Bhakti Tirtha Swami remembers Bhakti Charu Swami by Kisora Krishna Das

one night while i was serving Bhakti Tirtha Swami,normally before Gurudev went to bed he would asked me to put his walk man on,where was Aindra prabhu kirtan,and everyday he would listen to the kirtan softly and fall asleep,while travelling to Krishna Balaram temple to phoenix temple,i left it to krsna Balaram temple,At night when Maharaj ask me to play the kirtan,i noticed that i forgot his tape there! i was stressed because i know he love this tape,i run to search for another kirtan tape and i got a kirtan tape of your Guru Maharaj,and i told him i got a kirtan tape of Bhakti Charu swami,Maharaj closed his eyes and said ''O Bhakti Charu Maharaj'' with so much love,i played the kirtan on sofly,Maharaj closed his eyes and with so much appreciation expressions on his face with a sweet smile meditating on the kirtans...

Memories from Gita Nagari Retreat with HH Bhakti Charu Swami

I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to attend Guru Maharaja’s Gita Nagari Retreat, May 30-June 2. There were around 150 devotees in attendance and even more arrived during the weekend. Guru Maharaja spoke for five and a half hours every day on the topic of Uddhava Gita and in the evenings there were Srila Prabhupada katha sessions. It was enlivening to hear Guru Maharaja speak for so many hours each day. I felt that my consciousness was being purified by the sound vibration and that my vision and focus was becoming more and more clear. I thank Guru Maharaja from the bottom of my heart for giving us so much of his time.

The retreat setting was beautiful and peaceful, like Vrindavan. Gita Nagari is in a rural town in Pennsylvania. The temple property is around 300 acres and the temple has 70 cows. There are also many peacocks roaming the property and purifying the atmosphere with their enchanting calls. Gita Nagari is the home of the most merciful, Sri Sri Radha Damodara, Who, in the 1970’s, traveled all over the US in a bus called the Radha Damodara Sankirtan Party. It is also the temple that was under the guidance and leadership of H.H. Bhakti Tirtha Swami. His samadhi is just next to the temple.

Guru Maharaja’s classes were held in the airy, well-lit temple room surrounded by windows looking out into the beautiful outdoor setting. On Thursday evening Guru Maharaja gave an opening address wherein he talked about the glories of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada set up ISKCON so that we can spread the movement collectively. We should not think what ISKCON will give us, but rather what we can give ISKCON. He spoke about the dedicated devotees in Gita Nagari who have been serving here for years. Guru Maharaja said that he noticed that Radha Damodara’s altar was not befitting the beautiful Lordships, so he decided to have a new altar built for them in Ujjain. At the end of the retreat, so many devotees raised their hands and pledged donations for Radha Damodara’s new altar. Guru Maharaja said that he was touched by the response. He had already planned to build the altar regardless, but now, he said jokingly, we had taken the service away from him. Part of the money devotees offered will also be used to build a new altar for Srila Prabhupada in the temple room.

Guru Maharaja mentioned that the idea behind holding the retreat in Gita Nagari is to support ISKCON projects. Gita Nagari is struggling financially and is lacking man-power. So Guru Maharaja said that holding retreats like this provides financial support and also gives encouragement to the devotees living here. He urged all devotees living in the surrounding areas of New Jersey, New York, etc., to buy the pure, ahimsa milk from Gita Nagari cows, as well as the fresh vegetables. This is a way of offering support to the project. Although it is more expensive to buy the milk from Gita Nagari compared to store-bought milk, the money stays within the family of ISKCON. Guru Maharaja emphasized that we should support and encourage our family of ISKCON.

On Sunday, there was an initiation ceremony. Nineteen devotees received first initiation and seven devotees received second initiation. Guru Maharaja emphasized that at the time of initiation we are officially surrendering to the representative of the Lord. Srila Prabhupada is the Founder-Acharya and therefore he is the siksa guru of everyone in ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada is Lord Krishna’s representative and Guru Maharaja is Srila Prabhupada’s representative. For example, glasses don’t obstruct our vision but rather enhance it, similarly, the guru is the transparent medium of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. A telescope has many lenses so that we can see further, so in the same, the more we become connected to our spiritual master in disciplic succession, the more our vision becomes clear. Guru Maharaja’s final instructions to the new initiates were to always stay within ISKCON (“if you leave ISKCON there is no hope for spiritual advancement”) and to make Srila Prabhupada the center of their lives.

