All glories
to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga
Understanding Śrīla Gurudev
Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj
and his praṇām mantra
gurvābhīṣṭa-supūrakaṁ guru-gaṇair āśīṣa-saṁbhūṣitaṁ
chintyāchintya-samasta-veda-nipuṇaṁ śrī-rūpa-panthānugam
govindābhidham ujjvalaṁ vara-tanuṁ bhakty anvitaṁ sundaraṁ
vande viśva-guruñ cha divya-bhagavat-premṇo hi bīja-pradam
“I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj, who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev’s most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu’s line; whose beautiful, exalted, effulgent form is filled with devotion; who is the Guru of the world; and who distributes the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.”
His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj made his appearance in this world on 17 December 1929 in the holy land of Śrī Gaura Maṇḍal in a village known as Bamunpara within the Burdwan district of West Bengal, India.
Like the sun rising and inspiring lotuses to bloom, Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj appeared in a brāhmaṇ family and filled the land of Śrīman Mahāprabhu with joy. His family's ancestors were followers of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, and from his boyhood he engaged in the service of his family's Deities, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnāth, who were installed by Nityānanda Prabhu's son Vīrachandra Prabhu. At the age of seventeen he met his Divine Master, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj.
Gurvābhīṣṭa-supūrakaṁ
He perfectly fulfils his Gurudev’s most cherished desires.
Almost immediately after he arrived, Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj recognised his divine qualities and publicly declared that he would prepare him to be the future Āchārya of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh.
As a young brahmachārī, Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj surrendered to Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj in thought, word, and deed, and received instruction from him in all aspects of the scriptures and their practical application. He quickly became adept in all fields of service.
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s mission was to propound the glory of Śrīman Mahāprabhu according to the teachings of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu and his followers, led in modern times by Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur. Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj acted to fulfil this desire of his Gurudev in every possible way. He set up a printing press and published numerous books and magazines filled with the writings of the Rūpānuga sampradāya’s Āchāryas. He led tours to the pilgrimage sites all over India that are associated with Sāraswat Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism. He established the annual Śrī Nabadwīp Dhām Parikramā festival at Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, which has continued without interruption since 1948. He made the arrangements for the installation of the Maṭh’s Deities Śrī Śrī Gāndharvā-Govindasundar and collected the funds needed to construct the domed Temple in which They reside. He travelled to towns and villages both near and far to spread Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s Nām-saṅkīrtan-dharma and inspire souls to take shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Guru. The countless endeavours he made in service to his Gurudev cannot be summarised.
Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj also served Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj intimately as his doctor and confidant. Their relationship was so developed that many have described them as a shining example of the perfect Guru and perfect disciple. Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj has described himself as being “bound by affection” to his Gurudev’s feet, and Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj felt such attachment to Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj that at times he could not tolerate his separation for even a few hours.
Guru-gaṇair āśīṣa-saṁbhūṣitaṁ
He is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates.
Over the course of the forty-two years that they lived together, Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj had the fortune of serving many of Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s godbrothers and observing their loving interactions with Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj.
Leading preachers like Śrīpād Bhakti Sāraṅga Goswāmī Mahārāj, Śrīpād Bhakti Prajñān Keśav Mahārāj, Śrīpād Bhakti Vichār Jājāvar Mahārāj, Śrīpād Bhakti Dayita Mādhav Mahārāj, and Śrīpād Bhakti Kamal Madhusūdan Mahārāj would come to Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh to honour Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj, and while there would always affectionately encourage Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s sister, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād’s sister Bhāvanī Didi, and Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s sister Ramā Didi, and other noble ladies, also blessed Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj during his youth.
During the late ’40s and early ’50s Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād ran a preaching centre on behalf of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh in Kolkata. As a young brahmachārī, Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj would stay with Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj for a few months each year. Daily, Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj would teach him verses from Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, and he would cook for Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj. During this time Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj also trained him as a preacher by engaging him as the first distributor of Back to Godhead magazine. When Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj started Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh’s Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan magazine, Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj wrote a letter of appreciation for his service: “[Your writing] is not only very amusing but instructive. … In time you can become a great transcendental humourist in the art of journalism. You have complete mercy from your Divine Master and you can depend on his blessings for your future improvement. I sincerely wish you all success. Undoubtedly you are now in the highest order of varṇāśram-dharma, but we cannot forget that you belong to the category of our affectionate sons. We cannot forget all such filial love for you, and when we see that you are improving in all respects it gladdens our heart.”
Chintyāchintya-samasta-veda-nipuṇam
He is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable.
Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj’s command of the revealed scriptures amazed everyone who met him. From his childhood he had a remarkable memory, and when he came to the Maṭh he quickly memorised hundreds of songs and thousands of verses on his Gurudev’s order. From that time until his final days he could readily recite Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, large portions of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and countless verses from other texts. Within two or three years of joining he could lecture with more authority than many of his Guru’s godbrothers. Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj’s capacity to recount and explain the scriptures pleased Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj so much that when Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj was a brahmachārī of only two years, Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj gave him the title ‘Vidyā Rañjan’ [one whose knowledge delights others].
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj also later stated in his last will and testament: “Above all, he [Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj] is well-known and unanimously acclaimed as being firmly established in the philosophy of the perfect axiomatic truth of bhakti as propounded by both myself as well as by my Divine Master.”
Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj wrote numerous poems and articles in Sanskrit and Bengali, which he published in the magazine he ran on behalf of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan. His writings blend siddhānta with wit, sweetness, and humour to melt both the heart and mind. Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s godbrothers sometimes mistook his compositions for those of Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj, which they revered as nondifferent from Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu’s writings.
Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj’s expertise also went beyond scriptural theory; he was adept at leadership, organisation, fundraising, construction, cow care, gardening, and cooking. As the Maṭh’s manager, he excelled at all services by virtue of his extraordinary intelligence and could expertly put the teachings of the scriptures in practice according to time, place, and circumstance.
Śrī-Rūpa-panthānugam
He is the pre-eminent follower of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu’s line.
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj was empowered by Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur to be the self-effulgent Āchārya of the Rūpānuga sampradāya. At the time of his departure, Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur requested Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj to sing the sampradāya’s anthem, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī Pada. As Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s beloved disciple, Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj, and only Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj, sang this song for him on suitable occasions. Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj served Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj as a servant, a friend, and an affectionate guardian. All the stages of the relationship between Guru and disciple described in the Rūpānuga sampradāya were present between Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj and Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj. Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj’s service to Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj illustrates the meaning of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī Pada, that the service of Śrī Rūpa (Śrī Guru) is one’s life, wealth, joy, fulfilment—everything.
Govindābhidham
He is known as Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj.
In 1985 Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj conferred sannyās upon Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj, giving him the name ‘Bhakti Sundar Govinda’. Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj once asked Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj about his name, and Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj replied, “My Deity is Govinda and my kuṇḍa is Govinda, so your name must be Govinda.”
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj established his Maṭh on the bank of Śrī Govinda Kuṇḍa and Śrī Govindasundar as its central Deity. Holding both this place and this form of the Lord most dearly within His heart, he gave the name Govinda to his dearmost associate, Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj, who he treasured like his most precious jewel (Govindābhidham Indirāśrita-padaṁ hastastha-ratnādivat).
Go in Govinda means ‘world’, ‘cows’, ‘Vedas’, and ‘senses’. Govinda means ‘He who pleases’ all of these. As the Supreme Lord Govinda’s dear devotee, all of Lord Govinda’s qualities shine through Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj. Those who had the fortune of knowing him rejoice when they recall his charming divine presence.
Ujjvalaṁ vara-tanuṁ bhakty anvitaṁ sundaram
His beautiful, exalted, effulgent form is filled with devotion.
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj has the deepest esteem for Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj. He remarked, “Actually in many ways he is more qualified than I am.” Also: “He came [to me] with some previous wealth”; “He is a natural paramahaṁsa”; “His service never leaves the nirguṇa plane”; and “If you get to know him more intimately, you will come to understand what sort of transcendental character he has.”
Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj created the atmosphere of Vraja Dhām wherever he went. His seemingly simple, yet deeply loving and profound personality can only be understood as a manifestation of the aprākṛta realm. His seniors, peers, and followers all marvelled at the beauty of his form and the sweetness and strength he exhibited as he related naturally and intimately with all. His captivating affection awakened the dormant spirit of devotion from within the hearts of thousands and forcibly inspired them to dedicate their lives to the service of Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga.
Viśva-gurum
He is the Guru of the world.
Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād requested Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj to tour the world with him in the mid ’70s to preach to his disciples. Because Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj was Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s personal doctor and Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s health was unstable at that time, Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj declined. At that time both Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj and Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj prophesied that in the future he would tour the world and inspire their followers on the path of pure devotion.
In the early ’80s, when Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj’s disciples and admirers, who were mostly Westerners, started to frequent Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, seeking guidance and shelter, Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj did not readily accept them because of his advanced age and ill health. It was only when Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj promised to look after them following Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s passing that Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj sheltered and initiated them.
Following the disappearance of Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj in 1988, Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj, as the President-Sevāite-Āchārya of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, toured the world twenty-four times over the course of eighteen years. He oversaw the opening of over 100 centres on six continents and the distribution of over 350 publications in twenty languages. He crossed linguistic and cultural boundaries and inspired thousands of people of all ages by communicating with them heart-to-heart. He would often recall with a beaming smile, “The sun never sets on Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh.”
Divya-Bhagavat-premṇo hi bīja-pradam
He distributes the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.
In 1986 Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj fulfilled the desire he had cherished for almost forty years and established Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj as the President-Sevāite-Āchārya of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh and all of its centres worldwide. Thereafter Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj initiated the sincere seekers who approached Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh into the service of Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga. Initiation is compared to the planting of a seed, the seed of divine love, within the heart. As seeds must be nourished and protected in order to bear fruit, so Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj affectionately guided the disciples of Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj, Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj, and himself in their practising lives. His wisdom, experience, character, and charm inspired deep faith within all, and his instructions dispelled all inauspiciousness. He encouraged everyone, regardless of the position they were in, and emphasised chastity, sincerity, love, and affection. He showed by example that serving Śrī Guru and Vaiṣṇava and practising Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtan-dharma is the real path towards the service of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Vraja Dhām. His foremost advice was to adhere to Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s formula for chanting the Holy Name: to be humble, be tolerant, and give honour to others without expecting it for oneself. |