Monday, 2022 January 17

Yesterday, by the mercy of devotees and Krsna, we received the news that Rupanuga-caitanya Das (Vaidya Ruben Devoto) left his body. It came as a shock to us as I'm sure it has to many people.

He was such a very big part of our lives that it will take some time to adjust to this new relationship, but we want to offer a few words of perspective immediately. It is an honor to even think of talking about him.

Of course, he and Mother Divya-vani (Prof. Dora Bazan) and their son Eric where practically the first people that we met upon arriving in Peru. We remember waking up in the second floor of Kanu-pandita's house/complex in Chosica and they were all sitting there looking at us in a friendly fashion.

After that things continued that way for years. We traveled together for weeks in India in the most remote and interesting places. We shared hardships and victories, and always with deep realizations of each others contributions to the movement of Lord Caitanya.

Rupa-anuga Das was a bigger than life person. Bigger than the life of most of us. To visit his home, was always an intellectual and human experience of living life in depth.

We always remember Srila Prabhupada's comment that when a close friend or family member leaves to go for work in a foreign country for a few years, there are naturally feelings of separation, some tears, but no one thinks that we won't meet again, with good profit from the separation, to continue our eternally developing relationships, and that there won't be phone calls and telegrams from the foreign land.

So, with this in mind we want to offer our dedication to keeping even more intimate association with Prabhu, and offer whatever help we can to his family and associates here:

Eric, Divya-vani, Lilly, Melina, Gandhari, Dina et al.

Thank you,

Hare Krsna!

HpSwami.