About Bhagavan Saraswati Thakur

Someone asked Srila Gurudev why did he start saying, “Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur.” As we should say Bhagavan in India it would be save to say Bhagavan means God. Like Russian word "Bog". Bhagavan means God in India. Ishvara also means God in more general, like God, the word G-o-d, God, very general. That’s why Saraswati Thakur, he preferred "Godhead". Because the Christian word ‘God’ is kind of abstract, it's not very personal sounding. But ‘God’ also sounds isolated, like an isolated position. Whereas we say, ekala isvara krsna arsa bhrtya. It’s mentioned in the Nityananda section of Charitamritam, there is glorifying Nityananda Prabhu, where it says, “ekala isvara Krishna”. “There is only one real Isvara and that's Krishna.” Ara saba bhrtya. Everyone else is the servitor, including me. Ami Chaytanya das.” Happily. Baladev is saying, "I am Chaytanya das". The first other then Krishna, Balaram, is not a competitor. He wants to serve Krishna. Think about that. He is equal to Krishna and practically every way. Imaginable. But looking at his own beautiful divine form, Balaram, Nityananda. But what is he, he is so in love with Krishna. Ramanuja, his little brother. Rama-anuja, the little brother of Rama is Krishna.

So our Nalina Nayana Devi Dasi of China, I knew Krishna consciousness was making impression on her heart. We went for a walk in a lotus park. Some of you were seen Bhakti Lalita went to that, it's called "The lotus park". And there she told me, she read the Krishna Book of Srila Prabhupad. And there told how much love Balarama has for Krishna. And that touched her heart. She said, “How wonderful! He wants to protect Krishna, like big brother.” So, Balarama, up to vatsalya rasa, sakhya included, up to vatsalya. Srimati Rahharani [is] from madhura rasa. But Baladev is the guru of all the rasas up to included vatsalya. As we say, some friendship brotherly, but because in the elderly position allows for the vatsalya aspect concern, care, wants to protect Krishna. So, the first other than Krishna is Balarama. He wants to serve Krishna.

Sanatana Goswami Prabhu, Guru Maharaj says, he's told in he's Bhagavat-tika explanations of Srimad Bhagavatam, tenthth canto. Is that dig-darshani? It says, at one point we know Baladev, Balarama comes as like a (?) boy, emissary from Krishna to assuage the grief of separation our hearts, but we’re told Balarama dances rasa with Vraja-gopies. And Sanatana Goswami Prabhu says, “But from within his heart it's in offering to Krishna.” This is inconceivable. His rasa engagement with gopi is an offering to Krishna. From within his heart. Whereas someone else might be making an external play, display of devotion, but their heart is elsewhere. For him just the inverse. Right?

So, why did I say that?
Audience: Bhagavan
Goswami Maharaj: Oh Bhagavan. Some people told, “Is it proper to use this title?” So, first, and Gurudev and I know and then we’d have this discussion about how many times Bhagavan is used in Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavan Badarayani, Bhagavan Badarayana. Vyasa is called Bhagavan. He is calling himself Bhagavan. I mean who wrote the book? Bhagavan badarayani bhagavan badarayana. Shukadev is told Bhagavan. But it goes to, and Bhagavan Narada.

But I told Gurudev, ones I said, “I found another one”. “What was that?” “Bhagavan Drona”. And he said, “So, He can be Bhagavan, but Saraswati Thakur cannot be Bhagavan?”  And then when someone close questioned this and by question we can understand somewhat indicative of challenge thinking, “Oh, there is something unique to Govinda Maharaj, he’s concocted something, whimsically expressed something without careful thought and consideration”. Then you don't know who is Srila Govinda Maharaj. Before he will take these steps everything’s been thought out very carefully in advance. So, after saying so many things, which would be sufficient for a faithful follower, finally Gurudev pulled out a Bhagavatam volume of Srila Guru Maharaj's own and with commentaries et cetera and turned to a page, and he showed in Srila Guru Maharaj's own handwriting, he had written, “Bhagavan Saraswati Thakur”.  “If you doubt me, do you doubt Guru Maharaj?” Suicide.

But Gurudev explained also why, what prompted him to do this, was that his divine grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, he had become known in the world as Srila Prabhupad. There were disciples of Saraswati Thakur who objected to that. And they approach Guru Maharaj. And Guru Maharaj said, “No, that is the appropriate”. It is the appropriate to call Gurudev as Vishnupad, Prabhupad, Acharyadev, Acharyapad. Different titles. And so, Srila Bhaktivedhanta Swami Maharaj, he became known as Srila Prabhupad all over the world. And that Srila Govinda Maharaj experienced, as he was travel all over the world, when we mention Prabhupad, everyone is thinking Bhaktivedhanta Swami. Outside of Gaudia Math.

So, he wanted to again reassert unique position of Srila Saraswati Thakur. And it's very beautifully expressed also when Gurudev wrote the four pranam-mantram of Srila Prabhupad. We were discussing this earlier, because the generic guru mantram, namo om vishnupadaya krishna prestaya bhutale

Some syllable was missing in what Prabhupad gave to his disciples? And Gurudev not only reasserted this with the proper amount of syllables, but included the word Prabhupad. So he says, “Swami Sri Bhaktivedanta Prabhupadayate namaha”. And once he said, “Guru,” What he said?

Goswami Maharaj: guruvajnam sirasi dharyam saktyavesa svarupine. But what's the first line? Guru, order of guru?
Sahadev Prabhu: namo om vishnupadaya...
Goswami Maharaj: No. Guru...
Sahadev Prabhu: Swami Sri bhaktivedhanta prabhupadaya te namaha
Goswami Maharaj: Yes. Gurvagyam, yes. Or, guruvajnam sirasi dharyam saktyavesa svarupine hare-krsneti mantrena…
Sahadev Prabhu: pascatya…
Goswami Maharaj: pascatya-pracya-tarine, preaching all over the world. Right? Hare Krishna mahamantra. So, that the worldwide Krishna Consciousness movement became known as Hare Krishna movement. And shaktyavesha svarupine divine power descended in him.

And when I was just in India one men asking me about Nityananda Prabhu. Bengali men, named Shaumya Banerjee. I met him when I was buying some Chavanprash. We had a like very intense discussion for around (?) an hour. He made me give him my phone number. But he wanted to know some special things about Nityananda Prabhu. I told him about the suvarna varna, the gold merchants that he had some favor to them, and that's the line that Srila Prabhupad descended in. But ones I had to say also, I was visiting for some other purpose, some Nityananda Banksha, those born, claiming to be family descendants of Nityananda Prabhu. And the leader, he told me that they think because Prabhupad, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, he got initiation from his kula guru, family guru, when he was like twelve-thirteen. They said, “That’s why he was empowered to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, it’s due to that connection”.

So, Guru Maharaj who's ever generous and kind, he would say, “All of these things are possible, all these points of view”. Like the hypnotist Krisna showing, so to them, they are very proud, “See, he got our connection, he got the mercy of Nityanana Prabhu in this line. And therefore he’s successful all over the world”. We don't have to rain on that parade. We can say, “Yes”. And also the mercy of Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati, Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati Thakur. Who, some Jatta Gosai saw his picture, impressed Bhaktivinod picture on a Bhagavatam of Gaudia Math publication and objected to having replacement of Guru on the book. We have different considerations in publishing. So, he thought this was inappropriate.

So, Aprakrita Prabhu, Bhakti Sharanga Goswami Maharaj, who, they called him Aprakrita, because really he descended in a Nityananda vanksha line, but Saraswati Thakur were saying, “He is the real deal”. So, he approached that men. And he knows how much stay revere the Nityananda banksha and he knows that he said, “So, you know who I am, right?” “Yes”. And I can't even tell you exactly what he said, but let’s see if I could put it in a way that you might get the idea.

He said, “You know, anything that comes from me, you would consider worshipable”. Let’s put it that way. “And you would take that and sprinkle that on your head as abiseik. All right? "Yes, Gosai". He said, "So, I'm telling you this Prabhu, this Prabhupad” And that’s why they call him Prabhupad. Prabhupad’s actually the favorite term of Jatta Gosai and others. As that man told me that his little son, toddler, was crawling on the floor, he said, “That is Sukadev Prabhupad”. He said, “He is Prabhupad too?” "Yes".

So, that's favorite to them, that term. So, they called Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad. To say, “He is not,” they thought, “That's reserve for the really high level guru. So, no, he is nothing less than that and more than that”. So, anyway Goswami Maharaj told them. He said, "Guru is Radharani’s delegation". That's why Das Goswami and his Manah-shiksha, he says,  mukunda presthatve smara paramajasram. Remember, you should remember, Guru is mukunda prestha, the one who is most dear to Krishna. Every disciple has the right to think their guru is most dear. But of all gurus who is the most dear to Krishna? Of all those who dear to Krishna who is the most dear to Krishna? Srimati Radharani.

Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya, Prabhu-priya, higher than Sakshad Hari. It’s to think that guru is Prabhu priya, the one who is most dear to Prabhu, to Krishna. Here Prabhu means Krishna, the Lord. So, Das Goswami is telling us, "Remember, Mukunda,” when you think of guru as who is most dear, that means Radharani and Radharani’s delegation. So, Goswami Maharaj said, “So, taking it that Guru is Radharani’s delegation, you put the picture on the Bhagavatam and the Bhagavatam your objection  (?) the holly body of Krishna”. Yes, it's the holly body of Krishna, but if Radharani will come in connection with holly body of Krishna, Krishna will object.

yasya kada pivcananjale kelanota
dhanya tidanya pavanena kripartamani
yugendram durgamagati margusudanou pi
tasya namostu brishabanu gugoudishe pi

Krishna considers, if the breathe from Radharani’s dress comes upon his divine form, he considers himself immensely wealthy, fortunate. That Krishna, yogendram durgamakati, very difficult for the yogis to see. Very rarely do they have a glimpse of Him. They consider themselves fortunate to come in connection. But the breeze from her skirt.

So, in that way Goswami Maharaj defeated that man and established the dignity and the glory of Prabhupad, Srila Saraswati Thakur. And interestingly Saraswati Thakur, he said, his guru-abhiman, which means the guru ego, where the guru sometimes is chastising disciples, “I’m the Guru and I’m telling you to do this.  He said, “That is my pralapita bakhya, like delirium. It’s a delirious condition, that sometimes overcomes me”. Said, “Actually, my normal position,” What was he saying? “Dasosmi. I’m your servant”. He considered his disciples to all be vaibhav, extensions, expansions of Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Gaura Kishora Das Babaji Maharaj.

When Gaura Kishora Das Babdji Maharaj left the world and because we heard Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj, Kunja Babu, Kunja Bihari, Vidyabhushana, Kunja Babu – the chef manager of Gaudia Math he was in Kolkata and he and his friends, they’d herd there are so many bogus, so called paramahamsas. So, someone told them, “No, if you go there is a real, an actual paramahamsa in Nabadvip, his name is Gaura Kishor Das Babaji, he is real”. So, they went to find Gaura Kishora Das Babaji Maharaj and arrived on the day of his disappearance.  And then what to do came and they were told, “Oh, he has a disciple, he has only one disciple, he lives in Mayapur, someone should take the news to him”. They volunteered. So, who would later become Bhakti Vilas Tirtha, Kunja Babu, they got on the boat and started going toward Mayapur. Saraswati Thakur somehow had got a news was coming over. And it’s told Saraswati Thakur saw them as extensions of Gaura Kishora Das Babaji Maharaj, who’d be his future disciples. We’re told, the maha-bhagavata guru does not accept anyone as his disciple, but rather sees his disciples as extensions of his guru.

When Guru Maharaj saw Saraswati Thakur returning dandavats to everyone at the time of Gaura-purnima, he thought, I mean that it was exhausting to him. He thought, “I’ll just give very little, so that it won’t inconvenience him”. And one devotee called him over there and chastised him. And then Guru Maharaj said, “Yes, but I didn’t want to exhaust him”. And then the man, “Oh, then what you have done is very good”. So, Srila Saraswati Thakur, another objection of the sahajiya community, particularly Radha-Kunda, is calling his disciples Prabhu. And this is again interesting to know. Prabhu means Lord. Like we’re talking Bhagavan Prabhu also means God, Lord. 

So, that is generally reserved for guru. So, if someone will say, “I have a Prabhu”, means they have a guru. But Srila Saraswati Thakur was calling his disciplines - Prabhu. Again underscoring, reinforcing this idea, he’s seeing his disciples as vaibhav of his guru as worshipable. How is that possible? Guru Maharaj says, “Just as when you take a flower and you offer the flower to the lotus feet of Guru-Gauranga-Radha-Govinda then the flower becomes part of their paraphernalia, Prasad. Then we take that prasadam on our head as worshipable. Once it’s been offered to Krishna it becomes worshipable. Once the disciples have being offered to Krishna, they are worshipable. They become Krishna’s worshipable paraphernalia”. That’s the vision of Maha-bhagavata Guru. That’s the vision of Srild Saraswati Thakur. That’s the reason why he addressed the disciples as ‘so and so Prabhu’. And also why we considered him Prabhupad, Prabhupada.

That Saraswati Tkakur from the jungle of Mayapur, he came out and told one gentlemen he meeting, he said, after ten years he said, “Now I have 500 men who say what I say”. One by one he converted them and the conversion was extreme. In a case of professor Sannyal, one of his most dedicated loyal fanatical followers, his convergent was so extreme. We’re told before he was a heavy atheist. So, he was deep on the side of atheism, Indian atheism, went from there to the deep Mahaprabhu’s Krishna conception. We’re told, he was institutionalized for two years that means put in a crazy house. The transition was so great as if he could not withstand it.

