19940405 Gaura Mandala Bhumi Parikrama Śrīnivasa Acarya's Birth Place

The following is the talk given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on April 5^th 1994. The talk occurred during the Gaura-mandala-bhumi Parikrama and ocuured on the occasion of Srinivas Acarya’s birthplace.

 

vande 'haḿ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaḿ śrī-gurun vaiṣṇavāḿś ca

śrī-rūpaḿ sāgrajātaḿ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaḿ taḿ sa jīvam

sādvaitaḿ sāvadhūtaḿ parijana-sahitaḿ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaḿ

śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā- śrī-viśākhānvitāḿś ca

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Here we are at the birthplace of Śrīnivāsa Ācārya ki

[Devotees: Jai!]

 

Śrīla Śrīnivāsa Ācārya is one of our previous Ācāryas. The present Sevak of this temple is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa das Bābājī (Devotees: Rādhā-Govinda) ... Rādhā-Govinda das Bābājī, excuse me. Mārjanā. He is welcoming everyone.

 

The Bhakti-Ratnakar explains how Śrīnivāsa Ācārya came to the world, that Gangadas Bhaṭṭācārya and his wife Lakṣmīpriyā Devī, they were living here and one-time Lakṣmīpriyā told the husband that she had a dream and she felt that it was the desire of the Lord that they should have a child. That time they were already a bit advanced in age, and the husband was thinking, why at this age I know you are thinking that this is some material thing, but, I'm feeling this is inspired by Lord Kṛṣṇa that we should have a child.

 

But the husband wouldn't believe it, so they made an agreement that, "Alright, we'll go to see Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, and if he tells us to have a child then we'll have one. Otherwise, they were not interested at that age.

 

So then, they went together down to Jagannātha Purī, and when they reached Jagannātha Purī the day they reached that time just as they were on the main road before the Jagannath temple, Lord Chaitanya came out of the temple with His associates.

 

So, immediately, Gangadas Battacarya and his wife Lakṣmīpriyā, they paid their obeisances to Lord Chaitanya.

 

Gangadas flat daṇḍavat on the ground. The Lord Chaitanya went by with Swaroop Damodar and so many other big Sanyasis and devotees. So, when He stopped and looked at them and turned to a secretary and said, "These are My devotees, see that they can come to see me". And then they get the darshan of Jagannath and Jagannath-prasadam and they get settled. And then they went on.

 

So, the devotees were amazed because ... Lord Chaitanya, He recognized some unknown Grihasta, lying there flat on the ground. So, this was a major recognition, to get so much mercy from Lord Chaitanya, so, immediately all the devotees wanted to know, who are you? and they came and embraced him and ... Associates of Lord Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.

 

So, then he got very nice accommodation, nice place to see err ... nice Darshan of Jagannath. And then, they went to have darshan of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, to ask Him whether they should have a child.

When Govindadas brought them in to see Lord Chaitanya, at that time, and that time, and Lord Chaitanya, before they could say anything, He said that ... "You should have a child. He will be a great devotee of mine. Give him the name "Srinivas".

Hariiiibol! (Devotees: "Haribol!")

 

So, He instructed them to go back to the village and to have a child. So, they stayed sometime with some association and then they went back.

 

And so, in this way, Srinivasa-Acarya was born, especially sent to preach the movement of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. We'll be visiting several places of Srinivasa-Acarya in this Gaura-Maṇḍala Parikrama.

 

Of those that followed after Jiva-Gosvami, especially here in Bengal, especially after the departure of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu and his immediate associates, Srinivasa-Acarya became the senior-most person for protecting the Sampradāya. And, other than any other immediate personalities that were associates of Lord Chaitanya, or directly the sons of Lord Chaitanya's direct associates like Śrīnivāsa ... like Birchandra, Achyutananda, for that one period, the entire responsibility was on Srinivasa-Acarya. He was entrusted with many important services, he was entrusted with bringing all the books of the Goswami’s back to Bengal, and we will see the place where all the books were stolen and recovered later at the end of the tour, in Visnupur.

