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RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY BHAKTI MADHURYA GOVINDA GOSWAMI (MAKHANLAL DAS GOSWAMI)

The news this morning of the sudden departure of Aindra prabhu certainly comes as a great shock, as I am stunned along with all the devotees of the movement. There was certainly a great feeling of disbelief as I was given this report. He was my personal friend, as well as my beloved God brother. There are undoubtedly devotees who were closer to him than I, but we had an affectionate relationship of mutual respect and love. We would always give fond embraces upon seeing each other. He was one of my primary advisors when I first began the worship of Salagram Sila, and he appreciated my mode of worship in which aishvarya (stiff formality) is conspicuously absent, though I carefully follow the rules of vaidhi bhakti (regulative principles of devotional service) in their worship. This feeling of mutual appreciation in Salagram seva contributed to our loving relationship. In this regard, I must narrate a humorous event that took place in Mayapur a few years back. I had brought my Salagrams in their box, setting them down on a small table in front of Aindra prabhu in the Pancha Tattva hall so that they could relish his kirtan. The hall was filled with nearly 1,000 devotees who were there for his famous evening kirtans. There was a break in the kirtan, so I took the opportunity to proudly introduce my new Salagram to him. He is a funny little deity only two inches tall, with a huge smile on his open mouth. In a very up-beat mood, Aindra smiled at seeing this jolly deity and was fully appreciating that Salagram had personally come to enjoy his kirtan. Suddenly he picked up my deity and, in front of 1,000 devotes, he sniffed Salagrams mouth! I was astonished at this instant burst of revealed relationship with the deity. Fully satisfied, Aindra declared, “Oh, he smells very good!” Struck with wonder, I also sniffed His mouth, and sure enough, He smelled great! What an amazing way of greeting a deity, but this was Aindra prabhu, revealing his raghanuga (spontaneous) mood of loving Bhakti.

He has been an icon of kirtan personified for decades, at least in the sense of being the sold out servant of the Holy Names of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. Who can imagine Vrindavan and Mayapur festivals without him? He has been a source of inspiration and guidance for the devotees for decades. For this reason many devotees may be bewildered and too much disappointed that he disappeared so suddenly, seemingly “untimely”. The strange circumstance of his departure as a result of a stove exploding may appear to the neophyte as being an “accident”, but was it really? Should we conclude that Sri Sri Radha Symasundar, firmly situated in the heart of the Holy Dham, somehow lost control of their beloved devotee, allowing their material energies to devastate Aindra’s body as if They could do nothing to protect him? Is Srimati Radhika so negligent towards her special devotee that She somehow became impotent or helpless? Oh, to think in this way would be a great aparadha! We must always remember the famous vedic injunction that “not a blade of grass moves without the sanction of the Supreme Lord”. This law is true even within the realm of the material energy. How much more, then, must it be true under the personal jurisdiction of Hladini Shakti, the internal potency personified in Radhika, who is the owner, controller, supervisor, and dear most guide to all the devotees, but especially to Her surrendered souls who are completely sold out to Her. The real explanation was given by Mahanidhi Swami at the Delhi temple the morning after Aindra’s departure. He wonderfully explained that Radhika personally took Aindra prabhu by the hand, saying “come with me and Bring your offering with you (he was in the middle of cooking). We will offer this to Krishna together. You do not belong in this material world. I am taking you now”! Did she make a mistake? Was there actually an “accident”, or did She personally create this plan for “stealing” her beloved devotee? She has “stolen” him from our association, and it is our fathomless loss, yet it was her carefully planned action—nothing less. Let us not be atheists or doubters about this fact. Our faith in the Supreme Controllers should not in the slightest shaken by this event, for “chance”, as explained many times by Srila Prabhupada, is a word in a fool’s dictionary.

There is a last point I would like to offer in relation to Aindra prabhu’s sudden departure, which should further dispel any doubts regarding the timing of this event. Many of you know that along with being revered by thousands for his extraordinary kirtans, Aindra was a highly controversial personality. At Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day festival in Vrindavan last year, he shocked the devotees with his rather ascorbic offering. Significant numbers were furious and even offended by his “offering”, but that did not even cause Aindra prabhu to blink. He was being bluntly straight forward in his opinions, popular or not. He was being truthful, according to his realization, right or wrong in the eyes of others. This was his level of integrity—uncompromising. There was a huge monsoon storm brewing about the publishing of his highly controversial book, which is apparently critical of ISKCON practices. I have not read it, but controversial it is. His “salty” offering for Srila Prabhupada is contained in his book, which he told me offers “context” to his abrasive (my word, not his) “poem”. But now he is gone, entering into nitya lila with Sri Sri Radha Symasundar. Had he remained with us, there would have been a major disturbance, a virtual “battle of Kurukshetra” as his loyalists vigorously defended their hero, while others vilified him as allegedly not being an ISKCON loyalist. This could never be, however, because of his deep, unswerving love for Srila Prabhupada. Now, however, the issue is settled, Radharani’s way. She has her own independent ways, not subject to any mundane calculation. Her determination was “I am not going to leave my beloved devotee to be subject to such quarrelling between my devotees. I will take him to my own abode now, without reservation”. So in the wake of Srimati Radharani’s decision, let us all join together remembering Aindra prabhu as the singing saint that he was, for indeed, this is the way She and Srila Prabhupada want him to be remembered. Let all other considerations be set aside. He will live forever in our hearts.