Online Assembly of Dham-Bhusana Vaishnavs

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur
Kolkata-Mayapur, 31 August 2020
Translated from Bengali

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay
Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Srila Prabhupad ki jay
Madiya siksa-guru Om Vishnupad Jagad-guru Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaj ki jay

By the mercy of Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaj we have got an opportunity to speak and hear about Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur in this class amidst the pandemic situation through the medium of zoom. Today is a very auspicious day, we have all gathered here today to observe this holy day.

First, I am offering my full obeisance at the lotus feet of my Divine Master Om Vishnupad Jagad-guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj begging him for his causeless mercy, aspiring for his service; after that, I am offering my full obeisance to all assembled guru-varga, godbrothers, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, brahmacharis, and sannyasis. I am offering my obeisance at your holy feet and praying for your mercy to this low soul.

Today is a very auspicious day—today is the holy appearance day of Srila Sach-chid-ananda Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. Every year, we hold this festival in Surabhi Kunja, we celebrate the holy appearance day of this great soul in the association of all Gaudiya Vaishnavs, adhering to their lotus feet, but due to the current situation, because it is not possible to gather many people in one place, we have got this opportunity to hear and chant the glories of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur from afar, staying in various places, and this is a great fortune for us. It has become possible by courtesy of the Acharyadev of ISKCON, my siksa-guru Om Vishnupad Srila Jayapataka Maharaj. I am offering hundreds of obeisances at his holy feet.

So, today is the holy appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. My Param Gurudev Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj composed one sloka, his pranam-mantra:

গুরুদং গ্রন্থদং গৈরধামদং নামদং মুদা
ভক্তিদং ভূরিদং বন্দে ভক্তিবিনোদকং সদা

guru-dam grantha-dam gaura-dhama-dam nama-dam muda
bhakti-dam bhuri-dam vande bhakti-vinodakam sada

"He is the giver of Sri Guru; he is the giver of scriptures; he is giver of the holy dham of Gaura; he is the giver of the Name; he is the giver of pure devotion; he is the greatest donor. I always offer my obeisance to this Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur."

(Sri Laghu-chandrika-bhasya, 1.8)

The meaning of this pranam-mantra is this. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur gave us guru (guru-dam). If he had not come to this world, how do you think we would have got Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur? By his blessing, by his mercy we have got Bimala-prasad—we have got Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur. Grantha-dam. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur composed many scriptures. We sing so many kirtans, including many kirtans from his book Saranagati. We have got from him Chaitanya-siksamrita, Jaiva-dharma, Datta-kaustubham, Sri Anvaya Sutra, Sri Gauranga-smarana-mangal, Sri Harinam-chintamani, Kalyan-kalpataru, Gitavali, Saranagati, Bhajan-rahasya and many other books. Gaura-dhama-dam. He gave us Mayapur Dham. Many used to say that the Ganges had taken away the dham; it is true, but the Ganges also gave the dham back. One day, when Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur was chanting the Holy Name at his house at Svananda-sukhada Kunja, he saw a divine light in Sri Mayapur, at the place where Yogapith is now. When he went there, he saw a Tulasi garden and after that he came there with the highest Vaishnav Pujyapad Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj. Arriving there, Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj jumped out of his basket and cried, "This is my Prabhu's birthplace!" Later on, many had filed court cases against Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, and Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur had to tolerate the atrocities of all the apa-sampradayas (aul, baul, karttabhaja, nera, daravesa, sani, sakhibheki, jata-gosai, etc.).

Param Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj also composed a very beautiful poem called Sri Bhaktivinod-viraha Dasakam. It is not possible to read it all now, but I can describe at least one sloka from there. When Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur read this Bhaktivinod-viraha Dasakam, he said to Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, "You did not write this. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur himself wrote this!"

শ্রীগৌরানুমতং স্বরূপবিদিতং রূপাগ্রজেনাদৃতং
রূপাদ্যৈঃ পরিবেশিতং রঘুগণৈরাস্বাদিতং সেবিতম্ ।
জীবাদ্যৈরভিরক্ষিতং শুক-শিব-ব্রহ্মাদি-সম্মানিতং
শ্রীরাধাপদসেবনামৃতমহো তদ্দাতুমীশো ভবান্ ॥

srigauranumatam svarupaviditam rupagrajenadrtam
rupadyaih parivesitam raghuganairasvaditam sevitam
jivadyair abhiraksitam sukasivabrahmadi sammanitam
sriradhapadasevanamrtam aho tad datum iso bhavan

