[From Part Three of Acarya Kesari, the Life and Teachings of Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja]
Re-establishment of Sri Dhama Navadvipa parikrama
Due to the expansive preaching of bhakti, an increasing number of faithful and virtuous people were now becoming attracted to Acarya Kesari. Many grhastha disciples of Srila Prabhupada had been disturbed by the bad behaviour and impious activities of the managers of the Gaudiya Matha at the time. Gradually, many of them became drawn by Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja’s sweet manner and his strong preaching of suddha-bhakti. They started to perform bhajana again with new enthusiasm. Aiming at this resurgence of interest, in 1942 Srila Gurudeva again started the weeklong Sri Navadvipa-dhama parikrama and festival to commemorate the appearance of Sri Gaurasundara. The enthusiasm of the members of the Samiti was amplified by the participation of many pious people, tyagis, brahmacaris, sannyasis and grhastha Vaisnavas.
The main purpose of festivals such as Sri Navadvipa-dhama parikrama is to give an opportunity for the inhabitants of the world to obtain suddha sat-sanga, the pure association of saintly persons. Through this sat-sanga, one has a golden opportunity to nourish various aspects of bhakti. These include hearing suddha hari-katha (pure topics pertaining to the Lord); abstaining from alcohol, meat and other prohibited food; having darsana of the deity of Sri Bhagavan and of His pastime places; and hearing and chanting the glories of those places in good association. In addition, one is afforded an unparalleled opportunity to serve Sri Hari, Guru and Vaisnavas. In Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu fulfil all the cherished desires and give permanent engagement in prema-mayi seva, the loving service of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala, to those who complete the sixteen kosa Sri Navadvipa-dhama parikrama and take darsana of Sri Dhama Mayapura under the guidance of Vaisnavas.
Manifestation of acarya-lila
A year later, in March 1943, the weeklong Sri Dhama parikrama and Sri Gaura-janmotsava culminated in huge celebrations at Sri Devananda Gaudiya Matha in Navadvipa. The number of sannyasis, brahmacaris and grhastha devotees had increased considerably from the previous year. The Sri Dhama parikrama ended with wonderful enthusiasm as Sriman Mahaprabhu’s palanquin returned with a splendid sankirtana festival. This time, on repeated requests from his godbrothers, Acarya Kesari manifested his acarya-lila on the day of Sri Gaura-janmotsava by giving harinama initiation to Sri Radhanatha Kumara, Srimati Manada Sundari (of Varisala) and Srimati Hemangini-devi. Later, after Sri Radhanatha Kumara accepted sannyasa, he was to become known as tridandi-svami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Trivikrama Maharaja.
After Sri Dhama parikrama, Srila Gurudeva travelled and preached suddha-bhakti. He observed damodara-vrata (vows undertaken in the month of Kartika) in Sri Uddharana Gaudiya Matha, Chunchura. Then he spent some time at Sri Devananda Gaudiya Matha. This was followed by a tour of East Bengal, where he preached along with Dr. Krsnapada Vrajavasi, Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacari and other matha residents.
Sri Sri Jagannatha-deva’s snana-yatra and ratha-yatra in Sri Uddharana Gaudiya Matha, Chunchura
On Tuesday, 6 June 1944, the snana-yatra of Sri Jagannatha-deva took place in Sri Uddharana Gaudiya Matha in Chunchura. Srila Gurudeva was personally present at this great festival. In an exultant atmosphere resounding with sankirtana and the blowing of conch-shells, Sri Jagannatha-deva’s abhiseka (sacred bathing ceremony) was performed with one hundred and eight earthen pots full of scented water sanctified by mantras. At the assembly in the evening, Srila Gurudeva explained the underlying meaning and glories of the snana-yatra, as explained in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.
The ten-day festival of Sri Jagannatha-deva’s ratha-yatra began on 20 June 1944. Hundreds of grhastha devotees from Khulna, Medinipura, Vaimchi, Velaghariya and many other places participated. On the first day of the festival, which was the disappearance day of Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Gurudeva delivered a profound address on the philosophy of viraha (separation) as understood in Vaisnava literature. The essence of that lecture is as follows.
