Chapter 7: A Holy Day

1. The Appearance of Śrīmatī Viṣṇu Priyā Devī

Today is the holy day of Vasanta Pañchamī (the fifth day of the light fortnight of the moon, month of Māgh, when Kṛṣṇa is worshipped with the new flowers of spring). On this day, the holy advent of Śrīmatī Viṣṇu Priyā Devī occurred. Her father was Śrī Sanātan Miśra of Nabadwīp, who was a brāhmaṇ and great devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. Śrīmatī Viṣṇu Priyā Devī is the eternal consort of Śrī Gaurasundar in His feature of Gaura-Nārāyaṇ, and according to Śrī-Gauragaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, she is directly Satyabhāmā in Kṛṣṇa’s Dvārakā-līlā.

She was the second wife of Śrīman Mahāprabhu in the householder period of His Pastimes. From childhood, she was devout in the divine service of the Supreme Lord. Kāśīnāth Paṇḍit was the intermediary in her marriage to Mahāprabhu.

She was the ideal of divine self-surrender at the lotus feet of Mahāprabhu. When she was only fourteen, Mahāprabhu took sannyās, and after that she lived the rest of Her life in penance. From early morning she would take the Holy Name the whole day, and for every mahāmantra that she chanted, she would put one grain of rice into a clay pot. After chanting her quota, she would take that rice and cook it and offer it to the Lord. That was all she would take for her subsistence, so gradually she became emaciated. She passed her days in this way.

Her brother was her guardian after Sachī Devī departed, and ultimately she had a Śrī-Mūrti (Deity) of Mahāprabhu, and she would worship Him in that Form. And since the time of Viṣṇu Priyā, that worship is being continued up to the present in the Temple here in Nabadwīp known as ‘Mahāprabhura Bāḍī’ (the Home of Mahāprabhu). So this day of the year is connected with her holy memory, and we may achieve her grace if we honour this time in her name, discussing her pastimes. She will be propitiated and Śrī Chaitanyadev will also be pleased with us, giving us a step forward in our transcendental march towards Him.

2. The Appearance of Śrī Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi

Today is also the appearance day of Śrī Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. He is considered to be Vṛṣabhānurāj of Varṣānā, Vṛndāvan, the father of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Śrī Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi was born in a brāhmaṇ family at Chaṭṭa Grām, and he bore the title ‘Vidyānidhi’ on account of his scholarship. Apparently, he was a man of luxurious habits. In those days, people who could afford it would have a house in Nabadwīp on the banks of the holy Ganges River. They would from time to time visit Nabadwīp to regularly bathe in the Ganges and remain for some time in this holy place, and then return to their homes to continue their livelihood. So, Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi also had a house in Nabadwīp.

Here, in Gaura-līlā, Gadādhar Paṇḍit was the representation of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Herself. At that time, Gadādhar Paṇḍit was a young boy. He was younger than Mahāprabhu. Mukunda Datta was a follower and admirer of Mahāprabhu Śrī Chaitanyadev, and he also came from Chaṭṭa Grām, the village of Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. He knew Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi to be a man of higher religious type, that is, a Bhāgavat type or Kṛṣṇa-bhakta. But outwardly Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi lived a life of luxury. He was a well-to-do man, a general zamindar (state landowner). Mukunda Datta naturally knew him when he came to Nabadwīp, since he hailed from the same place. Mukunda Datta went to Gadādhar Paṇḍit and asked him, “Would you like to have the darśan of a Vaiṣṇava?”

From childhood Gadādhar Paṇḍit was very fond of Vaiṣṇavas and Kṛṣṇa-nām. He had much fondness for Nimāi Paṇḍit, when the Lord returned from Gayā. Previously, he was very much afraid of Nimāi Paṇḍit, because whenever They met, Nimāi Paṇḍit would always tackle him with some apparent quarrel about etymology or something of that nature. So, after returning from Gayā, when Śrī Chaitanyadev expressed His devotional aspect, He said one day, “Gadādhar, from your very childhood you are a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and My days have been wasted discussing grammar and mundane literature. But you, Gadādhar, My friend, your life is very successful. You have fulfilment of life. From the beginning you are fond of Kṛṣṇa-nām.” So, from the beginning Gadādhar Paṇḍit’s heart was towards Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, when Mukunda Datta asked him, “Would you like to see a Vaiṣṇava who has come from afar?”, the reply came, “Yes, yes, I shall go; take me there.”

