Somendra Krishna Dasa’s Personal Room

Giriraj Swami: I will begin by singing the maṅgala-ācaraṇa prayers and leading a short kirtan and then I will speak about His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. And for the devotees on Zoom I request them, as far as possible, to put on their cameras so we can see their moonlight faces and it will be more personal.

Today we have gathered to remember, and glorify, and express our appreciation and gratitude for His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, who left on this auspicious day of Vyasa Purnima, Guru Purnima, which is also the disappearance day of Srila Sanatana Gosvami. As Srila Prabhupada said when a Vaishnava departs we feel both happy and sad. We feel happy because we know the Vaishnava has gone to serve Krishna, but we feel sad because we will miss the Vaishnava’s association. To begin, I will read something that His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami said in relation to the departure of Tamal Krishna Goswami, which is actually very relevant to how we can see his departure, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’s departure.

On the departure of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja shared his feelings, his “shattered composure” and his deep questioning of Krishna. The suddenness and the way Tamal Krishna Goswami tragically passed away perturbed Bhakti Charu Swami and he questioned, “Why did he have to leave us in this way?” What came to Maharaja then was a realization, a very important realization that can help us today.

READING

 “A realization dawned on me. Our existence in this material world is like a dream, and therefore how one comes or departs does not really matter at all. Only those who want to remain in ignorance are concerned about how one is born and how one dies. But for a devotee situated in the absolute truth, it does not really matter at all. How one leaves the body is not important. What really matters, is how one leads his life. For one who has lived such an intense life of devotion always expressing his love for Krishna through dedicated service, how can Krishna ever fail him? For one who has always been seeing Krishna in the core of his heart with eyes anointed with the self of love, at the final moment Krishna comes to him and he sees Krishna face to face. Will he not naturally become submerged in an ocean of bliss? Therefore, how one leaves the body is not important. What really matters, is how one develops his love for Krishna. Krishna comes to His devotee at the most crucial time in his life; when he is about to leave his body. “

COMMENT

When I think of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, one of his most prominent qualities was his deep love for Srila Prabhupada. Very soon after Maharaja met Srila Prabhupada, Prabhupada included him in his personal staff and made him his secretary for Bengali and Hindi correspondence. Soon thereafter, Srila Prabhupada gave him first and second initiation and then sannyasi. And Maharaja personally serve Srila Prabhupada throughout Prabhupada’s last days. 

READING (continued)

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami was also devoted to ISKCON. He always considered ISKCON to be a unique creation of Srila Prabhupada’s and always wanted to serve ISKCON—both the devotees in ISKCON and ISKCON as an entity, a manifestation of Srila Prabhupada. He was really in the mood of service to the devotees especially the devotees of ISKCON and to ISKCON itself. Maharaja was a very pure-hearted, loving person. His love for Srila Prabhupada was seen in his love for the devotees and for people in general, whom he wanted to bring to Srila Prabhupada, and in how he encouraged devotees to increase their engagement, take on more responsibility, and become more loving humble servants. The more responsibility one accepts, Maharaja once explained to a devotee in Mauritius, the bigger servant of the devotee one becomes.

COMMENT

I will repeat that because it is a very important point. “The more responsibility one accepts, the bigger servant of the devotee one becomes.” 

READING (continued)

This reminded me of something Srila Prabhupada once said. A disciple came into Prabhupada’s room in Mayapur one day, and began to complain about the management. Srila Prabhupada said, “If you think you can do better why don’t you?” Somehow the disciple came out and announced that Srila Prabhupada had made him the temple commander and he began to boss around the other devotees. Some devotees complained to Srila Prabhupada that, that disciple had said that Prabhupada had made him the temple commander and that now he was barking orders that everyone. 

So Srila Prabhupada called for the devotee and instructed him. “First you become the servant of everyone, then you become the temple commander.” Thus Srila Prabhupada expressed the same idea that a bigger position means becoming a bigger servant. And Bhakti Charu Swami in paramparā had that same understanding. If we listen carefully to all of Maharaja’s instructions, we can understand how closely he followed the disciplic succession. Some of his statements were very close to Srila Prabhupada words and some took the basic principles that Srila Prabhupada gave and sweetened them with personal realization. 

Another of the many fine qualities exemplified by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, was his offenselessness. He was very careful not to commit any offense against any devotee or any living entity. And if he felt he had committed an offense he immediately tried to mitigate the effects by approaching the person, apologizing, and asking forgiveness; somehow or other he tried to rectify the events. From our point of view, we wouldn’t think that he had committed an offense, but within his pure heart he may have felt that he had, and immediately he would try to approach and please the person he feared that he had offended to remove the effects of the offense. Maharaja’s heart was pure and very sensitive; full of appreciation for other devotees and sensitive to his own faults which again, from our point of view, weren’t even faults. That is really the heart of a Vaishnava—full of love and appreciation for others but sensitive to one’s own deficiencies or mistakes.

