The Universal Teacher - Bhaktsiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

hundred years, from 1757 to 1947, Great Britain ruled impassively over India and won quarter of the land surface of the earth. British rule seemed to many to be godsent and immutable. What began as a purely business venture of the East India Company in time became the British Raj of India. Queen Victoria called India the jewel in the crown of the Empire. Indeed, India was known the world over as a great civilization whose name was synonymous with sophistication and class.

The British Raj wanted to make the people of India into a race of brown-skinned Englishmen that would be Indian in blood, but English in taste, in morals, in intellect, and in religion. This was Victorian and Edwardian India. 1896 brought the Great Famine followed by the bubonic plague of 1897, wherein two and a half million people died in India. These disasters marked the beginning of the decline of the British Raj. 1896 brought the great famine followed by the bubonic plague of 1897, wherein two and a half million people died in India.

These disasters marked the beginning of the decline of the British Raj. Strict and often intrusive measures were taken to subdue the plague. People were harassed, houses were broken into, hosed down, fumigated and limewatched with no concern for the sensibilities of the inhabitants. The police carried out orders with a toughness that on the occasion became brutal. Complaints poured in about women being offended and money being stolen.

Deaths due to famine and plague escalated at such an and great in 1887, that in Bombay and Calcutta, cremations were hardly performed openly in the streets. Thus, the people of India became increasingly dissatisfied with their foreign rulers. Soon after, the movement for independence was born, and political activists like Balagangadath Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Jinnah, Bhagat Singh, Suvas Chandra Bose, Aurobindo and others took the stage.

From time to time, there were demonstrations protesting British rule and occasional outbreaks of violence. These were promptly suppressed by a British force that was sometimes fatal, such as the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh, where 379 men, women and children were killed, and 1,560 fell wounded. Other events in the world added to the uncertainty of the empire's future when World War I broke out in Europe between 1914 and 1918, resulting in the deaths of more than ten million people. Many of which were Indian soldiers fighting for the British.

Indeed, these were troubled times. The karmic reaction of decades, even centuries, of materialism was now taking its relentless toll. In an atmosphere of expanding empires, wars, natural disasters, political calamity and all-round spiritual void, the world was clearly lacking the leadership and example of someone who knew the real purpose of the human form of life. During the early part of the 20th century, there occurred a unique event in the spiritual history of modern India.

In the remote village of Sridhar Mayapur and the banks of the sacred Ganga in West Bengal, there resided a distinguished personality who would, in due course, do more to help raise the consciousness of human civilization than that of any other person of his time. On March 7, 1918, Shalabhakti Siddhanta Saraswatthi Thakur Prabhupada, adorning the saffron robes of a mendicant, took to the streets of the city of Sridhar Mayapur in the morning of the same day, accepting the renounced order of life, Tridandhi Sannyas.

He then raised the clarion call of Sri Krishna Sankirtan at Sridhar Mayapur with Kartala Merdanga, that would eventually be heard in every town and village around the world. In so doing, Saraswatthi Thakur brought attention to the deep spiritual teachings of Krishna consciousness. He issued a universal challenge of totalitarian war against all philosophical and theistic misconceptions that cover the true identity of the soul.

Sridhar Mayapur was the first Siddhanta Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta SARASWATTHI Siddhanta SARASWATTHI Siddhanta Siddhanta Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta Saraswatthi Siddhanta In the teachings of Saraswatthi Thakur, the only thing lacking in this material world is Krishna consciousness.

The only real welfare work to be done is the distribution of Krishna consciousness, the prime benediction for humanity at large. The achievements of power, wealth and fame are all temporary and lead to the perpetual suffering of the soul in the cycle of repeated birth and death. The Sankirtan movement started by Saraswati Thakur from Sridhar Mayapur was the revival of the original Krishna Sankirtan movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the 15th century.

Through his preaching, Saraswati Thakur attracted to his mission many sincere members of the intelligentsia and social elite of Bengal. Together with his disciples, Saraswati Thakur led a second renaissance of the Krishna consciousness movement, establishing temples, defeating opposing philosophies, recruiting thousands of converts to the doctrine of divine love, and publishing ancient and modern spiritual texts in periodicals, books and newspapers and distributing them throughout India and abroad.

From the time of his accepting Tridandi Sanyasa in 1918 until his departure from this world in 1937, his mission, known as the Gaudiya Math, flourished under his guidance. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada Prabhupada was born in Orissa at Jagannath Puri on February 6, 1874, as the seventh child of Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Srimati Bhagavathidevi. Bhaktivinoda Thakur was a government official and was in charge of the Jagannath temple in Puri. In his spiritual life, Bhaktivinoda was a great pioneer of the Krishna consciousness movement.

At the time, when the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had all but been lost or distorted by his scrupulous persons. Such as the Sakhi Bhikkhus, Bhaktivinoda began publishing numerous papers, journals and books establishing the pure teachings of Sri Chaitanya. By his personal character, he restored dignity to the Gaudiya Vaishnava community. Bhaktivinoda prayed fervently to Lord Jagannath to kindly send him someone who would be capable in preaching the message of Sri Chaitanya.

