I had the good fortune of associating with your Guru Maharaja during the 2019 GBC midterm meetings held in Tirupati. Numerous times throughout that visit he would give me a long, warm and loving embrace and say, “My dear old friend, my dear old friend.” And he would reminisce about the times he visited our Hong Kong yatra in the 1980’s when we worked closely together to publish his series of books for children. He called these happy days, when he cooked for the devotees, led kirtan and gave classes to our newly recruited Chinese devotees. He was always very liberal with his associati...

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 is a great misfortune that we will not have his personal association, his instructions and his example will live for us to get forever. And for myself, Bhakti Charu Maharaj was always an example of intense affectio...

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 initiative to help make more devotees become aware of the importance of cow care.

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 that time, the thought that he could pass away from this world never crossed my mind, not even for a second. Srila Prabhupada was my life and soul - period. When I received the devastating news of Srila Prabhupada's departure...

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.

Let us offer true homage to Maharaja by continuing his legacy of service in our own lives. Let us commit ourselves, mind, body, and soul, to the service of Srila Prabhupada, following in the footsteps of his beloved servant, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami.

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 extreme feelings of vacancy, because of their relationship to him as his dependent, like the feelings of a child on the loss of his parent. Since this relationship is spiritual, the loss is felt even more intense. However, as devotees we also have a special vision, explained in Bhagavad Gita and by Srila Prabhupada. The devotee has no death, n...

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 alive in the Krishna conscious loving exchanges between the devotees.

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 Prabhu’s translation. Such was his profound knowledge of sastra.

Our ISKCON, as Srila Prabhupada has stated in a commentary in Caitanya Caritamrta, is non-different from the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Still, it's natural for the disciples to feel separation from the spiritual master. And it's sad that we can't be together giving each other support, but you are all in my thoughts and prayers. It's important that we all carry Maharaja's mood and instructions in our heart and act in a way that will please him. Maharaja was so full of love and compassion, always enquiring about one's welfare and making arrangements to accommodate devote...