Guest guest Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 On the 25th, Srimad Bhagavatam class was held at 6 am. with Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja's last class in Mayapur shown on video (as sent out in an earlier text). Then after darshan arati and Srila Prabhupada's gurupuja, the urn containing Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja's ashes was taken in harinama procession to his Samadhi, next to HH Gour Govinda Maharaja's Samadhi. After the urn was ceremoniously placed with the Samadhi, the memorial service continued with Sivarama Swami singing "je anilo prema dhana" ending with "Jaya Vaisnava Thakur, Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja", followed by the translation. Below is the transcription of the first part of the morning function. We'll try to do more later but are falling behind on the Bhagavatam class transcriptions so can't guarantee it, sorry! The memories continued in the evening in Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi auditorium with the disciples of Maharaja sharing their memories. It was a powerful day of emotion and Vaisnava smaranam. Transcription follows: Ekavira Das: His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! First I want to thank all of the devotees for coming to the samadhi inauguration for His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami. And I will introduce the Master of Ceremonies, but before I do that I wish to offer a few words of appreciation on behalf of the disciples of His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami. Four months ago we brought the cremation urn to Sridham Mayapur and Ragatmika Mataji made the suitable arrangements and those arrangements were provided by His Grace Pancaratna Prabhu. We want to thank those devotees for allowing us to offer our guru-puja every day, nicely. And this Samadhi, a few months ago again, most of the devotees who are disciples of His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami reside outside of India, and we heard so many stories about the challenges have about making a nice Samadhi. And His Holiness Bhakti Caru Maharaja understood the anxiety that we were in and he said "I would like to make this offering for His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami", and he relieved that anxiety. Although he had another major project going on in Ujjain, he facilitated the Samadhi in honour of Bhakti-tirtha Swami. So we want to offer appreciation to Maharaja. [applause, Haribols!] And last but not least, all the devotees who were in communication with His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami during the last year. He appreciated the loving reciprocation of all of his Godbrothers and Godsisters and well-wishers throughout the world. Not only did he appreciate it, but the caretakers appreciated it so much because it gave strength and inspiration to continue with the services. So thank you all, Haribol! His Holiness Bhakti Caru Maharaja will act as Master of Ceremonies for this programme. Please, Maharaja. [bhakti Caru Swami ascends stage.] Bhakti Caru Swami: His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharajer Vyasa-puja mahotsava ki jai! Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Samadhi samsthapan mahotsava ki jai! Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Jagat-guru Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Sri Mayapur Dham ki jai! Samaveta bhakta vrnda ki jai! Gaura premanande, Hariharibol! Today is Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja's appearance day, Vyasa-puja celebration. In a way it is quite unusual that on such a day we are actually going to celebrate his Samadhi installation ceremony, but on the other hand, we can also consider that a Vaisnava is eternal: "He reasons ill who thinks that a Vaisnavas dies." Vaisnavas are individuals who have become situated in their spiritual identity by becoming connected to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, there is no consideration of death for a Vaisnava. Krsna also emphatically pointed out that one who recognizes His spiritual identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he never comes back to the material nature. Rather, he goes back to the spiritual sky. So with that understanding, we are actually establishing Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja through this ceremony the fact that he is eternally there with Krsna. He is there and he will always be there, and now it's up to us to become purified. When we become purified of our material contaminations, then we will again go back to the spiritual sky, and there, we will once again have his wonderful association. Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja made a very special request. When he realised that he was about to leave his body, he considered coming to Mayapur and leaving his body here, but as compassionate as he always had been, he considered that many of his disciples who are in the United States would not be able to come to Mayapur to be with him. Considering their need and their inability, His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja decided to stay in the United States, in Gita Nagari. At the same time, he wanted his Samadhi to be in Mayapur, and although a sannyasi's body is generally not cremated, but put into Samadhi, Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja requested that his body should be cremated and the remains of his body should be taken to Mayapur put in a Samadhi. Whereas in Gita Nagari there'll be his Puspa Samadhi. Due to that request Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja's very wonderfully disciples - specially in this regard I remember Mother Vrajalila and her husband, Ekavira Prabhu, the way they had always been serving with so much care and attention and assisted the other devotees who came from different parts of the world to serve Maharaja at that time. It was a very, very wonderful experience for all who had gone there at