New Dvaraka, ISKCON Los Angeles–

Dear Vaisnavas,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

It is with the greatest sadness that I must announce the passing away of Her Grace Candravali Devi Dasi, a most prominent leader of ISKCON in Guyana, South America.

After battling with health issues for some years and a major operation in Pakistan a few weeks ago, Candravali Devi left this world in London on December 11, in the presence of her husband, Sriman Haridas Prabhu, and other relatives.

As prepared with utmost affection by her loving fellow devotees in Guyana, below is a brief account of her life's activities as an ISKCON member and a summary of her devoted, selfless service to the mission of Srila Prabhupada in propagating Lord Caitanya's Movement in a veritable nook and corner of this world.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness must be aware of the irreparable loss of one of its most dedicated members.

For devotees in London who wish to honor this great soul and attend, funeral rites will be conducted tomorrow Friday 19 from 12 noon to 3:30 PM at:

Maxwell Brothers Funeral Home
536 Streatham High Road
London, FW16 3QF
Phone 0208 764 2245

Cremation will be at 4:00 PM at the
Streatham Vale Crematorium,
Rowan Road,
South London.

Devotees are also invited to a Memorial Service on her behalf at Bhaktivedanta Manor this coming Sunday 21 at noon.

Praying for the blessings of the Vaisnavas on Candravali Devi Dasi for her ultimate success, I remain

Your servant,

Virabahu Dasa

Euology
In celebration of the
life of Mother Chandravali
by Paramatma Dasa on behalf of ISKCON Guyana

We, devotees of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness, knew Mother Chandravali for most of her later life, for more than 20 years. Before being initiated in the process of devotional service, she was fondly referred to as Aunty Sona or Sister Sona. In Hindi, "sona" means gold. She was certainly a most valuable jewel among moving beings. Even before she became a full-fledged devotee, every one on the Corentyne Coast, and indeed all over Guyana, spoke of her and the Dharrys [her family] of Rose Hall as benevolent and extremely charitable.

We can vividly recall the first time we met her in her store around 1983. She appeared intelligent and aristocratic in the cash cage. This was the first meeting with her guru-to-be, Srila Agrani Swami, who introduced to her the pristine teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. We recall that she was very receptive. Her disposition was childlike and humble, and she appeared to have all the time in the world for us.

Amazingly, from that moment, she decided to transform her lifestyle and give up all forms of gross and subtle sinful life. Indeed, this is the sign of a great personality. When good guidance is heard, one immediately implements the same in one's life. Without a doubt, this also indicates that her parents must have been very pious souls to give birth to such a virtuous daughter.

Her passing from this mortal world last week was really a tremendous shock to all of us of ISKCON Guyana and the wider world and to the many common people throughout the country whose lives have been touched by her kindness. When we first heard the heartbreaking message, many of us were too shaken to immediately cry, but we have since continued to sob, knowing well that the departure of Her Grace was the greatest loss for Guyana. Till now, we are still gripped by a fearful, unrestricted grief. It is difficult to tolerate her absence.

Mataji, as she was affectionately called, was the prime mover of things in our society here. Her ability and vision were unparalleled. Her skill and taste in the fine arts were incomparable. But her greatness was that she used her ability not for personal gain but for the betterment and upliftment of humanity. She was so expert in utilizing her enormous talents, tingeing them with the Vedic Culture with the aim of bringing people closer to God.

The first Ratha Yatra Cart Festival of Lord Jagannath held in Berbice was her brainchild. She spent sleepless nights formulating plans and designs, directing construction, and organizing the festivities. All the while she would use her personal finances. In fact, all her money and her very self were dedicated towards the service of God and the devotees. Yearly Diwali processions were her creation. She was instrumental in the Berbice Food for Life and Religious Book Distribution Programs, organizing street corner pandal (crusades) preaching programs, etc.

But her life's masterpiece began in her later years in 1996, when she revealed the ambitious plans to inaugurate the massive 105-foot by 75-foot New Kulinagram Mandir at Williamsburg on the Corentyne. Sometimes, even in failing health, she would travel back and forth to the United States trying to solicit donations for this most auspicious project, which most people thought was a dream. For her, though, the word "impossible" was a word in a fool's dictionary.

In the year 2000, the temple was completed, and she was there to launch the grand opening of the biggest Hare Krsna temple in the Caribbean. This project will serve to induce moral and spiritual values on the population of Berbice for generations in the future.

Mataji was a person of integrity, immense honesty, and kindness. She was faultless, magnanimous, indifferent to material acquisition, fixed in devotional service, completely in control of all bad qualities, respectful, without false pride, compassionate, a friend of all, and very expert. But above all, she was always surrendered at the feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna.

In the Vaisnava community she was a natural leader who devotees looked up to and loved. To most of the younger devotees she was a mother figure. As a sister, she always set the proper example and upheld the good name of her family. And as wife she has been ideal, chaste, and a model homemaker. She will maintain a place in the heart of many for a long time to come.

But has she actually died? One Vaisnava poet wrote:

He reasons ill who tells that Vaisnavas die
When thou are still living in sound!
The Vaisnavas die to live, and living try
To spread the Holy Name around.

Death means that the soul cannot stand to live in the body any more. Everything collapses. Whatever the cause is— heart failure, other organ failure, wearing out of the body— it means that the situation has become unbearable for the soul. For the soul to leave the body is not an easy thing. It causes great distress. In fact death is born with the birth of the body. Therefore one should live and strive for perfection in devotional service in this life and in so doing, qualify oneself not to take birth again.

The passing of a Vaisnava is a great loss that cannot be mitigated by anyone's sympathy. But when a Vaisnava leaves his or her body it doesn't have the tragedy of an ordinary death. But it is tragic in another way, in that his or her contributions are no longer here.

Mother Chandravali was doing so much for Guyana. Now she's gone. For many of us who have been touched by her, we will continue to feel a stark emptiness and feeling of separation.

But on the other hand, when a Vaisnava departs, it is, in one sense, a matter of rejoicing. According to revealed scriptures, there are two ways of leaving this world: one way is in darkness and the other way is in light. Ordinarily, at the time of death, the soul may travel anywhere in the universe according to his or her karma. But because Mataji's life was fully dedicated to the service of Krishna, therefore she left this world in light, and according to the import of Gita her destination is either back to Krsnaloka or to some higher stage of existence where she can continue to prosecute devotional service. So in this sense there is no loss.

Everyone has the tendency: you don't appreciate something, you take it for granted, until it's taken away. Mataji's leaving is meant for us to increase our affection for her. We can meditate on her commitment to the path of bhakti and follow in her footsteps, and in so doing we can become better human beings. Also, if the Vaisnava community truly loves her, they will try to maintain what she has left us and finish what she has left unfinished.

Mataji's life did not end on December 11, 2003. She continues to live on in all her sacred contributions, and those who are sincere will continue to live with her.

Thank you very much.

Hare Krsna.

© dipika.org December 19, 2003