“She touched her beads to her forehead, and then in the presence of a room full of devotees, gave up her body there and then.”

Obituary: Savitri Priya devi dasi
By Vipramukhya Swami

CHAKRA (Bhaktivedanta Manor) - August 22, 2000: Savitri Priya devi dasi, an initiated disciple of ISKCON guru Bhakti Caru Swami, left her body due to cancer and went back to Godhead on Monday, August 21, 2000, in Wembley, London, England.

Savitri Priya devi dasi (Savitri Liladhar Vadukul) is survived by her husband, Lila Purusottama dasa (Liladhar Vadukul), her daughter Janava devi dasi, and son Dipen Vadukul. She is also survived by two brothers, Himatlal and Vrajlal, and three sisters, Shardaben, Hansaben and Vasantben.

Savitri Priya was a very advanced and humble devotee. I had the good fortune of speaking with her in the weeks leading up to her departure. On one occasion I asked her if she could tell me about death. She said, "Death is simply a change of clothes." She said she was not afraid of death, and she had no lamentation. Her acceptance of her disease as Krishna's arrangement was self-evident.

Her room was full of pictures of Krishna, and a video showing only the deities of Bhaktivedanta Manor played constantly in her room. On the morning of her passing, she was lying in bed, chanting on her beads. She could no longer move the beads, but she held them in her hand and moved them in her fingers slightly, murmuring the Maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. She touched her beads to her forehead, and then in the presence of a room full of devotees, gave up her body there and then.

When I went to her home after her passing away, I saw her lying in bed, looking extremely effulgent, holding her beads in her hand by her head, and with a smile on her face. I have never seen such a peaceful face on the body of a deceased person before. There was a definite air of transcendence in the room.

Savitri Priya and Lila Purusottama visited Mayapur and Jagannatha Puri earlier this year. She was very attached to her spiritual master and Lord Chaitanya. She requested that the "Govindam" tape be played at her cremation which took place earlier today.

© CHAKRA 22-August-2000

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