He Inspires Unity Among Vaiṣṇavas
Śrīla Gurudev's departure was a painful loss not only to Sree Chaitanya Gauḍīya Maṭh but to all Gauḍīya organizations worldwide. He inspired unity among all, both in an official capacity as President of the World Vaiṣṇava Association for 18 years (1999-2017) and with his perfect example of personal and sincere affection towards all devotees, completely free of any kind of bias. If anyone spoke ill words about a devotee he became upset and said he did not wish to hear it. As an example of this, his disciples narrate one incident that occurred when someone was complaining to him about corruption within a particular devotee organization, saying they are causing offense. Guru Mahārāj responded by telling him that when he has those kinds of feelings or thoughts the best thing to do is leave there right away in order to avoid exposing them to his own offensive mentality.
The following letters were offered after Śrīla Gurudev's disappearance. They were selected from the archives as practical examples of how he inspired unity across institutional boundaries.
From Pūjyapāda Bhakti Charu Svāmī:
All glories to His Divine Grace Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, All glories to His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, All glories to His Divine Grace Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda and all glories to your Divine Grace.
We are deeply aggrieved to hear about your disappearance from this planet. Although most of us did not have the good fortune of meeting you personally, we heard from those that did, about your affectionate dealings and sincere support for the activities of our institution.
Our spiritual master, Śrīla Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda, had a very close relationship with your Guru Mahārāja and his godbrother, Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. He requested your Guru Mahārāja to be a trustee of the Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Charity Trust which was created to support the activities of different Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava institutions.
When your spiritual master entered into Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eternal pastimes you were requested to continue his legacy by becoming a trustee of that trust. That involvement of yours gave many of us the opportunity to come close to you and experience your wonderful Vaiṣṇava qualities and learned so much from your exemplary acts.
At a time like this, we feel a great loss, especially in the propagation of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtan movement. A leader like you is very rare, and it will be very difficult to compensate for that loss. However, those who are left behind have to carry on endeavoring their level best.
Personalities like you come to this world due to the divine arrangements of Śrī Kṛṣṇa to deliver the suffering multitude by offering them the transcendental message of the Spiritual Sky. And after rendering that service go back to the spiritual world into the eternal pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Although you have left this planet, we are confident that you have trained many qualified disciples to continue your legacy. Please also bless us that we can serve Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu's saṅkīrtan movement together with your disciples and spread it all over the world for the actual benefit of mankind.
We know that a grand ceremony will be conducted in Śrī Mayapur-dhām to mark your return to the Supreme Lord's eternal pastimes. Although it will not be possible for me to attend that ceremony personally, many of our devotees from Mayapur will be most fortunate to take part in it.
On behalf of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission,
Your servant,
Bhakti Charu Svāmī
(Chairman)
22 April 2017
From Pūjyapāda Jayapatākā Svāmī:
My dear respected Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to His Divine Grace Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Mahārāja. All glories to His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupād Ṭhākur. All glories to your spiritual uncle and my diksa guru His Divine Grace Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda.
My good fortune was when I stayed at the Sree Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha in Kolkata and you helped me adjust, finding me a sitting place based on my initiation date. You took me to meet Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Mahārāja and he told you to take care of me. Since then in 1970, I was connected with you.
Soon after that, I was given the sannyāsī order by my diksa guru, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda, who in 1977, created the Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Charity Trust and in which your guru, His Divine Grace Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Mahārāja, was made one of the trustees. When His Divine Grace Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Mahārāja entered into his eternal līlā with Lord Krsna, we asked you to take up the responsibility of being a trustee for the Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Charity Trust. You were kind enough to take up this responsibility.
Moreover, you accepted a leadership role in the Sarasvat Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Association. You did all these services while you were leading your institution and preaching widely. Even some foreign devotees have also taken your shelter. I was honored to attend your 50th anniversary of sannyās. You would give us spiritual and philosophical inspiration talks at our Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Charity Trust.
Not having you present will be a vacuum difficult to fill. You are entering into the eternal līlā. You will be in spiritual bliss but we will be missing you, being deprived of your transcendental association and friendship. I and the ISKCON movement feel proud that a Vaiṣṇava like yourself has graced the earth. At the same time, we feel separation, feeling deprived of your spiritual and encouraging association. I hope that the members of your Maṭha whom you leave behind will be able to take ahead the institution and that our friendship and collaboration will continue.
Yours in divine service,
Tridandi Gosvāmī
Jayapatākā Svāmī
Addendum: Śrīla Jayapatākā Svāmī was sent by Bhaktivedānta Svāmī among his first group of disciples to come to India. At that time, ISKCON was in the process of being established; there were no temples yet. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī sent him along with a few other disciples to Sree Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha, Kolkata where Śrīla Paramgurudeva (Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Mahārāja) welcomed them. At that time, he also requested our Gurudeva to look after them.
An excerpt from a letter offered by Śrī Bhakti Vijnana Gosvāmī and Acyutatma Das (President of ISKCON Russia):
One of the examples of cooperation and service to the mission shown by Śrīla Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja was when, in the mid-1970s, at the request of A.C. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda, he was helping in the publishing of the magazine "Back to Godhead" in Hindi. Although many Vaiṣṇava organizations exist today, devotees share a lot of common values. We hope that with time, this cooperation he exemplified for the benefit of all will evolve on a deeper level.
An Excerpt from this article (slightly edited for reading clarity):
As per instructions of HH Jayapatākā Svāmī, a full ceremony of honoring an Ācārya was performed by ISKCON Mayapur. Mahārāj was received with big kirtan by devotees and special invocation and sannyās sūktas (Vedic hymns) by the gurukulis. When His transcendental body was brought in procession on Bhaktisiddhanta Road and reached ISKCON Mayapur's main gate, special decorations and arrangements were made to receive Maharaja with flowers showering on His divine body.
The next day, Maharaja’s divine body was brought in a procession into ISKCON Mayapur campus at noon. He was honored with ārati and puṣpāñjali outside the temple courtyard by many senior devotees of ISKCON Mayapur including Jananivas Prabhu (temple pujari) before the samadhi ceremony at Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math.
Śrīla Jayapatākā Svāmī inspired his disciple, Pandava Das to produce this video during Śrīla Gurudev's samadhi
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