Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Appearance Day

Giriraj Swami: Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura led a divine life. Sri Sidhanta Sarasvati [Unintelligible 00:00:15–45] In the great Gaudiya Vaishnava teachers line as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is renowned, like the radiant sun in the morning sky, he appeared to rescue all souls swallowed by the all devouring impersonal philosophy. By spreading the teachings of Lord Gauranga, to sing the holy name of Lord Krishna, he gave all the chance to dive in the ocean of love for Sri Krishna, the Supreme Person. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, my lord, divine master at his feet do I pray to serve forever. [Unintelligible 00:01:29–39] Divinity can be seen by its own light. The transcendental life of Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura, can be known to us only by his causeless mercy, because such is the nature of the Supreme Lord and his representatives who come to this world. 

Srila Prabhupada was an infinite ocean of divine treasure. If we are fortunate enough perhaps we can touch the waves of that ocean as they left the shore of our mortal plane. And in that ocean, are his innumerable transcendental qualities such as scholarship, genius, spiritual realizations, humility, magnanimity, compassion, mercy and divine love, to name only a few. The essence of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s life cannot be revealed in many volumes, let alone a simple chapter if there are merely a catalog of facts and figures. It takes the dedication of a lifetime to attain a true glimpse of his message and his life is his message. We are about to stand in front of the divine personality, we are about to catch sight of that reality which is eternal and infinite, and in our meeting with the eternal we have to retrace the footsteps of time, because we must begin something.

CHILDHOOD 1874–1892

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura made his appearance in Puruṣottama Kshetra, Jagannatha Puri, in the state of Orissa at 3:30 in the afternoon, on Friday the 6th of February 1874. He was born in his family home, which was next to the holy site of the Narayana Chatta of Sri Jagannatha temple, and which always reverberated with the chanting of the holy name, who is the fourth son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srimati Bhagavati devi. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura firmly established the concept of pure Vaishnavism in the hearts of many educated and spiritually inquisitive people of Bengal, in the later part of the 19th century. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was a beautiful child, with all the bodily features of a great personality described in scriptures. Everyone was amazed to see that the child was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, like a brahman sacred thread. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura named his son ‘Sri Bimala Prasad’, meaning the mercy of the transcendental potency of Lord Jagannatha - Srimati Bimala devi. When Sri Bimala Prasad was six months old, Lord Jagannatha’s annual chariot festival took place. That year the chariot stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house and could not be budged an inch for three days. So while Jagannatha stayed in front of the house, kirtan was continuously performed there under the leadership of Srila Thakura Mahashaya. Mahashaya is in honor of the title. On one of these days Sri Bimala Prasad in his mother’s arms went to see Lord Jagannatha and extended his hand towards the deities, as if to offer his obeisances. At that time a garland fell from the neck of Lord Jagannatha, and encircled the child. The crowd was jubilant witnessing Lord Jagannatha’s blessing on the child. Amidst the tumultuous sound of Haribol, Bhaktivinoda Thakura fed Bimala Prasad some of Lord Jagannatha’s mahā-prasāda and thus observed the child’s Annaprashan, grain ceremony - first feeding of grains under the most auspicious circumstances.

Sri Bimal Prasad lived in Jagannatha Puri for ten months with his mother, and they travelled to Bengal and resided first at Ranaghat, then at Sri Rampur. Once when Srila Bimala Prasad was a small boy, he took a mango without first offering it to the Lord, and his father chastised him for this. He became very remorseful and immediately vowed never to eat a mango again. A vow he observed his whole life. In 1881, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had a house built in Calcutta at Rambaug, and named it ‘Bhakti Bhavan.’ As the foundation was being dug, the deity of Kurma deva manifested himself from the ground. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave this deity to his son, Sri Bimala Prasad when he was eight or nine years old, and taught him the mantra and the method of deity worship. The child duly started his deity worship, with great care and devotion. When Sri Bimala Prasad was in fifth grade, he invented a new method of short hand, which he called (Unintelligible 00:08:08–10) His teachers were always amazed by his mastery in Bengali and Sanskrit, he was extraordinary in intelligence and memory, and his pure morale and devotion nature. At this time, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave him Sri Caitanya-sikshamrita to read. Sri Bimala Prasad also displayed extraordinary ability in mathematics and astrology. He studied astrology under the tutelage of the famous astrologer Mahesh Chandra (Unintelligible 00:08:50) a prestige teacher with his mastery in the subject and his exceptional talent. He also studied astrology with Pandit Sundarlal. Seeing his scholarship in many different subjects, including the scripture, his teachers named him Tri Sidhanta Sarasvati—master of scriptural conclusions. And Srila Sarasvati Thakura was a student in the seventh grade, at Sri Rampur, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave him hari-nāma - the holy name on tulasi mala, as well as Sri Nṛsiṁha mantra. 

