I came into contact with Iskcon and Srila Prabhupada's books in 1986. I did not join the movement. But I used to visit the temple in Chennai almost every day for several years. I took initiation from Jayapataka Swami Maharaj. When I retired I went to Vrindavan to settle down to spend the evening of my life in 2014. I had a younger brother named Satyanarayan. He was a passive devotee of Krishna. He was not initiated, and he was not chanting. He liked Vrindavan especially Krishna Balaram Temple which Srila Prabhupada described aptly as Vaikunta.
In the last week of April, he accompanied me to Vrindavan to stay for a few days at my small flat. Suddenly he expressed his desire to visit Yamunotri. I myself did not know anything about Yamunotri. Since Yamuna is very dear to Krishna I also developed an interest to visit her origin. When people told about 8-kilometer trek which one should brave to reach the temple of Yamuna Devi we took it lightly. The journey by foot from Janaki Chatty proved very tough. My brother Satyanarayan hired a pony and went ahead of us. Half way through we other three members of our family also had to hire ponies. The ride on pony was nightmarish. When at last we reached the top, we met my brother who already finished darshan and was ready to descend. He was happy and cheerful. "I will wait for you in the car park" he said smiling. We had darshan and a bath in the hot spring. When we reached the car park at the bottom I found my brother lying in the back seat of the car looking very sick. "He vomited. I gave him some lemon water" said the driver. When we reached our room in Sayan chatty he became very weak. From there we left for Delhi via Haridwar.
At Delhi I hired a car and reached Vrindavan. Finding his health condition worsening I decided to admit him in Nayati Hospital. Doctors, after examining him in the Emergency, declared to our shock that he has a brain fluid block requiring immediate surgery. Surgery was performed early next morning on 8th May. After surgery he was fully conscious and spoke few words to us. I chanted Hare Krishna Mahamantra into his ears and assured him that Narsimha Dev of Mayapur would save him. Hope turned into despair the very next day when he developed lung infection which was followed by a cardiac arrest. He left his body on 11th May (Ekadashi) at 11.50 PM. His mortal remains was cremated on the banks of Yamuna with the invaluable help from Iskcon devotees. In spite of my association with Iskcon and having read Prabhupada's books, my brother's death devastated me. Devotee friends consoled me saying my brother Satyanarayan was actually very fortunate to have come all the way from Chennai to leave his body in Mathura- Vrindavan. I beg any of Iskcon's exalted devotees to enlighten me as to where my brother Satyanarayan’ s soul went. He did not chant. But he visited Vrindavan, Radha Kund Barsana, Mathura several times. He never committed any offense against devotees and the Holy Dham of Vrindavan and always donated often as much as he could.
Anandgopaldas
Vrindavan
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