And Srila Saraswati Thakur, because Srila Saraswati Thakur, when we hear, sometimes we read his lectures and talk, we will observe how sustained concept and paragraph-like sentences. Once I had to edit something and then I realized, I read this one page that appeared to be multiple sentences, and then as I read it out loud carefully I realized, it was just one sentence and was perfect in what was ibeing expressed there. And if you were to turn it into two sentences it wouldn’t sustain the same type of intensity, magnitude and potency. If you could follow this flow of thought, you were injected with Krishna conception. And very often he would begin by saying, making a statement, a declarative statement about Krishna conception, then addressing all the doubts or questions that might arise in respond to that declaration. Then one by one illuminate all those doubts, answer all those questions and in the end say, “Now we’re in the better position to understand what I stated initially”. And then he would restate it with greater intensity, increase detail and magnitude.

So, I remember once reading some of his words in Moscow in a winter-time, he was just explaining why in a stayam param dhimahi, in the firs sloka of Srimad Bhagavatam, dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi and just talking about why one word was just plural and not singular, and it’s being plural was indicative of the sampradaya. On the bases of a whether a word was a singular or plural the whole Gaudia line came streaming out. And it had such a profound affect upon me, just reading a sentence, I had to go for a walk like for a half and hour outside around get some air. I thought I was loosing consciousness.

So, Srila Guru Maharaj says that when he would give lectures three people were relied upon to record what was being said: Professor Sanyal, Guru Maharaj and maybe Sundar Ananda Vidyu. So, as even mentioned by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad when he heard Saraswati Thakur lecture in Koshi, he said, “Some things my Guru Maharaj would say I could understand, other things I could not understand, but I would go on listening”. And Saraswati Thakur marked it. He doesn’t go away, he’s intent upon hearing. In the case of Srila Guru Maharaj he was approached by senior disciples after the lecture for him to explain what Srila Saraswati Thakur had said.

And Guru Maharaj mentioned that in one occasion he accompanied to Srila Saraswati Thakur to a private program at the home of a grihastha. So, it’s just Guru Maharaj and Saraswati Thakur. And Sarasawti Thakur decided to speak on this satyam bratam briha satyam, satyam sloka in the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam mentions satyam many, many times in the sloka. It’s in perhaps those prayers of the demigods section just before the birth of Krishna. And it was an extraordinary talk and Guru Maharaj was in a dilemma, he didn’t have a pen to write it down, but the talk was so extraordinary, he thought, “If I go to get a pen, I am going to miss something”. So, he stayed to hear, but didn’t record it. Then afterwards Saraswati Thakur Said to Guru Maharaj, “Did you write that down?” And he explained, “No, I couldn’t”. And Saraswati Thakur said, jokingly said, “Then you are Govar Ganesh”. We know that Ganesh writes what Vyas dictates. But Govar means cow dung.  So, he is saying, “You’re Govar Ganesh”. Like sometimes they make Ganesh or Deity out of cow dung, meaning useless. But it says with a sense of humor too. He said, “You’re Govar Ganesh! You thought it was extraordinary, I thought it was extraordinary and I would like to hear it again”. So, Guru Maharaj says two feelings came to him, one was that some disappointment in himself that he didn’t record that. He said, “But actually I was very happy”, because it confirmed that when Saraswati Thakur was in a zone so to speak, when he was speaking in an extraordinarily and inspired way that Guru Maharaj could recognize that. So, some happiness came to his heart.

And in that regard we’re told, we see the pictures of Saraswati Thakur, it’s the perfect picture of gravity, of gravitas. And we’re told by Srila Guru Maharaj, if any emotion would come to him, he would suppress that and if ever like a tear, he would meticulously suppress these things, not express them.  But that personality who’s so grave and so cautious, when he would with his intimate circle of followers in private quarters, recite, recall the sloka from Vilapa-kusamanjali of prayojana-tattva āchārya, Ragunath Das Goswami,

asabharair-amrta-sindhu-mayaih kathanchit
kalo mayatigamitah kila sampratam hi
tvam chet krpam mayi vidhasyasi naiva kim me 
pranair vraje ma cha baroru bakarinapi

We were said, reciting this sloka sometimes he was found to be found being crying profusely, uncontrollably.  And what is this sloka about? Service aspiration. This is very important point to note. Not some intimate pastime of Radha and Krishna, not that, this sloka is about what’s in a heart, it’s heart service aspiration. If that will not be realized, if that will not to be fulfilled, his heart is devastated. Asabharair-amrta-sindhu-mayaih.That’s what he’s saying that Ragunath Das Goswami, this is called a direct prayer to Srimati Radharani. He’s saying, “The reason I’ve been maintaining my life – pran, prane – is in an aspiration of the service of your holly lotus feet”. As Srila Guru Maharaj said, “Wherever Saraswati Thakur started his lectures inevitably, invariably they ended up in Radha-dasyam concept”. The service of the holly lotus feet of Srimati Radharani, which is the ultimate substance of the Krishna consciousness movement. That’s why Saraswati Thakur so much appreciated Srila Guru Maharaj’s Bhaktivinoda-virahadasakam. Particularly the line reviling what is the real purpose of Mahaprabhu’s descent. Where he said,

sri-gauranumatam svarupa-viditam rupagrajenadrtam
rupadyaih parivesitam raghu-ganair asvaditam sevitam
jivadyair abhiraksitam suka-siva-brahmadi-sammanitam
sri-radha-pada-sevanamrtam aho tad datum iso bhavan  
(Srimad Bhaktivinoda-viraha Dasakam [9])

