Tamal Krishna Goswami

[Guest guest]

Dear Raktambara Prabhu,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Many people have been complaining about a scarcity of clear info from

Mayapur regarding the passing away of Goswami Maharaja.

 

I was hoping that you could post this to all com users.

 

Thanks,

 

With affectionate regards,

 

BB Govinda Swami

 

.............................................................................

 

Dear Vaisnava Community,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Tamal Krishna Goswami joined us in kirtan every evening prior to his

departure.

 

For many nights the kirtan had been conducted in his quarters. No invitation

was required. When the doors opened the room quickly filled to capacity with

devotees, young and old, eager to enter into the nectarean chanting of the

Lord's holy names.

 

This was really the spiritual highlight of each day. It was the event that

gave meaning to being in Mayapur. We all sat together, with one of our most

elder brothers, a loving family of devotees, singing the names of Sri Radha

and Sri Krishna with deep feeling.

 

On the last few evenings of Tamal Krishna Goswami's presence the kirtan

shifted to the Panca Tattva Temple. This was done due to the increasing

size of the crowd.

 

On his last evening in Mayapur he came from the main pandal program.

Having finished speaking he joined the kirtan. After an hour of kirtan he

reached over, held my hand, and thanked me for being in kirtan with him.

Then he told me, "tomorrow I will be leaving."

 

I asked him where he was going and he said , " back to home ... and after a

pause he said ... back to the UK."

 

I thanked him for his association and told him I would try to see him off

the next morning.

 

Tamal Krishna Goswami left for Kolkatta at 4:15. He was accompanied by

Vrindavanesvari and Kalasambara of Auckland, New Zealand and his disciple

Aghavit.

 

I sang mangala arati that morning for the pleasure of Radha Madhava.

 

During the Tulasi puja I sat next to Sivaram Swami to begin chanting

my Japa. I looked up and saw Tamal Krishna Maharaja's cook, Gopal Raja,

quickly walking by. I reached out and took his hand and asked him if

Maharaja had departed on time.

 

Gopal Raja responded by saying a phone call had just come that there had

been a serious accident and Tamal Krishna Maharaja was unconscious.

 

This was around 5:15 AM. So it appears that the accident occured during

Brahma Muhurta at the conclusion of Mangala Arati.

 

I related this news to Sivaram Maharaja. We both jumped up and Sivaram

Maharaja ran to Jayapataka Swami. Immediately we went outside and began to

arrange vehicles.

 

The morning festival announcements had begun. I returned to the temple,

took the microphone, and informed the devotees of the tragic news we had

just received.

 

I requested the devotees to silently pray to the feet of Lord Narasingha

and Radha Madhava for the safety of Goswami Maharaja and the members of

his party. After a minute of silent prayer I ran from the temple room.

 

Vehicles were organised. In our car there were Jayapataka Swami, Sivaram

Swami, Niranjana Swami, Jayadvaita Swami, myself and a few Bengali devotees.

We immediately left for the site.

 

The place of the accident is a village on the main highway called Phulia.

 

This is the holy site where Namacarya Haridasa Thakur lived in a crocodile

hole on the banks of the Ganga. Here he chanted three hundred thousand holy

names a day, was beaten in twenty two market places, and was tempted by

Mayadevi personified and ultimately initiated her.

 

We came off the Santipur bypass and proceeded for some time. Two cars from

the opposite direction stopped us to inform that there had been a terrible

accident on the highway.

 

As we approached we saw the car sitting upright, but sideways, on the

highway. All of the windows were smashed and the left top side of the

vehicle was somewhat collapsed.

 

There was a large crowd at the site. As we reached the spot we found

devotees in hysteria. They informed that the all of the wounded had been

taken to Ranaghat Hospital. They also informed that Goswami Maharaja was

unconscious.

 

We reached the hospital we again found hysterical grieving vaisnavas. We

were taken immediately to the room where Goswami Maharaja's body was was

laying. At one glance I could see that He had left his body. I mentioned

this to Niranjana Swami and in shock we offered our obeisances to Maharaja.

 

We touched our heads to the feet of that great servant of Srila Prabhupada

and prayed that Prabhupada's and Krishna's mercy be fully with him.

 

>From the report of Kalasamvara prabhu the accident took place on a very

straight stretch of road. There were no obstructions on the highway and no

traffic from the opposite direction.

