Srimad Bhagavatam

Listen to Srimad Bhagavatam classes given in Mayapur by Padmalochan Das by clicking on the tittle.

Memory of Padmalochan Das by bhaktin Claire

I spent one year in Holy Mayapur in 2008. By Krsna’s grace, I was living in the Youth Forum bld, first floor, same floor as HG Padmalochan prabhu and his good wife HG Vrindavan Lila mataji. Near my bed, the window directly opened on the courtyard, where HG Padmalochan used to put his bike. I woke up at the same time as he was taking his bike to go to his mangal-japa. He was sooo regulated. He was going every day at 2 am to the mandir. Except when prayers were required for HH Jayapataka maharajah, at that time I did not hear him go. But when I used to come at the mandir between 2.15 and 2.30 am, he always was there praying. That was his compassion. Also, candles were light up all night long, in front of HH Jayapataka maharaja’s picture… so he might have taken care of them.
This helps me realize one great quality of his… He would never show off. He was praying in the temple when no one was there. Someone told me recently, whatever you do when no one is there is what you really are. From this, I can conclude that HG Padmalochan prabhu was a pure devotee. He didn’t like so much the crowd. When I used to come, he was the only one there… Then 2 or 3 more devotees would come…
Every day, he was waking up Srila Prabhupada. EVERY DAY, whatever happens. He was so dedicated to his guru… This was examplary. He would also check how the devotee, whose service was to wake up Srila Prabhupada, arranged his clothes, offered him flowers before mangal-arati. He was so sincere that he wanted everything perfect for Srila Prabhupada and would nicely correct you if you made a mistake. But in your heart, you would always be sure it was out of love for Srila Prabhupada. The intent behind the action was so naturally explicit. He would chant his jappa every day at the same place, on Srila Prabhupada’s right side, his back towards the second pillar, where all the sannyasis go to chant when they come to Sri Mayapur.
At that time, I was very new bhaktin (i still am), I thought it was natural and easy to wake up early. Now, I know it is only due to the blessings of the vaisnavas if we can wake up… I think HG Padmalochan prabhu helped me, by his causeless mercy, in my sadhana.
Every one can tell about the quality of his japa… He would always be at the same place… We should call this pillar « HG PADMALOCHAN’s » !!! (Maybe Lord Nrsinhadev is inside !!) He would sit on 3-4 cushions… His health did not look so good… but I never heard him complain about this. Then he would totally wrap himself into a white sheet, from top to bottom. He then could not see anything. He would chant and from time to time would shout very loudly a name of the Lord, no matter who was there, 1, 2 or 100 devotees !!! Sometimes, the name he shouted was Radha, sometimes Krsna, sometimes Gauranga, sometimes a mix… I didn’t know why but I always took his adresses as advises to orient my jappa and I would focus on the divinity he was calling… I always felt he was a senior devotee friendly guiding me. I hardly ever talked to him but I always watched what he was doing to inspire my devotional service to the Lord.
After mangal-arati or japa time, I would hardly ever see him. I couldn’t dissociate him from his wife, HG Vrindavan Lila mataji, from his cane, and his bike !
In 2008, I was asked to help making Srila Prabhupada’s vyasa puja book. HG Padmalochan prabhu and his wife HG Vrindavan Lila mataji wee supervising this heavy, but blissful task every year for… I do not know… from time immemorial ! … The old vyasa puja books are stocked in their museum-like office.
We would come to their office. Their flat consisted of two rooms and they made a small open kitchen in between in the hall. In the veranda in front of their rooms, Sri Vrinda Devi established Her quarters, She came in the form of 10 or more big grown beautiful Tulasi plants, they cared so much about. One room I never entered. The other one was facing the véranda I used to share with them (so as the common bathroom for the first floor…) So, I was used to meet mataji daily around the sinks to wash clothes or brush teeth… and exchange salutations !!! To make Srila Prabhupada’s vyasa puja book, every one was welcome in the office. Every year, HG Manisirani and her two daughters, Sita and Nila, would fill up ! This office was a small room, but it was shining with so much devotion, as all the rooms there. On the walls, you could see beautiful pictures of all the deities from Mayapur. HG Vrindavan Lila mataji always taking great pictures. Very discreet, you only see her in great festivals behind her camera, an old good one. What I immediatly noticed was their spontaneous and rare devotion to Sri Lalita Devi.
That year, I didn’t notice any other couple of senior devotees there, except a senior book distributor on the second floor, brahmacari. Although they were senior in age and devotion, they were staying in the Youth Forum… Krsna is eternally young, such as His great devotees…
During our service together, I would always laugh so much because they were having their lila to encourage us in a long and difficult task… Everything was done by hand : the wole book, the cover, everything. We would cut the pages, knit them, glue the beautiful pictures… everything. To make us laugh, they would show a lila of changing orders to our crazy team. HG Vrindavana Lila mataji would tell us something… Then hours later, HG Padmalochan Prabhu would tell us the exact opposite, sometimes asking us to start again from the beginning. Or we would misunderstand and in the night they would have to undo all the daily job so that we could start it again or so that they could do it nicely. But somehow or other, everything would be done on time and ready for Srila Prabhupada’s vyasa puja, by Krsna’s grace and for our own amazement… At the end, they would invite us for a great feast ! Whatever HG Vrindavana Lila cooked was so blessed by Krsna that it was only bliss eating it. Especially at that time we were not used to eat to our satisfaction… so every mouthfull of this prasadam was a big blessing !
I loved so much to see them and the lilas and pastimes they were showing to devotees. You could feel so much love between these two great devotees but sometimes they would play to disagree or other pastimes to entertain devotees. They always were the soul of this first floor. I never went there again since HG Padmalochan left. And it is difficult to imagine it… or to see HG Vrindavana-Lila without her eternal associate, or his cane… But maybe also remembering the Lord’s greatest devotees can help us reaching devotionnal service…
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to remember these great devotees and speak about my very good memories about them. I wish you the very best.
Ys, B. Claire,
30th november 2010. Europe.