SOME EXCERPT FROM THE WRITING OF SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA SARASVATI THAKURA

“My Gurudeva is residing in many different personalities. If he does not reside in many different personalities, then who will protect me? Those who my Gurudeva considered close to him are my saviors. I hope that I never have to see the faces of such evil doing rascals as those who have criticized the lotus feet of my Gurudeva, or those who have somehow supported such criticism.”

“By attributing fatherhood to divinity, we can only demand some service from him and later express gratitude. But expressing gratitude is not rendering devotional service, nor it is a symptom of love. The concept of service from the father on one hand, and expressing gratitude on the other is founded on partial realization. It is not the same as having pure desire for the happiness of the Lord. This is not devotional service. In the concept of demanding service and expressing gratitude, there is an inherent element of calculation of give and take. The causeless and uninterrupted desire to serve the Lord cannot develop from this. This underdeveloped concept of theism can blossom fully when one attributes son-hood to divinity. In the concept of the Lord’s fatherhood, the son’s true identity as the eternal servant of the Lord is not revealed. But in the concept of the Lord’s son-hood, the father’s identity as the Lord’s eternal servant is fully included - ’’ātmā vai jāyate putraḥ’ It is the ātmā, parent who gives birth to the son. The son cannot serve his father from beginning, but the father can serve his son from the beginning.”

“Mundane renunciation sacrifice and austerity are not the symptoms of saintliness. The ant may say, ‘The elephant eats a lot. I do not eat so much. I eat very little.’ Then the ant becomes a greater sadhu than the elephant, but the elephant carries Krishna to (Unintelligible 00:12:48) in Kurukshetra, where Radharani sees Krishna again. And the ant may bite Krishna. In spite of eating a lot, the elephant is carrying Krishna, serving Krishna, and in spite of eating a little, the ant may bite Krishna.”

SRILA PRABHUPADA’S GLORIFICATION OF SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA SARASVATI THAKURA

“Whatever I did forty years ago, the same principle is going on. We have made no change. What I understood from my spiritual master, I am always doing. Practically I met my guru Maharaja in 1922, and this poetry was written in 1936.( He is talking about his earlier Vyasa-puja offering). That means fourteen years ago before writing this poetry, I met my guru Maharaja. That time I was quite a young man, only twenty-five years old. And I was posted in a very responsible position at the office manager of Dr. Bose’s laboratory. I was very fond in those days of Gandhi’s movement. In 1922, I joined Gandhi’s movement and gave up my educational career because one of Gandhi’s program was to boycott the universities. That is very long story. Many students gave up their educational careers and joined Gandhi’s movement and I was one of them. Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose was a very important man. At the time he was managing director of Bengal Chemical Company. Now there is street in the center of Calcutta, Dr. Kartik Bose’s street. So he was a very important man, and he was our family physician and my father’s intimate friend. When I gave up my education, and was joining Gandhi’s movement, Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose asked me to join him. So with my father’s permission I joined. At that time, I was fond of Gandhi’s noncooperation movement and when I joined Dr. Bose’s laboratory of course I was dressed in khadi. Dr. Bose liked that dress - khadi dress. He told me one day that, “Out of your whole Gandhi’s movement, I like this khadi only,” Dr. Bose said. And why? Because this will give impetus to industries. This hand spinning will gradually give impetus to India. Actually that happened. He was himself an industrialist.

