His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami was born in Bengal in 1945, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami spent most of his early life in the city of Calcutta. In 1970, he left India to study in Germany. Coming across Vedic literatures while in Germany, he discovered the richness of India’s spiritual heritage. In 1975 he returned to India to wholeheartedly pursue the spiritual path. After thoroughly studying the Vedic scriptures, His Holiness became aware of the need to find a spiritual master who could lead him on a sound spiritual course. After searching for one year without coming across a spiritual master to whom he could fully surrender, he felt despondent and disappointed. When he almost gave up his hope to find his spiritual master, he came across a book called The Nectar of Devotion by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Becoming engrossed in the depths of that literature, he realized that he had found his spiritual master and the path for which he was searching. As he continued to read Srila Prabhupada’s works, his conviction grew stronger, as did his desire to meet Srila Prabhupada. At that time, Srila Prabhupada was in America. His Holiness joined the temple in Mayapur and became more involved in devotional service to the Lord, all the while awaiting Srila Prabhupada’s return to India.
When Srila Prabhupada returned to India at the end of 1976, the meeting between His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami and Srila Prabhupada finally took place. From their very first meeting, Srila Prabhupada gave His Holiness the assignment of translating his books into Bengali and made him his Secretary for Indian Affairs. Within only a few months, Srila Prabhupada gave him initiation into the disciplic succession and soon thereafter, awarded him the order of Sannyasa.
Along side his official responsibilities, His Holiness translated all of Srila Prabhupada’s works on major Vedic literatures, consisting of more than fifty volumes of books, into Bengali, as Srila Prabhupada had instructed in their very first meeting. Subsequently, he became a member of the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and served as the Chairman of the Governing Body in 1989.
In 1996, His Holiness took on the mammoth task of making a biographical video epic on the life of his spiritual master, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. This video series, entitled Abhay Charan has been seen all over the world, as well as on Indian National Television. At present His Holiness is currently developing projects in Ujjain, India. In February 2006, His Holiness constructed a beautiful temple in Ujjain. The temple has three huge alters for the worship of Sri Sri Madan Mohan, Sri Sri Krishna Balaram and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.
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BOOK DISTRIBUTION GUIDELINE FROM HH GOPAL KRISHNA GOSWAMI
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By Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaj
Püjä means “worship,” and Vyäsa, or Çréla Vyäsadeva, is the compiler and supreme
authority on the Vedic literature. Vyäsa Püjä, literally meaning “the worship of Vyäsa,”
refers to the worship of the genuine spiritual master, who is the ideal representative of
Çréla Vyäsadeva, on the occasion of his appearance day.
The spiritual master is the representative if Çréla Vyäsadeva because he is distributing
the nectar that Çréla Vyäsadeva churned out of the ocean of the Vedas. Veda
means “knowledge,” the knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In
Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa says, vedaiç ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: “By all the Vedas I
am to be known.” The ultimate objective of the Vedas is to reveal the identity of Kåñëa,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And that Vedic revelation becomes manifest in
the heart of the conditioned soul by the mercy of the spiritual master because he has
been specially empowered by the Lord to bestow that mercy. That is why the spiritual
master is the most worthy representative of Çréla Vyäsadeva, the original distributor of
the Vedas.
Oà ajïäna-timirändhasya: “We are born in the darkest ignorance. Although we had
eyes, we couldn’t see. Whatever we saw was nothing but a reflection of reality—
eternal, spiritual reality—and we mistook that reflection to be real. We were living
in a world of dim reflections, and all our experiences were nothing but dreams. Our
spiritual master opened our eyes with the torch of knowledge, the knowledge about
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the cause of all causes and the source of
everything. Tasmai Çré-gurave namah: “We offer our respectful obeisances to the lotus
feet of that spiritual master.” Our self-surrender unto him out of heartfelt gratitude is our
spontaneous worship of his lotus feet.
The spiritual master reveals transcendental knowledge within our hearts. Kåñëa’s
identity is revealed. His transcendental pastimes are revealed, His eternal relationship
with His associates is revealed, and we get a sublime taste of absolute knowledge and
eternal bliss. He guides us to the spiritual sky and satisfies the deepest longings of the
soul. This causes our heart to melt in the fire of gratitude and compels us to surrender
completely unto his lotus feet. This offering of the self in spontaneous dedication is the
true worship of the spiritual master, the Vyäsä Püjä.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, is sitting in everyone’s heart as the
Supersoul, waiting for the living entity to turn toward Him and recognize Him as his
dearmost friend.
Kona bhagye kona jévera çraddhä yadi haya: “Out of sheer good fortune, when
someone turns his face toward Kåñëa and develops the faith that He is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead…” Tabe sei jéva sädhusaìga je karaya: “… then Kåñëa
arranges for Him to associate with the sädhus, the devotees.” Sädhu-saìga haite haya
çravaëa kértana: “In the association of devotees, he hears about Kåñëa and gradually
starts to comprehend His glories.” The association with the pure devotee enchants
him, and he feels very much drawn toward the bona fide spiritual master. He feels as
if his guru has stolen his heart away. He can’t help but love him with all his heart and
soul, and in that love he offers himself as the sacrifice at his lotus feet. As the external
manifestation of the Supersoul, the genuine spiritual master appears before us so that
we can see him with our material sense; but his form is not material, his words are not
material, and he has nothing to do with the material nature. He appears here simply out
of Kåñëa’s causeless mercy, the bona fide spiritual master becomes perceivable to our
material senses, simply to spiritualize our hearts to become submerged in the ocean of
transcendental bliss. He tells us, “Do not hesitate to depend on Kåñëa. Just surrender
to Him and He’ll give you everything you need.”
Trusting the spiritual master, we surrender more and more, and as our surrender
increases, we are increasingly drawn toward him. We renounce our material identity,
and in return we achieve the highest benedictions: the rejuvenation of our lost
relationship with the Supreme Self, ÇrÉ Kåñëa.
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 Kåñëa’s mercy, he disappears from our limited vision out of that
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 the 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 Kåñëa, Goloka Våndävana.
“Do not deviate from following my instructions as they are. Do not try to concoct
some meaning out of them simply to suit your need. 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. Kåñëa 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 they are surrendered to Him,
through me, with unalloyed devotion and intense dedication.
“By Kåñëa’s arrangement, I appeared before you in my physical from and made
your aware that my instructions are nondifferent form 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 me, then let this be the standard. I do not need
the flowers that are offered without love, nor the food that is prepared without devotion.
I want your very self as an offering. And that is how you worship the representative of
Çréla Vyäsadeva. That is the meaning of Vyäsa Püjä.”
Bhakti Cäru Swami
all glories to guru maharaj
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