So-called Proof of Bipin Bihari Goswami's position

[Guest guest]

> > Can anyone confirm or refute the following story? It's supposed to have

> > happened when Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was seven years old. It's

> > from a series of files circulating around about previous acaryas:

> >

> > Srila Bhaktivinod had taken initiation from Bipin Behari Goswami, who

> > came in the line of Gadadhara Pandit. When Bipin Behari Goswami was

> > visiting Srila Bhaktivinod, Srila Bhaktivinod paid obeisances and Bipin

> > Behari Goswami placed his foot on Srila Bhaktivinod's head. Srila

> > Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati saw this and was surprised. He thought this

> > was a dangerous thing for Bipin Behari Goswami to do. When Srila

> > Bhaktivinod left the room, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati asked him a

> > question: "You are my father's guru. But do you know who he is?" Bipin

> > Behari Goswami was taken aback at this 7-year-old's question. Srila

> > Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati continued, "My father is a nityasiddha, an

> > eternal associate of the Supreme Lord. Do you have sufficient spiritual

> > potency to place your foot on his head?" Srila Bhaktivinod returned at

> > this time, so the conversation was interrupted. Bipin Behari Goswami

> > said, "Your son is bold to the point of being rude." Later on, Srila

> > Bhaktivinod found this out and used to tell this story to his disciples.

>

> Far out story to be sure. I have never heard of it. What's the

> source?

>

> Your humble servant,

> Hari-sauri dasa

 

The source is Jati Shekhar Prabhu, the disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

Saraswati Thakur and resident of Cuttack. He was frequently interviewed by

HH Bhakti Bikash Maharaja and is the main source of a lot of Bikash

Maharaja's information which he has published and is continuing to publish

in various books. We don't know of any other source which confirms this

information. According to Bhaktivinode Thakur's autobiography,

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur would have been approx 7 years old when the

Thakur first met Bipin Bihari Goswami and took initiation, so if this

happened it would have been at that first meeting. Foot-on-head is a normal

procedure in some initiation ceremonies.

 

For further information I suggest you ask Bikash Maharaja, or you can wait

for his forthcoming book on Saraswati Thakur. It promises to be

authoritative and interesting.

 

Your servant, Bhaktarupa Das