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The Guardian of Devotion and His Divine Servitor

by Tridandi Bhiksu Sri Bhakti Ananda Sagar

Bhakti means 'Devotion,' and Raksaka means 'guardian.' Situated within the Holy province known by the devotees as 'Gauda-mandal,' the humble village of Hapaniya has now become a cherished place of pilgrimage for theistic scholars and pilgrims the world over. Small wonder, since it is the Holy Place of Advent of Om Visnupad Astottara-sata-Sri Srimad Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, the Great Grandfather of all the faithful Vaisnava Tridandi Sannyasins, the Grand Preceptor of the Divine Nectarine Message of Sri Gaurangadev. This great saintly personage made his glorious Advent at Sripat Hapaniya of Radh-desh, in 1895 of the Christian calendar. The formidable scholar Sriyukta Upendra Chandra Bhattacharya Vidyaratna Mahodoy and Srimati Gauridevi, were both unalloyed pure souls imbued with righteousness and devotion for the Supreme Lord Hari. At the fitting auspicious moment, Srila Guru Maharaj made his Advent, choosing them as his father and mother, and revealing the advent of his Divine Pastimes to the world. They named their beloved son Sri Ramendra Chandra Bhattacharya.

In 1923 he was attracted by the Grace of Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami, and at the Sri Gaudiya Math situated at No. 1 Ultadingi Junction Road, Calcutta, he heard Sri Srila Prabhupada's Holy Talks of the Supreme Lord. Not long after that, in December of 1926, with full surrender he joined Sri Gaudiya Math. The natural attraction for the Nama-sankirtana of Sri Chaitanyadev that Srila Guru Maharaj had felt since his very childhood now bloomed into the resplendent personality of Tridandi Sannyasin Sri Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Maharaj, at the behest of Sri Srila Prabhupada Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami. Srila Prabhupada conferred this Holy Order, Name and Title upon Srila Sridhar Maharaj in the year 1930, having marked his profound expertise and depth of divine realization in the Holy Scriptural Theistic Conclusions, thus recognizing him as a veritable 'Guardian of Devotion.' Srila Prabhupada further solidified this recognition upon hearing Srila Sridhar Maharaj's Sanskrit composition Sri-Bhaktivinoda-viraha-dasakam, when he endorsed the Holy Poem as a direct inspiration of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj took a prominent part in the founding, organizing and preaching of many of the Sri Gaudiya Maths of Srila Prabhupada Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami all over India. As a climax to his Divine Affection and Blessings to Srila Sridhar Maharaj, during the last days of Srila Prabhupada's manifest Divine Pastimes in this world, he especially selected Srila Sridhar Maharaj to sing Sri Rupa-manjari-pada for him, which is well-known as the most venerated and adored Prayer of the entire Gaudiya Sampradaya; by this action we can know Srila Prabhupada's indomitable confidence in his 'Guardian of Devotion' as the future Captain of the Sri-Rupanuga Sampradaya or Divine Succession of Faithful Followers of Sri Chaitanyadev in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami. And who could doubt this? The nectarine river of Sanskrit and Bengali compositions that flowed from his pen stand as great monuments in the line of Sri Chaitanyadev. In his latter years some hundreds of disciples of the late World Preacher, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, flocked to Sri Nabadwip Dham to hear the holy informal talks and advices of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, and from tape-recordings of those talks many English publications reached to the Western public, scholars and devotees. The wholehearted acceptance of his Divine Delivery and those Transcendental Works by the genuine devotees is irrevocable, not only by dint of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj's openly avowed acceptance of Srila Sridhar Maharaj as his Siksa-Guru, but simply by the strength of their own spiritual merit. Therefore great numbers of sincere seekers from all over the world also flocked to the Lotus Feet of Srila Sridhar Maharaj to become surrendered disciples of the Guardian of Devotion.

