In2-MeC

Prague, Czech Republic
16 August 2004

On Saturday morning, Murari Krsna Prabhu drove me from Timisoara across Hungary to the Hungarian-Slovakian border. Saturday afternoon Raghunatha-priya Prabhu picked me up and drove me to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. I stayed overnight in his apartment and gave the Sunday feast program in Govinda's restaurant in the city center. After that Raghunatha-priya drove me to Prague.

I am here to pick up a visa for the Ukraine. It's been a rather involved process this year to get that done. I applied for it over a month ago. This afternoon, I'm supposed to get this visa finally stamped into my passport. We'll see.

I'm not planning to stay in Prague long...in a couple days I should be off to Wroclaw, Poland. This weekend I am to take part in a Polish Yatra Festival at New Santipur, the ISKCON farm which is outside of Wroclaw. On Monday 23rd, if all has gone well with my visa today, I am to fly to Odessa in the Ukraine to take part in the yearly yatra festival there.

Let me share with my In2-MeC readers some emails I've received lately about HH Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja's health. The news is not pleasant. The GBC and his disciples request devotees everywhere to pray for Maharaja's welfare; I hope the readers of In2-MeC will not fail to do so. HH Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja is my old friend from the BBT Library days. It is very painful for me to read of his health problems. But since his life is fully in Krsna's hands, I know that whatever happens, it is for the transcendental best. He is a great soul, situated above the distresses of the material body, so we should be confident that he is not really suffering.

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I spoke this morning with HH BT Swami, and I have some unfortunate news from him. He discovered yesterday that he has Melanoma cancer. His tumor was very large, larger than they expected. The doctor suspected cancer, and then they confirmed it, and gave him the news yesterday. The doctor suspects that it has spread to other parts of his body. The cancer seems to be at an advanced stage. By material standards, they would give him a less than 50% chance of survival, even as low as 17-19%. But by Krsna's grace he can recover.

He is undergoing tests today, to see if indeed it has spread to other areas. He said that he has felt some gurgling sensation in his lungs, and some pain in his groin area, which are typical areas attacked by this cancer. We should know by tomorrow. Based on that information, he will decide what to do next. It is unusual that melanoma attacks black-bodied persons.

He feels a bit discouraged that his main means of association and interchange with vaisnavas, which is dancing, will most probably be permanently affected.

I told him that all of us will be praying for his recovery, and he asked me to post this on the GBC conference. Since he has made put much emphasis on prayer in his lectures and writings, we should all prayer ardently for his quick recovery.

Your servant,

Guru Prasad Swami

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Below is a summary of Saturdays class that Maharaja gave. its written by youth devotee in this area--Gaura Vani Dasi--So far I haven't seen anything written about the class (I may have missed some emails though--so sorry if this info has been already summarized) so I thought it best to send this over now--to Gaura Dasi--if you are on this list, I hope its ok I forwarded this email over.

Haribol everyone,

Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja gave a darshan this morning at the preaching center in Silver Spring, Maryland. I was scheduled to work today, so I went over intending to stay for a little while then go off to my job. I got there in the middle of guru-puja and it was too much to leave. Too important to step away from. After guru-puja, we assembled in his room upstairs. It was tight, maybe 40 devotees sitting and standing close together. About 15 more arrived over the course of the morning.

He started with singing Jaya Radha Madhava. Many of us were crying. Next, he gave us the medical rundown. The melanoma cancer is in stage 4, which is pretty high. The test results were given to another doctor and she said it was at the very least stage 4. The chance for survival is 7-19% at this level, this intensity. He's known about the tumor for about 20 years. They decided not to operate at that time because he would've lost most of the function of the left foot. Ten years ago there was a biopsy. Results said it was benign.

In Mayapur this spring, he started to feel some pain. Then swelling, more pain. He couldn't attend Detroit Rathayatra as a result. He sat on Jagannatha's cart for Gita Nagari Rathayatra. Normally he's the dancing dervish, as some of you well know. He then shared some themes from his 2004 Vyasa Puja offering to Srila Prabhupada. He saw so much suffering in the secular world and in ISKCON; broken marriages, abused children, devotees losing faith, leaders not being accountable, etc.

So he prayed to be an instrument for Krsna and Srila Prabhupada, to take on the suffering of others so they could be more purified, take on whatever is necessary to make a change in the society.

He emphasized how it's up to Krsna and Prabhupada. How he wants to be an instrument for change however that may take shape. He said "How can I continue living so well, travelling, taken care of in each place I visit, giving classes and seminars, etc, when we have devotees on welfare, who are losing faith, when some of our children leave and are upset and hurting, .... if I can lessen their pain so they can grow, let me take it."

He shared how he doesn't want the devotees to pray for him to stay, he wants them to pray to Krsna and Prabhupada to allow him to serve in the best possible way, be it leaving, staying, whatever. He smiled and laughed a few times, in that particular way of his, with his shoulders shaking a little and his head back.

Then came questions. This is a summary of a few questions. "Can you direct us (his disciples) where to go for siksa when you go, whenever that may occur?"

Reply: "That's a highly individual thing. There are many who are qualified; maybe an older godbrother, godsister, anyone. Better if you can receive guidance and help from many sources. Krsna can come in so many ways. It's not just you and your guru."

"How can we balance between the urgent necessity of practicing KC day to day and also dealing with everything else; job, family, business of living, etc.?"

Reply: "The two are not separate. We can adopt the mood of the paramour, who takes great care to make everything alright and nice with the husband but who also loves and cares for her beloved. Otherwise we can become schizophrenic, split. Take care of both."

In relation to this question, I've heard him say in the past that we need to take care of it all otherwise it's a problem. For example, make laxmi so you don't have to worry about laxmi. He was optimistic, with both a somber demeanor and then smiling and laughing a few times.

We are trying to get a transcription to share. Perhaps an audio weblink too.

your servant,

Gaura Vani dasi

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