HH Sridhar Swami Samadhi Opening

[Guest guest]

Today, March 6, there was no Bhagavatam class. After gurupuja the kirtan

party left the temple and went to HH Sridhar Swami's samadhi for the

official opening of his samadhi mandir which is facing Srila Prabhupada's

samadhi and just to the rear of HH Tamal Krishna Maharaja's samadhi.

 

After invocatory mantras and coconut breaking, Niranjana Maharaja sang "je

anilo prema dhana", and then for several hours devotees spoke about Srila

Sridhara Maharaja. This went on for several hours after which there was a

puspanjali and gurupuja and an amazing feast for all devotees in the Gada

Kitchen. The feast was sponsored by Maharaja's mother and sister who are

here in Mayapur in for the function.

 

In the evening a video of Maharaja's last days was screened in the Samadhi

and then the remembrances continued till 8:30 pm, giving a full dose of

glorication of a much-loved son of Srila Prabhupada. See attached pictures

to get a better idea.

 

Unfortunately the recording I made came out too poor for uploading. It's

even hard to transcribe from. Thus so far I've only been able to transcribe

one speaker, though I'll try to salvage some more, perhaps by paraphrasing.

Here's what I managed to do so far:

__________________________

 

 

Mayapur Das (MC): I'd like to ask a very loving Godbrother of Guru Maharaja,

Srila Bhakti Caru Maharaja, to speak a few words on this occasion. Maharaja

was the one who initiated this wonderful reception in Sri Mayapur Dham last

year, and he was always a very loving and dear Godbrother, and encouraged

him always. I remember I have a very nice relationship with Bhakti Caru

Maharaja's disciples and I've heard some stories from disciples from a long

time back in Calcutta whom Sridhara Swami brought through life membership to

our movement. They actually came here today. It was very inspiring to hear

about the relationship that Bhakti Caru Maharaja and Guru Maharaja had and

also to see it live. Srila Bhakti Caru Maharaja ki jai.

 

Bhakti Caru Swami: (invocatory prayers. . . .) An occasion like this is very

important for us for our spiritual progress. Because a time like this

reminds us of what we are here for. Sridhara Maharaja was such an exalted

devotee and loved by all, appreciated by everyone, and specially he was very

dear to Srila Prabhupada. The wonderful offering, especially the letter of

appreciation. . . (?) the letter of Giriraja Swami that expressed his

recognition of Sridhara Maharaja's exalted position really touches our

hearts. And Radhanath Maharaja's heartfelt offering makes us recognise the

true position of Sridhara Maharaja.

 

I'm saying it because while I was listening I was thinking how little I knew

Sridhara Maharaja, although I received a lot of mercy from him but I feel

that I missed out on the wonderful opportunity I had to get to know this

wonderful personality. . . get close to him with more sincerity and receive

his mercy with more earnestness. And I was thinking that maybe we'll feel

the same way when gradually we become separated from one another in course

of time. And I was praying to Srila Prabhupada that he gives me the purity

of heart and sincerity that I recognise the importance and exalted position

of the devotees of ISKCON, especially our Godbrothers and Godsisters, and

take advantage of their presence on this planet so that we do not repent

when it may be a little too late.

 

I received a lot of mercy of Sridhara Maharaja from my early days in Krsna

consciousness and I saw what a wonderful person he is. I first met him

during the Kumbha Mela in 1977 in Allahabad. Prabhupada was there. Sridhara

Maharaja was organising the book distribution and I was placed under his

care to distribute books. That's one thing I was not at all good at, I used

to feel very shy to go out and distribute books and Sridhara Maharaja

noticed this and he literally took me by my hand and he started to

distribute books along with me side by side although he wasc a sannyasi, he

was organising the team, he was taking care of the book distribution there,

but he was there by my side and from the very first meeting I saw what a

wonderful person he is. And I could see. . . later on I remembered that this

is the quality of a leader. A leader just doesn't just drive his followers

to do things but the leader inspires his followers to do things. And that's

how Sridhara Maharaja was. I saw what a wonderful visionary he was; as

Radhanath Maharaja and Gopal Krishna Maharaja already mentioned that in many

fields Sridhara Maharaja was actually the first one to do it. Gopal Krsna

Maharaja pointed out that the BHISMA project, a high-tech fundraising

campaign, was organised by Sridhara Maharaja. And it was very successful and

is still going on. So was his involvement in book distribution, he was one

of the first travelling sankirtana book distibutors.

 

Another wonderful quality that I noticed in Sridhara Maharaja was that he

was very compassionate and specially he would reach out to those who were

deprived or hurt. I have seen that whenever he would go, especially to

Europe-I had the good fortune of being with him when he used to come to

Belgium and Holland. Especially in Holland there were some devotees who were

not in the mainstream of ISKCON and Sridhara Maharaja would go and find out

where these devotees were and make it a point to contact them, meet them,

invite them to the temple, listen to their grievances and encourage them to

come back to Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet.

 

And in this way we see what a wonderful Vaisnava he was and it's a great

loss for us that today he is not in our midst but Krsna consciousness

philosophy, the spiritual understanding, gives us the assurance that

someday, if we also follow his wonderful example, we will be able to be with

him at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and I pray to Srila Prabhupada, I

pray to Krsna, that I also can have such a glorious departure from this

planet, surrounded by devotees, in the holy Dham of Mayapur, at the lotus

feet of Srila Prabhupada. That is actually the perfection of our spiritual

life. Srila Sridhar Maharaja ki jai!