Bhakti Charu Swami’s Vyasa-puja

Host: Hare Krishna. Welcome to the auspicious Vyasa-puja celebration of His Divine Grace, Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja and we welcome those who are watching online as well. We will commence with some homages in honor of Maharaja’s Vyasa-puja. I would call upon different devotees if they can come in front where Abhay Caran is standing, they can sit there and speak if you can speak a bit louder because we won’t move the microphone that much during the program. But we would humbly request you all to offer your homages on today’s occasion. So, to begin with, we would request Mother Urvasi, who is. . .  Okay. Well, then we will ask Giridhari prabhu to speak.

Devotee: [Inaudible 00:26:17]

Host: Oh! well.

Devotee: [Inaudible 00:26:21] Okay. Okay. Can I just. . . Do I have to go there?

Host: Yeah.

Host: So, to start the program Kandarpa Manjari will speak or read her offering to Maharaja, Hare Krishna.

Devotee: [Inaudible 00:27:10] [Prayers]

I wanted to offer this to you Guru Maharaja, a little memoir, this picture in front here. I made this for you because this was kind of the journey of my relationship with you. Back in 1986, when my first spiritual master had left the movement, ISKCON was in such a devastated state and I remember you coming to all the temples in America trying to console the devotees and your deep concern for the movement and the disciples whose gurus had left. I was very blessed that you decided to come to Laguna Beach as Agnidev was a very good friend of yours and he had created such a nice temple with the Pancha-tattva. So, you wanted to come and actually visit the Pancha-tattva because you had heard so many things about it.

And I was very struck by your compassion and really more a concern for those whose gurus had left, mine in particular and I remember thinking that wow, he is so amazing, he is such an amazing Vaishnava, his etiquette, there are so many qualities that I admired about you. One of them was you really wanted to bring proper consciousness back into the movement. You wanted to actually establish how ISKCON was Prabhupada’s family and everyone was here to take care of all the disciples. It wasn’t any longer a sectarian, zonal acharyas but this was Prabhupada’s movement and you wanted to bring that awareness of Prabhupada consciousness.

So, that just touched me so much. So, in 1989, I wrote to you and I wanted to take shelter of you and you requested that I come to South Africa and you just became GBC there and you wanted to bring some devotees to help the movement. So, I came to South Africa and when we landed, I was feeling very nervous because I didn’t really know any devotees. So, you had called me into your room to greet me and see how my trip was. And you asked Giriraj Swami, who was also GBC there at the time, to come and also meet me because you said you are bringing all these devotees. So, Giriraj Swami and yourself were sitting there and you were asking me questions and I remember at that time, you introduced Giriraj Swami as he is a “Prabhupada man” and so, I started explaining that how I really appreciated coming there and being able to serve under him and you kept stressing that this is ISKCON’S movement. This is Prabhupada’s movement and this is a whole family. So, you introduced me in South Africa.

So, on all these pictures that are here, they are just little glimpses of you preaching in South Africa. In the corner there is Ratha-yatra with Indradyumna Swami and Bhakti Chaitanya Swami. And then in Cape Town you were hosting a lecture. Right in the center is the picture of you there. And then greeting the devotees in Cape Town and then in 1990, you decided to take a group to Jagannatha Puri on a pilgrimage and I was so fortunate that I was able to come with you. On that trip, I think, it was the beginning journey of really getting trained under you because I witnessed so much care and love and attention to detail in serving the Vaishnavas. It was really amazing and not only to your disciples but you had invited Hamsaduta prabhu who had felt a little estranged from ISKCON and you wanted to include him and bring him back to ISKCON.

So, he traveled with us to Jagannatha Puri. You’ll see a picture there where Hamsaduta prabhu is playing the harmonium and then we traveled throughout Jagannatha Puri, Bhubaneshwar and then we landed in Mayapur and on top there, there is a picture of you sitting on the top of the Conch building and you were just absorbed in kṛṣṇa-līlā. We were having Kṛṣṇa book readings every night, just very simple, Prabhupada’s books and stressing upon how important it is to read Srila Prabhupada’s books and just read the pastimes of Krishna, just from Kṛṣṇa book.

