20210710 Special Class on Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya Lila 22.77, 78-80

sei saba guṇa haya vaiṣṇava-lakṣaṇa
saba kahā nā yāya, kari dig-daraśana

“All these transcendental qualities are the characteristics of pure Vaiṣṇavas, and they cannot be fully explained, but I shall try to point out some of the important qualities.

kṛpālu, akṛta-droha, satya-sāra sama
nidoṣa, vadānya, mṛdu, śuci, akiñcana

sarvopakāraka, śānta, kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa
akāma, anīha, sthira, vijita-ṣaḍ-guṇa

mita-bhuk, apramatta, mānada, amānī
gambhīra, karuṇa, maitra, kavi, dakṣa, maunī

 “Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless, magnanimous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions, and they perform welfare work for everyone. They are peaceful, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and desireless. They are indifferent to material acquisitions and are fixed in devotional service. They completely control the six bad qualities — lust, anger, greed and so forth. They eat only as much as required, and they are not inebriated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate and without false prestige. They are friendly, poetic, expert and silent.

Jayapatākā Swami: Today is the special day of the disappearance of His Divine Grace Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and today is the special tithi of the disappearance of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita. So today is a very special day for the Vaiṣṇavas. We know that how the Pañca-tattva, the five Tattvas are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His expansions. His Prakāśa, His avatāra, incarnation. His energy, His pure devotee. The śakti tattva, energy principle is Gadādhara Prabhu. In Navadvīpa there is a temple of Gaura Gadādhara temple, at Campahati.  Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura used to worship Gaura Gad in his āśrama. Rādhārāṇī had said one time that She would like to be in a male body so she could associate with Kṛṣṇa without any inhibition. Therefore, as a result She came in the form of Gadādhara. And always remained in the association of Kṛṣṇa. When he was in Navadvīpa, and after that when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Nīlācala, Jagannātha Purī, Gadādhara Paṇḍita also went to Nīlācala Jagannātha Purī. But Gadādhara Paṇḍita became a kṣetra sannyāsī. After that he had taken this vow at Jagannātha Purī. But when Lord Caitanya went to Vṛndāvana, Gadādhara Paṇḍita went along with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu forbade him, telling him that this will break your vow. But Gadādhara Prabhu did not care. He wanted to be with Lord Caitanya. So he broke his vow. Then Lord Caitanya said alright, you made your point, you broke your vow, now go back to Jagannātha Purī. So, Gadādhara Prabhu fainted and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu went away on a boat. Like that Gadādhara Prabhu in Jagannātha Purī, he would read to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He would read and recite from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dhruva līlā and Prahlāda līlā he would recite. Hundreds of times. So, he would be crying, Lord Caitanya would be crying.

And when Lord Caitanya had a big kīrtana at the Cand Kazi, Lord Nityānanda was on one side, and Gadādhara prabhu was on the other side. Gadādhara Paṇḍita’s responsibility was to take care that Lord Caitanya while in saṅkīrtana does not fall unconscious. Gadādhara prabhu would catch him. That was the same duty that Lord Nityānanda had on the other side. That way, Śacī Mata requested Gadādhara Prabhu to always stay with Lord Caitanya. She saw that he would see that Lord Caitanya would be safe. When Lord Caitanya was at Gāya offering pindi for His departed father, He took initiation from Īśvara Purī pada. When He came back, He was changed! And in the house of Suklambhara Brahmacārī, He revealed His present state of consciousness. When He saw Gadādhara Prabhu He said, you have always been a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. You are very fortunate. I am unfortunate! As a scholar Nimāi Paṇḍita I wasted a lot of time with arguments and logic. This way He praised Gadādhara Prabhu. After that Gadādhara Prabhu always remained with Lord Caitanya’s association. Gadādhara Prabhu enacted many pastimes. He used to serve Tota Gopīnātha. He used to be with the saṅkīrtana of Lord Caitanya. And he would study the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam literature. Then he would recite this and offer it to Lord Caitanya. How much can I describe the pastimes of Gadādhara Prabhu? Somehow, he gave, Rādhārāṇī gave the color and the mood to Kṛṣṇa, so that He could become Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa then from Gadādhara Prabhu had taken everything away. So Gadādhara Prabhu is a very special character.