So Mukunda Datta took Gadādhar Paṇḍit to Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. And what kind of Vaiṣṇava was Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi? He was sitting on a luxurious bedstead, smoking a very ornate and valuable pipe. His head was adorned with beautiful oiled curly locks, and many valuable pastes were anointed on his body. Two attendants fanned him on either side.

Gadādhar Paṇḍit thought, “Mukunda has brought me to this luxury-loving man sitting on the bedstead and smoking? What type of Vaiṣṇava has he brought me to see?” He was disappointed at heart, and Mukunda could guess it. Mukunda Datta was a very good singer, and in a very sweet tone he sang this śloka of Bhāgavatam:

aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ
jighāṁsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī
lebhe gatiṁ dhātry uchitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ
kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema

This śloka was chanted by Mukunda in a very sweet tone, and this created a wonderful effect in Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. The Bhāgavatam says, “Who else but Kṛṣṇa should we approach? Who can be so kind, so gracious? There is limitless grace in Him. Why? Bakī-Pūtanā came to kill Him in a treacherous way, taking the garb of dhātrī, a motherly garb. In this way she came to try and kill Him, yet Kṛṣṇa gave her a position as a nursemaid in His group of assisting mothers. So gracious is the Lord. Who else can we approach for our good?”

This is the meaning of the verse. “She painted deadly poison on her breast and came to suckle the boy Kṛṣṇa. So treacherous was her action. In the garb of motherly affection she tried to murder the boy, and she was given such a high position as an attendant of His mother. She was elevated to the motherly group. Such grace, such mercy He showed, without considering or passing judgment on the worth of that action. So other than that kind-hearted and gracious Kṛṣṇa, where else should we go for shelter?”

This entered the heart of Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi and began to vibrate and produced such force that he was stunned; then shivering began, and madly gesticulating, he began to pull his hair and tear his silken dress, kicking over the tobacco and pipe. His rich bedding and dress were ruined, and he began to roll on the ground and cry, kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema: “In whom shall we take shelter other than Him?”

Then Gadādhar Paṇḍit thought, “Oh, I have committed a great offense in my mind, thinking that he was not a Vaiṣṇava because of his fashionable dress and style. Really, how great a Vaiṣṇava he is — what a wonderful effect the memory of Kṛṣṇa caused in him!”

Then Gadādhar Paṇḍit revealed his mind. “Mukunda, I have committed offense against this great Vaiṣṇava. What will be my fate? When I first saw him, I shunned him; I committed offense. I think that if I take mantra from him — become his disciple — then he may forgive all my offenses. There is no other way to be absolved from this Vaiṣṇava-aparādh. I shall have to inform my Lord Gaurachandra, Nimāi Paṇḍit, about this.”

So they left the place of Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi, and Gadādhar went to take Nimāi Paṇḍit’s permission to become the disciple of Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi.

Before anyone knew that Puṇḍarīk had come from Chaṭṭa Grām to Nabadwīp, and even before Mahāprabhu had met him, Mahāprabhu was seen to suddenly cry, “Bāp Puṇḍarīk! Bāp Puṇḍarīk!” In the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Nimāi was taking his name. Bāp means ‘father’. So He was calling, “Father, Puṇḍarīk! Father, Puṇḍarīk!” Nimāi Paṇḍit was chanting like this, in the mood of Rādhārāṇī.

When Gadādhar made his proposal to Mahāprabhu, the Lord immediately replied, “Yes, very good proposal. Go and accept him at once.” Gadādhar Paṇḍit represents Rādhārāṇī in Gaura-līlā, and Puṇḍarīk is Rādhārāṇī’s father in Kṛṣṇa-līlā: the Guru is like the father, and the disciple is like the child. So Mahāprabhu at once approved, and Gadādhar took initiation from Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. He was none other than Vṛṣabhānurāj, and Gadādhar was the incarnation of Rādhārāṇī in Gaura-līlā.

Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi would not take bath in the Ganges because he could not tolerate that his feet would touch the holy Ganges River. Before daybreak, he would go to the Ganges and take some of the water on his head. He did not go to the Ganges by day, because he could not tolerate to see persons who would dive into the water or spit there and contaminate the pure, holy water by misusing it. Before worship, prayer, etc., the general paṇḍit section may bathe in the Ganges and fast to purify their bodies of sin. But Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi would rather drink some Ganges water prior to his daily worship and duties, thereby teaching us the proper worshipful respect due to the Gaṅgā.

In Purī, his dearmost friend and associate was Śrī Svarūp Dāmodar. When he went to Purī, he felt some pain in his heart that the priestly servants of Lord Jagannāth dressed the Lord in starched cloth, which is generally considered impure. When cloth is manufactured by hand loom, the thread is soaked in boiled rice water which acts as a paste to hold it firm in the loom. That cloth is considered impure, and must first be rinsed in water before offering it to the Deity. But in Purī, that was not the practice. They directly used starched cloth for dressing Lord Jagannāth, and Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi could not accommodate this.

That night, he dreamt that both Jagannāth and Balarām came to him and dealt slaps to his cheeks, saying, “You have come here to point out the defects in My servitors? What is this!” They both began to slap him, and the dream was so intense that when he rose in the morning he found that both his cheeks were inflamed. He expressed to his most intimate friend, Svarūp Dāmodar: “My dear friend, Svarūp Dāmodar, such is my position. I had this objectionable feeling in my heart towards these servitors, so Jagannāth and Balarām have punished me in this way. See the swelling on both cheeks!”

Such was the nature of Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. In essence, we are told that he is the father of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, incarnated here as Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. A slight holy association of this day, his appearance day, will help us a great deal in our advancement of spiritual life.

3. The Appearance of Śrī Raghunandan Ṭhākur

Thirdly, this is also the birthday of Raghunandan Ṭhākur. He was born in a place named Śrīkhaṇḍa, near Katwa, in a Kavirāj family, a lineage of Ayurvedic doctors. Raghunandan was the son of Mukunda Kavirāj, who was such a notable doctor that even kings called for him for treatment. Raghunandan was a bachelor his whole life. His figure was extraordinarily beautiful, and he was very fond of dancing. From the beginning he was, of course, a natural devotee.

The family of Mukunda Ṭhākur worshipped their ancestral Deity at home. Once, when Raghunandan was a growing boy, who had perhaps only recently received the sacred thread and admission to worship, his father asked him, “I’m going out and won’t return in time. You please worship the Deity and feed Him — offer bhoga for His food.” His expression was, “Please try to feed my Deity.”

When he was away, Raghunandan’s mother cooked many items and brought them to the temple and asked Raghunandan to offer them to the Deity. Generally, the doors are kept closed during worship, so behind the closed doors Raghunandan offered and prayed to the Lord,

“Please take these dishes I am offering You — please eat.”

But the Śrī-Mūrti did not answer or come forward to eat. Raghunandan began to cry.

“My father will rebuke me! He has requested me to feed You, and You are not eating. I’ll be punished. You have to take this food!”

The sincere boy began to cry in such a way that Kṛṣṇa had to eat.

Raghunandan was satisfied and came out from the Deity room.

His mother came to remove the prasādam.

“What is this? All the plates are empty!”

Raghunandan replied, “You asked me to feed the Deity. He has taken.”

His mother said angrily, “You, boy, you have eaten it! The Deity doesn’t eat. We offer, everything remains, and afterwards we take the prasādam. You wicked boy, you have turned out to be such a rogue — you have eaten everything.”

“No, no, I did not eat, the Deity ate everything.”

“This is impossible, you foolish boy! Do you want to make a fool of me? This can never happen!”

He began to cry.

“No, I’m speaking the truth.”

