His Emphasis on Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's Kīrtans

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A brahmacārī who has been staying in Hyderabad Maṭh for quite some time approached Guru Mahārāj and told him, "I am not able to adjust to the maṭh environment and wish to return back home.  You please mercifully give me your permission." Gurujī told him, "By your own wish you have been in maṭh for so many years, now take my word and please stay here for two more months.  And in these two months, every day morning and evening, sing two kīrtans of Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur along with their translations. After two months, you need not wait anymore."  We all know how much Gurudev had āveśa, (zeal) and āgraha, (insistence) as reflected in Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's kīrtans such as:

ore mana, bhalonahi lage e samsar
janama-marana-jara, je samsare ache bhara,
tahe kiba ache bol' sar

Translation: Listen, my dear mind. I don't like this material world at all. It is simply filled with the suffering of birth, death, disease, and old age. Seeing all this suffering, tell me now how is impossible that good things could be found here?  

He agreed to Gurudev's suggestion. And when Guru Mahārāj went there again, he came to Gurujī and told, 'I will not leave the maṭh and go."  Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur kīrtans guided him and entered into his heart, transforming his mind. So, our Gurudev gives great emphasis on Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur gītis and scriptures.  

By his pastime, he showed us the importance of Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur’s scriptures.  On the advice of Param Gurudeva, he read Jaiva Dharma with so much attention.  Anyone who reads Jaiva Dharma will find all his doubts cleared.  We have heard from Gurudev that once Param Gurudev asked him to read from the book Kalyāṇa-kalpataru and when he read a few gītis, his voice choked and tears started flowing from his eyes.  Then Param Gurudev asked him to stop reading. With humility, Gurudev said, "Maybe my Gurudev wanted to show me the high standard of Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's kīrtans." Gurudev would say, "Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur's gītis and scriptures are āmnāya-vani,(guru-paramparā vani) like veda-vani.

When we were in a dharamshala in Bhatinda, a different type (or kind) of kīrtans were going on, one of Param Gurudev's disciple, a resident of Māyāpur felt displeased and went upstairs to Gurudev and in a sad mood asked Gurudev, "Mahārāj, what kīrtans are going on downstairs?" Guruji had a very different way of teaching.  He would take everything upon himself and when he spoke he said, "We are very unfortunate that we are not getting a chance to listen to Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, Narottam Dās Ṭhākur, Lochan Dās Ṭhākur's kīrtans.  We are very unfortunate that we have a taste for different types of kīrtans." So, following Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur’s kīrtans and scriptures should be our main goal being connected with Śri Chaitanya Gauḍīya Maṭh and we should not be distracted from the path of Bhaktivinod.  

We are surprised to find the novice who has joined recently do not know which are the scriptures of Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, they do not know the difference between Śri Caitanya-caritāmṛita and Śri Caitanya Sikṣāmṛta.  When we read these scriptures like Śri Caitanya Sikṣāmṛta, Jaiva Dharma, and Śaraṇāgati, we realize their value by our own experience. Gurudev has shown this by his pastimes.  

—Śri Kṛṣṇananda Dās (Kuldeepjī)

Guru-kathā via Zoom on 20-04-2020, Gokul India
translated from Hindi to English 







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