BG 2.41, 10.10, 12.13–14 – Remembering Sripada Bhakti Charu Swami, an Ocean of Mercy

Host: Hare Krishna to all the devotees. We would like to welcome all the devotees on this wonderful event of glorification of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja. And in specific, we would like to welcome our beloved Gurudeva, His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, by loudly cheering Haribol. Actually, it is a series of glorification events being continued since the last Guru Purnima last Wednesday. And we, the devotees at Mumbai yatra, also thought that we should also host a program of glorification program for His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. And that is why we have come together, all of us, and we have invited devotees from all around the world to please join us in this glorification program. Just a brief note, in glorification of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja.

Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja joined ISKCON in early days in Calcutta, and he met Srila Prabhupada in January 1977 during Khumba-mela. That was his personal association with Srila Prabhupada, and his personal dealing with Srila Prabhupada. And Srila Prabhupada was so impressed that immediately he gave him a direct instruction to translate his books into Bengali. And since then, after that, when he went to Mayapur, after that also Srila Prabhupada engaged him in translating his letters and a lot of personal conversations in Bengali and in Hindi also. And also in Mayapur, Srila Prabhupada had told him once that he should contribute his life completely to Lord Krishna. He said that even if nothing happens, what is the loss after all, in so many lifetimes, if we can contribute this one life, just do it and see what happens. Also, in the first guru Purnima, when he got first initiated, he was busy in Prabhupada’s service, so he couldn’t give him the guru dakṣiṇā, which generally we do after initiation. And then he regretted it and he told Srila Prabhupada that “I couldn’t give you the guru dakṣiṇā after initiation,” and Srila Prabhupada said. “No, it is okay. You offered yourself, and that is the best guru dakṣiṇā you have given to me.”

So you see, actually he did contribute his entire life to Srila Prabhupada, and that is how then Srila Prabhupada very soon appointed him as his secretary for all his Indian Affairs. And he used to personally cook for Srila Prabhupada. And in various ways he served Srila Prabhupada in a very close entourage of his. And after Srila Prabhupada left, then also he contributed in a very big way to our society. He became the GBC member and the initiating spiritual master. And also, a most important of his contributions is one hundred and four episode TV series on the life of Srila Prabhupada known as abhicharan, which was been televised all over the world. And then the biggest project in India is [Unintelligible 00:04:19]. These are few of his contributions. And also, he has touched the lives of so many devotees, a number of devotees all over the world. That is why we have welcomed this program all these devotees, and we would welcome them to please pay their homages. And in this way, they could also share with us, their dealings with Maharaja and how Maharaja touched their lives personally.

So, with this short note of glorification, I would like to welcome upon all the devotees to pay their homages. And I would also ask guru Maharaja if he would like to begin.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, and before I begin, I would like to request all the participants on Zoom, as far as possible, to put on your cameras so we can see your moonlight faces. It will be more personal. I will begin by singing the maṅgalācaraṇa prayers and leading a short kirtan, and then I will speak about His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja.

[Kirtan]

So now, we shall speak about Sripada, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja and serving him in separation.

READING from The Heart of a Vaishnava

One of Sripada Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’s most prominent qualities is 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 sannyasa. And Maharaja personally served Srila Prabhupada throughout Prabhupada’s last days.

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami is also very devoted to ISKCON. He has always considered ISKCON to be a unique creation of Srila Prabhupada’s and has always wanted to serve ISKCON—both the devotees in ISKCON and ISKCON as an entity, a manifestation of Srila Prabhupada. He is really in the mood of service to the devotees, especially the devotees of ISKCON, and to ISKCON itself.

Maharaja is a very pure-hearted, loving person. His love for Srila Prabhupada is seen in his love for the devotees and for people in general, whom he wants to bring to Srila Prabhupada—and in how he encourages 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 devotees one becomes. This reminded me of something Srila Prabhupada once said. A disciple came into his 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 the other devotees around. Some devotees complained to Srila Prabhupada that the devotee had said that Prabhupada had made him the temple commander and that now he was barking orders at 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, has that same understanding.

If we listen carefully to all of Maharaja’s instructions, we can understand how closely he follows the disciplic succession. Some of his statements are very close to Srila Prabhupada’s words, and some take the basic principles that Srila Prabhupada gave and sweeten them with personal realization.