So, then we further went into preparing for your godbrothers to come and visit you and there it was my training and how to cook for Vaishnavas. It was really amazing. You taught us by your example, how to really care for Vaishnavas, your love for them. It was really amazing. I was so touched by your great devotion to Prabhupada’s movement and your godbrothers. Then I feel that the other pictures show your Vyasa-puja when we were in Mayapur. Again, it was an amazing event and all the preparations that the devotees prepared for you and then we went back to South Africa to continue our service there.

And there you were not able to come so often. But one instruction that you gave me and I remember speaking with you. There was a lot of things going on in Vrindavan and a lot of controversies and people taking shelter in other places and one day you called me into your quarters and you said to me, “Kandarpa, there is one thing I ask you. Never leave ISKCON and always serve Prabhupada’s mission,” and I think that instruction for me is amazing. It’s a lifetime achievement that I have to do and it’s in itself there is so many other instructions.

So, Guru Maharaja on this day, I thank you for giving me ISKCON again after my guru left, giving me faith in Prabhupada’s movement and also taking shelter in Prabhupada’s movement, his disciples, service in ISKCON. I thank you so much—- that’s the most valuable gift that anyone can give. So, thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: [Prayers]

Dear Guru Maharaja, It is your 75th Vyasa-puja and circumstances have changed and you are not physically here with us and it is definitely a different type of mood this year, a lot of offerings are of separation and I try to write you but every time I wrote something it had this mood of you are not here and I didn’t know if that was correct and then as I was hearing the offerings of the other devotees that was just the predominating mood this year because it’s only been not even three months since you left. But I felt that I just wanted to do something a little different since it is a different year and I wanted to kind of meditate more on your qualities and your characteristics that I experienced in my few interactions but very meaningful times with you and from the remembrances and talks and the pastimes that I’ve been hearing since you left. Every day it’s a new realization comes from someone, a new pastime is uncovered and your glories just keep expanding infinitely and they will continue to.

So, I thought for your 75th Vyasa-puja, I would compile a list of seventy-five qualities and characteristics that I have come to know about you and experienced about you. This list is incomplete. It will never be complete because you are an infinite ocean of mercy and it’s not that number seventy-five is less than number one, every quality that you have is equal and worthy of trying to imbibe in our lives. So, I will start.

75—You are selfless.

74—You are tireless.

73—You are youthful.

72—You are handsome.

71—You are elegant.

70—You are wise.

69—You are humorous.

68—You are a forward and modern thinker.

67—You are traditional.

66—You are perfectly adapted to western and Indian culture.

65—You are aristocratic.

64—You are opulent.

63—You are renounced.

62—You are self-sufficient.

61—You have a perfect memory.

60—You are poetic.

59—You are peaceful.

58—You are not envious.

57—You glorify others service.

56—You make everyone feel relevant.

55—You love to honor your godbrothers and godsisters.

54—You make the devotees happy.

53—You make the devotees dance in kirtan.

52—everyone loves and adores you.

51—Your character is spotless.

50—You are the epitome of Vaishnava etiquette.

49—You are fixed in devotion.

48—You travel constantly to enthuse the devotees and expand the movement.

47—You genuinely cared for devotees.

46—You love Krishna’s cows and want to see them protected.

45—You are an inspiration to thousands.

44—You make things easy to understand.

43—You are offenseless-ness personified.

42—You are peaceful.

41—You are all merciful.

40—You are tolerant.

39—You are clean and brahminical.

38—You are a true gentleman.

37—You know everything about every subject matter.

36—You are aristocratic.

35—You have an impeccable sense of style.

34—You are an expert cook.

33—You appreciate different cuisines.

32—You are an accomplished singer.

31—You conquered sleep to translate Srila Prabhupada’s books.

30—You are a scholar.

29—You are an elegant speaker of Bhāgavatam.

