Praghosa Prabhu

[Guest guest]

Dear Respected Vaisnava,

 

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

 

I am broadcasting this to most of the devotees in my address book.

Praghosa Prabhu, our long-term godbrother, friend and book distributor,

is in a lot of trouble as you will see in the attached document from

Udayananda Prabhu. Radhanatha Maharaja and Indradyumna Maharaja, among

others, are significantly helping also.

 

Udayananda Prabhu has taken on the responsibility to raise up some money

for the medical expenses that are needed for Praghosa prabhu. He asked

me to help, both by donating some money and by forwarding his message to

all I know.

 

Please consider acting on two items:

 

1) Get in contact with Udayananda Prabhu, who’s email address and

telephone number are in the body of this text, for purposes of offering

a donation to this cause if you are inclined. You will also see his

email address in the cc:

 

2) If you know devotees that might wish to help, kindly forward this

email to them.

 

Might I suggest that even a small amount of money will help us in this

cause.

 

Your servant,

 

Gopal Bhatta das

 

 

Here are the letters from Udayananda Prabhu:

 

*********************************************

 

Help Save the Life of Praghosa Prabhu... Please!!!

 

Dear devotees,

 

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

 

The following appeal is one of the most difficult and painful things I

have had to do in my entire life. Our dear Godbrother and friend, Praghosa

dasa, has contracted a life threatening case of cancer. The doctors in the

Chowpaty Temple have discovered a tumor 18 inches long and 10 inches

wide in the abdominal area of his body. The attached letter from one of his

doctors to Radhanatha Swami will give a further explanation of his exact

condition.

 

It has been determined that in order to save Praghosa's life, this tumor

needs to be shrunk by several sessions of extremely costly chemotherapy.

Because of the size and location of this tumor, surgery and/or radiation

is not possible at this juncture. The cost of this procedure will be a

minimum of $25,000.00 US.

 

Praghosa is the father and provider of a wonderful vaisnava family. He

and his wife, Radhanga dasi have six children, a daughter-in-law and a

grandchild. They all live in Sri Dham Mayapura. His body is 51 years

old. After 31 years of devotional service to Srila Prabhupada, he is still

distributing Srila Prabhupada's books on a daily basis on the streets of

New York City. Just a little over a month ago, on St.Patrick's day, he

distributed over 150 of Srila Prabhupada's books in NYC. That day he

called me on his cell phone and told me that he was feeling ecstatic in the

nectar of book distribution and wanted to share it with me. He had a small

"hand's free" ear bud connected to his cell phone in which I could hear

clearly what he was saying to the conditioned souls and how they were

responding in return. I listened for about 45 minutes to one the most

ecstatic exchanges of book distribution expertise that I have ever heard in

my life. Practically every person that would stop would give a donation, and

with great appreciation take a book promising to read it.

 

The possibilities of this maharati book distributor continuing to

distribute books, and possibly training others, will be over very soon if he

cannot receive proper medical attention. The doctors say that if he is

treated immediately, there is a 70% survival rate.

 

Prabhus, I am begging on my knees, please help me to serve Srila

Prabhupada's movement by restoring the health of this great soldier in

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's army. Forty-four years ago we became best friends.

Thirty-one years ago I brought him to the temple. Now due to my bad

karma I do not have the funds to save him. I can only beg for your mercy.

 

The worthless beggar,

Udayananda dasa

 

 

If you want to contribute by cash, check, MasterCard, Visa, Discover

card, American Express, make your checks out to:

 

Radhika Galleries-Save Praghosa Fund

3801 Obra Rd.

Graham, NC 27253

 

You can contact me at my email address:

 

cieslakparker (AT) aol (DOT) com

telephone:336-376-0331, 336-376-9377

 

For creditcard or debitcard You can give me the card number, the

expiration date, the name on the card and the amount you want to donate.

 

Thanking you in advance,

 

Your servant,

Udayananda dasa

 

*******************************************************************

 

Dear Udayananda Prabhu,

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila

Prabhupada.

Thank you very much for your kind letter. I have noted the contents

carefully.

Let us sincerely pray for Praghosh Prabhus health and let us all do

whatever is required to help him. If we wish to offer him a peaceful

treatment we must all work together. Please allow me to honestly explain

the situation. We offered to try our best to meet his medical expenses.

