Blog

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

Yesterday on the auspiscious day of Apara Ekadasi, at around 3:30 am, brahma muhurtha time, one of our dear God-brothers, HG Anaadi nidhanam Krishna Prabhu, left his body in Trivandrum Kerala.

The following is the extract of message from HG Devakinandan Prabhuji, glorifying the life of HG Anaadi nidhanam Prabhuji.

HG Anaadi nidhanam Prabhu was a law student, young, lively and jolly in disposition many years ago. Among others, HG Kathamrtra Prabhu attributes him (Anaadi Nidhanam Prabhu) to introducing and encouraging him to take up this wonderful process of devotional service. But the Lord had other plans for him. Few weeks after joining his first job, while crossing a railway line, and having his headphones on, he did not see a train coming, and it hit him straight on. Most, if not all, casualties of train accidents do not survive, but Prabhu did. However, he was paralysed such that he lost the use of his legs, lower body and many other functions, reduced, practically, to a vegetable. All he had left with was his speech, some upper body movement, and his keen intelligence and consciousness. His spirit was broken.

When our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj came to Trivandrum, sometime in 2001, and was introduced to him, Maharaj instructed Prabhu to translate Bhagavatam from English to Malayalam. At that time, surprisingly, there were no reliable nor authentic translations of this great literature in the Malayalam language. Anaadi Nidhanam Prabhu was initially hesitant, but he had great faith in Maharaj, and he took this great mission up. When I had the good fortune to take his association and meet him a few years later, he lived in difficult surroundings - his parents, I was told, had tried and exhausted all forms of treatment and therapy to get him to move again, and in so doing, had very little financial resources left. Prabhu was lying down for the whole day, on a simple wooden bed, and I could see that he was frustrated. While we all take for granted, basic movements and things in our life, without being grateful to Krishna for them, the Lord took everything basic from Prabhu, yet, with his faith and devotional service, he continued his challenging existence. I have a vivid memory of a cockcroach crawling around Prabhu's head and face, as he lay on the bed, when we were talking to him then, and how helpless he was to shoo it away. That simple graphic episode told me so much about his state of existence.

Yet, all who met him told me he never complained, nor cursed; he accepted his fate stoically, with dhira, the soberness of a devotee, despite fighting frustration, disillusionment and grief. This was because he took his spiritual master's instruction into his heart, with the simplicity and determination that comes from sincere devotional service, and commenced his translations. At this juncture, I really appreciate the devotees who supported, encouraged and helped him after he would write his translations; I recall HG Kathamrta Prabhu and HG Svayamsampoorna Prabhu in this regard. Prabhu would painstakingly, lying down on his back write and sometimes dictate translations; these translations were so accurate and effective that devotees reading them became very inspired. He finished the entire 1st and 2nd Canto Srimad Bhagavatam translation, which, today, are the official published ones.

By then, his health had started to deteriorate, and everything became a struggle. The last two weeks, his kidneys failed, and yesterday, at the auspicious hour nearing mangala arati, he left his body; By Maharaj's mercy, a devotee, one of our god-brothers, was present with him as he left, doubtlessly chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. When Maharaj informed me of Prabhu years ago, he spoke with so much wonder and praise for this young man, struck down by the force of time. Maharaj said that Krishna saved his life for Bhagavatam, and that his sole purpose of existence was to utilise his intelligence to translate. When I asked if Prabhu would be able to translate effectively, Maharaj cut me short and said, "Krishna has given him full intelligence because he has obeyed me, that is enough..."

In my puny way, I realised, then, that Prabhu's existence was perfected because he pleased his spiritual master. I also realised, after meeting Prabhu, that devotional service, and its execution, does not depend on any material condition, but it depends only the simplicity and sincerity of the practitioner. What is the use of our existence, if we cannot please our spiritual master, nor follow his instructions to the letter? Name, fame, glory, wealth and health we may possess, but these are of no practical value in spiritual life if they cannot be used for the pleasure of the Lord. Anaadi Nidhanam Krsna Prabhu is an example of a devotee whom I hope to learn from and remember always. No doubt, Maharaj must be giving him service wherever he is. Let us take inspiration from Prabhu, and to change and improve ourselves in our devotional service, and our outlook to life.

The first 2 Cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam are the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. By painstakingly translating the first 2 Cantos of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavatam in Malayalam, as per the orders of dear Gurudeva, in spite of all his difficult health conditions, Prabhuji has definitely pleased Srila Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada and Sri Krishna. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.8.28 Kunti Maharani prays

manye tvaam kaalam ishaanam / anaadi nidhanam vibhum
samam carantam sarvatra / bhutaanaam yan mitha kalih

"My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme controller, without beginning and end, the all-pervasive one. In distributing Your mercy, You are equal to everyone. The dissensions between living beings are due to social intercourse."

In the above verse Srila Prabhupada translates 'anaadi nidhanam' as "without beginning and end". True to his name, Prabhuji's glories also has no beginning and end and will be reverbrating through the pages of Malayalam edition of Srila Prabhupada's Srimad Bhagavatam eternally.

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Kalacakra Krsna das.