Upon the birth of his seventh child, Bhaktivinoda realized after observing a series of divine events that his newborn son was indeed the answer to his prayers. Bhaktivinoda Thakur Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada Prabhupada, according to his son Bhimla Prasad meaning the mercy of Lord Jagannath or one who revealed to the world the pastimes of the Supreme Lord.

His sons receiving the blessings of Lord Jagannath during the annual Rathiyatra festival when he was only five months old was noted by Bhaktivinoda as a direct confirmation of the divinity of his son. AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada shares with us the memory of the event. My spiritual master appeared at Jagannātha Pūre. He was the son of a very big government office, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. He was a magistrate, and in those days a magistrate is a big officer in the government, practically next to governor.

And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was in charge of the Jagannātha temple, so there was rata-yatra, festival, and the car was passing in front of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's house. So the car stopped before his house. And at that time Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, a child, was sitting in the lap of his mother. The mother took the opportunity of rising on the car. He was magistrate's wife, so he had the facility. Immediately people gave her a way to go on the top of the car and place the child on the lotus feet of Jagannātha.

And there were many children. And there were many garlands. One garland fell upon him. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. Blessings. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura moved his family to Kolkata the same year as Sarasvatī Ṭhākura's birth. And later, in 1881, Bhaktivinoda constructed Bhakti Bhavan, the family's residence and place of bhajan. While digging the foundation for the house, Bhaktivinoda found a Kurma shalagram śila. He then placed seven-year-old Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in charge of the daily worship of the shalagram, which still remains at Bhakti Bhavan.

Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was indeed an exceptional personality, who always showed keen interest in spiritual life. By the age of seven, he was assisting his father in proofreading the Sajjana Tosini, a monthly spiritual journal. That same year, he received Harinama initiation with Tulsi beads and Narasimha mantra from Bhaktivinoda. As a primary student at the Sri Rampur Christian Missionary School, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura quickly mastered his general studies.

Later, in 1885, while under the tutelage of Pandit Maheshchandra Chidambi and Pandit Sundalal, he excelled in Sanskrit, Mathematics and Vedic Astrology. He was thus awarded the honorific title of Siddhanta Sarasvati, meaning one whose knowledge and scholarship are blessed by the goddess of learning. That title was to remain with him for life. In 1887, Bhaktivinoda Thakur was posted in the government service of Krishna Nagar. During that time, he began visiting Navadvipa town.

On one such visit to Navadvipa, Bhaktivinoda was staying at the Rani Dharamshala when he had a vision of Yogapit, the birth site of Sri Chaitanya. One Saturday evening, Bhaktivinoda was sitting on the roof of the Dharamshala in Navadvipa. Across the Ganga, in the direction of Mayapur, Bhaktivinoda saw an effulgent glow. Within that divine effulgence appeared the Adbhut Mandir, a wonderful temple surrounded by light. Bhaktivinoda was utterly amazed.

The following Saturday, Bhaktivinoda went to the area of Mayapur where at night he again had a wonderful vision of the Adbhut Mandir. He spent the next day wandering all over the area. The elderly locals told him that this was indeed the location of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's birth. They pointed out an extensive mound covered with tosi plants as the actual site of the Lord's appearance.

However, in Navadvipa, the findings of Bhaktivinoda were opposed by caste brahmanas who claimed that the birth site of Sri Chaitanya was actually Prachinmayapur in modern Navadvipa town. But according to Bhaktivinoda's research, utilizing old maps of Ganga Govinda Singh and authentic manuscripts of the Chaitanya Bhagwat, Bhakti Ratnakar and Navadvipa Parikrampadati, he was certain that Mayapur was located on the eastern bank of the Ganga.

He also discovered that the present town of Navadvipa, situated on the western bank of the Ganga, was not more than 100 years old. Prachinmayapur, in modern Navadvipa, could not be the birth site of Sri Chaitanya. It has gone down because Yogopit is a birth place, it is proved with all respect. She was born in Chilisi. She, after all, who was born there, I wondered, 29 years or so, or 20 years. And during that time, definitely there were all the records, maps, everything.

So from the point of archaeological, from the point of history, from the point of geography, from the point of literatures, she clearly proved, without any doubt, that Mahaprabhu was born in the eastern side of Ganga. And Prachinmayapur is in the eastern side. Therefore, undisputed. Wishing to confirm his vision and findings even more resoundingly, Bhaktivinoda in 1888, requested his shiksha guru and the head of the Gaudiya Vaishnava community, Jagannath Das Babaji, to come to the newly discovered birth site of Sri Chaitanya.

The aged Babaji, who was more than 120 years old at that time, had to be carried in a basket wherever he went. However, when Jagannath Das Babaji was brought to the spot discovered by Bhaktivinoda Thakur, he became overwhelmed with ecstasy and jumped from his basket, shouting, Eittonimai Janmabhoomi! Eittonimai Janmabhoomi! This is indeed the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya. Thus, from both an empirical and spiritual point of view, the place of Sri Chaitanya's birth was ascertained.