“The meaning of the word viraha is vi, special, and raha, meeting, in other words ‘a special meeting’. Sacinandana Sri Gaurahari is the personification of vipralambha-rasa (the mellow of separation). The pastimes Sri Gaurahari exhibited when He resided in the Gambhira in Sri Jagannatha Puri are brilliant examples of viraha (also known as vipralambha). In the solitude of the night, Mahaprabhu tasted with His intimate associates, Sri Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda, the different kinds of bhavas in separation from Krsna. In His internal state of consciousness, He was deeply absorbed in the mood of viraha which Srimati Radhika, the embodiment of mahabhava, felt after Krsna left for Mathura. Absorbed in this mood, Sri Gaurahari would lament bitterly and lose external consciousness. Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda would try to console Him, singing verses favourable to His moods. At times they would sing verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam, and at other times from Gita-govinda or Krsna-karnamrta, or they would sing the verses of Vidyapati, Candidasa and others. Sometimes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would faint, absorbed in radha-bhava, remembering in His heart a particular pastime of Krsna in Vraja. This deep absorption of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in remembrance of Radha and Krsna is called vipralambha or viraha.
“On the viraha-tithi (disappearance day) of the guru or previous acaryas, the true disciple (sat-sisya) meditates upon the transcendental qualities of these mahapurusas and vows to employ their instructions in his life as far as possible. If there is no such contemplation, and if one is only busy with arranging for different kinds of nice maha-prasada, then it is not a pure viraha-mahotsava.
“After Sri Ramacandraji’s victory over Lanka, He ruled Ayodhya for a long time. For a special reason, He renounced His consort, Sita, eleven thousand years after ascending the throne. Lamenting, Sita arrived at the asrama of Valmiki Rsi, who gave her shelter. There, Lava and Kusa (Sita and Rama’s twin sons) were born. The boys became expert singers and sang Valmiki’s Ramayana in the assembly of Sri Rama. Through Valmiki, Sri Rama then called Sitaji to the royal assembly in order for her to prove her purity. At that time Sitaji lamented and called her mother, Prthvi-devi, ‘O Prthvi-devi, if I am pure, and if no thought of any man other than Sri Rama has ever touched my inner heart, then open up and take me on your lap.’ Hearing this prayer, the earth broke open and Prthvi-devi appeared. She took Sitaji on her lap and again entered Patala. Rama Himself, His brothers, His mothers and all the people in the assembly started to cry.
“Once, the play, ‘Sita Entering Patala’ was performed at a theatre. The next day, the play changed venues, and the crowd was even larger than the day before. If sorrow is the only feeling in transcendental separation, why did such a large number of people gather? To experience pain? Clearly there is also a feeling of transcendental happiness in such separation. Sri Bhagavan and His associates are full of eternity, knowledge and bliss (sac-cid-ananda) so it is not possible for their birth, death and apparent suffering to be worldly. Therefore, even though externally there may be a feeling of sorrow in separation from the worshipful deity or the devotees of Bhagavan, simultaneously there is an internal feeling of divine and inexpressible happiness. This is the hidden secret of viraha. Therefore, in Vaisnava literature an occasion of separation is known as a viraha-utsava. Utsava means ‘a festival or celebration that gives happiness’.”
Listening to this deep exposition, the entire audience was captivated and left speechless. Srila Gurudeva’s lecture was praised everywhere, and pure devotees wove it into a garland to wear around their necks.
On Thursday, 21 June, according to Sri Jagannatha Puri tradition, the pastime of cleaning the Gundica Temple (gundica-marjana-lila) was observed. Under Srila Gurudeva’s guidance, everyone went to Sri Syamasundara temple some distance away with glorious sankirtana, carrying brooms and earthen water-pots. The temple was swept and washed clean for Sri Jagannatha-deva. Sri Gurudeva then told the story of gundica-marjana from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.