 

So here, Śrīnivāsa, he remained until maybe ten, or eleven, or twelve years of age; his father passed away and then he moved over to Jajigram, where we'll also be visiting in two days. And that's where he lived when he returned back from Vṛndāvan. He went to Vṛndāvan and he was ... you know, there's the story how Srinivasa-Acarya, he wanted to go to meet Chaitanya Mahāprabhu when he was he's completed studying all the Śāstras and he was in his, say, late teens, or just a young man, then he was very eager to go see Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.

So then, he went to Jagannath Purī, but when he reached there, Chaitanya Mahāprabhu had already, the day before, entered into the Jagannath Purī temple and did not come out.

 

So, Śrīnivāsa, when he heard that, when he arrived there, people told ... were ... overheard them commenting how “Oh, He has the big festival going on?" He said,

 

"What's the festival? So, you don't know? Lord Chaitanya has gone back to Godhead.”

 

And he couldn't believe it. He fainted, he was pounding his head on the trees, his whole life he was waiting to see Chaitanya Mahāprabhu and he arrived the day after He had left the world.

 

The Lord Chaitanya appeared to him in a vision and said, "You cannot take your life, your life belongs to Me. You go to Gadadhara-Prabhu, and he will teach you Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

 

So, then he went to see Gadadhara-Prabhu, but Gadadhara-Prabhu was overwhelmed with separation, he wasn't seeing anyone. But somehow when he saw Śrīnivāsa was there he said, "Alright, he can come and see me". Śrīnivāsa fell at his feet and begged him for blessings and to teach him the Bhāgavatam. He needed a bonafide Guru.

 

Gadādhara said, "I can teach you the Bhāgavatam, but my Bhāgavatam is ruined because we've been reading it and we cannot help but cry when we read the beautiful pastimes of the Lord, so the Bhāgavatam pages have become washed out." And you can see that tears had fallen on the hand-written palm parchments and had wiped out most of the letters. They said, "You have to go and get a new Bhāgavatam." But that didn't mean you go down to the corner store and buy a book; it meant he had to go to Navadvip by walking, he had to hire some Brāhmaṇas who spent several months by hand writing the eighteen thousand verses of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then he can come back to Gadadhar with his hand-written Bhāgavatam for studying.

So, he did that. By the time he came back to Jagannath Purī, some considerable time had passed. When he finally reached Jagannath Purī, then there was also a big festival going on to Chota-Gopinatha temple.

 

He asked "What happened". And he said, "Well, Gadadhar Prabhu has just gone back to the world the day before."

 

Then again, he couldn't believe, he was just overwhelmed, crying and rolling in the ground and "No, no!". He was so eager, so desperate to find a bonafide spiritual master to teach him the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

 

Gadādhara Prabhu came in a vision and told him to go back to Navadvīpa. There he could find Advaita, Nityānanda. So, he'd been in Navadvīpa, but he didn't have ... he'd gone back to Jagannātha Purī. Now again he went back to Navadvīpa, walking, six-hundred kilometers. When he reached Navadvīpa, people were commenting how it wasn't the same without Nitāi, without Advaita, since they left the world. All at that time their associates were leaving. Again, he fainted on the ground and he was dazed, stumbling around like a madman.

 

Then, Vamsidas, or Vaṁśīvadana, who he went to his  one of his  he went somewhere ... connected with him. This Harai  Pandit is uh ... Deity of Prāṇavallabha was worshiped by Vaṁśīvadana. So then uh ... (to the side) Huh? I brought my Opera   So then uh ... he requested, you please come, the Ṭhākurāṇī wants to see you.