His Divine Servitor

Om Visnupada Astottara-sata-Sri Srimad Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj made his Appearance in this world on 17th December, 1929, at Brahmanparha, District Burdwan, only about six miles from Sripat Hapaniya where his beloved Gurudev made his Advent, also situated in the Holy Area of Gauda-mandal. Revealing his Pastimes to the conditioned souls of this worldly plane, at the tender age of only seventeen years, Srila Govinda Maharaj manifest his coming to the Lotus Feet of his Gurudev Sri Srila Sridhar Maharaj in April 1947 on the Holy Appearance Day of Sri Nrsimhadev (Nrsimha-caturdasi).

If any of the dear readers of this short account may have, or have had, the opportunity of hearing directly from other stalwart veteran disciples of Srila Sridhar Maharaj (an opportunity the humble writer has fortunately had on many occasions), such as Sripad Bhakti Prasun Aranya Maharaj, Sripad Hari Charan Brahmachari Seva Ketan Prabhu, Sriyukta Krsnamayi Devi, Sriyukta Ramarani Devi, and Srila Guru Maharaj's own revered brothers and disciples Sriyukta Satyendra Chandra Bhattacharya, Sriyukta Amarendranath Bhattacharya and others - any fortunate soul will be able to trace the unbroken line of continuous unalloyed Divine Affection that Srila Guru Maharaj bestowed upon Srila Govinda Maharaj, and continues to eternally bestow from his Holy Abode in the Nitya-lila (Eternal Divine Pastimes).

On the Amavasya (dark-moon day) of 12th August, 1988, when Srila Guru Maharaj silently took his Form of Holy Samadhi at his beloved place of Bhajan, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip Dham, at that time all the devotees felt that the Exalted Moon had disappeared from their vision; yet, by his Divine Grace, Srila Guru Maharaj had already foreseen the devotees' need for uninterrupted light, for the smooth continuation of their Devotional Services; and therefore three years before he conferred the Holy Order of Tridanda-sannyasa upon Srila Govinda Maharaj, naming him as his Illustrious Successor, as the guiding light to perfectly ensure that no darkness could enter into his Sampradaya (Divine Succession).

The illustrious Acaryas or Divine Preceptors have often been described to be as brilliant as the sun. Their Divine Dispensation of Harikatha and Harikirtana are as the life-giving rays of the supreme sun, giving life and warmth to all creatures, moving and stationary. They are the merciful bestowers of the very kernel of Love Divine for the Supreme Lord which is the Absolute Life of all that lives (divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam). In this way, it was no surprise that the faithful loving devotees of Srila Guru Maharaj could only receive with great transcendental joy the appearance in the Gaudiya firmament of Jagad-Guru Gaudiya-Bhaskaracarya Srila Sri Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj. In the Personage of his Dearmost Divine Servitor, Srila Guru Maharaj had long before selected our future Guardian.

Highly learned in Sanskrit and Bengali, Srila Govinda Maharaj has, as did his Illustrious Gurudev, given us many Divine Prayers and Songs most valuable for the cultivation of our spiritual life; his valuable natural talent coupled with his fine delivery of Harikatha (Holy Talks of the Supreme Lord and His Pastimes), and, on the practical side of Devotional Life, his untiring Services to his Srila Guru Maharaj in nurturing and upholding Srila Guru Maharaj's India-wide and world-wide Mission from the very beginning to the present - it was none other than he who designed and supervised the building of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math - have, as we have seen with our own eyes, ever fulfilled the Divine Desires of Sri Gurudev (gurvabhista-supurakam).

By his Grace we have been able to continue our spiritual life and do some service to bring out this transcendental series of Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion. Gradually it will come into all languages of the world. May Guru Maharaj and his Divine Godbrother Srila Swami Maharaj Prabhupada, and the most beloved Divine Servitor of them both, Srila Govinda Maharaj, cast their merciful glance upon us and our company, the fallen souls of the mundane world; with this prayer I beg to offer my humble sastanga dandabat m unto the Lotus Feet of them all.