"What was sanctioned by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by His descent was intimately known only to Sri Svarupa Damodara Goswami. It was adored by Sanatan Goswami and served by Rupa Goswami and his followers. Raghunatha Das Goswami tasted that wonderful thing fully and enhanced it with his own realization. And Jiva Goswami supported and protected it by quoting the scriptures from different places. The taste of that divine truth is aspired for by Brahma, Siva, and Uddhava, who respect it as the supreme goal of life. What is this wonderful truth? Sri radhapadasevana: that the highest nectar of our life is the service of Srimati Radharani. This is most wonderful. O Bhakti Vinoda Thakur, you are our master. It is within your power to allow them to bestow their grace upon us. You are in a position to bestow the highest gift ever known to the world upon us all. It is at your disposal. O Bhaktivinod Thakur, please be kind to us and grant us your mercy."

It is very beautiful. I will read the meaning of only this one sloka. "The nectar of the holy lotus feet of Srimati Radharani that Sri Svarup Damodar keeps in his heart, that Srila Sanatan Goswami adores, that Srila Rupa Goswami distributes, that Srila Raghunath Das Goswami tastes and relishes, that Srila Jiva Prabhu takes care of and protects, that Suka, demigods, Mahadev, Uddhav, Brahma and others worship—O Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur! only you can distribute this supreme wealth." He gave this type of highest position to Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.

Sripad Bhakti Purushottam Swami Maharaj was just saying that Sriman Nityananda Prabhu had established Nama-hatta, the market of the Holy Name. Eventually, aul, baul, sahajiya, etc. sampradays had opened so many shops of imaginary God at this market, but Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur came and said, "I will be the sweeper! I will sweep away all weeds and clean the marketplace!"

Moreover, Sisur Ghosh called Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur 'the seventh goswami.' We all know there are six goswamis:

জয় রূপ সনাতন ভট্ট রঘুনাথ ।
শ্রীজীব গোপালভট্ট দাস রঘুনাথ ॥

jaya rupa sanatana bhatta raghunatha
sri-jiva gopala-bhatta dasa raghunatha

"All glory to Sri Rupa, Sanatan, Raghunath Bhatta, Sri Jiva, Gopal Bhatta, and Raghunath Das!"

And Sisur Ghosh said, "After the six goswamis, we see that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur is the seventh."

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur was born on 2 September 1838 (13 Bhadra 1245) in Birnagar village. At the age of eleven, he lost his father and was then brought up at his maternal uncle's house. When he was a child, he used to be afraid of ghosts, and his grandmother said to him, "If you are afraid of ghosts, then chant the Name of Rama." He asked her, "What is the Name of Rama?" She explained, "Rama is omni-present, omniscient Supreme Lord Hari, the embodiment of eternity, consciousness and bliss—if you chant His Name, you will have no fear of ghosts." Later in his life, he worked as Deputy Magistrate in many places. When he worked as Deputy Magistrate in Dinajpur, he got an opportunity to give lectures on Bhagavatam and Chaitanya-charitamrita. He also stayed and worked as Deputy Magistrate in Puri for five years, during this time he also supervised the conduct of Ratha-yatra (he supervised how the chariots will go, how everything will be arranged, etc.). There, in Puri, there was one sadhu named Raghunath Das Babaji Maharaj who did not want to associate with Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur because Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur did not have a mala on his neck, etc. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur said to him, "Prabhu, you see I have no tilaks, no mala, etc. and you look down on me. Please forgive me. What am I to do, Babaji Maharaj? What is my fault? Tilaks and mala come through a guru, but Mahaprabhu has not connected me to a guru yet. Would it be right to take up mala and chant whimsically?" Then, Raghunath Das Babaji Maharaj understood him and praised him very much.

And one more thing I want to say is this.

শ্রীগৌরাঙ্গ-পারিষদ ঠাকুর ভক্তিবিনোদ
দীনহীন পতিতের বন্ধু ।
কলিতমঃ বিনাশিতে আনিলেন অবনীতে
তোমা' অকলঙ্ক পূর্ণ ইন্দু ॥

sri-gauranga-parisada thakura bhakti-vinoda
dina-hina patitera bandhu
kali-tamah vinasite anilena avanite
toma' akalanka purna indu

"Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur is an associate of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and a friend of all low and fallen souls—to dispel all darkness of this dark age, he brought to this earth you [Srila Saraswati Thakur], a spotless full moon."

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has given us Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur—therefore, we have nothing more to say on this day. We are unqualified. "Prabhu, please, wherever you are staying now, make us a servant of your servants, please engage us in your service." This is our prayer to Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.

Jay Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur Mahasay ki jay.

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