All glories to Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga

A Holy Day

By His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

From Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion, Volume II, Chapter 7

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Webpage by Damayanti Dasi

5. Departure of Sri Visvanatha Cakravartti Thakur

Today is also the day that Srila Visvanatha Cakravartti Thakur departed from this world. Srila Visvanatha Cakravartti Thakur appeared 180 years after the Advent of Sri Gaurangadev. He composed a commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam and many other books to help the devotees coming later in the Sampradaya. He was such a great Acaryya. In his own special way, he has dealt elaborately with many spiritual matters, giving the proper approach. He was the sastric or Scriptural dispensation of Sri Rupa-Sanatana etc. By his grace, Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana composed the Sri Gaudiya Vaisnava commentary on Vedanta-sutra, Sri Govinda-bhasya. From such great Masters there is much to be read.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravartti was born in a Brahmana family in Devagram of Murshidabad district. He was a great scholar of Sanskrit. He came into the line of Sri Narottama Thakur. He gave us extensive Scriptural writings to help us very precisely and elaborately to know about the Pastimes of Mahaprabhu and Radha-Krsna, Vrndavana, Nabadwip, and the Guru-parampara. The Gurvvastakam we chant daily was written by him, as well as many other important works. Srila Rupa Goswami wrote Sri-Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 'The Nectarine Ocean of Devotional Joy,' and Srila Visvanatha wrote Sri-Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindhu or a drop of that Ocean. And from Sri Rupa's Sri-Ujjvala-nilamani, 'The Brilliant Jewel of the Supernatural World,' or Krsna in Madhura-rasa, he gave Ujjvala-nilamani-kirana or a ray of that Jewel. In this way, he has given volumes of books and poems. As Sri Rupa Goswami gave the Asta-kaliya-lila of Krsna, or twenty-four hour Service engagement with Sri-Sri Radha-Govinda, he has similarly given Chaitanya-lila twenty-four hour engagement in the Service of Sriman Mahaprabhu. So he has done great Service to the Sampradaya and profusely bestowed his mercy upon us.

 

5,6. Departure of Tridandi Swamis Srimad Bharati Maharaj and Srimad Parvvat Maharaj

Today is also the disappearance day of two of our senior Godbrothers, sannyasi disciples of our Guru Maharaj, Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Viveka Bharati Maharaj and Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Svarupa Parvvat Maharaj. They both preached extensively on the order of Srila Prabhupada. Sri Bharati Maharaj was very popular; his preaching style was very charming and engaging. In the beginning we appreciated his preaching very much.

Sri Parvvat Maharaj was also among the earliest disciples of our Guru Maharaj. He was born at Svarupa Ganja, on the other side of the Ganges from here (Nabadwip). He was born in the house directly next to Surabhi Kunja where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur lived for some time. During his childhood, he told me, he saw Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur chanting the Name. In the early morning Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur would chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra just as one calling someone from a distance. A living thing — like one man calling another. In this way, in a living way, he was calling Krsna. He was in his old age, and his body was somewhat attacked with rheumatism. There was a cement chair constructed there; he would stroll about at his sweet will, and when he felt fatigued he would take his seat on that chair. That chair is still there today.

So, at a very early age, Srimad Parvvat Maharaj came to Srila Prabhupada and accepted his shelter. For a long period he was posted as the caretaker at Bhakti Kutir, the then 'head office,' a small seaside house in Puri owned by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Then, when Prabhupada began his preaching life, Parvvat Maharaj became a sannyasi. During the lifetime of Prabhupada he preached throughout the whole of Bengal and beyond as well. He established a Math in Orissa.

I remember, once, when I was a newcomer in the Math, he was telling one gentleman about how he preached on the East side of Bengal. At that place, some people challenged him,

"Why have you come to preach here? Don't you know that just nearby on the bank of the river there is a siddha-mahatma? He has attained the highest end of life. Have you seen him?"

"We have come from a great Mahatma to carry you to the highest objective"

He replied to them, "I have seen many siddha, like aloo-siddha, etc.!"

Siddha may mean 'perfected soul,' but another meaning of siddha is boiled. So he was saying,

"I've seen many siddha — boiled things. Boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage etc. We already have so

many boiled things!"

They said,

"What are you saying? You are insulting him."

He replied,

"This is no insult. Those who are full of all those siddhas — they know nothing. What Mahaprabhu has brought us is the highest. All other proposals are trash and nasty things. We have come from a great Mahatma to carry you to the highest objective, the summum bonum of life — accept Mahaprabhu and Bhagavatam. We hate all those 'siddha' imposters who are deceiving the people in the garb of religion."

Such was the great preaching of Sri Gaudiya Math in those days.

To my best capacity I have tried to represent to you my humble knowledge of these Mahatmas, and I pray that they may be propitiated and give us their favour. With this prayer, I end here:

vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca,
patitanam pavenebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah.