Featured Posts (12919)

Sort by

5Ardjrl.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584xBy Virabahu das

When something is arranged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should not be disturbed by it, even if it appears to be a reverse according to one’s calculations.

For example, sometimes we see that a powerful preacher is killed, or sometimes he is put into difficulty, just as Haridasa Thakura was. He was a great devotee who came into this material world to execute the will of the Lord by preaching the Lord’s glories. But Haridasa was punished at the hands of the Kazi by bei

Read more…

8O1kxIv.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x

Where will I find that loving smile filled with care and affection that made you feel so important though you are worthless…., that caused you to remember Prabhupada in any circumstance…, that was pure sweetness…? I am so angry at you for leaving me here unprotected.

Why did you decide to go back to Srila Prabhupada’s Lotus Feet not caring for how we would be unable to tolerate your departure? With whom shall I laugh reading those signs in Italian that have a strange meaning in Bengali?

Are you

Read more…

Samadhi Ceremony in Mayapur

GrCKSTb.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As we try to come to terms with the departure of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, we join you in eagerly awaiting Maharaja’s return to Sri Mayapur Dham where his samadhi will be erected.

Due to the ravaging spread of COVID-19 in India, the government will not allow any public ceremonies to take place at this time.

Therefore, we request devotees to refrain from making plans to travel to Mayapur. Only a few devot

Read more…

khqpVfI.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x

By Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami

“It’s a sad day to be joining a ceremony dedicated to the remembrance of Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj.

I think that now is the time for us to really take those instructions that we read in Srila Prabhupada’s offering in the Shrimad Bhagavatam to his spiritual master to heart. And that instruction is that he lives forever by his instructions and his disciples and followers live with him. And this is the case for His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaj as well. Although it

Read more…

My dear disciples of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja,

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

I will not attempt to imagine the pain and emotions you are going through at this moment after the departure of your beloved Guru Maharaja. I can only join Anuttama Prabhu’s memory of the pain and emotions we experienced when His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left this mortal world. Although we were aware that Srila Prabhupada was very sick at t

Read more…

SXqTUqR.jpg?profile=RESIZE_400x

Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The last time we met was in the month of May, 2018, in California where we were both attending a Cow Culture Conference. It was the first time I was hearing from you about your project in Florida where you explained that in North America we must provide special facilities for cows due to the harsh temperatures. You had recently acquired 120 acres of land for that purpose close to Orlando. I was happy to hear of your

Read more…

nUsMJmA.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x

Today is a day of intense mourning, the day that Srila Bhakti Charu Swami left this mortal world, and has gone to serve in His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada’s pastimes. For a pure devotee such as Bhakti Charu Maharaj there is no lamentation, as he is continuing his service in another location. However, for those of us who will be bereft of his association, it is hard to imagine continuing our lives without him.

Maharaj was my dearest friend. Once a devotee inquired from me as to who was my clos

Read more…

6635975269?profile=RESIZE_400x

Brother of Gentle Demeanor
By Bhaktimarga Swami

Oh Brother of gentle demeanor,
I am your irrefutable junior.
When I look at all you’ve done,
Nothing short of making that homerun,
I am humbled by your limitless energy.
And now you leave us that memory,
Of absolute conviction to go,
Where a target receives a clean throw.
You aim your desires so right,
And anchor turbulence at a fight.
You offer a calm where there isn’t,
And subdue a storm you see as incumbent.
You go out of your way to cook for u

Read more…

13L9zlw.jpg?profile=RESIZE_400x

By Bhanu Swami

There is no question of honoring any devotee of Krishna since such a devotee is very rare.
However, if the devotee exhibits the qualities mentioned in Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrta, how much more we must honor that devotee.

HH Bhakti Charu Swami was known by all who met him as the most gentle, humble, compassionate and learned devotee. Everyone valued his association. Thus, in his absence there will feelings of great loss for everyone.