So in 1922 I met my guru Maharaja, through the insistence of my intimate friend Mr. Narendranath Mallick. I did not want to go but my friend forced me. He told me, “There is a nice sadhu. Let us go and see.” I did not like very much these sadhus in those days due to my national spirit. So I said, “I have seen many sadhus. They come to my father’s house. I was not very much pleased by their behavior.” But my friend dragged me forcibly. “No, I have heard that this person is very exalted.” And so I went. My guru Maharaja’s first opening version was, “You are educated, young men. Why don’t you preach Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s gospel in the western countries?” I did not know that this was his blessing in the first meeting. I did not know but because we belong to a Vaishnava family, we were much worshippers of Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda, our family deity. So I was very much pleased that here is a personality who is going to preach Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s gospel. I was very much pleased. 

Anyway, from 1922 to 1933, practically I was not initiated. But I got the impression of preaching Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. And that was the initiation by my guru Maharaja. Then officially I was initiated in 1933, because in 1923 I left Calcutta. I started my business in Allahabad. So I was always thinking of my guru Maharaja, that I met a very nice sadhu. Although I was doing business, I never forgot him. Then in 1928, these Gaudiya math people came to Allahabad during Khumba-mela. They came to open their branch in Allahabad, and somebody recommended, you go to see this Bengali gentleman. At that time, I was running my big pharmacy and I was very well known in Allahabad as the proprietor of the pharmacy. So somebody recommended to them, you go to Abhay Babu, he is a very religious man. He will help you. So when they entered my shop, I was very pleased. These men I met in 1922 and now they have come. In this way, I became reconnected. And in 1933 I was officially initiated. When I was introduced to my guru Maharaja for initiation, guru Maharaja said, “Yes, I shall initiate this boy. He is very nice. He hears my patiently. He does not go away.” So that was my qualification. The high standard of philosophy which he was speaking at that time, practically I could not follow what he was speaking. But still I liked to hear him. That was my hobby. Whenever there was a chance, I was asking, “When guru Maharaja will speak?” So he took it very seriously. And then in 1936, it is a long history, during this Vyasa-puja day whatever I studied about our relationship with my guru Maharaja, I expressed in this poetry and since that day my godbrothers used to call me poet. And guru Maharaja also very much appreciated this poetry. Now somehow or other you have found it. I thought the poetry was lost. But I do not know how it was found by some of our disciples. I think it was found in a London Museum or somewhere else by Guru dasa. They had a stock of harmonists, and from the harmonists, my guru Maharaja’s paper- this poetry was found, otherwise I thought it was lost.

So anyway this poetry is ‘Adore ye all, The happy day. Blessed than Heaven Sweeter than May.’ So I heard that the month of May is very much pleasing in the western countries. So I compare the happiness of this Vyasa-puja day with May day. Actually in India, May is very hot. It is interesting that he chose an example from the West.

When He appeared at Puri
The holy place,
My Lord and Master,
His Divine Grace

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared as the son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, his fourth son. Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a family man. He had several children—sons and daughter. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was known in his previous life as Bimala Prasad Datta, son of Kedarnath Datta. His father, Bhaktivinoda Thakura was named Kedarnath Datta. He was a magistrate and he was manager of the managing board of Jagannatha Puri. The system is, that the local magistrate becomes the official magistrate of the managing board of the Jagannatha temple. At that time, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was situated in Jagannatha Puri and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared at Puri. So when Ratha-yatra ceremony takes place, sometimes the big Ratha stops at interval, in front of house in which Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared, the Ratha stopped. At that time, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s mother took advantage, because Bhaktivinoda Thakura was magistrate. So the son, the little baby was brought before the Ratha. And the pujaris allowed him to bring the child before the deity and a garland was offered by Jagannatha. That was the first sign of his becoming the acharya. In this way there are many incidents. Therefore, his birth place is mentioned- the holy place- My God and Master, His Divine Grace.

Oh ! my Master
The evangelic angel.

