In the recent Sydney 40th anniversary and reunion, I posted a couple of shots of one of my most beloved Godbrothers, Sriman Yasomatinandan prabhu (from Australia – to avoid confusion with my Godbrother of the same name from Gujarat). During the reunion Yaso, as he was fondly and universally referred to, was fighting agressive stomach cancer and was in the middle of chemotherapy. It was with great determination that he attended most of the reunion, particularly the inauguration feast on Friday night and the Sydney harbor boat tour on Sunday.

Despite his debilitated physical appearance Yaso was in good spirits and humor, relishing his last chance to join the godbrothers and sisters that he worked, feasted, chanted and danced with during the formative years of ISKCON Australia.

He even sang and played guitar on the boat ride:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxGy1t0ywSI&feature=related

Sadly, one month later on June 20, 2011 we received this letter from Kurma prabhu:

Monday 20 June

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I was about to write you all to find out whether you all enjoyed our Reunion
as much as I did, but for now I have to provide you with more sobering news.

Our dear Godbrother Yasomatinandana passed away this morning in hospital
from cancer of the stomach. He had seen his grandchild yesterday for the
first time, and had said his farewells to all. He was at peace.

Around 8.30 am, while his son Ramananda was chanting softly with him at his
bedside, he fell silent, closed his eyes and peacefully departed. A blessed
death!

As you recall, he joined us exactly one month ago on May 20 for our 40th
Anniversary celebrations and Prabhupada Disciples Reunion Dinner, and was at
that time 2 weeks into a course of chemotherapy. It was on our kirtan cruise
on Sydney Harbour two days later that Yaso sung for us all for the very last
time.

We are happy that his pain was relatively short-lived, and I am confident
that Yaso has been able to enter into transcendence, having devoted the best
years of his life to the sacred Sankirtana Movement of Sri Caitanya.

Chittahari was at the hospital and noted how wonderfully effulgent Yaso
appeared. In fact he called me from the hospital to say Yaso looked
astonishingly blissful as if he had seen something remarkable in his last
moments.

Farewell Yaso. Thank you for your association. Thank you for your great
kirtans. Thank you for your comedic brilliance and rapier-sharp wit. And
thank you for those tens of thousands of Prabhupada’s books you distributed
in every town and village of Australia. You have pleased Srila Prabhupada.
We will miss you.”

A funeral service and cremation was held on Wednesday 22 June which Kurma prabhu described as “simultaneously sad, happy and very sweet. His family and friends were very happy with the send-off.”

Next Friday, July 1, 2011 there will be a memorial service for Yaso at New Govardhan farm, commencing 10AM. This coincides with the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and after the remembrances there will be a feast.

Here’s a few photos of Yaso prabhu from the early days when he was one of the leading book distributors in the Australian yatra:

That’s Yaso (Bhakta Jim) sticking out of the lower window (under the ‘M’) with his arms outstretched. He was just about to join and hadn’t yet shaved up. This photo was taken the day after the first Australian rathayatra in Melbourne, June 1972.

Yaso on the far left during a morning walk in Melbourne with Srila Prabhupada, May 1975.

All-Australia BBT book distribution party Surrey Hills temple Sydney, 1977; Yaso next to vyasasana with Krsna book

Sydney temple devotees and BBT party, Surrey Hills 1977; Yaso far left.

downtown Sydney Saturday night sankirtana 1977; Yaso cooking it with the mrdunga.

If I find any more in my collection I will post them.

Yaso was one of my best friends. He and I always felt a deep kinship with each other. He had a host of talents that he put to extremely effective use in Krsna’s service. He was blessed with a high IQ, and was a member of the ‘genious’ club Mensa. He could rap off hundreds of slokas, and could brilliantly argue the philosophy, running circles around men of ordinary intelligence.

He once was arrested for distributing books ‘illegally’ in a country town in Australia. The case was brought immediately to the court and Yaso decided to represent his own case. He had never done it before but he was inspired and confident. He called the arresting police officer to the dock for questioning. Within five minutes he had the man contradicting himself, and so tied up in knots that the magistrate simply shook his head in embarassment and dismissed the case.

He was an accomplished musician and played drums and guitar. He composed poems and songs and loved to be in plays, especially satire and comedies. Srila Prabhupada said that “one who has got knowledge, he is humorous also” and Yaso had both in abundance. He could have an audience splitting their sides with laughter with his incisive wit and cheek, and his probing psychological exposes of false philosophies and sham spirituality were a delight.

He was an astute businessman but unconventional, the epitome of the lovable rogue, utilizing his talents in lets say ‘non-mainstream ways’ to make hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe millions, for Srila Prabhupada’s movement. Those of us that knew him in the late 70s can never forget his coat of many pockets with which he transported jewelry into New Zealand which he sold at excellent profits, all of which went into the temple coffers.

His brain buzzed with ideas, some solid and some outrageous, some which only he could pull off, for making funds for the sankirtan movement. His revamping of the incense business in New Zealand to sell ‘disco sticks’ with free dance lessons in local studios to take advantage of the disco craze in the late 70s comes to mind. And there were many more too numerous to mention here.

To be sure, he had his trials and sometimes severe tribulations (Yaso never did things by half) but even in his darkest struggles, he never forgot that he was the servant of his spiritual master. Indeed, the hallmark of Yaso’s character was his inherent humility. He was always self-effacing and always saw himself as the servant of the devotees. It wasn’t a fake thing, he genuinely felt that his business in life was service to Guru and Gauranga and that mood of real humility was perhaps his most enduring characteristic. Devotees genuinely loved him, and he loved them.

After the Sydney reunion, just before I flew out to Melbourne, I went to Yaso’s house for what we both knew would be our last meeting together. It was poignant to say the least. But Yaso was philosophical and well grounded. He had no expectations for himself, just a hope and prayer that he would take birth again in the family of devotees and again be able to go out and distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. That was always his heart and soul and his best experience in Krsna consciousness.

For my part, I chided him gently and told him that Srila Prabhupada didn’t come so that we could take another birth. He came to deliver us back home, back to Godhead. He wants us to get out of this material world, that was his mission. So I told him that whatever may have passed during the course of this lifetime, it will all be adjusted at the moment we leave. If we pray to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna to come and take us back home, They are merciful and they will not ignore our request. One moment is as good as eternity. One moment of sincere desire to return back to Godhead is all that is needed for the deed to be done because They will not fail to respond to a humble request in full surrender. Lifetimes of sinful activity are vanquished in that instant and we should not be victims of false humility and fail to ask for Their full mercy.

There wasn’t much more that I could say, and as we embraced for the last time I said softly, “I will see you when I see you,” and he nodded in hopeful resignation. It was, as I said, poignant to say the least.

In the event Yaso left in good consciousness, hearing the holy names and with unlimited spiritual merit to his eternal credit. Where he has gone the Lord knows, but we can be sure that he will continue on as a glorious servant of his spiritual master, engaging in the sankirtan movement that he so loved.

All glories to his grace Sriman Yasomatinandan prabhu! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

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