Another of the many fine qualities exemplified by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami is his offenselessness. He is very careful not to commit any offense against any devotee, or any living entity, and if he feels he has committed an offense, he immediately tries to mitigate the effects by approaching the person, apologizing, and asking forgiveness. Somehow or other he tries to rectify the offense. From our point of view, we wouldn’t think he has committed an offense, but within his pure heart he may feel that he has, and immediately he will try to approach and please the person he fears he has offended, to remove the effects of the offense.

Maharaja’s heart is pure and very sensitive—full of appreciation for other devotees and sensitive to his own faults—which again, from our point of view, wouldn’t even be considered 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.

Here, I think of two verses spoken by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gītā, which remind me of Maharaja.

As stated by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.13–14), “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.”

Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

COMMENT

So we can see how this description fits His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, and thus conclude that he was, and we know he was very dear to Krishna. As Bhakti Charu Maharaja always reminded us, we have the wonderful association of the devotees in 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. Further, we can learn to serve him in separation, as Srila Prabhupada wrote in his dedication to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, “To Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja, my spiritual master, he lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him.” After our Srila Prabhupada left, I looked for solace and guidance in his books, and I came across a section that addressed the disappearance of the spiritual master. For me, that was Srila Prabhupada, and for many of you, that is His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. So the section is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.28.45 to 55.

Some passages encouraged me that my lamentation over Prabhupada’s departure was justified, others that I could regain his association by serving his instructions. Text Foryt-seven states—"Being now alone as a widow in that forest, the daughter of Vidarbha began to lament, incessantly shedding tears which soaked her breasts and cried very loudly.” In his purport, Srila Prabhupada explains, “Figuratively, the queen is supposed to be the disciple of the king. Thus, when the mortal body of the spiritual master expires, his disciples should cry exactly as the queen cries when the king leaves his body. However, the disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. This is called the association of vāṇī, words. Physical presence is called vapuḥ. As long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciples should serve the physical body of the spiritual master. And when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the disciples should serve the instructions of the spiritual master.”

The next verse discusses the chaos or disorder that might follow the disappearance of the spiritual master, and in his purport, Srila Prabhupada explains what the disciples can do. “The main business of human society is to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at all times, to become His devotees, to worship the Supreme Lord, and to bow down before Him. The acharya, the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes these principles. But when he disappears, things once again become disordered. The perfect disciples of the acharya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master.”

I was astonished. Srila Prabhupada was telling me exactly what I needed to know. The perfect disciples of the acharya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master. But how will the disciples get detailed guidance? And there is a question regarding which of the spiritual master’s instructions to apply in a particular complex situation. And what would be their qualification to receive such guidance? The purport Text Fifty answers. “It was the long-standing tradition of the Vedic system that a faithful wife dies along with her husband. This is called saha-māraṇa. The wife used to enter the fire voluntarily. When Maharaja Pandu died, he was survived by two wives, Madri and Kunti. The question was whether both should die, or one should die. After the death of Maharaja Pandu, the wives said that one should remain and the other should go. Madri would perishe with her husband in the fire, and Kunti would remain to take charge of the five Pandava children. This indicates that a devotee’s wife must be prepared to act in such a way. Similarly, a devoted disciple of the spiritual master would rather die with the spiritual master than fail to execute the spiritual master’s mission. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down upon this Earth to establish the principles of religion, so His representative, the spiritual master, also comes to re-establish religious principles. It is the duty of the disciples to take charge of the mission of the spiritual master and execute it properly. Otherwise, the disciples should decide to die along with the spiritual master. In other words, to execute the will of the spiritual master, the disciple should be prepared to lay down his life and abandon all personal considerations.”

And the next two paragraphs explain how that detailed guidance would come. “It is Paramātmā feature, Krishna is the old friend of everyone. According to Vedic injunction, Krishna is sitting with the living entity side by side. According to the Shruti mantra, dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā, the Lord is sitting within the heart of every living entity as suhṛda, the best friend. The Lord is always eager to have the living entity come back home, back to Godhead. Sitting with the living entity as witness, the Lord gives him all chances to enjoy himself materially. But whenever there is an opportunity, the Lord gives good counsel and advises the living entity to abandon trying to become happy through material adjustment and instead turn his face toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrender unto Him. When one becomes serious to follow the mission of the spiritual master, his resolution is tantamount, that means equal to seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As explained before, this means meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the instructions of the spiritual master. This is technically called vāṇī-sevā.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura states in his Bhagavad-gītā commentary on the verse, vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (Bg. 2.41), that one should serve the words of the spiritual master. The disciple must stick to whatever the spiritual master orders. Simply by following on that line, one sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura remarks that unless one is very highly elevated in loving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot see Him as He is. Nonetheless, if one sticks to the principles enunciated by the spiritual master, somehow or other, he is in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since the Lord is in the heart, He can advise a sincere disciple from within. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā.