Give us they light,
Lit up thy candle,

Struggle for existence
A Human race,
The only hope
His Divine Grace

Actually we are in a very precarious position in the modern civilization. We are being manipulated by the western people, the soul killing civilization. By nature, the chance is given after many, many evolutionary processes. (Unintelligible 00:225:03–06) The evolutionary process is described in the Padma-Purana is not Darwin’s theory. Darwin stole it from Padma-Purana and he presented it in a distorted way, with his own imagination. Actually it is not theory but fact. (Unintelligible 00:25:32–33). The soul is wandering within the cycle of jiva jati - different species of life. (Unintelligible 00:24:43–45) This is Vedic knowledge, this evolutionary process. It is not Darwin’s theory. So by that process lower animals and then the chronological order is there. First of all aquatics, (Unintelligible 00:26:12) means aquatics, then (Unintelligible 00:26:15–16) trees, plants, then flies, then birds, then beasts, then human beings. In this way, (Unintelligible 00:26:25), after many, millions of years we get the opportunity of human life, to realize God. And this civilization is denied, refusing the opportunity to the human society to understand God, such a soul killing civilization! It is a fact they are denying. What is God? There is not God. Everything is science. Although they cannot explain science. They cannot do anything, simply talking like nonsense.

Last night some girls, students of Botany came. So I asked them, “Can you manufacture a seed that can give birth to a big banyan tree?” “No sir, it is not possible.” “Then what kind of Botany are you studying?” Actually what is their science? They simply talk something which is going on in the middle portion, where is the beginning and where is the end on knowledge, that they do not know. They are theorizing only in the middle. They do not know janmādy asya yato, where is the beginning of this science. That in the beginning is Krishna. Krishna says, ‘ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo’ - He is the beginning. bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ - The seed, you scientist, you cannot manufacture. What chemicals are there, that if you put them in the earth, and pour some water, it will grow in a big tree? These scientists cannot explain what chemical composition is there. But there is. So this is in the hand of Krishna. So this knowledge means to understand the original source. That is philosophy - to find out the original source. That is knowledge - vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo

Actually knowledge is, and knowledge terminates when you understand Krishna. He is the source of everything. There is:

Struggle for existence
A Human race,
The only hope
His Divine Grace

Now we get this information from His Divine Grace, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and that knowledge is still going on. You are receiving through his servants and in the future the same knowledge will go to your students. This is called paramparā system - evaṁ paramparā-prāptam. It is not that you have become a student and you will remain a student. No, one day you shall become also guru and make more students, more students, more and more. That is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, not that perpetually one will remain a student. Yes, one should remain perpetually a student, but he has to act as guru. That is the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is not that because I am acting as guru, I am no longer student. No, I am still student. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught that we should always remain a foolish student before our guru Maharaja. That is the Vedic culture. I may be a big man but still I remain a foolish student before my guru Maharaja. That is the qualification - guru more mūrkha dekhi’ karila śāsana. We should always be prepared to be controlled by the guru. That is very good qualification - yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo (Unintelligible 00:31:06–07). So we should become a very obedient student to our guru. That is the qualification. That is the spiritual qualification.

Since 1922, my guru Maharaja wanted me to preach in the western countries. Then in 1965, it was fruitful—forty-three years later. It is better late than never. Yes, he desired me, I thought ‘now I am a family man, let me adjust things.’ I would have accepted immediately, but I was not so intelligent at that time. I thought, ‘My responsibility to family is there. Let me wait.’ But still, guru Maharaja was so kind to me, that when I was grihastha I saw him in dream. He asked me, ‘You come with me,” and I was going and after that I was thinking, ‘Oh, I will have to take sannyasa to go with him.’ So it appeared to me very horrible. I was not very much inclined to take sannyasa. But guru Maharaja is so kind that he ultimately forced me to take sannyasa and do this work. It is all his kindness. This is the memory of his kindness - forty-three years ago. I remember the same thing as it is in 1922 and still the same thing is going on. There is nothing new. There is nothing new to do. Simply let us present as it is and it will be successful.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati ki Jaya

Nitai-Gaura premānande