Posted from Acarya-kesari (the Life and Teachings of Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja)
General superintendent of the Gaudiya Matha and Mission
After Srila Prabhupada entered aprakata-lila, a governing committee was formed to oversee the Sri Gaudiya Matha and Mission. Maha-mahopadesaka Sripada Narayana dasa Adhikari Bhakti-sudhakara Bhakti-sastri was appointed the committee secretary and Sripada Vinoda-bihari Brahmacari Krtiratna the general superintendent. For some time all the activities of the matha and mission were carried out enthusiastically, and the preaching of suddha-bhakti continued everywhere, just like before. However, after some time the chairman of the governing committee, who was also the acarya, abandoned the behaviour and ethics of the rupanugas, the followers of Sri Rupa Gosvami, and engaged unrestrictedly in practices unfavourable to bhakti. This deviation led to chaos throughout the mission. It was a dark period for the Sarasvata Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Some matha residents returned to their grhastha life due to this. Many left Sri Gaudiya Matha to establish their own asramas, mathas and so forth, and continued their sadhana-bhajana there. The publishing of bhakti literature, including the daily, weekly and monthly magazines in different languages, stopped. Gradually preaching activities, Sri Navadvipa-dhama parikrama, kartika-vrata, sri vyasa-puja and other observances also stopped.
Under these circumstances, Sri Vinoda-bihari Brahmacari Krtiratna Prabhu left Mayapura for Navadvipa town with some of his godbrothers, such as pujyapada Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja, Sripada Narahari Brahmacari Seva-vigraha, Sri Mahananda Brahmacari Seva-niketana, Sri Viracanda Brahmacari and Sri Narottamananda Brahmacari Bhakti-kamala Prabhu. They rented a house in Tegharipada and established Sri Devananda Gaudiya Matha. From there, they began to preach suddha-bhakti.
Obtaining the mercy of Srila Vamsidasa Babaji Maharaja
In those days, bhajananandi Srila Vamsidasa Babaji Maharaja was performing bhajana in a solitary place on the bank of the sacred Ganga near Navadvipa town in Koladvipa. Babaji Maharaja was always absorbed in serving Sri Sri Radha-Govinda in his heart, with deep, transcendental emotion (bhava-mayi seva). He also performed bhava-mayi seva to his Sri Sri Gaura-Nityananda deities, with whom he would sometimes have loving quarrels (prema-kalaha). It is extremely difficult even for prominent mahatmas to understand Srila Vamsidasa’s strange behaviour, which resulted from his inner bhavas. Srila Sarasvati Prabhupada was acquainted with this mahatma through Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
Srila Vamsidasa Babaji Maharaja used to chase away many people who came for his darsana, insulting them with abusive language. From time to time he would keep fish bones and other dirty things near his bhajana-kutira so that the public would think he was fallen. In this way he kept bad association at a distance. Such people were thus deprived of his darsana and pure hari-katha, but he affectionately instructed the faithful who were inclined towards bhajana and averse to worldly things.
Once, Sri Vinoda-bihari Brahmacari Krtiratna Prabhu went to the bhajana-kutira of Sri Babaji, who seated Vinoda next to him with great respect. Sri Babaji had a special affection for the disciples of his intimate friend and best of godbrothers, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada. Sripada Krtiratna Prabhu noticed that Babaji was frying eggplant on a griddle and turning the pieces over with his hand. When he asked Babaji if a spatula should not be used, Babaji gave the answer, “Let me see what Nitai-Gaura are doing.” His renunciation and uncommon activities were very astonishing.
Sometimes, to deceive the public, Babaji would prepare a hookah with tobacco, and say, “Today no fire, today no tobacco.” Nonetheless, he used to keep the hookah in front of his Sri Gaura-Nitai deities and ask Them to make it prasada. Then immediately he would get the answer and say, “My Gaura-Nitai do not smoke tobacco.” It is extremely difficult for ordinary people to understand what kind of bhava is arising and when, in the heart of a transcendental mahajana.