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
 bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
 dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
 yena mām upayānti te

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to me.” In conclusion, if the disciple is very serious to execute the mission of the spiritual master, he immediately associates with the Supreme Personality of Godhead by vāṇī or vapuḥ. This is the only secret of success in seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Instead of being eager to see the Lord in some bush of Vrindavan while at the same time engaging in sense gratification, if one instead sticks to the principle of following the words of the spiritual master, he will see the Supreme Lord without difficulty. Srila Bilvamangala Thakura, he therefore said,

bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā yadi bhagavān syād
daivena naḥ phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ
muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān
dharmārtha-kāma samaya-pratīkṣāḥ

“If I am engaged in your devotional service, my dear Lord, then very easily I can perceive your presence everywhere. And as far as liberation is concerned, I think that liberation stands in my door with folded hands waiting to serve me. And all material conveniences of dharma-religiosity, artha - economic development, and kāma - sense gratification, stand with her.” [Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 107]

If one is very highly advanced in devotional service, he will have no difficulty in seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one engages in the service of the spiritual master, he not only sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but attains liberation. As far as material conveniences are concerned, they automatically come. Just as the maidservants of the queen follow the queen wherever she goes. Liberation is no problem for the pure devotee, and all material conveniences are simply awaiting him in all stages of life.

And in the next purport – “When the Brahma asked the woman who the man lying on the floor was, she answered that he was her husband and that she was perplexed about what to do in his absence. At such a time, the Supersoul immediately appears, provided the devotee is purified in heart by following the directions of the spiritual master. A sincere devotee who follows the instructions of the spiritual master certainly gets instructions from his heart from the Supersoul. Thus, a sincere devotee is always helped directly or indirectly by the spiritual master and the Supersoul. This is confirmed in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. If the devotee serves the spiritual master sincerely, Krishna automatically becomes pleased. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo, by satisfying the spiritual master, one automatically satisfies Krishna. Thus, the devotee becomes enriched by both the spiritual master and Krishna.

After reading this section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam after Srila Prabhupada’s departure, I felt purified and exhilarated. I had gotten the guidance, the answers I needed in a most encouraging and empowering way. And I hope that the followers of Sripada Bhakti Charu Maharaja will get similar enlightenment and encouragement as they endeavor to serve their departed spiritual master in separation.

Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

So, my dear devotees, if we have time, we can take questions and comments or reflections about what we have discussed or just about Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. So if you wish to say anything, please raise your hand, your physical hand or your virtual hand, and we can discuss further.

So if there are no questions or comments, we can conclude by offering Vaishnava praṇāma.

Devotee: Guru Maharaja. I would like to read something that I recently got from one of my very old diaries. It is meaning of Vyasa-puja, that Bhakti Charu Maharaja had given maybe in the year 2000 or 1999 or something, because it is a very old diary. And just when I was going through that, and I came across that, I feel as though Maharaja was talking to me directly and giving me some guidance as to how I could serve him in separation. So if you allow me, again, I will read that.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, certainly.

Devotee: So, that was a very big text, but I have only taken the part which serves the purpose of today’s theme, Service in Separation.

