Dwarkadish das (center)
I just spoke with Prakash my step dad. He said 30 devotees came from Mumbai and Pune to perform kirtan and cremate her body. Before she passed her voice went then he gave her water because her mouth was open, and she said," baba baba" and then she was quiet. She looked peaceful at the time of death. This picture is when I visited her back in the summer of 2016.
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"Her Grace Labangalatika Dasi left her body today at 12 noon. IST. There are devotees from Mahatashtra there now and her last rites will be performed at 6 pm. A most dedicated disciple of her beloved Srila Prabhupada she was entirely devoted to her cows and her care included dogs and cats and all those who took shelter at her farm. She lived a most simple life with most meagre facilities, always giving all her time, energy, effort and thoughts to the care of her cows and the land and environment around her. An authentic life of simple living and complete surrender. All glories to Labangalatika dasi.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada"
One of the greatest mass book distributors of all time in New Dwaraka.
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Linda Voith
Sad news. Labangalatika Malik, one of Srila Prabhupada’s early western disciples, passed away last night at her Goshala in Maharashtra India were she kept 80 cows and bulls. I am in the middle of publishing a book for her about her about how she started her Goshala.
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PADA: Yes, Labhangalatika was a great devotee who was very important in helping Srila Prabhupada distribute his books. She collected tons of money for ISKCON which was used to print those books. It is our estimation that simply for doing all this service to Krishna, she is guaranteed a spot on Krishna's loka, or she will be there soon on the rapid express path to that destination.
However, after 1977 she self-evidently had a falling out with the management of ISKCON which is how she ended up running her own little independent cow protection program in India, without any substantial assist from the ISKCON leaders. She was in a sort of self-imposed exile like many / most other Prabhupada devotees.
She would write "sorry for not communicating but our electric power has been out for five days." So she was in a pretty austere and remote situation apparently. And really, she was living like almost all of the original Srila Prabhupada devotees who lived in self imposed exile after the bogus guru's take over in 1978. So this is one of the sad legacies of the GBC's guru process, they purged out almost all of the original Srila Prabhupada disciples. Of course, the Srila Prabhupada devotees wanted to worship him and not a bunch of hokey illicit sex and drugs "acharyas."
She also posted articles by Sanaka Rsi and others about the problems of child abuse and other articles on the bogus book changes etc. She was among those who were mortified to find that after she (and other mothers) had given so much money, that their children were not being well taken care of. In other words, she shared PADA's view that there was a bogus guru problem, child abuse problem, book changer's problem, and so on and so forth.
So she chose to move away from the main ISKCON society and start her own independent process (like so many have done). Bhakti Vikas swami says, "Most people left, voting (to reject the GBC program) with their feet." Another devotee said, the Srila Prabhupada devotees are like the mice who built all the underground living facility tunnels, and the GBC are like the snakes who ate the mice and took over the tunnels.
Her direct friends and relatives were among the claimants on the $400,000,000 Windle Turley child abuse lawsuit. And her own family members encouraged others to sign up and to participate. The consensus has been -- even among her family folks -- that without this lawsuit, a number of the children would have remained in the GBC's mis-managed programs, and may have ended up being victimized there.
In some cases the victims may have been abused, and in more extreme cases some of the victims were creating a suicide epidemic. Even her family folks agreed, this process had to be exposed and challenged. And since no one else would do it, despite various defects, the lawsuit was the last refuge for these victims.
One of Labhangalatika's relatives told me that the smaller sum of money he got from the lawsuit was a giant help in getting started in his life and "none of the official ISKCON people would have ever helped me." In other words, even her own friends and family folks agreed that the GBC was not solving these issues and "outside intervention" was required.
Anyway, she did a lot of service and she will thus be blessed by Krishna, that is a fact that no one can change. Notice that the "original Srila Prabhupada disciples" are disappearing one here, one there, and more and more these days. The only good news is, we are making at least some new ones so the process of worship of the acharya will continue and Labhangalatika's work will not go in vain. ys pd
One of the greatest mass book distributors of all time in New Dwaraka.
=======================
Linda Voith
Sad news. Labangalatika Malik, one of Srila Prabhupada’s early western disciples, passed away last night at her Goshala in Maharashtra India were she kept 80 cows and bulls. I am in the middle of publishing a book for her about her about how she started her Goshala.
Labangalatika distributed English translations of Bhagavad Gita in the Los Angeles airport for 20 years; collecting one million dollars in the 70s and 80s to help Srila Prabhupada spread the Krsna Consciousness movement around the world in 11 short years. Labangalatika even distributed Russian Bhagavad Gita’s in Moscow, in the 80’s when it was still illegal to do so, going out in the snowy winter with only an old jacket and no socks or boots, only sandals, but she was in ecstasy knowing that people who never before had the chance were able to read transcendental literature were getting the chance.
She loved Srila Prabhupada and her cows with all her heart. I wish I had the opportunity to meet her personally. She changed my life in profound ways only by a brief email relationship on the internet. She is a great soul and will be dearly missed. Her Book, Mother’s of the Past and Future will be available soon.