One day Krtiratna Prabhu brought his intimate friend Sri Narahari Prabhu to have darsana of Babaji. They saw that the distribution of tea prasada was going on. Sri Krtiratna Prabhu told Sri Narahari Prabhu, “If we take this prasada, we will go to hell. Babaji Maharaja is like Nilakantha Mahadeva (Lord Siva); only he can digest this. We ordinary people will die if we take this. ‘Tejiyasam na dosaya vahneh sarva-bhujo yatha.’ It is not advisable for common people to imitate mahapurusas, who are endowed with transcendental power. Our duty is to constantly practise their instructions, which bring auspiciousness to the jivas.”
Another day, Sri Krtiratna Prabhu saw Babaji Maharaja in his bhajana-kuti deeply absorbed in bhajana. Many devotees who were taking his darsana were also offering donations, and one of them started to gather up the coins. Bababji at once scolded him, saying, “Tho, paisa tho. Jekhanakara paisa sekhana tho. Utpatera kaudi citpate jaya – Don’t touch the money. Leave it wherever it is. Corrupt money is the reason one falls down.” All the actions of a mahapurusa are for the welfare of the world, and their instructions are extremely important for true practitioners of bhakti. Those who act in accordance with their instructions will gradually progress in bhajana. Their lives will become blissful and they will achieve perfection in their sadhana-bhajana.
On one occasion, a new tridandi-sannyasi arrived to take Babaji’s darsana. Seeing him offering his pranama, Babaji said, “Fresh bamboo wrapped in cloth does not constitute a danda, and one does not become a tridandi by holding it. The significance of carrying a tridanda is to utilize the body, mind and words completely in the service of Bhagavan.” The new sannyasi was very simple and could extract the essence of the instruction. He became very happy when he heard Babaji’s words and said: “Ki kaj sannyase, mora prema–prayojana, dasa kari’ vetana mora deha prema-dhana – What is the need of my sannyasa? My goal is to achieve prema. Please make me your servant and give me the wealth of prema as my salary.”
Another time, a few devotees came to Srila Babaji Maharaja for his darsana. They offered reverential greetings at his lotus feet, and with great respect started singing, ‘je anila prema-dhana karuna pracura’, a song composed by Sri Narottama dasa Thakura. At the end of the kirtana they repeated the last lines again and again – ‘pasane kutibo matha, anale pasibo, gauranga gunera nidhi kotha gele pabo’. This viraha-kirtana is filled with lamentation. The purport is as follows: “Where has Sacinandana Sri Gaurahari gone – He who, by His causeless mercy, freely and indiscriminately distributed here on earth krsna-prema, which is difficult even for Brahma, Siva and others to attain? Where are His associates such as Srila Advaita Acarya, Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda, Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha? Without them I cannot stay alive. Where will I go? Where will I obtain the dust from their lotus feet? If I cannot get their darsana, I will smash my head on a stone or enter into burning fire.”
After hearing this kirtana, Babaji Maharaja stood up and said, “You sang a song, only. Whose heart is torn apart? You have no idea of his heart. When the author wrote this kirtana, he was deeply experiencing the pain of separation. Have you endeavoured to attain that? How can feelings of separation come before meeting? Has sambandha-jnana appeared in your heart?”
It cannot be said whether or not the devotees performing the kirtana understood the significance of Sri Babaji’s words, nevertheless, the purport of those words was sublime.
Foundation of Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti
After establishing Sri Devananda Gaudiya Matha in Sri Navadvipa-dhama, Sri Krtiratna Prabhu began to consider how to best re-establish the service that would fulfil the innermost desire (mano-’bhista seva) of his most worshipful Srila Prabhupada. It was crucial to re-institute the publishing of Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental magazines and devotional literature. Without this, the world would be bereft of auspiciousness. Indeed, this was the way to serve his innermost desire. Sri Krtiratna Prabhu thought, “The devotees dependent on Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet are now roaming here and there, uncertain of what to do because they have no place in Caitanya Matha. Our sole duty is to organize them and again preach Srila Prabhupada’s instructions far and wide with the same enthusiasm as before.” With this aim in mind, he rented a house at 32/2 Bospada Lane, in Bagbazar, Kolkata, and also bought a small press. After a short time, Sri Trigunanatha Mukharji Mahodaya donated his business, Gauranga Printing Works, to him. Encouraged by this, Krtiratna Prabhu began printing devotional literature. Unfortunately, when thirty-two pages of Siksa-dasamulam were composed, the complete manuscript was stolen. Despite the setback, Sri Krtiratna Prabhu did not become discouraged.
