(6/9) Srila Sridhar Maharaj's Kirtan

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, evening class
2 January 2021, part 6, translated from Bengali

Srila Sridhar Maharaj also wrote another poem, ‘Sri Dayita-dasa-pranati Panchakam’:

ভয়ভঞ্জন-জয়শংসন-করুণায়তনয়নম্ ।
কনকোৎপল-জনকোজ্জ্বল-রসসাগর-চয়নম্ ॥

bhaya-bhanjana-jaya-samsana-karunayata-nayanam
kanakotpala-janakojjvala-rasa-sagara-chayanam

‘He (his holy form) has arisen from the birthplace of golden lotuses, an (exalted, supramundane) ocean of the nectar of divine consorthood.’

(‘Sri Dayita-dasa-pranati Panchakam’, Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur liked it when Srila Sridhar Maharaj sang kirtan. In the end, he also asked Srila Sridhar Maharaj to chant a kirtan to him. He said about him, ‘I know now that I have left one person in this world who will be able to preach Hari-katha after me. I can leave now being confident that there is somebody left in this world to preach.’ Srila Prabhupad left on 1 January 1937. Just before he left, he listened to Srila Sridhar Maharaj singing a kirtan, early in the morning, shortly after 4 a.m.

Many wanted Srila Sridhar Maharaj to become the acharya of Gaudiya Math, but he refused. He said, ‘I do not want to be the acharya, and even if I become the acharya, will you be able to respect me as one? It is not possible.’

Do you know what the situation at the temple in Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s time was like? There were no great buildings. Do we come to the temple to see a great building? We do not. We come to see gurudev. Those who come to see buildings will fight and make problems, and they can have the temple for themselves. Because Gurudev’s dead body is physically there, we constructed his samadhi-mandir, but I know where his soul is…

Srila Sridhar Maharaj composed the ‘Sujanarvuda’ poem, and all the temples sing it now. There is also another very beautiful song composed by an unnamed author, ‘Jayare jayare jaya paramahamsa mahasaya’ (‘Acharya Vandana’). I heard it for the first time when I went to Mayapur – there was an assembly of Gaudiya Vaishnavs at Sri Chaitanya Math. Another famous song is ‘Sri Sarasvat Arati’ (‘Jayare jayare jaya gaura-sarasvati’). It is sung for the arati of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga and Radha-Krishna. Sometimes, we do not sing it, or we have to sing it quickly, because sometimes when I just start singing it, the pujari already comes out to blow the conch, finishing the arati. I have told them that the arati finishes when we finish singing the songs, but they still sometimes come to blow the conch before the second song is finished. What am I to say?

জয়রে জয়রে জয় গৌর-সরস্বতী ।
ভকতিবিনোদান্বয় করুণামুরতি ॥

jayare jayare jaya gaura-sarasvati
bhakativinodanvaya karuna murati

‘Glory, glory to Sri Gaura–Saraswati, the holy embodiment of mercy in the line of Sri Bhaktivinod Thakur.’

প্রকাশিলে গৌরসেবা ভূবনমঙ্গল ।
ভখতিসিদ্ধান্ত শুদ্ধ প্রজ্ঞান উজ্জ্বল ॥

prakasile gaura-seva bhuvana mangala
bhakati-siddhanta suddha prajnana ujjvala

‘Revealing service to Sri Gaura, which spreads auspiciousness in this world, you presented devotional teachings (bhakti-siddhanta) that radiate self-effulgent pure transcendental knowledge.’

(‘Sri Saraswat Arati’, Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

These four lines are about Srila Prabhupad, and after that the song continues about the combined form of the Divine Couple (Sri Sri Radha-Krishna). We sing it in many temples. Srila Sridhar Maharaj set a very high standard, and we do not want to go below it.

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Size: 27 Mb
Length: 55 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Advent of Srila Prabhupad
2) Rescuing Mahaprabhu's Line
3) Acharyas' Arrival in Nabadwip
4) Srila Prabhupad's Initiation
5) Illustrious and Loving Service
6) Srila Sridhar Maharaj's Kirtan
7) Advent of Gaura-Saraswati
8) Step Towards Lord, Not Maya
9) Be Kind to Yourself and Others