BY HIS MERCY

[Guest guest]

BY HIS MERCY

The Disappearance Day of Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja

 

 

October 7, 2006 am: Vrndavana, India

Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

 

 

 

 

[Dear Readers,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.

February 5, 2007 (in India) is the divine appearance day of Srila Bhakti

Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. Srila Narayana Maharaja gave this lecture on

his disappearance day, the first day of Kartika, in 2006. It is now being sent

out to you for the first time:]

 

 

Offering flowers

 

Today is the disappearance day (tirobhava-tithi) of our Gurudeva, nitya-lila

pravista Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja.

 

Where was I? I was born in the place of the demon Jarasandha [*See Endnote 1].

By the infinite mercy of my Guru-maharaja, he attracted this unqualified person

and gave me a place at his lotus feet. By his mercy he made me qualified to

understand the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and to preach it all around

the world.

 

I had the good fortune to be able to perform his service without any duplicity.

Once, the personal servant of my Gurudeva named Ananga-mohana prabhu was

afflicted with tuberculosis. At that time I approached my Gurudeva and said,

“You go and preach. I will take the responsibility to look after Ananga-mohana

prabhu.” Years later, Srila Trivikrama Maharaja told me, “The reason you are

preaching so successfully all around the world is because you gave your life for

the service of the servant of your Gurudeva. Therefore our Gurudeva has

completely empowered you in every way.”

 

It is only by my Gurudeva’s mercy that I was able to translate Jaiva-dharma from

Bengali to Hindi. Now, by his mercy only, Jaiva-dharma and other books of Srila

Bhaktivinoda Thakura, like Sri Bhajana-rahasya, are being translated in so many

languages, like English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. This is all his

mercy.

 

By his mercy so many hundreds of Bengalis, Delhi devotees and foreigners have

come here, and by his mercy some of them are even becoming qualified to take

sannyasa.

 

It is our good fortune that Sri Ananda prabhu, the personal cook of my Gurudeva,

is here today. He was so dear to Gurudeva. He knew when Gurudeva was hungry or

thirsty, and according to Gurudeva's desire he would manifest whatever was

necessary. It is our good fortune that of all my god-brothers, Ananda prabhu

could come here.

 

How my Gurudeva was prepared to give his life for the service of his Gurudeva,

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada! Once, when Srila Prabhupada

Bhaktisiddhanta was performing Sri Navadvipa-dhama parikrama, the sahajiyas and

the Jata-gosais, those who are against the preaching of Srila Bhaktivinoda

Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura) assembled at Praudhamaya to

kill him. They gathered in large groups, throwing soda bottles, glass and rocks.

 

Everybody ran to save their own lives, including even the sannyasis and the main

disciples of Srila Prabhupada. But, our Gurudeva took Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

Prabhupada into one room, and begged with great concern, “Please, give me your

sannyasa-cloth. I will wear it, and you can wear my white cloth.”

 

Srila Prabhupada gave his sannyasa cloth and danda to my Gurudeva. We think this

was his real sannyasa initiation.

 

Many years after Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada disappeared from this world,

he appeared to my Gurudeva in a dream and gave him sannyasa. This happened three

times. He would say, “Oh Vinoda, you have not taken sannyasa, and therefore my

preaching has completely stopped.” He gave Gurudeva sannyasa three times in

dream. Later, that sannyasa was formalized by Sri Srimad Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara

Maharaja in Katva.

 

What was the speciality of my Gurudeva? He was very philosophical, with complete

knowledge of all the sastra, and at the same time he was also a great rasika

(relisher of ecstatic love of Krsna, and knower of all rasas) Vaisnava. Without

these two qualities he could not have composed astakams (devotional poetry

consisting of eight verses) like this one:

 

radha-cinta-nivesena yasya kantir vilopita

sri-krsna-caranam vande radhalingita-vigraham

 

[“I worship the lotus feet of that form of Sri Krsna, when, due to being

thoroughly immersed in separation from Srimati Radhika (who is displaying mana,

her mood of jealous anger), His own dark complexion vanishes and He assumes Her

bright, golden luster; or, I worship the lotus feet of Sri Krsna as He is

embraced by Srimati Radhika (after Her mana has broken)” (Sri

Radha-Vinoda-Vihari-Tattvastakam, verse 1)]

 

All his writings were very poetic, and completely in the line of Srila Rupa

Gosvami. He reveals here how after Krsna took Srimati Radhika to Srngara-vata,

He then disappeared due to fear of the other gopis. In separation from Srimati

Radhika, He then came to Imlitala where, being completely absorbed in Her, He

manifested the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Although Sri Krsna's form

remained, His complexion and the moods were completely Radhika’s.

 

How wonderful is my Gurudeva’s mangala-arati song: “mangala sri guru-gaura

mangala murati – Glories to the auspicious forms of Sri Guru and Gaura.”