But for his disciples there will be ext

Read more…

6635553662?profile=RESIZE_584x

Dear devotees, Please accept my greetings and the blessings of Lord Krishna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

More than anything concerning the disappearance of Bhakti Caru Swami I am solaced by the appreciation of his character and service expressed by his godbrothers and leaders of ISKCON. I believe ISKCON above everything is meant to carry on the vision and mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that Srila Prabhupada revealed to the world. However, that vision and mission especially becomes ali

Read more…

pc4VsKH.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x

Dear devotees,

May Srila Prabhupada shower his blessings on you. All glories to His Divine Grace.

We’ve just lost one of ISKCON’s most important leaders, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, who succumbed to Covid19 and the complications it brought on. He departed on the auspicious day of guru-purnima, which is also the disappearance day of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, a befitting day for one who relished sharing his realizations of Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta, even before the BBT published Gopiparandhana P

Read more…

Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja.

It is so, so harrowing to endure the departure of someone we love. Indeed there are so many specialists who deal exclusively with helping people through such upheaval and loss. I lost my mother nearly 50 years ago and I still remember that day so vividly, as the trauma at the time was as unbearable as I could have imagined.

Thus it is not surprising to see so muc

Read more…

I first heard Srila Bhakti Charu Maharaja speak in 1987. He was giving a Srimad Bhagavatam class at the Krishna Balarama Mandir. I was immediately impressed by his speech, his deep empathy, compassion and narrative. After the class I followed him into the reception area of our Krishna Balarama Guesthouse to speak to him. I thanked him for the inspiring talk and invited him to South Africa. Over the coming years he would fondly remind me that I was the first to invite him to South Africa.

Subseq

Read more…

iAzwvcr.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x

Brief compilation with personal concluding words by Bhakti Brhat Bhagavata Swami

First Meeting with Devotees

Sarvabhavana Prabhu, who joined ISKCON recalls, “I and a friend of mine, who later became His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami, went from Calcutta to Hamburg in 1970. There we met the devotees for the first time and accepted an invitation for the Sunday feast. [Srila Prabhupada and Disciples in Germany by Vedavyasa Dasa]

A Cultured Young Man

One day an unusual, young Bengali man came to Mayapu

Read more…

6606770680?profile=RESIZE_584x“Bhakti Charu Maharaj in the final days of Srila Prabhupada was amongst the entourage of Prabhupada. He used to render personal service, so Prabhupada rang the bell and Bhakti Charu Maharaj went. Prabhupada asked for some orange juice and Bhakti Charu Maharaj said “yes Srila Prabhupada I will bring”. And then 5 minutes later the bell rang again but this time the bell was ringing firmer, Prabhupada was ringing urgently. Bhakti Charu Maharaj went and Prabhupada said “So where is the orange juice?”

Read more…
bcsgyertya_slideshow.png?profile=RESIZE_710x
 
By Madhava Smullen
With biographical information from https://www.bhakticharuswami.com/and http://gbc.iskcon.org/

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, a beloved disciple of Srila Prabhupada, GBC member, ISKCON initiating spiritual master, and Gaudiya Vaishnava sannyasi, passed away the morning of July 4th due to complications related to COVID-19. He was 74 years old. 

His passing coincides with the auspicious day of the disappearance day of Srila Sanatana Goswami, the first month of Caturmasya,

Read more…

KlHLW9q.jpg?profile=RESIZE_400x

Dear disciples of Bhakti Charu Maharaja,

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

On this auspicious day of Guru Purnima I want to express my condolences to all of you on the departure of your beloved spiritual master, Bhakti Charu Maharaja. I had planned to write an offering to him today, but I feel a letter to console all of you in your grief would be of greater service to him.

My heart goes out to all of you wherever you are in the world. The outpouring of lo

Read more…

tMmEjLA.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x

You are all aware by now of the passing of HH Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaja. Most if not all of you would be well aware that he was an outstanding disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a great leader in Prabhupada’s ISKCON.

Under the circumstances it would be appropriate for all ISKCON centers to observe his departure with a special program, or even more than one special program, bearing in mind, of course, the current situations in different parts of the world because of the same Corona virus which ha

Read more…