6-March, 2009
Dear Members of the Krsna Caitanya Matha,
Please accept our Dandavats. Sri Guru and Gauranga Jayatah.
We, the members of the Governing Body Commission of ISKCON, wish to express our most heartfelt condolences to you for the passing of Srila Bhaktivaibhava Puri Maharaja. He was a dear friend of our Srila Prabhupada and well-wisher of ISKCON.
Of course, we know that the disappearance of the spiritual master is an occasion of celebration, however, we all suffer when we lose the presence of our beloved acarya.
Please let us know if we can be of any service.
Dasanudasa,
Romapada Swami, Madhu Sevita das, Hridaya Caitanya das, Kavicandra Swami
EC Executive Committee
Guru Prasad Swami
Vaisnava Community Relations Committee
I only had the privilege of meeting H.H. Puri Maharaja once. H.H. Puri Maharaja was invited to be the guest of honor by Sriman Basu Ghosh for the mahotsava that the Hyderabad temple was conducting a few days after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance on November 14, 1977. I had cooked the feast for Srila Prabhupada, one of the items I cooked was vegetable Bonda which was made from potatoes, carrots and beets. Later when I went downstairs in the hall under the temple Basu Ghosh Prabhu introduced me to Puri Maharaja as “the cook who had made the feast.” With a very serious look he sternly said to me: “don’t you know that (according to Hari Bhakti Vilasa) Vaisnavas do not eat anything that grows under the soil?” I was taken aback. But before I could make an apology he started to smile and then laughed and said: “the Bondas were very tasty, could I have another?” He was just joking with me and pulling my leg, and displaying his sense of humor.
Your humble servant
Shyamasundara Dasa
Dandavats. Thank you for this homage to my beloved Gurudev. I pray that the departure of Srila Prabhupada’s dear Godbrother will help to strengthen the cooperation between the different branches of Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan movement.
My Gurudev loved Srila Prabhupada very much and considered him one of his siksa gurus. Srila Prabhupada’s picture beautifies his temple in Jagannatha Puri and his japa tape is heard every morning at a small altar next to Tulasi Devi.
I share with you the three instructions I received from my Gurudev, which exemplify the simplicity of his preaching.
1) Chant the holy name.
2) Respect everyone and never offend Vaisnavas.
3) Be honest.
The regulative principles and all good qualities will follow one who sincerely adheres to these instructions.
Srila Prabhupada ki! Jaya!
At the service of Hari-Guru-Vaishnava,
Ananta Ram das
dear Vasnavas
Please accept my humble obaisences
all glories to Srila Prabhupada
I am very thankful for the GBC to honor His Holiness Bhaktivaibhava Puri Maharaja.He was a dear godbrother to Srila Prabhupada ,and as far as I recall Srila Prabhupada brought him, with him from South India to Mayapure on one occasion to Mayapure.
(from what I have been told)
We had the good fortune to meet His Holiness and hear him speak in Vrindavan , opposite from the Rasa Sthali close to Radha Damodara.He loved to spend time on the Yamuna and discuss Krsna Katha.Having been in the presence of other senior goduncles on one occasion with Basu Ghosh Prabhu the TP from ISKCON Baroda, we have always felt most comfortabel around
him.I feel very blessed to have met such a dear godbrother of Srila Prabhupada and have been abel to take some of his Holy association.
I recall one time while visiting Viskhapatnam he very eagerly supervised us ISKCON devotees taking prasadam to our full satisfation and he personally asked each devotee if they where satisfied after prasadam.
On another occasion devotees from Krsna Balarama temple where invited for the Dieity installation there, there was wonderful kirtana and prasadam and a wonderful instalaltion (around 1992).
I offer my full obaisences to His holiness and pray he may bless us all to strictly follow Srila Prabhupada.
Your servant
Payonidhi das
My dear Ananta Rama Prabhu
Please accept my humble obaisences
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
all glories to your Guru Maharaja
Would you kindly enliven us about the holy depature of Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja?
your servant
Payonidh das
Once by the mercy of his disciple Dayanidhi Prabhu it was my fortune that B.B. Puri Maharaja conducted a program at my home in the Santa Cruz mountains of California, along with some of his sannyas disciples. I got to wash his feet.
He spoke on the unmotivated service of Prahlada Maharaja, and how he was not a “businessman” with Krishna. As was often the case, there were tears in his eyes as he lectured.
As he was leaving, he joked that I must be a “businessman” to have such an opulent home. :-) I pray that by his blessing I can one day attain an unmotivated service attitude like Prahlad Maharaja.
Dear Payonidhi Prabhu,
Dandavats. I will paraphrase the lila as recounted by Guru Maharaj’s most senior disciple, B.V. Bishnu Maharaj. (Spelling Visnu with “B” is common in Orissa.)
