THE VOICE OF SRI CHAITANYADEV (Vol 2)

Introduction

Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj appeared in the world in 1929 at Brahmanpara, District Burdwan, West Bengal. He came to the lotus feet of his Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj in 1947, and remained faithfully in his service ever since. History tells us that from the very beginning he held the unrivalled position of the most intimate and faithful servitor of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, and from the beginning Srila Sridhar Maharaj revealed his wish that Srila Govinda Maharaj would occupy the position of his successor in the future. Srila Govinda Maharaj also enjoyed the long and intimate association of Om Vishnupad Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj as mentioned in the following pages.

Fulfilling a wish he cherished for about forty years, Srila Sridhar Maharaj conferred sannyasa upon Srila Govinda Maharaj in 1985, giving his final and irrevocable decision of his selection of Srila Govinda Maharaj as his successor President-Acharya of his Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math of Nabadwip, with all of its branches in India and internationally.

Like his illustrious Divine Master, Srila Govinda Maharaj has given us numerous pure devotional compositions in Sanskrit and Bengali, most valuable for the cultivation of spiritual life. His holy talks are also being brought out in book form.

From all over the world sincere spiritual aspirants are flocking by the hundreds to Nabadwip to hear the holy delivery of Hari-katha of Srila Govinda Maharaj. As a special blessing on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee [fiftieth anniversary] of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and to fulfill the thousands of requests of the sincere devotees, Srila Govinda Maharaj began his first international tour in 1992.

Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj is the Founder-Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip, West Bengal, India. He appeared in the world in 1895 at Hapaniya, Burdwan, West Bengal. From his childhood he had inner faith in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, with a natural attraction and affinity for Nama-sankirtan; his scholarship and worldly detachment was formidable.

His first contact with Sri Gaudiya Math was in 1923, and he fully committed himself to this Mission of his Guru, Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, in 1926. About 1930 his Guru gave him sannyasa, giving him his transcendental name meaning ‘the Guardian of Devotion.’ He took a prominent part in the founding, organizing and preaching of many of Sri Gaudiya Maths all over India.

Seeing his Sanskrit writings, his Guru referred to him as ‘a fit person to continue my divine succession,’ and ‘Sastra-nipuna Sridhar Maharaj’ or ‘Scriptural Genius Sridhar Maharaj.’ On another occasion his Guru also referred to him as ‘niveditatma’ or ‘a pure soul fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord.’

When Srila Sridhar Maharaj founded Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in 1941, it was no more than a thatched hut on the banks of the Ganges river. Yet, he composed this verse, mysteriously predicting the universal renown the Math would know in the future:

srimach chaitanya-sarasvata-mathavara udgita-kirtir jaya-srim
bibhrat sambhati ganga-tata-nikata-navadvipa-koladri-raje
yatra sri-gaura-sarasvata-mata-nirata gaura-gatha grnanti
nityam rupanuga sri-krtamati-guru-gauranga-radha-jitasa

In the Holy Abode of Transcendental Touchstone
    Sri Nabadwip Dham—the selfsame Sri Vrindavan,
in the land of Koladwip, whose inner identity
    is the King of mountains Sri Govardhan,
near the charming shores of the Holy River Bhagirathi
    who delivers all the fallen souls
stands that grand and glorious King of all Temples—
    Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

In that beautiful retreat, the surrendered devotees
    whose lives are the Message of Sri Gaura,
are eternally absorbed in the Loving Service
    of the Divine Master, the Golden Lord Gauranga
and the Loving Lord Sri Govindasundar
    with His Consort Srimati Gandharva,
        accompanied by all Their Dear Associates.
With hearts always filled with good hope
    to attain the Grace of the Lord,
following faithfully in the Line
    of Sri Sri Rupa and Raghunath—
the Storekeepers of the Unlimited Treasure
    of Pure, Sweet Love Divine,
those surrendered souls ever sing the unending Glories
    of the Transcendental Name and Qualities
of the Most Magnanimous, Original Supreme Lord
    Sri Sri Gaurangasundar.

As they take shelter in the soothing, affectionate shade
    of the victory flag that flies aloft
and sings wholeheartedly to the world
    the ever-expanding renown of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math;
bearing that banner of all Transcendental Benedictions,
    Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math ever shines resplendent
        in all its Divine Magnificence.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj also composed many unique spiritual prayers and commentaries in Sanskrit and Bengali revealing a devotional stature in common with that of the famed Goswamis of Vrindavan. Often thought even more amazing was his special ability to represent those thoughts in the international language of English. In this way much of his holy teachings have been published in book form.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj departed from the eyes of the mortal world in 1988. Thousands from all over the globe had by this time taken shelter in him as disciples. Prior to his departure, publicly and in his Last Will and Testament he named his beloved Divine Servitor Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj as his successor.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupada sharing the Vyasa-asana at the opening ceremony of Srila Swami Maharaj Prabhupada’s Sri Mayapur Chandrodoy Mandir.

