A Vedāntic explanation of the word paramānanda
Every year at Śrī Gaura Janmotsava, a session of Śrīdhāma Pracāriṇī Sabhā was held at Śrī Māyāpura Yogapīṭha. During these meetings, Śrīla Prabhupāda would request the maṭha residents to praise and glorify one another. In 1929, Śrīla Prabhupāda asked Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī to glorify Śrī Paramānanda Brahmacārī ‘Vidyāratna.’ Śrī Paramānanda Brahmacārī, an intimate and ekaniṣṭha (single-minded) servant of Śrīla Prabhupāda, was a close friend of Śrī Vinodabihārījī. They lived together—eating, drinking, sleeping and performing sevā for Śrīla Prabhupāda.When Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārījī received this order, he stood up and first offered praise to his Guru, saying,
mūkhaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande paramānanda-mādhavam
“I worship Mādhava, the embodiment of paramānanda, whose mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains.”
Śrī Vinodabihārījī then began to describe all the good qualities of Paramānanda Prabhu. “The single-minded guru-sevā of Śrī Paramānanda Prabhu is the ideal for guru-sevakas. He is always with Śrīla Prabhupāda like a shadow, performing tasks such as cooking, cleaning his clothes, managing arrangements for travel, and massaging Prabhupāda’s feet at bedtime. Sometimes Paramānanda Prabhu returns to the maṭha late when Śrīla Prabhupāda is taking rest. But even if it is midnight he will knock on the door and call, ‘Prabhupāda! Prabhupāda!’ for Prabhupāda to open the door. At that time Śrīla Prabhupāda himself will open the door of his bhajana kuṭīra for him. Paramānanda Prabhu is exceptionally expert in constructing temples and maṭhas, in operating the printing press, and in all aspects of running a maṭha. He cannot stay alive without Prabhupāda’s sevā. It is not possible to perform service to Śrī Guru and Gauraṅga without the mercy of Śrī Paramānanda Prabhu, who has such exclusive guru-niṣṭha. All glories to Śrī Paramānanda Prabhu!
prasīda paramānanda! prasīda parameśvara!
ādhi-vyādhi-bhujaṅgena daṣṭaṁ māmuddhara prabho
(Gopāla-tāpanī)
“Have mercy upon me, Paramānanda! Have mercy upon me, Parameśvara! I am bitten by the serpent of material miseries. Prabhu, please save me.”
“In the Vedānta the concept of cultivation of paramānanda, or supreme bliss, is also mentioned: ānandamayo ’bhyāsāt (Brahma Sūtra 1.1.12). The deep meaning of the practice of paramānanda is to engage completely and constantly in the pursuit of the form of paramānanda, Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with body, mind and words. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, who established the mission to fulfil Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s innermost desire, has instructed us how to cultivate this paramānanda. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā: “Uttamā bhakti is favourable and uninterrupted cultivation of service for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure with body, mind, and words.” Unless we cultivate paramānanda favourably—that is unless we practise the process of uttamā bhakti—we will not obtain paramānanda. Therefore in the conclusion of the Brahma-sūtra it is said, anāvṛtti śabdāt anāvṛtti śabdāt.’ In the sūtra ‘anāvṛtti śabdāt’, ‘śabda’ refers to śabda-brahma, transcendental sound vibration and paramānanda-svarūpa Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name is that very transcendental śabda-brahma.
nāmaś cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ-śuddho nitya-mukto’bhinnatvān nāma nāminoḥ
“The name of paramānanda-svarūpa Kṛṣṇa is in all respect a transcendental wish-fulfilling gem. Because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are non-different, it is the personification of transcendental rasa, complete, beyond māyā, and eternal.”
“Furthermore, in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.7) it is said, raso vai saḥ, rasaṁ hy evāyaṁ labdhvānandī bhavati, ko hy evanyāt kaḥ prāṇyāt yadeṣa ākāśa ānando na syāt, eṣa hy evānandayati: “Paramānanda para-tattva (the supremely blissful Supreme Truth) Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the personification of rasa (transcendental mellows). The jīva can become blissful only by obtaining Him. If parama-tattva paramānanda-svarūpa Śrī Kṛṣṇa did not exist, then who could maintain his life? Who would try to protect his life? Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is Brahman, the personification of paramānanda filled with rasa, gives ānanda (bliss) to everyone.”
We also see this established in Caturveda Śikhā:
naivete jāyante naiteṣāmajñāna-bandho na muktiḥ sarva eṣahy ete pūrṇā ajarā amṛtāḥ paramāḥ paramānanda iti.
“The name of Bhagavān (which is śabda-brahman), Bhagavān Himself and all His incarnations are not conditioned like the jīvas, nor do they take birth like them. They are complete, unchanging, immortal, and the personification of paramānanda (supreme bliss).”
“The meaning of the word anāvṛtti in the sūtra ‘anāvṛtti ṣabdāt’ is ‘prevention of rebirth in this material world.’ Therefore it is only by cultivating this paramānanda rasa-svarūpa śabda-brahman, that is to say, only by saṅkīrtana of the name of Bhagavān, that we can stop our rebirth forever.
“The pūrva-pakṣa‚ or first objection, to this statement, is this: ’The meaning of paramānanda (highest bliss) is only bhāva, or sentiment, so how is it possible that this paramānanda can have shape or form?’ Therefore the sūtra, arūpavad eva hi tat pradhānatvāt in Brahma-sūtra is cited. Parama-puruṣa (Supreme Person), parama-tattva (Supreme Truth) or Brahman is na-rūpavat, in other words ‘not like a form.’ He does not take form; everyone else takes form from Him. The Supreme Truth is Himself form, of whom it is possible to have darśana. Therefore the next sūtra says, api saṁrādhane pratyakṣānumānābhyāṁ: “Through worship one can certainly have darśana in the heart and directly of the Supreme Truth.”
“In the śrutis and Vedānta-sūtra this paramānanda puruṣa, or the supremely blissful Person is called ānandaṁ brahman (blissful Brahman). Ānanda is a synonym of prīti. All jīvas are actually striving to attain paramānanda. One who wants mukti will search for mokṣa, thinking that that is paramānanda. A sense-enjoyer runs after enjoyment of the senses, considering that to be ānanda. The bhaktas strive for sevā of Kṛṣṇa because they think that is paramānanda. In other words, everyone is simply searching for paramānanda. However, bhagavad-bhakti is the only personification of paramānanda, and therefore it is only through bhakti that one can only attain paramānanda-svarūpa Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the personification of supreme bliss.”
The audience was fascinated by Śrī Vinodabihārī’s lecture. Śrīla Prabhupāda was especially pleased with his vedāntic deliberations and gave Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī all his books on Vedānta. “Study this literature with full concentration,” he said. “I have not seen such taste for Vedānta in anyone else. General people say that the term Vedānta refers to nirviśeṣa-jñāna, but Vedānta is really bhakti literature. You should preach from it.”