Sri Krtiratna Prabhu and some of his godbrothers established Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti in that rented house in Bagbazar, on the auspicious day of Aksaya-trtiya in the month of Vaisakha (April–May) 1940. Among the godbrothers who were present were Sri Abhaya Carana Bhaktivedanta Prabhu (later Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja), Sri Nrsimhananda Brahmacari and Sri Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacari (Srila Gurupada-padma’s diksa disciple, now Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Maharaja, the present acarya and president of Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti [at the time of writing]).
In his lectures, Sri Gurupada-padma often mentioned his internal mood when he named the Samiti. It reflected his understanding that to nurture transcendental life it is absolutely necessary to adopt the pure teachings of the mahajanas. These pure teachings were presented by Sri Vedavyasaji, who compiled Vedanta-sutra for the ultimate welfare of the jivas. The Vedanta is the distillation of the Upanisads, which are in turn the essence of the Vedas. There are more than eleven hundred Upanisads, and their established subject is the worship of sarva-saktiman, the possessor of all potencies and the shelter of all transcendental qualities, who is the blissful para-brahma. In other words, the Upanisads teach the practice of bhakti. Only through this practice can the jiva become forever free from birth, death and the threefold miseries, and attain the loving service of the supremely blissful complete Reality (purna-brahma), Sri Krsna. All the mantras really have one meaning, although some seem to be contradictory. The omniscient Sri Vedavyasa composed five hundred and fifty sutras, or aphorisms, to clarify the very deep and difficult philosophical conclusions of the Upanisads. These sutras are variously known as Brahma-sutra, Vedanta-sutra or Sariraka-sutra. Another name is Bhakti-sutra.
Our Indian acaryas have written commentaries on Vedanta-sutra according to their particular bias, in order to strengthen their own doctrines. The omniscient Vedavyasa understood that this would happen in the future. Accordingly, he wrote his own commentary on these sutras, and this is known as Srimad-Bhagavatam. He has clearly confirmed this in his Puranas:
artho ’yam brahma-sutranam
bharatartha-vinirnayah
gayatri-bhasya-rupo ’sau
vedartha-paribrmhitah
Garuda Purana
Srimad-Bhagavatam explains the meaning of Brahma-sutra and is the purport of the Mahabharata. It is also the commentary on gayatri and the essence and explanation of all the Vedas.
sarva-vedanta-saram hi
srimad-bhagavatam-isyate
tad-rasamrta-trptasya
nanyatra syad ratih kvacit
Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.15)
The essence of all the Vedas is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Whoever has tasted the nectar of Srimad-Bhagavatam is fully satiated and cannot be attracted to any other Purana or sastra.
In Vedanta-sutra, Sri Vedavyasa has clearly established bhagavad-bhakti, loving devotion to Bhagavan, through sutras such as anandamayo ’bhyasat, api samradhane pratyaksanumanabhyam and anavrttih sabdad anavrttih sabdat. Additionally, in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the commentary on Vedanta, bhakti is established through verses such as sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje (1.2.6), mayi bhaktir hi bhutanam amrtatvaya kalpate (10.82.44), yasyam vai sruyamanayam krsne parama-puruse, bhaktirutpadyate (1.7.7) and bhaktyaham ekaya grahyah (11.14.21). Sri Jiva Gosvami, the crown jewel of those learned in Vedanta, and gaudiya-vedantacarya Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana have used scriptural evidence and irrefutable arguments to prove that the subject established in Vedanta-sutra is bhakti and bhakti alone.
Some modern learned persons have tried to prove that Vedanta establishes jnana and mukti, but this attempt is based on pure imagination. Actually, the words jnana and mukti are not mentioned anywhere in the five hundred and fifty sutras of Vedanta-sutra. According to vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh [Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.16] Acarya Sankara (an expansion of Lord Siva) is a supreme Vaisnava, but, for some special reason he preached kevaladvaita-vada, or mayavada, a false doctrine which is opposed to sastra.
This society was named Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti in order for it to strongly preach throughout the world this deep secret regarding bhakti for the welfare of all the jivas.