28—You have a command of Sanskrit, Bengali, and English language and speak beautiful Hindi and even German.

29—You are gracious.

28—You are very-very humble.

27—You smile sweetly.

26—You have a sweet mesmerizing voice.

25—You have a graceful and purposeful walk.

24—You are generousness personified.

23—You are helpful.

22—You think on a large scale.

21—You see the small details.

20—You always want the best quality ingredients and materials.

19—You bring out the best in everyone.

18—Your interaction with everyone is perfect for their age and status.

17—You love to feed the devotees sumptuously.

16—You are happy to see any devotee.

15—You warmly embrace us for the slightest thing.

14—Your body is soft like a rose.

13—Your lotus feet are beautiful in the shelter of your follower’s.

12—You bring us closer to Srila Prabhupada.

11—Srila Prabhupada is very dear to you.

10—You are dear to Prabhupada.

9—You always stress to keep Srila Prabhupada in the center.

8—You tell us that ISKCON is a family.

7—You united this family in prayer and kirtan before you left like nobody has ever done before.

6—You represent Srila Prabhupada and our paramparā perfectly.

5—You are loyal to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON.

4—Your love for Srila Prabhupada is unmatched and unfathomable.

3—You are a heroic general in Srila Prabhupada’s saṅkīrtana army who took great risk to preach and lead the devotees.

2—You only want to see Srila Prabhupada’s glory and position established firmly for all time to come.

1—You are truly Prabhupada gata prana, Prabhupada is your life and soul.

HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

[Applause]

Host: Thank you Giridhari Priya Prabhu. We’ll have a few minutes of kirtan and we’ll resume the homages. Hare Krishna. Do not touch them with your mouth. We change the program slightly. We’ll continue with the homages now and I’ll request mother Radha Priya dasi to come forward and present her offering. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Big influencer especially in the early days when I had just joined in the 90’s. You visited South Africa quite frequently then and I was very fortunate to listen to your classes and be a part of your kirtans. Your kirtans and your beautiful bhajans are legendary in ISKCON and I think that was the first thing that really touched me about you. There was so much of depth in your melodious voice, whenever I would hear you sing, I would be transported to another world, right at the lotus feet of Krishna.

Your classes were a huge source of inspiration for me. I really loved the way you spoke about Krishna and the gopīs and their pastimes together. I was fortunate to cook for you a couple times here in Carpentaria when you visited Giriraj Maharaja and I’m forever thankful to have been given that opportunity. Thank you so much for everything, Maharaja, for inspiring me so much in my Krishna consciousness. We miss you a lot but I’m also happy that we still have your kirtans, your bhajans, and all your classes to go back to, especially, when we are feeling separation from you. We can take shelter of all that nectar. Thank you very much, Maharaja. Hare Krishna and Happy Vyasa-puja.

Host: [Inaudible 00:47:05] Nandan Prabhu.

Devotee: [Prayers] Hare Krishna, Maharaja. So, I was studying in Natal University and I started coming to on my second visit to the Durban temple, I saw you standing in front of Their Lordships and leading a kirtan, and that was the first time I’ve seen devotees dancing and it was really amazing hearing your voice and chanting, and then when the program finished, you are walking towards to the entrance and I remember paying obeisance to you and you asked me about what I was doing and I said I was studying at Natal university and then you asked me how many rounds I’m chanting. I said I was chanting two rounds and then you said, “Okay, you can chant four rounds now.”

So, I took that and I started chanting four rounds. I think maybe a month or two later, I met you again and you asked me again, you remembered me and you asked me, “So how many rounds are you chanting now?” I said, “I’m chanting four rounds.” You said, “Now you can chant eight rounds.” So, in this way I started chanting eight rounds and all this was possible because devotees, Mother Kandarpa and Krishna Kirtan prabhu were organizing the bhakti-yoga society and as Mother Kandarpa prabhu was saying, that how you made that everyone to feel as a family and it was true and I when I came in, I was someone outside being brought up in Sri Lanka and in South Africa, the devotees in Durban temple made it it’s a single family, there was Swarupa Prabhu, so many Vaishnavas and I grew up in their care and affection and Prabhupada, I began to understand what it means to be a family in spiritual environment. So, thank you, Maharaja.

