20220908 Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura Appearance Day Address

The following is a Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura Appearance Day Surabhi Kunja Class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on September 8th,2022 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

Jayapatākā Swami: Today we all have got together on the appearance day of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. And we are the followers of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. All the members of the Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Saṅga are assembled here to glorify Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura āsana has been established by ISKCON. That āśrama was established by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura under the name of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.

Now you have heard that he had written many scriptures, many songs. Navadvīpa-dhāma Parikramā-khaṇḍa and Navadvīpa-dhāma Pramāṇa-kaṇḍa are a couple of scriptures. In this place, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had discovered the birthplace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He used to work for the Government but even then he would go from house to house and collect donation of not more than a rupee and this way he collected and built the first temple of the Yoga-pīṭha. We heard that he had collected Rs. 30,000 this way! That means he had met so many people! He had predicted that from UK, America, France, etc. foreigners would come to Māyāpur dhāma and would mix with the devotees here and chant Jaya Śacīnandana and embrace one another and do kīrtana! Haribol! I am paralyzed on one side and that is why I have a repeater. Even though there was a lot of inconvenience, as there was the SGVA, Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Association meet, I have come. Here I have come before to Surabhi-kuñja and had promised that when the Deity was installed I would come to see that. Now, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura what all he did for us, it is not possible to recount all of that.

Our gurudeva, Śrīla Prabhupāda, had gone to Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s birthplace in Bir Nagar and he met his son Lalitā Prasāda Ṭhākura and told him that we want to develop the birthplace. But they were not in agreement. If anyone has any influence, please let them know that we would like to develop Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s birthplace. So, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura he started the Nāmahaṭṭa from this place. Initially Lord Nityānanda had started the Nāmahaṭṭa here and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura promoted it. And Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura also spoke about the Nāmahaṭṭa. We are trying to re-establish the Nāmahaṭṭa preaching, for the service of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Now we have about 5,000 Nāmahaṭṭa groups and they are spread all over the world.

I was asked that there were some devotees who do not understand Bengali so I will speak a bit in English now.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he found the birthplace of Lord Caitanya with Siddha Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he established the system of Vaiṣṇava dharma on a proper footing. At that time there were many apasampradāyas – aula, baula, kartābhajā, etc. So he established Vaiṣṇava-dharma properly and what he really did was that he eradicated the apasampradāyas. So, we owe everything to Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. He was totally detached although he did his duty, he was actually attached to Kṛṣṇa. So he showed how what Lord Caitanya said, whether you be a householder or you be a vairāgī, you can practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we were hearing all these illustrious speakers who were glorifying Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. So anyway, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had given his prediction that very soon the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement would spread all over the world. I am only allowed to speak for a short time, so I will end here. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura ki jaya!