“All right, let your father come, and I shall ask him to punish you.”

Mukunda returned, and Raghunandan’s mother complained,

“Your boy has grown to be such a rogue! He says the Deity has eaten.”

Raghunandan also petitioned his father, “Yes, the Deity has eaten. He would not take in the beginning, but I began to cry, and then He ate.”

“Is this true?”

“Yes, it is true my father; I am not lying.”

“Can you show me?”

“I shall try.”

So he was given another chance to worship, and from a hidden place his father could see that the Deity had actually taken the food.

Such a devotee was Raghunandan Ṭhākur. When he danced in saṅkīrtan, it was such a charming scene that even Mahāprabhu was attracted. During the Jagannāth Ratha Yātrā, seven special groups would chant and dance, and in the party from Śrīkhaṇḍa, we find that Raghunandan was the dancer.

So today is the day connected with the memory of Śrī Raghunandan Ṭhākur, who is considered to be Pradyumna Avatār. Many more incidents occur in his pastimes. I have only touched on them. It is also said that near the banks of the lake Madhu-puṣkariṇī there is a jambu tree, and according to his wish two kadamba flowers bloom on that tree every day for the worship of his Deity. Many miracles are found in his pastimes.

4. The Appearance of Śrī Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī

Then, the fourth personality is Śrī Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī. He was born nearly five hundred years ago in Kṛṣṇapur village, Hooghly District. He came in the kāyastha caste. His father, Hiraṇya Majumdār, was a very rich man. His father had one brother, Govardhan, but Raghunāth was the only child. His father and uncle were state landowners. At that time, they collected 20 lakhs (2,000,000) rupees in taxes. 12 lakhs was to be paid to the king, and their net income was 8 lakhs.

Raghunāth heard about Mahāprabhu after His sannyās. Hiraṇya and Govardhan had association with Advaita Āchārya, and they used to make an annual contribution to all the superior Sanskrit scholars and their schools, in Bengal, of the time.

When Mahāprabhu went back to Śrī Advaita Āchārya’s house (Advaita-bhavan) after His sannyās, Raghunāth Dās came and saw Him and became mad with love of Kṛṣṇa. His heart was completely melted by Mahāprabhu’s beauty and charming personality, His devotion, and His teachings of devotion for Kṛṣṇa. Mahāprabhu Himself was also aware of this. Raghunāth would not leave Mahāprabhu, but the Lord told him, “Go home. Don’t be over-enthusiastic; control yourself. Keep your divine love for Kṛṣṇa within your heart, and don’t express it outwardly. Don’t advertise it. Very soon the time will come when Kṛṣṇa will guide you. He will make a way for you. Don’t allow any external show but keep it within your heart.”

sthira hañā ghare yāo, nā hao vātula
krame krame pāya loka bhava-sindhu-kūla

“Compose yourself and go home — don’t be a madman. One reaches the shore of the material ocean gradually.”

Then, he later came into the association of Nityānanda Prabhu in Pāṇihāṭi. Nityānanda Prabhu said to him, “Give a feast here for My followers. You are the son of a rich man, so manage to give a feast here for My followers.”

Raghunāth did so, and Nityānanda Prabhu was very satisfied. He also blessed him, saying, “Very soon your bright day will come.” And He addressed His devotees, “See this young boy — he has immense wealth; in abundance he has everything required for a young man’s enjoyment, but he does not care for it. Kṛṣṇa’s grace has come down into his heart, so he does not care for anything of this world, but he’s mad to leave his home of material grandeur and become a street beggar. He has become mad for Kṛṣṇa. Just see this high ideal — devotion, attraction. Love of Kṛṣṇa has made him mad. He is very, very fortunate. This royal dignity and prosperity cannot please him.”

Anyway, he returned home. But one day Hiraṇya and the others noticed that he no longer entered the inner section of the house. He began to stay in the outer section only. His father and other guardians thought that his condition had become very grave, so ten men were engaged to keep guard that he may not leave.