My beloved Gurudeva was in Jagannatha Puri planning to go to Mayapur Dhama the 3rd of March. On March 1, Guru Maharaja had trouble eating and drinking, so his servants took the decision to take him to Vishakapatnam to see his doctor. Guru Maharaja’s health improved and he was able to take food again the next day. At 4PM on March 4 things seemed fine and his servants thought Guru Maharaja might be able to go to Mayapur. Then Guru Maharaja said he was feeling different and laid on his bed. He brought Radha-Krishna’s picture and Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta’s picture, which were always near to him. He offered his obeisances. At the end, he prayed to his Gurudev’s photo and started to speak, even though he rarely spoke during this last year. Then his breathing was going to stop and his face was brilliant. Immediately his servant Brajendra Nandan prabhu gave some charanamrita and the devotees started loud Nama Sankirtan. In the evening Arati Kirtan time, at 8:05PM, he entered in the Goloka lila and went away from our eyes.
In the morning of March 4, his holy body was taken to Jagannatha Puri. Manay devotees gathered for a great Nagar Sankirtan, including ISKCON’s Radhanatha Maharaja, Basu Gosh Prabhu, and Jagajivan Prabhu. By 4PM, the samadhi ceremony was complete.
There is an ongoing festival in Puri. The grand festival will be on 14th ,15th and 16th March in Puri Chaitanya Chandrasram. Everyone is invited to attend.
Thank you for letting me share this beautiful lila with you. May ISKCON preaching efforts worldwide flourish.
At the service of Hari-Guru-Vaishnava,
Ananta Ram das
In the month of Kartik 1992 I was blessed to meet and hear from the lotus
mouth of Srila Bhakti Baibhava Puri Goswami Maharaja for the first time.
During that month I attended his morning and evening darsan and listened
with an open heart to the words emanating from his lotus mouth. At that time
my personal sadhana had virtually ceased and I had practically given up all
hope of ever practicing the regulations of sadhana bhakti in this lifetime.
However, by hearing submissively something magic happened to me. I felt like
My Eternal Father His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
was coming so drag me through the agency of his divine and eternal brother.
Really, from that time my life was wholly transformed and for the 17 years
since then, His Divine Grace has been the most dear friend, and guide.
He graciously initiated by son Bhishma deva in 1996 in Vrindaban and my
wife Yashoda in December 2003 in Puri.
For nearly four years I was held prisoner in Orissa from 2000 until 2004,
and most of this time I was staying in a state hospital in Cuttack. His
Divine Grace would regularly come to visit and give some words of
inspiration, some Jagannatha Mahaprasadam, and garlands. I would get a phone
call from his servant Brajendra saying, “Maharaja is coming! He will be
there in 20 minutes!” My wife and I would hurriedly run to get some garlands
some fruit and juice and prepare a seat for this most exalted soul. He
would come and we would wash his lotus feet, and we would have a wonderful
kirtan, and he would say a few words to give us hope and inspiration.
Always when he’d depart he would place his hands on my head and give his
blessings.
In the last week of 1992 I went to stay in Puri at his headquarters next to
the Gundica Temple, Sri Caitanya Chandra Asharam. There were just a few
sanyassis and brahmacaris there at this time. Daily I would sit for 5-8
hours with Maharaja and he would constantly speak HARI KATHA. Every morning
after breakfast prasadam, he would sit on the steps of the temple in the
nice winter sun and read the Srimad Bhagavatam. He showed me the inside back
cover of his personal Bhagavatam where he has written the dates where he
would begin reading and complete the reading of the entire Bhagavatam for
the past 65 years! Just imagine, for more than 65 years he read all 18,000
verses every single year! Always while he was reading his eyes would be
decorated with tears.
dear Ananta Rama Prabhu
Please accept my humble obaisences
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
There is no dry eyes left, even a stone hearted person like myself is greatly touched by BhaktiVaibhava Puri Maharajas depature today I got a very emotianal email from a good devotee friend in Orissa :
I am daiying due to lack of pure vaishnava like H.H.Bhaktivaibhava Puri
Maharaj.
I am not OK for Krishnas preaching without good devotee Like Maharaj.
Alone what i can do? Without the mercy of pure devotees i cannot do or
practice any thing.
So much love for BhaktiVaibhava Puri Maharaja is floating in all directions and in genuine seperation from such a pure vaisnava.
I recall one time I asked Maharaja several questions- then after an hour he ssend me to Bisnu Maharaja.
I feel blessed I have met and heard from Pur Maharajas lotuslips, and his intense KC glance pentrated my heart, his words soothed my soul, and his strong declarations that Krsna loves His devotees resounds to this day in my heart.”Do not omit Vasudeva Krsna and his teachings of the Bhagavad Gita-the true rasik vaisnaas never tires to hear Krsnas words in the Bhagavad Gita” , he was refering to those socalled devotees that have so much interest in Manjari Bhava but no time to hear Bhagavad Gita.
your servant
Payonidhi das
A few years ago I had the great fortune of being introduced to BB Puri Maharaj by my godbrother Guru Kripa prabhu (who I owe a debt to for that). He was very kind towards me and I felt he was like a loving spiritual uncle. When he gave a talk in the courtyard of his temple in Vrindavan he had me sit right in front of him at his feet. He began by wholeheartedly glorifying what Srila Prabhupada had done. I felt greatly benefitted by his association.
The day before hearing about his passing my wife, my daughter, and myself watched him on the Memories CD’s of Siddhanta prabhu. Just from that my daughter had some affection for him and when she heard he had passed away became very sad. Such is the potency of a moments association of a pure devotee.
Aspiring to be the servant of the Vaishnavas,
Madhusudan das