Images of the Completed TOVP Nrsimhadeva Temple and Hall
- TOVP.org

In October of 2023 the TOVP will complete and reveal to all, the largest Nrsimhadeva Temple in the world. With over 10,000 sq. ft. of surrounding space and five levels of terraces adorned with paintings and bas-relief art panels depicting the pastimes of Lord Nrsimha and Prahlad Maharaja, this magnificent creation is a miracle in the making and home of our Divine Protector.

The video displays computer generated graphics of the completed hall, dome and altar accompanied by the sound track of Srila Prabhupada teaching his first disciples to chant the Nrsimha prayers sung in all ISKCON temples daily.

Now is the time to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help build Lord Nrsimhadeva’s new home in the TOVP. Go to the Give To Nrsimha 2023 Fundraiser page on the TOVP website today.

 

 

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ISKCON Leadership Sanga 2023
→ Dandavats

The ILS – ISKCON Leadership Sanga – has started on 13th Feb and will go on till 16th Feb. Several hundred devotees from all over the world have to come to Mayapur to take part in seminars and courses aimed at deepening their Krishna consciousness and developing their skills in leadership in Srila Prabhupada’s movement.
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Sravan Utsava Seva Sponsorship 2023
→ Mayapur.com

Mayapur.com welcomes all the devotees who have arrived here for Gaura Purnima 2023 festivities. Yesterday was the 8th Annual Sravna Utsava since it started in 2014. There would be lectures from 13th to 16th February on Spiritual Master, Advent of Lord Caitanya & His Childhood pastimes, The Liberation of Sarvabhuama Bhattacharya and Lord Caitanya travels […]

The post Sravan Utsava Seva Sponsorship 2023 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Saint Valentine’s Day
Giriraj Swami

Today, February 14, , I was struck when Srila Prabhupada, at the conclusion of his class on Sri Isopanisad, spoke about love—the love that Krishna wants and the love that will satisfy us:

“Any religion—it doesn’t matter whether Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion—if you are developing love of God, then you are perfect in your religion. . . .

And what kind of love? Ahaituki: without any cause. ‘O Lord, I love You, God, because You supply me so many nice things. You are order-supplier.’ No, not that sort of love. Without any exchange. That is taught by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, that ‘Whatever You do . . .’ Aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam. ‘Either You trample me under Your feet or You embrace me—what You like. You make me brokenhearted by my not seeing You—that doesn’t matter. Still You are my worshipable Lord.’ That is love. . . . That sort of love Krishna wants. Therefore He was so much fond of the gopis. In the gopis’ love there was no question of business propaganda: ‘Give me this, then I love You.’ No. That is pure love. . . . If you want to love God, there is nothing throughout the whole world which can check you. Simply you have to develop your eagerness: ‘Krishna, I want You.’ That’s all. Then there is no question of checking. In any condition you’ll increase your love, increase your love. . . . If you can develop your love for God, or Krishna, without being checked, without any cause, then you will feel fully satisfied.”

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Mayapur Iskcon Leadership Sanga
→ Ramai Swami

The first Iskcon Leadership Sanga was held in Mayapur after three years because of Covid restrictions. Around fourteen hundred devotees attended from different parts of the world over a five day period.

Every day there were presentations given on the main stage in the ToVP building and the devotees then made their way to the thirty or forty various seminars and workshops held in different rooms.

Of course, there was also wonderful guru-puja of Srila Prabhupada, ecstatic kirtan and sumptuous prasadam served three times a day.

Mantra America, Hare Krishna on the Red carpet
→ ISKCON News

Grammy-nominated Mantra America chants Hare Krishna on the Hollywood red carpet. After several years of effort, 2023 marked the first time the Grammys officially included chant as a music category. This year the album “Mantra Americana,” by Madi Das & Bhakti Without Borders, was nominated in the “Best New Age, Ambient, & CHANT Album” category. […]

The post Mantra America, Hare Krishna on the Red carpet appeared first on ISKCON News.

Hare Krishna Devotees Provide Aid to Survivors in Turkey
→ ISKCON News

Turkish and Hungarian devotees meet in Istanbul Devotees from Turkey and Hungary met in Istanbul so that they jointly distribute cooked food for the survivors in the most heavily damaged earthquake-stricken area in Turkey.   With permission from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the devotees will arrive to Antakya, Hatay province on Sunday, […]

The post Hare Krishna Devotees Provide Aid to Survivors in Turkey appeared first on ISKCON News.

The Power of Prayer
→ Dandavats



The Power of Prayer.
By Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami.
Atheists think that a prayer to God is sheer imagination. But for centuries, thousands of sincere practitioners have accumulated definite evidence of the positive results of prayer. The serious doubt regarding prayer is not whether God can hear and respond, but whether the things people pray for are worthwhile. According to St. Teresa of Avila. “More tears are shed in this world from prayers that are answered than from those that go unanswered.” Those who pray, therefore, need more than the conviction that the Supreme can fulfill our desires. Before we approach God with our requests, we ought to become educated as to what to pray for. The pure devotees of the Lord can teach us this ultimate truth.


