Sriman Goloka Prabhu Tirobhava

[Guest guest]

Dear Vaisnavis and Vaisnavas,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

On Wednesday evening, March 24, the head pujari of the German

Radha-Madana-mohana temple, Sriman Goloka Prabhu, has left his body in a car

accident, to proceed to an auspicious new life in the service of the lotus

feet of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna.

 

Goloka Prabhu was a disciple of His Holiness Bhakti-bhusana Maharaja. For

many years he tirelessly served Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana in an exemplary

and unparalleled way, together with his dedicated wife Srimati Manjulali

Dasi, a disciple of His Holiness Sacinandana Maharaja.

 

Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana are the principal Radha-Krsna Deities for

Germany, Switzerland and Austria; also many other devotees from the

neighboring countries regularly visit Them, attracted by Their incomparable

beauty and sweetness. This supreme attraction of Their Lordships has been

mainly the merit of Goloka and Manjulali Prabhus' selfless and dedicated

service — they actually called Them to manifest Their full sweetness by

their loving care and devotion. Goloka Prabhu would incessantly act and

meditate with the only aim to please Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana and to

improve the puja and the standard of Their worship. Anyone who sees pictures

ot these deities from now and from ten years ago is amazed to observe how

They have manifested a sweet and lovely effulgence — it is actuelly hard to

believe that They are the same Deities! This is the external prove for

Goloka Prabhu's love and dedication towards his service.

 

He was an example for steadiness and punctuality. His standard service

schedule covered 10 hours daily, without fail or complain. Indeed, he often

worked 14 hours or even more if necessary, and never ever any devotee heard

him complain about exess of service. Rather, he would always be friendly and

balanced, expressing his eagerness to serve more and do whatever would be

needed to satisfy Their Lordships. Even on cost of his health and bodily

comfort. In spite of severe pain and stiffness in his legs, he would rise up

at 2 a.m., chant his rounds and then start his long service day. At the same

time, he was always there for the devotees, friendly, unpolitical, a loving

distributor of Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana's Maha-prasada, an example and

inspiration for all devotees that were living with him. We are deeply

aggrieved by his loss.

 

His dead was glorious. On his way back to the temple, he was driving in a

slight left-bend curve in his small car, when suddenly a Merceds car

appeared before him, trying to pass over four cars at this blind curve.

Goloka Prabhu had no chance to dodge the blow or to survive. As he tried so,

his car got into a skid and turned itself to the right, so that the Mercedes

car hid him with full impact from the left side. The car was completely

smashed — up to the middle part not one piece of metal remained whole. He

was immediately dead. And he had time to react, he could face his dead

openly, and he was able to chant at his last breath. Plus, he died in a holy

dhama. It is said in the scriptures that a place where 12 Salagrama-silas

are worshipped daily is purified in a radius of 50 kilometers. Goloka Prabhu

died about 10 km away from Goloka-dhama, our temple, and here he worshipped

our 18 Salagrama-silas on the altar with utmost care and devotion, offering

Them abhiseka and a fire yajna every morning. And on his last journey in his

mundane service, he listened to a lecture of Srila Prabhupada, as he always

would do while driving.

 

I am serving in Goloka-dhama as a member of the temple board. Being a close

friend of Goloka Prabhu and sharing the responsibility for this place with

him, his wife Manjulali Dasi allowed me to go to the dead body together with

our Indian brahmana priest Kunjabihari Prabhu to perform the last rites for

him. I feel very blessed by this last service for my friend. Indeed, as soon

as I looked at his face, all my grieve and lamentation almost vanquished. He

looked so peaceful, relaxed and extremely satisfied! At that moment the

sincere hope and confidence arose in me that Krsna personally has taken him

to His lotus feet.

 

Also when we visited the place where the accident happened, it became very

clear for us that this was a conscious and planned arrangement by the Lord.

As the policeman expressed, "Well once in his live, this man was at the

wrong place in the wrong second, and that's it!" Yes, he happened to appear

on this spot exactly at the very moment when a car passed over in a curve

where actually no sane person would do so, since before and after this

curve, the road goes straight on and offers a clear overview. Krsna used

this unfortunate person as an instrument to end the material life of His

dear devotee. Why? How can we try to ponder about the inconcievable plan of

the Lord? It was His desire and we have to accept it, with a heart broken of

grieve and elated by the glorious event simultaneously.

 

In spite of the completely smashed and torn car, his body was almost without

any external injury. It was the body of a pure Vaisnava; no open wound, dirt

or excrement disfigured it, as would be expected normally by such an

accident. Also, his kanthi-mala and his brahmana thread remained intact.

Krsna protected his body even at his last moment!

 

We bathed the body with waters from all holy rivers. Then we dressed him in

a new silk dhoti and cadar that he has just received from a friend coming

from Mayapur. We applied tilak on all places together with the required

mantras, and Kunjabihari recited the Garuda Purana. Then he performed a

Vaisnava homa, whereby he installed a small copper yantra of Sri Sudarsana

Cakra. Decorating him with his beadbag (which was miraculously found by one

helper in the dark field outside of the car and placed to his body, clearly

recognizing it as a sacred item), the Sudarsana yantra, flowers offered to

Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, and other items, we put some holy water,

morsels of Maha-prasada and a Tulasi leaf in his mouth. Then we circamulated

him seven times, praying for his safe journey back to Krsna, and also for

forgiveness of our offences against him. Then we bowed down chanting

vancha-kalpa prayers and finally we put him into the coffin that will bring

him to the crematory in the state as we left him. Following his personal

desire, his mother, Nityananda-priya Dasi, who is also a very dedicated and

sweet Vaisnavi, a disciple of His Holiness Sacinandana Maharaja, and his

wife Manjulali Dasi will bring the ashes to Mayapur and pour it into the

Ganga, offering him the last rites there.

 

Today all the devotees from Goloka-dhama and from other temples will visit

Goloka Prabhu to offer him a last honor and to bring some spiritual gifts.

Goloka Prabhu leaves behind him a mother, two brothers, and a spotlessly

chaste and loving wife. He had no children, but all of us feel like his sons

and daughters. Indeed, his leaving is plunging us not only in deep grieve,

but also in a great sorrow, asking ourselves who should replace this

dedicated head pujari in his unparalleled service. Of course, we should have

tha faith that if Krsna takes away the devotee who maintained Him in His

arca-vigraha, He will take personal care for proper replacement. Still, we

are now in a precarious situation, in need of pujaris who would volunteer at

least for some time to continue Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana's worship and

assist Manjulali Dasi, who now will take the responsibility on her

shoulders. If any of the readers hears the call of Sri Sri

Radha-Madana-mohana in his or her heart to come and serve Them, please don't

hesitate to write me. My email address is gaura-siromani.sns (AT) pamho (DOT) net.

 

On this Sunday we will celebrate the tirobhava-mahotsava in honor of Sriman

Goloka Prabhu, thus observing the required four-days period of taking leave

of him. If you want to participate and cannot come personally to

Goloka-dhama, please write me and I will send you a picture of Goloka Prabhu

that you can worship at your own place accordingly.

 

With aggrieved and pitiful heart, and with great confidence in His causeless

mercy, we pray to Bhagavan Sri Krsna that He may accept this wonderful

Vaisnava at His lotus feet and allow him to return to his nitya-seva of the

Divine Couple in Goloka Vrndavana.

 

Sriman Goloka Prabhu Tirobhava Ki Jaya!!!

Your servant, Gaura-siromani Dasa