Here Guru Maharaj is identifying what is Bhaktivi
nod Thakur’s gift to the world. Because we say, guru-dam grantha-dam gaura-dhama-dam nama-dam muda bhakti-dam bhuri-dam vande bhaktivinodakam sada.

What do jwe get from Bhaktivinod Thakur? He revealed Mahaprabhu’s birthplace. He gave us Charitamritam, Bhagavatam, all the bhakti Scriptures, he concept of Radha-dasyam, the lotus feet of Radharani, he revealed Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmyam, Gaura-dhama. So, he revealed gaura dhama. Grantha. Gave all of our books and gifting Radha-dasyam, service of the holly lotus feet of Radharani. And then what? Guru-dhama. He gave the guru who will give this to everyone. Bhaktivinod Thakur had a hanful of disciples. But through Saraswati Thakur and, vilasa to hridi nityam bhakti sidhanta vani, his divine voice and will entering the hearts and souls of his followers, trough that was the merciful extension and expansion of the Krishna consciousness movement as we have here, grace extended, grace, the gracious extension, Mahaprabhu’s gift to the world. And here Guru Maharaj said, he’s saying, “Bhaktivinod what is your gift to the world? That what Gauranga Mahaprabhu brought down. The real reason why he came here that is known fully only to Swarup Damodar.” Swarupa viditam. Who is Mahaprabhu dyutia calevar, Mahaprabhu the second, the second self. He is the Krishna-prema, what is it? He is debandar.  The storehouse of Krishna prema. So it’s known only, and who, the Chaitanya-charitamritam is based upon what is the notes of Swarup Damodar, extended from Swarup Damodar to Ragunath Das to Krishna Das.  

So, the most important book we have, the greatest book ever seeing the light of day and all time, all space, all universes and all creation comes from Swarup Damodar, Lalita sakhi and must come there through this channel. Sri radhaya pranaya mahima kidrisho vanayaiva - reveals three reasons for Mahaprabhu’s descent to experienced the love of mahabhava of Srimati Radharani that she alone possess, to taste what she is tasting and to experienced the ecstasy she experiences in seeing and dealing with Krishna. Radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam. Saying, “Who is Krishna? Who is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He is Krishna enveloped in the heart of halo of Srimati Radharani. Radha-bhava, the heart of Radharani is covering him, enveloping him, through her heart he is experiencing Krishna consciousness”. Bhakta-bhava, mahabhava, Radha-bhava.

All revealed by Swarup Damodar. Swarupa veditam rupa agicena advitam. Sanatam Goswami adores this divine substance. Rupa die pariveshita and Rupa Goswami is extending that to the bhakti rasa shastras. If we look carefully in a Charitamritam we find, Sanatan Goswami as the sambandha jnana acharya, he’s giving bhakti-siddhanta. Rupa Goswami is giving bhakti-rasa. Sanatan is doing the siddhanatic presentation and Rupa Goswami – rasa. Prayojan tattva acharya, Ragunath Das. So, Rupa extending to ragu gunaya ashvalitam and Ragunath Das and his followers Krishna Das, they’re tasting that divine substance, it’s becoming enhanced along the way. That is,

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayaṁ
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ
(Srimad Bhagavatam: 1.1.3.)

Unlike mundane if someone is tasting that they’re extracting what was ever there, the remnant is tasteless. Right. Chewing the chewed, it’s tasteless. Here the divine substance, the devotee are relishing that, it’s becoming more relishable. Guru Maharaj reveals in the end of Prapanna-jivanamritam, śrī-śrīmad-bhagavat-padāmbuja-madhu-svādotsavaiḥ ṣaṭ-padair (Śrī Śrī Prapanna-jīvanāmṛtam: 10.14)

So, jivadyai abrivakshitam. Like Jiva Goswami protecting puja laragavat gaurava bange, Guru Maharaj said that is his motto. Raga-marg keep above, we’ll be one step removed. When he constructed one house and they called Radha-kund in Mayapur and they have a ground floor and the first floor. And he said he was going to stay on the ground floor and then Guru Maharaj said, “If you stay on the ground floor, who can stay on the first floor?” Like none of us can stay above you. And he goes, “No, that is for our guru varga – for Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, Bhaktivinoda, they would stay there and I will stay here”. One floor below, one step removed. Our superior gurus live in Radha-kunda and we will stay in Govardhan near by. We were told that in early in the morning they will collect the flowers of the Manasa Ganga and go to Radha-kund to serve and then return to Govardhan, Radha-kund – Govardhan. One step removed. That is the save position.