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The Supreme Personality of Godhead
→ Dandavats

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Soul, and He has no beginning. He is transcendental to the material modes of nature and beyond the existence of this material world. He is perceivable everywhere because He is self-effulgent, and by His self-effulgent luster the entire creation is maintained.”~Srimad Bhagavatam 3.26.3
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Mantra Americana goes to the Grammys
→ Dandavats

Good news came from a report from Chaitanya Mangal. “After several years effort, 2023 marked the first time the Grammys officially included chant as a music category. This year the album Mantra Americana by Madi Das and Bhakti Without Borders was nominated in the Best ‘New Age Ambient and Chant Album’ category. While the album
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TOVP Flipbooks for Gaura Purnima, 2023
- TOVP.org

For Gaura Purnima and Nityananda Trayodasi 2022 the TOVP published two inspiring and informative free online flipbooks detailing the history of the making, arrival and installation of our beloved Mayapur Pancha Tattva Deities. We present them here again this year in observance of the 2023 Gaura Purnima Festival for devotees to read and relish. As ISKCON Mayapur grows and expands into a great transcendental city as envisioned by our acharyas, these books will also become historical records, thus becoming even more meaningful and important.

The two online flipbooks below are part of our free Flipbook Collection on the TOVP website. All the flipbooks are readable, downloadable and shareable.

1. The Advent of Sri Panca Tattva

Published originally in book form in 2004 by Bhagavatamrta Das and Ganga Das, this publication covers the period of time leading up to the casting of the deities, the transport of the beautiful golden forms from South India to Mayapur, and the many adventures and stories in between. The book’s historical value cannot be measured. It was an event the likes of which we have never seen, and will never see again, and both authors bring the entire story to you in colorful detail.

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/210610942/

2. Eighteen Days: Sri Panca Tattva’s Mayapur Lila

This book by Braja Sevaki Dasi and Rasarani Priya Dasi continues where ‘The Advent of Panca Tattva’ by Bhagavatamrta Das and Ganga Das leaves off, describing in detail and with a beautiful photo gallery, the full installation ceremony of the Panca Tattva. As their book ends upon the arrival in Mayapur on February 6, 2004 of the truck bearing its precious cargo, a second book, “18 Days: Sri Panca-tattva’s Mayapur-lila” takes up the story.

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/581800979/

We would also like to remind our readers that fast approaching is the opening of Lord Nrsimhadeva’s completed Temple in the TOVP this October, 2023. We urge you to help us complete this work on time by contributing to the Give To Nrsimha 2023 Fundraiser. Nrsimha Bricks, inscribed with your name and placed under the Lord’s altar, as well as many other new sponsorship options are available for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Hare Krishna!

 

 

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Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Appearance Day
Giriraj Swami

Sri Prahlada Dasa: Today is the holy appearance day of our grandfather or great grandfather spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada. On Giriraj Maharaja’s instruction I will try to speak something of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s history and something about my realization of his contribution and mood, and pray for the mercy of the Vaishnavas that that realization will be in line with his actual teachings.

The appearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is most significant. His father, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, was a great spiritual reformer. Gaudiya Vaishnavism at that stage in history had become marginalized and in many ways perverted. Not across the board but in different areas, the mature teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu were not being practiced or taught as they are. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura wanted to reestablish Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission within this world. He made his own personal endeavors to write vast amounts of literature and establish the nama-hatta, the marketplace for the holy name, reestablishing, organizing sangas for association for Vaishnavas. He also prayed for help, for assistance in that great task. Bhaktivinoda Thakura had a vision to spread Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement to the Western world, and he prayed to Krishna for help in that mission. It is understood that the appearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was the fulfillment of that prayer.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura was living in Puri at the time of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s appearance, and the place of his appearance is on the Grand Road in between the Jagannatha temple and the Gundica temple, where Jagannatha’s chariot procession takes place. The biographies tell of different significant signs or indications of the transcendental nature of his appearance. One was that the umbilical cord was left around his neck and then draped across his chest like a upavita, what we call a brahman thread. That was one indication. Another significant event was when a Jagannatha chariot procession taking place stopped right in front of his house for a significant duration of time, if not a couple of days. It was a significant amount of time, and they were unable to move the chariot. So his mother, Srimati Bhagavati Devi, took advantage of the opportunity and took the baby who was named Bimala Prasada onto the chariot and at the lotus feet of Jagannatha Swami. When she prayed at Jagannatha’s lotus feet, a garland fell down around Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and it was taken that Jagannatha was showing His benediction upon the child.

Someone was speaking about Srila Prabhupada and said how Prabhupada had paid his obeisances and that Krishna’s garland had fallen not around him but in front of him. Brahmananda was telling the story and Prabhupada said to Brahmananda, “Did you see? Krishna’s garland has fallen. He is pleased with me!”

At a very young age Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati learned the entire Bhagavad-gita. It is said that at the age of seven he could recite the whole Gita and explain the verses. He was obviously well trained by his father, Bhaktivinoda Thakura. His father gave him upanayanam, Vedic initiation into the Gayatri mantra also at around the same age. And he gave him the service of worshipping salagrama sila. It was a Varaha sila that was found when he was establishing Bhaktibhavana in Calcutta, a home in Calcutta. As they were digging, they found a Varaha salagrama that he gave to his son, Bimala Prasada Datta, as well as a mantra to Lord Nrsimhadeva. And that mantra was actually revealed to Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his meditation or in a dream. Nrsimhadeva gave him that mantra at that time and Bhaktivinoda gave that to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Later, when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati sent preachers to the West—two sannyasis and one other—he gave them salagrama, Govardhana sila, Dvaraka sila, and that Nrsimha mantra to protect the mission.

There is a famous story of how Bhaktivinoda Thakura was strict with Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Once, new fruits and vegetables were brought into the house, and the young child saw the mangoes and thought, “Oh, that one is for me.” And Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, “What is this? Before the Deities have been offered this fruit, you are already claiming it as yours.” And so the young child, Bimala Prasada Datta, took this correction very seriously, and he made a vow to never eat mangoes again.

Giriraj Swami: [unclear]

Sri Prahlada Dasa: He may have eaten before he made the vow. And whenever he was offered mangoes or preparations with mangoes, he would say, “No. I am an offender.” So, that was also a sign of his determination to keep this vow of mangoes.

In college Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati showed his brilliance and became very learned in astrology and astronomy. He translated, if not commentated upon, the Surya Siddhanta, the Sruti, on astronomical science and also on Vedic cosmology. He learned Sanskrit as well and would help his father in proofreading and editing the different publications that Bhaktivinoda would produce in English and Bengali. Once, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said about himself, “I am not only a proofreader of the press; I am a proofreader of men—I see their faults and try to correct them. I am also a proofreader of religion. I have appeared in the zodiac sign of the crab, so whenever I see anything undevotional, I act like a crab. If I see any so-called devotion, not actually in the true unalloyed spirit, I shall pierce it!” So, he was an editor, a proofreader, both literally and metaphorically.

In college he formed a society of college students who were brahmacharis. That was the prerequisite for being in that society. They would meet and discuss philosophy and, I suppose, social issues as well. They had very strict rules of admittance into that group.

He gave up his college studies before graduation because he felt that his father would get him married if he had a degree and potential for a job. He did not want to become entangled. He was a naistika-brahmachari, a lifelong brahmachari. So, he quit his studies early and actually left home. He started to work for one of the Maharajas of India as the court astrologer but also as an administrator, and he reviewed the Maharaja’s entire administration to weed out corruption and to reorganize things. He also focused on astrology. He remained there for some time. I can’t remember what the circumstances of his leaving that post were, but there was a moment when he decided to focus more on his father’s mission of establishing Krishna consciousness and preaching Krishna consciousness.

When his father, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, discovered the Yogapitha, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati stayed there in a grass hut and made a vow to chant a billion names of the Lord. It took some years to complete. While living there, he was chanting, as far as I understand, the same number of rounds that Haridasa Thakura was chanting—192 rounds a day. There is a story that someone came to visit him and the grass hut had a leak. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati did not take the time to fix the hole; he just sat in the hut with an umbrella and continued chanting his japa. And so, that was a vow that took some years to complete.

Around the same time, he took spiritual initiation from Gaurakisora dasa Babaji—I think before he took that vow. The scriptural history relating to that incident is that Gaurakisora dasa Babaji had decided that he would not take any disciples, but Bhaktivinoda Thakura was encouraging Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, “You have to take spiritual initiation from Gaurakisora dasa Babaji.” So, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati went and asked Babaji Maharaja, but he didn’t agree. And so, after some time, Bhaktivinoda Thakura encouraged Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to ask him again, and that time Gaurakisora dasa Babaji replied, “I will have to ask Gauranga. We will see what Gauranga decides.” Another time, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati asked him, “What was Gauranga’s decision?” but Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was not giving him an answer.

Giriraj Swami: He said he forgot to ask.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: Oh, okay. And so finally Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said that if Gaurakisora dasa Babaji would not give him spiritual initiation, he would end his life. And so at that point Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, understanding Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s determination, agreed to initiate him. Often times when this story is told it is mentioned how Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was illiterate and how Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was an erudite scholar. Sometimes he was called a walking encyclopedia because he had so much general knowledge on so many different topics.

After completing that vow to chant so many names, one billion names, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati began his preaching mission. I think disciples had already come to him while he was chanting, I am not sure about that. But anyway, he began his preaching mission. He started to travel to Puri and also in Calcutta. Eventually he founded a matha in Calcutta at Ultadanga Road, and more and more devotees, disciples, started to come and take shelter of him and assist him in preaching work.

There is an incident relating to Gaurakisora dasa Babaji’s disappearance. He had said in his humility, “When I die I should be tied in rope and dragged through the streets of Navadvipa and then I will get some benefit.” And so, on his disappearance, the babajis of Navadvipa wanted to do that—tie him with a rope and drag his body through the streets. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati came to hear of it, he crossed the river with a couple of disciples and forbade the babajis to do this, to tie Gaurakisora dasa Babaji’s body with rope and drag him through the streets. They were insistent. The other thing was that they were fighting over who would make his samadhi in their own matha. Knowing that he was a great soul, pilgrims would come and offer donations, and so there was this debate amongst them. So, they were fighting over the body and wanting to tie it with ropes and drag it through the streets. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati came, he forbade any of them to touch the holy body of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja and he said, “As a disciple, I have the right to honor the body of my spiritual master after his disappearance.” The babajis did not appreciate that argument. He challenged them, and as far as I understand, the local police constable was with him as well. And so he challenged them, “If there is anyone here that has not had illicit sex in the past six months, then you can come forward and touch the body of my spiritual master.” And no one came forward. And then he said, “If there is anyone that has not engaged in illicit sex in the past month, then you can come forward.” And no one came forward at that either. Then he asked, “Anyone who has not had illicit sex in the past week, come forward.” And no one did. So, in the past two days, and then finally in the past day, in the past night—and none of the babajis came forward. And so he picked up the body of his spiritual master and carried it to the banks of the Ganges and placed it in samadhi there. And later he actually moved the samadhi to Sridhama Mayapur to the Chaitanya Matha, where the samadhi is today.