(Mangala Arati, verse 1)

 

This song is the essence of the books Sri Govinda-lilamrta and Sri

Krsna-bhavanamrta. In essence, the mangala-arati pastime is described there.

When my Gurudeva wrote this mangala-arati song, I was very new. I did not know

anything. Therefore, when he showed me that composition and asked, “Do you like

it?” I said, “Oh it seems very long. The poems of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura are

very short.” At that time none of the devotees in the Matha knew very much about

the pastimes of Radha and Krsna. Still, my Gurudeva gave Radha-Krsna’s

asta-kaliya-lila. At that time, at the end of the night, Lalita, Visakha and the

other gopis are looking to see: “Are They awake yet?” And Vrnda-devi is making

all arrangements for the pastimes of the Divine Couple.

 

Despite his being very rasika, if someone would say anything against his Guru

Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, my Gurudeva would become like

a thunderbolt. Once someone (from the group of sahajiya babajis) *[see endnote

2] wrote an article and made some propaganda, saying, “Oh, members of the

Gaudiya Matha don’t know anything. They only suck on the dry skin of the mango,

while we babajis are drinking the rasa of Krsna’s pastimes.”

 

When my Gurudeva became very angry and accused these babajis of disrespecting

his Guru Maharaja, they made a case of five hundred thousand rupees [equivalent

to eleven thousand dollars] court case against him. At that time, Gurudeva sent

me, along with pujyapada Trivikrama Maharaja, pujyapada Vamana Maharaja and

pujyapada Nrsinga Maharaja, to Medinapur. Gurudeva told us, “This is a big case.

We should not get any ordinary, ten-rupee (twenty-cent) lawyer.” We therefore

got the best lawyer in Calcutta, and with five people we presented our case in

court: Gurudeva, Pujyapada Vamana Maharaja, Pujyapada Trivikrama Maharaja,

Pujyapada Nrsmha Maharaja and myself.

 

My Gurudeva used very strong language, saying, “They are sahajiyas! They have no

siddhanta and no purity!” My Gurudeva completely destroyed the arguments of

their case. When the judge was giving his verdict he requested Gurudeva to use

softer, more polite language.” My Gurudeva replied, “I have not come into this

world to speak polite language. I am a sannyasi. We preachers alone have the

right to speak strongly. It is our responsibility to speak for the purification

of society. No one else can do it.”

 

Another time, when my Gurudeva was visiting us in Mathura, some followers of the

Nimbarka-sampradaya wrote an article in a magazine called Sri Sudarsana [* See

Endnote 2], saying that when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met with Kesava Kasmiri,

Kesava Kasmiri defeated Him and gave Him the gopala-mantra. Sriman Mahaprabhu

was thus the disciple of Kesava Kasmiri.

This publication came to my attention and I showed it to my Gurudeva. His face

at once became red, he became angry, and he ordered me to get a piece of paper.

He then dictated, and I wrote, that there was no Nimbarka in our history and no

books of Nimbarka. He said that Srila Jiva Gosvami and our other Gosvamis, Sri

Madhavacarya, Sri Ramanuja, Srila Gopal Bhatta Gosvami and all other previous

acaryas never wrote about anyone named Nimbarka acarya. The followers of this

false person used to say that Nimbarka Acarya lived at the time of Krsna. If

that were true, why have none of the acaryas written about him? Sankacarya never

wrote about him and Srila Jiva Gosvami never wrote about him in his Sandarbhas.

Thus there was no person named Nimbarka – this false person’s followers had

invented a story.

 

Guru Maharaja explained from the evidence in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta that Kesava

Kasmiri came to Navadvipa and was defeated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and then

he received some teaching from the Lord. Gurudeva wrote: “The mentality ‘I will

conquer the whole world’ is not the teaching of vidya, knowledge.” Our paper was

sent to those persons involved in writing the misinformed article, after which

they became quite furious. “Oh, there is no Nimbarka?!” They challenged, and

they filed a case in court for defamation. Our Guru Maharaja replied, “I will

prove my statements, so you should file a suit for one million rupees for

defamation. You should go to court, and I am also coming. I am ready and will

prove my points.” He proved all his points and the opponents apologized. They

promised, “In the future we will never write like this.”

 

My Gurudeva once went to the son of Thakura Bhaktivinoda, Lalit Prasada, and

requested from him all the books of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura that were kept in

storage by Lalit Prasada. He then printed all the books and other literature of

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

 

Gaura Premanande!

[*Endnote 1 – Jarasandha was a very powerful king of Magadha, and the history of

his birth and activities is also very interesting. His father, King Brhadratha,

was also a very prosperous and powerful king of Magadha, but he had no son,

although he married two daughters of the King of Kasi. Being disappointed in not

getting a son from either of the two queens, the King, along with his wives,

left home to live in the forest for austerities, but in the forest he was

blessed by one great rsi to have a son, and the rsi gave him the king one mango

to be eaten by his two queens. The queens did so and very soon became pregnant.

