Sri Dhyanacandra Goswami's gayatri and meditation on Sri Nityananda

[Guest guest]

Sri Dhyanacandra Goswami has been recognized as a member of the guru-varga

following the lineage of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In the concluding

paragraph of Chp. 30 in his book Jaiva Dharma, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura

has described him as follows: "Sri Dhyanacandra Goswami was a perfect master

in all subjects, and especially in the esoteric art of cultivating love for

Sri Hari he was second to none. He was the first and foremost of all the

disciples of Sri Gopala Guru Goswami." Sri Gopal Guru Goswami was the

disciple of Sri Vakreshwar Pandita, who was an intimate associate of Sri Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

The book you are talking about is

" Sri Gaura-govindarcana-smarana-paddhati" and some Gaudiya Vainavas headed

by him have accepted it in their worship of sri-guru. His guru-gayatri

mantras start with 'srim' and thus specifically indicate a guru of

madhurya-rasa-bhakti, whose inner identity personifies the highest kind of

love relationship with the Divine Coupleb - principally that of a divine

damsel of Goloka who is always engaged in Their blissful loving service .

(applicable for both nitya-siddha & sadhana-siddha gurus)

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, however, found some misapplication

of the guru-mantra established by Dhyanacandra Goswami in relation to

certain unqualified gurus during his time. Being concerned about the

situation, he preferred not to introduce that mantra into Gaudiya Math lest

he be identified with its inappropriate use. He realized through revelation

thst it would be most helful for all classes of spiritual students to enter

into the ultimate madhurya-rasa conception of sri-guru only at a very mature

stage of spiritual understanding.

 

He wanted to protect the highest conception of sri guru from misuse, and

thus he directed his followers along a safer path which would give rise to

true advancement in a practical way instead of through an artificial and

abrupt path of so-called progress. Hence the guru-mantras given by Saraswati

Thakura begin with 'aiˆ'. So the guru-gayatri-mantras presented by Srila

Saraswati Thakura & Srila Dhyanacandra Goswami are deeply interrelated and

differ only in manner of presentation; not in their intrinsic nture or

divine essence.

 

So personally I feel that we should feel very very proud of coming in a

lineage of such a great great personality as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati

Thakura.