that time. Mother Vrajalila is an exceptional devotee, she had been serving Maharaja for 25 years. Even after Maharaja's disappearance, she and her husband, Ekavira Prabhu, are continuing to serve His Divine Grace. As Ekavira Prabhu just mentioned, four momths ago they came to Mayapur to make the arrangements for Maharaja's residence here in Mayapur Dham. Today we are celebrating that glorious day when through this wonderful ceremony, Maharaja, surrounded by his very dear Godbrothers and Godsisters and disciples are establishing his permanent residency in Sridham Mayapur. In a way I was feeling very bad because although I took the responsibility to build the Samadhi Mandir of Maharaja, but due to some unforeseen circumstances the Samadhi Mandir could not be completed. Even until last night I was thinking that it would be done. When I realised it would not be completed I was completely shattered. I was feeling I was assigned with responsibility to create Maharaja's residence here, but I failed him. Therefore, I repeatedly beg forgiveness from my wonderful Godbrother, Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja and to all his disciples and to all the devotees due to my inability. It is so wonderful that so many of you have assembled here today to celebrate this glorious occasion. We'll have the festival throughout the day, but from now until 9:30 we will have some senior Godbrothers of Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja offer their homages to him. Then we will break for breakfast. The offerings will continue after that and will continue throughout the day. That part of the program will be convened by Ekavira Prabhu, Mother Vrajalila, and Pancaratna Prabhu. The GBC's have their meetings starting at 10 o'clock therefore, they will not able to participate during the day, but in the evening they will come back and continue their glorification of His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja. Now I will request the chairman of the GBC body, His Holiness Devamrta Swami Maharaja, a very dear friend of Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja to offer his homage to His Divine Grace. Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! Maybe it will be convenient that I request the speakers to come onto the stage. For the morning session we will request His Holiness Jayapataka Maharaja to speak. It'll be nice if you all can come onto the stage, Maharaja. Kavicandra Maharaja to speak, Bir Krishna Maharaja, Mother Malati. Devamrta Swami: nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimati bhaktivedanta swamin iti namine namaste sarasvati deve gaura vani pracarine nirvesesa sunyavadi pascatya desatarine nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimati bhakti-tirtha swamin iti namine The coming of Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja to the Krsna consciousness movement was monumental just as his departure was monumental. Today I will try to speak on aspects of his glorification which may not be readily apparent to all of you. If you know anything about the social situation in the United States more than thirty years ago, you could understand why it is an extraordinary testimony to Srila Prabhupada's inconceivable empowerment and a testimony to Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja's spiritual programming that he came to the Krsna consciousness movement. In the early 70's he was attending Princeton University where the aristocracy of the deep South of the United States goes to. They avoid Harvard and Yale because they are very liberal, but Princeton is the bastion of conservatism. There he went and underwent many torments, people throwing buckets of urine on him. . . things are very different in the United States now. Still he became president of his class, which from the material point of view is very extraordinary. I say these things because I want to make it clear how expert Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja was in engaging everything in Krsna's service. He was never a man of repression in any way, shape or form. He always sought how to utilize everything in Krsna's service, everything he had, every ability, every insight, he sought to engage in the spirit of yukta-vairagya. His coming to the Krsna consciousness movement, despite his interest in Eastern mysticism, was very, very special. There was no question of any relation with the flower power movement, the hippies. All of Srila Prabhupada's usual clientele had no bearing upon Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja. His coming to the Krsna consciousness movement was purely a spiritual event devoid of countercultural trappings which were so prominent in the USA at that time. >From the very beginning he always sought to understand how Srila Prabhupada's movement can be a place of sensitivity for everyone, for all types of persons. He took that as his life's mission. He was always concerned does every devotee have a fair chance to be Krsna consciousness, no matter their gender, no matter their body type. And he was very expert in perceiving organisational dynamics and psychologies. He would always try to make me aware of these things. He was very concerned that he would never occupy a privileged position. He gave me the example of diplomats in Africa, from such poor countries who lived in rarefied atmosphere of wealth, international travel, opulence, convenience. He never wanted to follow that route in any kind of way. So he was always concerned that he doesn't want a privileged position and whatever perks he may have, he wanted to use them to uplift others. Another aspect of his yukta-vairagya was that he never shied away from publicity or the media or anything that could be used to help others. If there was a camera around, he was right in front of it. Why? Not for himself, but recognising I can get some publicity, I can get some chance to help others. Whatever I can get, I'll take to try to help other devotees. This is a part of Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja that maybe difficult for some to understand but I have no doubt that the core of his pure heart was simply concerned how can I use everything in Krsna's service. He understood what it was like to be marginalised, what it was like to be ignored, overlooked and he sought every means available in the Krsna conscious movement for standing up for every devotee. He was the genuine Rainbow coalition bhakta without a doubt. [applause] Today I am trying to speak as he would like me to speak. He was always pushing me, "Devamrta Swami, you have to speak out more." [chuckles] I will tell you something, please take it in the right way. He was so sensitive to Prabhupada's movement and how not to disturb others. He would always tell me, "Let's not talk in public, you know the Americans, they are very sensitive, both sides. All types Americans are very hung up on the race issue, unconsciously. Let's speak in private." This is not a political ploy. This was sensitivity. In no way did he want Prabhupada's movement disturbed. And for that reason he would say like that, "Let's meet out in the back" or "When you come to Gita Nagari, we'll speak." [chuckling] He understood how a movement and its dynamics can be engaged in Krsna's service. He was not afraid to look at those issues. His mother was an extraordinary influence on his life coming from that sociological material background where because of frustration, often the fathers become irresponsible. So his mother played a great role in his life, therefore, when he came to Krsna consciousness, he wanted to make sure that the role of the mother, the role of women, they're properly honoured. My point is not to stress material background, my point is to show his determination to use everything he knew, everything he experienced, for Krsna's pleasure, for the sake of Prabhupada's movement. That is the lesson that is so firmly imprinted upon my heart. I don't want to speak too long because we have other much better situated speakers, but at the same time, in conclusion, I have doubt, as Bhakti Caru Maharaja, spoke of his spiritual destination. We spoke of these things before his departure, his engagement in Krsna's service, his passing is monumental, his coming to Krsna consciousness is monumental, his years of dedication to Prabhupada's service is monumental. And he has left behind many wonderful disciples who are strikingly for real. In conclusion, I'll say that was a great trademark of Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja, he produced followers who dealt with themselves, and had no airs but were fully understanding where they were at in Krsna consciousness and where they should be at. I will miss his physical association more than I can say, at the same time, I have no doubt of his spiritual destination and I am extraordinarily happy about that. Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja ki jai! [applause] Bhakti Caru Swami: Now I'll request His Holiness Jayapataka Maharaja who is a very dear Godbrother of Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja and had a lot of love and respect for him, to speak. Jayapataka Swami: nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimati bhaktivedanta swamin iti namine namaste sarasvati deve gaura vani pracarine nirvesesa sunyavadi pascatya desatarine nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimati bhakti-tirtha swamin iti namine mukham karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam paramananda madhavam sri caitanya-isvaram I still remember the time when Srila Prabhupada called all the sannyasis together in Mayapur, I wasn't a GBC then, but he said sannyasis, GBC's, come together. He introduced us to Ghanasyama, a devotee who was going to do library party preaching in the Soviet Union and behind the Iron Curtain, that was Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja in his purva-asrama. And he told us that I want all of you to give him your blessings, he's taking some big risks for Krsna, he's going to preach in the Communist countries to bring them books. And we thought, what can we do to bless someone when Prabhupada is there, his blessings are worth unlimited, our blessings are like figs. But Prabhupada said, "No you are all devotees, so your blessings, Krsna will listen to your prayers." Throughout his life we can see that Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja has always taken some risks in spreading Krsna conscious movement. Today when we heard his lecture, spoken here in Mayapur on this tithi, we could remember how he would inspire everyone and I was just remembering that Prabhupada said that the purpose of the GBC was to create unity in diversity in ISKCON. I was thinking how his personality was a symbol of unity in diversity. He was completely sold out, Prabhupada soldier, and he would take these amazing opportunities to preach in all different kinds of environment. I think sometimes people didn't understand, but as was spoken by Devamrta Maharaja, his heart was completely pure and his desire was to spread Prabhupada's message using all the opportunitieses he could. We should take inspiration from his mood of care for all the devotees. When I went to see Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja in Gita-nagari, I was of course overwhelmed by the love that he showered upon me, but his love was for everyone. I asked him that you should stay with us some more time, maybe Krsna can do some miracle. But he said, "Well, I think my time in this body is up, sometimes people can do more service after they leave." So he wanted that his legacy, his mission, his mood of care for devotees would carry on after him. Before I was just thinking that he is maybe my best friend in Krsna consciousness because a best friend is someone who will tell you the truth, who will open his heart and share it with you. Even if it's unpleasant sometimes they tell you because they care about your well being. On several occasions he would take the time