After the disappearance of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati felt a need to reestablish the sannyasa order in the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya for the sake of his preaching mission. He sat before a picture of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja and performed his own sannyasa ceremony according to the rites that he had researched while he was down in South India in an earlier visit there in the Sri Sampradaya, where Vaishnava sannyasa is still present, or practiced since a long duration of time. At the time of his spiritual initiation he received the name Varsabhanavi-devi-dayite dasa, and on taking sannyasi he assumed the name Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. As a sannyasi, he continued his dynamic preaching and he started to award the sannyasa order to his disciples. I know of one case when a disciple of Bhaktivinoda Thakura took sannyasa from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati—Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Maharaja. He was actually one of the preachers that went to the home of Prabhupada in Allahabad later. And after that visit, Prabhupada became more actively involved in the Gaudiya Matha.

There is one other really wonderful story, out of chronology now, about Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s preaching—a famous incident I would like to mention. There was a debate over the position of a Vaishnava and the position of a brahman, and Bhaktivinoda Thakura had been invited to speak at that sanga. It was an assembly of learned scholars, pandits who would present their views and debate with the other pandits having opposing views. So, Bhaktivinoda Thakura was to represent the Vaishnavas and the Vaishnava conclusion, but he was unable to attend and requested Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to do so in his place. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati went and made a masterful presentation that is currently available as a book called Brahman and Vaishnava, and he began this presentation by glorifying the brahman, quoting numerous Vedic texts from the shastras glorifying the exalted position of the brahman. This was the first day of his presentation. All the brahmans were very keen that he had glorified the position of the brahman, and so they were all very happy after the first day of his presentation.

On the second day of his presentation, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati started to quote verses establishing the position of the Vaishnava and how the Vaishnava was even more glorious than the brahman. Whether the Vaishnava was born in a family of even dog-eaters or even in the family of a non-Aryan race, he was still to be exalted, even higher than the brahman. The story is that when he concluded his presentation, the crowd who had assembled there started rushing forward to touch his feet, to take the dust of his feet. And some people were actually worried about the danger of the crowd rushing forward. So, one of the organizers brought a big drum of water, poured water over Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s feet, mixed it with a large container of water, and started throwing it over the crowd. And they were satisfied that they had gotten the mercy of his lotus feet. It is also said that at the other side of the pandal where that program had taken place, as the crowd left, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was seen watching the entire proceedings and giving his mercy, his blessings, to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

Now I want to touch on some things—first Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati organizing a mission, organizing a religion. In a sense, that was not done prior to him—in the sense of institutionalizing Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Before him, Gaudiya Vaishnavism had always been practiced informally, without the structure of an institution. In Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s time there was no established institution as such, and at the time of the gosvamis as well, it was an informal association. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati established the matha at Ultadanga Road, he said that he was not establishing a new institution but rather reviving that which had been already organized by Rupa Gosvami as the Visva Vaishnava Raja Sabha. Visva means universal or . . .

Giriraj Swami: The whole world.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: Worldwide, international. Vaishnava Raja Sabha means the world assembly of the Vaishnavas. We would have it later translated as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. But Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati made that statement that he was reviving that Visva Vaishnava Raja Sabha. Later he formalized it as the Gaudiya Matha. So, he formalized Gaudiya Vaishnavism in that sense and he also reestablished varnasrama. It was always there, particularly in the time of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—there were brahmacharis, grihasthas, sannyasis. But for a period after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s disappearance pastime, Gaudiya Vaishnavism had been practiced mainly by monastic babajis who would be residing in holy places—Navadvipa, Vrindavan, Radha-kunda—and doing their solitary bhajana or meditation, chanting, hearing. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati organized groups of brahmacharis living in a city, who would go out with the sannyasis and preach to the grihasthas. And in that way he gave a different face to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. He would strongly criticize the babajis, as we have heard in the story of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji’s disappearance. He saw most of them as hypocrites. And so he made Krishna consciousness, the practice of Krishna consciousness, practical and acceptable to common people. The teaching, or the practice, of the babajis was that one should remain in a single place, live very simply, and just do bhajana. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s point was that for most people that is not possible. He wrote a song, or a book, in which he addresses the mind—dusta mana! tumi kisera Vaishnava?—crooked mind, what type of Vaishnava are you? And he spoke about the difficulties of trying to do nirjana-bhajana, sitting in one place and just focusing on hearing and chanting. He said, “You are sitting. You have the externals of a Vaishnava, but your mind is thinking of sense gratification. Your mind is thinking of the opposite sex, of money, of position, and respect.” He saw that that practice of Krishna consciousness as it was attempted by the babajis was impractical for the conditioned souls of this age and that those who were attempting it were mostly cheaters of others and cheaters of themselves. He was very strong when he was preaching like this.