The schedule of each day was as follows:

4:30-7am Morning Program

7-8:30 Uddhava Gita Session 1

9:00 Breakfast

11-1 Uddhava Gita Session 2

1:30 Lunch

4-6 Uddhava Gita Session 3

6:30 Dinner

7:30-9pm Srila Prabhupada Katha Session

Though there were plenty of breaks in the day for devotees to rest, I noticed that Guru Maharaja did not get much rest. Sometimes he would stay after a session answering further questions by devotees. Or there would be personal darshans scheduled for disciples. On Saturday, Guru Maharaja also had to meet all the new initiates. I was amazed to see how much time Guru Maharaja sacrifices for our spiritual benefit and advancement. After the Sunday initiations, Guru Maharaja said that he had to now hurry to be in time to give the Sunday Feast lecture in New Jersey (3 hours away). All glories to Guru Maharaja’s profound and amazing service to Srila Prabhupada. I pray that the instructions he gave in his wonderful seminars stay in my heart and that I can somehow assist him in his service to Srila Prabhupada.

Guru Maharaja said that next year’s Gita Nagari Retreat will probably be August 21^st-24^th, 2014.

H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Your servant, 

Ratna Radhika dasi

A VERY Humble Request

Dear Devotees, Godbrothers and Godsisters,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Guru Maharaj.

 

Thank you so much to all of you for sharing your input, advice and experience in serving Guru Maharaj... I sincerely appreciate how many of you pledged to take care of Guru Maharaj better and how many shared your valuable suggestions.

 

Good news I have is that Guru Maharaj arrived in Ujjain yesterday at 11:00am. He had darshan of the Deities and had darshan with the devotees of Ujjain, after which he mentioned that I have requested that he have complete rest so he therefore will not be giving any program and will commence as usual the next day. The first day should be complete rest!!  :) I gave Guru Maharaj the thumbs up and was so happpy.

 

This morning Guru Maharaj gave Srimad Bhagavatam Class and despite his cold he was looking much rested. He said he will do kirtan as usual in the evening, but at 11:30am I heard Guru Maharaj singing in the temple room as I was serving my Giriraj and the kirtan was ecstatic as always. I was so happy that Guru Maharaj was taking time out and singing kirtan when we least expected it...unfortunately my Giriraj seva did not permit me to run across the road and join the kirtan:(

 

Then at around 3:00/3:30pm ish... I was chanting my rounds on my balcony and saw Guru Maharaj and a group of devotees walking in the temple rose garden!  I could see Guru Maharaj giving instructions and was so happy that Guru Maharaj was relaxing though he was having meetings....

 

Please lets all pray that Guru Maharaj can have the rest he needs whenever he is travelling to various yatra... there is great power in prayer as we all know.

 

Once again thank you all for participating actively and positively in our discussions.

 

Your humble servant and sister,

Radharani devi dasi

Past Diary Entries (Chandrashekhara Prabhu) with H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj

Guru Maharaja was speaking about a certain devotee with whom I and a few other devotees in Guru Maharaja's entourage had slight conflicts with. Guru Maharaja said, “She’s very respectful to the senior devotees.”   I waited a moment and then asked him, “Guru Maharaja, please bless me that I can be respectful not only to senior devotees, but to godbrothers and junior devotees also — that I can be the insignificant servant of all the devotees.” As I started saying this, Guru Maharaja smiled and said, “You have all my blessings.”  He added, “That is the perfectional stage of life, actually.”

**
As I came back from the local barber, Guru Maharaja, who was sitting in his office finishing a slice of papaya, told me, “You know that one peg of your wodden shoes is broken?”  I answered, “Yes; someone broke it. I’ll get it repaired in Mayapur.’ He asked me, “Do you wear these shoes in the West?” I replied ‘yes’ and told him, “Sometimes people walk up to me in disbelief, staring at my feet, and tell me, “Dude; those are the most far out shoes I have ever seen in my life!!”
Guru Maharaja laughed heartily. He then recalled, “A long time ago, I used to wear wooden shoes, even in the West. They make a lot of noise. Even with the rubber, they make noise. People would hear it and look at such a strange looking person as myself.” He added, “Once, I was walking down 5th Avenue with Bhavananda Maharaja. I was wearing my wooden shoes. He gave me twenty dollars and told me, ‘Go buy some shoes.’ Since then I don’t wear them anymore. I only wear them in the house.”  He finished, “You just went to get shaved up? You look smart.”