to give me advice because sometimes I'm also not very well understood. So I thought he was a friend, but today when I was putting the flowers I was also feeling he's a guru for me because he gave me so many instructions representing Srila Prabhupada. I feel very much the loss of his association, very much the need for more association with him, I'm trying to understand how all these pioneer preachers, these very dynamic ground-breaking preachers have been taken earlier by Srila Prabhupada. There's no doubt he's with Srila Prabhupada so I have to take shelter again of his advice that he gave us this morning through prayer. We can keep in contact with him by prayer. He asked me to do three things. I don't know how I'll do these, but he said I have to go to our festival at Gita Nagari. And he also told me that Gita Nagari, the reason that he was there was that it was a tirtha. He wanted to show that Prabhupada tirthas in the West are also holy places. They are places of pilgrimage. Everyone knows that Mayapur and Vrindavan, are holy places, but they should know that the places that Prabhupada visited and worshipped and did his service are also holy places. So he wanted me also to visit some time when they have their festival. Then he asked me to visit West Africa for preaching, that's one place I haven't visited yet. [laughter]. He also asked me to help his disciples any way that they wanted or needed. So I just hope that I can always be serving his lotus feet and remembering his wonderful qualities. Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! Bhakti Caru Swami: Thank you very much, Jayapataka Maharaja. I know what a deep respect Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja had for you. He always considered you to be a very senior Godbrother and a very loyal follower of Srila Prabhupada. His Holiness Radhanath Maharaja has undoubtedly proved himself to be the most intimate friend of Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja. During Maharaja's last days Radhanath Maharaja actually dropped everything and stayed with Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja at Gita Nagari, taking care of him for seven weeks, Unfortunately Radhanath Maharaja could not be here today, but he sent his message and one of his very senior disciples, Radha Krishna Prabhu, will read out that message. Radha Krishna Prabhu, please. . . . Radha Krishna Prabhu reads HH Radhanath Swami's letter: "It breaks my heart to not be with all of you today. Due to ill health the doctors and devotees in Mumbai have lovingly forced me to take this time for needed medical treatment. On this very auspicious day we have gathered together to offer a tribute of love and gratitude to a most dear associate of Srila Prabhupada, His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaja. Maharaja superbly personified the qualities of surrender and compassion. Srila Prabhupada personally acknowledged this by his praise, embrace and tears of gratitude. Behind the iron curtain he fearlessly distributed thousands of Srila Prabhupadas books, excelling everyones expectations. In the difficult and dangerous lands of Western Africa he was honored as a chief and miraculously expanded Lord Chaitanyas mission with temples, farm communities, media shows and thousands of devotees. In the USA he established an Institute that presents sophisticated programs bringing professionals and leaders of society to a level of unconditional surrender. Something very few have even dared to attempt. Through his urban development programs he gives shelter to the downtrodden and forgotten people of the ghettos. Maharaja bestowed personal spiritual guidance to world leaders and celebrities and is reaching the world through his books. His unique contributions are so diversified, creative and successful that I am unable to properly describe them. Above all else Maharaja loves the vaisnavas. He is friend of the fallen and gives hope to the hopeless. His sympathetic heart gives solace to the forgotten and misunderstood. To the GBC he is a dedicated soldier willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of ISKCON and a man of the heart with great wisdom. To the Gurukulis he is the "Cool (Kul) Guru" and to the worldwide movement he is an ocean of inspiration through dynamic lectures, cutting edge seminars and transcendentally ecstatic chanting and dancing. To me he is a dearest Godbrother and friend whose separation breaks my heart unbearably. During those last eight weeks he extended his heart to me with such humility and spiritual love that I am forever indebted. Immersed in the Lila of Vrindaban we both felt to be living in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita. That was his mercy on this fallen soul. During his final months Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja put the greatest emphasis on communities wherein all devotees are encouraged by loving and caring vaisnava relationships. Communities providing an atmosphere where we could all chant Hare Krishna and be happy. Let us all strive with utmost sincerity to fulfill his dream. In summary, Maharaja had an amazing faith in Srila Prabhupada's mercy and wanted to share it with the world. On this sacred occasion of establishing HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaja's Samadhi in Sri Mayapurdham beside His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his beloved disciples HH Gaura Govinda Swami Maharaj, HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja and HH Sridhara Swami Maharaja. Let take a moment of silence to honor these great souls and pray that we may forever aspire to follow in their holy footprints. Thank you very much, Your servant, Radhanath Swami [applause] Bhakti Caru Swami: Thank you very much, Radha Krishna Prabhu. His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja ki jai! Jagat-guru Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Devamrta Maharaja very kindly decided that today's GBC meeting will start half an hour later so we