Kadamba Kanana Swami shocked me today, telling me just after I finished japa, that Aindra Prabhu had just left his body in Vrindavana. How unexpected! How sad for the devotees who love his kirtanas and his association!
I had just been thinking of my association with him this week when I was in Zurich. I met one harinama enthusiast there, who aspired to become his disciple, and so I was recalling my brief exchanges with him.
In 2005, I was part of Aindra Prabhu’s 24-hour kirtana party in Vrindavana for three weeks of Karttika. I am not a musician, and unfortunately I have little desire to become a musician, so I am of little value on such a party, but Aindra Prabhu was kind enough to let me join anyway. He was affectionate to his kirtana men, always making sure they had what they needed, including all the maha-prasadam they wanted from his many salagrama-silas.
While in his association, Aindra Prabhu explained to me how he got involved in the 24-hour kirtana. Once one of his godbrothers came up to Aindra saying he had a dream of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada, in the dream, had tears in his eyes and was expressing dismay at the inability of his disciples to organize a 24-hour kirtana in Vrindavan.When Aindra Prabhu heard that, then and there, he decided to make the establishment of the 24-hour kirtana his personal mission.
Aindra Prabhu explained that Srila Prabhupada stressed both book distribution and harinama sankirtana, but that while many people remember the importance of book distribution, there is less awareness of the importance of harinama sankirtana, and therefore, he wanted to focus on that.
During my three-week stay in Vrindavana, Indradyumna Swami invited me to Jaipur on pilgrimage for a couple days, but I told him I did not want to break my promise to Aindra Prabhu to do kirtana for these three weeks. Indradyumna Swami, knowing that Aindra Prabhu likes salagrama-silas very much, decided to give Aindra two silas in exchange for permission for me to go to Jaipur for two days. When Aindra Prabhu received Them from the small cloth bag I carried, he smiled, and after observing Them, he told me, “There is nothing equal to a salagrama-sila. Nothing except the maha-prasadam tulasi leaves offered to a salagrama-sila.” And so he carefully put some maha-tulasi leaves in the cloth bag for me to give to Indradyumna Swami in exchange, and I got to go to Jaipur on parikrama.
One year I came to Vrindavana during Karttika without having made a prior arrangement for accommodation. I knew some people there and was hoping I could stay with them, at least until I found a place. Instead, they teased me for coming to Vrindavana without prearranging a place to stay, and so I had to look for shelter. I knew AindraPrabhu from previously being part of the kirtana party, so I talked to him, and he let me stay for the night. I gratefully appreciated hiscompassion as a divine quality. Similarly Umapati Swami gave me a place to stay the next night.
It addition to Aindra Prabhu’s kirtana for which he is famous, Aindrawould also do practical services like repairing and remodeling thebrahmacari bathroom for the service of the Vaishnavas, which I sawboth as an expression of his humility and his love for the devotees.
When I was thanking him for letting me stay the night with his kirtanaparty, he was reminding me of how Srila Prabhupada consideredVrindavana to be his home, and said that we should consider it ourhome also. For me, Vrindavana has always been austere. It is the placewhere the monkeys stole my glasses, the people stole my shoes, whereit is too cold in the winter, and where I could not find a place tosay. Thus I told Aindra Prabhu, “I appreciate what you are saying, butI feel more at home in Mayapur.” He looked at me and smiled, and said,assuming a countenance of reverence, “Srila Prabhupada said, ‘Mayapuris our place of worship.’” Then, leaning back as if to relax, hecontinued, “But in Vrindavana, you can just kick back.” I smiled andthought, but did not say, “Maybe for him it is that way, but not forme.” Perhaps someday, by the mercy of Mayapur dhama and by AindraPrabhu’s good wishes, I too will realize Vrindavana to be my home.
So inexplicably, Krishna decided it was time to take Aindra back hishome in the original Vrindavana, to give us impetus to glorify andremember him, and to remind us that our stay in this body can end in amoment, and therefore, we have to remember Krishna at every momentfrom now on, in order to be prepared.
I pleaded with Kadamba Kanana Swami to speak about Aindra Prabhu inthe morning lecture. “The people here in Prague,” I said, “areunlikely to meet anyone who had as much association with Aindra Prabhuas you did, living in Vrindavana for so many years.” And perhaps forthis and reasons of his own, he did. What follows are my notes on hisclass. I shall try to someday include a link to the lecture itself, ifit becomes available.
Notes on Morning Class by Kadamba Kanana Swami, Prague, CzechRepublic, July 17, 2010
We received news Aindra Prabhu unexpected suddenly left his body in Vrindavana.
In Vrindavana, what happens is Krishna’s plan. Of course, the idealway to leave one’s body is surrounded by loving devotees chanting theholy name, but that is not always the case. I was thinking of LordRsabhadeva, the divine incarnation who appeared to establish religiousprinciples. After he became a mendicant, his body burned in a forestfire. It is not our Vaishnava practice to enter into the cause ofdeath so much. Sometimes people speculate, like when Tamal KrishnaGoswami left his body, that it must be some negative reaction. Butthat is not true, as with Rsabhadeva. Instead, we look at thepositive. Aindra Prabhu was allowed to do service in Vrindavana. WhenKrishna-Balarama temple was started in Vrindavana, Srila Prabhupadaexpressed a desire that 24-hour kirtana be organized. He wrote toHamsaduta Prabhu suggesting how it could be done. I was part of themanagement from 1978 to 1984. We tried many times to establish it butdid not have enough people. Practically from his first days in Krishnaconsciousness, Aindra was doing kirtana as his service. In New YorkCity he would chant with other devotees on a flatbed truck. In 1986 hestarted the akhandita [uninterrupted] kirtana in Vrindavana. Beforethat, in ISKCON, we did not have a culture of just sitting down andchanting Hare Krishna for hours. It was not a particular kirtana styleso much as a kirtana culture that he inspired. [Later Maharajaelaborated: Madhava Prabhu, from Switzerland, was inspired, thenSivarama Swami, B. B. Govinda Swami, and Sacinandana Swami. You cantrace it all back to Aindra Prabhu.]