Host: Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya! Now, we will request Mother Ganga to say few words.

Devotee: [Prayers] Well, it’s a little surprise. I didn’t think about. But I try to glorify Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, such an incredible guru in ISKCON, such an inspiration for thousands of people and I mean, I know him from the time in India, I met him many years ago, maybe forty years ago, but later more close, he came to Malaga frequently because he has so many disciples there and I could have his association and very closely and he was very kind with all of us, especially, with my daughter and later on when I had the fortune to go to Mayapur, I could also see him very frequently and we were so happy when he will come to Mayapur. [Inaudible 00:51:39] was saying he would give such amazing classes. Always on Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appearance day, he will give the class. He will explain it so nicely, all the details and then his bhajans in the disappearance days, Tamal Krishna Goswami, he will also chant ye anilo prema-dhana after maṅgala-ārati and it was, we were respecting that moment because he was so transporting due to another world. Also, in Kartik time, when he used to come, he will chant the Kartik prayers, the Damodara prayers in a special tune that he would use to sing and also, he was always personal. He always will come and say, “how are you doing, how is your daughter?” Because we were there alone. I mean, my husband was in Spain and he was always an uncle taking care. And yes, as the only time, as when I did have questions in the class in Malaga times, and he will answer very nicely.

But one that I remember, more in the airport when I was feeling separation of my Guru Maharaja and I was asking him how we can have the association of the guru when he is not here and he said that guru is always with you. He is in your heart and so that really helped me very much. So, I am thankful to him and I will be talking about him for a long time but I think all the other devotees want to glorify him also and I am very thankful and I am appreciating him more now that he left because of. . . So, I am praying to him on this day that I can serve his godbrothers and godsisters and his disciples and serve him better than when he was present. I hope I can please him through his disciples, try to serve them and make them happy. Thank you. Hare Krishna. Bhakti Charu Maharaja ki jaya!

Devotee: [Prayers] Dear Maharaja, on your Vyasa-puja today, I would like to very humbly thank you for everything that you had done for my Krishna consciousness. Definitely I miss you today and I want to recall how you had helped a few of us students, who were studying at the university of Cape Town, in the 90’s when you would visit. How you were very compassionate and dear to us. There was Varshabanavi’s brother Shiv Shankar dasa, myself, and a few others who were taking shelter of you, serving you whenever you would visit Cape Town and you would very mercifully come to the university and preach to the students.

Maharaja, you remember, in 1991 you came to university of Cape Town where we had organized a program with the ex-mayor of Cape Town, Mr. Oliver and the student union president and you had given him a Bhagavad-gītā as a gift in front of so many students and you had given also, given him an Adiraj Cookbook and he was very touched by the gifts that you had given him. You had spoken to the students at that time about the soul and so many students thereafter came to register at the student club—The bhakti-yoga and vegetarian society.

You were very kind to anybody, any student who would come to speak, to hear you speak. You would always encourage us to study and take prasāda. Every time when we would meet you and we would bring students to you, you would ask them, “Have you taken prasāda?” You were very caring for the students. And then later we also associated with you in Durban and I will never forget one instruction you had given me in Srila Prabhupada’s quarters at the temple in Durban and you said, “Whatever business you do or whatever work you do, give that money to Krishna.” Later on, we met in America and I remember one time when we came to America and you arrived and we met you I asked you how you are doing and I was speaking with you and you told me that you have had many lives but this life you give it to Krishna.

And I also asked you, Maharaja, for any instruction when you visited in the temple in Los Angeles and you had looked at me and you said, “Take good care of Giriraj Swami.” But actually Maharaja, Giriraj Swami is taking care of us and I beg for your mercy that I can offer any service to my Guru Maharaja, to my family. Hare Krishna.