can continue with the glorification of Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja. Mother Malati is one of our seniormost Godsisters for whom His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja had a lot of appreciation and respect. Mother Malati also served as with Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja as a co-GBC with Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja in New Vrindavan, so we will request Mother Malati to offer her homage to Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja. Malati Devi Dasi: I offer my respectful, humble and eternal obeisances to His Holiness Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja, a wonderful disciple of Srila Prabhupada, wonderful friend to all of his Godbrothers and Godsisters, a wonderful guide and mentor and spiritual master to his disciples, and an exemplary example to anyone who ever met him outside of Krsna consciousness, who influenced and caused their hearts to take a favourable turn towards their own spiritual life and Srila Prabhupada's movement. I offer my humble obeisances to the assembly of Vaisnavas, to my Godbrothers and Godsisters in particular. I was not actually expecting to come up here this morning, I was expecting to come this evening, so in reality, I haven't prepared, but I will just speak personally that my own spiritual life was greatly influenced by the association and guidance that was offered to me by His Holiness. After a leave of absence from devotional service, he was among those who encouraged me and pulled me forward in my service to Srila Prabhupada by words of wisdom, by example, he was always there. And I never saw any meanness in him. I never saw any envy in him. I never saw any stinginess in him. He was always giving and giving to all of us. I saw a heart that could actually in a such a strong person be very easily touched and even easily hurt when he sensed these same type of unfortunate qualities in others because he could see these qualities are not Vaisnavas qualities, could easily hurt others, hurt ourselves and hurt this movement. He was actually attacked by certain Godbrothers towards the end and it was a very painful experience for him and a very painful experience for those around him, for those of us who have taken his guidance and valued his shelter. What was amazing was how he was hurt but he was without any vindictiveness and he fully forgave such personalities. His example could lift a fallen battleship. I noticed over in the Samadhi that on the little covering, the little cloth covering, it had some traditional Indian design and there were four hearts. I thought this was a very appropriate shelter from the sun because Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja was all heart and his heart was given to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada took his heart and enlarged it and enlarged it and he just kept giving it to all of us. It was mentioned how he was non-discriminatory and was always careful to see that. . . you might say he was a champion of the underdog. Many times in our movement ladies are in an underdog position. In the presence and service of Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja, just as when we were with Srila Prabhupada, that feeling was never evoked. We were pushed up and allowed to serve graciously and wonderfully by his kindness in extending all facility towards everyone, including the ladies. As a result, you can see the wonderful disciples that he has left behind both men and women. But in the hearts of the ladies, we will always be grateful that he took up Prabhupada's mood in this regard and allowed us many avenues of service that were otherwise closed in ISKCON's corridors. Towards the end - or the beginning of what's happening, it was mentioned he was going on to serve Srila Prabhupada in an even more intimate manner - but in coming to see him, it was such an extraordinary experience when his physical weakness was so apparent that he couldn't even lift his own hands to even pick up even his beads yet when he would speak to us the strength and purity of that enlarged heart just enveloped us and we would leave Gita Nagari feeling strangely elated. I saw strangely because on one hand we knew this may be the last visit, this may be the last visit, yet somehow or other, even in that deteriorated condition, he had the ability and capacity to lift us all up. As he asked us today to raise our hands, as he asked us three years ago to raise or hands and take a vow to Srila Prabhupada, I hope we all can do that and help Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja in lifting the bar of devotion in ISKCON. Thank you very much, Maharaja, for allowing us to be in your association and try to serve you. Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja ki jai! [applause] Bhakti Caru Swami: Thank you Mother Malati. His Holiness Kavicandara Maharaja was not only an intimate friend of His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja but he also served together with Maharaja in West Africa as co-GBC with him. So I request His Holiness Kavicandra Maharaja to speak. Kavicandra Swami: nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimati bhakti-tirtha swamin iti namine nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimati bhaktivedanta swamin iti namine namaste sarasvati deve gaura vani pracarine nirvesesa sunyavadi pascatya desatarine Usually I have a lot to say and usually my heart is very hard, but today somehow or other it's cracking. When I went to see him last year in April, of course I had been following and talking to him quite a bit, but when I saw his face I thought, "Oh, he's fine." That big smile was there, but then I could see that physically the body was quite deteriorated, but he was in a very powerful preaching mood, loving like he always was. So everybody was covering everything, but we didn't find any defects. Some of course like we said they couldn't understand what he was doing. I think