with her young family and visited often. In the early 1970s, she and her then husband regularly invited devotees to hold weekend festivals at their farm in Ann Arbour. <\/p>\n

In 1978, tragedy struck. Sankara was diagnosed with acute hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), an extremely rare form of leukemia. She wanted to use whatever time she had left delving deep into her Krishna consciousness. So she moved into the Detroit temple full-time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first met Sankara and her children, in Detroit, she was a happy introspective person who held an extrordinary ability to see God everywhere,\u201d recalls her friend Mrigaksi Dasi.<\/p>\n

In 1980, when her five children had grown too old for the school in Detroit, Sankara moved to ISKCON\u2019s New Vrindaban farm community near Wheeling, West Virginia, which she felt would be the best place for them. <\/p>\n

Her own children weren\u2019t the only ones Sankara cared for. From 1980 to 1983, she watched fifty children aged up to five years old at the New Vrindaban nursery. From 1983 on, she taught kindergarten and first grade at the community\u2019s Nandagram School to over 200 children from all around North America. Her former students remember her fondly as patient, sweet and caring.<\/p>\n

Sankara also sewed for New Vrindaban\u2019s presiding Deities Sri Sri Radha-Vrindabanchandra and made their garlands daily, which was her favorite service. <\/p>\n

\u201cSankara was easy to do service with; having an insightful and creative nature,\u201d says Rupa Dasi, who worked with her on a sewing project. \u201cShe had a keen sense of focus for the project and really put all her heart into the service. She also was always very concerned for the welfare of her children. And this was a frequent topic of her talks. She knew her time was limited, and she was determined to use it to the very best advantage she possibly could on their behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

During this time, Sankara had to go for heart surgery more than once due to leukemia enlarging her heart. She also suffered from asthma. Yet Vidya Dasi, who lived and worked with her \u2013 both in the nursery and in garland-making \u2013 says that no matter how sick she got, Sankara always did her service with devotion and dedication. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we understood at the time how her failing health must have made her feel,\u201d says Vidya. \u201cAnd I\u2019m thinking back, \u2018Oh my God, how did she not complain, how did she keep up with us?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Even on the morning when Sankara went to the hospital for the last time, devotees remember her making sure her daily garland-making service would be covered and that her children would be looked after. It was this mood that encapsulated her life.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

At the Intensive Care Unit, when doctors declared they couldn\u2019t do anything more and invited her devotee friends in, Sankara\u2019s vitals stabilized as she heard them chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. When the doctors saw this and returned, she finally left this world, due to heart failure. It was January 25th, 1985. She was the first female New Vrindaban resident to leave her body. <\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

Sankara Dasi is survived by her five children, Chaitanya Mangala, Makara, Veena, Sesa and Bhima; her five grandchildren, Airavata, Kalindi, Lauren, Hayden and Daniel; and her former husband, Danakeli Das.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

Her family had her remains cremated, and scattered her ashes among the flower beds at Prabhupada\u2019s Palace Rose Garden. In 2005, on the 20th<\/sup> anniversary of her passing, they dedicated a Nama Samadhi in the form of a granite memorial bench in her honor at New Vrindaban.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

The bench is situated along the scenic walkway that winds around the Kusum Sarovara Lake at the lotus feet of Gaura Nitai and in the shadow of Srila Prabhupada\u2019s Palace of Gold. It serves as a place for people to relax and appreciate their surroundings as they follow a parikrama path through the holy dham.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/center><\/p>\n

Etched into the bench are the words: \u201cIn loving memory: Sylvia S. Walker – Sankara devi dasi. January 5th, 1946 – January 25th, 1985\u201d and a quote from Sankara herself \u2013 \u201cI am surrounded by the radiance, glory and richness of the Creator. In the final analysis, all things come from the same Source. We are all related; even the rocks are our brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother was a sensitive, thoughtful and highly spiritual person who quietly and determinedly performed her services despite whatever obstacles were placed in her path,\u201d says her eldest son, Chaitanya Mangala, who is a board member of ISKCON New Vrindaban. \u201cTo me, that\u2019s a sign of a genuine devotee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMoreover,\u201d he continues, \u201cShe cared deeply for her children and was totally convinced that the fledgling Hare Krishna Society, and more specifically New Vrindaban, was the best place to raise us. Despite the hardships and shortcomings, I do appreciate the sincere attempts made by my mother and others of her pioneer generation. And, as we honor the 30th anniversary of her passing, I humbly dedicate my community building efforts in her memory.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"HareBy Madhava Smullen<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSankara was easy to do service with; having an insightful and creative nature,\u201d says Rupa Dasi, who worked with her on a sewing project. \u201cShe had a keen sense of focus for the project and really put all her heart into the service. She also was always very concerned for the welfare of her children. And this was a frequent topic of her talks. She knew her time was limited, and she was determined to use it to the very best advantage she possibly could on their behalf.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-memoriam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15297"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15299,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15297\/revisions\/15299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}