All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

sri-siddhanta sarasvatiti vidito gaudiya-gurv-anvaye
bhato bhanuriva prabhata-gagane yo gaura-sankirttanaih
mayavada-timingilodara-gatan uddhrtya jivaniman
krsna-prema-sudhabdhi-gahana-sukham pradat prabhum tam bhaje

As Bimala Prasad Brahmachari. He approached Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj in the year 1900.

After Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur took sannyas at the age of 44 in 1918.

Quote by Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur on his initiation:

My Spiritual Master [Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji] would go and visit Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, and many times would reside with him. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, out of his compassion for other living entities, pointed out my Spiritual Master, Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji. Upon seeing my Spiritual Master, the extent of my worldly false ego diminished. I knew that all the other living entities who have taken the human form of life were also fallen and low like myself. But gradually observing the spiritual character of my master, I realised that only a Vaisnava could reside in this material world and be of exemplary character.

Selection taken from Golden Reflections, by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

An example of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's nature is that in his earlier days he lived in the place where now stands the Sri Chaitanya Math, Mayapur. During the time of chaturmmasya he would not use his hand to eat but he would take directly with his mouth from the ground, and he would chant one crore Harinama (ten million Holy Names) in one month. In those earlier days he would continuously chant Harinama and would take only three or four mouthfuls of food, that too, directly from the ground. But in his later days he lived in the Gaudiya Math with many material things and many things. You cannot imitate him.

The Festival in Sri Chaitanya Sarswat Math
Sri Nabadwip Dham

December 8th 2006

Presided over by

His Divine Grace
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj

 

Srila Gurudev, in his morning talk, emphasised a line from Srila Prabhupada-padma stavakah, composed by Srila Sridhar Maharaj in glorification of Srila Saraswati Thakur, "Krpaya Hari-kirttana murtti dharam: bestowing his grace upon all souls, he is Hari-kirttan incarnate."

Selection taken from Golden Reflections:

When there was a proposal to serve non-vegetarian food in order to attract Indian students and Westerners to hear about Mahaprabhu at a student home connected with Gaudiya Math, Srila Guru Maharaj commented to Srila Prabhupad, "No, Maharaj, if you make outside arrangements for the students to take their customary Western food in our student home it will not appear to be good in the eyes of other Indians and they will insult us."

But Srila Prabhupad replied, "I considered this point one thousand births ago. For the service of Krishna we must be Vaikuntha-vritti." Vaikuntha-vritti means that we can do everything for the service of Krishna. This type of mood is necessary.

 

Selection from Srila Guru Maharaj - His Divine Pastimes and Precepts in Brief:

In 1930, at the original Ultadanga Gaudiya Math, Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami ordained him (Srila Sridhar Maharaj) in sannyas, awarding him the tridanda-sannyas title of Srimad Bhakti Raksak Sridhar, meaning 'the Illustrious Guardian of Devotion,' because of his formidable scriptural command and natural, deep spiritual insight.

 

On the morning of December 31st, 1936, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarawati Thakur requested Srila B.R. Sridhar Maharaj to sing Sri Rupa Manjari-pada by Srila Narottam Das Thakur.

Extract from Centenary Anthology (an article by Sripad B.P. Janardan Maharaj):

When Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarawati Thakur was leaving this world, he called for Srila Guru Maharaj. In a gathering of his disciples he asked Srila Guru Maharaj to sing Sri Rupa Manjari-pada. Previously, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur had examined Srila Guru Maharaj, and was satisfied that he could represent the essential line of Sri Gaurachandra, given by his true representative and follower, Srila Rupa Goswami. Now, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave the charge of that line to Srila Guru Maharaj in a way that many senior Godbrothers present described as a "mystic transmission" of responsibility.

Quote by Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

When Prabhupad became ill, I attended his sickbed. Just one day before his departure he called for me, and he asked me to chant Sri Rupa Manjari-pada. At that time I was not accustomed to leading the kirttan. I was hesitating -- Sriyukta Kunja Babu, later Sripad Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj, asked one brahmachari Prabhu, "You go on singing." Then he began singing but Prabhupad felt dissatisfaction. He said, "I don't want to hear the tone or sweet sound." Then that Brahmachari Prabhu stopped and I had to sing Sri Rupa Manjari-pada. And the others said, "Prabhupad has hereby given you admission into the Rasa-seva section."

Above. Today at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

Above. Sri Chaitanya Math, Mayapur, the principal of the sixty-four Gaudiya Maths established by Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and (right) his Samadhi Mandir nearby in the Math compound.


Quote by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami once again revealed to the world that which is eternal and ever-fresh. Before his appearance, people might have been chanting the Name of God, but how did they chant it? In his time, he was the inaugurator of the genuine chanting of Harinama.

prthivite yata katha dharmma-name chale
bhagavata kahe saga paripuna chhale

Totalitarian war against maya. What passes in this world in the name of religion -- everything is false. You are jiva-soul. Krishna is like the great sun, and you are like a sun-ray. The sun-ray must always be 'attached' to the great sun. That is his nature. Krishna is like a big exalted magnet, and you are like iron. Therefore, He is called Krishna, meaning Krs-: to attract, and na: to give joy. He attracts us, and gives us ecstasy (karsan venu-svanair Gopir Gopinatha-sriye 'stu nah).

This is Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's gift.

Quote by Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

Although outwardly he was like a lion, inwardly he was very, very sweet, yet it could be traced only in his internal sweetness. Outwardly, the way of love was worshipped by him with grandeur, and awe and reverence, but his object was the simple and beautiful, Divine Love of Vrindavan, and his temperament in establishing that in the world was just like a lion's. After his departure I described his life in a sloka. If he were living today, I think he would say that Sridhar Maharaj has imprisoned me in a cage of poetry.

nikhila bhuvana maya chhinna vichhinna kartri
vibudha bahula mrgya mukti mohanta datri
sithilita vidhi ragaradhya radhesa dhani
vilasatu hrdi nityam bhaktisiddhanta vani

"With his first step, he vigorously cut asunder the whole plane of exploitation, and with his second, he has put a stop to all the calculations of the different scholars with their different conceptions of salvation, liberated stages. With his third step, he has minimised the hardness and stiffness of the rules and regulations of calculative devotional service, by a touch of the Divine Love: crossing Vaikuntha, he has given us the worship of Radha and Govinda."

Calculation, the rules and regulations, awe, reverence, all these things are minimised, checked, slackened with the softness of Vrindavan within, and with the hardness of a devastator without, he created havoc in the materialistic world, fighting with one and all. Single-handedly fighting against the whole world, and cutting asunder everything -- that was his external attitude. And his second attitude was to put a stop to all scholarly researchers and doctorates of different departments, and to stop their boasting research; and third, to minimise, to slacken the grandeur of the worship of Narayan. He caused the domain of love to descend into this plane with the service of Radha-Govinda, establishing the flow of Divine Love from the heart as all-in-all. With that we come to serve our object of worship, and he represented the service of Radha-Govinda as the highest attainment. That was his history. The real existence of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad is in Bhaktisiddhanta-vani, his divine teachings. May that Bhaktisiddhanta-vani dance eternally within the core of your heart.


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