Aiding the poor, hungry victims of the Orissa cyclone

[Guest guest]

What follows is an example how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati 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, Subash Chandra

Bose & Annie Bessant came to Calcutta and protested in front of the

Baghbazar Gaudiya Math for three days & 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 Baghbazaar

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" (Gandhiji's spinning wheel). After

sitting in the temple for three days, Sarasvati Thakura came out and spoke

to them like this."

 

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

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 sinha guru, or a lion guru. Also, Sishir Kumar Ghosh, editor

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

that.

 

>From Bhakti Vikasa Swami's book on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati