Gauḍīya Maṭh Minus Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur is Zero

The following is a continuation of this last post (same speaker, next day):

Yesterday we remembered how much Guru Mahārāj gave emphasis on the words of Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur. He used to say if having come to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava world we do not follow Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, his vani, his scriptures, and his songs, then everything is useless (meaning all our efforts are futile). 

In the early 1980s, Guruji was in Bathinda for a house program in one of our god-brother's homes that was a little far from our place and I also went there. As the program was ending, Śri Bhakti Prasād Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāj told me, "Now Guru Mahārāj will go to your place."  I was taken by surprise as there were no preparations for his welcome at all, but still, I said it's fine and came home. My god-brothers came running and helped me a lot. Guru Mahārāj got all necessary arrangements made within a few minutes. I was left spellbound. 

When Guru Mahārāj arrived he stood at the temple door and spoke, "All Sri Caitanya Gauḍīya maṭh minus Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur is equal to zero." Although he had spoken these words at various places and on different occasions, when his words were spoken in our house I remember it vividly. It meant that without Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, we cannot imagine the existence of Gauḍīya Maṭh. He further said, there are many many teachings of Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, but I will tell you the essence of all his teachings:

jīvana anitya jānaha sār,

tāhe nānā-vidha vipada-bhār,

nāmāśraya kori’ jatane tumi,

thākaha āpana kāje

(Gītāvalī, Arunodaya Kīrtan)

[You should understand this essential fact: Life is temporary and filled with various kinds of misery. Therefore, carefully take shelter of the holy name and remain always engaged in His service as your eternal occupation].*

Life in this human form is temporary, one has to leave this body today, tomorrow, or the day after. In this regard, he used to give a very good example of Yakṣa and Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāj's saṁvāda from Mahābhārata. Of the many questions Guru Mahārāj would discuss, especially the four most important questions:

kā ca vārtā kim āścaryaṁ 
kaś ca modate kaḥ panthāḥ
mamaitāṁś caturaḥ praśnān
kathayitvā jalaṁ piba

(Mahābhārata, Vana-parva)

[Those queries were: 

What is the news of the world?

What is the greatest wonder?

What is the true path?

Who is happy in this world?]**

Particularly regarding the answer of Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāj to the second question, what is the greatest wonder, was irrefutable, immutable, which can never change and the answer was:

ahany ahani bhūtāni

gacchantīha yamālayam

śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti

kim āścaryam ataḥ paraṁ

(Mahābhārata, Vana-parva)

[Hundreds and thousands of living entities meet death at every moment, but a foolish living being nonetheless thinks himself deathless and does not prepare for death. This is the most wonderful thing in this world. Everyone has to die because everyone is fully under the control of material nature, yet everyone thinks that he is independent, that whatever he likes he can do, that he will never meet death but live forever.] ***

Gurudev said every day we see our brothers and relatives and our next-door neighbors dying and being carried to the crematorium. But the surprising thing is that those who are carrying dead bodies do not realize that we have also to leave the world in the same way. This is the greatest wonder. We have never read Mahābhārata nor heard, and had heard this from Guru Mahārāj's lotus lips. 

Of hundreds of books of Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, this line is the essence of it all. And at each and every step in life, we will face one difficulty after another because this material world is devoid of happiness and no one can attain permanent happiness here. How can there be happiness where Lord Himself has said this material world to be dukhālayam (the place that gives distress). I remember Param Pūjyapāda Bhakti Sarvasva Niṣkiñcana Mahārāj's words that to remove difficulties, problems, and distress in this material world is like trying to weigh frogs who jump off the scale. This material world is temporary and the related miseries are inevitable Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur says:

nāmāśraya kari’ yatane tumi, 

thākaha āpana kāje

[Take the shelter and support of Nama Prabhu. With great efforts, give your life and soul into it, and carry on with your life fulfilling all your duties and responsibilities].