***

Guru Maharaja recalled how once he and Tamal Krishna Maharaja got into a disagreement. Tamal Krishna Maharaja apparently had told Guru Maharaja, “I curse you that you’ll get married!”  “In those days,” Guru Maharaja recalled, “it really was like a curse to get married. So I got really worried, and I went and told Srila Prabhupada what Tamal Krishna Maharaja had said to me. Srila Prabhupada stated, “You are already married; you’re married to Krsna.”  Guru Maharaja added, “Two months later he gave me sannyasa.” Guru Maharaja continued, “I then went and told Tamal Krishna Maharaja what Srila Prabhupada had said to me. Tamal Krishna Maharaja told me, “I was just joking.” Guru Maharaja recalled how special a relationship Tamal Krishna Maharaja had with Srila Prabhupada. “For example,” Guru Maharaja recalled, “Whenever Srila Prabhupada woke up, the first thing he would say was, ‘where is Tamala?’ He also remembered how, during those last days in Vrindavan, Srila Prabhupada used to call Guru Maharaja "the famous cook." Since I had never heard Guru Maharaja say this before, I told him, "You've never told us this before, Guru Maharaja.” I added, “Once in a while you let out some information which we never heard before."  Guru Maharaja smiled and replied, "I told you that I am not the type to blow my own trumpet."

***
Guru Maharaja flew into Washington DC the next day, May 29th. Bhakta Henry greeted him at the Dulles airport and drove him to his beautiful ancestral home on Massachusetts avenue. Guru Maharaja is attended a three-day meeting at the Iskcon Potomac temple, with godbrothers including Prahladananda Swami, Radhanatha Swami, Jayapataka Swami, Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, Garuda Prabhu and Anuttama prabhu. The three-day meeting consisted of discussions on how to establish a standard, or a course, for future gurus in Iskcon. Guru Maharaja appeared very happy to be in their association. During the occasional session intermissions, Guru Maharaja and Radhanatha Maharaja would take a stroll together in the parking lot of the property, hand on the other's shoulder.

In the evening of June 30th, Guru Maharaja gave a talk in the temple. As often, he sang 'tavakathamritam' and explained how this verse, spoken five thousand years ago by the gopis, actually predicts the appearance of Srila Prabhupada, who was later confirmed by Lord Caitanya (to King Prataparudra) as being "bhuri-da, bhuri-da," or "most munificent, most munificent." After this talk, as Guru Maharaja was putting on his shoes in the temple hallway, a six year-old girl, standing with a plate of prasadam in her left hand and a spoon in her right hand, looked up to Guru Maharaja and asked him, "Are you are real Maharaja?"Smiling, Guru Maharaja bent down and patted her head, saying, "No, no; I am just a servant of the servant of the servant."

Letter Bhaktin Carol To H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja (Wonderful New Years letter for His Divine Grace)

Please accept my humble obeisences
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
All glories to Guru Maharaja
January 1, 2013
Dallas

Dear Maharaja, when when you first spoke to me at the Dallas temple,if I can tell you, I had been sad for three days. I was so sad. It had to  do with the death of the Pope. A mentor at the time had said the Pope
was a very evil man and that I should not think  kindly toward him. The mentor seemed angry with me and I was so sad. It seemed anothe sad idea on top of what seemed many sad ideas to me, since I didn't understand those topics and was new to the temple.

I had tears and was wandering around, wandering for three days. I happened to visit the temple the night that you later spoke to me. I walked in to the temple room to hear you speaking. You were speaking  -- about the Pope. I'd never heard anyone speak like you. You seemed to radiate love. And you spoke with love about the Pope. Without me telling you my thoughts your class answered my questions, you provided
explanation that soothed away the distress I'd been feeling. I knew I wanted to learn from you.

You left with several devotees and walked down the hallway. I followed behind. I didn't know if it was proper. I followed behind as you with the group walked up the stairs in another building. I don't know if I
had heard this somewhere else or what the reason that it was in my thoughts, but as I followed behind on the stairs I felt like a dog following it's master. I don't know how to explain this.

I had followed at a distance and the door was closed when I got to the top of the stairs. I knocked and was invited in to speak to you. I asked would you teach me. And you said you would teach me. I couldn't
believe it was happening! You were so kind, and good, to me who was so foolish and didn't know what to do.

I am so grateful you agreed to teach me, Guru Maharaja.

Thank you so much, Guru Maharaja

your servant
bhaktin carol