CONTENTS:
- Beautiful Homages to Guru Maharaja,
- Srila Prabhupada Appreciation; and
- Guru Maharaja’s instructions.
1. BEAUTIFUL HOMAGES TO GURU MAHARAJA
How to become dear to Krishna
(by HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami)
“What an exceptional devotee. What an exceptionally kind and loving devotee. There are many wonderful devotees in Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON, but among them Bhakti Charu Maharaja was one of the most, most sublime. I knew him from the mid 1980’s when I came to South Africa at my request, and immediately I saw that here is a Vaishnava with a heart of gold. A gentle and affectionate devotee who simply exudes love for Srila Prabhupada, and gave that love to all he met, including myself.”
Offenselessness – A quality so fine
(By HH Giriraj Swami)
“Another of your many fine qualities was your offenselessness. You were very careful not to commit any offense against any devotee, or any living entity, and if you felt you had committed an offense, you immediately tried to mitigate its effects by approaching the person, apologizing, and asking forgiveness. Somehow you tried to rectify the offense. From our point of view, we wouldn’t think that you had committed an offense, but within your pure heart you may have felt that you had, and immediately you would try to approach and please the person you feared you had offended, to remove the effects of the offense.”
A Vaikuntha Personality
(By HH Jayapataka Swami)
“Actually, I know him from when he was a bhakta in Mayapur, Bhakta Kishore. And I felt that he was a very special devotee and that Srila Prabhupada would like him a lot. That was true, that Srila Prabhupada engaged him immediately in his translation work and his personal service. He was immediately accepted by Srila Prabhupada in his personal service very soon after. He loved Srila Prabhupada. Everytime he entered the room; he would offer his obeisances to Srila Prabhupada. And for personal secretaries, that was not needed, one time in the morning they would offer. But he would offer every time. He was very much dedicated to Srila Prabhupada. How much he was attached to Srila Prabhupada we may start to understand now.”
A lesson of sweet surrender
(By HH Radhanath Swami)
“Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja made famous a beautiful song, a verse from Caitanya Caritamrita: tava kathamrtam tapta jivanam. This particular verse is from Gopi Geet, the very heart of the heart of Srimad Bhagavatam, the prayers of the Gopi’s love in separation from Krishna. And its very special because it is so connected to this pastime of Lord Caitanya reciprocating with Prataparudra. Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja made this verse so famous through his heartfelt devotional prayer for singing. And after a certain time when Maharaja recorded this wherever I would travel anywhere in the world I would hear devotees playing Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja singing this wonderful song. Singing a song which glorifies Srila Prabhupada, who broadcasted this message and revealed himself like Krishna’s grace, to be the most munificent and also glorify the message of Lord Caitanya. That was in reciprocation of trinad api sunicena of Prataparudra.
A very intimate friend
(By HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja)
“So this is the price that one has to pay for keeping close friendship with Bhakti Charu Maharaja. He always makes one feel very embarrassed by praising them. That’s his good qualification that he praises other devotees.”
31 July 1989, Radhadesh.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
Through ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada said, he was combining Western brains and money with Indian spiritual culture. He gave the example of a lame man and a blind man. Alone, each is severely limited. But if the blind man takes the lame man onto his shoulders, then the combination of the blind man’s strong legs and the lame man’s good vision will enable them to achieve so much more. America, he said, was spiritually blind, while India was materially lame. But together they could spread Krishna consciousness all over the world.
(Excerpt from Ocean of mercy, a book written by Guru Maharaja)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
Always remember spiritual life is not a sentimental thing. It’s a business vyayavasatmika buddhi, it’s a business. There is a proper way of practicing it. If we practice it properly the result will automatically be there. That is how we have to actually focus on vani, we should never think that he is gone. Rather we should see how he is still guiding me, how he is still inspiring me and how he is still motivating me. And just follow it in that way. The main thing is what you appreciate you broadcast, that is how sravanam, kirtanam. Kirtanam is very very important. Vani has to be sravanam and kirtanam. First you accept and then you broadcast and that is how you show your appreciation to your spiritual master’s vani.
(HH Bhakti Charu Swami Youtube channel entitled “Never think he is gone” posted on 3 July 2022)