When I think of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, I remember a verse from the Bhagavad-gītā Chapter Twelve, actually two verses together, Text Thirteen and Fourteen which I feel perfectly described His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja.

“One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me – such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.”

COMMENT

So from this verse, we can understand that His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja was very dear to Krishna. And being dear to Krishna, he was dear to all of us. 

READING (continued)

As Maharaja always reminded us, we have the wonderful association of the devotees and ISKCON. And through their association we can experience Srila Prabhupada’s presence, and along with Srila Prabhupada’s presence, the presence of Srila Prabhupada’s dear and beloved associate His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. Now we have to learn to serve him in separation. As Srila Prabhupada wrote in his dedication to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: 

“To Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, my spiritual master, He lives forever by his divine instructions and the follower lives with him.”

COMMENT

In the same way His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja lives forever by his divine instructions and the followers, means we who follow him who follow his instructions, live with him. 

So I could go on for hours and days speaking of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya.

But what I would suggest now if our host agrees, we can take questions and comments from the devotees who have assembled. And that way, I can perhaps speak more directly to their concerns on this auspicious occasion of the celebration of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’s departure to join Srila Prabhupada again. Hare Krishna.

So if any of you have any questions or comments please raise your hand; your virtual hand or your real hand.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Thank you very much for a wonderful class. I just have one question. When Guru Maharaja was present with us, we would take instructions from Guru Maharaja, in regarding to what to do, but now in his absence in material world what should we do? From whom we can get the instruction?

Giriraj Swami: That is a very important question. I will repeat it because the sound was a little hard to hear. You said that when His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami was here, you could ask him your questions directly and he would answer; and now when he is not here, how can you get your questions answered?

A devotee asked Srila Prabhupada the exact same question. Actually, it was His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami Maharaja and he asked the exact same question that “Now you are here so we can ask you our questions directly, but later when you are not here, how will we get answers?” And Srila Prabhupada replied. “The holy name of Krishna is not different from Krishna; do you realize this fact?” And on other occasions Srila Prabhupada gave the same answer; that we can get answers from the holy name. Of course there are other ways to get answers and one important way is to consult the Vaishnavas, especially those who were near and dear to your guru Maharaja, and who are mature in their understanding of him and of Krishna consciousness as consultation is a very important part of our process. And I also think of a very nice quote by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I could probably paraphrase it quite accurately, but still I think I will try to find the exact quotation. 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura stated: “My Gurudeva is residing in many different personalities; if he does not reside in many different personalities, then who will protect me? Those whom my Gurudeva considered close to him are my saviors, but I hope I never have to see the face of such evil doing rascals, as those who have criticized the lotus feet of my Gurudeva are those who have somehow supported such criticism.”

So, again the important point here, well the last part was also important but, the specific point here is—my Gurudeva is residing in many different personalities; if he does not reside in many different personalities then who will protect me? Those whom my Gurudeva considered close to him are my saviors.

Are there any other questions or comments?

Devotee: Yes Maharaja, I think there was a hand raised. Shyamasundara Krishna Prabhu, do you have a question?

Devotee: Hare Krishna. Maharaja, thank you so much for the wonderful kirtan, I was just reminded how Guru Maharaja used to take care of us and I had tears in my eyes just thinking that you are so kindly taking care of us just the way guru Maharaja would take care of us in this so difficult time. So thank you so much. Maharaja, you said about Guru Maharaja’s mode of being completely offenseless; I have a specific question around familiarity breeds contempt. So when we are dealing with senior Vaishnavas on a regular basis or our peers on a regular basis and doing devotional services and we are getting familiar in a nice way, but it does bring that behavior of contempt. How do we avoid that offenseless, offenseful behavior and that familiarity breeds contempt, how do we protect ourselves from that behavior?

Giriraj Swami: My first response is you should think of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja; how would he deal with devotees. He was very kind and gentle to everyone regardless of their position or what their working relationship was. And attentive japa is very helpful—ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. It cleanses the heart and frees us from that tendency to be offensive. And if by chance you feel that you have offended someone, then you should immediately or as soon as possible apologize to them and beg forgiveness. And that will not only relieve the effects of the offense in that particular case, but it will also encourage you to be more careful in the future not to commit offenses. We do have to be very careful about that, and it is good that you brought it up because it is an important consideration for all of us. Thank you, Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Hare Krishna. So we have a question from Sita Thakurani Mataji. Thakurani Mataji, you can unmute yourself.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. Maharaja, I always think, does Bhakti Charu Maharaja know how much we miss him; individually and collectively miss him every day. Can he know that we are missing him?