The inner meaning of sri gundica-marjana, the cleansing of the Gundica temple, is that it represents the sadhaka removing different types of unwanted desires (anarthas), offences and worldly attachments from his heart, to establish his worshipful Sri Sri Radha-Govinda there. If the sadhaka does not make any effort to throw out the dirt, which is opposed to bhakti, pure love for Bhagavan will not appear in his impure heart, even if he performs sravana and kirtana for a long time. Such sravana-kirtana is sometimes a mere semblance, or abhasa, and is always based on offences (aparadhas). Therefore, sadhakas should try very carefully to remove these anarthas. That is the purport of the cleaning of the Gundica temple.
The third day of the festival was the day of ratha-yatra. Under Sri Gurudeva’s guidance, Sri Jagannatha-deva was seated splendidly on His cart, and taken through the different streets of Chunchura to Sri Syamasundara temple with nagara-sankirtana. From that day until the return yatra, Jagannathaji resided in Sri Syamasundara temple. During this time, Sri Gurudeva deliberated upon and explained the topic of ratha-yatra from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta every evening. On the day of hera-pancami, Srila Guru Maharaja also revealed the secrets of the deeply hidden philosophical truths of this festival.
On Friday, 1 July, Sri Jagannathaji returned from Sundaracala (Sri Syamasundara temple) to Nilacala (Sri Uddharana Gaudiya Matha). Once again, the procession was accompanied by nagara-sankirtana. On the day of the return yatra, Sri Gurudeva gave an explanation of this from the point of view of the rupanuga Gaudiya Vaisnavas, “sei ta’ parana-natha painu, yaha lagi’ madana-dahane jhuri’ genu – Now I have obtained prananatha Sri Krsna, for Him I was burning in the flames of Cupid” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 13.113), and “krsna lana vraje yai – I am taking Krsna [from Kuruksetra] to Vraja” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 1.56). In other words, “We are returning to Vrndavana with our prananatha, the Lord of our life, Sri Krsna.” This is the hidden secret of ratha-yatra. On the evening of this last day there was a grand festival and wonderful maha-prasada was distributed to all the local people.
Preaching and Vraja-mandala parikrama in 1944
Because of Srila Gurudeva’s itinerant preaching, Sri Navadvipa-dhama parikrama and other programs, the number of matha residents gradually increased. Paramaradhya Srila Gurudeva now entrusted individual matha residents with the responsibility of travelling and preaching. They included Srimad Bhakti Kusala Narasimha Maharaja, Sripada Narottamananda Brahmacari Bhakti-kamala, Sri Dinartihara Brahmacari, Sri Radhanatha dasa and Sri Visnupada dasa. These devotees began to preach in Bhagalpura and other places of Bihara. Srila Gurudeva himself went with Mukunda-gopala Vrajavasi Bhakti-madhu, Sri Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacari and Bhakta Anila, and preached pure bhakti in Jayanagara, Majilapura, Visnupura, Krsnacandrapura, Ambulinga, Cakratirtha and other places in West Bengal, after which they returned to Sri Dhama Navadvipa.
In 1944, Srila Gurudeva organized the eighty-four kosa Vraja-mandala parikrama during sri niyama-seva kartika-vrata (the vows and regulations observed during the month of Kartika). Tridandi-svami Bhakti Kusala Narasimha Maharaja, Srimad Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Maharaja, Srimad Bhakti Prakasa Aranya Maharaja, Sri Narottamananda Brahmacari Bhakti-kamala and other leading sannyasis and brahmacaris participated in this parikrama. Many tents were provided for the convenience of the pilgrims while they travelled through the forests. The deity of Sriman Mahaprabhu was worshipped daily with offerings of bhoga, along with kirtana and the narration of the glories of the places of Sri Krsna’s pastimes. The parikrama was completed in about forty days and everyone returned to their respective places fully satisfied.
[CC-by-ND GVP]