By Thomas Haribol
Often when I offer a lamp in this spiritually-charged season of Kartik, I am reminded of a time years ago when I was seated next to a woman on a plane who was visibly distressed and quietly weeping. I said to her, “You seem really upset. Is there anything I can do to help?” She said through her tears, “I’m approaching ninety; I will die soon and cease to exist.” “What do you mean?” I inquired. She told me that, in her understanding, souls only continue to exist after death if they are remembered by loved ones, as symbolized by the lighting of candles during the mourning period, on the anniversary of their death, and on holy days. She told me none of her children practiced her faith anymore and wouldn’t perform this ritual for her after she died, guaranteeing her non-existence. I tried to console her, speaking about the eternality of the soul apart from any religious ritual, but no amount of reasoning could penetrate her deep grief and firm conviction. My mind also regularly returns to this encounter when I think about how people are remembered and appreciated after their departure. As Cicero famously stated, “Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things.”
Years after the encounter on the plane, by Krishna’s mercy, I encountered a unique treasury of luminous memories about a pure devotee of God named A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Following a Utah vacation where I had seen an interstate billboard for the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple, I returned home and searched the name “Krishna” to learn more about Him. After scrolling through a collection of Krishna animated videos served up by YouTube’s algorithms, I was providentially pointed to a long playlist of Prabhupada Memories videos.
I must have watched close to fifteen hours of interviews that first weekend. I felt like I was listening to older siblings telling me stories about a beloved grandfather I vaguely remembered. Each memory was like a lamp being lit, illuminating and memorializing the mission and exceptional life of an extraordinary personality. Through these memories, I felt deeply connected to Srila Prabhupada, heard the Maha Mantra for the first time, discovered the philosophy, and ordered my first Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
As an avid reader, I later learned that Siddhanta Das, the devotee responsible for this inspiring initiative, also arranged for these memories to be carefully transcribed and published. I had the good fortune to later meet him at the 2017 L.A. Rathyatra, where I purchased the first four volumes in the Prabhupada Memories series.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/book-review-prabhupada-memories-vol-6-and-ambitious-spanish-language-initiative/
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