Today is also the disappearance day of His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. There is a short history. His birth place is Bir Nagara. At that time his father or grandfather was a king and he was a devotee of Lord Nityānanda. But on his mother’s side they were not favorable to the Vaiṣṇavas at all. He was given the name Kedarnatha. Because they were not favorable to Kṛṣṇa bhakti. And so, at first he was brought up in an opulent rich situation. Then at the age of 11 his father happened to die. And somehow they lost all their wealth. They were in a kind of poverty situation. Sometimes, he was in Calcutta, sometimes in Medinipore. So he was in Rana Ghāṭa sometimes. And his grandfather or someone who used to live in Orissa. When he was 12 he was married to a 5-year-old girl. So naturally when she grew up they lived together. Anyway, he went, when his son was a devotee and his grandfather an ascetic. So as an ascetic he wanted to be with him, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, when he left his body. When Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was 21 his grandfather died and gave him some instructions. So Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura started to think what work or what profession would he take to maintain his family. So, he saw that in the business world, they have to lie and cheat a little bit to do business. So he thought and decided that he would become a teacher. Then he joined an educational institute in Cuttack and became the head master. This way, he carried out many educational activities. After that, he became a deputy magistrate in Jagannātha Purī and different places.

When he came to Jagannātha Purī he established a forum called Bhāgavata Sangha. But when all the Vaiṣṇavas had joined that forum that time Siddha Raghunātha dāsa Bābājī did not join the forum. Raghunātha dāsa Bābājī was known as a siddha. He did not accept Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura at that time, because he did not wear a tilaka. But he was criticizing Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. And then he became sick. Lord Jagannātha came in the dream of Raghunātha dāsa Bābājī and told him that if he did not ask Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura for forgiveness he would die soon. So he asked Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura for forgiveness. So then Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura he somehow he was made the first administrator of the Jagannātha Purī temple. Then he caught the king Gajapati had stolen some 60,000 rupees or so, from the Jagannātha temple. So the king was forced to pay for the chappana bhoga. The king was very angry with Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. So he engaged some pāṇḍās to do a yajña to kill Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. At the end of the 30 days, the king’s son, the prince died. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura did not die. Then, in Jagannātha Purī Bimala Prasāda Datta who in the future would be future Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was born. His fourth child. Like this, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura he had a dream from Lord Caitanya that he should have some work to do in Navadvīpa dhāma. He wanted to read the pastimes of Lord Caitanya but he could not get a copy of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Then he thought that it such a deplorable situation has befallen the movement of Lord Caitanya. He went to Vṛndāvana. There he met Siddha Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī. He accepted him as his eternal śikṣā guru. Like that he did different services for the British government. Then he applied for the chancellor of Kṛṣṇa Nagara. 10 to 1 in the morning he would be in the court. 1 to 2 he would take his lunch. 2 o clock, again be in the office.