Ragunath Das Goswami, dasyaya te mama rasostu rasostu satyam sakhyaya te mama namostu namostu nityam, saying, “If there is no superior servitors what would I be doing there?” That’s Ragunath Das, the prayojan tattva acharya, saying, “If there are no superior servitors there, what I would be doing there?” I am fixed on dasyam, the least seva, and sakhyam, more intimate, that available on call, if called for, but otherwise I have no interest there. That’s why he is prayojana-tattva acharya and saying in his prayer.

To continue, so, Guru Maharaj said, “So, what is it that Mahaprabhu came down to give? Swarup Damodar knows fully, Sanatan worships, Rupa extends, Ragunath and followers taste, Jiva Goswami protects and Brahma, Siva and Suka  aspire for a drop of that, what is it?  Sri radha pada sevanam ritam. The service of the holly lotus feet of Srimati Radharani. Ahou, au, Bhaktivinod Thakur tadatu misva, this is your gift to the world. That’s when Saraswati Thakur seeing that he said, “Oh, such a happy style”. And he said, “Who has written this?” At first, he didn’t know apparently, he’s seeing and they said, “Sridhar Maharaj”. And he said, “He is not written this. Bhaktivinod Thakur has written this through him”. It was that perfect. And that’s when he said, “Now, I can leave the world, because there is one man who remains behind, who got what I came to give.  And that is Sridhar Maharaj. And he got it fully, I fully represented by him. I may leave the world, but he will remain behind to represent me fully and perfectly”. That’s when he said that.

That Das Goswami thinks this Radha-dasyam, the service of the holly lotus feet of Radharani, that’s why I exist.  Without that why would I, what would I be living for, what would be my excuse for living? Prane means life and he said, you can say generally we think our life is the most dear thing, but devotees think differently. What is more valuable than my life? Vraja, Vrindavan. But without you, Radharani, and by extension Guru, without your connection Vraja is of no value to me of no interest any. Then he ratchets it’s up, higher to another level and he says in Guru Maharaja’s words, “Although I know this is a shameless thing to say, but Krishna, without you Krishna is a dreadful thing”. Bakarinapi. Baka means Bakasura, bakari – the killer of Baka, like that, not that charming, sweet Krishna in your presence, this other type of Krishna. Dreadful. So, hearing that sloka Saraswati Thakur would cry profusely uncontrollably. Sloka expressing service aspiration to the holly lotus feet of Srimati Radharani.

Are there any questions?

Question in Russian.

Goswami Maharaj: Amia?
Amiasindhu Prabhu: He was talking very fast. Like we hear very different descriptions of Saraswati Thakur and we hear that he was very intense person, sometimes we hear that he was very affectionate and he had this  (?) and sometimes  we hear that he would like different-different descriptions, so, that he was delivering the highest conception. And what vision of Saraswati Thakur should we be focused on and what should be our vision of Srila Saraswati Tahakur?

Goswami Maharaj: We will say that we have no capacity to see him properly. So, we’re reliant upon the vision of the higher vaisnavas. So as we told Srila Guru Maharaj, when he says,

atikomala-kancana-dirgha-tanum
tanu-nindita-hema-mrnala-madam
madanarbuda-vandita-candra-padam
pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

So, he is saying that his form is so soft, so beautiful, has neck like the golden stack of a golden flower, but more beautiful. Ninda, he’s saying, the lotus flower is blasphemed by his beauty. He is given an intense representation. If you’re thinking, look, that would be a blasphemy more beautiful than that. And madanarbuda-vandita-candra-padam, the Cupids like millions of Cupids mad in praise of his beauty and moonlike radiance. So, he is seeing him in a very deep lens. The lens of Guru Maharaj’s devotion penetrates very deeply from any superficial conception about Srila Saraswati Thakur.

And what he’s expressed in these slokas: who he is, what he is doing, it’s all within in Guru Maharaj’s prayers and slokas primarily, the proper way to view Srila Saraswati Thakur. And what to speak of his representation of his teachings, so that the principal disciplines and followers of Saraswati Thakur would say that, “When we hear from you,” hear from Srila Guru Maharaj, they said, “We considered it like hearing from Parbhupad, from hearing from Saraswati Thakur”. They are giving that type of certificate and prayers. So, we may, because now so many things are available on an Internet and we’ll read something here and something there, our best, the most reliable interpreter is Srila Guru Maharaj.