One day in the early morning before sunrise, the family Guru, Yadunandan Āchārya, suddenly entered the house. Finding Raghunāth in the outer section of the house, he met him and requested him, “I am going out for some important business, but there is no one to worship my Deity. So please ask one brāhmaṇ disciple in my name to serve the Deity for a day or two during my absence.” As Yadunandan Āchārya left, Raghunāth went with him. The guards saw him going with the family Guru, so they did not interfere. On the way, Raghunāth requested the Guru, “You may go ahead with your business, and I shall request the gentleman to do the worship in your absence.”

The Guru left. Raghunāth took advantage of the situation. Perhaps he requested that man to do the service, but he started off in the direction away from Purī. He knew that as soon as they realised at home that he wasn’t returning, they would send men to search for him on the way to Purī. So for the whole day he walked in the opposite direction. In the evening he stopped at a cowherdsman’s house, took a little milk from him and passed the night in the cowshed. Then in the morning he started for Purī.

When his guardians found that Raghunāth had not returned home, they heard from the guards that he had gone with the family Guru. They went to the Guru’s house, but Raghunāth was not to be found. Then they thought that he must have left for Purī, and they sent ten men to that side. They returned without finding him. In this way, Raghunāth cleverly managed to escape. For twelve days he walked to Purī, taking food here and there for only three of those days. On the other days no food was necessary. He was helped by divine love, surcharged.

He had already heard that Mahāprabhu was at the Gambhīrā, the Kāśī Miśra Bhavan. He went there, and in the courtyard fell flat in obeisance unto Mahāprabhu.

Mukunda Datta announced to the Lord, “Raghunāth has come.”

Mahāprabhu said, “Yes, look after him. He has come with great difficulty, walking and walking without food. Take care of him for a few days. Then, he will manage for himself.”

That was the direction of Mahāprabhu. For a few days Raghunāth took prasādam there. After that he began to beg at the gate of the Jagannāth Temple.

The parents now thought it was impossible to bring him back, and they did not make any further attempt. But they sent some money with one brāhmaṇ and two servants, instructing them to hire a house and offer Raghunāth a place to stay and see that their son may not die without food. They tried their best, but Raghunāth continued to subsist on alms. Over a period of two years, Raghunāth invited Mahāprabhu to take prasādam at that house, and the Lord did so for his satisfaction. After that, Raghunāth left that idea, thinking, “This is only to produce some name and fame for me. Mahāprabhu is not pleased with such prasādam.”

Svarūp Dāmodar was the dearmost attendant of Mahāprabhu and a very good scholar as well. Raghunāth was also a scholar — we find that later he left the world beautiful poetry in Sanskrit. Mahāprabhu gave Raghunāth over to the charge of Svarūp Dāmodar, saying, “I request Svarūp Dāmodar to take your charge, and he will advise you what will be necessary for your devotional life.”

But suddenly one day, Raghunāth approached Mahāprabhu: “Why have You managed to take me out of my house, and what is my best benefit? If You please tell me in Your own words, my heart will be satisfied.”

Mahāprabhu said, “I have given you over to the charge of Svarūp Dāmodar. He is more qualified than even Myself. Still, if you want to hear something directly from Me, then I say in brief:

grāmya-kathā nā śunibe, grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe
bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe
amānī mānada hañā kṛṣṇa-nāma sadā la’be
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa sevā mānase karibe

“Don’t indulge in worldly talk, don’t hear worldly talk. Try your best to avoid mundane matters. Don’t eat delicious dishes, but take whatever ordinary food may come of its own accord, and don’t dress luxuriously. Always try to take the Name of Kṛṣṇa with the attitude of giving respect to others, without expecting respect from anyone. Be humble, but never aspire after respectful dealings from others. In this way, try to take the Name of Kṛṣṇa constantly. And within, try to serve Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvan. Mentally, be in Vṛndāvan rendering service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-līlā.”

Mahāprabhu told Raghunāth that this was the essence of His advice to him. Then, He again took Raghunāth’s hand and offered it to the hand of Svarūp Dāmodar. He said, “I am giving you to the charge of Svarūp Dāmodar. He is the best spiritual teacher. He will take care of you.”