Kirtiraj Prabhu remembers:
 I have such fond memories of him when we spent time together every year in Vrindaban on parikrama. His tours around the many Braja holy places opened my eyes, Haripuja's eyes and those of our children, to the most wonderful and glorious places of pilgrimage and the super-excellent pastimes of the Lord and His associates. 
As I told him on the phone, my family and I and thousands of devotees the world over, are eternally indebted to him for the service he rendered to all of us. He was always enthusiastic to take us on pilgrimage, whether it was hundreds of devotees, or just a few of us. He was NEVER discouraged by any obstacles in our journey to the places of the Lord's pastimes and he took us to places that no one else did, even to villages where we would beg a roti and a glass of buttermilk. His tours were never about him, they were about Krishna and what mercy Srila Prabhupada has given us.
I haven't seen Padma in so many years but over those years, I have thought of him often.
I love Padma for the wonderful devotee he is and I always will.

Quolities of KRISHNA - Srimad Bhagavatam class by Padmalochan Das in Sri Dham Mayapur
 
      Ravi Prabhu remembers:
 Prabhu has always been so kind to me. I remember last year at Gaura Purnima time, sitting with him next to Tulsi down beside the Ganges and just taking in the environment. He was quiet, thinking...then he said 'do you see that boat there, what stops it from going away?' 'It is the anchor' he said, you have to find something spiritual/devotional that you do every day, that nothing can stop you from doing, that becomes part of your existence so much that that habit will continue into your next life'
Such a nice memory. I will miss him dearly, he is a great devotee and a friend.

Glory of Vaisnavas - Srimad Bhagavatam class by Padmalochan Das, Mayapur 



Glory of Tulasi - Srimad Bhagavatam class by Padmalochan Das in Sri Dham Mayapur

 Basic Biogpaphy of Padmalocan Das, disciple of Srila Prabhupada:

Padmalocan Das was born in England, met Srila Prabhupada in 1971 (18 years old), when he was 19 he moved to India and was assisting Srila Prabhupada establishing His International ISKCON  movement in India (Kolkata, Mayapur, Vrindavan, Bombay, Hyderabad), he had also constructed ISKCON temple in Vidyanagar (Gujarat).
He spent 20 years of his life in Vrindavan, where he was researching deeply the Holy Dham, places of Krishna's pastimes, traveled a lot all over Vraja Mandala, making friends with Vrajabasis. As the result of his travels and research he wrote books - Chintamani Dhama (Vrindavan parikrama), Madhurya Dhama (guide to Govardhana parikrama), he also wrote book about glories of Yamuna Devi (in Hindi), also translated Gita Mahatmya and Tulasi Devi Mahatmya - from Padma Purana (Sanscrit).
He also wrote book Audarya Dhama - Navadvipa Dhama parikrama.
He researched and compiled another book, called Pada Sevana - description of Lord's Lotus feet with pictures of lotus feet and hands of Radha-Krishna and Lord Chaitanya, Nityananda and Advaita.
He also translated Udhava Sandesh  by Srila Rupa Goswami.
Besides writing books he was also actively served in ISKCON Vrindavan temple management in the mid-1970's.
He was a temple comander at some point, he was also in-charge of ISKCON Goshala in Vrindavan (in 1980-s).
When Srila Prabhupada instructed to reduce mahaprasad offerings in Vrindavan temple, he was in-charge of kitchens and he had been accused by some of taking maha-prasad for himself - his answer to the accusations was to STOP eating grains (!), he had not taken grains since then for the rest of his life... in fact he had lived only on milk for 15 years, other times taking non-grain diet...
After living 20 years in Vrindavan, he spent 8 months traveling in Russia with wife Vrindavan Lila dasi,  then they lived for one and half year in England and then came to Mayapur in 1995, where had been living since, until the end of his body on morning 27 March, 2010, at the age of 57...