The other group that he preached against was the caste gosvamis. These were lines of devotees that had descended from a significant personality in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes—a line descended from Advaita Acharya: Advaita-vamsa. A line descended from Nityananda Prabhu—Nityananda-vamsa—and a line descended from the disciples of the gosvamis of Vrindavan. The teaching of these caste lines is that unless you are initiated by someone who is born in one of these families, you can’t make advancement in Krishna consciousness and receive the seed of love of God and go back to Godhead. The qualification for a guru is to be born as a descendant of one of these personalities, and unless one had taken shelter there, there is no chance of awakening love of God.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati preached against both of these perversions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings. One does not find that theory or that teaching in any of the scriptures or the teachings of Caitanya-caritamrta, Chaitanya-Bhagavata. They were perversions that developed after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s time, and many of the personalities born in these lines did not have much or any spiritual qualifications other than their birth. In terms of learning realization of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings, the practice of sadhana, they were very shallow in these things. And so he reestablished the pure understanding—kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya—that one may be a brahman or a sannyasi or a sudra, but if one understands the teachings of Krishna consciousness—yei krsna-tattva-vetta—that person is spiritual master. He spoke very strongly on these topics, on the practices of both the gosvamis and the caste brahmans, and therefore he made enemies as well as friends.

In speaking truth, he had enemies. It is said that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati developed a hernia and was considering an operation. In fact, arrangements had already been made for an operation in the hospital when a high-level policeman came to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and informed him that he had been offered a bribe by some of the people from this group that when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati went for the operation the doctors were going to kill him and as the high-level police officer, he should not investigate or convict them for the murder. So, he did not undergo that operation; he remained with the hernia for the rest of his preaching mission. It is also said that when he organized a parikrama around Vraja-mandala, the caste gosvamis and the others who saw him as an enemy would boycott the parikrama. They would not allow any of the shopkeepers to sell any food or supplies to the devotees in the group. And at other times the devotees would be pelted with stones and bricks as they made their parikrama.

There is one story that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was lecturing and a band of ruffians came and started to attack him and his followers. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was implored by one of his leading disciples, Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja, to exchange clothes. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati put on Kesava Maharaja’s brahmachari clothes. He was a brahmachari at that time. And Kesava Maharaja wore Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati clothes. And in the clothes of a brahmachari, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati escaped from that situation, and Kesava Maharaja risked his life for his spiritual master.

In another story, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was at Radha-kunda and one of the brahmans there—perhaps one of the brahman guides—was insisting that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati respect him. Because the brahman was not receiving the attention that he believed was his due, he said, “The gosvamis, they respect.” Even if you go to Radha-kunda today, they will tell you, “My grandfather was Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja’s, and I am Prabhupada’s guide.” And “I am the guide of Sivarama Maharaja and Giriraj Maharaja.” Anyway, so this brahman told Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, “Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was offering his obeisances to us brahmans here at Radha-kunda. Why you are not respecting us?” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took offense at that statement of that brahman who was belittling the position of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, and he refused to eat. He said, “Unless that brahman apologizes, I am not going to eat.” And in the camp, because the acharya was not eating, the disciples also would not eat.

Hundreds of devotees were fasting, and so they went to that brahman and said, “Please come and apologize to our guru maharaja, because hundreds of devotees are fasting.” It was a long period of fasting, but eventually the brahman came and apologized to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said, “I have no personal grievance to be affected by your words, but as an acharya, as a teacher of disciples, I am obliged to establish the proper siddhanta, the proper etiquette. So if someone speaks against or belittles the position of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, it is my duty to respond. I can’t ignore. I am not allowed to ignore it as an acharya and a teacher. So when I heard your words, I had to respond to them in this way. So please don’t be offended by my response; it was my duty to do so.” So, the brahman made his apology and begged forgiveness and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took prasadam. And all the Vaishnavas took prasadam as well.

He was very strict and uncompromising. Sometimes the devotees would call him “simha guru.” It is said that when he would come to town, the Mayavadis and the hypocrites would leave, or they would see him walking on one side of the street and they would cross the other side, or they would turn around and go in the opposite direction so that they would not have to encounter him. He was very strict in establishing the pure teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and challenging wherever he saw perversion or misrepresentation of Lord Krishna.

He had a great desire that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings could come to the West. We all know how he instructed Srila Prabhupada in that first meeting: “You are an intelligent young man. Why don’t you preach Krishna consciousness in English in the English-speaking countries?” So, Prabhupada felt it his duty to also challenge, to test Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in what he was saying, and so he replied, “Who will hear Lord Chaitanya’s teachings while we are still an occupied country? Who will hear the teachings of an occupied country? First we need to be liberated; then we can show India’s glory to the world.” And Prabhupada appreciated Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s strong reply: “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings are too important to wait for political changes. Political situations will always be in flux. They will always be changing. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings don’t depend on that. Regardless of the political situation, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings must be spread.” Prabhupada appreciated that answer. He felt defeated and he felt happy—happily defeated. It is said that Prabhupada did not accept defeat. He was not defeated in principle, but in this instance Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati quickly defeated him and Prabhupada felt very happy. And when they left that meeting at Ultadanga Road, on the rooftop where Prabhupada first met Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, his friend Naren Babu asked Prabhupada, “So what did you think?” And Prabhupada replied, “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings are in very capable hands.” He was happy for that.

At different times Prabhupada received the same instructions from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to preach in the English language. Just weeks before Bhaktisiddhanta’s disappearance, Prabhupada wrote to him and asked, “Do you have some instruction for me? How can I serve you?” And he received the same response: “Preach Krishna consciousness in the English language.” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati sent three disciples to London to establish Krishna consciousness there, and he also maintained them there in London. He would send money regularly to those disciples so that they could establish a mission in London. But they were mostly unsuccessful, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati eventually called them back to India.

