My Husband Died

The Passing Of Vishoka Dasa

It has been awhile since I blogged. There is a reason for that. My husband had a terminal illness which I didn't want to bother others about, thus didn't mention here. (It effected the entire family). Now he has passed. sigh Even saying /typing that is difficult. Therefore, so I won't have to compose more on the topic, here is what I wrote on a devotee grief group:

I have been wanting to post, but don't know if I will be able to express myself properly, or avoid tears. Of course, I know the Grieving Processes is important. 

The main Tribute to my husband, Vishoka dasa, is on my fb wall. Here I will write a few personal details I have not yet shared with very many.

My husband has been fighting Parkson's a long time. He has been in and out of hospitals, and in and out of nursing homes temporarily until he could stand and come home. He has also been at deaths door 3 times prior, and surprised everyone by living. Once the doctors said he lost more blood than a human body can stand to loose and will die. He survived. 

Basically that happened 3 times, so when it happened again recently, we said: "He can surprised you." 

Admittedly I was in more denial than my daughter tho.  I kept thinking/hoping we could heal him to some degree.

This is getting hard to write so I'm just going to sum up the main part as best I can manage.

When he was sent home to ... pass over... I told myself he could still make it if we only did this or that. But it did not work, and may have added to my shock. 

The night before he left this world, his caretaker, nurse, also becoming a devotee - came over. I was in LaLa Land thinking how peaceful he looked. My daughter suggested she shave him up, and she agreed.  I wrapped more beads around his neck. The caretaker had already, a couple days prior, put his hand in his beadbag with his beads. We had a Prabhupada Box loaned to us and kept it playing constantly, and another devotee told me to open a Bhagavatam over his head which I did.

Then the caretaker hugged me and tears started to roll down her face. I said: "Wait, you are a nurse, you have more knowledge of these things than I do. Will he make it thru the night?" She said she did not know for sure but he could. I hung on tightly to the 'he could.' Me and my idealism. sigh 

He did survive the night. In the morning my daughter gave him his medicine,  went home [across the street], came back to check on him some hours later. She saw & checked, ran downstairs screaming: "Dad's dead!" We both burst out screaming and crying. 

But then she said she wasn't fully sure cuz he felt warm, but she could not detect breathing. So of course I went to figure it out. One arm was warm while the other cold. So as I learned with my babies, I wet my finger, put it under his nose to feel breath. There wasn't any.

My daughter called Hospice who got there rather fast, and they declared him as gone. 

I did not know it was NarasimhaDeva's Appearance Day. I made a mistake the day before looking at the wrong calendar or wrong time zone etc. Thought he missed it by one day. 

First his caretaker told me she thought it was the day he passed. Next an online old devotee friend told me, then an astrologer assured me, plus I looked it up again on the right calendar or time zone - yes, it was Narasimhadeva's Appearance Day! 

What relief this brought! 

Yet, still the tears fall, still the feeling a knife has been plunged into my gut. Logically I know this will pass in time, but wish I were one of those spiritually advanced people who could just be happy about it all coming together as it did. I tend to wonder what more I could have done, or should have done, or etc etc etc. 

This is a shortened version of it all, as this was a long-suffering disease, so the main points have been made. And all I can write at the moment. More is on my fb wall. Thanks for listening. Hare Krishna. 

YS, 

Priitaa dd

           And this is the Tribute I posted to my fb wall:

My husband Vishoka dasa left his body/died Wednesday May 22, 2024, in the morning. This has been hard on me; so for that, and other reasons, I am posting it a few days later. 

He departed from this world on a most auspicious day - LORD NARASIMHADEVA'S APPEARANCE DAY! 

While we were shocked and sad he left, we are relieved it happened on this most wonderful, spiritual day! 

Vishoka joined the Hare Krishna Movement in the Berkley temple California. He is an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Later he went to New Dwarka/L.A. where we met and married.

He was an artist at FATE Studios, a project funded by Amberish Dasa/Alfred Ford. Prabhupada wanted this project.  I will put a link to it below. [My husband is not in the link but it's a lovely article about FATE Museums].

Vishoka loved to write. He composed a few books, and some blogs. Two books were about Jayananda Prabhu. 

Vishoka also opened a yahoo group to glorify Srila Prabhupada. It went on for approximately 20 years. 

Edited: Adideva just reminded me how Vishoka use to make  GouraNitai deities and distributed Them - one set to Russia.

There is surely more he did but I can't think of it right now. This is at least a good summary.

Some will ask the cause of death, so briefly it was Parkinsons. 

Vishoka had 2 children and 3 grandchildren. And me as wife.

He left his body with Srila Prabhupada chanting, and Srimad Bhagavatam opened and above his head. 

I am trying to leave my emotions out of what I'm writing, but of course I am upset at this time. Yet logically and spiritually I know he is doing well now. That was one of my big worries. Prabhupada's teachings are my saving grace. And his. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Lord Narasimhadeva! 

Please don't ask me questions but DO send mantra for my husband, Vishoka dasa. Thank you and Hare Krishna.

F.A.T.E. - First American Theistic Exhibition

Vishoka's Blog: 

Vishoka's fb post about his friend Kushakrata prabhu:  

Who Is Lord NarasimhaDeva? And what does He have to do with Lord Krishna?