If Praghosh Prabhu decides to go for the Chemo Therapy it will simply be

too costly for our temple to afford without a lot of help. Our doctors

only earn about $500 per month (that is a lot in India). They all have

families and homes to maintain. Our temple has been sustained hand to

mouth over the years. In India there is no real income in book

distribution. Chowpatty temple is in the top 5 of the world every year

for the December Marathon and in the top ten for the yearly totals. All

money earned by book distribution pays the BBT and maintains the book

distribution parties. There are little or no funds beyond that. Praghosh

Prabhu could certainly inspire more book distribution but there is

nothing Praghosh Prabhu could do to raise substantial income. In India,

practically all temples are maintained by life membership. Our temple

has never made a single life member. We agreed to this years ago, to

avoid conflict with the JUHU temple. Thus our temple has always run hand

to mouth for sustenance. Our hospital being closed for 9 months has been

a terrible financial strain for the supporters of the hospital. I

informed the temple to try to compensate the costs of Praghosh Prabhu

with money from donations and daksina which has been given to me. I

always immediately turn it over to the temple. There is only about

$3,000 left of that. I did not believe the treatments would exceed that.

Our doctors will continue to serve him around the clock for absolutely

free. That is already at much cost to them but they are grateful to do

so. If Praghosh Prabhu requires Chemo Therapy our simple temple simply

has no means to cover the entire cost for the materials required. We

will certainly do our very best and beyond. However, if our beloved

Godbrother does go into this Chemo treatment it will require a joint

effort of those who really love him. It appears to me that Krishna

wants to give a chance to his dear friends to help at this time. "A

friend in need is a friend indeed." My humble and sincere request to

you is please, please, please help in this crucial matter. You are his

very dearest friend. You know who are his dear friends and well wishers.

Please contribute and inspire his other friends to contribute to this

noble cause. It is a genuine way to show our love and reciprocate with

his incredible life of devotion. If this treatment is required let us

all sincerely and earnestly work together to raise the funds required.

Let us do everything possible to keep Praghosh Prabhu free of all

financial anxieties at this critical time in his life. Let us show our

love and appreciation through our service to him. Whatever is best for

him, he should get with minimum disturbance. Please, if necessary, do

contact his friends and well wishers for help and contribute whatever

you possibly can. Let us all stand united in our sacrifice to serve this

great soul. Srila Prabhupada will certainly be pleased.

Your servant,

Radhanath Swami

 

******************************************************************

 

4/28/04

 

Dear Radhanatha Swami Maharaja,

 

Hare Krishna

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Please accept my most humble obeisances.

It was revealed in the investigations of H.G.Praghosh Prabhu that he has

developed recurrence of his previous cancer. Amazingly he has developed

an unusually large sized Tumor approximately 1 ½ feet by 10 inches in size

on the left side of the abdomen going into the Pelvis, going up to the left

 

Kidney encroaching upon important structures like left Kidney, Abdominal

Aorta and Big Veins, like an Octopus. It is very obvious that he has

neglected his health and early symptoms of the relapse very badly. In

one sense, this is a very serious condition as the Tumor can burst the Aorta

and Veins & cause fatal bleeding inside. He is still in the hospital. Today

he was supposed to undergo Surgical Excision of left Inguinal Lymph Node to

assess the status of the cancer whether malignant or benign or local.

Surgical removal of the big Tumor is impossible due to its Octopus like

encroaching structure, which may endanger the vital structures. He needs

to urgently take 6 sessions of Chemotherapy with advanced drugs with the

interval of 4 to 6 weeks between the 2 sessions. For each session he

needs to be hospitalized for 48hrs and each session will cost Indian rupees

1 lakh 25-30 thousand. It will be unimaginably costly abroad. The very first

session will bring the tumor to 1/3rd of its size most probably.

Please please please tell him not to think of any alternative treatment

at this moment of time. That can be considered, once the life threatening

size of the Tumor goes down by Chemotherapy. Anything else but Chemotherapy

will put his life at risk.

Detailed evaluation of the Tumor is awaited. All the above things are

duly explained to him.

 

Your servant

Vishwarup das MD

 

(Text PAMHO:8198041) ------

 

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