Mother Kaulini’s memorial offering in Mayapura during the Samadhi Inauguration of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaja,
February 25, 2006.
Hare Krsna. Nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale, srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine, namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine nirvisesa-sunyavade-pascatya-desa-tarine.
Namo om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale, srimate bhakti tirtha svamin iti namine.
I had the great blessing of living at Gita Nagari with Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja. When he came, I believe over 10 years ago, we were just a handful of devotees that were really struggling. It was a large project, very dear to Prabhupada. We had dedicated our lives and we wanted it to really be a successful offering, and somehow or other he, I believe by the association of Tamal Krsna Maharaja and others, was encouraged to come to try to save Gita Nagari for Prabhupada. So when he came most of us didn’t know him, or had any previous relationship with him. I can say from the very beginning when he first came immediately he gave – you know, he walked around the farm and I could feel an honest genuine commitment immediately. And then all my fears were removed. He was… he was there to save us individually, to give us the strength to carry on for Prabhupada. And I knew immediately that he wasn’t going to leave us, he wasn’t going to say I’m going to do this and then go. He was there for good, and it was nothing but good. I mean we had so much fun together. It was like something that I had never experienced or seen before.
First thing was to establish a relationship. I could see he worked very hard, and first he started giving gifts to all of us, like mahaprasadam and special things that the devotees had given him. So he would just give us gifts and gifts, and with them would be little notes of encouragement that, you know, he was dedicating himself and that we didn’t have to worry anymore. And I could see over time those gifts just got deeper and deeper.
Because I was there with him for the last… so many years, I would just like to tell a few stories of how much fun we had at Gita Nagari together. I remember times he would come out in the garden. We’d be working hard in the garden and he would have on his orange overalls and his straw hat and he would get right in there and dig with us and… whatever we did with him became so much fun, and you just wanted to do more and we’d chant and you look over and he’d be smiling. You just got so much energy and spiritual inspiration from him. And then in the winter sometimes, you know, lots of times there’s lots of snow at Gita Nagari and the children and some of the adults would go sledding and there was Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja sledding with us, going down the slopes with his big smile and just showing us how Krsna consciousness involves everything and Krsna’s there everywhere, and we’re here together to have fun. You know, it’s not a chore and it’s not something that’s just austerity. If we’re doing it for Krsna it can be so much fun. Then what to speak of the kirtans we’d have, you know. It was just extraordinary what he brought and did for us as a community.
He said there’s 2 words that describe Gita Nagari. One is enchanting, and I think anybody who’s ever come there always felt that way and we knew that, but then he added another word and that was “outrageous.” But I think it only became outrageous when he came, because that was him you know. He went beyond what was our little box and our perception of what it meant to be a devotee. He was free and he freed all of us, so we could really express who we are without so much inhibition and feel free to offer our whole being whatever it is to Prabhupada.
And of course over the years and especially near the end, things got really intense. And I was in management situations with him and I was in friend situations with him. When we actually realized that it’s probably a reality that we would be separated from him, it was very intense. And what we saw, how he came out every weekend, when he could not even move, they had to actually carry him from his room, put him in the car, bring him on the bumpy Gita Nagari road which he knew would cause him excruciating pain, and then put him in his wheelchair when he got out of the car, and carry him into the temple room. So when you saw a devotee giving that much of himself, surrendering everything for Prabhupada and for us as a society, you became eternally indebted to him. And you wanted to do whatever little part you could to assist him and also try to please Prabhupada.
He would often of course tour, then he would always come back to Gita Nagari and offer Mangala Aroti to Radha Damodara, the Deities. He would always sit in the temple room and chant japa with us. So that also meant a lot. It showed us a very wonderful example. Then I personally, what to speak of – he came and he didn’t come alone. He brought so many disciples, and it’s not like they were country-bumpkins. They were like highly qualified, intellectual, and professional persons, and because they could see how he wanted to offer this to Prabhupada and they were part of it, they just dove right into making Gita Nagari work.
So we laughed together and we cried together. And I think it was the last time he came to the temple to speak to us – you’ll see on the video – we had to carry him up a few stairs in the temple room, and I was standing there, and when he got next to me, he just looked at me and he smiled, and he said, “The fun is just beginning.” So… and I felt so much relieved because that’s actually the reality of the situation. I didn’t have to be sad or lament any more, because he was looking forward to the real fun that was ahead.