I give an example. We had a good fortune to come in connection with Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj a few times and he literally took us to the lotus feet of Srila Sridhar Maharaj for first darshan. And he was a good friend of Srila Guru Maharaj, but some of his activities were not really approved by Srila Sarasvati Thakur. Once Guru Maharaj was in charge of the Delhi Math, and this is on the questions of sixty-four rounds, ek lakha nam. In Chaitanya Bhagavat sahajiyas like to say, “There Mahaprabhu says us, today I want to eat in a house of millionaire” basically. And everyone shocked, “What?” He says, “Well, I don’t mean who is materially wealthy?” It’s actually lakpati - a hundred thousand (?) He said, “But a lakh pati means someone who chants sixty-four rounds a day, in fact if someone doesn’t take a lakh of Krishna-nam I won’t except an offering from them”. So here we go, “See”. And as one man said to me this when I said, “You mean, let me understand, so, Krishna inaccessible Krishna in Bhagavat-gita says ‘offer to me with love and devotion leaf, flower or fruit, water, I will accept it’ but the maha vadanaya avatar Mahaprabhu, he won’t accept anything unless you chant a lakh?”  That’s what I said, but then they left, I went and told Guru Maharaj and he was laughing and said, “What did they say?” And I, “They said this”. There was a former god brother and he said, “Eka lakha nam means a particular quality of Krishna-nam, not, it’s not thought of just to be quantity. It’s the quality of Krishn-nam.” As Guru Maharaj says, “Quality brings us relief from mathematics”.

Anyway, Guru Maharaj was in charge of the Delhi math and then he knew, his god-brother Krishna Das Babji Maharaj, he is in a place called Balihati chanting sixty-four rounds a day in so called ‘jungle of Balihati’. So, he wrote a letter to Saraswati Thakur saying, “My god-brother, he’s chanting sixty-four rounds in a day in a jungle of Balihati. But I am thinking to invite him to do seva in Delhi math. Do you approve or what is your advice or should I not disturb him? Is he doing something higher, and more desirable? Some people say, “Yes, if you can’t do that then you’re told to sweep the floor or to do this, but the real servitor…” That was his question. And Saraswati Thakur wrote back to him saying, “If you will engage him in service in the Delhi Math, you’ll be his real friend”. He said, “Because I don’t recognize that sitting in a jungle of Balihati, counting beads”, he didn’t say ‘Krishna-nam’, he said ‘counting beads’, “I do not recognize that that is Krishna-anusilana favor to the culture of devotion. If you can engage him in some practical service in a Delhi math, you’ll be his real friend”.  

That is an example coming from Srila Guru Maharaj, having very precise representation and determination coming from Srila Saraswati Thakur on a very important point, where is a reading in a book somewhere, reading this, that or the other thing, so I get an another impression. Someone told Guru Maharaj comparing Bhaktivinod Thakur and Sarasvati Thakur and not meaning to do it in an offensive way, which is innocently saying, “Oh, I find Bhaktivinod Thakur more simple, more accessible, it’s easy to read, and Sarasvati Thakur is very difficult, demanding, sometimes impenetrable”.  And Guru Maharaj says, “Yes”. And he said, first he just agreed happily and then he offered some advise, he said, “When things are presented too simply, they easily descend, degrade into sahajiizm”. He said, “So, our Guru Maharaj counts in an other type of language to protect that substance and to prevent that tendency”. And we’ve seen, people, they’ll find some book of Bhaktivinod Thakur and they will think he is recommending to more or less neophyte devotee that they engaged in some bhava-bhakta practices, whether it to be in asta-kaliya-lila or otherwise. 

So, again Guru Maharaj would say, “I’ve also read jaiva-dharma, but I did not fail to recognize and acknowledge the cautions given by Bhaktivinod Thakur. You’ve seen certain prescriptions and recommendations. But I did not fail to recognize his cautions and how to precede implying that and you have, you’ve ignored the cautions and are trying to prematurely make your approach”. That’s why we’re told in Prackrta-rasa-sata-dusini, where it said, “No one in the Rupanuga-line, who is a genuine representative of Rupa Goswami would never give rasa-siksa to someone who doesn’t have the adhikar to receive that”. It’s a violation according to Saraswati Thakur.

