Articles
Acharya Maharaj—Preacher of Pure Devotion
(Movie about Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj... with excerpts from archival footage of Srila Govinda Maharaj’s Vyasa Puja 2009, Sri Gaura Purnima 2005, his Inauguration festival 2010, the Ekachakra Festival, Nabadwip Parikram, and Srila Gurudev’s Disappearance Festival 2011, and more. Glorification of Srila Govinda Maharaj and Srila Acharya Maharaj, important historical recordings, discussions of devotional life, the future of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, and some specially selected Hari-kirttan excerpts from this years festivals.)
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Sripad Bhakti Kamal Tyagi Maharaj: We are observing the example and service of Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj who has you know outdone himself so to speak and arrange the time intensity and perfection with which he’s arranged all of these things. And even last year when Srila Govinda Maharaj spoke at this festival by Skype you know he described what was happening here as miraculous, said really Acharya Maharaja has done a miracle in Ekachakra with the service that he’s arranged for Nityananda Prabhu and the Vaishnavas here. So naturally we’re seeing with the fulfillment of Srila Govinda Maharaj’s desire you know with the full expression of the temple the Deity is the inauguration of the ongoing service the distribution to the community everything we’re seeing the manifestation of the fulfillment of our Gurudev’s desire by Srila Acharya Maharaj than we can only happily you know news as to how satisfied he is to see these things, how much joy it brings to his heart.
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[Kirttan]
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Last year when he said you know I’m seeing the miracle Srila Acharya Maharaj is doing and I’m seeing he is my dear most disciple my dear most worker my, you know, he hears what I want he hears with Guru Maharaj wants and he does that immediately and wholeheartedly and that is you know in this way Srila Guru Maharaj glorified him so greatly and that is the hallmark of what is a genuinely surrendered soul you know in Sharanagati we hear this phrase:
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tomāra ichchhāya mora ichchhā miśāila
bhakati-vinoda āja āpane bhulila[1]
Saying my heart’s desire has merged with yours, my heart’s desires have become the same as yours and then this way I forgotten myself. And Srila Govinda Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj in one of his books in he said, this is die to live, if you want to find some scriptural evidence for die to live you can use this line from Sharanagati that when your heart’s desire becomes the same as the Lord’s as your Gurudev then you’ve really died to live.
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[Kirttan]
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Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj: Leader, our leader Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, he is arranging everything here you’re looking. It is not necessary to tell, the first-time request for Bengali portion Acharya Maharaj tell in Bengali, he can speak English he is highly qualified and I choice, I choose in him as next Acharya of this Math. Jay!
Anyhow…
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[Bengali] (All of you should unitedly procced under his guidance, serve under him faithfully and love him. His love for Math is his greatest quality. That the Math should not lose even one inch of its land, even one inch of its property, he is continuously working towards this end. I am now asking him to speak Hari-katha as my representative.)
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Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj: [Bengali] (I don’t have any qualification to speak in front of the lotus feet of my Gurudev. Yet Gurudev has instructed me to speak something so I have to follow his instructions. First, I pay my prostrated obeisances to the lotus feet of our Gurudev Om Visnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. I pray for him to give me the ability to serve his lotus feet and I beg for his causeless mercy… After that our Guru-varga, all my Godbrothers, all mothers I pay my dandavat-pranams to their lotus feet. I have already told that Gurudev is tolerating me and showing much affection to me… I have given him so many troubles and disturbances but he has been tolerating. On this day especially I don’t have any qualification to offer puspanjali [flower offerings]. If Gurudev hadn’t appeared on this day, we would still be in that filthy swamp [of the material world]. We would have been in some jungle, but he pulled us out and engaged us in the service of the Supreme Lord. He is the personal associate of the Supreme Lord and he has come to speak about the Supreme Lord. He wants to take us to his home but our misfortunate, especially my misfortune, is that I have desire for bhukti [enjoyment], mukti [liberation], and siddhi [yogic perfection]. In the same way that utensils are lying on the ground and we utilize them in the service of the Lord in the same way Gurudev uses us in the service of the Supreme Lord and puts us in the mandap [temple-room].
