Jayananda Prabhu’s Mother: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I receive this account from Mother Kalindi in Boulder Colorado.I think you’ll find it interesting.
Hare Krsna.
Your Servant, Candramauli Swami.
On the morning of Monday August 6, 2007 I began my day at work at Hospice. After our daily report,medical staff checks on each patient and we begin doing our usual tasks of caring for each patient. Given that this is a small 10 bed facility it allows for us to give loving care to everyone. Often while I care or bathe patients who are unable to do these tasks for themselves I chant or sing the Maha Mantra. On this particular morning I was caring for one woman who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person and I enjoyed the time I had spent with her on her previous days. Around 8 a.m. on August 6th I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues and her body was quite limp. I took this opportunity to sing the Maha Mantra one last time while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family. Her family was always very friendly and appreciative for all of her care. When I finished with her care I spoke with some some family members in the hall. Jane’s (our patient) grandson approached me to thank me . He then pointed at his forehead, pointed out my tilak and asked if I was a Hare Krishna. I smiled and said that I am a devotee of Krsna! He said , “Well then maybe you know of my uncle , Jayananda?”
I asked,”Thee Jayananda?” He said yes. He told me how his uncle had built the carts we use in festivals (for Ratha Yatra). He then walked in to inform his mother that I was a Hare Krsna. Gaynelle (Jayananda prabhu’s sister) then walked out of the room and said she was so happy that a Krsna devotee had cared for her mother mother. The whole family expressed that it meant so much to them. Gaynelle kept saying that she couldn’t believe that I was a Hare Krsna. She said she told her mother but she wasn’t sure that her mom could hear her. I said I have a feeling she already knows and I laughed. Jane (granddaughter) mentioned that she remembers her uncle making really great indian food, offering it to God and the family sitting on the floor and eating it. She remembers his robes and how happy he was. Jane said that he had been pretty depressed before meeting devotees. I let Jayananda prabhu’s family know that during the Ratha Yatra festival that we hang a nice photo of him next to Srila Prabhupada’s photo. They told me that an old friend of Jayananda’s (who is not a devotee) who happened to be in Africa several years ago saw his first Ratha Yatra festival there and to his astonishment there was a huge photo of Jayananda prabhu on the front of the cart! He called Gaynelle to share the news. They told me Jayananda was always so kind even as a child he never spoke badly of others. From the many stories they told me his saintly qualities shined through even as a child. Gaynelle told me that her brother once spent hours on a family vacation at the beach picking ticks and fleas off of a homeless dog. He couldn’t stand to watch its suffering. Jayananda’s nephew then told me he remembers running around the kitchen table as a small child with his uncle laughing and chanting Hare Krsna.
Late morning I entered Jane Kohr’s room. Family was beautifully gathered around her bed holding her hand. Respirations were becoming faint and she was about to leave the body in which she inhabited. I stepped out, giving the family their space and about 5 minutes later they came to the front desk and asked for me to look at her. When I opened the door I saw her body lying there yellow and waxy in color. It was apparent that the soul had left and the physical body was all that remained. The RN reported that she in fact had passed and family although sad also felt relief. Gaynelle told me that she had asked her brother for support. Since he couldn’t physically be at their mother’s passing she had been looking for a sign that her brother was supporting her. She felt that a devotee being present and caring for her mother was not a mere coincidence. I believe it was Krsna’s endless mercy! I thanked them for allowing me to serve their family and offered my pranama’s and said ” Hare Krsna.”
Gayanelle then asked our Hospice chaplain if I could please speak at Jane’s memorial service on August 15th. She wanted me took speak a little bit about her mother and also about her brother, Jayananda. I felt that this was a good opportunity to share Krsna Consciousness with some people who otherwise would never hear about Lord Krsna. I was really touched by their request.Below is the short talk I gave. Please forgive me if I misspelled any words or if I committed any offences.
Your servant, Kalindi devi dasi
Jayananda Prabhu’s Mother: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I receive this account from Mother Kalindi in Boulder Colorado.I think you’ll find it interesting.
Hare Krsna.
Your Servant, Candramauli Swami.
On the morning of Monday August 6, 2007 I began my day at work at Hospice. After our daily report,medical staff checks on each patient and we begin doing our usual tasks of caring for each patient. Given that this is a small 10 bed facility it allows for us to give loving care to everyone. Often while I care or bathe patients who are unable to do these tasks for themselves I chant or sing the Maha Mantra. On this particular morning I was caring for one woman who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person and I enjoyed the time I had spent with her on her previous days. Around 8 a.m. on August 6th I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues and her body was quite limp. I took this opportunity to sing the Maha Mantra one last time while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family. Her family was always very friendly and appreciative for all of her care. When I finished with her care I spoke with some some family members in the hall. Jane’s (our patient) grandson approached me to thank me . He then pointed at his forehead, pointed out my tilak and asked if I was a Hare Krishna. I smiled and said that I am a devotee of Krsna! He said , “Well then maybe you know of my uncle , Jayananda?”
I asked,”Thee Jayananda?” He said yes. He told me how his uncle had built the carts we use in festivals (for Ratha Yatra). He then walked in to inform his mother that I was a Hare Krsna. Gaynelle (Jayananda prabhu’s sister) then walked out of the room and said she was so happy that a Krsna devotee had cared for her mother mother. The whole family expressed that it meant so much to them. Gaynelle kept saying that she couldn’t believe that I was a Hare Krsna. She said she told her mother but she wasn’t sure that her mom could hear her. I said I have a feeling she already knows and I laughed. Jane (granddaughter) mentioned that she remembers her uncle making really great indian food, offering it to God and the family sitting on the floor and eating it. She remembers his robes and how happy he was. Jane said that he had been pretty depressed before meeting devotees. I let Jayananda prabhu’s family know that during the Ratha Yatra festival that we hang a nice photo of him next to Srila Prabhupada’s photo. They told me that an old friend of Jayananda’s (who is not a devotee) who happened to be in Africa several years ago saw his first Ratha Yatra festival there and to his astonishment there was a huge photo of Jayananda prabhu on the front of the cart! He called Gaynelle to share the news. They told me Jayananda was always so kind even as a child he never spoke badly of others. From the many stories they told me his saintly qualities shined through even as a child. Gaynelle told me that her brother once spent hours on a family vacation at the beach picking ticks and fleas off of a homeless dog. He couldn’t stand to watch its suffering. Jayananda’s nephew then told me he remembers running around the kitchen table as a small child with his uncle laughing and chanting Hare Krsna.
Late morning I entered Jane Kohr’s room. Family was beautifully gathered around her bed holding her hand. Respirations were becoming faint and she was about to leave the body in which she inhabited. I stepped out, giving the family their space and about 5 minutes later they came to the front desk and asked for me to look at her. When I opened the door I saw her body lying there yellow and waxy in color. It was apparent that the soul had left and the physical body was all that remained. The RN reported that she in fact had passed and family although sad also felt relief. Gaynelle told me that she had asked her brother for support. Since he couldn’t physically be at their mother’s passing she had been looking for a sign that her brother was supporting her. She felt that a devotee being present and caring for her mother was not a mere coincidence. I believe it was Krsna’s endless mercy! I thanked them for allowing me to serve their family and offered my pranama’s and said ” Hare Krsna.”
Gayanelle then asked our Hospice chaplain if I could please speak at Jane’s memorial service on August 15th. She wanted me took speak a little bit about her mother and also about her brother, Jayananda. I felt that this was a good opportunity to share Krsna Consciousness with some people who otherwise would never hear about Lord Krsna. I was really touched by their request.Below is the short talk I gave. Please forgive me if I misspelled any words or if I committed any offences.
Your servant, Kalindi devi dasi