Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja's Health

July 11, 2003

Dear kind hearted Vaishnavas,

All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga. I am writing you all to ask for your prayers to our Guru varga, the Supreme Lord, and his confidential servitors to kindly allow our Guru Maharaja to remain in this world for the benefit of all who hanker for the shelter of a pure Vaishnava.

His Divine Grace, Srila BP Puri Goswami Maharaja, has taken ill on 4/27 at approximately 4:00 a.m. due to a stroke of some magnitude.

His Divine Grace has been chanting on his beads the Holy Name a number of rounds and at all other times chanting constantly Hare Krishna and Hari Bol only, with no external consciousness, only internal absorption in the Holy Name of Krishna. Several doctors and specialist have commented that he is in a state of samadhi and are quite amazed with his physical symptoms that he can chant incessantly the Holy Name. He did not sleep the last 28 hours and only the last hour has finally taken a little rest and a small amount of prasada.

It is too early to establish what lila our Guru Maharaja is displaying, and on a physical level the outcome to his health will not be known for one or two more days. All the devotees in His temples in Hawaii, Vrindavana, Mayapur, Puri, Calcutta, and elsewhere are performing 24 hour kirtan and praying for the good health and continued darsan of our Guru Maharaja. We humbly request all the Vaishnavas to join us in requesting the senior-most representative of our Guru-Varga to remain in this world as a beacon of hope, light, and shelter to all aspiring Vaishnavas.

While it is the desire of the Lord whatever lila unfolds in the life of His pure devotees, your sincere prayers will certainly be effective. It is by Their mercy that such a great acarya has remained within our presence at the age of 101 years while continually preaching the pure siddhanta of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur through his words and His extraordinary example of humility and strict bhajan life. He continues to display his complete and undivided dependence on the Holy Name of Krishna even under these adverse circumstances teaching us all the real treasure and object of worship of all pure hearted souls--Krishna Nama.

We will try and update the sangas regularly on the health of His Divine Grace.

das das anu das,

Ramdas das