Lalasamayi Devi Dasi

22 July 1924 – 21 December 2009

Last night, at fifteen minutes past midnight, our dear friend, Lalasamayi Devi Dasi, left her body. Lalasamayi, who joined ISKCON in 1983 at the age of sixty, spent her last days in her home in the Belgian Krishna community of Radhadesh.Because of her advanced age, things became more and more difficult for her until, two weeks ago, she made her last visit to the temple room to see Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha.

Around 19:00 yesterday evening, one of the nurses who was taking care of her announced that the end was approaching. The nurse decided is was better not to take her to the hospital, commenting: “Let her pass away with these people here, that is what she wants.” Around 19:30 Yadurani Devi Dasi was there with Lalasamayi. “Are we alone?” Lalasa asked. “Yes,” Yadurani answered, “I will stay with you during the night.” “Yes, I know,” Lalasamayi answered.

At around 20:00, Lalasamayi requested Yadurani to show her the Daily Darshan pictures of Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha on the Radhadesh website. Yadurani showed them to her asking what she wanted to see. “I want to see the lotus feet of Gopinatha,” Lalasamayi answered. Yadurani showed her. “I don’t see anything,” Lalasamayi replied.

Lalasamayi looked very tired and Yadurani asked her whether she was going to sleep. “No,” Lalasamayi answered. “Are we alone here?” Lalasamayi asked again, “There is nobody else?” “No. There is no one, “ Yadurani responded.

The room was quite dark. After some time Lalasamayi started to look around everywhere. “There is such brilliant light here,” she said. Then she looked to the right side of her bed and tried to reach out with her hand as if she wanted to grasp something.

“You see something?” Yadurani asked. “Is someone there?” “Yes,” Lalasa said, “Don’t you see? It is Krishna.” “Is someone else there?” Yadurani asked. “Yes,” Lalasamayi said, “Nanda Maharaja, and Mother Yasoda. Don’t you see? Come, I will show you. Come with me. Come with me. I will show you.”

Lalasamayi was speaking a lot now and Yadurani could not understand everything. “Is it very beautiful?” Yadurani asked. “Yes,” Lalasamayi replied. “Are you happy, Lalasamayi?” Lalasamayi smiled very broadly.

“When are you going there?” Yadurani asked her. “Tomorrow,” Lalasamayi replied. “Don’t wait anymore. Krishna is waiting for you,” Yadurani said. “He has been waiting for you since so long now, don’t wait anymore.”

Again Lalasa began to look around and pointed out into the room. Lalasamayi again said, “You have to come with me.” “OK, I will come with you,” Yadurani replied. Then Mother Lalasamayi said: “I want to go back home now.”

After that she started to withdraw from external consciousness, breathing with difficulty. She was asking to drink, but when she was given some water she refused it. This went on for about three hours.

When Yadurani saw that the end was getting closer she called the devotees living next door. Very soon many devotees came there and Lalasamayi’s room was filled with local devotees and college students, who began to perform beautiful and very sweet bhajans. Many devotees visited, and finally, just after midnight, looking completely peaceful, fearless, and detached, Mother Lalasamayi left her body.

Lalasamayi was a very sweet and humble devotee. She was a great pillar of the Radhadesh community and will be greatly missed by all.

How Lalasamayi Devi Dasi came in contact with Krishna consciousness

In 1983 a devotee visited Lalasamayi’s home in Flanders and sold her Srila Prabhupada’s book, Bhagavad Gita As It Is. Lalasamayi, who was sixty years old at the time, was immediately interested and moved to the Radhadesh community very soon after, leaving behind everything. “I always said it was a very good investment,” she used to comment later on.

For many years Lalasamayi went out on sankirtan to support Radhadesh. At that time, together with Vinoda Manjari Devi Dasi, they were, more or less, financially supporting the whole of Radhadesh. Lalasamayi was also involved as a pujari, cooking for Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha, Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra, and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.

Lalasamayi was very expert in her service. Even when her spiritual master, His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami, visited Radhadesh in 2008, he mentioned how she had given him a large donation for several projects like the ISKCON Youth Fund. It was very obvious how deeply moved and pleased he was with her, and he wanted her to be taken care of as nicely as possible.

You have served Krishna so much and for such a long time, now that your body has become weak, we have to take care of you. — Bhakti Caru Swami

Along with the professional nurses who came to take care of her, for the last few years several Radhadesh devotees were also visiting and cooking for Lalasamayi, and giving her personal association. Recently devotees took very loving care of Lalasamayi twenty-four hours a day.

These devotees include: Amrita-vani Devi Dasi, Asoka Devi Dasi, Bhagavati Devi Dasi, Bhakta Jan-Andre, Mandira Devi Dasi, Mangala-candrika Devi Dasi, Syamalika Devi Dasi, Yadurani Devi Dasi and many others. Thank you all for your wonderful service in taking care of Lalasamayi.