Request for prayer

[Avinash]

A few days back, my friend was walking. He was on the side of road. The driver of a bus, in order to avoid collision with an oncoming vehicle brought the bus on the roadside and hit my friend. He has been seriously injured and is unconscious. Doctors have lost all hope.

 

I feel very sad for him and his parents. He is the only surviving child of his parents. A few years back, his younger brother passed away. I am praying daily for his recovery. I request as many to pray for him as can.

[theist]

May Lord Caitanya's will be done we pray.

[Gauracandra]

Avinash,

 

I've put in my prayer for your friend. I truly hope he recovers. I would suggest if you can to get some tulasi neck beads and have them loosely around his neck, and if possible have a tape recording of someone chanting the mahamantra. Even on a subtle level this is entering his ears. Iskcon devotees do this routinely in such situations. They usually have a tape of Prabhupada's japa chanting. Just try to surround his bedside with devotional items, like deity pictures etc.... I hope this helps. I'm very sorry for your friend and wish you the best.

 

Gauracandra

[krsna]

As practicioners of devotional service it pains us to see others in distress. There is so much suffering in this world, but when a friend is debilitaed in such a way, the ultimate rescue medicine is the Mahamantra.

 

We shall pray that Krsna look kindly upon this soul and give him a chance at developing love for Him.

 

Hare Krishna.

[Avinash]

He is no more with us. He passed away yesternight. The cremation was done today after postmortem. I feel sad for his parents who have lost their two young sons. They had only two children. The younger one passed away a few years back. The other passed away yesternight.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

I and the other devotees here are praying for your friend. Sometimes its hard to understand the plans of the Lord.

 

I remember when I was visiting the hospital a few months back when one of our devotees had a heart attack and needed a surgery. It was a government hospital, and in Orissa they aren't that good. We were in the department that specializes in heart treatment (bypass surgery, etc.). Every 10 or 15 minutes someone would arrive at the hospital (after having suffered a heart attack), and 90% of them would suddenly fall over dead before they got up the stairs. Even though we know the teachings of the Gita, still it is kind of shocking to see people droping dead all around you without stop. One family had a bed near to where we were (it was a general ward with 30 or 40 beds in a hall), and they were all crying. One of the men saw we were religious people, so he came asking us to pray for his father, and then he began chanting hanuman chalisa as loud as he could. The father had just finished surgery. After walking out fine and laughing and then eating his meal, suddenly he fell over and was dying. For three hours the doctors were trying to revive the person with electric shock and injections and whatever else they knew.

 

After three hours the person finally died, and the man who had been shouting hanuman chalisa suddenly tore the book in half and started to stomp on it while telling bad words about God saying how he doesn't exist and how he will never believe in him.

 

God's plans are beyond our understanding. Sometimes we can not change the path of karma or of fate. We should pray to the Lord for help, but also accept that the Lord's plan may involve something we don't like, namely the person leaving us and going to another destination. Understanding this, we should also make plans for that souls possible transmigration.

 

The advice to surround your friend with devotional articles is very good, especially playing some cassette with the Lord's name. Miracles can happen, and the Lord may cure your friend, but in the event that He has different plans, let us equip your friend for his journey. We think his life has just ended, but his journey is actually just beginning. Only we won't be able to see what happens to him next, but he will be on a very important trip and he will thank everyone who took interest in his soul rather than just in his body.

 

Of course we are all hoping and praying that he recovers and gets to continue his devotional service in this life, but in the event that the Lord has other plans, let us pray that his coming journey will be successful.

 

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Hare Krishna Avinash,

 

My above post was written before you had posted, so I hadn't known about the outcome.

 

Let us pray that his journey is successful.

 

[Guest guest]

If God has a plan for everyone, does it follow that prayers are useless because no matter how much we pray, things are going to happen the way God has ordained? Then of what use is prayer, worship, devotion etc. when they aren't gonna change things.

[Avinash]

I had very good friendship with him. I had myself interviewed him when he applied in the organization where I am working and found him to be very sharp. He joined our organisation a few years back. During his work here, I was both a friend and mentor for him. We used to talk on various topics: things related to our profession, science and spirituality. His parents had great liking for me. I do not know why they had so much liking for me but they had (and hopefully even now have).

 

I wanted to play cassette near him. His parents were fully supportive of that. But doctors did not like it. They gave strict instructions that we should not make noise near him (my friend). They did not like any cassette to be played. I told them that this would not disturb my friend. They said that other patients may get disturbed. As you can understand, I would not have liked arguing with him during such a sad situation. Then, I had another idea. I started chanting mahamantra myself. Now, doctors had no objection as the voice was not reaching adjacent rooms, but it was reaching my friend's ears because I was quite close to him. Since he was not fully conscious, I do not know how much of my chanting registered in his mind. But I continued to recite the mantra.

 

Of course, I also put a garland of tulsi beads around his neck. I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could. So, I could not go and get a new garland of tulsi beads. Therefore, I put my own garland around him (I got a garlland of tulsi beads a couple of years back). After his death, I did not think it good to take the garland back from him. So, I let that be with him.

 

Today evening, I got a new garland for me.

 

I do not know if it is OK to give already used tulsi neck beads to another person. I thought it was OK and, therefore, gave to my friend. In case, it is not OK, please let me know so that I do not do the same mistake again.

 

Now, I have to think what I can do for his parents.