We have spoken about his preaching drive, his missionary spirit. He also instructed Prabhupada about printing books, the same statement that Prabhupada heard from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati at Radha-kunda: “If you ever get money, print books.” On the Gaudiya Matha logo there is Radha and Krishna in the center. On one side there is the mridanga and kartals, and on the other side there is the printing press. And it says “brhat-mrdanga.” On one side there are Deities of Radha and Krishna and on another side he had a Srimad-Bhagavatam.

He spoke about bhagavata-vidhi and pancaratrika-vidhi. Pancaratrika-vidhi is temple worship, vaidhi seva, is service of the Lord according to Vedic rules and regulations, and bhagavata-vidhi means to hear and chant and remember Krishna, to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati also explained preaching as bhagavata-marga, or in the same line as hearing, chanting, and remembering Krishna. It is a line of spontaneously hearing and remembering Krishna not according to the strict rules and injunctions of temple worship and Vedic injunctions. So, pancaratrika-vidhi, or the temple worship, the regulated duty of service, is important for neophytes. They are overlooked by the babajiis. The babajis focus only on the bhagavata-marga. They are hearing about, chanting the names of, and remembering—at least they are supposed to—Krishna. Understanding that bhagavata-marga is superior to the pancaratrika-vidhi, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati explained that both are necessary for advancement in Krishna consciousness.

As I said earlier, he gave more emphasis to varnashrama—brahmacharis living in the matha, trained in the matha according to a regulated program—the sannyasa ashramas—and grihasthas who lived around the matha. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had thousands of grihastha disciples. I heard a figure, 60,000 disciples. Is that right?

Giriraj Swami: I hadn’t heard that. That is a lot.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: But he equated  preaching activity with bhagavata-marga, and so he gave it a very, very high position, or significance. And he taught that devotees can advance in the bhagavata-marga by engaging themselves, by actively engaging their senses, in the preaching mission. And so he traveled tirelessly all over India, and also in Burma. And in order to establish the preaching, he would also employ means that were not always understood by the kanistha-adhikari or the neophyte who was caught up in the rules and regulations of vaidhi even though they thought they were very advanced bhagavatas. And so he would drive an expensive automobile when the occasion called for it, especially in Calcutta. He would wear expensive shoes, even leather shoes, polished leather shoes. He had a Sikh driver, his driver and bodyguard. And he exhibited opulence in that way in order to preach, in order to make Krishna consciousness acceptable and respectable and understood by the British and by the Indians who were vastly under the influence of the British at that time and who were embarrassed to be involved with less sophisticated presentations of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission.

He organized functions. He set up exhibitions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings, dioramas and exhibits in different cities of India. He also would entertain government leaders and scholars. There was a famous photo of the governor of Bengal being received in Mayapur at the Chaitanya Matha. And there is a huge gate with the saying, “God Bless the King” or “God Save the King” over the gate. I heard the story, at the banquet not everything there was prasadam. Other things were also on the menu according to the taste of the British governor, who was visiting Mayapur. Not all the food was Vaishnava or even brahman, sattvika. In that picture you can see some of his brahmachari preachers and how they dressed. They were wearing black—I suppose you could call it a robe—like a robe or a suit, with a white collar. They had these pocket watches; you could see the chain with the pocket watches. And they wore black turbans. So, they looked very smart. It is interesting how he had this uniform for the preachers who were preaching or interfacing with the British in India at that time—a complete uniform that they wore for their preaching activities.

When he moved his matha from Ultadanga to Bagh Bazaar, he hired a marching band to perform, to play their music, as the Deities went in procession from Their old temple to Their new temple in the center of Calcutta. He would also preach on the Indian radio in Calcutta. He would give lectures—I think there was a period where he would give lectures on Saturdays. And so he was a very, very powerful preacher in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana mission.

There is a story about Subhas Chandra Bose. He was a radical nationalist, a freedom fighter. Gandhi was the pacifist; he was fighting the British by nonviolent resistance, non-pacification. Subhas Chandra Bose was advocating armed struggle, uprising. And he had—we are not going to get into detail, but Subhas Chandra Bose had an agreement with Hitler that as the Indian soldiers were captured fighting for the British during World War II, rather than keeping them in a prison camp they would be given to Subhas Chandra Bose for his national liberation army in Japan. And from Japan into Burma to fight British to liberate India. There is a story that Subhas Chandra Bose approached Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati on one occasion and said, “You have so many men. You are engaging them in chanting and preaching Srimad-Bhagavatam while our country is occupied by the British. Why don’t you give me some of your men and we will make them into soldiers to liberate India.” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati replied, “No, these men are too weak. They are not strong enough to be soldiers. They are not good for your purposes so don’t think about them.” But what is significant here is that  such a political leader would consider making this request for Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s help or collaboration, cooperation, in liberating India of the British rule.

