Buddhimanta prabhu (seen in this photo from NY July 1976 on the right holding the mridanga)
BB Govinda Swami: I went to mangala arati this morning.
A devotee named Gaura Sundara sang the kirtan. It was the most beautifully sung morning kirtan that I have heard at Krishna Balaram Mandir in many years.
It was basically slow throughout and sung in a medium to lower key that everyone could catch .. and reach the high parts when they came.
It was a kirtan where the entire congregation sang, swaying, lifting the arms, praying, and in the end it took off … just as it is supposed to do.
I asked Deena Bandhu Prabhu who the devotee was that I could try to meet him later and thank him for such a nice kirtan.
Then I went to the samadhi to offer my obeisance to Srila Prabhupada.
Bhubanesvara prabhu came and immediately he had us diving into an ocean of Krishna katha. It was like he just turned on a water tap and the nectar began to flow.
Then he requested me to come to his room and take some mahaprasadam.
On the way I met that kirtan leader and profusely thanked him for such a beautiful kirtan.
Bhubanesvara lives in room number three, a room that we all used to affectionately call, “the launch pad” … because so many vaisnavas left their bodies in that room.
Back in the late 80’s or very early 90’s I lived in that room along with my god brother Buddhi Manta Prabhu. I had the honour of caring for him as he was preparing to depart this world to Goloka Vrindavan.
Buddhi was the first big book distributor in ISKCON.
He was a very fine southern gentleman who hailed from the center of the universe, Nashville, Tennessee.
When I first met Buddhi in 1977 he was part of Guru Kripa Prabhu’s Nama Hatta Sankirtan Party. This was the party that collected funds to build Krishna Balaram Mandir and continued collecting for other projects.
When first I heard his southern drawl I asked him, “where are you from.”
He replied, “Nashville, Tennessee.”
When I told him that I also was from Nashville he looked me straight in the eyes and said,
“Shut up and stop lying boy … ain’t but one devotee from Nashville and thats me.”
After Prabhupada departed Buddhi took a bit of a vacation from sadhana-bhakti, though his heart was always at the feet of Srila Prabhupada.
He developed brain cancer at a very young age. Was twice given radiation and chemo, and after the second session the doctors told him he had two months to live.
His friends placed him on a plane to India and sent him to Vrindavan to die.
When I met him in Govinda’s I sat next to him and he didn’t recognize me. Then I started speaking hillbilly and he realized who I was.
Here he was.
No caretaker, no one to administer his medication, and his mind was going so fast that he could not remember whether he had taken he meds or not.
If he did not take meds regularly he would undergo severe epileptic fits.
Thus, I told told, “alright you damn redneck .. you just got a roommate.”
And I moved in.
His 2 months became about 18 months. It was a long, long, journey on a road that I’d never walked upon in this life.
The progressive mental deterioration, the personality change, aggressive behavior, paranoia, paralysis, loss of all short term memory, loss of ability to eat, speak, and move were things I never knew would happen.
Buddhi was a mountain when he arrived and bones when he left.
He would forget who I was and beat me with his cane.
When he couldn’t beat me anymore he’d bite holes in my arms while I was washing him.
Once, while I was helping him to urinate, he forgot who I was. Thinking I was a thief he screamed and poured the bottle of urine over my head.
My gut reaction was to whack him.
But then Krishna would remind me that Buddhi was just not Buddhi any longer, that I was Buddhi’s servant. The Lord was ever-so-kindly arranging these events to simply reduce my mountain of ego and self-esteem.
But as the short term memory failed the only thing that Buddhi could remember was the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada.
He would tell me anecdotes of how kind Srila Prabhupada was to him in San Francisco. Prabhupada would hear the sankirtan scores and give Buddhi so much mercy.
Once, after his speaking was basically reduced to grunts with a southern drawl, he held my hand real tight and said the following;
“Ayodhya .. Try to understand how Srila Prabhupada is such a great gentleman.
When he left this world I lost my desire to be a devotee.
I wanted to become a big sense gratifier. I had plenty of money, sense enjoyment, sense gratifying friends.
But, as soon as I got sick, they all left me .. but Prabhupada was such a gentleman he never left me and he always remembered me.
Prabhupada was so thankful for that small and insignificant service that I rendered that despite the fact that I wanted to enjoy, he caught me by the ear, and brought me to Vrindavan to die.
I wanted to be the biggest Godasa .. but that kind gentleman Srila Prabhupada placed me in this bed. Now I can’t eat, and I can’t sleep, and my mind doesn’t work to even think about sense pleasures.
All I can do is lay here and listen to Srila Prabhupada sing mahamantra on the cassette 24 hours a day.
I wanted to be the biggest Godasa .. and Prabhupada brought me here and made me a Goswami.
And he’d repeatedly mutter in a southern drawl ..
All glories to Srila Prabhupada .. He saved me from myself.”
Buddhi Manta passed away on the night of Sivaratri.
There was a wonderful devotee who assisted me caring for Buddhi.
I just can’t remember his name. He was a “Something Caitanya” He was such a great, caring, selfless helper.
We bathed Buddhi’s body, adorned it with tilak, fresh cloth and garlands.
The next morning, with tears in my eyes, I announced his departure after the mangala arati.
Straight after the guru puja we headed of the Yamuna, lit the fire, and watched how quickly Buddhi’s form of suffering disappeared into the flames.
Well …
After this flood of remembrance, the saintly Bhubanesvara gave me a piece of the wonderful nut burfi that he cooks with love for Radhe Shyam.
I thanked him, we embraced, I asked him to pray for me and then I left.
All glories to the vaisnavas. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Sri Vrindavan Dham.
As I am unqualified .. today I must leave Vraja.
I pray that you, merciful devotees, bless me that I may again return to this sacred land of Vrindavan.
Hare Krishna !!