(3/6) Forgotten Bond

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme in Hooghly district,
25 February 2019, noon, part 3
Translated from Bengali

When Srila Sridhar Maharaj established Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, many of his godbrothers started coming and staying with him. But many of them thought of becoming acharyas or gurus. In particular, there were two people, Nrisinghananda Brahmachari and Bhutavrit Prabhu, who thought, 'It is predicted that Srila Sridhar Maharaj would live only fifty-five years. He will leave his body soon, and we will become the gurus after him.' But when my Gurudev came in 1947 and Srila Sridhar Maharaj declared within only seven days, 'In the future, this boy will be my successor,' they became very upset and left the temple after creating much disturbance for Srila Sridhar Maharaj. They went to Mayapur and stayed there, opening their own (separate) temples.

This is how Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math was created. It carries the current of pure devotion, the current of Sri Rupa-Raghunath.

Gurudev took Srila Sridhar Maharaj to many holy places for preaching. And they also stayed at the Kolkata house of Srila Prabhupad (Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj), the founder of ISKCON, when Srila Swami Maharaj stayed there with his family (before he took sannyas). Whenever Srila Swami Maharaj received an invitation to some festival, he would go there together with my Gurudev. Gurudev was a saffron-clad brahmachari at that time, so Srila Swami Maharaj would have him sit on the vyasa-asan and he would tell him, 'Gaurendu, although you are younger than me, you are more respected in the society because you are a brahmachari and I am just a rotten householder. So, since you are wearing saffron, you should sit on the vyasa-asan – read Gita, and I will explain it.' This is how much respect Srila Swami Maharaj gave to Gurudev.

Later, when Srila Swami Maharaj established the ISKCON mission in India, in 1973, he invited all Gaudiya Maths to the inauguration programme, but nobody came. But our Param Guru Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj, went there together with my Gurudev (Gurudev gave a lecture at that programme, describing one sloka very beautifully). When they came, Srila Sridhar Maharaj asked Srila Swami Maharaj, 'You are opening a temple and calling it Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, but where is all the fire sacrifice arrangement?' Srila Swami Maharaj replied, 'When such a great Vaishnav as you has come here, there is no need for any fire sacrifice – my IKSCON temple has automatically become inaugurated.' Then, Srila Sridhar Maharaj told my Gurudev, 'Govinda Maharaj, I am not feeling well today, so you please give a lecture today.' Then, Guru Maharaj (Srila Govinda Maharaj) recited one sloka hearing which Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj exclaimed, 'Nitai Gaura Hari bol! Nitai Gaura Hari bol!' He spoke so beautifully that even Srila Swami Maharaj said, 'If I have a son in this world, then I have only one son – Govinda Maharaj.' Srila Swami Maharaj treated Govinda Maharaj as his very own son. They have forgotten all this now – they never speak about it. They do not know anything about the relationship between Srila Sridhar Maharaj and Srila Swami Maharaj, how they lived together.

Before Srila Swami Maharaj first went abroad, he first came to Srila Sridhar Maharaj's temple and offered his obeisance to him; and when he returned, he again first came to Srila Sridhar Maharaj's temple and told Srila Sridhar Maharaj everything about his preaching abroad – he told him everything openly, what he did, what he ate, etc. Hearing that Srila Swami Maharaj was coming, Srila Sridhar Maharaj personally cleaned his bed thinking that Srila Swami Maharaj would sleep on it. But when my Gurudev told him, 'Maharaj, this bed here is prepared for you,' Srila Swami Maharaj replied, 'Govinda Maharaj, have you gone mad? Do you think I will sleep on this bed? I do not have such audacity! Where is your room? I will stay there.' Srila Swami Maharaj slept on my Gurudev's bed, and Gurudev slept beside him, on the floor.

This is the kind of relationship they had. Those of you who have come to this line of Gaudiya siddhanta are truly very fortunate...

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Size: 25 Mb
Length: 51 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Joining Prabhupad's Mission
2) Starting Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
3) Forgotten Bond
4) Mahaprabhu's Hospitality
5) Kirtan Mood
6) Keep and Protect Relationship