Honoring Sudharma: Support Her Final Journey

Our dear friend and valiant servant of Srila Prabhupada, Sudharma dasi, has left us just after 11:00pm EDT on June 14, 2024 in Alachua, FL from cardiac arrest.

Sudharma devi dasi took initiation from Srila Prabhupada in 1976. In her nearly 50 years of devotional life she served as a sankirtana devotee, sankirtana leader, temple board member in Philadelphia and Alachua temples, temple president in the Philippines, itinerant preacher in the Pacific Northwest and in Southeast Asia where she helped to develop congregational communities from devotees homes. She developed and managed the book distribution at Srila Prabhupada’s Palace in New Vrindavan, where she personally distributed many hundreds of Srila Prabhupada’s books each week.

She served as the ISKCON Communications Director for North America, a member of the ISKCON Foundation, the founder of the North American and International GBC Women’s Ministry (now known as the Vaishnavi Ministry), and a North American GBC / TP Executive Officer for six years.

She established and ran the after school program at the Alachua Learning Academy for several years, developing many elaborate programs, field trips, and other activities for the children, whom she truly loved.

She was the wife of Sundararupa Prabhu who was initiated in 1974, and served as a preacher in our movement, passing on in 2008. She had two daughters. Prema is working on her PhD at the University of Florida, while her older sister Braja graduated with a Master’s Degree from Goddard College in Vermont.

Even though very ill the past few years, Sudharma developed a radio platform but was not able to fulfill the broad vision she had for the project.

She felt a great deal of gratitude and affection for Srila Prabhupada and the devotees for her services, association, meditations, and the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Sudharma lived on a fixed income that didn't always cover her medical expenses therefore there are no funds for the cremation or memorial. Also we would like to extend some help to her daughters, who both are without their father.

A memorial will be held at the ISKCON Alachua temple on a Sunday between 1pm and 4pm EDT, but the Sunday has not yet been decided. Those who would like to participate by Zoom can contact Pranada at pranadacomtois at gmail dot com.

If we can collect more than the target it will greatly help Prema.

Thank you in advance for helping give this special Vaishnavi a proper farewell. Hare Krsna.