Simha Guru

[Guest guest]

December 23rd, 2002

The Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

 

 

Vaisnava Dharma Vs. Theosophical Humanism/Impersonalism

 

 

What follows is an example how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati used

the money collected by a Gaudiya Math devotee in the name of flood relief

for his "Theistic Doll Exhibition". This proves that he did not care so much

for these flood relief activities even though it was clear that the devotees

would have distributed prasadam during flood relief from the funds

collected. He took this step even though Gaudiya Math got such bad publicity

for this apparent misappropriation of funds that both Gandhi, Subhash

Chandra Bose and Annie Bessant came to Calcutta and protested in front of

the Baghbazar Gaudiya Math for three days and nights. And this is why he got

the name Simha Guru.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

In the year 1931 there was a huge flood in the Mednapur district of

West Bengal, destroying many villages and many people's livelihoods. At the

same time Sarasvati Thakura was contemplating his "Theistic Doll Exhibition"

and collecting donations for it. One devotee was collecting in the name of

flood relief, making a lot of money, but Sarasvati Thakura took it and

engaged it for the exhibition. Netaji Subhas Bose took a party outside the

Baghbazar Gaudiya Math in Calcutta in protest against this action. They had

a protest party standing at the gate of the Gaudiya Math, staying outside

for several days and nights, sleeping on the gate, with banners, signs of

protest, and regular chanting of "Jai Hind!" and slogans in protest against

the doll exhibition utilizing the funds that were collected for flood

relief. In this strike, Gandhi also came to Calcutta to join Netaji Subhas

Bose. This went on for three days. Sarasvati Thakura said that, "The oil for

the Deities' lamp should not be used for your chakha" (Gandhi's spinning

wheel). After sitting in the temple for three days, Sarasvati Thakura came

out and spoke to them.

 

He also said that, "We must start a daily newspaper, to present our

points of view", and from that time on he started Nadia Prakash, the daily

spiritual newspaper. One of the main purposes of Nadia Prakash was to answer

such challenges as these, which were put to his mission. Sarasvati Thakura

said, "There are floods in Mednapur, but you are already in a much worse

flood - bhava sagar, or the ocean of material existence. Your soul is

drowned in this bhava sagar. So my mission is to stop the flood of the bhava

sagar, to stop that flood, a much bigger flood than these small floods which

you consider devastating in Mednapur. These incidents were, of course,

reported in all the newspapers, especially in Calcutta. At that time Mahatma

Gandhi put twelve questions to Sarasvati Thakura.

 

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose came one time with a party of supporters

to the Gaudiya Math, at the time when Sarasvati Thakura was holding his

first "Theistic Exhibition" in Mednapur. Now, at that time there had been a

great flood in Mednapur, a district west of Calcutta. Because of the flood

the people were in great difficulty - poverty stricken. This was in 1933.

They were suffering from shortages of rice, cloth, and all essentials, so

Netaji came and told Sarasvati Thakura, "You stop this exhibition! Why are

you spending so much money for this when the people need practical help?

You're spending so much money for lights, electricity. You have elephants

and so many other things." Sarasvati Thakura then told him, "No, you do not

know. This is the only way to root out miseries from the world. You are

working only for the good of the body. You are treating the symptoms, not

the original disease. Don't blow on boils - operate."

 

Annie Bessant, Mahatma Gandhi's friend from London, who was famous

for co-founding the "Theosophical Society" also came and said the same thing

and Sarasvati Thakura gave the same answer. Mahatma Gandhi also came and

told Sarasvati Thakura, "Don't waste money on this. Spend money on the

daridra Narayana, the poor Narayana." Sarasvati Thakura then told him, "Your

idea is wrong. You cannot serve daridra Narayana. Just as you cannot mix

gold and stone. This is cit-jada-vada or attempting to mix the material with

the spiritual. Tasmin tuste jagat tustam - if Krsna is satisfied then the

whole world is satisfied. You don't disturb us. In the Jagannatha temple

they are using ghee for the ghee-wick. You don't say to use it for oiling

the wheel, your spinning wheel. All the oils should be used for Krsna."

 

Citaranjan Das, a very prominent, famous and wealthy advocate and a

leader of the Independence Movement in India at that time, said that

Sarasvati Thakura was a simha guru, a lion guru. Sishir Kumar Ghosh, editor

of Amrita Bazaar Patrika, a famous paper in Calcutta, also called him like

that.

 

(from Bhakti Vikasa Swami's notes on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati)