Offerings to HH Sridhar Swami mhg by HH Radhanath Swami mhg(march

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees

pl find below the live Transcript received from Ananta

Tirtha prabhu stationed at Mayapur dham

yr hs

radhabhava gaur das

 

 

(after Radhanath Maharaja had read Giriraja Maharaja's

letter)

 

Mayapur Das (MC): I would like to thank Srila

Radhanath Maharaja for

reading

Srila Giriraja Maharaja's offering, and I would like

to request also

Srila

Radhanath Maharaja to speak a few words on this

occasion.

 

Specifically I would also like to thank very much

Srila Radhanath

Maharaja

and the congregation of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir

in Bombay for all

their love and help they have given to Srila Sridhar

Maharaja when he

needed

it the most; when he was sick he was treated in

Bhaktivedanta Hospital.

And

our Guru Maharaja had so many wonderful relationships

with the devotees

of

Radha Gopinath Mandir, and in spite of very severe

health problems

Srila

Radhanath Maharaja has come here to speak in honour of

Sridhar

Maharaja. So

I would like to thank you, Maharaja.

 

Radhanath Swami: Thank you for your kindness. His

Holiness Sridhar

Swami

Maharaja was truly one of the most exemplary devotees.

.. . who walked

on

this earth. He surrendered his life unconditionally to

Srila Prabhupada

in

1969 and from every moment until the time of his

departure was a

beautiful

offering of love to Srila Prabhupada, to Sri Krsna,

and to the world.

 

Srila Sridhar Maharaja participated as a member of the

first travelling

book

distribution party in the history of ISKCON. Why?

Because he knew that

that

is what Prabhupada wanted. When Prabhupada came to

India, in the very

early

70's and asked devotees to come, he was one of the

first. The struggles

and

hardships he underwent in those early days in were

further testimony of

his

great love. Many came and many went, but Sridhar

Maharaja, like a rock

of

dedication, remained faithful.

 

He was one of the first to establish the Life

Membership programme. He

was

on the first parties to travel and preach throughout

the length and

breadth

of India. Why? Because it was Prabhupada's wish.

Sridhar Maharaja's

loving

service to Srila Prabhupada was absolutely

unconditional. He was the

personified of dedication and loyalty. He personified

the statement

Prabhupada often made that one should make the order

of the spiritual

master

his life and soul.

 

Srila Prabhupada said that ISKCON was his body and

Sridhara Swami was a

very

very faithful loving personal servant of that body his

whole life.

Absolutely faithful and cooperative of the society

Prabhupada created

no

matter what cost. . . .(?) Sridhara Maharaja's love of

the devotees has

been

felt personally by most of the assembled devotees here

today. All over

the

world thousands of devotees really felt that Sridhara

Maharaja was a

dear

and best friend. Whether one was a senior leader or a

very unknown, new

person, Sridhar Maharaja encouraged and showered love

upon all of us.

How

much he loved his Godbrothers and Godsisters. This was

very much

witnessed

especially in his last days.

 

How much he encouraged and trained--not only his own

disciples--but

those

who were under the care of his Godbrothers as well.

His affection, his

care,

was truly . . .(?) In fact, Sridhar Maharaja was kind

to everybody. He

was

simply eager to serve. Whatever had to be done he was

the first person

to

step forward and do it despite even great risk and

sacrifice(?). His

wonderful sense of humour, his wonderful care, has

deeply enshrined his

presence within all of our hearts. In his creative

dedication to Srila

Prabhupada he was one of the first to really push

forward using high

technology in the service of Krsna, understanding

Prabhupada's desire

for

yukta-vairagya.

 

When he saw that ISKCON was having difficulty due to

lack of funds, he

was

organising fund raising programmes both

internationally and various

projects

all around the world, expecting nothing for himself.

Sridhar Maharaja,

knowing Prabhupada's great desire to build Sridham

Mayapur, he was one

of

the first to step forward and dedicate himself, his

life and soul, to

offer

everything. . . (?)

 

One of the most beautiful moments in my life, and

perhaps one of the

greatest historical moments in our society, was that

day when Srila

Sridhar

Swami Maharaja came to Mayapur with his intention to

depart from the

world.

Thousands and thousands of devotees from around the

world assembled at

the

gate of Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir; everyone's

hearts were fixed on

offering honour to a man who exemplified the highest

principles of ??

Thousands and thousands of devotees were chanting the

holy names and

weeping

in gratitude and affection. When that van arrived with

Sridhar Maharaja

in

the back, despite his inconceivably ill health and

very very difficult

rigorous journey--all the way from Vancouver to London

to Calcutta--his

smile, his loving glance, his reciprocation with all

the devotees, that

really is a moment I'll never forget. I believe it was

the most

heartfelt

offering of honour of love from such a large body of

people we had seen

since the time of Srila Prabhupada. We offer our

gratitude to his life

of

devotion.

 

How Sridhar Maharaja passed from this world was simply

glorious. Day

and

night surrounded by his loving Godbrothers,

Godsisters, and devotees of

ISKCON, chanting the holy names, reading the glories

of Srila

Prabhupada to

him, and he was so absorbed, so grateful even while

dying physically.

Devotees were coming to his room to try to encourage

him but just the

opposite happened. He would not allow anyone to feel

sadness. His

incredible

sense of humour in the face of pain and death was

simply extraordinary.

 

The day I was leaving Mayapur Dham I knew it would

probably be the last

time

I would ever see him. It was very difficult. And some

of my Godbrothers

were

telling me "I can't go, I can't say goodbye to him for

the last time."

But I

went and he was smiling and he was laughing. He knew

our hearts, and he

did

not want anyone to feel bad for him. In a smiling and

laughing tone he

said

as soon as I came in his room "Do not say goodbye to

me. Just say that

we'll

meet again in the service of Srila Prabhupada again,

wherever that may

be.

Happy trails." And that was his mood. He made that

last meeting, when I

knew

it was my final farewell to a Godbrother who I

worshipped an honoured

with

my heart and soul, he made that meeting a joyful

experience, an

experience

I'll never forget.

 

Surrounded by devotees chanting the holy names, one

day, on Srivasa

Thakura's appearance, in the supreme abode of Mayapur

Dham, Sri

Caitanya

Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu brought His Holiness

Sridhar Swami to

the

lotus feet of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta

Swami Prabhupada, to

continue his eternal loving service.

 

On this day I especially want to offer my deep

gratitude to the

disciples of

Sridhara Maharaj. They're really exemplary. They

really show the

substance

of Sridhara Maharaja's devotional service and

dedication with body and

soul.

.. .(?) They are so very cooperative, so very humble

and exemplary, so

very

gracious. . . . my thanks to all of you, and please

know that you are

really

keeping the spirit of your Guru Maharaja's loving

service very much

alive in

your hearts. Thank you very much.

 

(applause)

 

 

 

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