He was a very powerful and revolutionary spiritual leader, spiritual teacher, reviver of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. At the end of his manifest pastimes, he resided at Cataka-parvata near to the Tota-Gopinath temple in Jagannatha Puri. Cataka-parvata is considered nondifferent from Govardhana Hill. And so he was residing there, and according to one biography he was often heard to say, nija nikata nivasam dehi govardhana tvam, “O Govardhana, please give me residence near to you.” So, that was his prayer and meditation near the end of his manifest pastimes. Finally he made his disappearance in Calcutta, and he was placed in samadhi at the Chaitanya Matha in Sridhama Mayapur by the disciple of Bhaktivinoda Thakura who took sannyasa from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

In conclusion, hearing of the reason for his appearance—Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s prayers—and hearing of his courage in preaching Krishna consciousness, reestablishing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission and with revolutionary methods, but at the same time keeping very strict adherence to the principle and intolerant of any deviation or perversion of Lord Chaitanya’s teachings, distortion of those teachings, we can understand that he is very pleased with Srila Prabhupada successfully bringing Krishna consciousness to the West and establishing it here without change and bringing it to the mainstream of society, establishing it as a household word all over the world and taking it back to India as well and reviving Krishna consciousness there. And it appears to be gaining momentum year by year—Krishna consciousness in India is really exploding. We can be sure and certain that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is very pleased with that success. Prabhupada always attributed his success to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. He would say, “If I have any credit, it is that I followed the instruction of my spiritual master,” or “I had faith in the teaching of my spiritual master.” Sometimes he would also say that his disciples were sent by his spiritual master. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is therefore pleased with this movement and is watching over this movement. He is aware of this movement according to Prabhupada’s statement, and therefore he can also be aware of our service and prayer for his mercy to be an instrument in his mission and to be an example to others, to inspire others and to advance in the process of Krishna consciousness as he taught it.

There is a beautiful prayer, a poem by Srila Prabhupada, that he presented on Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s disappearance day many years after his disappearance—Viraha Astakam. It is a lament, and he speaks about the anomaly, the degradation of modern society at that time, how, as Kali advances, people are becoming more sinful and degraded, and he was begging for Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to give his mercy. In that, you get a sense of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s and Srila Prabhupada’s mood of preaching and sense of compassion for the fallen, conditioned souls—a very strong sense and very sincere desire to help the conditioned souls and to preach Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. It gives you an understanding of how Prabhupada was able to imbibe Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s mood, the compassion, his understanding of the need, how Krishna consciousness can save the world. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had that conviction, and Prabhupada had that as well, but it appears that others did not have that in the same way.

And so my final concluding point is that by reading Prabhupada’s books and understanding Prabhupada’s mood as it is, one can also understand the mood and teachings of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati very clearly—because they are the same. Even large passages of Caitanya-caritamrta are almost directly translated from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s commentary on the Caitanya-caritamrta, or if you read The Nectar of Instruction, Sri Upadesamrta, Prabhupada gives his commentary, and then the second half of his commentary for each verse is a paraphrase or quotation of the commentaries of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on the same verse. Of course, he did that according to time, place, and circumstance, but really, Prabhupada was taking Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s teachings as they were and just translating them into our language in a way that we could understand and giving them to us “as it is” without any distortion or dilution, watering down or adding his own ideas from his own studies or readings. He was a very, very faithful disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. It also an example to us that if we are faithful followers of Srila Prabhupada, we will be placed as followers of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and we will be successful in practicing and teaching Krishna consciousness.

Giriraj Swami:

Thank you very much for that flow of nectar, Sri Prahlada.

Just two points about the history. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was such a brilliant student that one of the colleges in Calcutta offered him a post as a teacher when he graduated. That was another reason he left college before he graduated—otherwise, they would have put pressure on him to join their faculties, which he did not want to do. Another point is that when his spiritual master left his body and he went to the site to claim the body and challenged the people that wanted the body to stay with them, according to the report of a brahmachari who accompanied him, when he challenged them, no one protested. They just walked away, one by one, and the police officer who had been there was so struck . . .  Of course, the challenge itself was very bold and very telling, but the officer was also struck by the spiritual power of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. The opposition lost their spirit to fight with him.

My first experience of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day came in February of 1970. Srila Prabhupada instructed his students, his disciples, to write offerings to his guru maharaja. So, I took the instruction seriously, as did the other devotees, and not really knowing much, two facts did strike me. One was that Srila Prabhupada, who was such an intelligent and powerful and realized soul, saw fit to surrender himself to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I thought, “What must be his position, that someone like Srila Prabhupada had surrendered to him?” And the other fact that struck me was that he was the one who gave the order to Srila Prabhupada to come to the West and preach, and where would we have been if Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had not sent Srila Prabhupada to us?

The next year on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s appearance day, we were in Gorakhpur with Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada had us fast till noon and then break the fast, but he wanted to have a program in the evening so more people could attend—mainly our friends from the Gita Press—and have the feast then. The feast was served downstairs on a veranda outdoors. So, we were honoring prasada. Others may have too, but I definitely had digestive problems then—drinking the water—so it was a mixed experience, relishing the feast but wondering what the consequences would be. Toward the end of the feast, Srila Prabhupada’s servant Nanda Kumar dasa came down. He would always bring us some remnants—at least some maha salt and maha ginger—and news. He informed us that while Srila Prabhupada was honoring prasada he had made two comments. “This prasadam was so good that I could not control my senses.” And “My guru maharaja is pleased with all of you.”

One significant incident for me took place in 1989 or ’90, after I had just gotten back into India after seven years of visa problems, and I was on my way to Mayapur. I stopped at Chaitanya dasa’s house in Calcutta to spend the afternoon and night, and he received a phone call from a devotee in Bombay who asked him to get some books from the Gaudiya Matha. So, he said that he was going to go to the Bagh Bazar Matha to get the books and asked if I would like to come. So, I joined him, and while he was downstairs I went up to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s quarters. He had two rooms: a bedroom with the bed from which he left the world, and an office with a table and chair and cupboards with books and personal effects. His presence was very much felt there. Then later I visited his quarters in Mayapur. Standing on the balcony of his house, looking toward ISKCON’s Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, I felt how pleased he was with Srila Prabhupada and how Srila Prabhupada was really the one who had carried on his line and mission.