After Raghunāth’s arrival in Purī, Mahāprabhu stayed there continuously for sixteen years. After that, Mahāprabhu departed from the world. Raghunāth left Purī and went to Vṛndāvan, thinking, “I have what is to be had; now I only want to see Vṛndāvan Dhām once, and then I shall leave this body by jumping from the highest peak of Govardhan.” With this idea he went to Vṛndāvan, but there he came into contact with Sanātan Goswāmī and Rūpa Goswāmī. He found the beginning of a new life. He thought, “What is this? Mahāprabhu has not departed; He is living in them.”

Mahāprabhu delegated Rūpa and Sanātan with the power to preserve the devotional current they had received from Him and to present it in a new light. They were asked to prove by drawing upon different scriptures that Mahāprabhu’s teachings are the very gist and purpose of all the scriptures. As in Bhagavad-gītā, vedaiś cha sarvair Aham eva vedyaḥ: “The attempt of every revealed scripture is to show Me as the Highest Center — I am the Absolute.” So Mahāprabhu said, “Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute. With the help of the different scriptures and historical reference, by all means possible, try to prove that Kṛṣṇa is Svayam Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that Vraja-līlā, Vṛndāvan-līlā, is the highest achievement.”

The two brothers had already begun that work when Raghunāth came into their association, and he found, “Oh! Mahāprabhu is here.” He abandoned the idea of leaving this world and joined Rūpa and Sanātan as their disciple. Mahāprabhu had already ordered Sanātan Goswāmī, “My followers are very poor and helpless. You’ll have to look after them whenever they come to Vṛndāvan. You’ll have to be the caretaker of all my disciples that come to Vṛndāvan.” So Raghunāth came to Sanātan Goswāmī, and Sanātan took care of him.

Raghunāth was so self-forgetful that one day as he was sitting on the banks of Rādhā Kuṇḍa and taking the Name, a tiger came just beside him to drink water, but Raghunāth paid no attention. Suddenly, Sanātan Goswāmī came upon the scene. He was astonished. Up until then Raghunāth had lived under the shade of a tree, but Sanātan said, “Please construct a hut to live in. Don’t disregard my request — I entreat you to do this.” Then from that time he managed to construct a small dwelling and stay there. His abnegation, vairāgya, was incomparable. Sanātan, Rūpa, and all the Goswamīs’ indifference to worldly enjoyment was extreme, but Raghunāth’s abnegation surpassed all.

When he was in Purī, sometimes he would beg prasādam at the gate of the Jagannāth Temple, and sometimes he would take prasādam at a chatram or free kitchen where rich men distribute prasādam for beggars. But then he thought, “I am taking what is due to others’ karma.”

The unsold Jagannāth prasādam is given to the cows of Jagannāth Purī. But when it becomes so stale that it emits a bad odor, even the cows cannot eat it. So now Raghunāth would wash that prasādam with sufficient water, and adding a little salt he would eat that. Mahāprabhu heard about this, and one day when Raghunāth was taking that prasādam, Mahāprabhu approached and suddenly took some and ate it. He said, “Oh! I have tasted many times the prasādam of Jagannāth, but such sweet prasādam I have never taken anywhere!”

So, what is the taste in prasādam? It is not mundane. Raghunāth had such intense faith in prasādam that he lived on apparently rotten things with a little salt — and he was the son of a family of kingly opulence. So much indifference was in him. And in his last days in Vṛndāvan, he would pass each day taking only a pot of ghol, buttermilk. This is not possible for a man of flesh and blood. Great souls like the Goswāmīs are really personalities come down from the other world, and so it was possible for them to show the ideal of abnegation. It is not possible for ordinary humans of flesh and blood to observe such a degree of abnegation without dying. But the Goswāmīs created the standard and ideal by such vairāgya. At the same time, Raghunāth studied Rūpa Goswāmī’s presentation of the highest type of rasa or devotional sentiment: madhura-rasa.

