MUSIC IS THE INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL
Prakashji’s Music is the International Language of Love

By Parvati Persaud-Edwards

“My gift of music is a blessing from God unearned by me. I give and take pleasure in the divine experiences of satsangs with a total involvement, because I flow myself in the ocean of song to my Lord and the feeling is so sublime that I feel charged all the time. Each performance is a new experience; each song resonates in my soul and uplifts my spirit. That is why I do not choose songs but just flow in the ocean of emotions, because my music is inspired by my love for, and devotion, to the Lord.” – Shri Prakash Gossai.

I was first introduced to Prakashji by Butch Parmanand at a satsang organised at the Countrypride Building to celebrate Butch’s 50th birthday. He riveted me then, and he continues to do so until today, and he will do so until I die, because he gifted me with many CD’s of satsangs, poojas and yajnas that he conducted. I told him recently that if I had a choice I would follow him everywhere he sang, just as Meera followed Krishna’s flute everywhere, because his music is so enthralling and so uplifting to the spirit.

Prakashji’s philosophies embraced mankind. He said that communion with the Supreme Lord is a privilege of every man, whatever wrongs he may have committed, and can be done anywhere – not necessarily in a house of worship. While he adjured his audiences to strive to adhere to the laws of the land, he also said that the ultimate judge of man’s actions is the Lord, and no one can escape the laws of Karma, because the Karmic dispensation prevails over every justice system devised by man.
Explaining that the life-force present in man is the same that exists within every life form on earth, but that what differentiates man from other forms of life is the atma – the soul, which has existed in the spiritual plane before manifesting in our human bodies, Pandit Gossai said that the latter is merely the vehicle that takes the soul in the quest for ultimate union with God on the journey through and beyond the material world.

According to Prakashji, every person is given three gifts from God to help them along this journey. One is the human body, which serves as the boat to take us across the ocean of our existence on the human plane.

Another is the engine – the propelling force, which is the ability to think and to feel, and the last and most important is the guru – the guide, who is Lord Ram, to show us the practical way to attain this goal through the philosophies as expounded in the sacred teachings of the Ramayan.

Prakashji, quoting the Gita: “I am the same to all – equally accessible”, said that everyone should learn the art of divine introspection and that they should pause and reflect on their actions. If they are troubled then they should direct their thoughts to the Lord, which would assist their mind-management. This will go a far way to minimising incidents of depression, suicide, and other destructive and anti-social tendencies.

According to the learned pandit, the Karmic phenomenon is applicable to all religions, and divine retribution and divine justice are inescapable within the framework of mankind’s existence. He said that all of us are given the gift of God’s power invested in our beings, which provides us equal opportunities to do well in, and with our lives.

And Prakashji has demonstrated this by optimising his God-given potentials in order to serve mankind, and in so doing has been rewarded by an overflowing ocean of love throughout the world, made sacrosanct because the conduit of that love is the sublime messages of the Lord enshrined in his scriptures, which Prakashji has encapsulated within global parameters, then flung in scintillating melodies to embrace and bedazzle galaxies and constellations of stars that irradiates the soul of the earth (Dharti Ma) with melodious recitations of divine beauty.

How can our Guyana not be blessed when she produces such sons?

Prakashji has always held sacrosanct the Guru’s place in the life of his students, while upholding Lord Ram as the ultimate Guru, and every morning, before they commence work, the young people in the Office of the President, from every religion, who have grown to revere the man who puts Lord Ram’s admonitions and teachings into definitive contexts relating to life situations, make pilgrimage to his office to take his blessings, especially Aveena – a young Moslem lawyer, whom I am absolutely certain is devastated today; so am I Aveena, and so are millions around the world who loved him.