After accepting tridaṇḍi sannyāsa, Śrī Vinodabihārī thoroughly fulfilled this innermost desire of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Establishing Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti, he bestowed the dress of tridaṇḍi sannyāsa on qualified members of the Samiti and added the title ‘Bhaktivedānta’ to the names of initiates such as Vāmana, Nārāyaṇa, Trivikrama and others. He always preached śuddha-bhakti, the main subject of the Vedānta, and instructed others to do the same. This is the unique distinction of his life.
Śrī Vinodabihārī and the Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda Institute
In April 1931, Śrīla Prabhupāda established the Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda Institute in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura for education in transcendental subject matters. Śrīla Prabhupāda was the chairman of the managing committee of the school, Śrīmad Bhaktipradīpatīrtha Mahārāja was the headmaster, and among the other members of the committee Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī was appointed the director. Śrī Vinodabihārī changed the then prevalent English rules for holidays. He announced that the school would have breaks on paṅcamī and ekādaśī instead of Sundays, and a half-day vacation on caturthī and daśamī instead of Saturday. Ekādaśī was chosen because it is called mādhava-tithi, the mother of śuddha-bhakti. Paṅcamī-tithi is the appearance tithi of Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning, and also of Śrīla Sarasvatī Prabhupāda. Previously the holiday was on Sundays, due to worship in the churches. In addition, Śrī Vinodabihārī also established holidays on the different appearance and disappearance days of distinctive Vaiṣṇava ācāryas. Religious teaching was compulsory in this school. Students who failed the exams in the religious subjects were not allowed to enter the next grade, even if they had passed the exams in all the other subjects. Śrī Vinodabihārī defended his emphasis on religious ethics with the argument that the welfare of society is not possible through atheistic education. For this work he received special commendation and praise from the Navadvipa Dhāma Pracāriṇī Sabhā.
The title of ‘Kṛti-ratna’
In 1932, at the 38th annual session of the Śrī Navadvīpa Pracāriṇī Sabhā, the chairman, Śrīla Prabhupāda, bestowed the title ’Kṛtiratna’ (the crown-jewel of all actions) on Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī. Kṛtiratna indicates bhakti and the title was an embodiment of a blessing from Śrī Gaura. The letter read as follows:
śrī śrī māyāpura candro vijayatetamām
śrī śrī navadvīpa dhāma pracāriṇī sabhāyāḥ
śrī śrī gaurāśīrvād-patram
śrī mahāprabhu sevārthaṁ śrīdhāmni-bhūmi rakṣakaḥ
prajāpālanadakṣo yaḥ śrī caitanya-maṭhāśritaḥ
śrī vinoda-vihāyārkhya brahmacāri-varāya ca
prabhupādāntaraṅgāya sarva-sad-guṇa-śāline
dhāma-pracāriṇī-saṁsatsabhyaistamai pradīyate
‘kṛtiratna’ iti khyātum-upādhi-bhūṣaṇaṁ mudā
gaṅgā-pūrvatṭastha-śrīnavadvīpa-sthale pare
śrī māyāpura-dhāmastha-yoga-pīṭha-mahattame
guṇeṣu vā suśubhraṁśu-śakābde’smin śubhāśraye
phālguṇa pūrṇimāyāṁ śrī gaurāvirbhāva-vāsare
Signed, Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, Chairman
“Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārījī, the servitor of the Śrī Caitanya Maṭha, has protected the land of Śrīdhāma Māyapura for the service of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and is expert in protecting his dependants in every way. He is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s intimate servant and is adorned with all the good qualities of a Vaiṣṇava. At the auspicious time of the appearance of Śrī Gaura on Phalguna Pūrṇima year 1853 Śakābda Era, the eminent members of the Śrīdhāma Pracāriṇī Sabhā have joyfully decorated him with the title ’Kṛtiratna’ at Yogapīṭha, the top-most place of Śrī Māyāpura Dhāma in Śrī Navadvīpa, situated on the east bank of the Gaṅgā.”
Bhagavata-sevā through court-case proceedings
Once Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī attended a religious assembly in Kṛṣṇanagar, at which attorneys, barristers, a retired judge and other eminent learned and respected people were present. Many of them gave sincere and thoughtful speeches, and one in particular spoke with great humility and regret. “I have uselessly wasted my whole life in court proceedings,” he began. “My birth has become unsuccessful because I have not performed hari-bhajana, the worship of Lord Hari. Human life can become successful only through hari-bhakti, but I have distanced myself from it. Now in old age my senses are becoming weak, I can not understand anything and death is imminent.” Speaking in this way he prayed at the lotus feet of the Vaiṣṇavas and Bhagavān for bhagavad-bhakti.
At the end of the meeting the respected chairman asked Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī Kṛtiratna Prabhu if he would please say something. He stood up and began to speak simply and naturally, but with very powerful language. “The hidden purport of all śāstras is bhagavad-bhakti. Of all forms of bhagavad-bhakti, the prema-mayī bhakti (bhakti imbued with prema) of the associates of Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vraja is topmost. Therefore Vaiṣṇava Ācārya Śrī Cakravartī Ṭhākura has said,
ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas-tad-dhāma vṛndāvanaṁ
ramyā kācid-upāsanā vraja-vadhū vargeṇa yā kalpitā
śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ pramāṇam amalaṁ premā pumartho mahān
śrīcaitanya mahāprabhor matam idaṁ tatrādaro naḥ paraḥ
’Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the supreme worshipful Deity. Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma is worshipful like Kṛṣṇa, because it is the place of His pastimes. Amongst all forms of worship, the gopīs’ worship of Kṛṣṇa is supreme. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam offers the supreme, flawless evidence of this truth. This is the teaching of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.’
“In the śāstras there are also examples of court-proceedings. I think that the performance of court-proceedings is the best sādhana in hari-bhakti. Besides, court-proceedings are actually hari-bhakti; it is just that people do not understand how to perform them. For those unfortunate souls the opportunity to attain bhagavad-bhakti is very remote.
“We are in the party of the most worshipful Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and our special sevā is to arrange for Her meeting with Kṛṣṇa. On one occasion, Śrī Kṛṣṇa went to meet with Candrāvalī in her kuñja. Rādhā’s sakhīs made up some excuse to extricate Him from there, and they brought Him to Śrī Rādhājī’s kuñja at Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa. There, in front of Kuñjeśvarī Śrīmatī Rādhikā He was made to write, ‘I am the servant of Rādhājī. I will never leave Rādhājī and go elsewhere.’ Then He had to sign this declaration. A few days later, though, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, compelled by His nature, neglected His promise and again went to Candrāvalī’s kuñja. Rādhā’s sakhīs, seeing that Śrī Kṛṣṇa was so opposed to Śrī Vṛndāvaneśvarī Rādhikā, filed a court-case against Him. Rādhājī’s sakhis won this court-case against Kṛṣṇa, who was not at that time present in Her court, and they issued a court decree with which He was bound to comply. In this way they arranged His sweet meeting with Śrīmatī Rādhikā by means of a warrant.”