So, at any rate to really understand him as we told in the morning Guru Maharaj were saying in the nikila bhuvana maya sloka, “I think my Guru Maharaj captured me in a cage of poetry, he knows how to identify, to weigh and asses, and ascertain particular qualities”. That’s what Saraswati Thakur himself recognize in this sloka, look what Guru Maharaj is doing his sloka he’s properly identifying the overwhelming characteristics or qualifications of Swarup Damodar. What should be known about Swarup Damodar? Mahaprabhu, Swarup Damodar, Sanatana Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Ragunath Das Goswami, Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami, Jiva Goswami, Baladev Vidjabushan, Bramha, Siva, Suka, he later added Uddhava, who can do that unless you have a proper estimation of all of them. How can you weigh their respective merits and say, “Jiva should be known in this way, Sanatan for this, Rupa for that, Ragunath for this, Krishnadas for this, Swarup Damodar for that, Brahma, Suka, Siva understood in this way, in this type of gradation and then Uddhava...” That is just the ability to properly assess divine substance and all it’s gradation.

Why? Guru Maharaj’s specialty is Ramananda-samvad. What is it about? Gradation. Bhagava-gita is being rejected iho bahya agica kohar that’s external. Right? Brahmabhuta prasantatma. Guru Maharaj is saying, “That means on the threshold”, on the other side of the door, not yet in. So, who is going to make these assessments, these judgments? I give a full and proper representation of Srila Saraswati Thakur. Saraswati Thakur is saying in that prayer, “He knows how to do this, he can represent me fully and perfectly, others can not”. And senior servitors as Guru Maharaj told after Saraswati Thakur’s disappearance, he said in one place, “One man, one senior disciple he told, ‘Prabhupad said this’”, just we use to hear ‘Prabhupad said’. My most favorite ‘Prabhupad said’ is when Prabhupad said, “They are saying ‘Prabhupad said’, but Prabhupad never said”. It’s my favorite ‘Prabhupad said’. [laughing] Anyway, someone said about Saraswati Thakur ‘Prabhupad said’ and Guru Maharaj said, “Yes, he said that, but he also said this and he said so many things and those things have to be factored in”. You can’t take one instruction and then everything else gets photoshoped out and isolated and suppressed. That is a skude (?), improper partial guru conception.

After the disappearance of Srila Saraswati Thakur the devotees naturally were devastated, they’re saying, “What will we do now?” And one Maharaj named Neimi Maharaj, because his name was Gabistha Neimi, Neimi Maharaj for short, he said,

krisne  sva damo bhagate dharma jnane deviksaha calo

He is quoting the Bhagavatam, senior man, “Now that the Krishna sun has set and the world plunged into darkness this Bhagavat-purana has risen like a brilliant sun illuminating the sky in all direction to give guidance”. And everyone, “Oh! How wonderful! So, now we will take our directions from the Bhagavatam, how wonderful, how perfect what you’ve expressed. Maharaj”. But senior disciples they turned to Srila Guru Maharaj  and said, “What do you say? Please, say something”. Guru Maharj said, “We are not Sikhs”. The Sikhs they worship the book called the Granth Sahib, so they bring this big book out and they worship this book. So, Guru Maharaj began with saying, “We are not Sikhs. But what is the Bhagavatam?” What is the message of the Bhagavatam?

yadamiya mahima sri-bhagavatam kathayam
pratipadam anubhutam apy alabdhabhideya
tad akhila-rasa-murteh syama-lilavalambam
madhura-rasabdhi sri radha-pada-padmam prapadye

Although her mane is not mentioned ostensively, aradhita,  Anaya radhitha nunam bhagavan harer iswara, yano hai govinda prate…(?) I don’t know other. But her name is apparently not mentioned. But Guru Maharaj said, “Every sloka, every word, every page, every story is meant to take you in the direction of Her holly lotus feet”. Radha-dasyam, the service of Radharani.

Nirmatsaranam satam the secret to entering a mystery of Bhagavatam is to not to be envious of the devotee, and in the inverse to praise the devotee. The devotee ultimately Radharani and Her delegation. Who is the most superior vaisnava? They are taking us in the direction of the service of Her holly lotus feet. We worship the book Bhagavat and the person Bhagavat and trough the person Bahagavat we understand the book Bhagavat.

So, one man, senior man quoting the Bhagavat, all these things, he is illuminating the person Bahgavat, the devotee, but not in the presence of Srila Guru Maharaj. Who, what did Saraswati Thakur say? “Represents me perfectly and fully”. So, just see within a day of his disappearance going off, Guru Maharaj is bringing it back. No, it’s about guru and vaisnav and the most superior vaisnav, we worship the vaishanva. The Bhagavatam is the book about the worship of the devotee of Krishna; the Krishna book is about of worship of the devotee of Krishna.

The vishva vaishnava raja sabha. So, through the devotional lens of seeing of Srila Guru Maharaj we can have a proper estimation of Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Sidhanta Saraswati Thakur, Srila Prabhupad. Jay Srila Bhakti Sidhanta Sarsawati Thakur!