of course most people in the world could see the dynamic effect of his preaching. When I was just recently in Nigeria we went to the airport and as usual there were no prior arrangements made. And they said the flight is full, you can't go. One lady was there and she just looked at me and then she starting shouting at the ticket agents. Then she said "OK, you're on standby now, let's go right away." Then she turned around again and shouted at them more and said "You have a fixed seat". And then she took me right out to the plane, and they told me to go to the back of the line, she said go to the front, she had a big fight again and put me on the plane first. I was trying to ask her and she didn't really know much but she said "I saw that black American guy on television. I know this is really important." [laughter, applause] So I hope we can follow up on her. That was quite some long time since he had been on television. He used to be quite a television star but the Christians got so worried that they bought up all the television time at very high prices and we couldn't afford it anymore. Previously he was quite famous there. Everybody will say the same thing, and one thing is that he was very dedicated to Srila Prabhupada. When I first met him, at that time of course the library party was going but they weren't getting so much publicity, we were getting all the publicity distributing books in the airports, and he was following me around and watching me distribute, and he was taking notes, [chuckles] I've never seen anything like it. So intensely he was watching, listening what we were doing. Then later I got with him on the same party distributing Srimad Bhagavatam sets and we would go around. In the car always he was always just read Nectar of Devotion or something and asking all kinds of questions. He was studying very very intensely, and kept the discussions always on. . . he didn't talk about other things except when we went in to speak to people then he was very, very expert to entertain them, and lift them up, enliven them, and make them feel very important like he did with all of us. And he tolerated me and tried to encourage me which is further proof of his compassion. And the energy that he had was phenomenal. In those early days we couldn't find him sleeping very much. Nobody knew how many rounds he was chanting, he was always chanting from early morning and studying very thoroughly. He read many other books in order to preach to many varieties of people, but he just utilised that to authenticate his presentation. He told us that it was a tapasya to have to go through these academic or other books, but he just wove that, took out what was essential and presented Krsna consciousness so all kinds of people could catch it. So we see amongst his disciples very educated people, very high class people and very, very dedicated. So the separation, I feel great vacuum in my life. He was a great friend, but he was a great friend to everybody who knew him, he made everybody feel like he was their best friend. We have a great legacy, the class this morning, I hope everybody remembers everything he was saying, especially in Africa. I try to say the same things but I usually get disturbed and frustrated and angry. But he is on a very transcendental plane. I asked him for a special message for the Africans - this is for all of us, probably it was especially for me - but the first thing he said is don't quarrel. That's for all of us. Like my father would be so disturbed when I would quarrel with my brother, and I couldn't understand why he can't understand what a fool my brother was [laughter] but now that I have so many children I see it's very painful to see devotees quarrelling. So that was for all of us. And worship the Deities very nicely like he was saying this morning very beautifully. And he said preserve what we have and distribute Srila Prabhupada's books. And that was when he was quite weak but he was smiling and happy. We know the Vaisnava has not left, he's still there, but we feel the separation. But he did manage to leave so many books behind, and I was fortunate to get the recordings of all those lectures from the last six months or so and they are so wonderful, I hope everyone hears them again and again. Because we all have to face this track that we are going to leave these bodies. The last book that came out was called "Die Before Dying". He very, very beautifully utilized his fame, and Krsna let him be on centre-stage right up to the last minute because he was giving so much instruction, most essential instruction of how to let go of everything except Krsna. He gave us so much, so much left behind, great disciples and great example. So I'll let others speak. I can't imitate how he said, "ISKCON Founder-acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada ki jai! It doesn't come off so good when I say it, [laughter] When he said it was really wonderful, he was so dedicated to Srila Prabhupada, so grateful. I hope everyone can get Radhanath Swami's five hour Sunday Feast memorial speech and listen very closely a few times to that one. It was really amazing, nobody left for prasadam or anything, everybody stayed. That's available all around. I have it, I can make CD's for you if anybody needs, you can buy it from me. [laughter] We'll send a donation to Chowpatty. Jai Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! Bhakti Caru Swami: His Holiness Bir Krishna Maharaja served with Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja together, and I have seen what a deep appreciation Bir Krishna Maharaja always displayed about His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja. So I'll request Bir Krishna Maharaja to speak. Bir Krishna Das Goswami: om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimati bhakti-tirtha swamin iti namine nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimati bhaktivedanta swamin iti namine namaste sarasvati deve gaura vani pracarine nirvesesa sunyavadi pascatya desatarine Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami ki jai! So I was extremely fortunate to have had Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami's association from the beginning of my Krsna consciousness, right from the second year I joined the Krsna consciousness movement in 1972, I was posted with him. Both of us were travelling with an ISKCON sannyasi who is still a sannyasi in our Krsna consciousness movement. In those days, sannyasis were, let us say, a little heavier than they are nowdays. Now they are older, wiser, kinder and gentler. But in those days they were tougher. You get the idea. [laughter] We were two brahamacaris and this sannyasi chastised us for everything we did and didn't do. [laughter] Especially he wanted to chastise Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja because he was the president of the student body in Princeton before. So the sannyasi felt it was his duty to destroy all sorts of designations and things like that. Of course, Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja had no material designations even from the very beginning. I can say that he was completely free from false ego. But as Malati Prabhu stated he was also very sensitive. So when we were chastised by this sannyasi, he started to cry. I also cried. So we would put our arm around each other, embrace and cry together. [laughter] I think this was the first real bonding experience I've had in the Krsna consciousness movement of crying for Krsna or crying together. Of course we were told by the sannyasi this is good for your false ego to cry like that. [laughter] Even if I am chastising you for something you didn't do, that's all right, it's Krsna's will. You should be chastised because you are here in the material world and have a material body. That was the mood. Anyway, so we spent quite a few months with Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja crying together. The reason I am telling this is we became very close. When you go through a traumatic experience with someone you become very close. So we became very, very close to him in many ways, actually inseparable. Through the years, I've been thinking about him and visiting him. After some time, we were separated physically because he was sent on the library party and you've heard about this library party from some other devotees. In this library party he risked life and limb. Just to be a little specific about that, he was travelling in Eastern Europe which at that time was an extremely dangerous place. If he was caught by the KGB or any of the other Secret Services he could have been put in to the prison, and in those prisons people sometimes disappeared. They weren't heard from again. It wasn't just like your ordinary prison. So in order to evade capture and distribute Srila Prabhupada's books, he was literally living in trains in Eastern Europe. Jumping from one train to another, from one university to another. And Srila Prabhupada was so pleased with this determination and fearlessness. As we know from the Gita, that's one of the primary qualities of a sannyasi, abhaya, first quality mentioned, abhayam sattva-samsuddhim, jnana-yoga vyavasthitih. He was so pleased with him that when he saw Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja, he embraced Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja and he said to him, "You have achieved perfection." Now I don't know or have any recollection of Srila Prabhupada saying that to anyone else. Not only did he receive this praise and appreciation from Srila Prabhupada, but he always maintained his abject humility, always considered himself to be servant of the other Vaisnavas. I remember here in Mayapur, in the prasadam pavilion, after he had received this acclaim from Srila Prabhupada, that he was humbly serving the Vaisnavas prasadam. I was sitting there because I just wanted to eat. I had no conception of serving Vaisnavas. He was serving. He would wait till everyone had finished until he ate prasadam. I was saying to him, "Maharaja sit down, sit down, sit down," because I was embarrassed. Because here was someone showing more Vaisnava qualities and I wanted to show more Vaisnava qualities because I was proud of my so-called Vaisnava qualities. But he determinedly kept serving every single Vaisnava here in the Dham. Some of the older devotees here, I'm sure you'll remember that. He was so renounced from eating and sleeping, that was already mentioned. I'll give one experience I had with him. One time I visited his asrama in Washington DC, that's when he had his Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology. I was staying in his room. So I stayed with him in his room and I didn't see him sleep. Of course that was very worrisome, bothersome for me because I wanted to sleep. So I said "Maharaja, do you have a closet I can go into?" So finally I locked myself in his closet so I could get some rest. But I didn't see him sleep one week. He was up all night, eating once a day, simply amazing me with his determination. I was thinking when I was visiting him for the last time, I was thinking that this is going to be a very, very sad occasion. We are both going to be crying because this is going to be the last time we'll see each other in this lifetime. And I approached it with that particular mentality. So I went to see him, we were discussing Krsna consciousness. As we were talking about Krsna consciousness, we both came to the realisation that at least he is on Srila Prabhupada's transcendental Radha Damodara Party. Just like you've all heard about the Radha Damodara party that was there in the United States. And they used to - I don't want to use the word steal - but they used to encourage devotees to leave, not leave they used to encourage devotees to travel with them. [laughter] And the temple president would sometimes wake up the next morning and find all of his brahmacaris gone. So I was thinking that Srila Prabhupada has such a travelling Radha Damodara party. When