Sri Bhakti Prema Prabhu passed away in Sri Vrindavan Dham on Monday the 29th of Nov

11-30-2004, 03:20 PM

We are sorry to inform the devotees about the sudden and surprising
departure of our dear godbrother and friend, Sri Bhakti Prema Prabhu.
Bhakti
Prema passed away in Sri Vrindavan Dham on Monday the 29th of November.

At the time of his departure, Bhakti Prema was only 36 years old. Raised
in
the UK in a pious Indian family, he came to India to take shelter of Sri
Srimad Gour Govinda Swami. Bhakti Prema stayed in Bhubaneswar for several
years and during that time he received a lot of merciful attention from
Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. After Maharaja's departure, Bhakti Prema
received the mercy of Srila Bhakti Svarup Damodar Maharaja and took
initiation from him. Since 1996, Bhakti Prema kept the ISKCON Gadeigiri
temple in Orissa as his base. There, he rendered various services as a
kirtan leader, preacher, and laksmi collector for Sri Sri Radha Gopal Jiu,
the beloved deities of Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami. He was a well known
traveling brahmacari preacher and gave many classes in Europe and South
India.

Shortly before his departure, Bhakti Prema Prabhu was attending the Vraja
Mandala Parikrama of Sri Ramesh Baba of Barsana. For nearly the whole
month
of Kartika he was daily absorbed in hari-katha, blissful kirtan, dancing
and
taking darsan of different deities and holy places of Vraja. Devotees have
told us that he was having stomach problems due to some water he had drank
on the parikrama. Kartika finished on the 27th of November and the next
day
he went to Srila Bhakti Svarup Damodar Maharaja's temple at Radha Kund to
recuperate. However his condition worsened and he started suffering from
severe dysentery. The next day when he began badly shaking and vomiting
blood the devotees took him to the hospital at Govardhan. They said they
could not help him and referred him to the hospital in Vrindavan. He was
admitted to hospital in Vrindavan and that afternoon, sometime between
four
and five PM he left his body there.

That night, the devotees in Vrindavan phoned to inform us here in
Bhubaneswar. They said that because he was a foreigner, government
regulations would not allow them to burn his body until his passport and
papers were cleared. Hence Bhakti Prema Prabhu's body was taken to Srila
Gour Govinda Swami's Puspa Samadhi in Vrindavan where the devotees
performed
kirtan for him all night.

Bhakti Prema Prabhu was a young healthy brahmacari, his sudden departure
was
a shock to everyone. However, we consider his departure in Vrindavan to be
the most wonderful and glorious event. In his "Sri Mathura Mahatmya",
Srila
Rupa Goswamipad has described the glories of Vraja Mandala. Therein Lord
Varahadev says to the Earth goddess (texts 33-34):

"O Devi, among all holy places, Mathura (the town, but is also another
name
for the area of Vraja) is the most important because Lord Sri Krishna
performed many pastimes there. Every step of this land is purifying. It is
the abode of Sri Krishna's childhood pastimes with His cowherd boy friends
and this place is decorated with the marks of Sri Krishna's lotus feet."

In text 41, Rupa Goswami quotes Narada Muni from Skanda Purana, Mathura
Mahatmya:

"The result one obtains by performing pious activities in any part of
India
for thirty-three thousand years is obtained simply by remembering
Mathura."

In text 87, Srila Rupapada again quotes Lord Varaha's words to Bhumi Devi
in
the Adi Varaha Purana:

"O Devi, if persons give up their bodies anywhere in Mathura such as a in
a
house, on the water, in the land, on the road, or in a courtyard, they
will
certainly attain liberation."

Text 97 states:

"What to speak of human beings, if even insects, worms, flies, or trees
die
in this holy land, they will also attain the supreme destination."

Although we will miss our old friend, when we contemplate his good
fortune,
our hearts feel a great happiness. "Bhakti Prema Prabhu, wherever you are
today, we offer you our humble pranams. All glories!!"

Your old friend and servant, Madhavananda Das