All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

Appearance Day Festival of
Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur

presided over by

Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Nabadwip, India
7 February 2007
Web-page and report by Damayanti Devi Dasi

Srila Gurudev, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, began to speak of Srila Saraswati Thakur's approaching Appearance Festival a few days beforehand. The previous morning Srila Gurudev spoke for some time on Srila Saraswati Thakur's mood of 'anti-sahajiyaism.'

On the day of his divine appearance, Srila Gurudev began his lecture with the following words:
Today is a very auspicious day for us, because our life and death -- everything -- is depending upon the mercy of Gurudev. And our Param-Gurudev, my Param-Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur today appeared. It is the very great mercy of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. Bhaktivinod Thakur was extremely well-wishing for all the conditioned souls. And finally, he arranged to preach pure Vaisnavism, Mahaprabhu's conception, and he prayed to Mahaprabhu: "Give an Acharya of the sampradaya, who can do this properly." His prayer Krishna Himself fulfilled.
 

Srila Gurudev spoke again a few hours later in the nat mandir, glorifying Srila Saraswati Thakur in a happy, informal mood. His Divine Grace also spoke on how Srila Saraswati Thakur's divine preaching Mission has now spread throughout the world through the activities of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj and through our ever expanding Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, upon which 'the sun never sets.' Srila Govinda Maharaj also happily expressed the exclusive and pure nature of the Hari-katha which is preached by our Math's sannyas representatives, such as Sripad B.S. Goswami Maharaj and Sripad B.P. Janardan Maharaj.

At Srila Gurudev's request, Sripad Goswami Maharaj and Sripad Janardan Maharaj also spoke for some time in glorification of Srila Saraswati Thakur.

From Sripad Goswami Maharaj's talk:

When we presented Search for Sri Krishna, Reality the Beautiful to Srila Guru Maharaj on the Gaura Purnima day, first he said, "Fifty years before, to the day, we presented Sri Krishna Chaitanya to Saraswati Thakur, to be the foundation of the Western preaching. And now you're bringing this book."

And there, we had a picture of Srila Saraswati Thakur.... There was a caption which said, "He declared totalitarian war against maya and even all other existing conceptions of religion." Not just maya: generic, 'off-the-shelf' maya, what we all know, but even other religious conceptions. And we thought, "These are Guru Maharaj's words and descriptions; maybe we've done something wrong." Or, "Will he appreciate that?" But Srila Guru Maharaj was shining and radiating and he said, "If you didn't write anything else about him in the book, he would be fully represented there."

With great ferocity he came to establish Mahaprabhu's Krishna conception, eliminating all other misconceptions in the path.

From Sripad Janardan Maharaj's talk:

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur took the essence of what Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wanted to give and created an army, the Gaudiya Math, that during his time was the foremost preaching mission within India. And his conception was presented very purely. He created sannyas; he made the tridandi-sannyas. He gave poita [brahmin thread] and gave the worship of the Deity, showing as he preached, that the Vaisnava is beyond the gunas, and beyond even the conception of the sattva-guna brahmana.
Bhudev Prabhu performs arati for Srila Saraswati Thakur.

Srila Gurudev passes our rice storage huts while returning to his quarters.
Devotees and guests honour Prasadam on this holy day.
A few hours later, Sripad B.N. Acharyya Maharaj led a party across the Ganges to Mayapur, to offer respects at Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's samadhi mandir.
~Web-page and report by Damayanti Devi Dasi
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip
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