12/06/97 - 1328

Lohitaksa Prabhu's Departure

India (VNN) - Sat, 29 Nov 1997

Dear Prabhus, Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I have sad but glorious news for the devotees there. I beg to inform you that our beloved godbrother Lohitaksa Prabhu passed away some hours ago (this morning, evening in India) from the hospice in Vrndavan. Details of his passing are not yet known, but there will be bhajan in his room, then the devotees there will take his body for darshan of the Deities and final cremation at Kesi Ghat.

He was going to seek treatment from a Vrndavan mystic, but had to have some medical treatment in Mathura first. The doctors there wanted to send him to another hospital in Agra, but the devotees refused and took him back to Vrndavan. Romabhadra prabhu (ISKCON N.Y. temple president) will get more details, and if you are interested I can let you know as I find out. He mentioned to me one statement from the sastra that even a moth or insect that leaves his body from the realm of Vrndavan Mathura goes to the Palace of Visnu and takes a body four armed so we can lament and rejoice simultaneously for our loss and Lohitaksa's gain, to leave the body from such auspicious surroundings.

Please write back so I know you received the information. If you see my daughter, Janaki dasi, please inform her as well as the other devotees. I know the community there engaged Lohitaksa Prabhu and the N.Y. devotees this past summer when they brought the drama group there,so I thought I should let the community know. If you like you can add his name to you list of departed Vaisnavas, for the eventual memorial park that is in the communities' plan.

Hare Bol. Hoping to see you soon. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Lohitaksa prabhu ki jaya.

Your servant,
Puru Das Adhikari

N.B. Just a slight addition to my letter. Aindra Prabhu and other devotees from ISKCON Vrndavana chanted for him, as during his last day he was slipping in and out of external consciousness, due to extreme disease. Dinabandhu Prabhu chanted for him in his room as well. After he departed the devotees took him for darshan of the Deities and the final cremation near the Kesi Ghat the next day. He passed around 5 P.M. Indian time. His service in presenting Vaisnava drama and dance will be missed. We are confident that Krishna and Srila Prabhupada made all arrangements for auspicious circumstances surrounding his death through the many devotees who assisted him to make the final move to Vrndavan from New York.