The King was very happy to see the queens bearing children, but when the right

time approached, the queens delivered one child in two parts, one from each of

the queens' wombs. The two parts were thrown in the forest, where a great

she-demon used to live, and she was glad to have some delicate flesh and blood

from the newly born child. Out of curiosity she

joined the two parts, and the child became complete and regained life. The

she-demon was known as Jara, and being compassionate on the childless King, she

went to the King and presented him with the nice child, The King was very

pleased with the she-demon and wanted to reward her according to her desire. The

she-demon expressed her desire that the child be named after her, and thus the

child was surnamed Jarasandha, or one who was joined by Jara, the she-demon. In

fact, this Jarasandha was born as one of the parts and parcels of the demon

Vipracitti. The saint by whose benedictions the queens bore the child was called

Candra Kausika, who foretold of the child before his father Brhadratha.

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, purport, 1.15.9)

 

*Endnote 2 – " Some time in 1956, Srila Gurudeva came to Mathura to Sri Kesavaji

Gaudiya Matha. At that time followers of the Nimbarka sampradaya in Vrndavana

used to publish a spiritual journal called Sri Sudarsana. In one issue they cast

aspersions on Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, saying that He was a disciple of Kesava

Kasmiri. In other editions they insolently dared to claim that Gaudiya Vaisnava

acaryas such as Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura were in the Nimbarka

sampradaya. When I showed these editions to Srila Gurudeva, he became extremely

angry and immediately had a short essay written for Sri Bhagavata Patrika. The

headline was ‘Sri Nimbaditya and Nimbarka are not the same person.’ The purport

of his headline is as follows.

" 'Nowhere in the scriptures is there any mention of a Nimbarka sampradaya. The

Puranas mention a vaisnava-acarya called Sri Nimbaditya, and the Catuhsana (the

four Kumaras) have accepted this Nimbaditya Acarya as their sampradaya-acarya in

the age of Kali. However, Nimbarka Svami is a completely different person.

Nimbaditya was a disciple of Naradaji at the end of Dvapara-yuga, but Nimbarka

Acarya appeared much more recently. Great and eminent authors of scripture such

as Srila Jiva Gosvami have mentioned the names of the prominent acaryas of all

the other sampradayas, but they have not mentioned the name of Nimbarka Acarya

anywhere.

" 'The Nimbarka sampradaya currently uses the Parijata-bhasya which was written,

not by Nimbaditya Acarya, but rather by Srinivasa Acarya and Kesava Kasmiri.

These two wrote this scripture and then preached that it had been written by

their guru. The scriptures of the Six Gosvamis mention the names of acaryas such

as Sri Ramanuja, Sri Madhva, Sri Visnu Svami, Sri Nimbaditya and Sri Vallabha

Acarya. If the Nimbarka sampradaya had existed even to a slight extent at that

time, then they would most certainly have mentioned the name of Nimbarka Acarya

as well. None of the other sampradaya acaryas, such as Sri Ramanuja, Sri Madhva,

Sri Visnu Svami and so on have mentioned Nimbarka Acarya’s name in any of the

scriptures that they have written.'

 

" When this essay was published in Sri Bhagavata Patrika, the office directors of

the Sudarsana journal announced that they were making arrangements to prosecute

for slander. Srila Gurudeva replied firmly, “We will prove each and every word

that we have written on the basis of evidence supported by sastra.” When the

prosecution party heard about Srila Gurudeva’s immense scriptural knowledge and

his profound personality, they became absolutely silent, and from that day

onwards they did not dare to write any more nonsense.]

 

 

Offering arati

Editorial Advisors: Sripad Madhava Maharaja and Sriman Brajanath dasa

Translator: Sripad Damodara Maharaja

Editor: Syamarani dasi

Transcriber: Janaki dasi

Typist: Vasanti das

 

 

 

Bhakti Prajnana Charities,

Near Nirtya Grama, Hesarghatta, Bangalore- 560088 India

 

Always chant:

 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

vishnudaivata

 

My profile: http://purekatha.ning.com/profile/VishnuDaivata

 

Mobile: +91 9900885241

 

Jaiva-dharma - the best book on spirituality for Rs. 100.

Contact me if you would like to help our gurukula. We have 18 students now.

 

http://www.pbwebcast.com (Tons of videos and audios from one of the greatest

saints of the millennium)

 

http://www.purebhakti.com (The home of pure devotion to Sri Krishna)

 

http://www.rangagaudiya.com (Bangalore spiritual sanctuary)

 

http://www.bhaktistudies.com (Free classes on Bhakti)

 

http://www.bvml.org (Good library of devotional articles and books)

 

http://www.vedabase.net (Read Srila Prabhupada's books online)

 

 

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[Guest guest]

advaitin , Swami BV Vishnu Daiavata

<vishnudaivata4 wrote:

>

> BY HIS MERCY

> The Disappearance Day of Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja

 

This member is awarded a red card and barred from posting to the list

for the second offence within a few days of broadcasting an off-topic

message.

 

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