On the Passing of HG Srimati Candravali Devi Dasi -- ISKCON Guyana

[Guest guest]

>From New Dvaraka, ISKCON Los Angeles

 

Dear Vaisnavas,

 

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

 

It is with the greatest sadness that I must announce the passing away of

Her Grace Candravali Devi Dasi, a most prominent leader of ISKCON in

Guyana, South America.

 

After battling with health issues for some years and a major operation

in Pakistan a few weeks ago, Candravali Devi left this world in London

on December 11, in the presence of her husband, Sriman Haridas Prabhu,

and other relatives.

 

As prepared with utmost affection by her loving fellow devotees in

Guyana, below is a brief account of her life's activities as an ISKCON

member and a summary of her devoted, selfless service to the mission of

Srila Prabhupada in propagating Lord Caitanya's Movement in a veritable

nook and corner of this world.

 

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness must be aware of the

irreparable loss of one of its most dedicated members.

 

For devotees in London who wish to honor this great soul and attend,

funeral rites will be conducted tomorrow Friday 19 from 12 noon to 3:30

PM at:

 

Maxwell Brothers Funeral Home

536 Streatham High Road

London, FW16 3QF

Phone 0208 764 2245

 

Cremation will be at 4:00 PM at the Streatham Vale Crematorium, Rowan

Road, South London.

 

Devotees are also invited to a Memorial Service on her behalf at

Bhaktivedanta Manor this coming Sunday 21 at noon.

 

Praying for the blessings of the Vaisnavas on Candravali Devi Dasi for

her ultimate success, I remain,

 

Your servant,

 

Virabahu Dasa

 

 

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EUOLOGY.in celebration of the life of Mother

Chandravali

 

[by Paramatma Dasa on behalf of ISKCON Guyana]

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We, devotees of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness, knew

Mother Chandravali for most of her later life, for more than 20 years.

Before being initiated in the process of devotional service she was

fondly referred to as Aunty Sona or Sister Sona. In Hindi, sona means

gold. She was certainly a most valuable gem among moving beings. Even

before being a full fledged devotee, every one on the Corentyne Coast,

and indeed all over Guyana, spoke of the her and the Dharrys [her

family] of Rose Hall as benevolent and extremely charitable.

 

We can vividly recall the first time we met her in her

store around 1983. She appeared intelligent and

aristocratic in the cash cage. This was the first

meeting with her would-be guru, Srila Agrani Swami,

who introduced to her the pristine teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. We

recall that she was very receptive and her disposition was childlike and

humble, and she appeared to have all the time in the world for us.

Amazingly, from that moment she decided to transform her lifestyle and

give up all forms of gross and subtle sinful life. Indeed, this is the

sign of a great personality.when good guidance is heard one immediately

implements the same in one's life. Without a doubt, this also indicates

that her parents must have been very pious souls to give birth to such a

virtuous daughter.

 

Her passing from this mortal world last week was

really a tremendous shock to all of us of ISKCON

Guyana and the wider world, and the many common people throughout the

country, whose lives have been touched by her kindness. When we first

heard the heartbreaking message many of us were too shaken to

immediately cry, but we have since continued to sob, knowing well that

Her Grace was the greatest loss for Guyana. Till now we are still

gripped by a fearful, unrestricted grief.it is difficult to tolerate her

absence.

 

Mataji, as she was affectionately called, was the

prime mover of things in our Society here. Her ability

and vision were unparalleled. Her skill and taste in

the fine arts were incomparable. But her greatness was

that she did not use her ability for personal gain,

but towards the betterment and upliftment of humanity.

She was so expert in utilizing her enormous talents

tingeing them with the Vedic Culture with the aim of

bringing people closer to God.

 

The first Ratha Yatra Cart Festival of Lord Jagannath

held in Berbice was her brainchild. She spent

sleepless nights formulating plans and designs,

directing construction and organizing the festivities.

All the while she would use her personal finances. In

fact, all her money and her very self was dedicated

towards the service God and the devotees. Yearly

Diwali processions were her creation. She was

instrumental in the Berbice Food for Life and

Religious Book Distribution Programs, organizing

street corner pandal (crusades) preaching programs,

etc.

 

But her life's masterpiece began in her later years in

1996, when she revealed the ambitious plans to

inaugurate the massive 105 feet by 75 feet New

Kulinagram Mandir at Williamsburg on the Corentyne.

Sometimes, even in failing health she would travel

back and forth to the US trying to solicit donations

for this most auspicious project, which most people

thought was a pipedream. For her, though, the word

impossible was a word in the fool's dictionary. In

year 2000 the Temple was completed, and she was there

to launch the grand opening of the biggest Hare Krsna

temple in the Caribbean. This project will serve to

induce moral and spiritual values on the population of

Berbice for generations in the future.

 

Mataji's was a person of integrity, immense honesty

and kindness; she was faultless, magnanimous,

indifferent to material acquisition, fixed in

devotional service, completely in control of all bad

qualities, respectful, without false pride,

compassionate, a friend of all and very expert. But

above all she was always surrendered at the feet of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna.

 

In the Vaisnava community she was a natural leader who

devotees look up to and loved. To most of the younger

devotees she was a mother-figure. As a sister she

always set the proper example and upheld the good name

of her family. And as wife she has been ideal, chaste

and the model homemaker. She will maintain a place in

the heart of many for a long time to come.

 

But has she actually died? One Vaisnava poet wrote:

 

He reasons ill who tells that Vaisnavas die

When thou are still living in sound!

The Vaisnavas die to live, and living try

To spread the Holy Name around.

 

Death means that the soul cannot stand to live in the

body any more. Everything collapses. Whatever the

cause is-heart failure, other organ failure, wearing

out of the body-it means that the situation has become unbearable for

the soul. For the soul to leave the body is not an easy thing. It causes

great distress. In fact death is born with birth of the body. Therefore

one should live and strive for perfection in devotional service in this

life, and in so doing, qualify oneself not to take birth again.

 

The passing of a Vaisnava is a great loss that cannot

be mitigated by anyone's sympathy. But when a Vaisnava

leaves his/her body it doesn't have the tragedy of an

ordinary death. But it is tragic in another way, in

that his/her contributions are no longer here. Mother Chandravali was

doing so much for Guyana. Now she's gone. For many of us who have been

touched by her we will continue to feel a stark emptiness and feeling of

separation.

 

But on the other hand when a Vaisnava departs, it is,

in on sense, a matter of rejoicing. According to

revealed scriptures, there are two ways of leaving

this world: one way is in darkness and the other way

is in light. Ordinarily, at the time of death, the

soul may travel anywhere in the universe according to

his/her karma. But because Mataji's life was fully

dedicated to the service of Krishna, therefore she

left this world in light, and according to the import

of Gita her destination is either back to Krsnaloka or

to some higher stage of existence where she can

continue to prosecute devotional service. So in this

sense there is no loss.

 

Everyone has the tendency: you don't appreciate

something; you take it for granted, until it's taken

away. Mataji's leaving is meant for us to increase our affection for

her. We can meditate on her commitment to the path of bhakti and follow

in her footsteps and in so doing we can become better human beings. Also

if the Vaisnava community truly loves her, they will try to maintain

what she has left us and finish what she has left unfinished.

 

Mataji's life did not end on December 11, 2003. She

continues to live on in all her sacred

contributions.and those who are sincere will continue

to live with her.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Hare Krsna.