The lawyers, the judge and all the other people were pleased and impressed with Śrī Kṛtiratna Prabhu’s sweet speech, which was filled with scriptural siddhānta. His philosophical lecture made a deep impression in everyone’s heart and made them realise that the most important achievement in the human form of life is to attain the service of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, and nothing else. He then explained that birth in a high family, beauty, education, wealth, etc. are not required for śrī kṛṣṇa-bhajana. On the contrary, Kṛṣṇa bhajana is the qualification and birthright of every human being. Thus, it is necessary for all of us to perform hari-bhajana.
Ideal Vaiṣṇava life
Even though Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī was from an educated and respected ruling family, he did not feel any pride. In his maṭha life he was tolerant, liberal and soft-spoken, and he would always help the poor and distressed. The vow and purpose of his life was:
bhāla na khāibe āra bhāla na paribe
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa sevā mānase karibe
”Do not eat very palatable food and do not dress very nicely. Rather, always perform sevā of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana within your mind.”
Śrī Kṛtiratna Prabhu’s sādhana was to do anything to please Kṛṣṇa and to give up all kinds of enjoyment for himself. With great love he honoured whatever Ṭhākurajī mahā-prasāda was served. He never had the desire to eat anything delicious and throughout his life he never mentioned that there was too little salt in the mahā-prasāda or that it was not tasty enough. When he was the manager of Caitanya Maṭha in the maṭha’s early days, he and the other brahmacārīs were living and performing their sādhana-bhajana with great difficulty because of the maṭha’s impoverished condition. Nonetheless, they were completely satisfied with such a life, and their dealings with each other were very affectionate.
First meeting with Pūjyapāda Śrīdhara Mahārāja
Once after Navadvīpa parikramā, I (Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa) and a few brahmacārīs went to Śrī Caitanya-Sārasvata Gauḍīya Maṭha in Koleragaṅja, Navadvīpa, to have darśana of Paramapūjyapāda Parivrājakācārya-varya Śrīmad Bhaktirakṣaka Śrīdhara Gosvāmī Mahārāja8. We will never forget his description of his first sight of Paramārādhya Śrīla Gurudeva.
“While I was a student in the last year of law school, I went to have darśana of Māyāpura. First, I took darśana of the Deities in the mandira at Yogapīṭha, and then Śrīvāsa Āṅgana, Advaita Bhavan, Gadādhara Bhavan and other places. While I was taking darśana at ākara maṭharāja Śrī Caitanya Maṭha, I witnessed an astonishing scene. A beautiful young brahmacārī in a very nice white dhotī and kurtā was sitting on a chair beneath a jackfruit tree. He was resting his legs on a table in front of him, the left leg on top of the right, and was slowly swinging on the chair. Both his eyes were closed and it seemed that he was immersed in deep thought. Various residents of the maṭha were coming before him. All of them—whether young or old, wearing white or saffron—bowed their heads to the ground and offered praṇāma to that brahmacārī with great respect, and then went on to carry out their services and tasks. At one point, a well-built, grave sannyāsī came, offered his praṇāma and stood in front of him. Hearing some noise, the brahmacārī opened his eyes, sat up and looked at the sannyāsī. The sannyāsī asked something with great humility, the brahmacārījī gave some answer and then the sannyāsī again paid his praṇāma and went away.”
Pūjyapāda Śrīdhara Mahārāja continued, “I watched all this very attentively, and wondered, ‘Everyone is respectfully paying praṇāma to this young man and even important sannyāsis come to get advice and instructions from him. Who is he?’ I asked a maṭha resident standing nearby about this brahmacārī who had such an exceptional personality. He told me that his name was Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī Kṛtiratna, and that he was the manager of the matha. The man said, ‘He is the foremost among the intimate servants of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Although he appears common, he is actually deeply philosophical and learned in bhaktisiddhānta. He has done much towards the development of Śrī Caitanya Maṭha, Yogapīṭha, and Śrīdhāma Māyāpura and is prominent on the managing commitee of the Bhaktivinoda Institute.’ I was very impressed by this person.
“Shortly thereafter, I went to have darśana of Śrīla Prabhupāda. I was completely overcome by Prabhupāda’s grave personality and powerful speech. At that time I vowed that now I would also leave the perishable world and perform hari-bhajana, because without it, life is useless. Śrīla Prabhupāda recited one śloka from the Bhāgavatam that made an indelible imprint in my heart.
labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte
mānuṣyam artha-dam anityam apīha dhīraḥ
tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anu-mṛtyu yāvat
niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.9.29)
’This human birth is extremely rare and is only obtained after many births. But although this birth is temporary, it can give spiritual life. Therefore an intelligent person does not delay even for a moment to endeavour for the ultimate auspiciousness before death.’
“After that I returned to my home, but very soon I gave up my home and household for the rest of my life, and came to Prabhupāda’s lotus feet. As a maṭha-vāsī, I had great affection for Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī, and we were close friends. We used to discuss vedāntic siddhānta and the deep concepts of bhakti together, and everyone would faithfully listen to our discussions.”
Prabhupāda’s opinion of an ideal guru-sevaka
When Śrī Caitanya Maṭha was well established, Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī was sole manager of the property. For the service of the maṭha and mandira he would have go to the civil court from time to time and meet with influential administrators, and his life style appeared comfortable and opulent. Seeing this external aspecet of his life, some ignorant maṭha residents concluded that Śrī Vinodabihārī did not have any special feeling for bhakti and was only expert in material matters. They concluded that he could not have time to follow the different limbs of bhakti, because he was always engrossed in the guidance of subordinates, in court proceedings and in other disciplinary measures, and because he was well known in the community at large. The issue did not stop at the Māyāpura maṭha; some brahmacāris in the Delhi Gauḍīya Maṭha wrote Śrīla Prabhupāda an extensive letter about Śrī Vinodabihārī.
When Śrīla Prabhupāda received this letter, he became very displeased. He wrote back, forcefully defending Vinodabihārī, saying that Vinodabihārī was an extraordinary and ideal Vaiṣṇava with exceptional guru-niṣṭhā. “He is fully learned in the difficult siddhānta of bhakti,” Śrīla Prabhupāda told the brahmacāris, “and in particular, he has penetrated the deep concepts of Vedānta. He is extremely enthusiastic to perform bhajana, he is exclusively endeavouring to please Śrī Hari, Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, and he has captured the mood of renunciation. Besides, he is affectionate and compassionate and a competent leader with excellent organizational and managerial capabilities. Those who do not consider Vinoda to be a Vaiṣṇava are themselves not Vaiṣṇavas at all. No one can prevent the destruction of those who who offend Vaiṣṇavas because they do not understand their inner heart. Their destruction is inevitable.”
