HH Sridhar Swami Maharaja departed today (14 Mar 2004)

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HH SRIDHAR SWAMI MAHARAJA DEPARTED TODAY:

"Jolly Swami" left this world looking at and praying to Srila Prabhupada

 

by Vidvan-Gauranga das

 

MAYAPUR. Sunday, March 14, 2004 (Auspicious appearance day of Srivasa

Pandita).

 

Today morning, reportedly at about 6:10 AM, HH Sridhar Maharaja, the "Jolly

Swami", departed from this world to the lotus feet of his most dear Srila

Prabhupada. He had arrived in Mayapur during mid-February and desired to

stay in Mayapur for the rest of his life when the doctors in Canada informed

him that his body was too infected to be cured. He was staying in a room at

the Conch Building guest house at the first floor.

 

At about 8:00 AM, Hari Sauri Prabhu, while repeatedly sobbing, announced

this news to the devotees in the temple hall. He also made an announcement

that Maharaja's body would be brought to the temple, to take darsana of the

Deities, would remain until the abhiseka of Srivasa Pandita's deity

finishes, would then be taken to Srila Prabhupada's Bhajan Kutir, then

circumambulate Srila Prabhupada's Puspa-samadhi Mandir, would be taken for a

darsana of Srila Prabhupada's deity in the Puspa-samadhi Mandir and then

placed in samadhi near HH Tamal Krishna Maharaja's samadhi-tomb.

 

I then found out that some of the senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada were

planning to immediately come to Mayapur before HH Sridhara Maharaja was to

be placed in samadhi.

 

Bhadra Balaram Prabhu, who assists HH Jayapataka Maharaja in his air travel

arrangements, informed me after talking to HH Jayapataka Maharaja that today

HH Jayapataka Maharaja is in a town in Andhra Pradesh in South India, and

that even the best possible arrangement to get HH Jayapataka Maharaja here

in Mayapur would only land him in Kolkata by 7 PM which is way too late for

him to be here in Mayapur on time for placing HHSridhar Maharaja in samadhi.

Therefore, HH Jayapataka Maharaja requested his disciple HH Bhakti

Purusottama Maharaja (who was in Kolkata) to come to Mayapur immediately.

 

However, I was informed that HH Bhakti Caru Maharaja was in Mumbai and that

he was making arrangements to immediately coming to Mayapur to see HH

Sridhar Maharaja's divine body. HH Gopal Krishna Maharaja and HH Lokanath

Maharaja were also reportedly arranging to come to Mayapur immediately.

 

In HH Sridhar Maharaja's room, his divine body was bathed with Ganges water,

decorated with tilaka, etc. While some devotees were fanning Maharaja's

divine body which was seated on a chair, kirtana going on. In the inner

section of this room where Maharaja used to rest, on the walls were several

Deity photographs and photographs of Srila Prabhupada. In the outer section

of this room, I noticed a giant blow-up of Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Their

eight sakhis on the wall.

 

I also noticed that Maharaja's face was serene. Mayapur Prabhu, one of his

personal servants, informed us that Maharaja was gazing at a photograph of

Prabhupada and was praying to him when he opened his mouth and passed away.

He also told us that a few minutes before this Jananivasa Prabhu had brought

tulasi from the altar for Maharaja as today was the appearance day

celebration of Srivasa Thakura and that Maharaja had taken it.

 

Several devotees came to offer obeisances and flowers at the lotus feet of

this great Vaisnava personality who was dear to Srila Prabhupada and to whom

Srila Prabhupada was so dear. I remembered that a few days back I had

noticed Maharaja wearing a cap on which these words were written in bold: "I

am Prabhupada's dog".

 

In the Panca-tattva temple hall, the darsana-mandapa was prepared for an

abhiseka of the smaller deity ("utsava-vigraha") of Srivasa Thakura. I

noticed that HH Bhakti Purusottama Maharaja had arrived from Kolkata to see

HH Sridhar Maharaja's divine body and to help in the arrangements for him to

be placed in samadhi.

 

At about 11:10 AM, HH Sridhar Maharaja's body was brought inside the temple.

Two bamboo rods were tied to the chair on which he was seated, and some of

Maharaja's disciples and a few of the other devotees carried the rods on

their shoulders as people would carry a palanquin. Maharaja was first given

darsana of Srila Prabhupada, and then Sri Sri Prahlada Nrsimhadeva, and then

Sri Sri Radha Madhava. The pujaris also put on a piece of Sri Nrsimhadeva's

and Sri Sri Radha Madhava's remnant cloth on Maharaja's body. Then

Maharaja's body was brought to the Panca-tattva temple hall for a darsana of

Srivasa Thakura's abhiseka.

