Ksirodashayee Vishnu Maharaja Passes Away (under strange circumstances)

[Guest guest]

ISKCON Vrindavan (Krsna-Balaram Mandir)

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 4:01 PM

News Items

Ksirodashayee Vishnu Maharaja Passes Away

 

My dear Maharaja and Prabhujis,

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

 

It is with profound grief that I inform you that His Holiness Ksirodashayi Vishnu Maharaja has passed from this world under very questionable circumstances in early September. He was mysteriouly taken to Delhi where he "died" and his cremation was quickly done there without any autopsy.

 

Ksirodakshayee Vishnu first came in contact with Srila Prabhupada, when in 1969 he gave a series of lectures in the prestigious Conway Hall in London. One family came every night even when towards the end attendance was failing. This was Kedarnath Gupta and family who were originally from Uttar Pradesh but settled in London.

 

They invited Prabhupada to come to their house for a program and Prabhupada agreed. They were running a grocery store and their flat was above the store. One had to pass through the store to get to their flat. Prabhupada came and did a wonderful program in their house.

 

They continued associating with the devotees and chanting and following all the priciples. Later they asked Srila Prabhupada to become initiated. Srila Prabhupada then initiated them as the first entire family to be intitiated at once. The father became Ksirodakshayee Vishnu, the mother Kirti Devi Dasi, the eldest son Chatur Bhuj and the younger son Karanadhashayee Vishnu.

 

Later they asked Prabhupada to install Radha Krishna Deities in their house. He agreed but only on the condition that they should stop selling certain things in their store downstairs. They immediately agreed, and in fact closed down the grocery store and opened a laundromat instead. Srila Prabhupada then installed these Deities in their house.

 

Prabhupada eventually called Ksirodashayee to come help him preach in India. He is probably most remembered for the time when Srila Prabhupada returned to Vrindavan in November 1971 with a bus load of Devotees. One Mr. Sarraff was very impressed by the kirtan at a function held by the Vrindavan Munincipality to honor Srila Prabhupada. He promised to give some land in Raman Reti.

 

Srila Prabhupada accepted and appointed Ksirodashayee to follow up and get the land registered. Somehow there was second thoughts on their part and they were delaying things. Finally one day, Mrs. Gita Devi Sarraff, in whose name the land was, said that let Radharani decide. So she wrote "yes" on one piece of paper and "no" on another, folded them up, and placed them at the feet of her Radha Krishna Deities. Ksirodakshayee, meditating on Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet, picked up one piece of paper. When he opened it, it was the one that said "yes". And now we have the wonderful Krishna Balaram Mandir as a result.

 

He was a little independent minded and later left active service in ISKCON, but later opened the Bhaktivedanta Swami Ashram Trust just near Fogla Ashram in Vrindavan. Many devotees used to stay at thes very safe and convenient facilities here during festivals.

 

Several years ago, his wife, Kirti Devi left her body in this ashram and the devotees performed her last rites at the Yamuna.

 

After this, he approached ISKCON for taking Sannyasa, but was a little disappointed when they put a widower over 55 years old on a waiting list. So later he took sannyasa from His Holiness Paramadvaiti Maharaja.

 

Then he built a temple and ashram almost directly across the street from the ISKCON Gaushala on the Parikrama Marg in Vrindavan. Beautiful Radha Krishna Deities were installed and the temple became known as Goloka Dhama.

 

For the last few months, he has been ill but no ISKCON devotees were ever able to see him. Some local people had rented a room in his temple, made friends with him, gained his confidence, and gradually began to "serve" as the manager. They completely cut him off from anyone visiting.

 

Many devotees had experience that whenever they went to visit him, these people told them that he has just taken his medicine and is resting, please come later. In fact the only ISKCON devotees that we know who were able to see him went there and found the ashram locked. One time they managed to enter and found that these people have gone to Delhi and locked Maharaja in his room alone without any fan in the middle of the summer. Maharaja was in a very pitiable condition. Another time one devotee heard Maharaja yelling from inside the locked ashram and found him locked in without any food and again the managers had gone to Delhi.