Giriraj Swami: I think he does know and I think he is looking over you as a protective uncle, father or uncle. 

Devotee: Thank you. Shyamasundara Prabu.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. 

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Maharaja, actually I just wanted to ask you, if you have, what would be the most wonderful or the sweetest memory that you have of Bhakti Charu Maharaja because guru Maharaja would talk so much about you in many of our . . . I don’t know if you remember we, both Maharaja and myself, we came to Los Angeles and Maharaja asked me to serve you for two days, and he would ask me every day what is the story that Maharaja told you? So he would be always so eager to hear about you. So today, I wanted to hear something about him from your lotus mouth.

Giriraj Swami: I had so many fond memories of my association and interaction with His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. Our birthdays fall close to each other; I was born on September 13th and he would always celebrate his Vyasa-puja on September 17th to coincide with Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America. So we often had our Vyasa-pujas close together and especially in Durban, South Africa. Maharaja and I were co-GBCs together in South Africa and in Mauritius, and it was so nice. I would attend his Vyasa-puja and I would enjoy glorifying him and hearing the glorification, and he would attend mine. And one thing I remember from those Vyasa-pujas is how he would take a piece of the birthday cake and stuff it into my mouth; and I would take a piece of the cake and stuff it into his mouth. So there are many nice photos of us feeding each other birthday cake in Durban. And even in Mauritius, there is a picture of the two of us feeding each other. 

So Srila Rupa Gosvami in the Upadeśāmṛta says, bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva—those are two of the exchanges of love; to accept prasāda and to offer prasāda. But this accepting prasāda and offering prasāda was performed in the most literal sense, and I was very fortunate because he would come and spend time with me at my ashram here in Carpinteria, California. He spent quite a lot of time here and on one occasion he came when His Holiness Indradyumna Swami was also here. So the three of us had very nice discussions together. I always keep this picture nearby, it is a photo of Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja and me together here. The photo was taken by Indradyumna Swami Maharaja, and in my lap, you can’t see it clearly but there is a book called Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛta by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati. And that book contains one of Bhakti Charu Swami’s favorite verses, and it goes – 

yathā yathā gaura-padāravinde

vindeta bhaktiṁ kṛta-puṇya-rāśiḥ |

tathā tathotsarpati hṛdy akasmāt

rādhā-padāmbhoja-sudhāṁśu-rāśiḥ

I did a word search to find this verse and I came across an entry from BCS istagosthi, titled Loving Exchanges With my Dear God Brothers and he tells about this incident and the photo. He gives the background to the photo, so I will read what he wrote. “Indradyumna Swami asked me to translate a very beautiful verse from Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura’s Śrī Caitanya- candrāmṛta verse eighty-eight, and that is the verse that I just recited. And Bhakti Charu Swami says: 

“I wrote the translation on a piece of paper as follows—As one develops his attachment to the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu due to heaps of pious activities, accordingly all of a sudden his heart becomes inundated with the nectar emanating from the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani.” So that is a beautiful verse, one of Maharaja’s favorites, and that was the occasion on which that photo was taken. 

READING

Then Maharaja continues—Indradyumna Maharaja, out of his humility took a photo of me writing the translation and said with a bright smile that he would stick the photograph on that sheet and preserve it. It was already about a quarter to eleven at night and Giriraj Maharaja reminded me that I had to start early the next morning to catch my flight to Sacramento. When Giriraj Maharaja expressed his desire to meet me before I left around 5:00 a.m., I requested him not to do so because of his delicate health. However, he responded by saying, “let us see what happens, if I get up then I will come to see you off.” I reluctantly parted with a desire to meet again in Vrindavan during Kartik. 

At about 4:30 a.m. as I was preparing my things, Suman whispered to me—Giriraj Maharaja is here. I saw him standing by the door with his usual bright smile. We embraced each other and I told him that he should not have taken the trouble, but he said, ‘I woke up with thoughts of you and I am so sad that you have to leave now.’

Then with a smile he jokingly said I was telling Svarupa Damodara that if I throw myself in front of Maharaja’s car, then he should restrain me from doing that. I took leave of a very wonderful godbrother of mine with a heavy heart and an intense desire to be with him again.”

COMMENT

I will keep reading; there is more.

READING (continued)

I took leave of a wonderful godbrother of mine with a heavy heart and an intense desire to be with him again. Giriraj Maharaja, who after his heart condition fifteen years ago, has not been traveling much. However, he is planning to come to India in September and spend a few months there, and I am looking forward to his very wonderful association with a lot of expectation and joy. There was a time when we used to spend a lot of time together in South Africa and Mauritius. On his request, I became the co-GBC with him in these countries and had the good fortune of serving Srila Prabhupada together, with him.

COMMENT

I didn’t know this was coming but anyway it is coming from Guru Maharaja so. 