Śrīpāda Narottamānanda Brahmacārī was one of the prominent sevakas in the Delhi Gauḍīya Maṭha at that time. He was a famous speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and had deep faith in Śrīla Prabhupāda. By good fortune he read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s letter, which gave him strong confidence in Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī. After Śrīla Prabhupāda entered aprakaṭa-līlā, Śrī Narottamānanda left Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha and went to Śrīdhāma Navadvīpa together with his Godbrothers, Śrī Vinodabihārī Kṛtiratna Prabhu, Śrī Narahari Sevāvigraha Prabhu and others. He performed sādhana-bhajana at Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti and travelled around India, preaching śuddha-bhakti. While at the Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti, he revealed to our worshipful Gurupādapadma the contents of the letter written by Śrīla Prabhupāda to the brahmacārīs of the Delhi Gauḍīya Maṭha.
The transfer of Śrīla Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja’s samādhi
In the year 1932, the Bhagavatī Bhāgīrathī innundated the countryside, and there was water everywhere, in all directions. The Gaṅgā’s strong current had cut the west bank, which was fast disappearing into the flood. On that west bank was located the samādhi of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s most beloved Śrī Gurudeva, Śrīla Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. Śrīla Prabhupāda had given Śrīla Gaura Kiśora samādhi with his own hands in 1915 on Utthāna Ekādaśī. Now, when Śrīla Prabhupāda found out that the samādhi of his Śrī Gurudeva was about to be carried away by the flow of the Gaṅgā, he instructed his intimate servant Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī to rescue the complete samādhi by some means or other, and to re-establish it on the bank of Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura.
After some days and nights of intense and ceaseless labour, Śrī Vinodabihārī Prabhu and his dear Godbrother and friend Śrīpād Narahari Sevāvigraha Prabhu were able to save the samādhi with the help of other guru-sevakas. Accompanied by saṅkīrtana, they brought it well protected and in its complete form to Śrī Caitanya Maṭha. Śrīla Prabhupāda was very pleased, and with his own hands he began to dig the foundation for the samādhi on the banks of Rādhā-kuṇḍa. In this work he was helped by his prominent sevakas Śrīpād Kuñjabihārī Vidyābhūṣaṇa, Śrī Aprākṛta Bhaktisāraṅga Gosvāmī, Śrī Bhaktirakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja, Śrī Narahari Sevāvigraha Prabhu and Śrī Vinodabihārī Kṛtiratna Prabhu. Upon completing the samādhi, Śrīla Prabhupāda became overwhelmed by the pain of separation from his Gurudeva. When his intimate servants had darśana of Prabhupāda’s face, overcome as he was with feelings of separation, tears began to flow like streams from their own eyes. Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī sat close to the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and washed those feet with his own tears.
When Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Śrī Gurudeva, Śrīla Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, entered aprakaṭa-līlā and Prabhupāda gave him samādhi, the licentious and sinful bābājīs of Kuliyā created various obstacles and difficulties. However, in the end they could not do anything and Śrīla Prabhupāda gave him samādhi in Kuliyā on the bank of the Gaṅgā. Now, when the samādhi was being transferred to Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, the bābājīs again caused extreme opposition and put up many obstacles. When they were unable to stop the transfer, they filed a case in the Kṛṣṇanagar court, naming Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī as the main defendant in the removal of the samādhi.
The case was presented in the court of a scrupulous Christian judge, who deliberated on it very seriously. According to precedent in English law of the period, it was a criminal offence to move a tomb from its original site, and this violation was subject to a severe penalty in the West. When the judge had heard the arguments from both sides, he decided to pronounce a harsh judgement on the accused. Considering this, brahmacārījī gravely told the judge, “Respected Sir, you should know that we are not followers of Christianity. We are pure Vaiṣṇavas following the Indian Vedic tradition and rules. According to vaiṣṇava religion, one is allowed to transfer a samādhi when there are special reasons constituting extraordinary circumstances. There are thousands of cases of this.” When the judge heard this, he reversed his decision and passed judgement in Śrī Vinodabihārī’s favour, declaring, “The defendant is released without charge.” The lawyers and other officials were greatly impressed by Śrī Vinodabihārī’s argument, and they lavished praise on his diverse talents. Śrīla Prabhupāda was also very pleased, and entrusted Kṛtiratna Prabhu with all the court proceedings of the Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha mission. It would have been very difficult for an ordinary person to accomplish what Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī achieved in his service to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Preaching of śuddha-bhakti
In the beginning of 1933, Vinodabihārī and a few brahmacāris went to Śrīdhāma Purī, Kaṭaka and various places in Orissa to fulfil Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire to spread Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s preaching and practice of śuddha-bhakti. First they went to Puruṣottama Maṭha in Śrīdhāma Purī. There Śrī Vinodabihārī lectured on various topics to the devotees in the maṭha and then they preached at different places in Purī. He also took care of many complicated problems at Puruṣottama Maṭha.
From there Śrī Vinodabihārī went to Śrī Saccidānanda Maṭha in Kaṭaka. Besides helping to resolve problems in the maṭha, he gave a significant lecture entitled, ’Transcendental sound in the Vedānta’. Hundreds of students, teachers and very educated and respectable listeners attended the lecture, which was given in the courtyard of a college. Years later, Śrīla Guru Mahārāja recounted this lecture to his disciples. “One can only acquire initial knowledge of a thing through the ear, that is, through the sense of hearing. Therefore hearing (śravaṇa) has a special significance in the Vaiṣṇava sampradāya. The only means of śravaṇa is through the ear, and not by any other knowledge-acquiring sense (jñānendriya). At the same time, the ear has no access to the experience of the other senses. The eyes can see a ripe mango, the tongue can taste it, the nose can experience its delicious fragrance, and the skin can determine its softness or hardness, but the ears have no relation with the mango. However, the ear can comprehend that which the other senses are unable to see, hear, taste, or touch.
“For this reason, the sad-guru (bona-fide spiritual master) first bestows transcendental sound vibration, or śabda-brahman, through the ear of the sat-śiṣya (qualified disciple). In the line of śrī guru-paramparā, both the transcendental name of Bhagavān and the mantras are called śabda-brahman. One cannot be a sad-guru unless he has realized śabda-brahman, has become learned in the topics of the śrutis, which are the manifestation of śabda-brahman, and is detached from the attraction of material sense objects. When ordinary people say the name Bhagavān it is an ordinary sound and does not have the same transcendental power as the śabda-brahman uttered by mahā-puruṣas.