From this time on, Saraswati Thakur began staying in Mayapur at intervals. In 1889, Bhaktivinoda built his place of bhajan, Svananda Sukhara Kunj, at Gaudhrumandhvi. on the banks of the Jhalangi. Sometimes, Bhaktivinoda and Saraswati Thakur were staying at Gaudhrumandhvi, sometimes at Krishnanagar, and sometimes in Calcutta. In 1891, at age 17, Saraswati Thakur gathered some of his young friends in Calcutta and formed a philosophical discussion group called the August Assembly.

Each member of this discussion group took a lifelong vow of celibacy, a vow that in the end, only Saraswati Thakur himself was able to maintain. He remained a Naishitaka Brahmachari, completely celibate throughout his life. From 1892 to 1898, Saraswati Thakur assisted Bhaktivinoda in the development of Mayapur and the propagation of Krishna consciousness. In 1895, a grand festival was held at Mayapur, in which Bhaktivinoda installed deities of Sri Chaitanya and Vishnupriya.

In 1896, Bhaktivinoda prepared a small Krishna conscious publication for sending to the West, entitled Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His Life and Precepts. The small booklet was sent to the Royal Asiatic Society in London and to several universities in the United States and Canada. Bhaktivinoda was eager to spread the teachings of Sri Chaitanya among the educated people of the West.

Bhaktivinoda Thakur could see that there is also some sincerity in the Western search for truths and answers to the mysteries of life, and he knew that there were the answers in the Vedas, in the transcendental tradition, so he surely appreciated that an effort should be made to convey this message in a language people could relate to. News of the American transcendentalist movement had reached India, and Bhaktivinoda dreamed of one day seeing Western scholars and philosophers come in contact with the teachings of Sri Chaitanya.

When Bhaktivinoda published Sri Krishna's Samhita in Sanskrit and Bengali in 1880, he had sent copies to scholars like Ralph Waldo Emerson in America and Reinhold Rost in London. Now, with the publication of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His Life and Precepts in English, Bhaktivinoda was optimistic that the message of Mahaprabhu would soon be taken up on Western shores. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had himself predicted that the holy name of Krishna would be sung in every town and village of the world, and Bhaktivinoda was anxious to see this happen.

Also, the year Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His Life and Precepts, was sent to the West, another great Gaudiya Vaishnava personality was born in Calcutta, who in the latter half of the 20th century would fulfill the desires of Bhaktivinoda and Saraswati Thakur by preaching the holy name of Krishna in every town and village around the globe. That great personality was Abhay Charan Dev, later to become known as A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Swami B. B. Bodhaya Maharaj of Gopinath Gaudiya Math confirms these facts.

Nowadays, if you look at the root to spread the message of Mahaprabhu around the world, he is the root of these messages to spread around the world and the world. It was his desire to spread the message. First, Mahaprabhu's desire, then Bhaktivinoda's desire, and Prabhupada's desire, and he was trying to spread, and his desire, or his desire, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, he went out and by his power, by his grace, he spread the message around the world.

While staying in Calcutta, Saraswati Thakur studied Sanskrit at the Calcutta Sanskrit College, and he studied Vedas under Pandit Prithvidhara Sharma. During those years, Saraswati Thakur manifested a strong tendency towards renunciation and informed his family and teachers that he had no intention of taking up householder life. In 1898, Saraswati Thakur accompanied Bhaktivinoda on pilgrimage to Gaya, Banaras, and Prayag.

After returning to Svananda Sukhada Kunj in Gudrumudweep, Saraswati Thakur, then 24 years old, met his spiritual master Gaukishodas Babaji for the first time. It was at Svananda Sukhada Kunj that Saraswati Thakur would have repeated opportunities to associate with the most elevated Vaishnavas of his time, Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Jagannath Das Babaji, Vamsi Das Babaji, and Gaukishodas Babaji.

In late January of 1900, after repeated humble submissions, Gaukishodas Babaji happily accepted Saraswati Thakur as his formally initiated disciple, and conferred upon him Bhagavati Diksha and the name Srivarsha Banavi Dayita Das, meaning, one who is the servant of the dearest beloved of Srimati Radharani. It was at this time that Gaukishodas Babaji, who was my own son, was in a bit of a dilemma. He had given the Nishimha Mantra to Bhaktivinoda Thakur for the first time.

Gaukishodas Babaji then came to listen to the Bhagavata of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Saraswati Thakur. Bhaktivinoda Thakur saw that Gaukishodas Babaji was a very good saint. He was a very good saint. He wanted to show his work to his own son. His own son was Gaukishodas Saraswati Thakur. He wanted to show his work to his own son. He wanted to show his work to his own son. Saraswati Thakur was very interested in Gaukishodas Babaji's work.

In 1902, Saraswati Thakur returned to Jagatpur In 1902, Saraswati Thakur returned to Jagatpur where he came into conflict with the Kirtan party led by Radha Raman Charan. Radha Raman Charan had established a poetic style of Kirtan, wherein there were opposing philosophical conclusions and conflicting transcendental mellows. It was also the practice of Radha Raman Charan to imitate ecstasies and sometimes dress himself or his male followers as Gopis or Sakyabekis.