 

On a smaller, portable metal platform that is usually used for performing

abhiseka ceremonies here, Srivasa Thakura was brought and bathed in a

variety of auspicious items. After this abhiseka, when the curtains were

closed, Maharaja's sanctified body was placed in the darsana-mandapa, and

guru-puja for Maharaja was performed. One of Maharaja's servants led the

Gurvastaka prayers. At about this time, HH Bhakti Caru Maharaja and Braj

Hari Prabhu (one of the managers of the ISKCON temple at Juhu, Mumbai),

having just arrived from Mumbai, offered obeisances and garlands to HH

Sridhar Maharaja. After Gurvastaka kirtan was concluded, devotees offered

flowers at Maharaja's lotus feet while one of his disciples chanted the

pranama mantras of Srila Prabhupada and then (thrice) the pranama mantra of

HH Sridhar Maharaja.

 

It was about 1:30 PM when Maharaja's body was then taken on a parikrama

around Sri Sri Panca-tattva and Sri Sri Radha Madhava, and then out of the

temple. (All the time, devotees were performing kirtana of Krsna's holy

names.) The party was heading towards Srila Prabhupada's Bhajan Kutir, which

was used by Srila Prabhupada as his residence when ISKCON had first

purchased land in Mayapur.

 

After a brief darsana of Srila Prabhupada's deity inside the Bhajan Kutir,

HH Sridhar Maharaja was taken around Srila Prabhupada's Puspa-samadhi Mandir

(on the "Ring Road"), and then was taken inside the Puspa-samadhi Mandir to

be given a darsana of Srila Prabhupada. While inside Srila Prabhupada's

Puspa-samadhi Mandir, HH Bhakti Caru Maharaja led bhajanas. He sweetly and

slowly sang the song ye anilo prema-dhana with feelings of separation from

HH Sridhar Maharaja. He then sang samsara-dava prayers, the Hare Krsna

mantra, etc.

 

After 3:15 PM, HH Sridhar Maharaja's body was then brought near the site of

his samadhi, which was west of HH Tamal Krishna Maharaja's samadhi-tomb.

Actually, beginning about 7:00 AM, Giri Govardhana and Sadbhuja Prabhus

started working out measurements for a samadhi-tomb for Sridhar Maharaja at

this site.

 

For the time being, Maharaja's divine body was placed to the west of HH Gour

Govinda Maharaja's samadhi. Devotees were crowded around a large square

shaped pit (several feet deep) had been dug to the west of HH Tamal Krishna

Maharaja's samadhi-tomb, for placing Sridhar Maharaja's body. Suddenly we

saw HH Lokanath Maharaja and HH Gopal Krishna Maharaja coming and offering

obeisances to HH Sridhar Maharaja. They had just made it on time! Mayapur

Prabhu, one of HH Sridhar Maharaja's personal servants, offered bhoga and

then performed arati while HH Lokanath Maharaja led the guru-puja kirtana. I

saw Gopal Krishna Maharaja fanning Sridhar Maharaja. After the kirtana,

Bharata Maharaja Prabhu took imprints of Sridhar Maharaja's lotus feet for

his disciples.

 

HH Sridhar Maharaja's body was then carried by his disciples and placed at

the bottom of the pit. Some devotees, including HH Bhakti Caru Maharaja, had

gotten down to help Maharaja's disciples perform the final arati, while the

crowd at ground level were continuously singing the Hare Krsna Maha-mantra

in kirtana. After the arati, devotees filled the pit with salt (there were

several sacks of them). Devotees then started throwing flowers, flower peAt

about 7:00 AM, Giri Govardhana and Sadbhuja Prabhus started working out

measurements for a samadhi-tomb for Sridhar Maharaja to the west of Tamal

Krishna Maharaja's samadhi-tomb.tals and garlands from ground level, and

then filled the pit with mud. A long stick had been placed on top of

Maharaja's divine body which was now fully buried in accordance with the

rites prescribed by the Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas for Vaisnava sannyasis; the

top portion of this stick could be seen above ground level, even after the

pit was fully filled up with mud.

 

The devotees were so eager to render services to HH Sridhar Maharaja that

they were showering flowers like rain. And when it came to filling up the

pit with mud, several devotees helped in this hard work. I observed that

even the Bengali lady devotees and young devotee children were pushing some

mud in with devotion and respect for Maharaja. By the time mud was filled in

up to ground level (building the tomb is Sadbhuja Prabhu's project), it was

about 5:15 PM. Hari Sauri Prabhu announced that (1) today at about 7:00 PM,

HH Lokanath Maharaja would lead kirtans at the room where HH Sridhar

Maharaja used to stay, and (2) glorification of HH Sridhar Maharaja is

scheduled to take place at 8:00 AM tomorrow in the Radha Madhava temple hall

instead of the usual Srimad-Bhagavatam class.