“The inner mood of the original speaker of the Veda-vedānta, Gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is concealed in the mantras, ślokas and words of the scriptures, and we cannot experience or understand this inner mood unless we hear from the ācāryas or Vaiṣṇavas in the guru-paramparā. This is because it is only through the śiṣya-paramparā (disciplic succession) that one can understand the mood of the original speaker, whether he be Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Nārāyaṇa, Śrī Nārada, Śrī Vyāsa or someone else. One cannot take this mood to heart through independent intelligence.
sampradāya vihīnā ye mantrās te viphalā matāḥ
ataḥ kalau bhaviṣyanti cat-vāraḥ sampradāyinaḥ
(Padma Purāṇa)
’A mantra is useless unless it is received through a sampradāya, and therefore there are four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas in Kali-yuga.’
“One special consideration is as follows. The meaning of the words in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other scriptures depends on the original speaker’s accent and pronunciation. For example, there can be many meanings of the sentence, ’Rāma, where did you go?’ depending on the tone and emphasis with which it is pronounced. The tone of the original speaker, which conveys the real meaning of his speech, can be understood only through the guru-paramparā. Consequently there is a special relationship on the transcendental platform between the spiritual sound vibration śabda-brahman, the ear and the original receiver of śabda-brahman.”
Interest in tattva philosophy
Sometimes Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī had to go on long journeys in the course of managing the branch Gauḍīya maṭhas or for preaching. At those times he invariably kept with him Jaiva Dharma, special issues of the Śrī Gauḍīya, Tattva-sandarbha and other philosophical works. He especially absorbed himself in studying these books during train trips. At that time, novice maṭha residents were prohibited from reading and studying Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s Sandarbhas, Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s Govinda-bhāṣya, Bhāṣya-pīṭhaka and other literature. It was also considered inappropriate for neophytes to study the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Only those few devotees who possessed the ability to understand tattva-jñāna (knowledge of reality) were permitted to study these books with a qualified Vaiṣṇava. One day, Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva Prabhu9 was searching for Śrīpād Kṛtiratna Prabhu, and unexpectedly arrived at his bhajana kuṭīra where he was deeply absorbed in studying Tattva-sandarbha. Śrī Vāsudeva Prabhu was at that time acknowledged among Prabhupāda’s disciples as a prominent authority on bhakti siddhānta, and everyone faithfully accepted his words and conclusions.
Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva immediately took the Tattva-sandarbha from Śrī Kṛtiratna Prabhu’s hands. “Vinoda!” he exclaimed, “You are studying Tattva-sandarbha! Do you understand anything of what you are reading or are you just moving the pages around? Don’t you know that it contains deep philosophical siddhānta? Even great scholars can hardly understand this book.” Śrī Kṛtiratna Prabhu remained calm and sober, and stood without making any reply. Śrī Vāsudeva Prabhu then demanded, “Why don’t you speak? Do you understand anything or not?” Śrī Vinodabihārī answered gravely, “You can ask any question from the book.” Śrīpād Vāsudeva Prabhu then asked extremely difficult questions on pramāṇa-tattva, prameya-tattva, sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana-tattva, and Śrī Kṛtiratna Prabhu answered all his questions in simple language which was easy to understand.
Śrī Vāsudeva Prabhu had until then considered Kṛtiratna Prabhu to be an ordinary (though diligent) young brahmacāri who lacked tattva-jñāna. He never imagined that Vinoda would ever be able to answer such profound philosophical questions. Now he was amazed. This incident inspired in him a mood of respect and honour towards Vinoda. He became even more wonder-struck when he read Vinoda’s essays and articles. Vinoda’s literary style was extremely deep and his refined language was decorated with all kinds of ornaments. After Śrī Vāsudeva Prabhu became ācārya, he told his eminent writers and scholarly disciples to learn the art of literary composition from Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī.
Śrī mahā-mantra and kīrtana
In 1933 Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s virahotsava (disappearance day observance) was held at his samādhi-mandira at Svānanda-sukhada Kuñja in Śrī Godruma. Śrīla Prabhupāda was present at this virahotsava with his disciples, including his intimate servant Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī. Pre-eminent Vaiṣṇavas from all of Bengal assembled at the virahotsava and Śrīla Prabhupāda gave his dear Vinod the responsibility of attending to the special guests.
The honourable Śrī Sītānāth Bhaktitīrtha, a disciple of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, also arrived at that utsava, and was given a room with great honour and respect. He was considered a prominent kīrtaniyā in Bengal and was expert in all kinds of rāga-raginīs, rhythms, tunes, modulations of the voice, etc. He was also a master of harmonium, esarāj, vīṇā, mṛdaṅga, tablā and other instruments.
After the viraha celebration, Bhaktitīrtha Prabhu seated Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī near him with great affection and started to perform kīrtana. He began to sing srī mahā-mantra on the harmonium in various rāga-raginīs. As he did this, he modulated his voice in such a way that it took him ten or fifteen minutes to sing the sixteen words of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra from the first ‘Hare’ to the last ‘Hare.’ In addition, he was trying to display bhāva (spiritual emotion) by gesturing excessively with his hands and arms.
Some time later, when Śrī Vinodabihārījī came to Śrīla Prabhupāda, Prabhupādajī chided, “Did you listen to the kīrtana? You could have performed kīrtana of the whole mahā-mantra fifty times during the time it took him to pronounce ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa’ only once.” He further instructed Śrī Vinodabihārī, “Those who have no taste for śrī nāma and their iṣṭadeva are only attached to tauryātrika kīrtana with different melodious tunes for the happiness of their senses. I call these people the tāl-ṭhokā sampradāya (persons who are only interested in rhythm and not in inner moods). We can cast out inertia, laziness and all kinds of anarthas by faithfully performing kīrtana of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra in a loud voice. All our desires will be fulfilled when we become absorbed in this kīrtana. Members of the tāl-ṭhokā sampradāya are completely entangled in material gain, adoration and fame. Śuddha Vaiṣṇavas always distance themselves from this and perform the sādhana of kṛṣṇa-nāma by being faithfully absorbed in saṅkīrtana. The transcendental form, quality, and pastimes of nāmī prabhu (the Supreme Lord who is addressed by the name) manifest in the hearts of those who perform nāma-kīrtana in this way. Bhagavata-prema only develops through the chanting of such śuddha-nāma.” Through this incident, Jagadguru Śrīla Prabhupāda taught his qualified disciple about nāma-bhajana.
Once Śrī Sītānātha Bhaktitīrtha Mahodaya stayed for some time at Yogapīṭha in Māyāpura. One day at dawn he started to sing, ’rāī jāgo rāī jāgo’ in a very sweet voice, accompanying himself on the harmonium. Śrīla Prabhupāda heard about this and stopped the singing. “First wake up yourself,” he said. “That means you should first be established in your eternal svarūpa (spiritual form). Then it is proper to wake up Rāī (Śrīmatī Rādhikājī).” Śrīla Prabhupāda told his disciples that kīrtana with very esoteric verses about unnata-ujjvala-rasa (the most elevated relationship of divine conjugal love) should not be performed here and there—in shops, markets, on the street, or before unqualified persons.