As many with musicians, Aindra was eccentric. His room had Vrindavanaclay on the floor, 108 silas, Gaura-Nitai, depiction of rasa-lila,tamala tree remnants, etc. Every two months I would come from Mayapurto Vrindavana, and I would see him. At 1990 I became temple presidentin Vrindavana. The GBC asked me to ask him what his asrama is, andwhen I did, he looked at me with his piercing eyes, and said, “I am abrahmastha vannyasi.” His dress was also eccentric and some peoplecomplained. Many artists are eccentric, and I took it like that.
But there was a very serious side to Aindra Prabhu, chanting manyrounds of the holy name and studying Prabhupada’s books and the booksof the Goswamis. He would ask questions after Srimad-Bhagavatam classthat were penetrating. He had a lot of inner strength and could live alife of great austerity. Although people complained about his personaldress, he excelled at dressing the Deities. Especially for thefestivals, he would dress Them. He had a deep connection, which was areal thing. Imagine Aindra would have come to Prague. He would drawhuge crowds. Wherever he would go, he would attract many people. Buthe did not want to leave Vrindavana. He was disturbed by once havingto go to Nepal for visa issues. Thus he applied for citizenship, whichwas hard to get for one from the Vrindavana area. But he got it. TheDeities were pleased with him because he sang for Them, and so Theylet him become a resident.
Once I was chanting my remaining rounds in the temple, and one Bengalidevotee was making a lot of noise, so I advised him to be quiet,saying “The deities are resting.” Aindra Prabhu, who was also there,said, “No, He is not. That is what Mother Yasoda thinks.”
As a temple president, sometimes it gets tough. Sometimes you are ontop of the elephant, and sometimes the elephant is on top of you. OnceI had one of those intense days. I took rest, only to be awakened at11:00 p.m. at night by Aindra, who said, “Come on. It is rasa purnima.Come let’s celebrate.” I came to his room, and in addition to otherfestivities, they had this incredible feast served at 11:00 p.m. atnight.
Because he was serious about serious things, we took him seriously. Hewas serious about his chanting, japa and kirtana, and about hisrenunciation. He was not after fame. His dedication to the Deities wastranscendental, day in, day out, year after year. That isperseverance. Srila Prabhupada says perseverance is source of faith.There is no doubt that Aindra sang for the pleasure of the Personalityof Godhead, and there he stands out. Some imitated him, the samedress, the same style of bhajana, etc., but few showed the seriousnesshe showed in his dedication to Krishna consciousness.
His contribution to ISKCON is a lasting one. Before, kirtana wassomething wild. Ayodhya-pati Prabhu used to play the whompers on theground and grab devotees by the kurta and swing them around. SrilaPrabhupada had started with sitting and doing the swami step. But whenone saintly lady from Vrindavana led kirtana, and Srila Prabhupadabegan jumping in the kirtana, from that day, kirtana was wild and fullof enthusiasm, and that spread all over the world. And even when itwas sitting down with the harmonium, it still had the rocking nature.But from Aindra Prabhu we learn to deeply meditate and an element ofpeaceful chanting. I say “an element” because he could also get wild.We learned something from Aindra about chanting the holy name andmeditating on Krishna, and he has greatly contributed to the maturingprocess, because he taught so many along the way.
His leaving us was unexpected, but it is also a manifestation of grace, because he left this world in Vrindavana. It is not an ordinary departure but one earned by devotional service. The externals are insignificant. We are looking at how he pleased Radha-Shyamasundara.
When such news reaches us, there is shock, and for those who know him,there is sadness. But from the spiritual point of a view, it is asuccess story—that someone from New York took the devotional serviceseriously, and he fulfilled Srila Prabhupada’s desire to establish 24-hour kirtana in Vrindavana.
“He reasons ill that Vaishnavas die when thou art living still insound. The Vaishnava dies to live, and living spreads the holy namearound.” Through his recordings, he will remain with us.
Srila Prabhupada explained that if one lives the life of devotee inVrindavana, he will go back to Godhead. However, if one lives amaterialistic life in Vrindavana, he will become an animal inVrindavana for one life, and then go back to Godhead.
Q: How can one be fixed like Aindra, disregarding external circumstances?
A: That one is so different as Aindra, but yet so fixed, indicates abenediction from the previous life. Those who can fix themselves onthe eternal platform are highly advanced, and we take shelter of them.One may show great enthusiasm in service, but when it gets difficult,things change. That means the connection with Krishna is not sostrong.
I have one young doctor disciple in South Africa. She has to seepeople dying every day. In this world, when things get serious, we sayit is a matter of life or death. But for us, it is Krishna or maya.That is more important than life or death. Those who have fullyaccepted this are leaders, regardless of their position, because oftheir firm faith. We see that these people found some service forKrishna, and they did it. We may not be so advanced. But by theirassociation, we can gain strength to do some service seriously forKrishna.
Aindra Prabhu’s most significant contribution is that he took a desireof Srila Prabhupada [to have 24-hour kirtana in Vrindavana] and hereally developed it.
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