“The external manifestation of the Supersoul, the bona fide spiritual master, takes us by the hand and teaches us how to walk on the platform. Then one day, just as he appeared to us out of Krishna’s mercy, he disappears from our limited vision out of the same causeless mercy. Though no longer physically present, he watches how much we are surrendering ourselves unto him. Silently, he says, ‘When I was with you, you used to say so eloquently how much you love me. Now is the time for you to prove your love for me. Real love flourishes in a fire of separation. Now prove that your surrender to me was not impelled by material motives, but inspired by love that fills the heart with resolute determination to follow my orders. Do not deceive yourself thinking that I am gone. I instructed you not to trust your senses, so do not trust your senses and think that I am gone. If you love me, then find out where I am, and thus you will attain to the kingdom of Krishna, Goloka Vrindavan. Do not deviate from following my instructions as they are. Do not try to concoct some meaning out of them simply to suit your needs. Don’t make my instructions a convenience for your sense gratification. Become free from the bondage of matter. Otherwise, how can you go back to Godhead? Unless you are totally surrendered unconditionally, the gates to the spiritual sky will not be open for you. Krishna will judge you according to your submission to me, because I am His representative. Your scholarship or your expertise will not be of any use unless you are surrendered to him through me with unalloyed devotion and intense dedication.

By Krishna’s arrangement, I appeared before you in my physical form and made you aware that my instructions are non-different from me. In my instructions, I am unchanging and eternal. That is where you will find me. If you love me, then come associate with my instructions. Embrace them with all sincerity and make them your very existence. If you want to worship Krishna, then let this be the standard. I do not need the flowers that are offered without love, nor the love that is prepared without devotion. I want your willing self as an offering, and that is how you worship the representative of Srila Vyasadeva. That is the meaning of Vyasa-puja—His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami.”

Giriraj Swami: Jaya! Beautiful, wonderful.”

Devotee: And when I read this, I was so shocked, and I realized the importance of vāṇī, because this is what I had read. I had written it maybe twenty years or twenty-two years ago in my diary, and it was just lying, and after so many years, this message comes, vāṇī is really so powerful. I appreciate that following the vāṇī is very important

Giriraj Swami: Yes, perfect.

Devotee: Maharaja. I want to say something. This is Vandana. First of all, Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances unto your holy feet. And it is a great opportunity given to me by Manjari Mataji, Pramji Mataji, that she actually allowed us to be part of this beautiful session. So the moment you started the session, the first thing you said is to put on the videos so that you can see the moonlit faces or the smiles. And I was wondering, are we not just those. . .we used to use those glitters in the school time in the crafts class to highlight something, the silver or the golden glitter, the artificial glitter. And when you say the moonlit faces, I was wondering, my God, it is so much gratefulness of yours to even consider us the artificial glitters to that level where you can compare us to the moon, that light which nurtures the vegetables and all. What we learned, the moonlight nurtures it. Krishna Himself, through moonlight, nurtures the vegetables and fruits we eat. So I really want to thank you for that, first of all.

And I have been gifted this book of yours, I’ll Build You a Temple. So I was reading that. Every time I read, a new thing is revealed. I have no words, Maharaja. The kind of patience you have had, the kind of perseverance you have had, and the peace which still you have, which is so much integral part of you. If you could just bless me with even one thousandth part of that, I will become a better human being for sure. If you could just bless me with that.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. I wish you all success by Srila Prabhupada and his paramparā’s grace. I will pray for your complete success.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. We must be the world. So, I would like to welcome certain devotees who would like to contribute. I was told, Ananda also wants to contribute. He wants to say something in his language. If you are there, you can unmute yourself and offer your homage.

All right, we have planned to assemble all over here at one place, but only a few devotees said they could come here. So, Ananda Prabhu would like to speak something.

[Ananda speaks]

Devotee: Thank you, Maharaja. All glories to you. And I pray to Lord Krishna that I will be able to serve your lotus feet. And thanks for the grateful lecture you gave for us and thanks for everything you do for us. I have one question. What is the most important advice as a spiritual master you have for your devotees?

Giriraj Swami: First, I should give a little introduction of you to the devotees. I have given her the spiritual nickname Hari Priya, but she is from Tehran, Iran. And yes, otherwise her name is Hanya. Yes, and she is a very sincere devotee practicing in Tehran, Iran. As far as the most important instruction, following what we have been reading, I would say the most important instruction is to follow all the instructions. Otherwise, yes, chant and be happy. Read Srila Prabhupada books, distribute the knowledge of Krishna consciousness.

Devotee: Yes, surely. I obey you with my heart and soul. Thank you very much.