READING (continued)

Maharaja is a very special devotee who at a very young age surrendered himself to Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet. He totally disregarded his very wealthy family environment and his millions of dollars’ worth of inheritance. Srila Prabhupada recognized his sacrifice and sincerity and made him one of his most intimate and reliable assistance. During those days when preaching in India was just developing, Srila Prabhupada brought Giriraj Maharaja to India and engaged him in the very difficult service of establishing Krishna consciousness there.

After spending a short time in Calcutta and Mayapur, Giriraj Maharaja went to Bombay where there was nothing but an empty piece of land and devotees had to live in very austere conditions of temporary structures made of bamboos and tin. He was such an effective preacher that many important people of Bombay became ardent admirers of this young American. Srila Prabhupada commented that everyone in Bombay knew Giriraj Maharaja. In spite of being such an exalted devotee, Maharaja maintains such a genuine humble disposition. I use the word genuine, because one cannot fail to see how real his humility is; even though his is so exalted he remains so simple and sincere.

When I arrived in Sacramento, I was telling Uddhava Nanda Prabhu about the wonderful time I had in Santa Barbara and he commented, “You are always giving yourself to your disciples and others, you need such association from senior god brothers.” Then he added, “Although I was disappointed that you cut short your visit to Sacramento to spend time with me, now I can see by your demeanor that the three of you should spend a month together every year, and I am indeed looking forward to that opportunity.

Here’s in the service of Srila Prabhupada, Bhakti Charu Swami.”

COMMENT

Well, I didn’t know I was going to stumble upon that pot of nectar, I was just looking for the verse. But I am glad I did and could share it with all of you. 

Devotee: Thank you so much Maharaja. It was really really nectarian, and it is so happy to see you and get your mercy, and those wonderful past times that you had with Guru Maharaja. Thank you so much. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. I know that we are over our allotted time of forty-five minutes but guru Maharaja, will you be able to take one last question? I think there is one more hand.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Ajay Chaitanya, a very dear disciple of Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja from Mauritius. Please unmute Ajay, Chaitanya Prabhu. 

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. I have been listening to guru Maharaja since yesterday according to our time, but I wish to ask a question referring to the first question of this session Maharaja. The question was about what to do, what to ask question where when our guru Maharaja is not physically present. Well, Maharaja referred to His Holiness Bhaktivinoda Thakura. So my question is on the second part Maharaja, or perhaps in the first part whereby His Holiness Devamrita Maharaja two or three days back, he explained that it was difficult for the disciples of Srila Prabhupada, once Srila Prabhupada left they did not have god uncles. In a sense we are lucky we have so many god uncles to take care of us. But my question particularly now is on this second part of the reference of Bhaktivinoda Thakura of those who tended to be offensive to his own spiritual master. So how should trnad api sunicena for those who are envious and how just to overlook everything, just do everything. I can’t see how we can reconcile that. Maharaja, please help us.

Giriraj Swami: That is a good question. In the quotation from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he said that he hopes that he never has to see the evil face of those who have criticized his Gurudeva or those who have somehow supported such criticism. Now regarding that point, on the one hand we are not supposed to tolerate, but on the other hand we are tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā—one should be more humble than the grass and more tolerant than the tree. So how can these two be reconciled? And Srila Prabhupada gives the answer himself in relation to the pastime in which Jagai and Madhai, not just verbally offended Lord Nityananda but they actually threw a pot and hit Him in the forehead and blood was coming out. So, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu rushed to the site with his Sudarsana chakra and He was ready to kill the two offenders.

And Srila Prabhupada explains that Lord Chaitanya who gave us that verse, tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā—showed by his personal example that when it comes to an offense against ourselves, we should be more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree. But when it comes to an offense against others, then we can take action. In fact, we should take action. In the case where someone is blaspheming a devotee, we should not listen to it, because hearing an offense is also an offense. So we should not hear it. So if possible, we should silence the blasphemer by good counsel, by superior argument. But if the blasphemer persists, then we should leave the place, but we should not hear blasphemy. So yes, that was a good question – tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā. 

For ourselves yes, if there is an offense to another devotee, we may not be humble and tolerant as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu showed in the example with Jagai and Madhai, but we should respond.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: For me it is like coming full circle, because I began my morning with you, now I am ending it with you.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja.

Devotee: Thank you very much Maharaja. On behalf of all the disciples from Australia, we offer our gratitude Maharaja, that you very kindly showered all this nectarian instruction on this very important day for us. So I would like to request everyone to please chant one round of maha-mantra to Maharaja and let’s show our respect and humble gratitude to Maharaja.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare; Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama Hare Rama 

Giriraj Swami: If we are ending, I suggest we conclude with Vaishnava praṇāma.