Appearance Day Of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees,

 

Please accept my dandavat pranams. All glories to our Divine Masters.

 

On the 19th of October devotees worldwide celebrate the holy appearance day of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, the Guardian of Devotion. On this 108th appearance anniversary of His Divine Grace a huge celebration is taking place at the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip, under the guidance of his successor Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj (who recently returned from his 20th preaching tour in the West).

 

To celebrate this holy event, the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Bookstore is presently offering two of Srila Sridhar Maharaj's important works as well as a short biography describing his life for just $10 - worldwide airmail postage included. This offer, which is valid until the beginning of November, is available at:

 

http://www.vaisnava.com/bookstore

 

Additionally, four rare recordings of Srila Sridhar Maharaj singing with his followers and disciples have just been added to the free MP3 audio library at www.vaisnava.com - where you can now download over twenty recordings of His Divine Grace singing and reciting holy prayers, and another twenty kirtans and prayers sung by Srila Govinda Maharaj.

 

In memory of Srila Sridhar Maharaj and his enormous impact on the devotional line of Sriman Mahaprabhu, I have included the first part of a talk he gave to his western disciples. This excerpt has been transcribed and published by Sripad Tridandi Maharaj, and the complete text (with footnotes) is available for reading and download at www.vaisnava.com .

 

Humble regards,

Premavatar das

 

THE PATH OF THE HEART

 

Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Any question?

 

Disciple: In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says:

 

bahunam janmanam ante

j–anavan mam prapadyate

vasudevah sarvam iti

sa mahatma sudurlabhah

(Bg. 7.19)

 

["After many, many births, the j–ani, person in knowledge (who happens to achieve the association of My pure devotee) finally comes to understand that the whole universe of moving and stationary beings is of the nature of Vasudeva, alone, in as much all are subordinate to Vasudeva. (I, as Vasudeva am the source and substance of all that be.) Having grasped this conception, he surrenders unto Me. Know such a great soul to be extremely rare."]

 

What exactly is the meaning, here?

 

Srila Sridhar Maharaj: From 'brahma' conception, the different installments follow. In brahma realisation, there is a 'mass' of consciousness: 'all-consciousness'. Then, the next step will come: the consciousness is of individual character - with deeper vision, individuality is added to consciousness. There is consciousness plus individuality.

 

Consciousness and Personality

 

In fact, no consciousness can exist without individuality, without personality. So, the consciousness is personal: personality and consciousness, they cannot be separated, one from the other. What is differentiated from personality, that is only the halo of the personality - it is something like that. And that 'halo' - that brahma - is also the combination of minutest personality, of souls1.

 

Substance is of two kinds: ksara, or changing, perishable; and aksara, unchanging, eternal. In the Bhagavad-gita (15:16) Lord Krishna says: ksarah sarvani bhutani - whatever we see in the changing aspect of the world, that is called ksara. And what is unchangeable is called aksara. Then, He says:

 

yasmat ksaram atito 'ham

aksarad api cottamah

ato 'smi loke vede ca

prathitah purusottamah

(Bg 15:18)

 

"My existence transcends both of these two substances, ksara - aksara. So, I am purusottamah - My name is 'Purusottama'. My glories are sung in the world and in the scriptures, as Purusottama, the Supreme Person."

 

'Purusottama' means Vasudeva. So, bahunam janmanam ante...; after many births, when the j–anis, those of the impersonal school, come to understand that the Prime Cause of the consciousness of their quest is a personal one, then they come to conceive of Vasudeva.

 

Real Devotion - Most Rare

 

But such j–anis are very rarely to be found. Mostly, j–anis cannot cross this line. They are lost there:

 

ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas

tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha buddhayah

aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah

patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad anghrayah

(SB 10:2:32)

 

["O lotus-eyed Lord, although non-devotees who accept severe penances and austerities to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence remains impure. They simply speculate in various ways and do not seek the means to take shelter of You. Because they have no regard for Your lotus feet, they simply fall down from their position of imagined superiority into material existence again."]

 

Generally, it is the fate of the j–anis to climb up to the highest position with great effort, and then, when they cannot grasp that 'consciousness' means 'person' - they cannot cross that understanding - they have to revert back. They have to come back, fall back. And for those who can cross this line, who can understand that: "Yes, consciousness means person - a Big Personality. I am small...;" bhakti begins there. The relation of subordination of the lower to the Higher, that comes into effect. And, sa mahatma sudurlabhah - such a person among the j–anis is very rarely to be found, who can take the positive connection of the higher aspect of life. Mostly they come back, they have to come back from there. After much penance, they climb up to that high mark, but they cannot accommodate that "the higher entity must be dealt with devotion," so they have to come back.

 

Personality with Potency

 

But those who realise: vasudevah sarvam iti, that Vasudeva - Purusottama - is personal, they can 'cross the line' and enter Vaikuntha, the service area proper.

 

And there, we are told, gradually as their vision grows more and more, they can find potency on the side of the personal God. Then they become the devotees of Lakshmi-Narayana, and enter completely into Vaikuntha-seva. And in that service, we find awe, reverence; there are sastric (scriptural) rules, and also examples of the higher-realised souls, to guide them.

 

The Search for Full Engagement

 

And in that Vaikuntha-seva, if the soul does not find the whole of his innate nature having full engagement, there will be some sort of thirst, some inner tendency which cannot find any corresponding relation to satisfy itself. And when he feels this kind of urge from within, he has to search after another rasa2, for a purer, more friendly service than the filial service3.

 

And ultimately the madhura-rasa service - the sweetheart's service, in consorthood - urges him to go up. It urges him to go up, and to go deeper. And gradually, by coming in contact with such (madhura-rasa) agents, he finds his own heart blossoming. And blossoming to its fullest extent, his heart takes him gradually towards Goloka Vrindavana4...

 

(The entire text, with footnotes, is available at the 'Sri Guru Vandana' web page: www.vaisnava.com)