(1/5) 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 Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay.
All the acharya-varga ki jay.
All the assembled sannyasi-vrinda ki jay.
All the assembled devotees ki jay.
Harinam sankirtan ki jay.
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda 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 and all assembled devotees. Finally, I am offering my obeisance at the lotus feet of Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta 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 onto his beloved disciples and went back to his home.

Our Param Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Raksak 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

‘He slashed to shreds the illusion of the whole material universe, putting a stop to scholarly speculations and conceptions of liberation; he eased the strict rules and regulations, bestowing the conception of natural loving worship of the Divine Couple – may the devotional teachings of this Sri Bhaktisiddhanta play eternally in our hearts.’

(Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

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

স্থানে স্থানে কত মঠ, স্থাপিয়াছ নিষ্কপট,
প্রমসেবা 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

‘You have established temples in many places to teach the souls sincere loving service to the Lord. The Vaishnav residents of these temples always spread the nectar of the glories of the Lord.’

(Acharya Vandana)

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. This is how he utilised them in the service to 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-matha-prakasaka-varo jivaika-kalyanadhih
sri-siddhanta-sarasvatiti-vidito gaudiya-gurvanvaye
bhato bhanuriva prabhato-gagane rupanugaih pujitah

‘To bestow benefit upon all souls, you benevolently established Sri Chaitanya Math in Mayapur that stands on the bank of the Ganges in the land of Gauda, on the newly discovered nine islands of Nabadwip, which is non-different from Sri Vraja. In the succession of Gaudiya teachers, you are renowned as Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. Arising like the radiant sun in the morning sky, you are worshippable to all followers of Srila Rupa Goswami.’

(Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

He bestowed great benefit to all jiva souls (us) by establishing Sri 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, Srila Prabhupad made a promise to complete a ‘sata-koti Nama-yajna’ – he made a promise to chant a billion Holy Names [a hundred koti, or crore; one crore is ten million]. After that, Srimati Radharani (Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Giridhari) came in front of him and ordered him, ‘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 Aloka Paramahamsa Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Gaurava Vaikhanash Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vichar Jajavar Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj and others) – so many great scholars and great personalities came as Srila Prabhupad’s disciples. However, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was always very humble: he never thought they were his disciples; on the contrary, he would always say, ‘You have come to 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.’ He would pay 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 Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad] have forgiven the atheists from the Kulia village despite their atrocities and proclaimed to the whole world: one who is as tolerant as a tree can always chant the glories of the Lord.’

(Acharya Vandana)

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Illustrious Acharya
2) Advent of Hari-Kirtan Murti
3) Srila Prabhupad's Mission
4) Srila Prabhupad's Teachings
5) Unimaginable Service