(6/7) History of
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math (1)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Masulipatnam, Andhra Pradesh
6 January 2019, part 1

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First, I am giving my obeisance at my beloved Gurudev Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's lotus feet. Then, I am giving my obeisance to all the acharya-vrinda, all the acharyas all over the world, and all the Gaudiya Vaishnav vrinda, and at the lotus feet of my Guru-varga Om Vishnupad Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad's lotus feet. I also offer my obeisance to all the Vaishnav-vrinda here in attendance. I am praying for the mercy of you all—please help me protect my devotional life. I am praying to you all also because without your mercy I cannot say anything, I cannot even practise Krishna consciousness. Your mercy is also necessary for me.

You all know ISKCON, but some devotees do not actually know about Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

When Chaitanya Math had not yet been established, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad stayed in Kolkata and preached from there. At that time, our Param Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was a law student and he would come every day to listen to Hari-katha from Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. He was greatly impressed when he heard his Hari-katha—he thought, "I have heard so many lectures, I have heard so many things, but I had never heard such Krishna-katha before!" Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj would come and only listen, he never asked Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur any questions. At that time, India was under the British rule, and although Srila Sridhar Maharaj was actually against the British, devotees doubted him thinking, "That boy comes and sits quietly, maybe he is a British spy." Then, the temple manager told Srila Sridhar Maharaj not to come again. Srila Sridhar Maharaj was very sad and the next day he did not come to the programme. In the meantime, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur asked the next day, "There was one boy sitting always behind, listening, why did he not come today?" Nobody said anything, nobody complained, but of course Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur understood what had happened. The next day, however, Srila Sridhar Maharaj thought, "I do not go there for prasadam, I do not go there for take anyone's money, I only come to listen, so even if they kick me out, even if they throw me out of there, I will still go."

Eventually, after hearing Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's Hari-katha, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj decided, "He will be my spiritual master," and in 1923 he took shelter of the guidance of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj was a great scholar and composed many verses about Srila Prabhupad, about Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, and, although there were so many senior disciples, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave him sannyas in 1929. Later, after Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's demise in 1937, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj became very sad and went to Vrindavan. He stayed in Nanda-gram, Pavan Sarovar (the bhajan place of Srila Sanatan Goswami), and stayed there... Another thing that you should know is what had happened before that.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur left his body in Bagh Bazar Gaudiya Math in Kolkata. During his last days, all sannyasis divided the service among each other and always stayed with Srila Sarawati Thakur Prabhupad—somebody stayed for two hours, somebody for three hours, or for one hour, etc. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj also served him at that time. During his last moment, when Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was about to leave his body, the doctor tried to find his pulse and said there was no pulse, but at that time Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur suddenly spoke. He asked, "Where is Sridhar Maharaj? I want to hear one song, Sri Rupa-manjari-pada ei mora sampada." Everybody was surprised, "There are so many good singers who can sing with good tune, and Sridhar Maharaj does not even know how to sing a song—why did Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur choose him?" When Srila Sridhar Maharaj came and sang that song, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur left his body. After that, all godbrothers understood that Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur had selected him (Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) as the proper acharya, the proper guardian who can preach Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's proper conception.

So, when Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was in Vrindavan, Srimati Radharani and Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur sent a sky message (akas-vani) to him saying, "Why are you in Vrindavan? Do you want to go to Goloka Vrindavan alone? There are so many fallen souls all over the world—will you not think about them? You must go to Nabadwip and stay there. You must rescue the fallen souls, you must preach Krishna consciousness all over the world!" Srila Sridhar Maharaj left Vrindavan and made a small cottage on the bank of the Ganges in Nabadwip, which is now Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. At that time he gave that place the name Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and put up a big flag on a long bamboo pole. So many things happened after that...

Gradually, many of godbrothers sought Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj out and started coming to him. Many also took sannyas from Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. He established Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in 1941, and in 1947 our Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, came as Gaurendu Brahmachari to take shelter of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj...

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

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Language: English

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Loud and Loving Call
2) Transcending Bodily Existence
3) Why Do We Suffer?
4) Srimad Bhagavad-Gita's Message
5) Fulfil Your Quest
6) History of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math (1)
7) History of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math (2)