Host: So now, if other devotees, any of the devotees, any of the participants, who would like to contribute, please let us know.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. I feel very fortunate that by your mercy you brought His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja to Mauritius. And having him here with us, seeing both of you, both you and him interacting and in many festivals, in many classes actually, and it enhances so much in our Krishna consciousness. And you brought him here and so many disciples and took shelter of him. And we all felt seeing both of you and interacting, we learned how to interact with each other. And up till now in Mauritius, they are disciples of so many gurus, but because you set the standard of how to relate with each other by your own example. And up till now, we there is still that family-like mood, how we should relate. And I have four letters that Maharaja wrote to me personally. And I feel it is such a treasure that I always will carry with me. If you don’t mind, I would like to read one of them. So, this letter was written 20th of September 1991.

“We have graduation. Please accept my best wishes. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you very much for your sweet letter of appreciation dated 10 September 1991. To me, ISKCON is a glorious spiritual family of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. With His Divine Grace in the center, we are all related to each other. Some of us are brothers and sisters, some are children, nieces and nephews, and as senior members of the family, it is our duty to take care of the junior members. Therefore, as senior members, we try to shower our affection towards the juniors. And so often, I have seen how spontaneously respect rises from the juniors to the seniors. This reciprocation makes a very sweet bond between ourselves. Yes, Giriraj Maharaja and I are very close friends, and I feel very, very fortunate to have a wonderfully exalted personality like him as my godbrother. Do not feel bad about not being able to cook for me on that day. Actually, I felt it was more important for you to be in the temple counseling meeting. Therefore, I specifically asked Sakshi Gopal Prabhu to cook. If I felt you should have cooked, then I would have asked you to do so. When it comes to organization, I am a very straightforward person, so please do not feel bad because you did not do anything wrong. I hope this meets you in the best of health and blissfully engaging your service to Sri Prabhupada. Yours in the service of Krishna, Bhakti Swami.”

Giriraj Swami: Beautiful, wonderful. Thank you for reading that.

Devotee: There is another letter; should I read?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: This was when he was in Durban, 5th December 1993.

“Please accept my best wishes. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for your letter dated 2–12–93. I am very happy to see how sincerely you have accepted the responsibility. The crisis that we are facing in Mauritius can be overcome only through the sincere and devoted devotees like yourself. When you are asked to take responsibilities, initially it may appear to be very overpowering. But always remember that Krishna will come to your help when you try to serve Him. In ISKCON, we also have a very specific line of authority to support the structure of management. Therefore, do not feel helpless or frustrated when you are faced with some problem. You can always ask Shiniketan Prabhu for his guidance, and you can always inform His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja and myself. You have always been a very sincere devotee, and your nature is very peaceful and mature. This is the reason why we have decided that you take that responsibility, and I am confident that you will do a very good job.”

And the next phrase that Maharaja said actually always sticks with me because this was very instructional to me, and I always hold that very dear to me. So he said,

“Always remember that when Krishna gives you some position, it is to serve His devotees, and this is how you make spiritual advancement. I think your dream was quite significant. If the temple room is too crowded when I am giving a class and you are standing outside, I will make it a point to call you in. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to stop in Mauritius on my way back into India, but I will try to come back soon. Next year. I will try to give more time to Mauritius. I hope this meets you in the best of health. Yours in the service of Krishna, Bhakti Charu Swami.”

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. We have Ruchira Gaura dasa.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Daṇḍavat praṇāma. Thank you for the wonderful session. Guru Maharaja, I had a question from the purport of tat te ‘nukampāṁ (10.18.48). I wanted to ask that in the purport I was reading that it is explained that the Lord gives a devotee suffering, and the purpose of the suffering is to remove the last vestiges of the enjoying spirit by giving His devotee punishments that may sometimes resemble sinful reactions. So my question was that in my life, I have experienced that when some suffering comes, but the enjoying spirit is not going. So when I was reading the purport, the point came that it was mentioned the last vestiges. But then the normal vestiges are also not being a mentality of enjoying is not going. So how can I understand all this?

