Transcendental encounters

[premananda]

Transcendental Encounters

 

 

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BY PREMANANDA DAS

 

In October 1995 I came to Navadvip Dham to perform some seva and to meet with devotee friends, Bengali and Western. During the time I stayed in Navadvip (from October ´95 to April ´96) I had the great fortune to meet living Gaudiya Vaishnava sadhus and receive knowledge and inspiration from them. In the mornings and evenings I would go visit different temples in Navadvip Dham, to attend Arati, take prasadam, and meet the Radha-Krishna bhaktas.

 

Srila Jiva Gosvami, Mahanta of Srivasangan in Navadvip Dham

 

One such temple was the Srivasangan. The Mahanta there is Srila Jiva Gosvami, who is about 65 years old and a son of Srila Nimai-canda Gosvami, who previously was the mayor of Navadvip Dham and Mahanta of the Srivasangan. Their Guru-pranali descends from Srila Viracandra Gosvami, the son of Srila Nityananda Prabhu. Srila Jiva Gosvami is called 'Bulbul' Gosvami, because he sings very beautifully (Bulbul is the name of a sweet singing bird). Sri Jiva Prabhu chants one lakha of Harinama in the morning and forenoon, and then studies Shastra, receives guests, and performs his other services in the temple. I once asked him about the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but he simply replied, 'Radhe-Shyam, Radhe-Shyam', as if to say that it is not so important - what really matters is Radhe-Shyam. (There are different opinions about the location of the Janmasthan among Gaudiya Vaishnavas) The geographical birthplace of Sriman Mahaprabhu, some say, has been washed away by the Ganga a long time ago. So why bother to argue about it, what is more important is to engage in sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, pada-sevanam, arcanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, and atmanivedanam. Srila Jiva Gosvami is a close friend of my Gurudeva, and they visit each others temples and attend each others festivals. The first time I visited Jiva Prabhu I mentioned that I am a follower of Srila Gadadhar-pran Prabhu, upon which he became very happy and invited me to his private room.

 

Many times I attended the evening Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat-path and sandhya-arati. After the reading Sri Jiva Prabhu would sing melodiously various kirtanas and everyone would become very blissful. Sometimes they sing the kirttan "Jaya Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu Nityananda, Hare Krishna Hare Rama Sri Radhe-Govinda"

 

A retired Vaishnava Couple

 

In the house where I stayed, there was an elderly couple who were deeply spiritual persons, both were initiated into the line coming from Madhavacharyya, an eternal associate of Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Every morning and evening they would sit together and read from Sri Chaitanya-caritamrita, and other Scriptures. Both had a transcendental radiance and they seemed to experience spiritual joy all of the time. One evening I was standing on the verandah, listening to the Sankirttan going on in a nearby temple. Beside me the elderly Vaishnavi was standing and listening. Suddenly I felt very blissful, the hairs on my body stood on end, and my eyes filled with tears. I became perplexed because this was quite unusual. I looked at the Vaishnavi standing beside me, and she looked so peaceful and blissful, I felt that she was experiencing spiritual joy and that her spiritual emotions somehow influenced me. Divine Love is contagious.

 

Once I asked the old Vaishnava gentleman if Siddha-pranali is given in his parampara. He replied that it is given, after the sadhaka has become quite detached from sense enjoyment and attracted to Sri Sri Radha-Krishna-lila. Not until then. He also said that it is important to deeply study the Gosvamis´ Scriptures, otherwise we will remain on a lower level of devotion.

 

Srila Vishnudas Babaji, Mahanta of Samaj-bari

 

When I visited the Srivasangan I passed by a quite large temple located on the other side of the Srivasangan Road. My wife´s relatives told me that it is called 'Samaj-bari'. The founder of this temple was the great siddha-mahapurusha Srila Radharaman-caran das Babaji Maharaj, who was initiated by a saint called Sankararanya Puri who was in the line of Srila Nityananda Prabhu. One afternoon I visited Samaj-bari and talked to a devotee there, a young Bengali man. He spoke good English and I asked him many questions about their parampara and mantras etc. He told me that the first mantra given to them is 'bhaja Nitai Gaura Radhe Shyama, japa Hare Krishna Hare Rama'. I became a little turned off by this first (because I had heard some negative statements about this mantra), but after hearing an explanation of the mantra I became more positive. The meaning is that by the grace of Nitai one attains Gaura, who is non-different from Radhe-Shyam. It has been interpreted to mean that Nitai Gaura are non-different from Radhe-Shyama, in another words that Nitai is the same as Radha in Vrindavan. But this is not correct. The devotee told me that Sri Nityananda´s identity in madhura-rasa is Srimati Ananga Manjari, so through the parampara they are serving under her and Srimati Rupa Manjari´s guidance. The devotee said that by performing Raganuga-sadhana in Gopi-bhava one can attain a manjari siddha-deha in Goloka Vrindavana.