Host: So, now we would like to request Kunti devi to offer her homage. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Dear Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In the very famous discussions between Lord Chaitanya and Srila Ramananda Roy, Lord Chaitanya asked, “What is the greatest pain in this world?” and the answer was; “Separation from a pure devotee.” On the other hand, that also means that the greatest joy and happiness in this world is the association of a devotee like you. I was very fortunate to meet you in South Africa around maybe 1987, when our previous acharya for that zone had left and my Guru Maharaja invited some other senior devotees to come to the yatra. And when you arrived, it was like someone from the spiritual world had walked in. There was just so much purity and sweetness emanating from you and then witnessing the exchanges between you and Giriraj Maharaja, I also understood a little bit about love, what does it mean to love Srila Prabhupada, to love each other and to serve together without personal motive for the mission of Srila Prabhupada.

And I witnessed that in exchanges between you and Giriraj Maharaja and I thought I want to learn how to do that also. And then I moved to India and after that I didn’t see you very often. But one time somebody arranged a marriage for me to somebody and everybody thought this was a great match. But somehow, and this was before the age of cell phones and computers, somehow you found out about it and I don’t know even where you were. Maybe Mayapur, maybe South Africa, maybe America. I was just in Vrindavan and taking care of mother Arca Vigraha. But you phoned and said this was actually not a good arrangement and we should not go ahead with it. I immediately agreed or I just accepted that because I had faith in you. And later on, we saw that you were correct. Actually, it would have been a very-very bad match.

And recently I read in the book that your disciples compiled about the homages for you and I think it’s my Guru Maharaja who said that you are like, Srila Sanatana Gosvami. You take care of all the villagers and I feel a little bit like that. I was just one of the village girls and you took care of me and you saw that I didn’t walk in the wrong direction. And I want to thank you for that, for protecting me from, you didn’t have to do that. So, I’m very-very grateful to you Maharaja and the other thing that you’ve given me is the association of so many good friends. So many of my best friends are your disciples, here in Santa Barbara, Kandarpa Manjari, Giridhari Priya, and then there is Prema Manjari in Calcutta and so many others.

And I’m so grateful for their friendships and I pray that I can serve them in the years to come in service to Srila Prabhupada and I hope I can please you with my service to them and my affection for them and I hope that we can all serve Srila Prabhupada together forever and thank you very much, Maharaja, for giving us just so many things, your presence, your teachings about Vaishnava etiquette, your beautiful songs, your gentle voice, and your caring nature. And everything you did was for Srila Prabhupada and his disciples and devotees. Thank you, Maharaja. Hare Krishna.

Host: Bhakti Charu Maharaja ki jaya! Bhakta dasa prabhu.

Devotee: Dear Bhakti Charu Maharaja, please accept my most humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. I only had the great pleasure of interacting with you a few short times but they were profoundly impactful in encouraging me in my devotional life and gave me a glimpse into your wonderful character which I would come to know more about in the following years. When I met you at New Dwarka over two years ago, you were speaking on cow protection and had just launched a subscription box containing ahimsa incense and books in return for donating to help the cows. Myself and the bhaktas from LA, pulled together all of our laundry Lakshmi together that night and donated to the cows because we were so moved and inspired from your talk.

As I developed in my devotional life over the next years, I came to love your sweet and humble mood, your prayerful kirtans and your expert dealing with the devotees. As a “bhakta leader,” I would study your Vaishnava etiquette handbook and tried to instill its principles in myself and in the new bhaktas. Now two years later, I have had the blessing to serve my dear Guru Maharaja and your most dear godbrother Giriraj Swami. In the months leading up to your departure for Goloka Vrindavan, we had many kirtans for your benefit. These were some of the most touching kirtans I have ever experienced and when I would chant while thinking of you, I felt very connected to you.

