We are deeply saddened as Om Vishnupad Bhakticharu Swami Maharaj passed beyond the veil on 4th July, 2020.
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- 5 Jul 2020
CM Mamta Banerjee, condolence message to ISKCON devotees about the passing of HH Bhakti Charu Swami
...- 5 Jul 2020
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.
...- 5 Jul 2020
HH Radhanath Swami glorifying HH Bhakti Charu Swami with UK Devotees . Special thanks to Radha Vinod Prabhu for organizing this talk
...- 5 Jul 2020
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.
...- 5 Jul 2020
By Praghosa DasIt 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 much outpouring and love expressed when someone departs. Indeed those close to a departed loved one will often honor them for the rest of their lives, bringing flowers to their grave or memorial on a regular basis.
...- 5 Jul 2020
By Bhakti Brhat Bhagavata SwamiFirst Meeting with Devotees: Sarvabhavana Prabhu, who joined ISKCON recalls, "I and a friend of mine, who later became His Holiness Bhakti Charu 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]
...- 5 Jul 2020
Yet what is even more disturbing than all the unrest, turmoil and lawlessness that has dominated the news is the fact that the world lost a very great soul last night that many don't even know about. His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami is one of the few who actually had both the proper spiritual training and the compassionate demeanor to bring light into the darkest corners of this historically pivotal moment in time. He was my friend, my Godbrother, my spiritual inspiration, and I, along with thousands of his disciples and other Godbrothers, not only mourn his departu...
- 5 Jul 2020
By the GBC Executive CommitteeSoon after Maharaja's departure, a devotee came to chant and offer sacred items and prayers, including the recitation of Brahma-samhita and the Gajendra-moksa slokas. He described Maharaja's body as youthful and effulgent. Bhagavad-gita was on his chest and Srila Prabhupada's kirtan was playing in his right ear. He was annointed with Tulasi leaves, Ganga water, and maha oil from Nrsimhadeva in Sri Dham Mayapur. These items had been kept in Maharaja's room in preparation for this moment.
...- 5 Jul 2020
By Indradyumna SwamiDear 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.
...- 5 Jul 2020
And Bhakti Charu Maharaj said to Prabhupada “Srila Prabhupada if you want to chastise me I deserve it but I still ask you please take this orange juice because it’s good for you. Prabhupada then said “alright give the orange juice”. Srila Prabhupada drank the orange juice and said “what to do I am an old man, old man are sometimes a little grumpy”.
...- 5 Jul 2020
- 5 Jul 2020
By the GBC Executive CommitteeYou 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 has taken Maharaja
...- 5 Jul 2020
By Bhakti Caitanya SwamiAt 8.30am this morning, Florida time, I received a phone call from one of your more senior Godbrothers who is currently there. He was in a deeply emotional state, and I immediately understood what he had called me about, before he could even tell me. Your Guru Maharaja had departed from this world, back to Srila Prabhupada and Srimati Radharani and Lord Krishna just one or two minutes before. I am a member of the Executive Committee of the GBC Body, so I dutifully reported this information to our secretariat, for distribution throughout the ISKCON world, but as I did this I felt mys...
- 5 Jul 2020
By Anuttama dasaI write with a very heavy heart. I can only imagine the sense of grief and pain you must all be feeling today, experiencing the separation of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami. Your Guru Maharaja was truly an exceptional Vaishnava, spiritual master, and human being. All who knew him, including all his God-brothers and God-sisters, were affectionate towards him and inspired by his presence, his warm, friendly nature, his genuine caring for all those he met, and his deep love and commitment to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON.
...- 5 Jul 2020
By Kalakantha dasWhen you first met Srila Prabhupada he recognized you as a special soul, so much so that within a short time he accepted you as a sannyasi disciple. For the next 45 years you faithfully kept your difficult vows, travelling constantly, promoting Krishna consciousness in service to Srila Prabhupada. Your astonishing, flawless legacy will forever inspire all of Srila Prabhupada's followers. Today, hearing the devastating news of your departure, I remember your unbroken loyalty and determination.
...- 4 Jul 2020
By Praghosa dasaSo, so much wishing I was paying my obeisances to you in person, then giving you a big hug and then discussing the glories of Srila Prabhupada with you. There was no way anyone in your sweet company could fail to be immediately immersed in the transcendental pastimes of His Divine Grace once with you for a minute or two As a young man you left Bengal and by Krishna’s arrangement came in contact with Srila Prabhupada’s mission thousands of miles away, via his book ‘The Nectar of Devotion’ and immediately accepted Srila Prabhupada as your spiritual master. Thus began your service to yo...
- 4 Jul 2020
By the GBC Executive CommitteeIt is with overwhelming heartache that we announce to you the departure of our beloved godbrother and a dearmost servant of Srila Prabhupada, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami. From his earliest days as a young devotee, Maharaja had the extraordinary privilege of serving as one of Srila Prabhupada's confidential, personal servants. And ever since, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja's life has been an offering of love at the lotus feet of his spiritual master.
...- 4 Jul 2020
By the GBC Executive CommitteeFor those inquiring about the present situation, Maharaja is in the Intensive Care Unit in a hospital in Florida, USA. Although no devotees can be with Maharaja due to the pandemic, Maharaja is surrounded with auspicious items. When entering the hospital, Maharaja took along three volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which remain with him along with Bhagavad-gita. Remarkably, the medical team has allowed Maharaja's neckbeads and brahmana thread to remain in place. He also has Vrindavan dust, Tulasi leaves and Ganga water.
...- 4 Jul 2020
Sri Sanatana Goswami appeared in 1488, five years before Sri Rupa Goswami, in a Sarasvata brahmana family in Bengal. Sanatana and his two brothers, Rupa and Anupama, were always absorbed in bhava bhakti from early childhood. Remembering Vrndavana, they named the forests in which they played after Vraja’s twelve forests (Talavana, Madhuvana, Kamyavana, Mahavana).
...- 4 Jul 2020
While everyone is staying at home and our day-to-day activities put to a halt, devotees around the world have found a way to still preach and spread the transcendental chanting online. Our love of kirtan continues and in these difficult times, we can still come together to chant, dance, and open our hearts to the Holy Name.
...- 4 Jul 2020
After driving himself home from dialysis he collapsed in his car. He has been hospitalized. Please keep him in your prayers! Hare Krishna!
...- 4 Jul 2020
By the GBC Executive CommitteeWe request the worldwide ISKCON community to please pause all other engagements and invest all your hearts in intense prayer and kirtan for HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja. Maharaja has given his life to the service of Srila Prabhupada and the service of Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON. We have all been the beneficiaries of that service in so many ways. Now, at this critical time, we must all come together to serve Maharaja by praying to Krishna with all sincerity.
...- 4 Jul 2020
By BCS Medical Care TeamThe situation in the last few hours has now become the most critical and dangerous that Maharaj has been in. HH Bhakti Charu Swami remains in intensive care. His ventilation requirements have increased to near what is medically possible, and requires more support to maintain his blood pressure. He has multiple organ failure. Everything that is medically possible is in place. We must prepare for all outcomes.
...- 4 Jul 2020