Giriraj Swami: Well, there are two aspects to this. One is the suffering and the other is the internal purification that comes from chanting and hearing without offense; ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, by the chanting of the holy name, all the dirty things in the heart becomes cleansed. So it is better to free yourself from the enjoying spirit by experiencing the higher taste of Krishna consciousness. Otherwise, I will tell one story. Srila Prabhupada had a devotee who was translating his books into Hindi in Delhi. And that devotee’s father had a problem with smoking. So when the young man and his father came to see Srila Prabhupada in Delhi, Srila Prabhupada asked the father, “Have you been able to give up smoking?” And the father said, “No.” And then the father asked, “Can I not get some special mercy?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, special mercy is there.” And he quoted the verse spoken by Lord Krishna in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁśanaiḥ, that “When I am especially mercifully inclined to a devotee, the first installment of my special mercy is I take everything away from him.” So Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, there is special mercy. Do you want special mercy?” And the man said, “No, Prabhupada, I will do it myself. I will do it myself.” So, yes, try to give up your enjoying spirit by chanting and hearing, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. But otherwise, the other process also can take effect, and that is that you will get punishments that are designed to remove the enjoying spirit.

Devotee: Thank you so much for the wonderful answer.

Giriraj Swami: So we have Siddhi Lalasa and Anupama Madhavi. In fact, Siddhi Lalasa’s hand first, so we will call her first.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. I am actually inspired by Brijeshwari’s talk. Just brought back so many memories. It was just perfect what she described. And actually, I think Vishaka Priya told me this, that when Mother Narayani, she first heard His Holiness Bhakti Brihad Bhagavat Maharaja speak, her comment was that. . .

Giriraj Swami: Excuse me, What did Vishaka Priya say when who first heard Bhakti Brihad Bhagavat Swami speak?

Devotee: Narayani Mataji from Vrindavan. VIHE, Mothere Narayani.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, Mother Narayani. All right.

Devotee: So when she heard these Bhakti Brihad Bhagavat Swami speak first time, her comment was that he is a combination of Giriraj Swami and Bhakti Charu Swami. I would say the same because they are coming from your school, your gurukula. Like the way Vrajeshwari devi vividly described how for us, what we saw was both of you under the vyāsāsana and interacting with each other, supporting each other, never letting each other down. So that was such a great lesson for us. And for me, sometimes I hear that there is some confusion about śikṣā-guru, who is a śikṣā-guru, whether it is the mentor, whether it is a guide. Who is a śikṣā-guru. So, Bhakti Charu Swami, he is actually the personification of śikṣā-guru. And the main thing about him is that he is the uncle. And he took that position of an uncle and never to be the father. So, that was his great quality, that father is father, uncle is uncle. And he dealt with me, I think with everybody, in that way meaning that the śikṣā-guru supports the instruction of the spiritual master. That was the perfect definition of the role of śikṣā-guru. So this is, for me, a major instruction, just by living. It is not from the books. It is by his behavior. So, that is very important for me and I think that for everybody. If ever we are confused about who the śikṣā-guru, then it is good to study Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’s interaction with other disciples. This is my little thing about Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Excellent, jaya, wonderful. Next, we have our dear Anupam Meadowview, Madhavi devi dasi.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and all glories to you. Thank you so much Maharaja for all your emails, I have been listening to all your classes. Thank you for all your help, Maharaja. I look forward to meeting you. I will make all efforts to see you once I come to the West. And today, I actually wanted to share two things. One is guru Maharaja’s last email to me and his last instructions. And this was about during the COVID days when he was giving the Uddhava Gītā classes, and I was hearing them very intently, perhaps for the first time, hearing guru Maharaja so intently because the classes were so good. And I wrote to him how I had been following his instructions and how they were helping me. So, instead of going into what I wrote, I will share with you and share with everyone here what he wrote back to me. He said,

“Thank you very much for your email. I am very happy to know that you are attending the classes regularly and listening to them so attentively. The process of learning becomes easy when you have a qualified teacher, because what he has understood through all his years of experience, he imparts that wisdom, and through proper hearing, we can accept and benefit from it.”