As it is said we can stay together by chanting the holy names and this was no exception. As the days went on, I began to learn more and more about your glories. Your wonderful disciples Giridhari Priya dasa and Kandarpa Manjari dasi are your shining moons imbibing the same loving humble mood which I so much loved about you and they have taught me so much about how to interact with the devotees. You are always here through your divine instructions and your disciples who so perfectly follow in your footsteps. I pray to also live by your instructions, to stay in the family of ISKCON, love the devotees and care for the cows.

Your aspiring servant

Bhakti dasa.

Host: Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya! and now I would like to request one of Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’s godsister, disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Mother Urvasi to share her homage with us. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: My dear Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. These little masks are really good for collecting tears as well. My dear godbrother, all glories to Srila Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master. I was unfortunate because I did not have much association with you but I heard of you. But for a few years I attended the GBC meetings in Mayapur and you were in the meetings and that’s where I came very closely to observe you. And since your departure and now it’s your Vyasa-puja celebration, I am so much amazed by the love of not only your disciples but thousands of devotees and people throughout the world.

And at the meetings, you didn’t know me but you were so kind to me and out of everyone there, you went out of your way to make me feel welcome and comfortable. And there is a couple of things that was pretty amazing during the breaks. There was a table with wonderful selection of juice and refreshing drinks and you would always go over to me and ask me if you could get me something to drink. I’m—“Oh no, I can get it” and you, “No, no. I’ll get it.” So, you would bring me something and then another kind of humorous time. During the breaks, we had to do everything very quickly to get back in and that’s when we got to use the one bathroom and so, I got in the line with all the sannyasis and the leaders of the movement and Maharaja, you were up in front and you saw me in line and you came back and got me to go first. And I’m, “no, no, no, no, that’s okay,” and you are, “No, I insist. You are a lady and you should be at the front of the line.”

So, it showed me what kind of person you were that you were so conscious and aware and devoted to serving. Again, not just the devotees but everyone who came in contact with you. It was extraordinary. You are such a great soul and yet so humble. And when I listened to Giridhari Priya’s offering and the seventy-five qualities of you, I’m just, yes, I experienced that; yes, I observed that, yes, yes. Everything was self-evident to everyone.

You are such an example for us to follow and I’m missing Srila Prabhupada and I’ve gotten to know you, about you much better from hearing all the offerings, listening to your classes and the very-very sweet way that you did your kirtans. So, thank you so much. You’ve enriched my heart, you’ve enriched my soul, you’ve flooded my consciousness with your deep devotion and I will always keep that fresh in my heart for the rest of my life. So, thank you very much, Maharaja. I am so thankful and so grateful for your presence on this earth. Hare Krishna.

Host: Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya! So, we have reached the almost the end of our series of homages and would like to request our Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace Giriraj Swami Maharaja to bless us with a few words on today’s occasion. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. I never expected that we would be gathering for your 75th Vyasa-puja in your absence. But I guess Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna had their plan. After you left, HH Radhanath Swami made a short video that was very instructive and he told all the devotees not to dwell on any of the details related to your departure, but simply to take it as an arrangement of the higher authorities of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna to bring you to them and not entertain ideas such as, why did you have to leave Ujjain, you could have just stayed there and preached and so on.

So, Srila Prabhupada had written a letter from Bombay to his disciple, Tusta Krishna dasa who had been associated with Sai in Hawaii and Sai, when she took initiation from Srila Prabhupada and received the name Siddha Swarupa. So, in Tusta Krishna’s letter, he had referred to Siddha Swarupa as a pure devotee and I’m just judging from Srila Prabhupada’s reply, but what Srila Prabhupada wrote was very significant. He wrote that, “Siddha Swarupa is a good soul but you shouldn’t think that only he is a pure devotee and none others. Anyone who is surrendered to the spiritual master and sincerely following the spiritual master is a pure devotee.

So, don’t make any faction and then he said why do you want to be in the spiritual sky with only Siddha Swarupa?” and Srila Prabhupada wrote, “Siddha Swarupa will go, Shyamasundara will go. Prabhupada mentioned him because he was the GBC. Yes, Siddha Swarupa will go, Shyamasundara will go and you will go and we’ll have another ISKCON in the spiritual world.” He said that only Mr. Nair, he will not go. And Srila Prabhupada mentioned that because Tusta Krishna prabhu was, I think, the first to meet Mr. Nair.