The Acme of Divine Service

Śrīla Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī appreciated the acme of divine service, the culminating point of divine service, Rādhā-dāsyam, which is servitude unto Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Therefore, he is called the Prayojan-āchārya. Śrīla Sanātan Goswāmī is generally conceived of by his successors as the Āchārya of sambandha-jñān. Sambandha refers to ‘what is what’ — ‘what is my position in the spiritual hierarchy’. That was explained most clearly by Śrīla Sanātan Goswāmī. And abhidheya — what we should cultivate in order to attain to our objective — was mainly given by Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī. He taught us how we can attain fulfilment of our life in the domain of love. And what is particularly the highest point of our attainment, or prayojan, was very vividly shown by Śrīla Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī. In his famous śloka he says:

āśā-bharair amṛta-sindhu-mayaiḥ kathañchit
kālo mayāti-gamitaḥ kila sāmprataṁ hi
tvañ chet kṛpāṁ mayi vidhāsyasi naiva kiṁ me
prāṇair vrajena cha varoru bakāriṇāpi

This śloka has given us the highest conception of our attainment in the school of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. What is that? Śrī Raghunāth Goswāmī is addressing Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī: “O Queen of my heart, for a long, long time I am waiting with great patience to have Your Mercy, which is so sweet to me that I cannot avoid it. It is heart-melting, heart-attracting, heart-crushing. It is so deeply touching me — I can’t avoid Your service connection. Somehow, I have managed to come such a long way, to endure such a long time, but I am impatient now. Be gracious; if You are not gracious upon me, I have got no hope. I will come to the end of my patience.

“My life will end here. So much so, that, what shall I do with this Vṛndāvan? Vṛndāvan is of no use to me! What is the utility of living my life? It is useless; it will end with no utility. I can’t love even Vṛndāvan, which is associated with the līlā of Kṛṣṇa. To say nothing of Vṛndāvan, I can’t relish the company of even Kṛṣṇa, without You. Without You, even Kṛṣṇa is meaningless to me. I can’t tolerate; I can’t relish either my own life, or this environment, or even Kṛṣṇa — if He Himself comes to grace me, I can’t relish that, without Your connection.

“So please be gracious upon me. You are all-in-all. Without You, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your position is so great, so beautiful in Kṛṣṇa-līlā. You are the center of all the līlā of Kṛṣṇa. Without You I can’t conceive of any life worth living. I utterly surrender unto You, my Queen.”

This is Rādhā-dāsyam. Our best fulfilment is in the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā, because only She can fully attract the grace of Kṛṣṇa. She is the other Half who can draw the maximum rasa, ecstasy, from Kṛṣṇa, in quantity as well as in quality. So those who are serving Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī get the highest type of qualitative rasa from Kṛṣṇa in reciprocation for their service. That cannot be had through any other channel. Service that comes through Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is of the highest quality, so Her service should be our summum bonum of life.

This was announced clearly by Śrīla Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī who is considered to be Prayojan-āchārya, the guide to show us our highest fulfilment of life. By our association with this day and by our humble attempt to discuss all these matters, we may be benefited in the achievement of our goal. This is the day of the advent of such great personalities.

5. Departure of Śrī Viśvanāth Chakravartī Ṭhākur

Today is also the day that Śrīla Viśvanāth Chakravartī Ṭhākur departed from this world. Śrīla Viśvanāth Chakravartī Ṭhākur appeared about 180 years after the advent of Śrī Gaurāṅgadev. He composed a commentary on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and many other books to help the devotees coming later in the sampradāya. He was such a great Āchārya. In his own special way, he has dealt elaborately with many spiritual matters, giving the proper approach. He was the śāstric or scriptural dispensation of Śrī Rūpa-Sanātan, etc. By his grace, Śrī Baladev Vidyābhūṣaṇ composed the Śrī Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava commentary on Vedānta-sūtra, Śrī Govinda-bhāṣya. From such great Masters there is much to be read.

