On Wednesday, September 6th, at 10 am, in Chandigarh, under the shelter of Sri Sri Radha Madhav, HG Nand Maharaj Prabhu departed from this material realm.

A very senior disciple of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj, who had been serving Sri Sri Radha Madhav and the community of ISKCON Chandigarh and Panchkula with pure devotion for the last 50 years were words of his spiritual master for him.

For the past three years, he was the regional secretary of ISKCON Chandigarh & Panchkula. For more than 20 years, he also served as the temple president of ISKCON Chandigarh & Panchkula. He built, nurtured, and inspired a strong devotee community in the congregation, brahmacharis, many youth (boys & girls), and vanaprastha. Besides that, he was an expert manager, fundraiser, and a perfect leader for our ISKCON Community. He also formed very powerful leaders in the temple and empowered them. He was a humble, down-to-earth devotee, always loving other Vaishnavas with a pure heart. His dedication to Srila Prabhupada and his spiritual master was exemplary and cannot adequately be described in words. Prabhuji had also helped in building this temple.

As he had the name Nand Maharaj, he had the same qualities as a loving father for everyone. He was like a grandfather for youngsters – caring, dealing as a friend, and mentoring them. Prabhuji was an electrical engineer from Punjab Engineering College (PEC).

In 1976, when Srila Prabhupada visited, especially Nehru Park (Sector 22), he was there with his family. He saw Prabhupada with his young American disciples. He was especially empowered by Srila Prabhupada just by seeing him that first time. He was very attracted to the movement and was inspired to take a book called “Scientific Basis of Krishna Consciousness.” He became impressed by reading Prabhupada’s books and wrote a letter for further information. Srila Prabhupada replied to him through the temple president and asked him to come to his place. He visited and took a Back To Godhead magazine and one chanting bead bag. He and his wife chanted for two years in the same bead bag. They started going to Mr. Sethi’s house, where Srila Prabhupada had stayed (for regular programs). Later, the temple president gifted him Prabhupada’s original Srimad Bhagavatam set, Chaitanya Charitamrta, and small books. He studied those books, became very serious, and dedicated his life to Krishna Consciousness. He joined the senior disciples and sannyasis of Srila Prabhupada and was very much attached to RadhaMadhav.
He also witnessed the opening ceremony of Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi mandir in Vrindavan.

Chandigarh was very attracted to Satsvarupa Das Goswami Maharaj, Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj, and many other Srila Prabhupada’s disciples in the earlier days. In 1983, he took initiation from HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj in his first batch in Chandigarh by inspiration from then temple president HG Adi Yagya Prabhu. His spiritual master gave him various services in the temple.

Whenever any Srila Prabhupada sanyasis or disciples came to Chandigarh, they always loved to stay in Prabhuji’s house, including Lokanath Swami Maharaj, Trivikram Maharaj, Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj and many Prabhupada disciples.

He was also a perfect grihastha, doing his regular job and managing his family and temple services. Prabhuji was getting older, and seniors in the office wanted to transfer him from Chandigarh, so he retired from his job and became a full-time devotee. From that day till his last breath, he served RadhaMadhav with a pure heart and devotion. He and his wife (Yashoda Mayi Devi Dasi) inspire all current Chandigarh & Panchkula devotees and future ones as well.

It is a tremendous loss for the ISKCON Community that such a pure soul has returned to Godhead.