Srila Sridhar Maharaj's Appearance Day

Today is a very auspicious day. It is the appearance day of Jagad Guru Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj. All of the Guru and Vaiṣṇava appearance days are so merciful for the conditioned souls. But there is some special degree, some different kind of position we can see.

The Viṣṇu Tattva, so many incarnations of Viṣṇu are coming in this material world. Not only that, actually what happening that is according to Chaitanya-charitāmṛta there is so many worlds — not only our this world — millions of worlds in this Mahākāśa. And everywhere in a cyclic way appearance of Viṣṇu is for the clearance of demoniac energy happening.

It is very special however that in this world, Śrī Kṛṣṇa came with His associates from Goloka Vṛndāvan. Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa played in this material world with Their own abode. It happened at the end of the twenty-eighth cycle of the four ages, in the age of Dvāpar. At that time Kṛṣṇa came with His abode and everything there.

After that time came the appearance of Śrī Gaurāṅga Sundar, and that divine form was Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combined. We know through the Scriptures,

rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād
ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau
chaitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ chaikyam āptaṁ
rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitaṁ naumi kṛṣṇa-svarūpam
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 1.5)

Kṛṣṇa svarūpam. Kṛṣṇa takes Rādhārāṇī’s heart and halo and appears in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, Śrī Chaitanyadev.

There are so many ślokas in favour of this idea but it is not necessary to recite so many. It is very important to know who Śrī Chaitanyadev is and who His associates are. If you read Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, it is necessary to carefully read Madhya-līlā, chapter eight. If we carefully read under the guidance of a spiritual master then we will understand everything. Some qualified Vaiṣṇava can show us the proper formation of Mahāprabhu’s appearance, as well as the appearance of all of His associates.

Śrīla Guru Mahārāj has given the clue to us — Madhya-līlā, chapter eight. There is found the Rāmānanda Saṁvād and from first to last, in all its religious formation and religious existence we can understand gradually from the lower to upper platform. This Rāmānanda Saṁvād, the first meeting with Rāmānanda Rāy was in Godavari, South India. On the bank of the Godavari the first meeting happened and no one knows who is who. Later in their conversation we can understand that Rāmānanda Rāy is a very dear and close associate of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu and through Rāmānanda Rāy He wants to expose and wants to teach this world Kṛṣṇa-prema and Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.

At that time there were two people with Chaitanya Mahāprabhu living in Purī Dhām. After meeting on the bank of Godavari, Mahāprabhu ordered to Rāmānanda Rāy, “Come with Me and stay in Purī Dhām. We will spend the rest of our lives discussing Kṛṣṇa-kathā.”

Svārup Dāmodar was very dear to Mahāprabhu and in the form of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa pastimes his position is Lalita Devī and Rāmānanda Rāy’s position is Viśākhā Devī in Kṛṣṇa-līlā.

When Rāmānanda Rāy’s teachings started with Mahāprabhu, Mahāprabhu was the listener and Rāmānanda Rāy was the speaker. And all the time Rāmānanda Rāy said, “You are speaking to me. You, Yourself are speaking through me, what I am saying I do not know, but it is all Your language and it is all Your knowledge.” Finally Rāmānanda Rāy won this debate with Mahāprabhu. And finally Mahāprabhu could not hide from Rāmānanda Rāy and he showed him rāsarāj mahābhāva dui eka-rūpa. Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa’s combined divine form is Chaitanyadev and that form was shown to Rāmānanda Rāy by Mahāprabhu Chaitaniya Dev. And Mahāprabhu told Rāmānanda Rāy, “If I want to try to hide Myself in front of you, I cannot do that. Then you can see My divine form, I am not Kṛṣṇa, I am not Rādhārāṇī. I am Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa both, taken divine form as Gaurāṅga Dev, the form of Śrī Chaitanya.” And Mahāprabhu showed His divine form and Rāmānanda Rāy fainted. Then Mahāprabhu touched his body and gave him sense and Rāmānanda Rāy saw Mahāprabhu Chaitanyadev, not Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa at that time. Then Mahāprabhu told to Rāmānanda Rāy, “You please do not tell this to anyone and you will come to Me in Purī. I stay there, all arrangement will be made.” Rājā Pratāparudra also accepted that He go to Purī.

You can ask me, “Today is Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s appearance day. Why are you talking about Rāmānanda Rāy?” But it was necessary, because you do not know what importance this has for the mission of Śrīla Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj. He was non different form with Rāmānanda Rāy’s divine form. When Prabhupād Saraswatī Ṭhākur sent for the discovery of Rāmānanda Rāy and Mahāprabhu’s meeting place, at that time Prabhupād Saraswatī Ṭhākur gave Śrīla Guru Mahārāj’s name — Rāmānanda Dās.

You can see Śaraṇāgati Laghu Chandrika Bhaśya. When Guru Mahārāj was done there he wrote one small poem,

Laghu chandrika seva — he is doing whose name is Rāmānanda Dās. He did not mentioned his own name. But Rāmānanda Dās, this name Prabhupād Saraswatī Ṭhākur gave to him and he used that name there.

I can discuss so many things about Guru Mahārāj; his form, where is his body, where is his birth place, how much divinity is there in boyhood, in young ages etc. So many things we can discuss and it is written in some of our books. Here are so many Vaiṣṇavas present. They will do that matter. They must glorify Guru Mahārāj in the meeting and they will tell everything to you. I only want to tell which way the teachings of Śrīla Guru Mahārāj came out in this world. When I joined Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, at that time Guru Mahārāj taught me the first three chapters of Chaitanya-charitāmṛta. Later all of Chaitanya-charitāmṛta I read. From Guru Mahārāj, but first three chapter were: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya — Madhya-līlā, sixth chapter; Madhya-līlā, eighth chapter — Rāmānanda Saṁvād, and the second chapter of Madhya-līlā which is the gist of Antya-līlā.

We can see in that Rāmānanda Saṁvād, that Mahāprabhu is questioning Rāmānanda and Rāmānanda is answering Mahāprabhu. But Mahāprabhu summarily dismisses two-three decision. When Rāmānanda Rāy told to Mahāprabhu karma-miśra bhakti, karma-śūnyā bhakti and jñāna-miśra bhakti this evidential śloka, Mahāprabhu summarily dismissed that it is not enough, it’s not complete. “You tell finer conception.” But when Rāmānanda Rāy told,

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāń-manobhir
ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 10.14.3)

This bhāgavat śloka, then Mahāprabhu accepted that and told, “It is a starting point.”

What is that starting point? Jñāna-śūnyā bhakti. What is the material knowledge we are collecting in this world? That is useless for the spiritual world as a devoted devotee. Throw off your material experience, experience and knowledge, everything, be humble and tolerant and fully dedicated to the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Without any aspiration you only surrender to Kṛṣṇa and give service to Kṛṣṇa as your life’s goal. And think that and serve Kṛṣṇa without questions. This service is śravaṇam and kīrtanam and will get the principle position. Anyway you can stay, that is not the question. The question is that you are offering that mood to Lord Kṛṣṇa one hundred per cent.

Anyhow, this is a starting point and in the Rāmānanda Saṁvād there we can see the four kinds of relationship come with that surrendered mood: śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, madhura — these five kinds of relationship that surrendered soul will get. And finally madhura-rasa is the supreme. And in the madhura-rasa all rasas are marching into the madhura-rasa and giving super respect to madhura-rasa. The pastimes of madhura-rasa are under the supreme guidance of Rādhārani serving to Kṛṣṇa. There the management is completely under control of the sakhīs. The sakhīs, they are giving expansion around that jurisdiction of madhura-rasa — everything they are arranging, managing and taking or giving, all. My English is very poor, I cannot express but in Bengali there it is written,

sakhī līlā vistāriyā, sakhī āsvādaya
sakhī vinā ei līlā na haya spuraṇa
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 8.203)

Without the mercy of the sakhīs no one can enter into madhura-līlā, madhura-rasa-līlā. Here it is noticeable, that Śrīla Prabhupād Saraswatī Ṭhākur, in the Kṛṣṇa-līlā his divine form is Nayana Mañjari, under guidance of Rūpa Mañjari.

And he chose Śrīla Guru Mahārāj for the discovery of Rāmānanda Rāy’s place. At that time Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s associates so many great sannyāsīs, brāhmachāris and general spiritual practitioners, but he chose Śrīla Guru Mahārāj for that propose. And Śrīla Guru Mahārāj discovered that place and gave the name ‘Śrī Rāmānanda Gaudiya Maṭh’ and before he disappeared Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur called upon Guru Mahārāj to sing that Rūpa Mañjarī Pada song. Then it is very clear Śrīla Guru Mahārāj’s spiritual position in this world. About these topics we can say many things and can discuss many things. But mainly we can take this conception and what Guru Mahārāj has given to us then we will be super benefitted in spiritual life and we will get a proper position in our spiritual life.

Here are so many qualified Vaiṣṇavas. Seated there is Śrīpad Janardan Mahārāj, Śrīpad Siddhānti Mahārāj, Śrīpad Bhāratī Mahārāj, Śrutaśravā Prabhu, Śrīpad Akinchan Mahārāj and Śrīpad Avadhut Mahārāj and also many qualified lady devotees present here, like Rohini Didi and from China came that lady, Devi Rani. These women all read Guru Mahārāj’s divine conception and they know everything. They will discuss, they can discuss the whole day, no problem. But I am in very poor health. I cannot give so much time for this, but it is our good fortune that they can tell you everything. We are so fortunate that we are within Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj’s mission, because the position of Śrīdhar Mahārāj is the very finest position and it was shown by Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānti Saraswatī Goswami Ṭhākur. And for that Śrīla Guru Mahārāj is always very satisfied to sing the song of śrī rūpa mañjarī-pada, sei mora sampada, sei mora bhajana-pūjana.