Decorated with the title ‘Upadeśaka’
After the Śrī Gaura Janmotsava in 1934, the Śrī Navadvīpa Pracāriṇī Sabhā held its 40th annual session in the avidyā-haraṇa (ignorance-destroying) nāṭya-mandira of Śrī Caitanya Maṭha. That year the chairman, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda, adorned Śrīpād Vinodabihārī Kṛtiratna Mahāśaya with the title ‘upadeśaka’ (advisor).
śrī śrī māyāpurcandro vijayatetamām
śrī śrī navadvīpadhāma-pracāriṇyāḥ sabhāyāḥ
śrī śrī gaurāśīrvād-patram
sarvātmanā śrīguru-gaursevāsampādkaḥ śuddhamatirnayajñaḥ
sadāśayaḥ satyapathaikarāgī gurupriyo’yaṁ kṛtiratnavaryaḥ
śrīvinodvihāryākhyā brahmacārivaro mudā
upadeśaka ityetadupanāmnā vimaṇḍitaḥ
gaṅgāpūrvataṭastha śrīnavadvīpasthalottame
śrīmāyāpuradhāmasthe yogpīṭhāśraye pare
vāneṣuvasuśubhrāṁśu-śakābde maṅgalālaye
phālguṇa-pūrṇimāyāṁ śrīgaurāvirbhāvavāsare
Signed, Śrī Siddhānta Sarasvatī, Chairman
“Kṛtiratna Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī is pure-hearted, devoted to ethical values, magnanimous and attached to the path of truth. He performs all kinds of service to Śrī Guru, and is extremely dear to Śrī Gurudeva. On this sacred day of the appearance of Śrī Gaurāsundara on Phālgunī Pūrṇimā, year 1855 Śakābda Era, the members of the Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma Pracāriṇī Sabhā joyfully decorate him with the title, ’Upadeśaka,’ at the auspicious Śrī Yogapīṭha, the topmost place of Śrī Māyāpura, the pinnacle of Śrī Navadvīpa Dhāma, situated on the eastern bank of the Bhagavatī Bhāgīrthī.”
On the second day of this same occasion the Viśva Vaiṣṇava Rājasabhā also praised Śrī Kṛtiratna Pabhu for accomplishing Śrī Gaurasundara’s innermost desire:
“Upadeśaka Śrīpāda Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī Kṛtiratna Mahāśaya has shown that he is a worthy recipient of the affection of Śrī Śrī Guru-Gaurāṅga by performing activities protecting the affairs of Śrīman Mahāprabhu; by engaging himself in various services for Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, Śrī Caitanya Maṭha and all its associate branch maṭhas; and especially by very expertly managing the present year Śrīdhāma parikramā. His lectures, which are filled with siddhānta, are also extremely praiseworthy.”
His Highness Sir John Anderson, Governor of Bengal, visits Śrīdhāma Māyāpura
Due to the preaching of Jagadguru Śrīla Prabhupāda and his very qualified disciples, many faithful persons began to come from all over India to have darśana of Śrīdhāma Māyāpura. Prominent officials in the Indian government also came with faith and eagerness. When news about Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, the birthplace of Śrī Gaurasundara, reached the ears of His Highness Sir John Anderson, then the Governor of Bengal‚ he also developed a desire in his heart to have darśana of the sacred place. On the 13th of January 1935, he was called on special business to the District Headquarters in Kṛṣṇanagar. By the desire of Śrīla Prabhupāda, Paṇḍita Śrīpād Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī ‘Upadeśak’ ‘Kṛtiratna’ went with Paṇḍita Śrī Atulacandra Bandopādhyāya Bhaktisāraṅga Gosvāmī to Kṛṣṇanagar to meet the Governor and to invite him, on behalf of Śrī Caitanya Maṭha and Viśva Vaiṣṇava Rājasabhā, to come to Śrīdhāma Māyāpura. Sir John Anderson respectfully accepted the invitation, and arrived at Śrīdhāma Māyāpura the next day with an army of followers and supporters. The Governor was welcomed at the entrance gate to Yogapīṭha by Śrīyuta Rāmagopāla Vidyābhūṣaṇa, M.A. from the Dhāma Pracāriṇī Sabhā, and by Śrīpād Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī Kṛtiratna, who was the secretary of the Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda Institute. Kṛtiratna Prabhu and Śrīpād Bhaktisāraṅga Gosvāmī Prabhu then took the Governor to meet with Śrīla Prabhupāda, after which there was a welcoming ceremony in the assembly hall. At Śrīla Prabhupāda’s behest, Śrī Vinodabihārījī arranged the Governor’s tour of Māyāpura and also took care of providing mahā-prasāda for the guests. After having had darśana of Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, the Governor expressed his heartfelt pleasure and said, “My long-cherished desire has been fulfilled today. I will be very pleased to arrange some governmental service for the development of this sacred place.” Later, Śrīla Prabhupāda bid farewell to the Governor with royal honour.
The inauguration of Śrī Mandira and the Deities at Yogapīṭha
While Śrīpād Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī Kṛtiratna was the manager of the zamīndārī of Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, he found several letters which provided clear evidence that Śrī Jagannātha Miśra’s residence was indeed in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, and that Śrī Śacīnandana Gaurahari appeared under a neem tree there. In those articles of proof the name of the birthplace of Gaurasundara was written under section 399 and the residence was mentioned in section 265.
When Vinodabihārījī first came to Māyāpura, it was simply a forest of tulasī. The Muslims had tried to grow crops there, but no matter what seeds they sowed, only tulasī plants appeared. Earlier, while Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was performing bhajana at night in Godrumadvīpa, he had seen a divine light near a palm tree in Māyāpura. Later Śrīla Bhaktivinoda brought Vaiṣṇava Sārvabhauma Śrī Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja to that place. Bābājī Mahārāja was extremely renowned in Gauḍa-maṇḍala, Kṣetra-maṇḍala and Vraja-maṇḍala. At the time he was over a hundred years old, but when he arrived at the place he jumped up and started to dance wildly and energetically with upraised arms. “This land is the appearance place of our Śacīnandana Gauracandra!” he exclaimed.
Later on, Śrī Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī also used to come to this uncultivated land. Sometimes he arrived at midnight, and no one could understand how he got there. When asked, he would reply, “I met some young cowherd boy on the road. He caught me and brought me here. But when we arrived here, I couldn’t find that cowherd boy anywhere.”
In March 1934, Śrīla Prabhupāda laid the foundation for the construction of a mandira at Śrī Yogapīṭha, Māyāpura. The major responsibility for the construction was entrusted to Śrīpāda Kṛtiratna Prabhu. While the workers were digging the foundation for the mandira, they found an astonishingly beautiful Caturbhuja Deity. When Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī heard this news, he immediately went there with Śrīpāda Narahari Prabhu and other leading maṭha residents, and they were elated to see the extraordinary Deity. When Śrīla Prabhupāda came some time later, he was also very pleased to see the Deity. He declared that this was the Deity of Adhokṣaja that had been served by Śrī Jagannātha Miśra and Śrī Śacīdevī. Today this Deity is being worshipped in the tall mandira at Yogapīṭha.