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Samapriya Devi Dasi
My dear friend and godsister Labangalatika devi dasi beloved daughter of Srila Prabhupada has left her body and is on her way to Goloka Vrndavana. There were few devotees as fearless, determined and convinced as she. We served in New Dwarka together for many years, distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and dressing the deities before going on book distribution, Labangala dressed Rukmini Dwarkanath and I dressed Rukmini Dwarkadesh.
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Samapriya Devi Dasi
My dear friend and godsister Labangalatika devi dasi beloved daughter of Srila Prabhupada has left her body and is on her way to Goloka Vrndavana. There were few devotees as fearless, determined and convinced as she. We served in New Dwarka together for many years, distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and dressing the deities before going on book distribution, Labangala dressed Rukmini Dwarkanath and I dressed Rukmini Dwarkadesh.
We shared many Sankirtan adventures in LAX, Las Vegas and wherever people gathered. When the Pope was visiting the USA and devotees took advantage of the large crowds engaging them in delivering their Laxmi to Lord Caitanya's Sankirtan Army, we both traveled with "the Pope party" together. Another time Labangalatika ordered me with the authority and power of the whole disciplic succession behind her that we were going to Mathura to distribute books!
I had no choice and submissively went two hours after arriving in India for the very first time, fearful that by not accepting this service she would condemn for for being in Maya. Labangala was a champion and used her human life in the service of our beloved spiritual master. Her future is as effulgent as was her bhakti. I pray that brightness will shine on all of us lighting up the sacred path to the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Govinda. All Glories to You dear sister! May I always remain at your feet.
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PADA: Yes, Labhangalatika was a great devotee who was very important in helping Srila Prabhupada distribute his books. She collected tons of money for ISKCON which was used to print those books. It is our estimation that simply for doing all this service to Krishna, she is guaranteed a spot on Krishna's loka, or she will be there soon on the rapid express path to that destination.
However, after 1977 she self-evidently had a falling out with the management of ISKCON which is how she ended up running her own little independent cow protection program in India, without any substantial assist from the ISKCON leaders. She was in a sort of self-imposed exile like many / most other Prabhupada devotees.
She would write "sorry for not communicating but our electric power has been out for five days." So she was in a pretty austere and remote situation apparently. And really, she was living like almost all of the original Srila Prabhupada devotees who lived in self imposed exile after the bogus guru's take over in 1978. So this is one of the sad legacies of the GBC's guru process, they purged out almost all of the original Srila Prabhupada disciples. Of course, the Srila Prabhupada devotees wanted to worship him and not a bunch of hokey illicit sex and drugs "acharyas."
She also posted articles by Sanaka Rsi and others about the problems of child abuse and other articles on the bogus book changes etc. She was among those who were mortified to find that after she (and other mothers) had given so much money, that their children were not being well taken care of. In other words, she shared PADA's view that there was a bogus guru problem, child abuse problem, book changer's problem, and so on and so forth.
So she chose to move away from the main ISKCON society and start her own independent process (like so many have done). Bhakti Vikas swami says, "Most people left, voting (to reject the GBC program) with their feet." Another devotee said, the Srila Prabhupada devotees are like the mice who built all the underground living facility tunnels, and the GBC are like the snakes who ate the mice and took over the tunnels.
Her direct friends and relatives were among the claimants on the $400,000,000 Windle Turley child abuse lawsuit. And her own family members encouraged others to sign up and to participate. The consensus has been -- even among her family folks -- that without this lawsuit, a number of the children would have remained in the GBC's mis-managed programs, and may have ended up being victimized there.
In some cases the victims may have been abused, and in more extreme cases some of the victims were creating a suicide epidemic. Even her family folks agreed, this process had to be exposed and challenged. And since no one else would do it, despite various defects, the lawsuit was the last refuge for these victims.
One of Labhangalatika's relatives told me that the smaller sum of money he got from the lawsuit was a giant help in getting started in his life and "none of the official ISKCON people would have ever helped me." In other words, even her own friends and family folks agreed that the GBC was not solving these issues and "outside intervention" was required.
Anyway, she did a lot of service and she will thus be blessed by Krishna, that is a fact that no one can change. Notice that the "original Srila Prabhupada disciples" are disappearing one here, one there, and more and more these days. The only good news is, we are making at least some new ones so the process of worship of the acharya will continue and Labhangalatika's work will not go in vain. ys pd
VPDD: I am so sad to hear this. As a new devotee in the late seventies and early eighties, I heard that Labangatatika Prabhu was perhaps the most famous sankirtana devotee in the movement. She was originally from England and her father was a military general who had been stationed in India.
ReplyDeleteLabangalatika joined ISKCON in the USA with her young son, and there is a famous picture of Srila Prabhupada guiding the little boy in writing the Sanskrit alphabet. At some point, Labangalatika decided to move to India and she put an ad in a local paper looking for a husband. She immediately got many responses and selected a widower who was the manager of a factory somewhere in the Goa area.
He retired and they bought a farm and she started dedicating her life to serving cows. I spend a week or two at her place in 2002 or 3. She had quite a few cows and they produced incredibly rich milk. She also had fruit trees and grew vegetables. She told me that they basically ate only what grew on their farm–sometimes the same thing day after day, week after week, depending on what came out.
All glories to Srimati Labangalatika devi dasi. I look forward to meeting her again in the not-too-distant future.