 

Some local people allege that they may have been be slowly poisoning him. The person who had rented the room in his ashram with his family was the manager of the Union Bank in Vrindavan. It is alleged the one of the biggest mafia dons in Vrindavan, Dilip Chaudhury, planted the manager of the bank there, being tipped off by him that Mahararaja was keeping a few million dollars in the bank there.

 

It is alleged that keeping him drugged, gradually all this money was siphoned off. Apparently all the properties have been sold off also in very questionable "deals". Last month he was taken to Delhi and they allegedly finished him off there. Then a small feast was organized many days after he left.

 

Of course since some of the biggest mafia is involved, it is told that all the authorities have been paid off so that nothing is being investigated, and the sons are running from pillar to post to get justice, but to no avail.

 

We ask all the devotees to pray for the departed soul and pray that Krishna Balaram, Radha Shyamsundar, Gaur Nitai, and Srila Prabhupada give their special mercy on the surving family members in this hour of need.

[gHari]

A sannyasi with millions of dollars - now that's strange.

 

If someone found the Maharaja imprisoned in a room, then why not free him? Who would not? It all allegedly sounds like just more alleged ranting of the allegedly childish minds of alleged conspiracy theorists allegedly allegedly. For such intelligent elevated souls, there sure is a lot of such nonsense passed off as Krsna katha within the halls of the organization. Adrenalin is addictive. Get over it.

 

[theist]

There is a seedy side to the apparent Vrndavan. Did you read that account from Indrulehka dd?

[gHari]

The thugs go to Delhi, leave the man locked in a room, and we happen in. We deduce that he is locked in the room ----- but we just leave him there. Or if we got him out, why the hell are the thugs back? Why is the Maharaja back? Sounds to me like more Mahavishnu wolf ranting Mickey Mousers.

[theist]

And where doesw it say they left him there?

[gHari]

He didn't seem to be free in the end. Was he recaptured by the thugs? Was no one looking out for him after his trying ordeal? Bet your bippy that if I am released from my captors, they will never have me again. Hell, they'll never breathe again!

 

 

[Guest guest]

 

When something happens, we can't alter the circumstances, cos it has already happened. However we can try to see what we can learn from the incident. Life's a lesson after all!!

 

One thing is for sure....never leave the association of bonafide devotees.

 

Second never pursue independant streak.

 

Third live according to your varna and asram. Sannayasi should not accumulate wealth but channel it in preaching. Srila Prabhupada.... "By austerity, celibacy, and control of the mind and senses one can advance in pure life. Similarly, advancement can be made through charity properly directed. That is called tyaga, renunciation. If one has a million dollars, he should not keep it, but, as long as it is within his jurisdiction, he should spend it for Krsna. Money or energy is properly utilized when it is directed to Krsna." (Matchless Gift 4: Learning Tapasya, Self-Control)

 

" So far as the money is concerned, it is not meant for banking, but it is meant for spending. Our policy should be to collect millions of dollars or more than that daily, and spend it daily. That should be our policy. Every morning we shall be empty-handed, get collection of a million dollars during the daytime, and by evening it should be all spent. That should be our motto. But because we are pushing on our activities regularly, therefore some money should be saved to meet emergencies." Srila Prabhupada's Letter to: Tamala Krsna -- New Vrindaban 17 June, 1969

 

So let us learn from Srila Prabhupada's teachings and Ksirodaksayi Maharajas sad example that all sannyasis should rather sell their properties and commit their assets and bank balances to preaching for a purer society that is also safer for them and us.

 

 

[theist]

you make good points, but I wonder about this quote.

 

 

Second never pursue independant streak.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps you would explain a little more about what you consider an independent streak.

[Tarun]

I last spoke face to face with Xirodakazayi ViSNu in 1995. He told me he had asked SP for permission to work separately to which SP agreed.

Actually, his exact words to SP were, "I cannot work with your western disciples," to which SP replied, "That is alright, u can work & preach separately."