As far as his teachings, there is subtle point here. He made adjustments and established the necessity both for pancaratrika-vidhi and bhagavata-marga, while at the same time he said that bhagavata-marga was more important and that bhagavata-marga included preaching. Ultimately, preaching is kirtan—glorification of Krishna and Krishna’s message. And the business of advanced devotees is to preach and write books. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura really took up the mood of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to preach and to establish the proper understanding of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the proper presentation of His teachings.

Still, perhaps partly because people were becoming more influenced by the lower modes of nature and partly because Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was establishing an institution that had to have the same standards and principles for everyone, he somewhat avoided some of the practices that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura himself had written about, especially siddha-pranali. Thus, some people concluded that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was not being faithful to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, was not continuing in the same line, and they criticized him for that.

Even now, although not in the exact same terms, there is criticism of ISKCON because we don’t emphasize certain esoteric topics (and perhaps practices). How does this criticism fit with the fact that we emphasize bhagavata-marga over pancaratrika-vidhi? The answer is that we do want to chant and hear, but we want to chant and hear about topics that are considered appropriate for us by our masters, by Srila Prabhupada and by his spiritual master, Sarasvati Thakura. And they have given emphasis to the holy name and to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Everything is included in what they have given us, but in a certain proportion.

Now, there may be some truth to the idea that we need to hear and chant more. Of course, ISKCON is a big society and different leaders in different places give more or less emphasis to hearing and chanting. But overall, there may be a point to be made that there should be more hearing and chanting. Yet at the same time, the hearing and chanting should be of the topics that are considered appropriate for us. There are many statements by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to the effect that one can attain the highest realizations of Krishna consciousness just by chanting the holy names and that everything will be revealed through pure chanting. Sri Bhakti-sandarbha also confirms that the highest sentiments in bhakti are best evoked through congregational chanting, sankirtana.

So, I feel very grateful, ultimately to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and more immediately to Srila Prabhupada, for placing me in a situation where there are devotees nearby, so that we can meet together and engage in the most important process of hari-nama-sankirtana.

Srila Prabhupada sometimes said that the grandfather is more kindly disposed to the grandchildren than is the father, and he told us that he asked his guru maharaja to take care of us. At the same time, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was very strict. Srila Prabhupada himself said that his guru maharaja was very strict but that he, himself, was very liberal. So, ultimately, we can just try to serve Srila Prabhupada. Of course, even Srila Prabhupada did not tolerate hypocrisy or any obstacle that would interfere in our relationship with him. But ultimately his goal was to encourage us in devotional service and help us in our efforts to serve his servant. So, I believe, as you said, that he is pleased with Srila Prabhupada and that if we are connected with Srila Prabhupada, somehow we form some small part of his effort, knowingly or unknowingly.

We can take advantage of this occasion to pray to His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to help us in our service to Srila Prabhupada and to bless us with his mercy that we can chant and hear without offense and be instrumental in his hands and in the hands of his servants to further his mission—the only panacea for the world’s problems.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did things that were shocking. In those days hardly anyone drove a car—only the richest people. It would be comparable today to having your own jet. And then the way he dressed. So, that was in Srila Prabhupada. His original idea for Vrindavan was to build a skyscraper, which really would have shocked local people. That was there, but again, time, place, and circumstance, I feel that Srila Prabhupada was not as confrontational, and his mood in Vrindavan was actually quite different. Of course, his preaching was the same. Once he told Gurudas and Yamuna, “In Vrindavan there are five thousand babajis, five thousand gosvamis, and five thousand widows. We have to keep good relations with all of them.” I think part of it may have been because we were foreigners; we were guests.

In Bombay, when the police commissioner refused to give permission for the temple because the kirtans were a “nuisance,” Prabhupada became furious. A group of disciples came down from Vrindavan (they had been there for the Mayapur-Vrindavan festival), and Prabhupada was saying, “We will have satyagraha. We will march on the police commissioner’s office and go on a hunger strike.” He was getting us to hold meetings all over the city and preach. He really got us going. That side was there. But in the end, he said, “Maybe we shouldn’t do that.” Then he cited the saying “Don’t pick a fight with an alligator while in the jurisdiction of the water.” It was like, “We’re in India, and this is their territory,” and if they don’t like us, they can just say, “We don’t want you. Get out.” So, certainly, his preaching was like that. It was completely pure and without compromise, but in terms of his interaction with others . . . But even Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose came, he did not say, “What is this nonsense, freedom movement? You should preach the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.”

I guess that is always the challenge: to preserve the integrity and purity of the teachings and the spirit of not compromising, as well as to adjust according to time, place, and circumstance. Because of that order to preach in the English language, Srila Prabhupada’s priority really was that. But he was perfect: he did everything perfectly. But considering us, he had to take care in certain ways that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta did not have to worry about with his disciples.

Srila Prabhupada said of his guru maharaja’s departure, “Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura came in this world to execute the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So he executed it. And when it was required, he left this place and went to another place to do the same business.”

[Talks by Sri Prahlada Dasa and Giriraj Swami on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day, February 21, 2005, Carpinteria, California]