Gauranga! Hare Krishna

by Vrindavan Lila Dasi

My husband, Padmalochan Das, disciple of Srila Prabhupada,  has left his body on 27 March, Dvadasi.  He was worshiping Vrinda Devi and She took him on Her day (Dvadasi).

One night close to dvadasi (when he left) there was a loud deep voice that called his name twice. At the time i was trying to sleep and woke up from it, Rajendranandana Prabhu who came to stay that night to help with care was just doing something out on veranda... I guess my husband did not know we heard the voice, so he did not mention anything to us, but when Jananivasa came next day (he was coming every day), he told him that Srila Prabhupada was calling him last night...
He was peaceful. The day before he left, he chanted GAURANGA at intervals, every few min repeating name Gauranga... peacefully...

He left body on Dvadasi morning.
He remembered in Vrindavan, Srila Prabhupada was there, I can't remember the ocasion, and my husband was fanning him, suddenly Prabhupad started to motion to him to come closer, he leaned forward, Prabhupad wanted him to come even closer, he put his ear near Prabhupad's mouth and Srila Prabhupada said "go put all the lights on" - so, he went and turned every light on, came back and started to fan Prabhupad again.
The morning he left I did not see any signs that he going to leave at first when I woke up.... then suddenly he started to say "I want to sit up", "put all the lights on" - I did turn lights on and tryed to help him to sit, then he asked me to bring chair in the room, as for someone else - I did bring a chair... then he started to say - "look what's going on outside!" - i did not see anything... then he asked for Tulasi leaves, put them in his mouth and left....
after very strong chest massage offered by one acupuncture doctor, Maithely, who was present in the room then, he came back for short time and his look was unusual - like he is looking at everything at once... (as if compare what kind life he has here if he stays with what he was perceiving, which I could not see...) and taking one very deep breath he left.... - in full conscious, with peaceful mind and understanding of the situation.

For years he felt a lot of pain from seeing that Srila Prabhupada movement isn't been developed true to the original mood that Srila Prabhupada had given... that Srila Prabhupada's direct instructions sometimes manipulated and changed at convenience....
He is a happy person by nature, very understanding of people's nature, compassionate and forgiving... he is also very honest - thus it was really tormenting him - to see the wrongs in Srila Prabhupada's movement that he had no power to help to correct, due to not been given the right opportunity according to his qualities... 
His attachment to Srila Prabhupada is un-measurably deep, he could never leave Prabhupad's movement for another.... he had no interest in Maya's comfort either... so he moved on with Srila Prabhupada....
He told me couple of times that in the past year he kept on seeing same dream few times - he comes in where Srila Prabhupada is sitting on large very beautiful sit and around him many other sitts for devotees, there are uncountable devotees sitting all around Srila Prabhupada, but somehow everyone fits, there is space for everyone, everyone has full opportunity to relate with Srila Prabhupada... So, when he came into the assembly Prabhupad and devotees greated him and he was giving service to show new coming people to their sits. He saw this dream few times...

The day he left many devotees came to have his last darsan and kirtan was going on all day non-stop into the middle of the night.
The next day his body was taking to the Ganga for the funeral - all Gopal dieties in Mayapur and Navadvip area were drinking milk that day... (if offered milk on a spoon Gopal drunk it)... and the weather was beautiful.

Now I am trying to increase my chanting and reading.
* will try to publish his unfinished work on Navadvip book, Audarya Dhama;
* improved Udhava Sandesh (accurate translation from Sanskrit with expanded Notes) is already ready for printing;
* also will try to re-print Gita Mahatmya, with illustrations (for the first time);
* hopping to reprint Pada Sevana;
* also asked Bhakti Vidyapurna Swami to reprint Chintamani Dhama (Vrindavan parikrama), which my husband donated to Mayapur Gurukula;
* hopping to keep Madhurya Dhama in print (guide to Govardhan parikrama).

I am preparing publications now, need sponsors for printing. Please let me know if you interested to contribute for printing of Prabhu's books.

Also, devotees asking me to write my husband's biography, but I need more info to put together, from devotees who knew him at any times, had any service and association with him. I will include all the memories, realizations of him and biography into a publication of Prabhu's unfinished research work on Navadvipa Dhama. Please write something if you knew him.
Below this letter I am posting his basic biographical details.

I beg your blessings to remain Krishna Conscious, accomplish publications I've mentioned above and to join my husband again...
Thank you for association and encouragement in our service that we have received from many devotees over the time.

Hare Krishna,
your servant, Vrindavan Lila Dasi