Gurudev used to say that Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur did not say take shelter of the Lord, he said take shelter of the Lord's Name which is non-different from the Lord, with one-pointed exclusive mood (ananya-bhava). Externally perform social obligations/or maintain social conduct, (loka vyavahāra).

antare niṣṭhā kara bāhye loka vyavahāra

(Śrī Harināma-cintāmaṇi, 4.29)

Mahāprabhu spoke this to Ragunatha Dās Gosvāmī. Like this, Gurudeva explained to us the essence of Srila Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's teachings. All our guru-varga had such great affectionate attention on us and would reinforce the teachings of our Gurudeva and inspire us. One such instance is when in Jalandhar Gurudev in nagar-sankīrtan was in his deep engrossment and ecstacy singing Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's kīrtan, rādhā-kṛṣṇa bol bol bolo re sobāi and akrodha paramānanda nityānanda rāya and when he reached a square on Mandi Road, he began beda-kīrtan (singing and dancing in circles). 

I was in the close circle of Guruji and was ecstatically dancing when Pūjyapāda Prasād Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāj pulled me by the arm out of the group and took me a little far away from the kīrtan sounds so that I could hear what he was speaking to me. He told me in his style, 'Eh, your Guru Mahārāj is doing Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's Bangla kīrtans. Doesn't he know this is Punjab and people here cannot even understand Hindi, how will they understand Bangla kīrtans?  I was not ready for such a question from Mahārāj and so I just folded my hands in prayer. Then Mahārāj explained to me with great affection, "You try to understand, give your attention to this. That is why I called you outside. Your Gurudev knows everything. Deliberate on the question of why your Gurudev is singing Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's kīrtans and what this kīrtan conveys."

Like this, he inspired us to think and enhanced our faith in Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's kīrtans. I cannot explain the mood and ecstatic kīrtans that were issued from Gurudev when the parikramā party would visit Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's bhajan-kuṭira, Svānanda Sukhada Kuñja in Godrumadvīp. Only those who have witnessed and tasted the transcendental sweetness of those moments can relish the mood of Gurudeva in front of Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's samādhi. All these topics are very important for us, and are subjects for our deliberation, discussion, so that when we can engage ourselves in these devotional practices according to our Gurudev's directions and desires, Gurudev will be very pleased with us. 

yasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭam

[If Supreme Lord is satisfied, all are satisfied.]

In 2013 we went to Kolkata during Rāmanavamī and a huge festival was organized in a big pandal in front of the maṭh. As Gurujī was playing sickness pastimes then, devotees were doubtful whether Gurujī would attend the program at all. But Guruji mercifully came down and gave the instructions to follow in the footsteps of Srila Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur. On Rāmanavamī tithi Gurujī would be in a different mood and remember Param Gurudev and his talk on Uttāna Ekādaśī tithi. But this time, Gurujī gave great emphasis on following Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur and said our Param Gurudev would be very pleased by our efforts in the propagation of Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's vani and following his instructions.

Later when Gurujī was slowly walking back to his kuṭira accompanied by his sevāks he was heard repeatedly saying to anyone and everyone he met on the way, (even while climbing stairs)  "Our Gurudev would be pleased when we follow Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's kīrtans, gītis." When he found a devotee offering pranams to Param Gurudev's pādukas in front of Param Gurudev's bhajan-kuṭira and rising up, again, he told, "If you want Param Gurudev's grace, you should chant, sing Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's kirtans, gītis, and follow him." We can assess from his conduct how much emphasis he had on this point.

Yesterday I was speaking with Param Pūjyapāda Tridaṇḍa Svāmī Bhakti Kāñcana Āśrama Mahārāj, Ācāryadeva of Śrila Bhakti Gaurava Vaikhānasa Mahārāj's maṭh (Vaikhānasa Mahārāj is the sannyas Guru of our Param Gurudev). I was feeling very pleased to hear the glories of our Gurudeva and his transcendental qualities from him and he told me that he got to go with our Gurudev to various cities and whatever kathā and kīrtan I heard from him there are my life's wealth now. Saying this he started to sing, śikṣā diyā, sab nadīyā phirche nece' gaura-nitāi... rādhā-kṛṣṇa' bol bol bolo re sobāi and went on singing on the phone. This shows Gurudev's insistence on those kīrtans and how the devotees have accepted them wholeheartedly is in itself a very wonderful thing. So, I feel if we imbibe these thoughts of Gurudev and follow Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, we will without a doubt please Gurudeva. 

—Śri Kṛṣṇananda Dās (Kuldeepjī)

spoken on 21.4.20, posted on YouTube, Gokul India 

translation from Hindi to English

*translation from bhaktivinodainstitute.org
**Srila Gurudev's book, "Taste of Transcendence" page 65
***from Bhaktivedanta Vedabase