Taiwan Miracle Story
Yashoda Mata’s 85-year-old foster father passed away two months ago. During his stay in the hospital, Yashoda Mata prepared a tape recorder and played the Hare Krishna mahamantra all day long in his ward. Her foster father was actually in semi-coma, but miraculously when he heard the mahamantra, gradually he awoke and with closed eyes he appeared to enjoying the music and the sound vibration. He started to follow the tempo by tapping his hand on the edge of his bed. His finger ring made the sound like “don, don, don...” He appeared as though he was absorbed in total meditation upon the mahamantra.
Suddenly he spoke, “Look! There is a huge five-clawed man, and his head looks just like a lion’s, he is coming into my ward. Don’t you see him? He is coming .” The foster father still with eyes closed said “Oh, yes, I forgot you all cannot see him, but he is really here. I do not know who He is?
At that moment Yashoda Mata and her daughters looked at each other in great surprise and answered. “Father, He is Lord Nrsimhadeva.” “What dev? I do not know Him. But He is nodding His head to tell me that He is.”
Yashoda Mata felt great ecstasy in hearing this for in her house she keeps a Deity of Lord Nrsimhadeva just like the one from Mayapur. She had been offering her heartfelt prayers to Him so that her father could leave the body without any attachment and that his soul can become Krishna’s devotee in his next birth. Continuously her father said, “Look, He is smiling at me and starting to speak again. Oh, He is telling me that I have to learn to chant what you are chanting now.What exactly are you chanting?”
He said, “It is a mantra to call the holy name of Lord.” Yashoda Mata replied, “I do not know what mantra, but please teach me,” he said. “All right father, please repeat after me and listen carefully:
*Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare*
*Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare*
Yashoda Mata taught her foster father word by word patiently. Without taking much time he learned, and chanted so nicely. The next day he passed away with tranquility.
During that weekend, we devotees here congregated together to do the kirtan for Yashoda Mata’s father at the memorial service. Yashoda Mata prepared the prasadam garland, Ganga water, tulasi, and put tilaka on her father, which have all been done nicely and properly according to her Guru Maharaj H. H. Giridhari Swami’s telephone instruction. Her foster father’s face looked so peaceful, his cheeks were a little pink, and his body was soft. After some customary ceremonies he was taken for cremation.
A Few hours later the people who work in the memorial service came to us and exclaimed in amazement, “We have never seen anyone’s ashes look so white and beautiful like jade as your father’s! What happened to him? What were you chanting for him?”
“Could you write it down for us? We want to learn and we think we can also chant while doing our service here.” Why the Lord Himself personally appeared before someone who we consider is not a devotee proves the shastric statement that if one is always engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, their family members will be benefited as well.
Shrila Prabhupada says:
Lord Nrsimhadeva said, “My dear Prahlada, not only your father, but your father's father, his father, up to fourteen generations, all are liberated. Because you are born in this family.” So anyone who has become a Vaisnava, a devotee of the Lord, he is giving the greatest service to the family. Because in relationship with him, his father, mother, anyone, they will be liberated. Just like we have got experience, if a person dies in the fight immaturely, his family is taken care of by the government. Similarly, to become a devotee is the greatest qualification. He has got everything. *Yatra yogesvaro harih yatra dhanur-dharah parthah* (Bg. 18.78)*.* When there is Krsna and when there is devotee, all victory, all glories are there. That is guaranteed.”
Lecture on *Bhagavad-gita* 2.4-5, London, August 5, 1973 *P***
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