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Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj: Jay Sripad Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay! Math secretary, Math management. (After me, all you should continue as his followers. Everyone makes mistakes, but I very rarely see anyone with a sincere, heartfelt service mood like him. The type of profound vision and attentive care he has for every matter cannot be seen anywhere. I pray the Lord will bring him all goodness and auspiciousness.)
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Sripad Mahananda Prabhu (Srila Bhakti Ranjan Madhusudan Maharaj): An Srila Govinda Maharaj in his very last days and earlier too but in his very last days said that I want to do as Guru Maharaj did with me, that I will give all charged to one person and he will oversee everything and it will run under his care and charge. And many of us are of course witness to that firsthand but we also see this reflected very much in the mood and the expressions of the assembled Vaishnavas here today who are all seeing Acharya Maharaj he is the captain of the ship of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and this ship. This ship is a large ship and it is has its spread all over the world and Srila Gurudev did indeed repeatedly point out the guardianship of our sannyasi section and specifically four names he repeated to me on different occasions and the different times he said one time to Srutasrava Prabhu [Sripad Bhakti Saran Vaishnav Maharaj] you are the witness of what I am saying like this and he pointed out Sripad Goswami Maharaj in particular, Sripad Janardan Maharaj in particular, Sripad Ashram Maharaj in particular, and Sripad Avadhut Maharaj in particular.
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Srila Bhakti Sudhir Goswami Maharaj: Also Mahananda Prabhu...
Sripad Mahananda Prabhu (Srila Bhakti Ranjan Madhusudan Maharaj): And Srila Guru Maharaj he asked me to be here to be Srila Govinda Maharaj secretary and to take care of the Western world in the correspondence sense back in 1987 at his Vyasa-puja. And Srila Govinda Maharaj also recently by his grace he asked that I will continue in this kind of capacity for Sripad Acharya Maharaj and for the service in service to the rest of the world. So but I’m saying this only in absolute humility because in order to be able to do this it is also very necessary to have the blessings and the gracious glance of everyone. And I am a spokesman for the fallen for the fallen soul section to represent them and we are here needing guidance the ship of Chaitanya Saraswat Math needs a captain it is very clear from Srila Gurudev’s full expressions that Sripad now Srila Acharya Maharaj is that a captain of the ship and all of the devotees, sannyasi devotees, the different devotees of different categories we are all fully surrendered to Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj and we all given our absolute allegiance knowing his wish to Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj.
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Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj: So actually Mahananda Prabhu who said something that I’m the captain but I do not know how to run the ship, but I have some hope Gurudev also taking my steering he will run the ship and all my expert the who knows the machinery worked like Avadhut Maharaj, like Goswami Maharaj and even some Gurudev told you are thinking all sannyasi, Bhakti Vinod Thakur came here, came here ... like dandavat from here, like many household devotees like ... Aravinda Lochan [Prabhu], Jagadananda Prabhu, Pusta Krishna Prabhu, like many, many…
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Gurudev told even Prime Minister came we’ll pay ... to him and that same Prime Minister is going to his own house and his wife ... “Why you came too late?” Like that kind of ... I asked him how system is ... that Prime Minister it ... he will arrested then Prime Minister when his wife slapping him no can arrest her. Like this Gurudev is telling like this, this is ... devotee we have some internal relationships like this sometimes it has been sometimes affection sometimes like this that it is all family. Sometimes we are having we have to take ... we have to give ... like this way these are family but we have to tolerate ... a family then something is else ...
Jay Om Visnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay!
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Sripad Bhakti Kamal Tyagi Maharaj: So when we see this perfect example when we have this giant you know rebar concrete testament to the you could say the emerged desire of Srila Acharya Maharaj and Srila Govinda Maharaj of this souls you know heartfelt inspiration to serve and the necessity of service expressed by his master by the Lord in his form of Guru. Then we can say this is miraculous this is perfection this is an expression of divine reality itself that this is made of not you know concrete and rebar but chintamani wish-fulfilling spiritual gems jewels energy. Because it’s an expression from that it’s a… it’s a manifestation that has its origin in pure spiritual consciousness and devotion itself and thereby you know it stands as a testament and a beacon for all the illusion souls of this world to inspire them to surrender and inspire them to appreciate the essence of what the Lord has in store for us all.