 

It appears that the driver of Tamal Krishna Goswami's Tata Sumo fell asleep

at the wheel. At high speed the Sumo sideswiped a very large tree on the

left side of the road. The vehicle lost balance and began rolling. The front

left side of the cabin caved in.

 

Goswami Maharaja was sitting in the front left passenger seat with his seat

belt fastened. Vrindavanesvari was sitting directly behind him. These two

took the full brunt of the high speed collision and roll.

 

Kalasambara was able to free himself from the car. He first tried to remove

Goswami Maharaja but soon realised that his body was lifeless. Kalasamvara

Prabhu is quite certain that Goswami Maharaja had left His body immediately

upon impact.

 

He then removed Vrindavanesvari and Aghavit from the car and placed all the

injured into the second car that had been following them. They proceeded to

the Ranaghat Hospital.

 

Kalasamvara's perception was confirmed at the hospital. Goswami Maharaja had

immediately given up his body during the accident.

 

Vrindavanesvari suffered severe head damage and was given minimal chance of

survival. Although an arrangement had been made to transfer her to Kolkatta,

she gave up her body minutes later on the floor of the women's ward. When

she passed away Sivaram Swami and Niranjana Swami were softly singing the

Hare Krishna Maha Mantra.

 

Jayapataka Swami diligently walked through the situation with the police

investigators and doctors. He was trying very tactfully to get immediate

release of the bodies but it was not allowed. According to Indian Law all

accidental deaths require a postmortem.

 

We tried to explain that Goswami Maharaja was an acarya. There was an

agreement that the postmortem doctor would make the smallest minimal

incisons on the bodies of Goswami Maharaja and Vrindavanesvari.

 

Around 11 AM we carried his body to the morgue. After 12 PM the

postmortem doctor came and performed his work.

 

Jayapataka Maharaja succeeded in having all papers signed by 3 PM. We placed

the bodies of Goswami Maharaja and Vrindavanesvari inside of the sankirtan

bus and were ready to leave for Mayapur.

 

Then another problem arose. There were at least 200 local people that

refused to allow our bus to roll until they had darshan of Maharaja's face.

We said that they should take darshan of his feet but they insisted that as

he was a mahatma they had to see his face.

 

We were hesitant, but the crowd became unruly. As soon as we showed them

Maharaja's face they all began to chant Maha Mantra and offer pranam.

Then they allowed us to leave.

 

Even though Santipur is traditionally a place of vaisnava offenders, as the

bus passed through the streets, the people chanted Hare Krishna and showed

respect by folding thier palms.

 

We reached Mayapur around 4:30 PM. There was an ocean of grieving vaisnavas

waiting at the gate. The bus moved slowly down the main drive to the main

guest house building and turned right.

 

Kirtan was being led by Lokanath Maharaja.

 

The bodies were removed from the bus and taken to different rooms at the

rear of the guesthouse. There they were prepared for the respective funeral

ceremonies.

 

The ladies who were preparing the body of HG Vrindavanesvari noted that

all of her limbs were still soft and supple. Only her right hand, which was

formed in the position of a person holding japa beads, was erect and

immovable.

 

After cleansing her remains she was carried to the shores of Mother Ganga

and cremated.

 

It was the actual birthday of Vrindavanesvari. She wanted the special

priviledge and birthday gift of riding in the car to Kolkatta with Goswami

Maharaja. But She actually received the priceless gift of riding back to

Godhead with her beloved friend and siksa guru Tamal Krishna Goswami.

 

Goswami Maharaja's body was bathed, massaged in ghee, mantras were written

in sandal paste upon his body, he was dressed in new cloth, and was

profusely covered with garlands. His body was then placed upon a stretcher

and carried on procession around the Deities.

 

For nearly fourty five minutes His remains rested on the platform in front

of Sri Sri Radha Madhava for final darshan. The assembled vaisnavas filed by

and had their final darshan of Goswami Maharaja. During this darshan the

kirtan was sweetly sung by Niranjana Swami.

 

Then the procession left for the samadhi of Srila Prabhupada. His remains

were shown to Prabhupada in the samadhi and there was circumambulation of

Srila Prabhupada.

 

The procession left the samadhi and proceeded to the selected site of

Maharaja's samadhi.

 

He was slowly lowered into the samadhi pit.

 

Puja was conducted and his feet were washed. He was offered bhoga and arati

was performed.