Sakhīcaraṇa Rāya ‘Bhaktivijaya,’ a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda and a well-known businessman in Calcutta, carried the entire expense of the grand and gorgeous mandira. The magnificent mandira, which is so high that it seems to kiss the sky, was constructed in a very short time under the supervision of Śrī Kṛtiratna Prabhu and Śrī Revatīramaṇa Brahmacārī. The ruler of independent Tripura, Śrīmad Vīrvikrama Kiśordeva Śarmā Māṇikya Bahādura Dharmadhurandhara Mahodaya performed the inauguration of the mandira together with Śrīla Prabhupāda on Śrī Gaura-Janmotsava day, 1935. For the great service of building this mandira, Śrīla Prabhupāda adorned Sakhīcaraṇa Rāya with the title of ’Śreṣṭa Ārya' (the topmost Aryan).
Māyāvāda kī Jīvanī
One day, when Ācārya Kesarī Śrī Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja was sitting with his disciples, he told us about a book that he had written called Māyāvāda kī Jīvanī. “Śrīla Prabhupāda felt that Śaṅkara’s philosophy would create many obstacles for the preaching of śuddha-bhakti as long as it remained prevalent in this world. It is therefore extremely important to eradicate this philosophy. The philosophy of kevalādvaita-vāda (monism) is refuted by literatures such as Śrīman Madhvācārya’s Anubhāṣya, Anuvyākhyān and Sūtrabhāṣya, Śrī Jayatīrtha’s Nyāyasudhā and Śrī Vyāsatīrtha’s Nyāyāmṛta, which are great weapons like the sudarśana cakra.
“These conclusions of Prabhupāda strongly influenced my heart. In addition to these treatises I collected ten or twelve more books on the Vedānta philosophy, and studied them all from beginning to end with great concentration. These books show very clearly that the nirākāra, nirviśeṣa, nirguṇa brahma-vāda or māyāvāda of the modern Śaṅkara differs in all respects from the concepts of Śrīla Vedavyāsa, who wrote Śrī Brahma-sūtra (the commentary on Vedānta) and its natural commentary, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nowhere in the 550 sutras of Brahma-sūtra do we find words like jñāna, nirākāra, nirviśeṣa, or nirguṇa, which are the very basis of Śaṅkara’s commentary. Nirguṇa Brahman is not worthy of worship because it has no compassion. The Brahman of māyāvāda is false and only imaginary; it can never be real Brahman. Consequently, Śrī Śaṅkarācārya’s imaginary nirviśeṣa brahma-vāda or māyāvāda can never be one and the same as Śrī Vedavyāsa’s saviśeṣa brahma-vāda. In Śāṇḍilya-sūtra, Śāṇḍilya Ṛṣi says, brahmakāṇḍaṁ tu bhaktau tasyānujñānāya sāmānyāt: “The Brahma-kāṇḍa (Brahma-sūtra) specifically expounds bhakti, not jñāna.“ In his Bhakti-sūtra, Śrī Nārada Ṛṣi also refers to Vedavyāsa, who compiled Brahma-sūtra, and to Śrī Śāṇḍilya Ṛṣi as authors of literature on bhakti, and he very clearly states that Vyāsa-sūtra (Brahma-sūtra) is a treatise on bhakti.
“When I was living in Māyāpura, Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇa and Śrī Vidyāvinoda, who were the editors of the weekly magazine Gauḍīya, once came to me. They insisted that I should write an essay on māyāvāda for a special issue of the Gauḍīya. Accordingly, I quickly wrote the essay Māyāvāda kī Jīvanī and presented it to them. Later on I found out that the essay was too long for the special issue, but that Prabhupāda had been extremely pleased to read it and wanted it to be published quickly as a small book. Subsequently the essay was lost during the confusion after Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disappearance. Fortunately it was found in 1942 in the house of Śrīyutā Uṣālatā Devī, a follower of Śrīla Prabhupāda in the village of Caṁpāhāṭī. It will be published soon.”
Later on it was published in the Bengali monthly, Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā, and in the Hindi monthly, Śrī Bhāgavat Patrika, and it has also been published as a book both in Bengali and in Hindi. The seventh part of this present book contains a special summary of the contents of Māyāvāda kī Jīvanī.
Śrīla Prabhupāda enters aprakaṭa-līlā
Śrīla Prabhupāda traveled all over India and preached with painstaking diligence until the year 1936. He gave tridaṇḍi-sannyāsa to exceptionally qualified brahmacārīs and maṭha residents, and through them started to preach śuddha-bhakti through kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana everywhere. He first established Śrī Caitanya Maṭha in Māyāpura, and after that nine maṭhas on the nine islands of Navadvīpa, and approximately sixty-four preaching-centres all over India. He published the daily newspaper Nadīyā Prakāśa and the weekly magazine Gauḍīya in Bengali, The Harmonist in English, Bhāgavat in Hindi, and other transcendental magazines as well. He also published the books Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Srīmad-Bhāgavatam and other devotional literature. Śrīla Prabhupāda sent his expert disciples Tridaṇḍi-svāmī Śrīmad Bhaktihṛdaya Bon Mahārāja and Bhaktipradīpa Tīrtha Mahārāja to the West. They preached the words of Śrī Gaura in England, France, Germany and other countries. After they returned, Aprākṛt Bhaktisāraṅga Prabhu was sent to the Western countries to preach again. In this way, the preaching of śuddha-bhakti began everywhere with great enthusiasm.
In the midst of this, in the beginning of 1936, Śrīla Prabhupāda began to display his līlā of ill health. Despite that, during that year he inaugurated a transcendental exibihition in Prayāg, spoke hari-kathā abundantly at Śrīvāsa Aṅgan in Māyāpura on the occasion of Śrī Vyāsapūjā, established Suvarṇa-vihāra Maṭha and śrī vigraha in Śrī Suvarṇavihāra, showered hari-kathā on Śrī Brahma Gauḍīya Maṭha in Alālanātha on the occasion of Śrī Nṛsiṁha Caturdaśī, and observed puruṣottama-vrata in Puruṣottama Dhāma. Then he returned to the Calcutta Gauḍīya Maṭha. During this period he often told everyone, “All of you should perform bhajana sincerely; there are not many days left now.” Early in the morning of the day that he entered aprakaṭa-līlā, he gave the order to Tridaṇḍīsvāmī Śrīmad Bhaktirakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja to sing the kīrtana, ‘śrī rūpa mañjarī pada.’ Śrīla Prabhupāda praised Śrīpād Narahari Brahmacārī Sevāvigraha Prabhu, and told all his disciples that they should be honest like him, and that they should perform hari-bhajana without other ambitions. He then gave his last instruction to the disciples present:
“I have encouraged everyone to perform bhajana and to be indifferent to everything else. For this reason, some people are dissatisfied with me. But one day they will surely understand that I have said this only for the welfare of the world. All of you should with great enthusiasm preach together the mano’bhiṣṭa hari-kathā of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī (that hari-kathā which embodies their innermost desire). Our objective and final aspiration is the dust of the lotus feet of the Vaiṣṇavas in the line of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. You should stay together under the guidance of the āśraya-vigraha (Gurudeva) to please the transcendental senses of advaya-jñāna-para-tattva Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala. You should proceed on the path of hari-bhajana with determination, and maintain your life in this material world only for the purpose of hari-kathā. Never give up hari-bhajana even in the most difficult circumstances of slander and countless calamities and insults. Do not become discouraged to see that most people of the world do not accept the idea of pure service to Kṛṣṇa. Never give up your bhajana, your hearing and chanting of kṛṣṇa-kathā, which is your everything. Always continue to perform hari-kīrtana, being tṛṇād-api sunīca, more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree.”
