Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,Please accept my humble obeisancesAll glories to Srila Prabhupada!Last night at 00H15 our dear Godsister, Mother Lalassamayi, left her bodyand apparently made it back home back to Godhead. Lalassamayi Mataji whohad joined Iskcon in 1983 at the age of sixty years, was spending her lastdays in her home near the Belgian Radhadesh community. Because of heradvanced age, physically things became more and more difficult untill twoweeks ago she made her last visit to the templeroom of Sri Sri RadhaGopinatha.Around 19h00 yesterday evening, one of the two professional nurses who dailytook care of Mother Lalassamayi, announced that now the end is approaching.The nurse refused to take her to the hospital, commenting :"Let her passaway with those people here, that is what she wants". Around 19h30 YaduraniMataji stayed alone with Mother Lalassamayi. "Are we alone ?" MotherLalassamayi asked. "Yes," Yadurani answered, "I will stay with you duringthe night". "Yes, I know," Lalassamayi answered.At around 20H00 yesterday evening, Lalassamayi requested Yadurani to showher the computerized daily darshan pictures of Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha.Yadurani Mataji opened the picture and showed it to Lalassamayi asking herwhat exactly she wanted to see. "I want to see the lotusfeet of Sri SriRadha Gopinatha," Lalassamayi answered. Yadurani showed it. "I don't seeanything", Lalassamayi replied.Mother Lalassamayi looked very tired and Yadurani asked her whether she wasgoing to sleep. "No," Lalassamayi answered. "Are we alone here ?"Lalassamayi asked again, "There is nobody else ?"The room was rather darkened with a dim light and after some timeLalassamayi started to look around everywhere. "There is such brilliantlight here," she said. Then she looked into the corner on the right sidefrom her bed and she tried to reach out with her hand as if she wanted tograsp. "You see something," Mother Yadurani asked. Is someone there ?"Yes," she said, "don't you see, "It is Krishna". "Is someone else there ?Yadurani asked. "Yes," Mother Lalassamayi said, "Nanda Maharaja".... "AndMother Yasoda. Come you. Don't you see. Come, I will show you. Come withme. Come with me. I will show you." Mother Lalassamayi was speaking a lotnow and Yadurani could not understand everything. "Is it very beautiful ?"Yadurani asked. "Yes" Lalassamayi replied. "Are you happy, Lalassamayi ?"Now Lalassamayi put a very big, amazingly beautiful smile. "When are yougoing there ?" Yadurani asked her. "Tomorrow" Lalassamayi replied. "Don'twait anymore, Krishna is waiting for you" Yadurani said, "He has beenwaiting for you since so long now, don't wait anymore." Again she began tolook around and pointing out in the room. Lalassamayi again said "You haveto come with me". "Ok, I will come with you," Yadurani now replied. ThenMother Lalassamayi said : "I want to go back home, now." After that shestarted to withdraw from external consciousness, she breathed withdifficulty. She was asking to drink but when she was given some water sherefused it. This went on for about three hours.When Yadurani saw that the end was getting closer she called theneighbouring devotee. In no time Mother Lalassamayi's house became filledwith Radhadesh devotees and college students who began to perform beautifuland very sweet bhajan. Many devotees visited and finally at 00h15, lookingcompletely peaceful, fearless and detached, Mother Lalassamayi left herbody.After a sankirtan devotee had visited her home in Flanders in 1983 and soldher Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Mother Lalassamayi, at theage of sixty years that time, had joined Iskcon instantly, leaving behindeverything. "I always said it was a very good investment," she used tocomment later on.Until about the age of 70 Mother Lalassamayi was going out on Sankirtan,selling all types of paraphernalia and collecting for the Radhadeshcommunity. Together with Mother Vinode Manjari, they were at that time fora major part practically maintaining the whole of Radhadesh. MotherLalassamayi was also involved as a pujari, cooking for Sri Sri RadhaGopinatha, Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra and Sri Sri GauraNitai.Lalassamayi was very expert in her service. Even when her spiritual master,His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami, visited Radhadesh in 2008, he mentioned howMother Lalassamayi gave him a big donation. It was very obvious how deeplymoved and pleased he was with her and he wanted her to be taken care of asnice as possible. "You have served Krishna so much and for such a longtime, now that your body has become weak, we have to take care of you,"Maharaja expressed. And together with the daily professional nurse care,several Radhadesh devotees have gone out of their way to visit, cook forLalassamayi and give her personal association for the last few years.Recently devotees took very lovingly care of Mother Lalassamayi for twentyfour hours a day.A little anecdote from Yadurani Mataji shows how eager Mother Lalassamayiwas to hear about Krishna. Few days ago Mother Yadurani read a story fromChaitanya Bhagavata to Mother Lalassamayi. In the story non devotees weremocking the devotees, mentioning how they are always crying for their Lordand see the result.. The devotees are such poor people etc. While Yaduraniread the story, Mother Lalassamayi seemed to be fast asleep. Yaduraniwanted to check whether she was really sleeping and she said "It is true,Lalassamayi, is it not ?" Lalassamayi immediately opened her eyes widely."Nooo..," Lalassamayi riposted, as if trying to defend the position of theLord and His devotees.All glories to Mother Lalassamayi!All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!All glories to Srila Prabhupada!Hare Krishna
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