{"id":86569,"date":"2024-09-16T10:40:11","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T08:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=11916"},"modified":"2024-09-16T10:40:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T08:40:17","slug":"srila-bhaktivinoda-thakura-and-srila-prabhupada-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=86569","title":{"rendered":"Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Prabhupada"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

By Giriraj Swami<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today marks the anniversary of the birth\u2014the appearance\u2014of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, \u201cthe pioneer of the program for benedicting the entire world with Krishna consciousness.\u201d To honor the occasion, I would like to share a short piece I wrote about Srila Bhaktivinoda and Srila Prabhupada. <\/em>We pray for their continued guidance and mercy. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDedicated to the sacred service of Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who initiated the teachings of Lord Chaitanya in the Western world (McGill University, Canada) in 1896, the year of my birth.\u201d These words are Srila Prabhupada\u2019s dedication to Teachings of Lord Chaitanya,<\/em> the first book he published after coming to America. They also apply to Prabhupada\u2019s life, which was dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and his own spiritual master\u2014Bhaktivinoda Thakura\u2019s son\u2014Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.<\/p>\n

Srila Prabhupada furthered many of Thakura Bhaktivinoda\u2019s projects: engaging householders in local preaching initiatives (nama-hatta<\/em>); establishing the principle that Vaishnavas, even those not born brahmans, are greater than brahmans (and are brahmans too); translating, explaining, and publishing important Vaishnava scriptures for the understanding of the contemporary audience; implementing the vision of a wonderful temple and spiritual city in Mayapur; and, perhaps most significant, fulfilling the desire and prediction that the holy names and teachings of Sri Krishna Chaitanya\u2014Krishna consciousness\u2014be propagated all over the world.<\/p>\n

In 1885, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote, \u201cLord Chaitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men in India. Rather, His main objective was to emancipate all living entities of all countries throughout the entire universe and preach the eternal dharma. Lord Chaitanya states in Sri Caitanya-bhagavata<\/em>, \u2018In every town, country, and village My name will be sung.\u2019 There is no doubt that this unquestionable order will come to pass. . . . Although there is still no pure society of Vaishnavas, Lord Chaitanya\u2019s prophetic words will in a few days come true . . .<\/p>\n

\u201cVery soon the unparalleled path of hari-nama-sankirtana<\/em> will be propagated all over the world. . . . Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German, and American people will take up banners, mridangas, and karatlas and raise kirtan through their streets and towns. When will that day come? Oh, for the day when the Western fair-skinned men, from one side, while chanting \u2018Jaya<\/em> Sacinandana ki jaya!<\/em>\u2019 will extend their arms and, embracing the devotees of our country coming from another side, treat us with brotherly feelings. When will that day be?\u201d<\/p>\n

In the caption to Bhaktivinoda Thakura\u2019s photo in Teachings of Lord Chaitanya<\/em>, Srila Prabhupada described him as \u201cthe pioneer of the program for benedicting the entire world with Krishna consciousness,\u201d and he saw himself as the Thakura\u2019s humble servant in that effort, fully dependent on his mercy.<\/p>\n

In a conversation in Mayapur in March 1974, Srila Prabhupada, hearing a kirtan party in the background, commented that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had desired that \u201cEuropeans and Americans will come, and they will dance here with the chanting, \u2018Jaya<\/em> Sacinandana, Jaya<\/em> Sacinandana!\u2019 So, that is being done. . . . When they chant and dance, I simply remember Bhaktivinoda Thakura. That\u2019s all. I pray to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, \u2018Now they have come to your shelter. Give them protection.\u2019 That\u2019s all. What can I do more? I cannot do anything more.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, it is by the mercy of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, coming through parampara<\/em>, through Srila Prabhupada, that we have been engaged in devotional service to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His devotees, His holy names, His teachings, and His divine dhama<\/em>\u2014Mayapur.<\/p>\n

In 1971, as a young devotee in Calcutta, I approached Srila Prabhupada and offered, \u201cI have been trying to understand what your desire is. And two things seem to please you most: distributing your books and building the big temple in Mayapur.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prabhupada\u2019s face lit up, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled. \u201cYes, you have understood.\u201d<\/p>\n

I did not know it then, but that desire for a big temple in Mayapur (and even for profuse book distribution) came from Thakura Bhaktivinoda. He had a vision of an effulgent city with a wonderful temple at its center, in Mayapur. And he wrote,<\/p>\n

eka adbhuta mandira ei haibe prakasa
\n<\/em>gaurangera nitya-seva haibe vikasa<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAn astounding temple will appear and will engage the entire world in the eternal service of Lord Chaitanya.\u201d (Sri Navadvipa-Mahatmya<\/em>, Parikrama Khanda<\/em>, Chapter 4)<\/p>\n

After my exchange with Srila Prabhupada, he spent several months in Europe and America and then returned to Calcutta with a design for the big temple. And in the meantime, Tamal Krishna Goswami had fulfilled Prabhupada\u2019s longstanding, ardent desire to acquire some land in Mayapur. But there had been flooding in Mayapur, and the flooding there can be very severe. Therefore\u2014although Prabhupada was so enthusiastic about the project and had struggled so hard to get the land in Mayapur and had personally brought the plans for the first building there\u2014still, right when we were at the peak of our enthusiasm, he raised the question \u201cWhat will happen if the Ganges floods? What will happen to the temple, to the project?\u201d<\/p>\n

He suggested that we not build the temple in Mayapur but at Birnagar, Bhaktivinoda Thakura\u2019s birthplace\u2014another indication of Bhaktivinoda Thakura\u2019s importance to Prabhupada and for the world. And eventually he brought us back to the conclusion that we should proceed with the project in Mayapur. \u201cIf you all build this temple,\u201d he declared, \u201cSrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through his empowered service, Srila Prabhupada has made Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura\u2019s shelter available to all of us, and now we too are \u201cdedicated to the sacred service of Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura.\u201d We beg and pray for pure devotional service under their lotus feet and depend fully on their mercy.<\/p>\n

Hare Krishna.<\/p>\n

Yours in service,
\nGiriraj Swami<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Giriraj Swami<\/strong><\/p>\n

Srila Prabhupada furthered many of Thakura Bhaktivinoda\u2019s projects: engaging householders in local preaching initiatives (nama-hatta<\/i>); establishing the principle that Vaishnavas, even not born brahmans, are greater than brahmans (and are brahmans too); translating, explaining, and publishing important Vaishnava scriptures for the understanding of the contemporary audience; implementing the vision of a wonderful temple and spiritual city in Mayapur; and, perhaps most significant, fulfilling the desire and prediction that the holy names and teachings of Sri Krishna Chaitanya\u2014Krishna consciousness\u2014be propagated all over the world. \u201cLord Chaitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men in India. Rather, His main objective was to emancipate all living entities of all countries throughout the entire universe and preach the eternal dharma<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=86569"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96235,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86569\/revisions\/96235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=86569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=86569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=86569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}