“On Dvadasi night at 10 pm, Ram Das left his body very peacefully here in Vrindavan in the company of his wife Krishna Kumari.”

— DEENA BANDHU DAS
Ram Das (correctly spelled as Rama dasa), was a senior devotee and the former head-pujari (priest) of the Rukmini Dwarkadisa ISKCON temple in Los Angeles, California. He served as Head Pujari for 15 years before having a series of heart problems.

The Glorious Passing of Sriman Ram Dasa Prabhu
By Deena Bandhu das

CHAKRA (Vrindavan, India): Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

On Dvadasi night at 10 pm, Ram Das left his body very peacefully here in Vrindavan in the company of his wife Krishna Kumari. Kavichandra Maharaja had been there only awhile before giving him Reiki and they were laughing and joking, but he was extremely weak. After Kavichandra Maharaja left, he took his milk and pills. Then around 10 pm, he told Krishna Kumari that he was very thirsty, so she made some juice. After he drank it, she could hear gurgling in his lungs like they were filling with fluid and she knew it was the end. It was just the two of them there.

She told him to chant, and he said, “It is 10 pm. You must be tired please go to bed, it's very late. I'll be all right.” He kept repeating this concern for her. She kept insisting over and over again that he chant Krishna, and she began chanting. Srila Prabhupada's “Happening” tape was playing in the background. A brahmacari named Kala Venu had brought a large lamination of Srila Prabhupada's torso just one hour earlier and it was on the windowsill directly in front of him.

With husband and wife alone chanting together, very peacefully he passed on to the arms of Lord Krishna in a matter of minutes, fully conscious and without any trouble.

Yesterday we took him to the Jamuna. Most devotees were out on Marathon, but whatever Godbrothers and a few others were there consigned his mortal remains to the flames on the bank of Kalindi. He was a very big boy and Acyuta had to run and bring another load of wood to finish off the cremation.

© CHAKRA 12-December-2000

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