And so that idea of another ISKCON in the spiritual sky, after HH Tamal Krishna Goswami left, our godbrother Bhurijana prabhu said that he wasn’t sure about the idea of another ISKCON in the spiritual sky. But now that Tamal Krishna Goswami has gone there, the idea is becoming more attractive and now that you are there, it’s even more attractive. But we have service to you here. So many of your disciples are reaching out to me and I consider it my sacred duty to encourage them in their spiritual lives and their relationship with you even in your absence.

One couple, and I’m mentioning it so that you can give them some special mercy, but there is one couple in Dallas. The husband’s name is Pankajhangri prabhu and his wife’s name is Lopa Mudra and I would almost always be in Dallas at the time of your Vyasa-puja and so, Pankajhangri

prabhu would organize a program at his home and I would go and have an opportunity to glorify you along with others. And yeah, he and his wife have really taken your departure very heavily.

Pankajhangri prabhu phoned me, I mean, he could hardly speak. He was weeping and he said that his wife was so distraught that she wasn’t eating, she couldn’t sleep, she was just completely broken. And he asked me to try to reach out to her and help her. So, yeah, it’s really sad that you are not here with us in person at this time. But we have to continue anyway and serve you, serve your servants and if you have anything specific that you would like me to do now or at any time, I pray that you will reveal that to me. So, I can execute your will.

And yeah, I pray to you to give your mercy to your disciples who are suffering so much in your separation and give them and all of us your mercy to appreciate as you told Ganga that the spiritual master is in the heart. He is not away from the disciple. Yeah, so that we can feel your presence. I’ve, of course, many fond memories of you from beginning of Srila Prabhupada’s time, when we first met in the bathroom at the sort of makeshift bathroom at the mahā Kumbha mela in Allahabad in Janurary back in 1977 all the way until almost now.

So, yeah, we can relish those memories and we have your talks; for weeks I’ve been listening to your talks which are very illuminating and enlightening and one thing I got from you, you would sing the songs of the Gopī-gīta beautifully and one of the verses, perhaps the most famous of them, was the verse that King Pratāparudra. . . Well, he was reciting to Lord Chaitanya during the time of the Ratha-yatra, when Lord Chaitanya took rest in the garden and it says those who spread the message of Godhead all over the world are most munificent.

This is a beautiful verse which I’ve quoted on many occasions but you provided a brilliant insight by saying that the verse refers to Srila Prabhupada because other than Srila Prabhupada, who has distributed that message of Godhead all over the world? It’s only Srila Prabhupada who’s done that. And so, now whenever I hear that verse or recite that verse or hear you recite that verse, I think of it as referring to our dear Srila Prabhupada. And that is just one of many ways that you’ve helped me and so many other devotees go deeper in their relationship with Srila Prabhupada.

So, yeah, thank you for being who you are, thank you for doing all that you’ve done. I also learned a lot about you just hearing the other devotees speak. Especially some of the ways in which you encouraged and facilitated Urvasi dasi during the GBC meetings. They were, it’s so beautiful. So, yeah, please bless me that I can follow in your footsteps and serve your ideals and your goals and your purposes as an instrument. I feel like Srila Prabhupada. . . you always observed your Vyasa-puja on September 17th, on the day that Srila Prabhupada arrived in America, in Boston and he wrote his wonderful poem Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma and at the end, he prayed, “Oh Lord make me dance, make me dance, make me dance as you wish.”

So, I feel in that mood in relation to you. Yeah, let me be a puppet in your hands and make me dance, make me dance, Oh Maharaja! make me dance as you wish. Hare Krishna.

Host: His divine Grace Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

His divine Grace Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

His divine Grace Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

So, now we will do puṣpāñjali followed by ārati. Puṣpāñjali will be led by Giridhari dasa prabhu. So, devotees can get the flower petals from the table and then we will start.