Saraswati Thakur found Radha Raman Charan's Kirtan deviations and imitations to be against the principles of Shri Chaitanya. All these deviant practices were firmly protested by Saraswati Thakur who preached pure devotional Kirtan. In 1905, Saraswati Thakur travelled to South India where he met the head priest of the Ramanuja Sampradaya at Sri Parambodura. Together, they discussed the Vaishnava order of Tridandi Sannyas that had been in effect for several thousand years since the time of Vishnu Swami.

It was clear to Saraswati Thakur from their discussions that Tridandi Sannyas was an accepted part of Vaishnava Dharma although it had been lost over time in certain parts of the country. Returning from South India, Saraswati Thakur went to Mayapur where he remained for four years and performed the Naam Vrat of chanting 300,000 names of Krishna every day. Vaishnava came into this world to give life to all people by chanting Bhajanam Shankartha. Naam is the only thing by which one can get rid of all the pains of this world. Naam Krishna.

Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna. Hare Hare. Hare Rama. Hare Rama. Rama Rama. At Mayapur, full of jungle, not a single temple, Bhopal used to stay in the bhajan kutte, which was at that side, but only one room that was constructed by man. And on the top floor, in the jungle, there was no road, no road at all. You have to walk from Hulal Ghat. That is, by crossing the Ganges, you have to go by foot. Nothing else. No car. No cow-cart. That's how cow-cart started.

When I first went there with my father, at that time there was no cow-cart. No question of bus, motor, road, anything. By 1914, Saraswati Thakur had become widely recognized as a stalwart preacher of the Sanketa movement of Sri Chaitanya. The numerous branches of Bengali pseudo-spiritualists, such as Gauranagaris, Baals, Sakyavekis, Smarthas, Ativadis and Jyatigosayas cowered in fear before this great personality. The mission of Sri Chaitanya was now in good hands and Mayapur was beginning to flourish.

In a letter, Bhaktivinoda Thakur gave Saraswati Thakur specific instructions for establishing Daivivaranashram, the divine social system based on service to Krishna, for preaching Krishna consciousness to the masses, for publishing devotional books, for serving Sri Dham Mayapur, and for establishing the annual circumambulation of Navadvipa Dham. Not long after giving these instructions, Bhaktivinoda Thakur concluded his earthly pastimes and attained the eternal realm of Goloka Vrindavan.

On June 23, 1914, precisely at noon, Bhaktivinoda entered the pastimes of the Supreme Lord far beyond the vision of the conditioned souls of this world. The next year, on November 17, 1915, Gaukishodas Babaji also left this mortal world for the eternal pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Saraswati Thakur then placed his Gurudev's body in Samadhi. Within two years, both the Gurus of Saraswati Thakur, Gaukishodas Babaji and Bhaktivinoda Thakur had departed from this world.

Saraswati Thakur felt deep separation from his affectionate Gurus and was thus thinking how he would be able to fulfill the desires of his spiritual masters. One night, while contemplating the instructions of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, he saw a vision that Sri Chaitanya had arrived at Yogavidya with all his associates amid the sand of Krishna's Sankirtan.

With him were the six Goswamis, Jagannabdas Babaji, Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Gaukishodas Babaji, all of whom spoke encouraging words for Saraswati Thakur to boldly preach the message to Sri Chaitanya and assured him of all success. Soon after, Saraswati Thakur found a piece of torn paper carried by the wind. The paper contained a verse from Chaitanya Charitamrita wherein Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructs Sanatana Goswami From this verse, Saraswati Thakur derived four codes that would become the foundation of his missionary activities.

To publish Krishna conscious literature, to teach the principles of devotional service, to open centres for the cultivation of Krishna consciousness and to teach people how to perform renunciation. That same year, Kunjabihari Vidyabhushana became a disciple of Saraswati Thakur and began assisting him in spreading Sri Chaitanya's message. Kunjabihari Vidyabhushana later to become Bhakti Valasthita Maharaj became the head organiser and manager of all of Saraswati Thakur's preaching efforts.

From 1914 until 1918, Saraswati Thakur gave considerable thought to the necessary steps to be taken in order to widely spread the Sankhya movement. Having received direct intimation from both his Gurus and from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu directly, Saraswati Thakur resolved to accept Tridandis Sannyas, the renounced order of life. On the occasion of the 432nd appearance day anniversary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on March 7th, 1918, thus he became known as Tridandi Goswami Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati.

He then established his preaching headquarters nearby Yoga Pit at Sri Chaitanya Math where he installed deities of Sri Sri Guru Goranga Gandhavika Giridhar. The Bhagavad printing press was set up at Chaitanya Math and the presses worked constantly for printing the message of Sri Chaitanya. That same year, a house was rented at Ultadanga Junction Road in Calcutta and a flurry of preaching and Sankhya activities began.

