By Nrsimhananda das
My mother, Mimi Jaffe, departed peacefully March 7 at the ripe old age of 100. Her pastimes with Srila Prabhupada are inscribed by his letters to her in response to her many challenges. They are in the Vedabase. From being a founding member of the anti-cult movement in 1972 to celebrating her 77th birthday in Vrndaban in 1999, her journey to Krishna was full of transcendental pastimes. She provided the seed money for the Pyramid house land and was therefore responsible for facilitating the cultivation of many souls to initiation. She loved prasadam and attended numerous devotee gatherings. She and Basu Ghosh’s mother traveled together throughout India with us, their sons. They took darshan of many ISKCON deities and Srila Prabhupada’s murtis. My well-traveled mother said that it was the best trip of her life. In 1972, I had come back to Chicago from the Brooklyn temple for medical treatment after suffering acute anemia and staff infection. Reluctantly, she had promised to give me airfare back to wherever Srila Prabhupada was residing. My recovery took a few months. When I asked her for the money to fly to Los Angeles where Srila Prabhupada was staying, she look crestfallen. She admitted that she didn’t want to send me back to the devotees and would do practically anything not to buy me a ticket. Nonetheless, she said that she had given me her word, and her word was her bond. Keeping her promise transcended any feelings. The lesson of “being your word” has been emblematic of how I forged my path in Krishna consciousness. I realized that the only thing that we own is our “word.” She taught me uncountable lessons of selfless, unconditional love. Keeping your commitments was the greatest gift from this woman who never let limitations define her. I’ll miss my mother who stayed with and comforted me my entire adult life. What a gift. She was keen to make it to her 100th birthday on January 30th. Surrounded by family, her advice to all of her loved ones was not to dwell in the past but to plan for the future. “The past can never be recalled, but “vamos a ver” – go forward!” Forgiveness, forbearance, intelligence, compassion, faith – my mother’s legacy. Hare Krishna forever.
PS In the final months, I had to change her diapers and clean her body. The first time that I took off her gown, she was terribly embarrassed and uncomfortable. I told her, ” Mom, don’t you remember the first time we met? I was naked. You were naked. This is nothing new. ” She laughed heartily and immediately surrendered. She never complained after that.
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=96790
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