 

Vishnupriya wanted to see Śrīnivāsa, cause Śrīnivāsa was brought in to see Viṣṇupriyā. She was not seeing anyone. She was just taking, since the disappearance of Lord Chaitanya, she was following a special Vrata, where on the full moon, she would take fifteen grains of rice, and the next day she'd take fourteen, then thirteen, down to the ... dark moon, she'd fast the whole day, then take one grain of rice. So, she was very very thin. She was just chanting and just overwhelmed in separation of Lord Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.

And, but she called in Śrīnivāsa, who paid his obeisance’s flat on the ground, and although she was physically emaciated, he could see that she was unlimitedly effulgent, and that she was so beautiful, although she was keeping it hidden. She spoke to Śrīnivāsa that "I'm not seeing anyone now, but last night Lord Chaitanya Mahāprabhu came to me in a dream and told me that there's one  actually Lord Chaitanya came, Gaurāṅga came in my dream, he sat down next to me, he held my hand, he told me "My dear, there is a very very pure devotee of mine, who is suffering a lot, trying to find a bonafide Guru, trying to get someone to teach him the Bhāgavatam. He will come here to Nabadwip, his name is Śrīnivāsa. You please give him your blessings and you tell him to go to Vṛndāvan, you can find Rūpa and Sanātana", and then Lord Gaurāṅga disappeared. So therefore, I am telling you this, you're very dear to my Lord."

 

So, this way she gave blessings to Śrīnivāsa, and Śrīnivāsa took some association from the devotees in Nabadwip and proceeded to Vṛndāvan.

 

When he reached Vṛndāvan, he took bath, I believe at the Akrūra Ghat, and he overheard some people walking by, talking to each other, that Vṛndāvan is not the same without Rūpa and Sanātana. He jumped out of the water and said, "What, where's Rūpa, where's Sanātana Goswami?" "So you don't know? They just left. Three days ago, two days ago. The festival is going on now at the Rādhā-Govinda Temple."

 

So, he ran to the Rādhā-Govinda Temple. There was a big festival going on for the disappearance of Rūpa and Sanātana, and he was, he just collapsed at the back of the temple. He was aroused, one Vaishnava was calling him, "Śrīnivāsa, are you Śrīnivāsa?", and he says, "I am Jīva, you please come with me."

 

He took Śrīnivāsa to his house, "I know you have been going through difficult time. I am Jīva Goswami. Lord Chaitanya came in a dream to me last night and told me that you should take initiation from Gopāla-Bhaṭṭa Goswami and I should give you instruction about the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, in this way, Srinivasa-Acarya accepted Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Goswami as his Dīkṣā Guru and Jīva Goswami was his Śikṣā Guru.

There are many pastimes of Srinivasa-Acarya in Vṛndāvan. He got the special mercy of Rādhārāṇī. Finally, he was ordered by the deities of Govinda, "take all the books back to Bengal". That's another pastime we'll discuss when we get to Visnupur.

 

Srinivasa-Acarya, as I said, we'll be going to many of these places, so I'll discuss other pastimes when we get to the other places.

 

But here, this is the place he appeared in the world it's not frequently visited by people. They've probably never seen, never in the history of this village have so many foreigners ever been here, I mean, foreign bodies. Your Ātmās may not be foreign. Afterwards [Not Clear – 00:15:58].

 

He said sometimes they come from Katwa, Nabadwip, you know. Foreign places (devotees laugh). Then I said ... no no this is the first time.

[Not Clear – 00:16:33]

They have come from Katwa, Jajigram, distant places. (devotees laugh)

 

He's come from (speaks Bengali) (asking devotees) Who has come from China?

Who has come from Poland?

Russia? (asks devotees which countries they are from)

Israel.

America.

Vṛndāvan. What others we got? Czechoslovakia? Whatever I don’t know.

Croatia.

New Zealand.

Malaysia,

 

May I know who else we have got here?

Venezuela.

Argentina.

Peru.

Columbia.

Canada.

Germany.

Chile. (speaks in Bengali)

Ecuador.

 

Other lands I didn't mention?

Sweden.