 

Flowers were then tossed upon his remains and some were collected to be used

in the Puspa samadhi that will be erected at ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Ashrama in

Govardhan.

 

The body of HH Tamal Krishna Goswami was first covered with salt and

then earth.

 

The site of Goswami Maharaja's samadhi is on the left side of the parikrama

path around Srila Prabhupada's samadhi. It is just near the point where the

path turns left to proceed to the grhasta living area. It is an area which

has been designated in the Mayapur City master plan for samadhis.

 

On Saturday there was a remembrance ceremony for HH Tamal Krishna Goswami

Maharaja and HG Vrindavanesvari Devi Dasi. The ceremony was overseen by HH

Sivaram Maharaja.

 

Many senior devotees spoke of thier deep appreciation, affection, and love

for both of these unique and wonderful souls.

 

Tamal Krishna Maharaja was recognised as a dedicated servant of Srila

Prabhupada. The quantity, quality and varities of services he performed

for Srila Prabhupada's pleasure was amazing.

 

Many devotees acknowledged that he was a strict disciplinarian, sharp,

and demanding.

 

But all who spoke shared a vision of a Goswami Maharaja who was not

simply the stereotypical demanding controller:

 

But of a gentle and extremely soft hearted vaisnava who relished sharing

love with all.

 

A charming and eloquent person that had an enormous capacity to give

shelter, guidance, care, instruction, and affectionate love to many many

people.

 

A master of wit and cleverness. A connosieur of fine prasadam.

 

An enigma. A misunderstood person. A person who was like chutney ...

unbearably hot and irresistably sweet simultaneously.

 

A person who Prabhupada could always depend upon.

 

A person who could rise to overcome any challenge for the service of Srila

Prabhupada.

 

A person who Prabhupada would always call to help in times of need.

 

A person who served Prabhupada with deep unflinching love during the final

days of His Divine Grace.

 

A person who was a general in Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan Army.

 

A person who courted controversy.

 

A person who made mistakes but never gave up his determination to serve

the feet of Srila Prabhupada.

 

A person who inspired thousands of devotees with his wonderful classes.

 

A self denigrating and humble person.

 

A person who peace craftily eluded.

 

As Srila Prabhupada said, a man desperate to do anything for the service of

Guru and Gauranga.

 

Her Grace Vrindavanesvari was remembered as a great sankirtan devotee, a

massive collector who was always short of funds because she never kept for

herself, a caring wife, a wonderful mother, an amazingly talented cook, a

kind person who never ran short on big smiles, and most profoundly, a lover

of the holy names of the Lord. She could chant japa and kirtan endlessly

with great taste and devotion.

 

After many hours of loving remembrances there was the pushpanjali ceremony

followed by arati to the photo of Goswami Maharaja. The kirtan was led by

one of his dearest and closest friends Kesava Bharati prabhu.

 

After which there was a wonderful feast offered to Radha Madhava in

remembrance of HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja.

 

All of the disciples of Srila Prabhupada honored prasadam on the veranda

where the GBC have prasad.

 

At the head of the line of all of the vaisnavas was a table of Radha

Madhava's Mahaprasadam and seated in front of that table was an asana

with the picture of Goswami Maharaja.

 

After relishing the feast we all partook of his remnants.

 

The passing of His Divine Grace Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja and

Vrindavanesvari Mataji has filled our hearts with devastation and

sadness. For many of us they were close friends, a brother, a sister,

a sincere well-wisher.

 

Thier departure marks a great loss for our International Society for

Krishna Consciousness. Such wonderful and glorious vaisnavas possessed

with the ceaseless determination to preach are so rare and hard to find.

 

But we are happy for them and are perfectly assured that they have both

gone back home to serve in the realm beyond tears.

 

We are especially happy that Goswami Maharaja has now captured the peace

that so long eluded him by again attaining the association of His Beloved

Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada and Thier Divine Lordship Sri Sri Radha

Shyamsundar.

 

 

Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja Ki Jai !!

Srimati Vrindavanesvari devi dasi Ki Jai !!

Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai !!

Giriraja Govardhan Ki Jai !!

Gaura Premanande !! Hari Bol !!

 

The Pushpa Samadhi ceremony of His Divine Grace Tamal Krishna Goswami

Maharaja will be conducted at ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Ashrama, Govardhan, on

March 22, 2001.

 

With affectionate regards,

 

BB Govinda Swami

 

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