 

Another day I went back, being fascinated by what the devotee had told me. I went to see Srila Vishnudas Babaji, the Mahanta of the temple. He just came out from his little room and I bowed down to him. He said that I have come there due to the mercy of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, and asked me to come into his room and have a seat. He sat down on his bed, chanting all the time on his japa-mala quietly. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be lost in another world, another reality, immersed in deep contemplation. After some time I asked him about lila-smaranam, and he said that while chanting japa one should meditate on Radha-Krishna-lila according to the asta-kala, the eightfold time periods of the day in Goloka Vrindavan. Although, one should first focus on Gaura-lila. Then through Gaura-lila Vraja-lila will appear. The elderly Babaji´s eyes were filled with tears and he told me that at that very time period Yugala-milana of Gadadhara-Radha/ Gaura-Krishna was taking place.

 

Srila Gadadhara-prana Prabhu, my mantra-diksha guru and disciple of Srila Lalitaprasad Thakur

 

The first time I met my Gurudeva was in Mayapur Dham in 1994. At this time I stayed at the Sri Chaitanya Sarasvat Math in Navadvip Dham. It was there I met Gopal Gosvami, my present brother-in-law. Once he asked me if I wanted to visit a Western devotee who lives in Mayapur permanently. I became interested and we went to see this devotee who turned out to be Srila Gadadhar-pran Prabhu. When we came the Midday Bhoga-arati was taking place, the Thakuras, Sri Sri Gaura-Gadadhara were placed just outside the temple room and one of his disciples was fanning Them. We offered our dandavat pranamas and left after a few minutes. My brother-in-law said that Srila Gadadhar-pran was a disciple of Srila Lalitaprasad Thakur. The name seemed familiar somehow.

 

Nex time I went to India, in 1995 I had been thinking about Gadadhar-pran Prabhu and had become very curious about his Guru and their parampara. One afternoon when I came from the ISKCON Mayapura temple I decided to visit him.

 

Gadadhar-pran Prabhu was lying down in his small kutir and when he noticed me he sat up and we offered dandavats to each other. He asked who I was and why I had come to visit him. Then I explained that I was very interested to hear about his Gurudeva and the parampara teachings etc. He laid down on his bed again (he had fever and a cold at the time) and explained about Guru-parampara, Raganuga-sadhana and many other things. As he was talking I could understand that he was a very advanced soul. Everything he said was realized knowledge, not theoretical knowledge. He was transcendentally situated in his eternal identity which seemed to shine through. Due to his influence I became eager to hear more about Raganuga-sadhana and Radha-Krishna-lila. I returned many times during my six months in Navadvip and learned many things about Asta-kala-lila and Lila-smaranam etc. We would regularly read from his translation of Sri Govinda-lilamrita after taking prasadam. I would read out loud and he would comment on the verses.

 

One devotee from ISKCON came once and asked some questions, because he had read his book 'Why did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Come?'. Srila Gadadhar-pran asked him what he thought about the book, did he agree with its contents and conclusions? The devotee replied that he didn´t agree with everything, only a few things he found to be true. Then Gadadhar-pran asked what it was that he didn´t agree with, and pointed out that everything he has written is based on Shastra, Guru and Sadhu, and there are many quotes from these in the book. The devotee was dumbstruck, he couldn´t mention a single example of apa-siddhanta in the book.

 

Another time some devotees from a Gaudiya Math came over and talked. Gurudeva asked them what the goal of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is. They answered 'Guru-seva', 'Vaisnava-seva' and other things. Then Gadadhar-pran said that it is not wrong, but the Caitanya-caritamrita teaches: 'ataeva gopi-bhava kari angikar ratri dine cinte radha-krishnera vihara', 'therefore adopt gopi-bhava and meditate day and night on the pastimes of Radha-Krishna'. And he quoted another verse which says that through sakhi-bhava one will attain the lotus feet of Radha-Krishna. He also pointed out that actually our goal is not to become Krishna-dasas, rather should we become Radha-dasis.

 

The next time I went to India, in 1997, I received Mantra-Diksha from Srila Gadadhar-pran Prabhu into the line of Srimati Jahnava Devi (Srimati Ananga Manjari).