Having delivered these last instructions, Vārṣabhānavī-dayita dāsa Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, the best of the followers of Svarūpa Damodāra and Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s Nayanamaṇi, entered the niśānta-līlā of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda in the last part of the night on December 31st, 1936.
The news of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s entering aprakaṭa-līlā (unmanifest pastimes) quickly spread throughout Bengal and the whole of India. His initiated disciples started to lament loudly in the profound grief of separation. People assembled at Bāgbāzār Gauḍīya Maṭha from every direction, tormented by separation. Some supposedly very dear disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to cremate him at the Nīmtalā cremation ghāṭa in Calcutta. However, Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī, who was learned in bhakti-siddhānta, strongly opposed this proposal and said, “Let me see who has the power to cremate the transcendental body of our Prabhu! Śrīla Prabhupāda has clearly instructed us that he should be given samādhi in his own dear Dhāma, Śrī Māyāpura, at Śrī Caitanya Maṭha, which is non-different from Govardhana.” When those present heard his words, they unanimously approved of his judgement, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s transcendental body was brought to Śrī Caitanya Maṭha in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura on a special train. There, on the bank of Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī and others selected the place of the samādhi and then gave him samādhi according to the rules of Satkriyāsāra-dīpikā, the sātvata vaiṣṇava-smṛti. When the sacred rites of samādhi were completed, Śrī Vinodabihārī Brahmacārī, grief-stricken and weeping in separation from Śrīla Prabhupāda, fainted. Gradually his Godbrothers were able to help him regain some degree of composure.
After this some of Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples wanted to perform his śrāddha-saṁskāra according to the smārta tradition. Again, Kṛtiratna Prabhu vehemently opposed this proposal. “According to the smārta doctrine,” he said, “everyone becomes a ghost (preta) when they die. It is to deliver people from this ghostly condition that one has to perform their preta-śrāddha. However, according to vaiṣṇava doctrine, the sins of a person who chants nāmābhāsa are destroyed, and he goes beyond birth and death, as we see from the examples of Ajāmila and others. Apart from that, śāstra opposes the performance of preta-śrāddha for Vaiṣṇavas who have been devoted to ekāntikī (single-focused) kṛṣṇa-bhakti, and who have chanted śuddha-nāma for their whole life.
”Śrīla Prabhupāda, the crown jewel of liberated souls, is a nitya-siddha parikāra of Kṛṣṇa (an eternal associate of the Lord). Not only that, he is Kṛṣṇapriyā Śrī Vārṣabhānavī’s most beloved. Who will dare perform his preta-śrāddha? There is a fundamental difference between the sātvata-śrāddha of the Vaiṣṇavas and the preta-śrāddha of the smārtas. According to the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Satkriyāsāra-dīpikā and other vaiṣṇava-smṛti, the only sātvata śrāddha for Vaiṣṇavas is the offering of bhagavata-mahā-prasāda. The observance of viraha-mahotsava for Vaiṣṇava ācāryas has been going on since ancient times, and accordingly we will present our śrāddha-puṣpāṅjali to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lotus feet.”
All of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples were stunned when they heard his lion-like voice. In the end, everyone unanimously approved of his views and completed the viraha-mahotsava in the manner which he proposed. The following is a portion of Kṛtiratna Prabhu’s lecture at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s viraha-sabhā.
“Bhagavān has no birth or death, and similarly His associates, the liberated mahā-purūṣas, also have no birth or death. Their bodies are sac-cid-ānanda-maya (composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss), and there is no difference between their body and their soul. Hence, their apparent appearance and disappearance is only for the welfare of the world. However, people who are ignorant of tattva cannot realize this. Jagadguru Śrīla Prabhupāda is an eternal associate of the Lord in kṛṣṇa-līlā and he has appeared here only for the welfare of the world. In a short time he preached śuddha-bhakti throughout the whole world for the welfare of all. Now he has entered the eternal niśānta-līlā of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and, being present in aprakaṭa-līlā, he is still bringing abundant welfare to the world. Only those who are endowed with gross intelligence and who are shackled by ritual can imagine performing the worldly smārta-śrāddha of such a mahā-puruṣa. The disappearance of the associates of Bhagavān has the same meaning as their appearance. Because of this, we can remember separation from the mahā-puruṣas on their appearance days and celebrate meeting on their disappearance days.
“Some want to install Śrīla Prabhupāda’s śrī vigraha in śrī mandira according to the pāñcarātrika system, and others have different proposals. They are all right according to their own qualifications. But for the servants who have the topmost guru-niṣṭha, the best service is to preach the innermost desire of Śrī Gurupādapadma. Mahāprabhu’s innermost desire, which is also Śrīla Prabhupāda’s, is to preach Vaikuṇṭha nāma and Vaikuṇṭha kathā everywhere in the world.
“The śrī vigraha of Śrīla Prabhupāda is sac-cid-ānanda-maya. His birth, death, etc. are only a play on the worldly stage for our gross vision, and his eternal form remains intact and unchanged throughout. If there is no meeting, the intense and dire suffering of separation will not end. Therefore, after Śrīla Prabhupāda entered aprakaṭa-līlā, he instantly displayed prakaṭa-līlā to bestow mercy on his dependent disciples and to console the bhaktas who were grief-stricken in separation from him. How did he do this? After a short time, being decorated with various kinds of flowers, garlands, candana etc., as one of the most beloved of Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohana, he became eternally present in samādhi in Sevā Kuñja on the banks of Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura to give instructions on serving the Divine Couple under his guidance.”
At this viraha sabhā, the devotees discussed many subjects, such as Śrīla Prabhupāda’s aprākṛta body, the reasons for his entering aprakaṭa-līlā, the ācārya’s bhakta-vātsalya (showing a parental kindness to the devotees) and the appearance of the ācārya in the Śrī Dhāma.
Thus ends the Second Part of The Life and Teachings of Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī by Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja.
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