And I just feel totally blessed and the most fortunate to have come in contact with him. I ask myself how could I serve him and how would I think to please him the most now. And there was one time we were – his last vyasa puja, about a year ago, I had a garland to offer him, and he was taking a garland off to put on me and the garland got all tangled up. So we were just like there together with 2 garlands, and he’s got this huge smile, and he says, “See, we’re connected.” So, I want to hold on to that connection. And I think Prabhupada and him and so many other godbrothers and godsisters will be my ticket to Krsna.
Thank you, Hare KrsnaH.H. Bhakti Tirtha Swami
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Bhakti-Tirtha Swami was born John E. Favors in a pious, God-fearing family. As a child evangelist he appeared regularly on television. As a young man he was a leader in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's civil rights movement. At Princeton University he became president of the student council and also served as the chairman of the Third World Coalition. Although his main degree is in psychology, he has received accolades in many other fields, including politics, African studies, and international law.
Bhakti-Tirtha Swami's books are used as reference texts in universities and leadership organisations throughout the world. Many of his books have been printed in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Macedonian, Croatian, Russian, Hebrew, Slovenian, Balinese and Italian. Bhakti-Tirtha Swami directly oversees projects in the United States as a senior member of ISKCON's Governing Body Commision (particularly Washington D.C., Potomac, Maryland, Detroit, Pennsylvania, West Virginia), West Africa, South Africa, Croatia and Bosnia. He also serves as the director of the American Federation of Vaisnava Colleges and Schools. A specialist in international relations and conflict resolution, Bhakti-Tirtha Swami constantly travels around the world and has become a spiritual consultant to may high-ranking members of the United Nations, to various celebrities and to Several chiefs, kings and high court justices. In 1990 His Holiness was coronated as a high chief in Warri, Nigeria in recognition of his outstanding work in Africa and the world. In recent years, he has met several times with then-President Nelson Mandela of South Africa to share visions and strategies for world peace. In addition to encouranging self-sufficiency through the development of schools, clinics, farm projects and cottage industries, Bhakti-Tirtha Swami conducts seminars and workshops on principle centered leadership, spiritual development, interpersonal relationships, stress and time management and other pertinent topics. he is also widely acknowledged as a viable participant in the resolution of global conflict. HH Bhakti-Tirtha Swami left this world on June 27th, 2005. He was suffering from advanced melanoma cancer. His realizations during the year he was fighting cancer are amazingly deep and profound, they can be read in the book he wrote during this time - "The Beggar IV, Die Before Dying" and in the many letters and classes that he gave. These letters and classes are available on throughout this website. His passing was like his life, a deep expression of love and compassion, and a lesson for us all. Bhakti Tirtha Swami has dedicated his life and actions to help humanity embody a new spiritual awareness and lay the blueprint for a culture of knowledge based on the love of God. To fulfill these aims, Bhakti Tirtha Swami founded the Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology. IFASTThe Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology, under the direction of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami Krishnapada, is a non-profit, non-denominational organization whose staff members represent a variety of spiritual paths and professional backgrounds. The MissionThe mission of the Institute is to conduct seminars and offer services wherein members of our communities can support and assist each other's spiritual development. Due to the critical nature of this time period in the history of our planet, we recognize the need to apply our system of transcendental knowledge, based on the ancient Vedic teachings, to train interested seekers to become God-awakened spiritual warriors. Training The training of a spiritual warrior involves: Global TransformationHumanity is in the process of a global transformation of consciousness. There is a rising spiritual energy that now pervades the planet. In this time of transition, the world is still at a critical junction point. People from all over the world are being called upon to help and are making their individual contributions to the overall well-being and stability of our earth. Through our collective actions we will determine the destiny of our earth. What do we truly want for ourselves, our children, and each other? The Choice is OursEach individual has free will. According to choice we will either ascend into higher realms of love and knowledge, eventually returning to God, or we will continue to remain entangled in temporary states of experience marked by an underlying sense of separation, isolation, and fear. The Opportunity As a generation we have been given the unique opportunity of building
the foundation for a new consciousness and way of life. Our own past
collective negative behavior has set in motion destructive forces
that impact all life and must be reversed if we are to survive this
transformation and ascend the path of enlightenment. |
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