The man who loved to use Lord Ram’s texts to contextualise mankind’s roles in human situations defined good governance as that practised by Supreme Lord, who said to his subjects: “Don’t invest lordliness in me to listen to me – not out of fear. What you think right, that is what you should practice.” Is no more on this earth, but has joined his Lord in his eternal abode of peace, because he has always practised what he thought right, and has taught others to also walk that path that was prescribed by the Supreme Lord.

Growing up in Mahaica Creek Prakash Gossai never wore shoes. His parents were very poor, but he loved attending mandir, and he loved to sing bhajans in praise of the Lord, finding great pleasure in interpreting the scriptures through song and music.

His first job was a teaching position at Vryheid’s Lust Government School, then he studied Medical Technology at UG, after which he obtained a job at the Laboratory of the Public Hospital Georgetown.
He then pursued his BSc., after which he lectured at UG for two years.

In 1981 he won the annual Mukesh Singing Competition, the prize of which was a trip to Canada. He subsequently went to the USA where, because of an acute shortage of science teachers, he quickly obtained a teaching position in the Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn.

During the first year while he was settling in, he observed that the Hindus in the locality were isolated from Hindu practice because of busy lifestyles and the struggle to survive in an alien environment. Inspired to establish an integrated movement by joining the small groups scattered at different locations Prakashji, together with a few like-minded persons, such as Mr. Sasenarine, started the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir in 1984 in a basement at 307 Stanhope Street in Brooklyn, where they invited others to speak on Hindu theologies and philosophies.

He said that the thirst for grounding in the texts of their religion was so great that the congregation soon outgrew the space, but many times when the persons scheduled to speak did not show up, he was obligated to fill the void, using his gift of music to present simple kathas in a pleasant way, which everybody enjoyed immensely, as he incorporated his singing skills into this unique challenge to present the scriptural kathas.

The rest is history.

Every night since he departed this earthly plane, all across the country – all across the world, the mandirs have been resounding with voices lifted in the songs that he loved to sing to celebrate the purposeful and fulfilling life of a simple man made immortal by his superbly melodious voice, always resonating to the Heavens in praise of his ultimate guru – the Supreme Lord of Prakashji’s treasured Ramayan.

At a wake held by the Office of the President at Castellani House, President Jagdeo spoke of all the quintessential and innate goodness that hallmarked the essence of Prakash Gossai, and of his life of service to humanity.

He recalled inviting Prakashji to come to serve his homeland, during the midst of the crime wave; and yet, despite the then prevailing fear submerging the psyche of the Guyanese Diaspora because of the then wanton killings of innocent persons by merciless gunmen, Prakashji consented.

The President said that Prakashji, by the very nature of his characteristic broadmindedness, which did not limit his horizons to his own religion, but encapsulated the spectrum of our Guyanese identity, and of humanity in general, managed to do what Governments alone cannot do, which is to meld the diverse elements of the social components into cohesive units working together for the common good of our country, because his strength was in his gracious simplicity and humility even in the face of adversity, which touched and held fast the hearts of everyone with whom he came into contact.

And he did it all without expectation nor desire for reward. Above all, he shunned publicity and kept a low profile, even while he worked indefatigably to bridge the divides and to help the poor and vulnerable in our society.

Describing Prakashji as “irreplaceable”, the President said that he has to live with the regret that, when he called New York to enquire about the health of his special advisor, he was informed that he was moving around without discomfort, so he moved on to his busy schedule, realising in hindsight that he should have spent some more time with Prakashji; but he had no inkling that our nation would be facing such a sad loss of a relatively young, but very giving person, who lived his religion in his service to mankind, which is an integral and essential component of Hindu scriptures; until Dr. Gopaul called him on Monday a.m.

The President was regretful of the loss of his advisor and friend and spoke about the need to relate and interact well and graciously with the people you care about, because you never know what is pre-ordained for the next day. He advised that one cannot go wrong in emulating the life that Prakashji lived, which was serving others above self.

The funeral proceedings of Prakashji will be broadcast live at Castellani House from 10 a.m. on Thursday, and via NCN. The public is invited.