Founder Acharya His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Poem: Last Night The Grim Reaper Came For Me
By Karnamrita Das   |  Feb 19, 2021
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On February 9th, Prabhupada-disciple, beloved Grihastha Vision Team member and premarital counselor Karnamrita Dasa passed away after a long battle with cancer. 

I saw the grim reaper in my dream, feeling no fear, I was curious to see him.
Coming near, he pointed his bony, pale hand toward me.
His other palm raised in blessing pose where it was written, the number 65—my age!
Then with both hands, he pointed to the sky, and shrugged.
His sickle and dark robes then transformed.
He showed his true self, as a blissful, radiant sage.
Smiling enchantingly, he said, “People dress me with their fear, thinking I have come to destroy them and take everything away.
You can see me as I am, because you have no fear, and you live the life of Godly devotion, the life of the soul.”
“Death only pertains to the body, having nothing to do with the soul. I only come to help souls have another opportunity in physical form.
Life is a great blessing to realize the soul and God, but souls cover themselves and hide behind matter’s disguise.
People fear me because of their false attachments to temporary things that are actually the cause of all their suffering, such a great irony.
They fail to know the purpose of life and death, and that physical life is short for a very good reason.
Not knowing this people complain about superficial things instead of searching for answers why life is temporary, what life is for, and why there is birth, death, disease, old age, joy and sorrow, and a feeling of incompleteness.
“Souls in physical dress cling to false things that have nothing to do with themselves as a soul, thinking they are a body, that material things belong to them, that bodily relationships and designations define them, that kinsmen only come from blood ties—
but actually every being is our kinsman as we are all children of the same God, our Source.
“To study this is life’s curriculum, to realize it, is true knowledge. One can’t wait till the time of death to contemplate this but must study it in life, endeavoring to live the life of the soul.
“The great prophets throughout time come to teach this— following their example you must share this wisdom about the proper use of this temporary physical life; real life is eternal in the great joyful celebration of God; we find meaning and purpose in the spirit; and everything we search for is within already.
“You should remember that you may die today—or tomorrow, or before you turn 66, or in twenty years.
It matters not, if you live the life of the soul. For one truly devoted to God, life and death are the same—to the extent you live the “soul purpose” of life and remember God.
“This truth has to be chosen moment by moment until you are completely purified of matter’s influence.
You must teach by who you are, and your highest ideals.
Let your soul’s light illuminate and guide you at every step and help receptive souls awaken to their divine potential or that which they search for without knowing. Thus you have to demonstrate what they are searching for by radiating the joy, peace and wisdom of the soul, and speak from your soul heart to theirs—that is your life work now and forever.”
Then I woke up, praying to Krishna to completely wake up!

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