Amazing incidents on Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura

We know Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur through his most dearest disciple - Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Prabhupad always said - "I have no ability. I'm only simply following the instructions of my Guru Maharaj and it is only by his mercy alone that I am able to do everything." Thus, he was an object of his Guru's mercy. In a span of 11 years, Srila Prabhupad initiated 5000 disciples all around the world, built 108 temples all around the world, created many farm communities all around the world, gave 2200 lectures all around the world, wrote 7000 letters to his disciples and well wishers, recorded 20 albums, wrote 72 volumes of books. And with all these he still had time to play with the little children, sit up every night writing books and also had separate time for his personal reading. And Srila Prabhupad says - all this is not my strength, it is the potency of my Guru. His Guru is Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur whose disappearance day we honored on 1st of Jan.

Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was born in Jagannath Puri on 6th Feb 1874, by the name Bimal Prasad. When he was 5 months old, he was shown to Lord Jagannath on the Rath and immediately the garland from the Lord fell down to his body.

At the age of 5, he happened to eat a mango which happened to be not offered to Krsna. His father, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, told him that it was a great offense to eat without offering to the Lord. From that day he gave up eating Mangoes for the rest of his life for having committed this offense. Imagine, a 5 year old child having such determination, that too for such a small event, which any child would naturally do !!

His father, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, had prayed to the Lord for sending a ray of Vishnu as his son, who would carry ahead the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya. And he was thus born as the answer to the prayer.

In his teens, he had received the title 'Siddhanta Saraswati'. He also took a vow of chanting 1 billion names of the Lord. For this, he chanted everyday 3 lakh names for upto 9 years and 4 months at Mayapur in a hut which he had built with his own hands. When it rained, he would sit with an umbrella and continue chanting. He chanted eating only once a day, that too plain rice without any salt.

His father, Bhakti Vinod Thakur, advised him to take diksha from Gaur Kishor Das Babaji. Although he was the son of a great district Majistrate who defeated everyone on scriptures, tattva and logic, and was greatly honored by all the Vaishnavas, still Gaur Kishor Das Babaji never gave him that honor, rather he denied all his repeated requests for diksha. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarawati Thakur says that it was his mercy that he did not acknowledge me as the son of such a great devotee. Finally he decided to give up his life being not accepted for diksha. Then he was accepted and given diksha.

In March 1918 he took his sannyasa. In 1920 - he introduced Navadvipa Dhama parikrama and instituted Sannyasa. In 1928 - He published the daily spiritual newspaper - Nadia Prakash In 1st Jan 1937 - He disappeared from this mortal world.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur described himself as a fallen soul and requested his disciples for blessings, saying - I am fallen and Krsna has sent you all here to purify me. He never allowed any small children and disciples to touch his feet. He is as hard as thunderbolt (in preaching) and as soft as a rose (in his dealings with devotees and disciples). About the Holy Names, he said - Holy Name is Krsna Himself. So chant and hear simultaneously to achieve perfection.

Once a desire to have milk entered his mind. And he realised that this was sense gratification. He regretted his desire. But the Lord arranged that a wealthy man bring a huge quantity of milk, which was cooked and offered to Lord Gauranga. And the Pujari brought this Mahaprasad milk to Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarawati Thakur. When he recieved the offering, he felt very remorse that the Lord took so much trouble to just satisfy his one little desire. He condemned himself for having made the Lord do seva to him. He states - We can do seva for Hari, but Hari should not do seva to us. (We should not make Hari do seva to us). He always felt the whole world is engaged in serving Hari, except himself.

He advised - The concept that I am the dust at the feet of the Spiritual Master is humility. Service to Guru and Vaishnava is humility , trnad api sunicena. At the same time, he said that Mahajanas instruct that one should not show humility (be subordinate) to non-devotees and to the envious Ravanas. Thus, Hanuman's burning of Lanka is real trnad api sunicena (humility). Because He is ready to do anything to serve the Lord.

He was so strong and bold and tough and always RIGHT in all his debates, that the opposing Brahmanas and Nirakaris were always afraid to face him. So it happened that one day he was invited at Kashi for a debate with nirgun-nirakari group leaders. He accepted the invitation - I'm ready, i'll come. Half an hour later, one of them came and told him that he should not refer to Srimad Bhagavatam in his debate. He said - Ok, I'm ready. Then again after half an hour they said - you cannot refer to Ramayan and Mahabharat too. He said - Yes, I'm ready. Then again after half an hour they said - You also cannot refer to any of the Vedas. You have to refer to the Vedanta Sutra only. He said - Yes, I'm ready. Hearing this, they came and cancelled the debate !! This was his strength and courage in philosophy of the Lord and Vaishnavism. One of the last debate that he underwent, he was speaking continuously for 3 hours and the opponent passed stool and urine right on his seat.

Regarding 'Donor considerations' , he said - no offerings should be received without reciprocal distribution of Hari Katha. Since, when Hari Katha is given, then any amount of donation can never equalise it. He says - don't think that the sadhu who begs for Krsna is a beggar and the donor who gives is the giver. Rather, it is the opposite. Some donors think - if I contribute, they will follow our views. To this, he says - even if they give us everything that they have, we consider it a trash if their views are not in favour of the Lord which they expect us to follow.

Once Subash Chandra Bose's father met with Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. At the end of the discussion, he told SCB's father to give up non-veg and that he would personally send him tiffin prasadam from the temple everyday to his house. And this he continued to do for 10 long years!

His final message is - Remember that our sole duty is to propogate service of Lord and His devotees. On 1st Jan, when he was 62 years and 10 months of age, at morning 5.30am, his servant heard him say - Oh Krsna, Oh Krsna - and he left this mortal world. And all the clocks in the ashram stopped at that very time. That day was announced as the day of mourning for the entire Bengal state.

Points to understand - Hari seva, Hari Naam and Bhakt Sang are the most important. Nothing else. Never compromise on Hari Naam to speak the Truth.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarawati Thakur Ki Jay !!
His Disciple, Srila Prabhupad Ki Jay !!