Śrīla Viśvanāth Chakravartī was born in a brāhmaṇ family in Deva Grām of Murshidabad district. He was a great scholar of Sanskrit. He came in the line of Śrī Narottam Ṭhākur. He gave us extensive scriptural writings to help us very precisely and elaborately to know about the Pastimes of Mahāprabhu and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Vṛndāvan, Nabadwīp, and the Guru-paramparā. The Gurvaṣṭakam we chant daily was written by him, as well as many other important works. Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī wrote Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (The Nectarine Ocean of Devotional Joy), and Śrīla Viśvanāth wrote Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu or a drop of that ocean. And from Śrīla Rūpa’s Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (The Brilliant Jewel of the Supernatural World), or Kṛṣṇa in madhura-rasa, he gave Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi-kiraṇa or a ray of that jewel. In this way, he has given volumes of books and poems. As Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī gave the aṣṭa-kāliyā-līlā of Kṛṣṇa, or twenty-four hour service engagement with Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, he has similarly given in Chaitanya-līlā twenty-four hour engagement in the service of Śrīman Mahāprabhu. So he has done great service to the sampradāya and profusely bestowed his mercy upon us.

6. Departure of Tridaṇḍi Swāmīs Śrīmad Bhāratī Mahārāj and Śrīmad Parvat Mahārāj

Today is also the disappearance day of two of our senior Godbrothers, sannyāsī disciples of our Guru Mahārāj, Tridaṇḍi Swāmī Śrīmad Bhakti Vivek Bhāratī Mahārāj and Tridaṇḍi Swāmī Śrīmad Bhakti Svarūp Parvat Mahārāj. They both preached extensively on the order of Śrīla Prabhupād. Śrī Bhāratī Mahārāj was very popular; his preaching style was very charming and engaging. In the beginning we appreciated his preaching very much.

Śrī Parvat Mahārāj was also among the earliest disciples of our Guru Mahārāj. He was born at Svarūp Gañja, on the other side of the Ganges from here (Nabadwīp). He was born in the house directly next to Surabhi Kuñj where Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur lived for some time. During his childhood, he told me, he saw Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur chanting the Name. In the early morning Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur would chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra just as one calling someone from a distance. A living thing — like one man calling another. In this way, in a living way, he was calling Kṛṣṇa. He was in his old age, and his body was somewhat attacked with rheumatism. There was a cement chair constructed there; he would stroll about at his sweet will, and when he felt fatigued, he would take his seat on that chair. That chair is still there today.

So, at a very early age, Śrīmad Parvat Mahārāj came to Śrīla Prabhupād and accepted his shelter. For a long period he was posted as the caretaker at Bhakti Kuṭīr, the then ‘head office’, a small seaside house in Purī owned by Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur. Then, when Prabhupād began his preaching life, Parvat Mahārāj became a sannyāsī. During the lifetime of Prabhupād, he preached throughout the whole of Bengal and beyond as well. He established a Maṭh in Orissa.

I remember, once, when I was a newcomer in the Maṭh, he was telling one gentleman about how he preached on the east side of Bengal. At that place, some people challenged him, “Why have you come to preach here? Don’t you know that just nearby on the bank of the river there is a siddha-mahātmā? He has attained the highest end of life. Have you seen him?”

He replied to them, “I have seen many siddha, like āloo-siddha, etc.!”

Siddha may mean ‘perfected soul’, but another meaning of siddha is ‘boiled’. So he was saying, “I’ve seen many siddha — boiled things. Boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage, etc. We already have so many boiled things!”

They said, “What are you saying? You are insulting him.”

He replied, “This is no insult. Those who are full of all those siddhas — they know nothing. What Mahāprabhu has brought us is the highest. All other proposals are trash and nasty things. We have come from a great Mahātmā to carry to you the highest objective, the summum bonum of life — accept Mahāprabhu and Bhāgavatam. We hate all those ‘siddha’ imposters who are deceiving the people in the garb of religion.”

Such was the great preaching of Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭh in those days.

To my best capacity, I have tried my best to represent to you my humble knowledge of these Mahātmās, and I pray that they may be propitiated and give us their favor. With this prayer, I end here: vāñchhā-kalpa-tarubhyaś cha kṛpā-sindhubhya eva cha, patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ.