3rd Report & pics on Sridhara Swami's entering in Samadhi, (14-3-04)

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Dear Devotees:

 

Please accept my most humble obeiscances & All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

We are sending the 3rd report about the passing away of a great vaishnava

and a very dear Disciple of Srila Prabhupada, His Holiness OM Visnupada

Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astotarasata Sri Srimad Sridhara Swami

Maharaja.

 

As you all know His Holiness passed away conscient of Krsna and Srila

Prabhupada at 6:10 am today (14-3-04) while hearing kirtans from 4:00 am as

per his request.

 

We will try to write a small report on what have happened so far and what HG

Mayapur das (Secretary of His Holiness Sridhara Swami told me today, He is a

very dear servant and disciple of Maharaja and I could see how highly

affected he is by the passing away of His Gurumaharaja as well as all the

other disiples of Maharaja that are here in Mayapur assisting him since the

beginning like Acyutananda das, Adbhuta Hari das, Gargamuni das and other

ladies disciples of Maharaja).

 

As we mentioned in an earlier report, His Holiness was feeling too much pain

the night before, but during day time and previous days he was much better

and showed strengh even, 2 days ago i went to give him a CD as per his

request on the Deity installation pictures including his favorite pictures

that is already on mayapur.info ( where His Holiness is garlanding Lord

Nityananda after abhisheka) and at that time i saw him talking by phone with

HH Radhanath Swami and he looked very strong and healthier and even told me

that he is willing to go an preach since he is feeling stronger and liked to

go to Italy before May, so i was happy to hear this from his mouth that he

is feeling much better and stronger, but it seems Lord Krsna has a different

plan and took him today to his abode, in this very auspicious day of the

appearance of Srivas Pandit ( the perfect Devotee of Lord Gauranga) and in

Highest of all tirthas Sri Mayapur- Navadwipa Dham during Japa time where

all the environment is full of the Mahamantra and devotees beside him

Chanting Hare Krsna, at the same time as per his request a big poster of

Srila Prabhupada that was given to him by HH Jayapataka Swami was removed

from the wall to be carried in front of him so he was looking at this poster

of his very beloved and divine Gurumaharaja, His Divine Grace Srila

Prabhupada at the time He passed away.At 6:10 am His Holiness entered the

eternal Lila of Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Panca Tattva Bhagavan as well as

His Beloved Lord Narashimhadeva, in fact after seeing Maharaja improving

none of us expected his departure so fast, we wanted him for more time with

us, giving us his asociation and telling us nice stories and Krsna's

pastimes as well as his preaching activities around the world, anyway we as

vaishnavas accept the will of The Supreme Lord whatever it is. and whatever

His Lordhsip's arangement is, than is the best and we are surrendered to His

Transcedental will.

 

His Disciple Mayapur das was with him until 2:00 am while at 4:00 Maharaja

sent Acyutanada das to call him, when Mayapur das came to see his

Gurumaharaja he was told by His Guru."please do kirtan i need it now more

than ever " and Maharaja was showing symthoms of heavy pain and the pain

killers that he was given it seems were not enough to decrease the pain

Maharaja had, 2 devotees from Bombay Chowapti temple were present as well as

a doctor, but in fact The Supreme Lord was calling him and has other plan

for his devotee. Other point was that at 5:00 am Maharaja after going to the

bathroom and when He came out He showed weakness and had to be helped to be

placed on His bed since he was much weaker and his physical state was worse

than at that time He even mentioned to Mayapur das "what do you think,

should i go now?".(refering of leaving his body) .so too many things

happened as he even told me once " soon i will be there as a neighbor of

Tamal Krsna Maharaj, pointing to the picutre of the three Samadhis that we

have in Mayapur and that was in the Mayapur photo exhibition during

festival.

 

When we came to know early in the morning i immediately went to his room and

saw the devotees performing kirtan beside Maharaja that had almost one hour

that left his body (Hansaduta prabhu was present) and took few pictures and

posted them to all of you in our website as well as in the email conferences

and later we sent one picture of Maharaja during the time of the darsan to

all the devotees after his bathing and ready to take Him to the temple that

would be ar 11:00 am. Than His Holiness was taken in a special decorated

chair full of flowers that Ganga das prabhu prepared special for this

ocassion while Sadbhuja prabhu was taking care of the Samadhi to be prepared

as well as Harisauri prabhu was helping them in the coordination of today's

program. At 10:00 am HH Bhaktipurusottam Swami came from Calcutta to be in

Mayapur helping in the coordination of the ceremony with HH Sridhara

Maharaja's disciples as well as HG Brajhari Prabhu TP of ISKCON Bombay came

at the same time.

