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Shri Chaitanya Sridhara Sangha
Swami Bhakti Madhurya
Ban Maharaja
Born in Suriname (South America) in 1934, into a large and devout Christian family. Since childhood, he felt an irresistible attraction and a natural inclination towards spiritual understanding, which caused him to lose interest in and feel dissatisfied with materialistic studies, with the exception of artistic ones, which in 1958 led him to leave his homeland and go to Holland, Greece, and finally Italy to deepen these studies.
In 1970 he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and in the following years developed a respectable artistic career between Italy and Holland as a sculptor and painter.
His sensitive, intuitive, gentle, and mystical nature always led him to investigate, in every place he frequented, the fundamental questions of existence: “Who is God? Who am I? What is my relationship with Him? How can I overcome the problems of increasing suffering and how can I help those around me to do the same? What will my situation be after death?”
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These questions arose from his firm intuition of existence beyond death.
His sincere search was characterized by numerous experiences, all lived fully and intensely, marked by hard trials and tribulations that followed him throughout his life.
His humble and simple personality, generously altruistic, combined with a deep understanding of how to apply, with full faith, the teachings and precepts of the Holy Christian Scriptures helped him to be warmly welcomed in different groups and communities. For a period, in the 70s, he was a respected Protestant reverend.
He ardently always sought the true Essence of life, the Absolute Truth, beyond intellectual speculations and, thanks to the causeless Mercy of God, he naturally understood that to find that Essence he had to go beyond, leaving every path with full respect for what it was, that is, without judging!
At the end of 1981, driven by a natural inclination in the search for beauty, he traveled to India to improve his sculpting technique. During this journey, in Nabadwip Dham (West Bengal), mystically and unexpectedly, he found himself meeting the One who, from the very first moment, blessed him by illuminating him with definitive answers to his essential questions: His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Deva Goswami Maharaja, founder of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and eminent personality recognized for his erudition and humility throughout the Vaishnava worldwide community.
As soon as he saw Him, all his doubts vanished. After the first glance, his soul, joyfully convinced and incessantly weeping, expressed itself in this way: “Oh, I came, I saw and mysteriously and completely I have been captivated by Him!”
Therefore, happily, without any hesitation, he wholeheartedly decided to become his disciple to dedicate the rest of his life completely to Him, as a simple Vaishnava monk under his loving paternal protection.
Srila Ban Maharaja in this regard says: “So that I could be constantly filled with the sweetness of the inconceivable true Essence of Sri Guru and His causeless Grace, I tangibly felt deep in my heart that Srila Sridhara Maharaja gave Himself to me, without reservation, and thus accepted me with sweet love and affection, as His legitimate (faithful) disciple (son).”
From that moment a most sweet, most lovable, mystical and intimate relationship was established.
His Master immediately recognized the total, unconditional surrender, with full faith, matured in so many years of experiences lived with sincerity and courage and in a short time granted him the three initiations prescribed by the Vedas for the spiritual path: Harinam, Brahmana and, in 1982, Sannyasa (holy order of renunciation), the final stage of life, where one dedicates oneself completely to spiritual realization, without any other kind of interest or material activity.
Due to his humble and modest nature Srila Ban Maharaja always prefers to stay in the background, in second place, without ambitions for glory or fame. All his energy, his efforts, mind, heart, love and devotion are focused on how best to serve the lotus feet of his Guru, Spiritual Father and Master. By now he fully feels that his life only makes sense for this purpose.
He is completely engaged in devotional activities and is always ready to take upon his frail but powerful shoulders even the greatest suffering, the utmost self-denial, to carry out to the end the service of love for his Guru.
Having lived for many years in Italy, he has developed a delicate ability to harmonize Western tradition and culture with the Eastern one, without creating oppositions, but adapting himself according to time, place and circumstance.
Inspired by the enlightened teachings received from his Spiritual Master, in his preaching he emphasizes the essence of the message transmitted by the Vedas, on the inner substance of each of us, giving less importance to the external, formal aspects, which are however always considered harmoniously necessary in the path of spiritual evolution.
His presence is always stimulating and encouraging because his teaching is based not only on his words but also, and perhaps above all, on his tangible behaviors to constantly put into practice what he has learned and thus live on the plane of Divine Love, without more doubts or disturbances!
His loving example helps to give the right value to everything, animate and inanimate; to every gesture; to every word and to put it at the service of Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of God, in the conviction that in His satisfaction everyone is included and can participate with ever-increasing joy and enthusiasm!