So he emphasized on śravaṇam. And I feel that through his blessings, I am able to do that with less effort. And I would also like to share one more thing. During these classes, he used to hold the quizzes. So the quizzes actually inspired people to hear more attentively. And the other aspect I wanted to share is the class which you gave today, Maharaja, which was on Canto Nine, Chapter Twenty-nine, and Text Fifty. So recently, when I was going to Mayapur and I took the blessings from my śikṣā-guru, Her Grace, she spoke just before me. And I asked her, “What is your direction? How should I serve over there and what should my mood be when I go to guru Maharaja’s samadhi?” And this was the section which she pointed out that our mood should be set, and it gave me direction. And today, Maharaja, you talked about the same thing. And it so nice to hear this. And please, please bless me that I can serve the mission of my guru Maharaja as my life changes going forward. I seek your blessings on this. Thanks so much.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya! Wonderful, beautiful. I wish you all success in your mission, in your service. Yes.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet. I am Jani Radhika dasi, disciple of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. Guru Maharaja, I want your blessings and mercy to follow instructions of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja by heart. You said many times, guru Maharaja loves and guide us always and providing we have to be surrendered fully unto His lotus feet, I should try to be a part of his all projects in Srila Prabhupada’s mission. Guru Maharaja, you are so lovable and get us feel very caring. Please bestow your causeless mercy upon us so I can be a good devotee in Srila Prabhupada’s mission. My guru Maharaja, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja always insists us to follow Srila Prabhupada’s process sincerely, not to very high things. He always used to say, “Don’t try to become a big fish in a small pond, but a small fish in big ocean. Be a good devotee rather than a big devotee.” So he used to say, “Simply follow the process.” I always liked this very much, as I have not any capacity anything to do intelligently, but guru Maharaja always make us feel easy and to be honest in our surrendering. I always want to follow this instruction by my heart. So, guru Maharaja, you please help me to do it sincerely. Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Daṇḍavat praṇāma.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya. Yes, sincerity is a very big question. And Srila Prabhupada gave two processes for becoming sincere. First, he said to follow all of the instructions of the spiritual master, no matter how big or small; that shows your sincerity. And the other is to associate with sincere devotees. And if you can make those two efforts, then you will be sincere, and you will demonstrate your sincerity. Now we have Charana Renu Mataji.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances unto you. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, all glories to your divine grace. Actually, my phone is not working, so I took the Radha Charana’s phone. I am sitting on his phone.

I wanted to share His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s one incident with me, that he is so caring, loving, and so nice, so sweet. All his activities are so beautiful. As Prabhupada gave him the name Bhakti Charu, Charu which means very beautiful, in all his activities, whenever he used to walk, dance, sing, or deliver the classes, it was so beautiful. I really loved his movements and everything. And his behavior, internally, externally, both, everything was very beautiful. So that was the real meaning I understood of Charu. And he used to visit Surat for very often. And in one incident, Radha Charana Prabhu was not well, he was very sick, and he came to Surat. That time, he asked me, “What are you giving him for his medicines? Given some natural things?” So, he suggested me to give wheatgrass juice. So I said, “Yes, Maharaja, I shall give him that.” And then he asked me, “Do you know how to make wheatgrass juice?” I said, “Yes, Maharaja, I previously also used to give him.” And I told him the way I used to make the wheatgrass by cutting the grasses and grinding them and giving the juice. He said, “No, that is not the right way. You should first soak the weeds for a day. Then, when it sprouts a little, then you should serve it, put it in the soil. And then, when the grasses grow, then you should cut and then make the juice. And then that is the right process.” So I said, “Yes Maharaja, I surely do in that way.” And this was the things that what he said to me, but about that, what we did, he said, “You both come to Ujjain. You have a naturopathy center there, and he will be treated there?”

And when we were planning we could go to Ujjain, before that, he said to his disciples there in Ujjain that, “Radha Charana Prabhu is coming, so get ready the wheat grasses. So when he comes, he can have good wheatgrass juice.” I was so touched that he is so caring, so caring. How much he is taking care of going to that limit to give me the recipe of how to make the juice. And then instructing his disciples over there in Ujjain to plant the wheat glasses. So I am really touched by his loving nature, sweet nature. Thank you, thank you. This is all because of your mercy that you have got his association and we are still getting his association through his devotees and through his vāṇī. Thank you, guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with us. Hari Priya, did you raise your hand again? All right.

Devotee: Hare Krishna., I just wanted to add another thing. Yes, I wanted to say to all the persons now present here, if I am sincere like this, first of all, it is the mercy of Lord Krishna and after that, it is the mercy of you and all your guidance and support you did for me. And you put me in the way. Every day, I become more sincere with all your guidance. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya. Thank you very much Hari Priya from Iran. Is there anything more from anyone? All right, if not, then we can conclude with Vaishnava praṇāma.

Let us offer our very respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desired trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone and are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca 

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Ananta-koṭi Vaishna Vrinda ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

Host: Thank you very much guru Maharaja. Hare Krishna.