Srila Guru Maharaj's Glory and Pastimes

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Speaking online to the devotees in New York City
23 October 2011, part 2

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was born on the same day as Nityananda Prabhu's son Virachandra Prabhu—Srila Sridhar Maharaj is non-different from Virachandra Prabhu. As for Hapaniya Dham, you know that Srila Jajavar Maharaj, Srila Madhusudan Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj, everybody, all of Srila Sridhar Maharaj's godbrothers (Prabhupad's associates), went to Hapaniya and they said that it was non-different from Varsana, Radharani's birthplace.

Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj's godbrother, would go from Nabadwip to Hapaniya on foot and all the way he would chant the kirtan written by Srila Sridhar Maharaj, Prema-dhama-deva-stotram about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণনাম-কীর্ত্তনং
রাম-রাম-গান-রম্য-দিব্য-ছন্দ-নর্ত্তনম্ ।
যত্র তত্র কৃষ্ণনাম-দান-লোক-নিস্তরং
প্রেম-ধাম-দেবমেব নৌমি গৌর-সুন্দরম্ ॥

krsna-krsna-krsna-krsna-krsna-nama-kirtanam
rama-rama-gana-ramya-divya chhanda-nartanam
yatra-tatra-krsna-nama-dana-loka-nistaram
prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram

Later, the Supreme Lord travelled to the holy places of pilgrimage in South India with the clever intention of delivering the fallen souls. Appearing as a beautiful young renunciate, He distributed the sweet Names of the Lord, singing: "Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna he," as He strolled down the different pathways, entered temples, and visited homesteads during the sacred pilgrimage. Infused with an inconceivable type of divine inspiration, the Lord freely chanted "Rama Rama" and joyfully danced with the most charming gestures. Irrespective of time or personal qualification, the assembled bystanders were delivered by the Lord, who inspired them to chant Krishna's Holy Names. I offer my obeisances to that beautiful Golden Lord, Gauranga Sundar, the divine form of Krishna prema.

(Prema-dhama-deva Stotram, 22)

He would sing all of Prema-dhama-deva Stotram and go to Hapaniya—on foot! When he came to Hapaniya, he would search the school where Srila Sridhar Maharaj had studied, the pond where he had bathed, the playground where he had played football in his childhood. He would look for such kinds of places and take dust from there. Srila Sridhar Maharaj asked him, "Maharaj, you go to my birthplace, it is not a problem, but why do you go to the playground where I played, to the pond where I bathed, etc.?" Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj replied, "Maharaj, because I consider that you are non-different from Rupa Goswami. When I see the slokas that you have written, I feel that nobody except Rupa Goswami can write such slokas. That is why I go there and I think it is Rupa Goswami's place, Rupa Goswami's birthplace."

Some of Srila Sridhar Maharaj's godbrothers said he was non-different from Rupa Goswami. This is the kind of honour they all gave to him.

When Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was a schoolboy, he started sankirtan in Hapaniya. At that time nobody in Hapaniya did sankirtan—they only did Durga-puja, demigods' puja, Kali-puja, etc., but Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj started sankirtan with his childhood friends when he was only twelve years old...

Later, he went to Kolkata to study in a law college. At that time he met Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad. His name was Ramendra Sundar Prabhu then, he was not a devotee, he came to Prabhupad like a new person, a newcomer. He would come to Prabhupad every day and only listened to his lecture without asking any questions. At that time India was not independent, it was under the British empire, so seeing that Srila Sridhar Maharaj came and just listened without saying anything somebody at the Math became suspicious and started to doubt, "Maybe he is not a devotee, maybe he is a British spy!" So, somebody told him, "Do not come here from tomorrow." Srila Sridhar Maharaj was a little sad at first, but he still came...

In "Cutting No Return Ticket", His Divine Grace tells the continuation of this pastime:

Srila Sridhar Maharaj left. He went to Kali-ghat, the bank of the Ganges and was sitting there sadly, thinking, "What do I go there for? I have no want of money, I have no want of anything. I only come to hear the lecture for my own spiritual benefit. But why did that man tell me not to come?" Then he suddenly thought, "Even if the temple manager beats me with a broom and tells me not to come, I must still come."

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