Srila Sridhar Maharaj's Line

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Appearance day of Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj
2 November 2018, Sri Dvaraka Dham, part 1

We have assembled here on the bank of the Gomati River and we are very fortunate because by the mercy of Gurudev, by the mercy of Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu we are staying here on the bank of the Gomati, near the Dvarakanath Temple in Sri Dvaraka Dham and today we are going to celebrate the appearance day of Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, our Param Gurudev and the founder acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

I am first giving obeisance at the lotus feet of my beloved Gurudev Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, our Param Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and Prabhupad Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and asking them for some blessing. Then, I am giving obeisance to all the Vaishnav-vrinda, to all my Guru-varga, all my godbrothers, all the sannyasi-vrinda who are present here and who are not present here. I am giving my full obeisance to all the mothers, all the sisters, all the godbrothers, I am giving my full obeisance to you all.

We have come here to Sri Dvaraka Dham to do Dvaraka parikrama, this is our first time here. This morning we went on parikrama and went to take some water from the Gomati River on our head and now we have gathered here to celebrate the festival of Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's appearance day. Today is a very auspicious day, a very joyful day—our Param Gurudev and also Virachandra Prabhu appeared in the Kartik month on this day.

You all know that Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was born in Hapaniya Dham, Bengal, in a brahman family, and he started practising Krishna-kirtan, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra in his childhood when he was only twelve years. At this age, children usually play but, instead of playing, he chanted kirtan with other boys. His childhood name was Ramendra Sundar, his father's name was Upendra Chandra Bhattacharya and his mother's name was Gauri Devi—he gave some mercy to his father and mother by appearing in their family in Hapaniya Dham in Bengal. When he grew up, he went to Kolkata to study law in a law college. There, he heard that there was a sadhu who gave good Hari-katha, Krishna-katha, who gave Krishna consciousness in Ulta Danga (Kolkata). He went there and eventually settled his mind that he would join Gaudiya Mission, Chaitanya Math. Then, he took initiation from Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and did much service in Chaitanya Math. He was in charge of establishing a temple in Madras, he preached all over Bengal and outside also. He also went to Bangladesh. He has composed many Sanskrit slokas. For example, we sing every day this kirtan:

সুজনার্ব্বুদরাধিতপাদযুগং
যুগধর্ম্মধুরন্ধর-পাত্রবরম্ ।
বরদাভয়দায়ক-পূজ্যপদং
প্রণমামি সদা প্রভুপাদপদম্

sujanarvuda-radhita-pada-yugam
yuga-dharma-dhurandhara-patra-varam
varadabhaya-dayaka-pujya-padam
pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

"My master, Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, established the religion of the age, Krishna-sankirtan, and is the chief minister of the universal assembly of leading Vaisnavas. His lotus feet are worshipped by millions of virtuous souls and fulfil the desires of those who dispel souls' fears. Eternally I offer my obeisance to my master's worshippable feet."

He wrote this song in glorification of Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. There is another song also that we sing at the arati time,

জয়রে জয়রে জয় গৌর-সরস্বতী ।
ভকতিবিনোদান্বয় করুণামুরতি ॥

jayare jayare jaya gaura-saraswati
bhakativinodanvaya karuna murati

'All glory, all glory to Sri Gaura–Saraswati, the holy embodiment of mercy in the line of Sri Bhaktivinod Thakur'.

প্রকাশিলে গৌরসেবা ভূবনমঙ্গল ।
ভখতিসিদ্ধান্ত শুদ্ধ প্রজ্ঞান উজ্জ্বল ॥

prakasile gaura-seva bhuvana mangala
bhakatisiddhanta suddha prajnana ujjvala

'Revealing service to Sri Gaura, which spreads auspiciousness in this world, you presented devotional teachings (bhakti-siddhanta) that radiate self-effulgent pure transcendental knowledge'.

My Gurudev told me, "If you can do the service that Guru Maharaj wanted, I will be very happy." Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj wanted to manifest Sri Govinda Kunda, but in his lifetime he could not make it, and Gurudev gave me an order, "If you can make a beautiful temple in Govinda Kunda, I will be very happy." He told this to me when he was in Russia, on the bank of the Baltic sea—to keep his word to Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, he told me to make a temple in Govinda Kunda and manifest Govinda Kunda properly. He said, "My Gurudev, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj wanted to make and if you can make it, I will be extremely happy." You know that today Govinda Kunda is manifest. It was a desire of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj said also: those who can give love and affection to Govinda Maharaj, who can serve under the guidance of Govinda Maharaj, who can help Govinda Maharaj, are my life—only those who do so will be considered my associate and can stay in my life, that is Chaitanya Saraswat Math paribar. Who will be considered a member of Chaitanya Saraswat Math? Those who will follow and serve under the guidance of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Without the mercy of Srila Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj you cannot be a disciple of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. If somebody says, "I am a disciple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj directly," they will not be considered my disciples because they do not follow the order of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj—only those who follow Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj can have the right to be called my disciple. This was said by our Param Gurudev Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. I do not know who can follow that, this is up to them, but this is what happened and this was said by Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj himself.

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