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.’
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