Time Is Running Out: My Final Article
BY: HARI DASA
Oct 8, USA (SUN) —
Namah Om Vishnu padaya Krsna presthaya bhu tale,
Srimate Bhakti Tirtha Swamin/ Danavir Goswamin iti namine
Namah Om Vishnu padaya Krsna presthaya bhu tale, Srimate Bhaktivedanta Swamin iti namine, namaste Sarasvate deve Gaura vani pracarine,
nirvesesa sunyavadi pacatya desa tarine
I offer thousands and thousands of prostrated obeisances to my spiritual masters and all the vaisnavas of the Lord, who, by their causeless mercy are opening my eyes with the torchlight of knowledge. May this fool named Hari dasa be able to somehow render menial service at their holy feet and be fortunate one day to count himself as a particle of dust therein.
I have tried to the best of my limited ability to defend the honor of my Nama Gurudeva- His Holiness Sripad Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja, an offenseless soul who's only desire was to take the suffering away from devotees and the global community in general. His countless achievements and sucesses speak for themselves and countless persons also speak of his kindness and compassionate example.
We are living in a world of duality and the age is Kali yuga, it goes without saying that even in devotional communities maya will enter in the form of quarell, minimisation of the siddhanta, offenses to sadhu's and misenterpretation of sastra. Empowered preachers are envied by those who are not. Even Srila Prabhupada was envied by most of his Godbrothers, so it is to be expected that Prabhupadas current representatives will not always meet with approval and some will be misunderstood.
Sripad Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja is one such sadhu. But for each one that has misunderstood him, minimised him or even tried to discredit him there are countless more who loved and applauded his constant spirit of self sacrifice. He went on preaching right until the end and was smiling throughout the whole cancer ordeal.
Maharaja met death head on with courage and a smile-how many are able to face the biggest fear with a smile on their face? He was always truthful and had full integrity and when challenged would take the humble position and make statements like "I celebrate feedback, both positive and negative"
From this statement alone, we can see that Maharaja trancended duality and he even trancended the immense physical pain and cried not for his own suffering but constantly emphasised the sufferings of others.
Maharaja was loyal to Prabhupada until the end, some misinterpret his past involvments and affiliations as being disloyal, but the fact is that he was and is always Prabhupada's disciple.
History has shown the great risks that Maharaja took for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, risking his life in former communist countries and even risking his life by travelling to intense political and war scorn areas all over the planet- ON BEHALF OF SRILA PRABHUPADA.
I would like to ask those that criticise him emphatically- "if you do not accept that Maharaja was an unalloyed servant of Srila Prabhupada, then excell him in all the areas he himself excelled in. Help and affect more people than he did. Risk your life like he did and try to smile in the face of death like he did and chant your rounds everyday without fail like he did. Make Nelson mandela and similair personalities listen to you and take Srila Prabhupada's teachings like he did and above all-love others without discrimination like he did.
I will not be commenting anymore on this issue as offenders will continue to offend. I have done my duty as a disciple is duty bound to do and i can only pray that aparadha will become a minimal affair in curent day vaisnava circles. We all know the philosophy-chant, follow the regs, avoid offenses and leave the body while engaged in Krsna smaranam.
Now we have the news that thousands have died in Pakistan due to the INCREASING NUMBER OF ADI DAIVIKA CALAMITIES, we just do not know if we ourselves will be next.
We had better be ready by being offenseless and true to our vaisnava philosophy.
Our time may be up sooner than later, one thing for sure is that it is running out and Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja showed us all-love him or hate him- how to deal with the final test we all must face.
daso smi
Hari dasa
