Sri Krrishhna Kathamrita Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathāmta tapta-jīvanam BBBiiinnndududu Issue No. 84 Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications 11 August 2004 Śrī Paramā Ekādaśī, 25 Puruotama-adhika-māsa, 518 Gaurābda Circulation 1545 • VAMSIDAS BABAJI MAHARAJA His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada • VAMSIDAS BABAJI AND SRILA SARASWATI THAKUR By Sri Srimad Bhakti Vikas Swami • PREACHING, SANNYASA, AND INSTITUTIONS Highlights Highlights Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja VAMSIDAS BABAJI MAHARAJA Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and Srila BhaktisiddhantaPAGE ONE TOP Saraswati COLLUMN Thakur.TWO All the His Divine Grace calendars published annually by the Gaudiya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Maha and its branches and sub-branches If you think this is a brass-made record his disappearance day, as does the idol, then it will remain a brass- calendar produced by ISKCON. (p. i) made idol to you forever. But if * * * you elevate yourself to a higher Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and Srila platform of Krishna consciousness, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur came to then Krishna, this Krishna, will hear of the exalted position of Vamsidas Babaji. talk with you. There is a Vamsidas Babaji Ma- In 1903, they first had his darśana in Nabadwip. haraja. He was talking with his deity. And Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur used Madana-mohana, He was talking with to say that Srila Jagannath Das Babaji, Srila Sanatan Goswami. Gaura Kishore Das Babaji, and Srila Vamsidas — Installation of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkanath. Los Angeles. 16 July 1969. Babaji were all close associates and are always You have heard the name of Vamsidas Babaji? worthy of worship by devotees. (p. 4) Sometimes, when his things were stolen, his dis- * * * ciples would cry, “It is stolen!” So he said, “Why After eating, Vamsidas would call the devo- you are bothering? One thief [Krishna] gives, and tees and give out the remnants of his food. But another thief [Krishna] takes. That’s all. Who those companions never personally ate the rem- gave the money, he is thief. And who has taken nants. They carefully wrapped Vamsidas’ rem- away, he is also thief. So why you are bothering? nants and sent them to Vrindavan and Mayapur. One thief gives; another thief takes.” The Gaudiya Mission gave three men to travel — Morning walk conversation, 13 March 1976, Mayapur. with Vamsidas, mainly for the purpose of get- ting his remnants. After packaging his remnants VAMSIDAS BABAJI AND SRILA (cooked rice, vegetables, etc.), one man took them to Mayapur. All the devotees in Mayapur eagerly SARASWATI THAKUR awaited Vamsidas’ remnants. Some of Excerpts from the Book Vamsidas’ remnants were sent to the Radha- Vamsidas Babaji Raman Ghera Goswamis in Vrindavan. The By Sri Srimad Bhakti Vikas Swami Goswamis eagerly took Vamsidas’ remnants — Despite his wild appearance, Srila Vamsidas never mind that it had “spoiled.” While Vamsidas Babaji Maharaja is a bona fide Gaudiya was staying at Nabadwip, someone would al- Vaiava saint. He was accepted as such by ways stay near him just to get his prasāda and next column !!! !!! Issue Eighty-four, Page — 2 é[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu top left 2 Top right 2 bring it to the other devotees. This was Srila lest they misunderstand his wild appearance Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s instruction. and eccentric behavior. (p. 73) (p. 24-25) — Vasīdāsa Bābājī. Published by Bhakti Vikasa Swami. 1994. * * * REACHING ANNYASA Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur ar- P , S ranged that firewood and provisions for cook- AND INSTITUTIONS ing be sent daily to Vamsidas from the Sri Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja Chaitanya Math in Mayapur. Every day devo- When the ācārya disappears, a dark period tees would go by bicycle, crossing the Jalangi by comes, just as a patch of black cloud covers up boat. Different devotees would go on different the effulgent sun. It is an unfortunate time, but days. Sometimes the Baba would welcome them. it is temporary. That cloud will go away. A vio- Sometimes he would accept the gifts without lent storm may come and disperse the cloud, saying a word. Sometimes he would just sit and and then the effulgent sun will come out. If you stare. Sometimes he would take the gifts and trace out history, you will find that after the dis- angrily throw them in the river, or shout at them, appearance of an ācārya, this period comes. That “Who are you? Do you think you are bringing period came after the disappearance of Srila things for me? My Prabhu will send!” Some Bhaktisiddhanta. Then his disciple Srila devotees, not able to appreciate Babaji Bhaktivedanta Swami appeared like the Maharaja’s transcendental mood, started to effulgent sun. After his disappearance, a dark speak badly of him. When Saraswati Thakur period has come. The sun is there. It is only cov- came to hear of this, he called