Cuba, [Not Clear – 00:18:18] very close friend with India. (speaks in Bengali).

They all want to get the mercy of Srinivasa-Acarya (devotees respond "Haribol")

 

And, when Srinivasa-Acarya was born, you know they had to cut the umbilical cord? The umbilical cords samādhi is put here. This small, little temple. So, the samādhi of his umbilical cord. The deities, the Pūjārī says that Gaurāṅga was personally served by Srinivasa-Acarya, but the Nitāi was added later.

 

Yes, Any questions?

 

[Not Clear – 00:19:19]

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: He's saying, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa".

[Not Clear – 00:19:50]

Devotees: Jai.

 

Usually when the hands are up it means dancing. When the hands are like this it means accepting all the fallen souls. This also, up and down, is another form of dancing.

 

 

[Break] ... the day of Māgha is a big festival here. And the appearance day of Srinivasa-Acarya in the month of Karthik. Māgha is January, Karthik is November. These are apart from all the Janmāṣṭamī, the other festivals, the big festivals here are like that.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.

[devotees repeats]

 

[Not Clear – 00:21:06]

 

The part that falls off when you are born, that is kept, this little piece. Nimisha or commentary like that.

 

Sometimes the Lord Kṛṣṇa, He enjoys putting his devotees in separation. Of course, in the end He gives them the mercy. That's also mercy. Specific reason why, I didn't see mentioned.

Devotee: [Not Clear – 00:24:15]

 

[Break] ... they're very old deities, from as long as anyone can remember, they are here. They're assumed to be, at the same time, may have been worshiped by him, but there's nothing recorded specifically like there's for the Chaitanya Mahāprabhu deities, but it's ... they're very old deities.

 

Devotee: [Not Clear – 00:24:45]

 

No, no, no, Srivas-Acarya. There are Śrīvas Pandit and Srinivasa-Acarya, are two different people.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Chaitanya Prabhu Nityānanda Śrī Advaita Gadādhara Śrīvāsādi Gaura Bhakta Vṛndā ...

 

Śrīvas Pandit, of the Panchatattva, is born in Śrīhaṭṭa and he was living in Nabadwipa in Kumārahaṭṭa. There's the Pancha-tattva. And this is ... much, he appeared before Lord Chaitanya, and Srinivasa-Acarya appeared after Lord Chaitanya. This ... at the very end of Lord Chaitanya's pastimes. Similar name. They're distinguished in one is called Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, and the other is called Śrīvas Pandit. So, don't get them confused. Śrīvas is Pandit, he's Nārada Muni, and Śrīnivāsa Ācārya ...

 

[Break] to offer a little sweet was then against the devotees who liked to get their Mahaprasadam with deities ...

 

Someone could sing a Bhajan while I do some research on Śrīnivāsa Ācārya?

 

[Break] Basically cover everything that ... Lord Chaitanya, we read yesterday how he worked through people, as always are empowered to the point that we see that how Srinivasa-Acarya preaching, promoting the Vaishnava-Dharma, that Lord Chaitanya was working through him. And, how about he wrote only five short works. But he spent most of his time traveling and preaching and he also promoted the use of Padāvalī or special Lila-Kirtan, glorifying the pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Lord Chaitanya, which Narotamma Das Thakur had perfected.

 

So, like this they were inter twined. He was in charge of the first Gaura-Pūrṇimā festival at Kheturi Gram.

 

Narotamma Das Thakur requested him to organize the festival and see that everyone came, so he took that responsibility.

 

So, we get the mercy of Srinivasa-Acarya, then we can get pure Bhakti, then we can also preach the Sankirtan movement. He was a pure Goshti-Anandi, expanding the message of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.

 

Srivas-Acarya ki

Devotees: Jai.

 

Transcribed By: Arvind Pr

Transcribed On: 13-Jul-2020

 

Proof Reading By: Amrita Padma Devi Dasi

On 26/09/2020