Illustrious Acharya

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's disappearance
Nrisingha Palli, 3 January 2021, part 1

Dandavat. Please accept my humble obeisance. I am very happy to see you all.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay
All the acharya-varga ki jay
Srila Bhakti Kusum Ashram Maharaj ki jay
Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj ki jay
Srila Bhakti Vijay Trivikram Maharaj ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Sripad Bhakti Nandan Sadhu Maharaj ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

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 offering my full obeisance at the lotus feet of my beloved Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, then I am giving my full obeisance to all the guru-varga, acharya-varga, all the sannyasis, all the Vaishnavs, all distinguished devotees, all assembled devotees. Finally, I am offering my obeisance at the lotus feet of Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur whose disappearance day took place today, and who is a great personality. He is not an ordinary person of this material world—he came from Goloka Vrindavan, from the Lord Himself, and when his job finished here, he passed the responsibility to his beloved disciples and went back to his own home.

Our Param Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) wrote a beautiful pranam-mantra of Srila Saraswati Thakur,

নিখিল-ভুবন-মায়া-ছিন্নবিচ্ছিন্নকর্ত্রী
বিবুধবহুল-মৃগ্যা-মুক্তি-মোহান্ত-দাত্রী ।
শিথিলিত-বিধি-রাগারাধ্য-রাধেশ-ধানী
বিলসতু হৃদি নিত্যং ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত-বাণী ॥

nikhila-bhuvana-maya-chhinnavichchhinna-kartri
vibudhabahula-mrgya-mukti-mohanta-datri
sithilita-vidhi-raga-radhya-radhesa-dhani
vilasatu hrdi nityam bhakti-siddhanta-vani

"With his first step, he vigorously cut asunder the whole plane of exploitation, and with his second, he put a stop to all the calculations of the different scholars with their different conceptions of liberation. With his third step, he eased the hard rules and regulations by a touch of the Divine Love: he gave us the worship of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda. The real existence of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad is in his divine teachings. May those teachings dance eternally within the core of your heart."

Srila Prabhupad declared a totalitarian war against maya and also reduced some rules and regulations. There used to be so many rules and regulations before, but he relaxed the rules and regulations and distributed proper pure devotion.

স্থানে স্থানে কত মঠ স্থাপিয়াছ নিষ্কপট
প্রেমসেবা শিখাইতে জীবে ।
মঠের বৈষ্ণবগণ করে সদা বিতরণ
হরিগুণ-কথামৃত ভবে ॥

sthane sthane kata matha sthapiyachha niskapata
prema-seva sikhaite jive
mathera vaisnava-gana kare sada vitarana
hari-guna-kathamrta bhave

"Sincerely, you established so many temples to teach the souls loving service to the Lord. The Vaishnava residents of these temples incessantly spread the nectar of the glories of the Lord."

Srila Prabhupad opened sixty-four temples, or branches, of Gaudiya Math—he collected people from Maya, turned them into brahmacharis and sannyasis and then again sent them back to preach to householder people—he utilised them in the service of Srimati Radharani, Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. Our Param Guru Maharaj also wrote another beautiful sloka in glorification of Srila Prabhupad where he says,

গৌড়ে গাঙ্গতটে নবব্রজ-নবদ্বীপে তু মায়াপুরে
শ্রীচৈতন্যমঠ-প্রকাশকবরো জীবৈক-কল্যাণধীঃ ।
শ্রীসিদ্ধান্তসরস্বতীতি-বিদিতো গৌড়ীয়-গুর্ব্বন্বয়ে
ভাতো ভানুরিব প্রভাতগগনে রূপানুগৈঃ পূজিতঃ ॥

gaude ganga-tate nava-vraja-navadvipe tu mayapure
sri-chaitanya-math-prakasaka-varo jivaika-kalyanadhih
sri-siddhanta-sarasvatiti-vidito gaudiya-gurvanvaye
bhato bhanuriva prabhato-gagane rupanugaih pujitah

"You have manifested Sri Chaitanya Math in the land of Gauda, on the bank of the Ganges, in Mayapur that stands in Nabadwip, non-different from Sri Vraja. Renowned among great Gaudiya Vaisnava teachers as Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, you have appeared like a radiant sun rising in the morning sky and you are worshippable to all followers of Sri Rupa Goswami."

He gave a great benefit to all the jiva souls (us) by establishing Chaitanya Math on the bank of the Ganges, and he is worshipped by all followers of the Rupanuga line.

One day, sitting under a jackfruit tree in Chaitanya Math, he made a promise to complete 'sata-koti nama-yajna'—he made a promise to chant a billion Holy Names (a hundred koti, or crores; one crore is ten million). After that, Srimati Radharani (Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Giridhari) came in front of him and ordered, "You must preach!" Srila Prabhupad said, "How? I have no wealth, no manpower... How can I preach?" Srimati Radharani said, "Do not worry. I am sending My associates to you." Then, all the acharya-varga came one by one to this world. So many great acharyas (Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Alok Paramahamsa Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Gaurava Vaikhanash Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vichar Jajavar Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaj, Srila Tirtha Maharaj, et. al.)—so many great scholars and great personalities—came as Srila Prabhupad's disciples. However, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was always very humble, so he never thought they were his disciples; on the contrary, he always said, "You have come in front of me to take initiation, so you are coming to give me some mercy. You are all my gurus, my masters, you are not my disciples." And he would give obeisance to everyone. Such was his quality. Not only that—

কুলিয়াতে পাষণ্ডীরা অত্যাচার কৈল যা'রা
তা সবার দোষ ক্ষমা করি ।
জগতে কৈলে ঘোষণা 'তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা'
হন 'কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥'

kuliyate pasandira atyachara kaila ya'ra
ta sabara dosa ksama kari'
jagate kaile ghosana 'taroriva sahisnuna'
hana 'kirtaniyah sada harih'

"You [Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad] forgave all the atheists of Kuliya village, despite their bad behaviour. Loudly you proclaimed to one and all: one who is more tolerant than a tree can always chant the glories of Lord Hari."

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