those brahmacārīs ered by a temporary black cloud. It will be dis- and chastised them, warning them that they did persed, and then the effulgent sun will come. not understand the exalted position of Vamsidas. Mahaprabhu was doing ācārya-līlā — preach- At that time, he forbade his disciples to go and ing. After the disappearance of Mahaprabhu, see Babaji Maharaja. However, he told Dola the Goswamis came. They were not preachers. Govinda Brahmachari (the temple commander They were bhajanānandīs. They just stayed in of the math and later well-known throughout the jungle of Vrindavan and wrote books. They Orissa as Dola Govinda Shastri) that without were ordered to do four things: a) Write bhakti telling the other brahmacārīs he should continue śāstras, scriptures speaking the science of bhakti; bringing things to Vamsidas. Saraswati Thakur b) Excavate the lost tīrthas such as Shyama- told him to leave the things at a little distance kund and Radha-kund; c) Install deities, con- from Babaji Maharaja’s kuīra and to go away struct temples for the deities, and teach the pro- with out speaking to him. Dola Govinda contin- cess of deity worship; and d) Teach vai ava ued this service for several months. (p. 71-72) etiquette — Sanatan Goswami wrote Hari- * * * bhakti-vilāsa, wherein he quotes many śāstras Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and describing vai ava etiquette. Vamsidas Babaji had great respect for each They were doing these four things. They other. Vamsidas would refer to Saraswati were not preaching, but they were prepar- Thakur as Jagannather Bimala, because when ing the preachers. Scriptures are needed for he was younger his name was Bimala Prasada, that. Otherwise, what will a preacher speak? which means the son born as the mercy of We quote authority from śāstra. In Caitanya- Bimala Devi, the deity of Durga in the caritāmta (madhya 22.65), Chaitanya Jagannath temple at Puri. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Mahaprabhu spoke the definition of uttama- Saraswati Thakur sometimes visited Vamsidas adhikārī to Sanatan Goswami: at his kuīra in Nabadwip town. Seeing him coming, Vamsidas would exclaim, “Oh, a śāstra-yuktye sunipu a, d ha-śraddhā yā ra mañjarī has come. So won’t Radha come also? ‘uttama-adhikārī’ sei tāraye sasāra She will come! She will come!” He was refer- Śāstra-yuktye sunipu a — He is very proficient ring to Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati as being a in presenting śāstric conclusions, siddhāntas. By mañjarī (one of the young girl assistants of the presenting them strongly, he defeats bogus phi- gopī friends of Srimati Radharani). When visit- losophies and establishes pure bhakti-siddhānta. ing Vamsidas, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta warned his He is very strong in tattva. He is d ha-śraddhā disciples to sit silently and not make any offense, — he has unshakable, strong faith. Such a !!! !!! TopSri leftKrishna-kathamrita 3 Bindu top right 3 Issue Eighty-four, Page — 3 person is an uttama-adhikārī. Only such an powerful. He did not go to the West, but he adhikārī vai ava can deliver the whole prepared some of his sannyāsī disciples to go and world — tāraye sasāra. preach. He sent Bhaktipradip Tirtha and Bon The Six Goswamis were preparing preach- Maharaja, but they could not achieve success. ers. Jiva Goswami sent his three students, My guru-mahārāja, Srila Bhaktivedanta Shyamananda Thakur, Narottam Das Thakur, Swami Prabhupada, was just a ghastha. He and Srinivas Acharya with books and told was not a sannyāsī. He was not living in the them, “Go and preach!” These three elevated āśrama. He had always been a ghastha. But vai avas went to preach. Shyamananda he got the real mercy of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, Thakur came to Orissa. Narottam Das Thakur Thakur Bhaktivinode, and Sri Chaitanya went to the eastern side, to Manipur and Mahaprabhu. He was empowered, because he Assam, etc. And Srinivas Acharya preached was a true follower. He did not twist the teach- in Bengal. They are the first preachers who ings. He did not add any deliberation to them. came after the disappearance of Mahaprabhu. He followed them “as it is”. Then he preached Then came Bhaktivinode Thakur. Gaura in English throughout the world. In their first Kishor Das Babaji and Jagannath Das Babaji meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta told him to were not preachers. They were bhajanānandīs. preach in the West. He could understand, “The Only Bhaktivinode Thakur came out, that is person has now come to me who can do it.” ācārya. After Bhaktivinode Thakur came, then Our Srila Prabhupada was a young man at successively Bhaktivinode’s son Bhaktisiddhanta that time. After the disappearance of Srila Saraswati Thakur came, and then Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, all of his sannyāsī disciples Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. fought with each other. There was a case before Bhaktisiddhanta had many sannyāsī disciples. the Supreme Court. They were quarreling like Also, Mahaprabhu had predicted, dogs for a piece of bone.