Many educated and influential people of Calcutta such as Jagat Bandhu Datta and Sakhi Charan Rai came to the Ultadanga house to hear the lectures of Saraswati Thakur and later became his initiated disciples. The place of preaching was called Bhakti Vinod Asana, meaning the place of the conception of Bhakti Vinod. Soon thereafter, he awarded Tridandi Sannyas to Sri Jagadish Bhakti Pradeep, a disciple of Bhakti Vinod Thakur, and conferred upon him the title Bhakti Pradeep Tirtha.

Tridandi Sannyas is the life-long vow of unconditional service to the Supreme Lord with body, mind and words. In 1920, the deities of Sri Sri Gauda Vinod Ananda were installed at Bhakti Vinod Asana in Calcutta and the spiritual institution for the widespread propagation of the Sankhya movement under the name Gaudiya Math officially started. In 1921, the annual Navadvipamanda Parikram began from Yogapur and thousands of pilgrims and devotees attended.

In 1924, the first Vyasa Puja, celebrating the 50th appearance day anniversary of Saraswati Thakur, was held at the Gaudiya Math in Calcutta. In 1925, during the Navadvipamanda Parikram, Saraswati Thakur and his disciples were physically attacked by an angry mob of caste-conscious Brahmans, pundits and hired thugs in Navadvipa. At that time, Vinod Viharidas, later to become Bhakti Purgyankeshiv Maharaj, performed the heroic act of exchanging dress with Saraswati Thakur and diverting the mob while Saraswati Thakur was taken to safety.

That year, the Vyasa Puja of Saraswati Thakur was held in Kathak in Orissa and he was given the title Prabhupada, meaning, at whose feet many masters have taken shelter. 1926 and 1927 saw the publication of the daily Bengali newspaper Nadi Prakash and the monthly English journal The Harmonist. Not a day went by, nor a moment in a day, where Saraswati Thakur was not preaching and propagating the message of Sri Chaitanya. He gave much importance to the publication of Krishna conscious literature and called the printing press the Brihat Mridanga.

Saraswati Thakur often said that the Kartala Mridanga in Sankirtan can be heard nearby, but the printing press can be heard around the world. In the course of 18 years, from 1918 to 1937, Saraswati Thakur published important literatures of the Sikh school Swamis, such as Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, Hari Bhakti Vilas, and Sakriya Saadipika. He published the Bhagavad Gita commentaries of Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur and Baladev Vidyabhushanam.

He also published Vrindavan Das Thakur's Chaitanya Bhagavat, Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami's Chaitanya Charitamrita, all the works of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the fifth chapter of Brahma Samhita, and Sri Vyasadeva's Srimad Bhagavatam. Saraswati Thakur's writing and publishing was indeed monumental.

During these years, Saraswati Thakur also established over 64 missionary centres in India and abroad, and installed deities of Mahaprabhu and Radha Krishna in all the main Gaudiya Maths, such as Sri Sri Gandavika Giridhari at Chaitanya Math in Mayapur, Sri Sri Vinod Ananda at Bhagavad Gita Math in Calcutta, Sri Sri Radha Damodar at Krishna Chaitanya Math in Vrindavan, Sri Sri Vinod Madhava at Purushottam Gaudiya Math in Jagannath Puri, Sri Sri Gopi Gopinath at Brahma Gaudiya Math in Alannath, and Sri Sri Nayanabhi Rama at Ramananda Gaudiya Math on the Gudavari River.

During this time, Saraswati Thakur also conferred sannyas on a total of 21 disciples and sent them out to preach the message of Sri Chaitanya. Some of his prominent sannyasi disciples were Sri Bhakti Pradip Teertha Maharaj, his first sannyasi disciple, Sri Bhakti Hridaye Ban Maharaj, his leading preacher in Europe, Sri Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj, the guardian of pure devotion, Sri Bhakti Vivek Bharati Maharaj, a great preacher of Srimad Bhagavatam, and Sri Bhakti Vichar Yajavara Maharaj, the last initiated sannyas disciple of Saraswati Thakur.

After moving the deities from Ultradanga Junction Road to the newly constructed temple at Bhag Bazaar, Saraswati Thakur opened the first theistic diorama exhibition in Mayapur during the 1930 Gorapanima festival. The dioramas depicted the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya and the principles of devotional service.

In 1932, Saraswati Thakur travelled to South India again, where he preached the Sankirtan movement at Sri Chaitanya and established the worship of Sri Chaitanya's lotus feet in several important holy places such as Mangalagiri, the place of Lord Narasingha, and Kovro, where Sri Chaitanya met Rama Nandaraya. He travelled with a few of his disciples as far south as Mysore and Utti. At Utti, he wrote the forewords to Sri Brahma Samhita and Sri Krishna Chaitanya by Prof. Nishikant Sannyal.

At Mysore, he was the honoured guest in the palace of the King Krishnaraj Bodhi. During his stay in Mysore, Saraswati Thakur lectured on the principles of Srimad Bhagavatam at the Maharaja Sanskrit College and visited several of the local temples such as Nandjangur and Sri Rangapatna on the banks of the Kaveri River. Saraswati Thakur was keen to preach Krishna consciousness to Westerners. In his travels throughout India, he sometimes discussed philosophy and religion with persons like the German scholar Dr.