he needs to go somewhere and preach, then he calls for his personal assistants, "Whatever you're doing, you come and join me." So we may see externally that the devotee appears to have some disease or appears to have some car accident or something like that, but in actuality, Srila Prabhupada is calling these devotees to assist him somewhere else. Just like with Srila Tamal Krishna Maharaja we experienced this. One dream that Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja had illustrates this point. This dream was that shortly before leaving this world, Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja dreamt that Tamal Krishna Maharaja came to him and he was taking his hand and saying "Come, it's time to come and rejoin Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada's party." Isn't that wonderful? "It's time to come, Srila Prabhupada is calling you." So my understanding was at that meeting that - of course I am not so dear to Srila Prabhupada, and I am not so sure I'd want to come if Srila Prabhupada was calling me, I'm so attached to this body too - but somehow or other, Srila Prabhupada has given us eternal service at his lotus feet. So even though we may apparently be separated for some time - not only from Srila Prabhupada, but even from each other - that separation is not real separation. It's apparent separation and then soon we'll be serving together again. When I last said good bye to Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja, it wasn't a tearful good-bye, the good-bye was, "See you later." I mean that's quite unusual, see you later. We are just going to be somewhere in a few years, whatever it is, serving Srila Prabhupada. Maybe some other universe, spiritual world, who knows, but the eternal service to Srila Prabhupada. So when I was saying good-bye to him like that I realised that my connection, or keeping my association with Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja was dependent on serving not only Srila Prabhupada but serving my Godbrothers, especially Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja at that juncture. So I asked Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja, "I want to keep your association so please give me some service to do in your separation so I can keep or stay with you." And Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja said something I didn't want to hear at that point, he said, "Please become GBC of Croatia and Bosnia." That was the last thing I wanted to hear because I already have enough areas of responsibility. I said, "Maharaja can you ask me something else. [laughter] You know, something easy like a donation or something." And he said, "Think about it." And so I left him thinking about it and I thought about it and thought about it and those of you who come from a particular type of family heritage know about guilt. Some of you may know about that. So I felt guiltier and guiltier and guiltier every day. So I contacted Maharaja after about three days of feeling guilty, and I said to Maharaja, "I give in. I give up, I'll do what you ask." And Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja wrote back to me. He said, "Thank you very much for going along with the last request of a dying man." [laughter] So he understood also how to apply guilt. [laughter] So somehow other we hope to be serving him and serving our Godbrothers. If we simply think serving Srila Prabhupada is enough, then we are not quite on the right track. Serving Srila Prabhupada, to please Srila Prabhupada the most we need to serve his disciples, his granddisciples and his Krsna consciousness movement. This keeps all of us together. As Prabhupada said, "We have an ISKCON in the spiritual world and everyone gets to go except for who? Mr. Nair." That's right and maybe by Prabhupada's mercy one day he'll one day get to go. We have to remember, this is another thing I discussed with Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja and then I'll end, is that we're all meant to be together forever so we better learn to get along with each other now. Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja told me this, because this is going to be the group you are with for ever and ever and ever and ever. [loud applause and cheering] Jai, Srila Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja ki jai! Haribol! Bhakti Caru Swami: Hare Krsna. Although the GBC meeting has been postponed by half an hour, and it's supposed to start at 10:30, but we are already ten past ten and no one actually has taken breakfast as yet. The GBC members have to take their breakfast and attend the meeting at 10:30. So although I do not want to, and I would like to continue with this programme, I have to adjourn it for the time being and the programme will resume again at 4:30. And all the GBC members have been requested to come. . . . The GBC members can come after the GBC meetings at 4:30 they can take part in this programme. Mother Vrajalila just corrected me, the programme will continue until 11:30, only the GBC members are expected to leave because they have to go take their breakfast and attend their meeting. Thank you very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami! And the prasadam is at the Samadhi, Prabhupada's Samadhi Mandir and Pancaratna Prabhu will MC now. Since Maharaja's disciples are fasting till noon, they can continue to be here and the programme will continue till 11:30. Thank you very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. [singing] Jaya Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja, Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja! [devotees repeat] Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja ki jai! Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharajer Vyasa-puja mahotsava ki jai! Srila Bhakti-tirtha Swami Maharaja's Samadhi Installation ceremony ki jai! Gaura premanande, hari haribol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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