All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Disappearance festival

of the founder of the worldwide Sri Chaitanya Maths and Sri Gaudiya Maths:

Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad

Celebrations held at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math,
Nabadwip
30 December 2004

by Asraya Vigraha Das of New Zealand

Dandavat pranams to Srila Gurudeva and the Vaisnavas.

On this most reflective of days we are gathered here in Sridham Navadwip at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Today is the Disappearance Festival of Bhagavan Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad.

The festival began with many songs in glorification of Srila Prabhupad. A beautiful, decorated altar was made for the occasion. Many of our Math's sannyasis were present and they spoke with great reverence to an eager audience in glorification of Srila Prabhupad's transcendental lila while manifest in this world. The speakers described how he declared totalitarian war on Maya, and that he established sixty-four Maths across India in his great and powerful Mission, Sri Gaudiya Math. It was told that he desired to spread Mahaprabhu's teachings throughout the East and West. We see that through his beloved and dear disciple Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj he gave such high realisations for all to humbly receive and embrace as their life's cherished goal.

We see in this transcendental history Srila Guru Maharaj was chosen as the Rupanuga Sampradaya Acharyya and that through the request of Srila Prabhupad he was asked to sing Sri Rupa Manjari Pada. Many witnessed this spiritual transmission and held Srila Guru Maharaj in high esteem as the 'current-holder' of the highest conception given by Prabhupad in the line of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunath.

We see in Srila Guru Maharaj's conception the whole world is being nourished by that sweet and transcendental wave of Hari-katha that he has delivered. And through his dearmost Divine Servitor Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj we can clearly feel and see this merciful and exclusive line of Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur to this day being spread and maintained.

We are fortunate that the sun will always shine brightly in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in the exclusive line of Srila Prabhupad's transcendental preaching conception. We see that in the West his Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad, as an empowered Avatar of Lord Nityananda, was always in great awe and reverence of Srila Guru Maharaj's high conceptions of Krishna consciousness. He would always give reports to Srila Guru Maharaj and Srila Govinda Maharaj about his Western preaching.

We are eternally indebted to Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's life's work. He made so many great and powerful empowered Acharyyas, and his legacy is still alive and strong through this exclusive line of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. We are extremely fortunate, and we are spiritually proud and forever in debt for their inconceivable contribution, and we pray to the lotus feet of our Sri Guru-varga that we may be allowed to continue as best as we can to please those great souls who are revealing the highest conception ever known in this Universe. The highest dignity of the human race is being revealed and shown through the manifest legacy of this merciful and transcendental line of Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

Srila Guru Maharaj's dear Divine Servitor disciple, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj, is revealing to the Eastern and Western world the true vision and conception of Srila Prabhupad's desire. He is the present holder of that exclusive current. We pray at his lotus feet for the chance to offer some humble service at his request. We see that service to his lotus feet, is service to our beloved Srila Guru Maharaj, and that he in turn is passing that on to Prabhupad Srila Saraswati Thakur. It is not possible for a conditioned soul to fully understand the potency of the Lord's pure devotees, but we may try to live in the bounty of their divine grace and aspire to please them.

After much Hari-katha we then attended arati for the pleasure of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govindasundarjiu. Following arati, the Vaisnavas honoured a sumptuous feast in honour of Srila Prabhupad. All around the world the devotees in our Mission are making some arrangement for this transcendental festival to glorify and worship the Founder and World Wide Acharyya of Sri Chaitanya Maths and Gaudiya Maths, Bhagavan Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. We pray to His Divine Grace for increased enthusiasm to serve and surrender to his dear Divine Servitor, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj.

Praying at the lotus feet of Srila Gurudeva and the Vaisnavas to humbly accept this service attempt to glorify the Lord's Pure Devotees.
Your aspiring servant always,

Asraya Vigraha Das
of New Zealand. Presently in Nabadwip Dham

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip
http://scsmath.com