Magnus Hirschfeld, Sir William Malcolm Hayley, Governor of the United Provinces, and Prof. Albert Southers from Ohio State University. Saraswati Thakur often made elaborate arrangements for Westerners to come to Mayapur to hear the sublime teachings of Sri Chaitanya. From South India, Saraswati Thakur returned to Bengal, where he laid the foundation stone at the house of Advaita Acharya in Mayapur.

The Bhaktivinoda Institute, an educational foundation for the residents of Sridhar, Mayapur, was also opened that same year, and many students were admitted. The first Vraja Mandu Parikram began in 1932, and Saraswati Thakur and his disciples circumambulated Vraja Mandala during the month of Kartik. Saraswati Thakur arrived in Vrindavan by car with many of his non-Brahmin disciples. This created quite a stir among the Kaskar Swamis of Vrindavan, and all the main temples closed their doors in protest.

Only the Rararaman temple opened its doors and welcomed Saraswati Thakur and his disciples. At the Rararaman temple, Saraswati Thakur commented that he was getting the darshan of all the deities of Vrindavan in Rararaman. So this is the very, I want to tell that this is the very close relation with the Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati and our great-great father Madhusudan Goswami. And they have together, they have preached together all over the India. At that time the Aadha Samajis, they were very powerful.

And they want to criticise about that deity worship and our Gaudiya Vaishnava cult. They don't accept that Mahaprabhu was the incarnation of Radha and Krishna. They have said that only the Mahaprabhu was the great personality but not the incarnation of Radha and Krishna. But our great-great father and Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati, they have proved with the scriptures that Mahaprabhu was the incarnation of Radha and Krishna. And they have given the challenge to Aadha Samajis. And they have defeated them.

And they have accepted that Mahaprabhu was the incarnation of Radha and Krishna. So at that time that all the temples, they have allowed Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati after that, that he can visit all these Gaudiya Vaishnava temples and other temples. And he has visited and he has given the respect from the temples and the local Gaudiya Vaishnavas. At Radhakund, Saraswati Thakur established a house for the residents of his gurus, Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Gaurakeshwar Das Babaji.

He said that he and his disciples should only stay there to serve the higher Vaishnavas and that their place of residence should be at Govardhan Hill, a little distance away. Saraswati Thakur always cautioned his disciples not to intrude upon the higher Leela of Krishna. First deserve, then desire. Do not try to go to the higher plane with your impurities. First, purify your heart with Namsankirtan, the holy name of Krishna.

Unlike other so-called gurus and Siddha Purushas of his time, Saraswati Thakur did not allow his disciples to discuss the details of Krishna's ominous love with the Gopis, although Saraswati Thakur did indeed have many highly qualified disciples. He was particularly disturbed if he heard that any disciple was disturbed when discussing Rast Leela. Saraswati Thakur also did not allow his disciples to read such books as Gita Govinda, Ujjwala Nilamani or Govinda Leela Amrita.

Saraswati Thakur's caution was Matala Hari Janavishaya Ramge Pujala Raghapata Gaurava Vange Always worship the path of Raghamag . Do not rush ahead. Keep yourself a little distant and below. One who transgresses these instructions will be cast down. That was the motto of Gaudiya Mutt. Why people were objecting? Why they were objecting? Because he was distorting the teachings? Or he was pointing out the distortion?

After all, if you really want to take and put in a nutshell what he taught about Gaudiya Vaisnavism was, we should practice Gaudiya Vaisnavism without any hypocrisy. This is what he said, I am the enemy of hypocrisy. Especially when it comes in the name of Gaur. This was really what he amplified at this point. And there was a lot of it and therefore there was a lot of objection. And then when they reacted, when they objected, he roared louder. They used to call him Mr. Stepul Singh Guru, Lion Guru. Like a lion, he roared back louder.

He was not about to be intimidated by any such objections. And then they would cite the philosophy and question his initiation and this and so many things. Doctrines came up in opposition to him. So many fine detailed points ignoring his emphasis on being the enemy of hypocrisy and emphasis on a serving disposition. Hmm? Rather than just collecting information about Radha, Krishna, Leela. Actually cultivating self-sacrifice. And this is what this monk order was about. Self-sacrifice.

Send somebody who could sit happily in the Dham, in the holy place and get chapatis and rice. Jan Hari Krishna. No, send him to England. With nothing. Send him to America with nothing. These monks. Let them live only on their faith in Krishna. Krishna will provide. Faith in the name of Krishna. That's what my Guru Maharaj did on his order. And see what happened from that. Hmm? Who has life, he said. That person can preach, can explain these things. Hmm? They had life. They were giving life to Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

We can embrace Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and live in Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Reject him and die to what it's all about no matter how much information we may have about it. How well we can speak theoretically about it. In 1933, Salaswati Thakur sent his first envoys to Europe via London to preach the message of Sri Caitanya. Bhakti Hridayobhan Maharaj and Bhakti Pradip Teertha Maharaj set sail from Bombay with the blessings of Salaswati Thakur to preach and propagate Krishna consciousness in the West.