Lower left is His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj who is now the President-Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. In this photo he is seen leading the kirtan by singing the Sanskrit prayer ‘Pranamami sada Prabhupada-padam’ (Sri Sri Prabhupadapadma-stavakah), a devotional prayer to Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, the Guru of both Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj. The prayer was written by Srila Sridhar Maharaj and is venerated and sung in Gaudiya Vaishnava Temples throughout India and the world.

At this most memorable occasion Srila Swami Maharaj Prabhupada stated, “I consider Srila Sridhar Maharaj to be my Siksa Guru, and Sripad Govinda Maharaj to be my dearmost son.”

He sang the glories of Srila Sridhar Maharaj by saying, “Jay Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Maharaj ki jay!”—a glorification that is only ever offered to one’s Guru.

This trio of holy personalities is again pictured—Srila Sridhar Maharaj at left, Srila Swami Maharaj at right, and Srila Govinda Maharaj in the middle. Their intimate past history is most valuable and interesting to all true devotees.

They resided together at Srila Swami Maharaj’s Sita Kanta Banerjee Lane house in Calcutta for about eight years. This was prior to Srila Swami Maharaj’s sannyasa. It was during that time that Srila Govinda Maharaj, on the order of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, studied the Sri Bhagavad-Gita from Srila Swami Maharaj.

Later Srila Swami Maharaj accepted sannyasa from Srila Bhakti Prajnan Kesav Maharaj, Srila Kesav Maharaj having already received sannyasa from Srila Sridhar Maharaj.

After travelling to the West in 1965 and spreading Krishna consciousness in a miraculous way previously unseen in the history of the world, whenever he returned to India, Srila Swami Maharaj who had become known by his disciples and many admirers world-wide as “Prabhupada”, would stay with Srila Sridhar Maharaj at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip. On those visits some special points that he spoke about Srila Sridhar Maharaj to his disciples follow:

“By both age and experience he is senior to me. I was fortunate to have his association since about 1930…. Krishna and Prabhupada [referring to his Diksa Guru—the Guru of both Srila Sridhar Maharaj and Srila Swami Maharaj] liked him to prepare me.

“Srila Sridhar Maharaj lived in my house for many years, so naturally we had very intimate talks and he was my good advisor. I took his advice and instructions very seriously because from the very beginning I knew him to be a pure Vaishnava, a pure devotee…. our relationship is very intimate.”

Prior to his departure from the world in 1977, Srila Swami Maharaj instructed his followers to take spiritual consultation and guidance from Srila Sridhar Maharaj.

After the departure of Srila Swami Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj remarked, “I consider him to be Saktyavesa Avatara…. Krishna came down to help him…. Divine Power came down to help him, otherwise it is impossible. It is not a thing of the ordinary level that anyone will do, but the highest thing has been taken down to the lowest position [distributed] so extensively [by him]. It cannot but be the Divine Power embodied and in a great intensity and magnitude; so Saktyavesa Avatara, I cannot but take him to be so.”

Later, Srila Govinda Maharaj asked Srila Sridhar Maharaj, “You have told us that Srila Swami Maharaj was Saktyavesa Avatara, but he was Saktyavesa Avatara of who?”

Srila Sridhar Maharaj quietly replied, “Nityananda Prabhu.”

Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada was the Guru of both Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj. In the thirties he established sixty-four Gaudiya Maths in India and preached the ideal of pure Vaishnavism in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He had a vision to construct a magnificent temple in London where this ideal could be practised and preached for the supreme benefit of all; he also sent preachers from India to the U.K.

His Guru was Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj who engaged in solitary divine service without any public interaction; and his [Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada’s] father, who he also took as his Guru, was Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.

Om Vishnupad Srila Sachchidananda Bhaktivinod Thakur [1838–1914], a great teacher and scribe of transcendental literature in Sri Gaudiya sampradaya, he envisioned the world dispensation of the chanting of the Names of God as predicted in the scriptures Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, Srimad Bhagavatam and others. He personally foretold that the finer thinkers or intelligentsia of the entire globe must inevitably be attracted to the religion of divine love for God as given exclusively by Sriman Mahaprabhu.

The following Sanskrit verse clearly delineating the basic principles of the perfect teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was written by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur:

These Ten Fundamental Divine Teachings have been taught by the Supreme Lord Sri Gaurachandra to the faithful souls:

1. The supreme holy teachings are the Vedas received in divine succession of spiritual masters. The divine authority is the Vedas and allied holy scriptures headed by Srimad Bhagavatam, along with the general relative proofs of perception, verbal evidence and inference when in compliance with those scriptures. By that authority it is established that:

2. Sri Hari [Krishna] is the Supreme Truth.

3. He is full with all potencies.

4. He is the ocean of all divine ecstasy.

5. The individual souls are His separated spiritual particles.

6. Some of those souls are captivated by Maya.

7. Some of those souls are liberated from Maya.

8. The entire creation, material and spiritual, is an inconceivable simultaneously different yet identical manifestation of Sri Hari.

9. The singular means is devotion for Krishna, or bhakti.

10. The singular attainable objective is divine love for Him.

CONTENTS

• Publisher's Note
• Introduction
• (1) Our Fortunate Association
• (2) Awakening Our Hearts to Eternal Joy
• (3) Transcendental Chronicle
• The Mission In Pictures [11 Mb]

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