Jayananda dasa's disappearance day

TODAY IS THE DISAPPEARANCE DAY OF JAYANANDA DAS THAKURA

Jayananda Prabhu was an influential religious figure in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in San Francisco between 1967-1977.
Jayananda helped found an ISKCON center there in 1967 and later became the president of the temple. He was instrumental in organizing the first ISKCON Ratha Yatra festival, which is now held every summer in San Francisco and is a day of public holiday in the city.

Jayananda was completely enamored by Krishna consciousness. He would rise every day morning before four, do a little arati, chant his rounds of japa, read and cook prasad.
Jayananda worshipped prasadam. When a little prasadam spilled on the floor he would lick it up. He loved to cook, eat, offer and distribute prasadam in a big way. He even said 'prasadam' with so much love and devotion that it made one immediately want to take some.
He was always seen chanting and dancing enthusiastically during kirtans. One day after working hard for ten hours straight, when all the other devotees were looking forward to some rest, Jayananda enthusiastically bounced into the temple room for kirtan. His japa was very intense, very focused, as he strove to personally associate with each and every syllable of the mahamantra.
Humility was certainly Jayananda's most prominent quality. He treated everyone as his superior, even new devotees. Although his service was glorious, he never wanted any glory. He avoided praise like the plague. Devotees got to know that if they wanted to keep Jayananda's association they would better not praise him. His humility was very natural and he always found something other than himself that was praiseworthy. Even though he was a senior devotee, older than most of the people around him and eminently qualified, he was happy to simply serve.

Jayananda was an expert at everything: cooking, preaching, Deity worship, public relations, sankirtan, selling incense, construction, and anything that it took to spread Krishna consciousness. He was a tireless worker, first to rise in the morning and last to sleep at night. He was always running out to get flowers, washing dishes, cleaning the kitchen or taking out the trash. Whatever service he was given, he would make sure that it was done, no matter how busy he was or how much personal hardships he had to endure for it. No matter how hard he was working, he would never stop for a nap during the day. He seemed inexhaustible.
Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Jayananda was that he never criticized anyone. Even if a devotee did something that warranted criticism, he would usually not say anything, or else make the mistake appear as something perfectly natural. He never spoke harsh words or chastised anybody.

Jayananda had almost no possessions, even during his years as a householder. What ever he had, he used for the service of the temple and Srila Prabhupada. When he was gifted five thousand dollars, he promptly donated that to Srila Prabhupada.
He was extremely careful with what he considered to be Srila Prabhupada's money. When selling incense, he would sleep on park benches in bitter cold rather than spend money on a motel. He used his considerable charm to get people to donate almost everything that was needed. What he could no get for free, he made sure that he received a good value for the money spent.

His final lesson in material detachment came when it was discovered that he was suffering from cancer of the lymph and blood. Jayananda continued as if nothing had changed. When his body became frail and weak, he continued preaching, inspiring and organizing from his bed in the hospital. For him the body was simply a means to render devotional service to the Lord.

Jayananda was the backbone of the Bay area Ratha-yatra for several years. He would beg food, flowers, funds - buy materials and build the carts. He would arrange for the permits, organize the cooking and serving of prasad. After the festival he would cook a cake or a pie for each and every person who had some how helped in the festival.
In his last days Jayananda was busy organizing the Ratha-yatra from the hospital bed. He would talk to people on the phone, send his associates to meet various persons and things began to miraculously materialize.

Towards the last few days of the Ratha-yatra he would sleep less than three hours a day, yet he was the most energetic and enlivened member of the crew. His propensity to consume prasad was astounding. He could consume buckets of halva, plates of samosas and potatoes without any side effect. When he was in his last days, he was put on an intravenous diet, yet he would often ask devotees to sneak in huge quantities of samosas and cheese-potatoes for him, which he would happily consume without any apparent distress. He would some times sleep in the Bhagavatam classes, since he was very tired, yet later on he could perfectly quote from the class or have a deep discussion about its contents.

Jayananda has complete faith in Srila Prabhupada. He perfected his devotion by making the instructions of Srila Prabhupada the very core of his life. Jayananda was contend to work in the background, carrying out his instructions. He exemplified the superiority of association by vani (instructions) over vapu (personal association).

Srila Prabhupada would call out for Jayananda when he was in the temple but Jayananda would resist saying, 'No, I cannot go. I am too dirty. I am too fallen,' such were the transcendental exchanges between the spiritual master and his dear disciple.
Jayananda passed away on May 1, 1977. He joined the Krishna consciousness movement in 1967, he left his body a few months before Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada said that: 'every one should follow the example of Jayananda.'

My dear Jayananda,
   Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your
letter dated February 21st, 1977, and I thank you for the check as
well as the nice sentiments you have expressed. In the beginning you
also gave me $5,000 and now again you have sent.
   This body is today or tomorrow finished. We should not be very much
bothered about the body. Trees also live for thousands of years but
that does not mean a successful life. A successful life is one of
Krishna consciousness. By the grace of Krishna from the very beginning
you are a devotee and that is the real profit of your life.
   I thank you for your check, but I would prefer that you may require
the money for your treatment. So if you like I can return it. But I
hear that you have some income. I pray to Krishna for your more
advanced Krishna conscious life.
   About a sadhu it is said, "jiva va mara va," a sadhu may live or
die, it doesn't matter. While living he is engaged in Krishna
Conscious business and when dying he goes back home back to Godhead.
   Hoping this finds you improving in your health.

 

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

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77-05-05.Jay              Letter: Jayananda              318287/530501
My Dear Jayananda,
   Please accept my blessings.
   I am feeling very intensely your separation. In 1967 you joined me
in San Francisco. You were driving my car and chanting Hare Krsna. You
were the first man to give me some contribution ($5000) for printing
my Bhagavad-gita. After that, you have rendered very favorable service
to Krsna in different ways. I so hope at the time of your death you
were remembering Krsna and as such, you have been promoted to the
eternal association of Krsna. If not, if you had any tinge of material
desire, you have gone to the celestial kingdom to live with the
demigods for many thousands of years and enjoy the most opulent life
of material existence. From there you can promote yourself to the
spiritual world. But even if one fails to promote himself to the
spiritual world, at that time he comes down again on the surface of
this globe and takes birth in a big family like a yogis' or a
brahmanas' or an aristocratic family, where there is again chance of
reviving Krsna Consciousness. But as you were hearing Krsna-kirtana, I
am sure that you were directly promoted to Krsna-loka.

 

                       janma karma ca me divyam

                       evam yo vetti tattvatah
                      tyaktva deham punar janma
                       naiti man eti so' rjuna

 

   Krsna has done a great favor to you, not to continue your diseased
body, and has given you a suitable place for your service. Thank you
very much.

 

Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

ACBS.tkg

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77-05-11.Ram              Letter: Ramesvara              318337/530501
   Jayananda's death is glorious. It is very good that he had stated,
what is the use of such a useless body, better to give it up. He has
left his body very wonderfully, and he has been transferred to
Vaikuntha. I have already sent a condolence letter for publication in
Back To Godhead. Everyone should follow the example of Jayananda. I am
very proud that I had such a nice disciple. If possible Jayananda's
picture should be hung in the ratha of Lord Jagannatha, and in all of
our temples a day may be set aside for holding a festival in his
honor, just as we do on the disappearance day of the other great
Vaisnavas.