They were armed with the blessings of the Bhagwat Sampradaya and the book Sri Krishna Caitanya by Professor Nishikant Sanyal. In London, Salaswati Thakur's preachers held programs at Albert Hall and met with British royalty such as King George V and Queen Mary. They also met with the Archbishop of Canada and the distinguished Lord Zetland. Travelling to Germany, Salaswati Thakur's preachers met with Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler and his ministers such as Herr Joseph Goebbels.

Sri Caitanya's teachings of divine love were preached to all these men and to each was given a copy of the book Sri Krishna Caitanya. Although these men were given the chance to embrace the teachings of Sri Caitanya, they did not avail themselves the opportunity. And by the next decade, they were dragged by the power of Maya into the hell known as World War II. Meanwhile, in India, Salaswati Thakur and his disciples preached the Sankirti movement for the benefit of humanity at large.

In August of 1933, a grand festival was held at Sri Chittaniamat in Mayapur and all the Gaudiamat preachers from around India attended. In this rare silent film footage, Salaswati Thakur is seen delivering a lecture from Srimad Bhagavatam, extolling the principles of pure devotional service. Salaswati Thakur stressed that a life of service and sacrifice for Krishna is the root cause of spiritual advancement. To all who attended his lectures, he bestowed the blessing of Mahaprabhu and Krishna.

In 1934, the construction of the Adabud Mandir at Yogapit in Mayapur began. While digging the foundation for the temple, a deity of a Dakshija Vishnu was unearthed. The eminent archaeologist Sri Ram Prasad Chanda ascertained the age of the Adakshija Vishnu deity to be that of the era of Sri Chaitanya. Thus, it was determined that the Adakshija Vishnu deity was the household deity of Jagna Mishra and Satchi Mada, the parents of Sri Chaitanya, further confirming the site as the birthplace of the Supreme Lord.

The next year, the Adabud Mandir was completed due to the magnanimous contributions of Sri Sakicharan Bhakti Vijaya who bore the entire expense of the temple. The grand opening was held at Golpanim in 1935 and was attended by thousands of devotees and pilgrims who performed loud Krishna Sanketan. The festival was also attended by the king Maharaja Bhikkhram Kishodev Bahadur of Tripura state. The Maharaja commented that he was pleased to see the developments of Sri Chaitanya's birthplace.

With the opening of the skyscraper temple at Yogapit, it was concluded by all that Saraswati Thakur had indeed fulfilled the vision of Bhaktivinoda Thakur by building the Adabud Mandir. Sir John Anderson, governor of Bengal, then visited Mayapur by personal invitation and presented an official proclamation that Yogapit in Mayapur was the authentic birth site of Sri Chaitanya. News of this came as the death blow to the Sahaja and Kasparama communities of Navadvipa.

In September of 1935, Bhakti Hridayaband Maharaj returned from preaching in Europe and was greeted with a grand reception in Harrow station in Kolkata. With Bhan Maharaj were two German scholars, Baron von Kurte and Herr Ernst Schulze. In due course, Ernst Schulze fully embraced Gaudiya Vaishnavism and became Sadhananda Das, an initiated disciple of Saraswati Thakur.

Saraswati Thakur was happy upon the return of his preachers from Europe, but still remained anxious that someday strong preachers should become permanently established in Western countries. In October 1936, Saraswati Thakur went to Jagannath Puri, where he began to manifest the pastimes of his departure from this world. In Puri, he stayed at Chattagaparvath and preached vigorously to his disciples and visitors.

During one confidential discourse, he mentioned that we will not live in this world very long, and that if we can die while continuously doing Krishna Kirtana, then our birth will have been successful. We are only carriers of the message of Sri Chaitanya. In December, Saraswati Thakur returned to Kolkata and stayed at Bhagbaza Gaudiya Math. It was here that he gave his last instructions to his disciples. Always preach the message of Sri Rupa Raghunath, the followers of Sri Chaitanya.

Our only desire is to become the dust at the feet of the followers of Sri Rupa Raghunath. While staying at Bhagbaza Gaudiya Math, on January 1, 1937, at 5.30 am, Saraswati Thakur, who had descended in this world from the personal entourage of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, concluded his earthly pastimes and returned to the abode of the Supreme Lord. Much to the wonder of everyone, all the clocks of the Math stopped at exactly that moment. Arrangements were then made to take Saraswati Thakur's body to Mayapur by train, where he was placed in Samadhi.

Along the way, thousands of people gathered to pay their respects to this great personality who had boldly preached the message of Sri Chaitanya for the benefit of all. From Kolkata to Krishnagar was arranged. And from Bhagbaza Gaudiya Math we carried his holy body to Salda station from there. There is a special train to Krishnagar from there. And the roof of a bus came to this Sarugandha Ghat. From there we crossed the Saraswati river. And then again we carried by our shoulder to the Math. And there, this place of Samadhi.

In the morning we came, we reached, the whole day it took to come from Kolkata, to come to Chaitanya Math. About seven, eight o'clock we reached Chaitanya Math at night. Then the digging of the grave was begun. We were envisioning that ourselves. Then, early in the morning, of course he was pressed and there, I still remember his dignified figure, of an ājārya. He sat in a very dignified position, and a very, very grazing color. His complexion was fair.

But after twenty-four hours, when he was made to sit on a āsana, a dignified position of an ājārya, the ājārya was just tall and fair, and thin, and very soft body. Then, of course, the salt was given around, and then the salt and the earth came. After this, he's sitting, I came out. I could not stand to cover his head. I came out, and then I again covered. A tulasi plant was put there, and we all circumambulated, with some song and some reading of Bhāgavatam, Haridāsa Ṭhākur.

I specially requested, who was chanting, the conclusion, poetry in Caitanya-caritāmṛta commentary, made by him, sir. Prabhupāda had this anuvāśya in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and in the conclusion he composed a poem, very sweet and very lamenting, temperamental. I asked to read that poem of him, and it was read. Then, where? Haridāsa Ṭhākur nirchāṁ, in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, that was read. And then, circumambulation of the samādhi, the tulasi plant and that. And one gentleman requested me to chant the same Śrī Rūpa Mañjarīpada. What?

Two days before he requested me to sing and I sang. So that song was sung, sung by me. And then everything finished. śrī-rūpa-mañjarīpada-sehi-mara-sampada śrī-rūpa-mañjarīpada-sehi-mara-sampada śrī-mara-bhājana-pujāna śrī-mara-bhājana-pujāna śrī-mara-prānathāṁ śrī-mara-yābharāṁ śrī-mara-prānathāṁ śrī-mara-yābharāṁ śrī-mara-jīvane-vīdāṁ śrī-mara-yāsvarīdī śrī-mara-bhājana-p operated śrī-mara-bhājana-p worried śrī-mara-bhājana-p worried śrī-mara-śrī-c sechs prok lowâ medha swādmanam After the disappearance of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, his mission, the Gaudiya Math, suffered a severe setback when three of his important disciples deviated from the principles of pure devotional service.

This created quite a disturbance, after which many of Saraswati Thakur's sincere disciples, such as Bhakti Vivek Bharati Maharaj, Bhakti Pargyankeshwara Maharaj, Bhakti Dayita Madhav Maharaj, Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj, Bhakti Pramod Puri Maharaj, Bhakti Sarangha Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Vichaya Yajavara Maharaj, Bhakti Velasthita Maharaj, Sakhi Charamprabhu, Abhay Charande and others rose to the occasion and strived with great endeavour to uphold the teaching of the Gaudiya Math.

During that time, many missions following the codes of the Gaudiya Math were established and the preaching of the Sankhya movement spread throughout India. Many Krishna conscious literatures were published and many new temples were opened. Krishna consciousness in India was flourishing, but the prediction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that the holy name of Krishna would be spread in every town and village around the world remained a great mystery.

All that was about to change in 1959, when Abhay Charande accepted the renounced order of life and became A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. For several years, Bhaktivedanta Swami prepared himself for a journey that would literally affect the lives of every man, woman and child living on this planet. In 1965, Bhaktivedanta Swami set sail on the good ship Jaladutta bound for the United States. He carried with him a trunk of newly published volumes of Srimad Bhagavatam with commentary in English.

Disembarking from the Jaladutta at New York City, Lord Krishna began to make Bhaktivedanta Swami dance, the effect of which would ignite the Sankhya movement on a global scale. In 12 short years, Bhaktivedanta Swami, then known as Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was responsible for millions of Krishna conscious literatures being distributed in dozens of languages around the world.

Temples and places of worship were established, prasadam, the mercy of Lord Krishna, was distributed to millions, and thousands of western men and women embraced the holy name of Krishna and the teachings of Lord Chaitanya. Take advantage of this movement. Make yourself a part of this movement. Make yourself a part of this movement. Make your life perfect. Go back to home, back to Godhead. Due to Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hare Krishna had become a household word in western countries.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada commented many times that his success was only due to the blessings of his spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. In the 1980s and 90s, the words of other prominent preachers of the Sankirtan movement, such as those of Bhakti Raksha Sridhar Maharaj and Bhakti Pramod Puri Maharaj, also became heard in the western world. The involvement of these two great personalities in the Krishna consciousness movement further enhanced the achievements of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Now, in the 21st century, the disciples and grand disciples of these great spiritual masters, Bhaktisiddhanta Swami Prabhupada and Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, continued the spreading of the Sankirtan movement on virtually every continent, in every country and in every town and village of the world. Krishna consciousness is the eternal consciousness of the soul. It is not limited by race, colour or a particular society. Krishna consciousness is universal, and those who understand this are indeed fortunate.

May the blessings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, continue to spread throughout the world. May they forever remain true to their religion. ube Saraswati Satsang with Mooji