So, he saw the light of the birthplace of Lord Caitanya. And with Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī he located the actual birthplace. In the place where Lord Nityānanda started His namahatta, Surabhi Kuñja, he got the Surabhi Kuñja. Sananda Sukhada Kuñja. So this Surabhi Kuñja, Sananda Sukhanda Kuñja are very close to each other. About 100 or 200 m away. So he was in both the places in Godrumadvīpa. And he would go through different literatures and like Narahari Ṭhākura’s books where Navadvīpa Parikrama or description of Navadvīpa is mentioned. He studied all these literatures and discovered the birthplace of Lord Caitanya. And he established almost all the Hindu sthalas at that time. Then he established the super excellence of Lord Caitanya’s teachings. Before that he read all the theology of the different religions. But after that he understood that Lord Caitanya’s teachings is above all the religions. The highest. He wrote various books to give mercy to the conditioned souls. His daily schedule was very, very instructive. He was like you can say, an expert at time management. He would have a daily schedule. 8 pm to 10 pm he would rest. 10pm to 4 am he would write. 4 to 4.30am he would rest. Then 4.30 to 7 he would do his japa. Then he would do his correspondence for half hour. Like that he would study śāstra, take his bath, etc. He would take simple prasāda. 10 am to 1 pm court. 1 to 2 pm go home and take lunch, rest. 2 to 5 pm court duties. 5 to 7 pm translate Sanskrit to Bengali śāstras. Sometimes he would give time to his family. There was a regular time for his family, children. 7 to 8 pm bathe and eat simple prasāda. And at 8 pm take rest again. Like that, I heard that two hours a day he gave to his family and kids. But anyway, his schedule was very regular. He was a gṛhastha, his fourth child was an ācārya, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. That all of his sons will become an ācārya there was no guarantee. Anyway, because of his mercy there was the great renaissance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s culture. There are many histories, I cannot tell all. How that bābājī was posing himself as Kṛṣṇa, some sādhu and he had big hair. That was sticking out like on all sides. So he had cursed Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and he and his whole family got sick. But he had the sādhu arrested and convicted. Then he got all the sādhu’s hair got cut. Then all the sādhu’s śakti all the powers disappeared. So, then Śrīla Bhakti Vinoda Ṭhākura ‘s family became well again. We are so fortunate that we are in the disciplic line of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Any questions?

Lakṣmī Rādhā devī dāsī: Gadādhara Paṇḍita always had Lord’s service and association of Lord Caitanya and His devotees. Then why is it said that the Lord took away everything from Gadādhara Paṇḍita?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, in Vṛndāvana, everyone glorifies Rādhārāṇī as Vrndavaneswari. She is the main person. But in the Caitanya līlā, Lord Caitanya took the color and the mood of Rādhārāṇī. So that is why it is said that He stole all the things from Rādhārāṇī. It is a subtle thing.

Hari Hara Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dāsa: As you explained, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was the ideal gṛhastha, His son Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was the ideal renunciant, and other ācāryas.  All of these are nitya siddhas. How should one choose one’s āśrama? Please enlighten us.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the eighth canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Gajendra Mokṣa section, Gajendra the king of the elephants was there and there was the king of the crocodiles. And they were in the water. So the crocodile was in his own element. And he was getting strength. But the elephant was an animal of the land, but he was in water. And therefore he was losing strength. So, in the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda says we should have strength to fight against māyā. So it may vary from one person to the next. Whether we are land animal or water animal, whether we are settled as a gṛhastha or settled as a vairāgī, but every individual has to study for himself.

Sukomal Nitāi dāsa, ISKCON Habibganj: Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī had given her complete mood to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Then when Rādhārāṇī appeared as Gadādhara Paṇḍita what was Gadādhara Paṇḍita’s mood?

Jayapatākā Swami: Like that Rādhārāṇī as Gadādhara Prabhu, tried to serve Lord Kṛṣṇa. And that is why he had taken the decision to take the vow of kṣetra sannyāsa, and engage in the service of Lord Caitanya.

Subahu Sacisuta dāsa, Subhadrā Voice, Bangladesh: Bengali: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s time schedule was very perfect and nowadays it is not possible to follow this schedule. Here in Bhagavad-gītā the non-government services are such that there are not fixed timings. We don’t even have time to finish our rounds sometimes. How do we make a good schedule in these circumstances? Please give us some suggestion for devotees in Bangladesh.

Jayapatākā Swami: Certainly, there is a particular fixed time. But maybe nobody follows this. You make up a time schedule for yourself that would be in line with the government’s schedule. To chant 16 rounds every day, maximum one should take about 2 hours’ time. And if they get practiced you may be able to complete in 1 and half hours. Anyway, if you manage the time certainly every day within 24 hours you can take out 2 hours for chanting. This way, as much as possible you help the devotees.

Question in Bengali: Today in different appearance and disappearance days should we have our regular Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class or should we discuss the lives and activities of the different personalities?

Jayapatākā Swami: yes! That is up to the speaker. I wanted to spend the time glorifying Gadādhara Paṇḍita and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. The option was there. That is why I took this opportunity. There is no hard and fast rule. But it is an option.

Alright, now for half hour we will see temples and to the Far East visits.