 

His Grace Janannivas Prabhu and the Devotees from the BHaktivedanta Academy

were assisting Maharaja's Disciples with the proper rituals to a senior

Vaishnava when he passes away (bathing, putting candan and mantras etc).

(Tomorrow is the vyasapuja of Their Graces Jannanivas & Pankajangri prabhus,

today was programmed a feast offered by them to the devotees in the temple

as it is more auspicious during Srivas Pandit's appearance day but due to

today's incident this was cancelled).

 

At 11:20 Maharaj was taken to the temple in a big procession from His room

with all the devotees present in ISKCON Mayapur dham with kirtans, on the

way to the temple at the court yard they remaind for few minutes, after He

was entered to the temple to take darsan first from Srila Prabhupada than

from Sri Sri Prahlada Narashimhadeva and after from Sri Sri Radha Madhava -

Astasakhis that were very opulent today as they were during Gaurpurnima

festival with the same outfits. At the end Maharaja was taken to the Sri Sri

Panca Tattva temple placing Him facing the altar, to be present during the

Abhishela to Sri Srivas Pandit that started immediately after His arrival, (

please see the pictuers in the next email)

 

After the Abhisheka and during the darsan of Sri Panca tattva Bhagavan HH

BHakti Caru Swami arrived to the Temple and offered his respects to

Maharaja, then Garlanded him and followed up the ceremony until the last

moments. After the Darsan of the Panca Tattvas HH Sridhara Maharaja was

taken for parikram around the deities in the Main temple. then in

procession all the devotees took Maharaja to Srila Prabhupada's Bhajan Kutir

and there His Holiness took darsan of Sri Sri Gaurnitai, after Maharaja was

taken to Srila Prabhupada's Pushpa Samadhi but before entering to the

Samadhi devotees did Parikram around the whole samadhi building.

 

At The Samadhi of Srila Prabhupada His Holiness SDHS was placed in front of

Srila Prabhupad, then there was nice bhajans until 3:30 pm that were leaded

by His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami & Hari Sauri Prabhu, at the end a parikram

around Srila Prabhupada was done 3 times and after that Maharaja's body was

taken to his last place beside the Samadhis of Their Holinesses Tamal Krsna

Goswami and Gaurgovinda Swami ( Pushpa samadhi), At this place a complete

ceremony was done with arati, Prasad offering etc. while at this time Their

Holinesses Lokanath Swami, Gopal Krsna Goswami & Subhag Swami arrived and

offered their respects to Maharaja and participated in the arati that was

done by Mayapur das prabhu - HH Lokanath Swami lead the kirtan at this

moment-. After the Body of Maharaja was taken to be placed in the hole by

His disciples, the last rituals were performed acordingly considering that

Maharaja is a Sannyas and Guru. after entering the body in the hole and

performing the final rituals the salt was placed in the hole to cover the

body of His Holiness and than earth, after that, all the devotees did

puspanjali with a lot of flowers like a rain over the hole, in the hole

there was a stick in the middle marking the place of the head of Maharaja

that was facing Srila Prabhupada's samadhi (north) that also was to hold

the garlands that was thrown by the devotees, (today there was a lot of

petals since all were remanents of Srivas Pandit's abhisheka). Before the

sunset the complete rituals were finished according to the vaishnava

tradition.

 

we are posting many pictures of this event ( some as attached file in the

next email and others in www.mayapur.info.

 

Tomorrow 15th of March is the glorification ceremonmy of His Holiness

Sridhara Swami, in case any of you wish to send his homage please send it to

us so it can be read during this program ans it will be given to His

disciples in charge of tomorrow's event.

 

Sri Panca tattva ki jay, Sri Srivas Pandit kijay, Srila Prabhupada Ki jay ,

Srila Sridhara Maharaja ki jay....

 

ys

 

tmkd