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[Kirttan]
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Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj:
mukaṁ karoti vāchālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat kṛpā tam aham vande śrī guru dīna-tāraṇam[2]
[…]
[Kirttan]
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Sripad Bhakti Niskama Shanta Maharaj: ... these great personalities and ... and try to please them by our whole energy, our energy is not coming from us it is coming from Lord. So we ... please ... came with that message from him directly and help us with that instructions with that guidance ... for our good we can follow them, we should not ... of our mind, we should be disciple of our Gurudev.
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duṣṭa mana[3] is not good.
bhaja re bhaja re āmār mana ati manda…[4]
So my mind is so bad let me do some bhagan, and what is bhagan? Bhagan means following Guru and Vaishnav, that is bhagan. So that we can do then Govinda Maharaj will be very happy he’s testing us, testing our faith that how much faith we have on his order and his instructions then you know if somebody has strong faith then they will remain and others will simply no go in the strong, the Maya is very strong. It can take anybody at any time we don’t know right great, great personalities we see in the history they’re teaching us from their life that don’t be so loose, this world is dangerous, don’t try to follow your samskar. Koti samskar with the sort of knowledge that we are receiving by associating with devotees Vaishnavas so we our bad habit on earth us we can leave and try to please, you know, our Gurudev Govinda Maharaj will be very happy if he all can try to serve Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj. And by that following our mission can expand and flurries and this divine message can spread more extensive way this is the only way and no other way we can manufacture ourselves. So we try to follow that and that is the best way of glorifying Srila Govinda Maharaj you see this temple how it came so quickly? See the miracle.
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Sadhu Priya Prabhu: This beautiful white Samadhi-mandir is manifest.
Jagadananda Prabhu: And how beautiful, you know, how amazing, yeah. So white so spotless, Nirmala, no spots, no imperfections.
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Sripad Bhakti Niskama Shanta Maharaj: This is the miracle of Govinda Maharaj instruction follow Acharya Maharaj and Acharya Maharaj made it manifest. He’s engaged in so many other things they want to distract him in so many ways but still he could make it manifest. He not stopped any of his service you know his life is maybe certain so many things are happening but is not sitting silent. So he is teaching you know our service is important don’t afraid to risk your life for the satisfaction of Guru even. He says still last drop of my blood is there I will serve my Gurudev this about Acharya Maharaj again and again saying and this what we should also follow you know with dedication don’t afraid in different situations. That is the main thing we not try to do your service and you know whatever Acharya Maharaj is telling, you know, maybe he’s different person, Govinda Maharaj is a different person, Acharya Maharaj is different person, Srila Sridhar Maharaj is different person.
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He cannot say that in our same person I want ... Sridhar Maharaj was what type of person same that type of person should be Govinda Maharaj we can’t say like that. They are different persons but still that’s Sridhar Maharaj is manifesting through Govinda Maharaj. And the same Govinda Maharaj is manifesting through Acharya Maharaj. But we have to see that now we cannot say you know in ... if kirtan or in terms of ... speaking we cannot compare, you know. So that’s why, you know, it is transition is little difficult, you know, some people they, you know, personally wants to compare so that type of thing, you know, sometime create some doubts, what if you see, you know, if we associate and try to serve him we can realize the same is there what Govinda Maharaj was giving the same message there with Srila Acharya Maharaj. And if you can try to please him, I think Govinda Maharaj will be very happy. And that is what we all should try that’s what I can say. Hare Krishna.
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vāñchhā-kalpatarubhyaś cha kṛpā-sindhubhya eva cha
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo…[5]
[Kirttan]
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Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj: ...What does Gurudev came his full feeling Guru Maharaj’s desire and now ... his disciples, Gurudev’s disciples we have to fulfill his desire to together. ...Sridhar Maharaj told also:
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[Bengali]
[It’s] means if you on a stick some somebody can break this stick, and ten sticks together cannot break. If some work is it is not sufficient for on man what is together, we can easily can do that service. The work is not it is one man is very big but ten man can do then we really can do.
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[Bengali]
Somebody cannot carry ... too much bother for one man but if ... divide then easily can go ... Gurudev gave this responsibility … mission it ... mission all over the world if we together we can service, we can take this responsibility everybody to that dividedly then easily we can fulfill google desire. Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay!
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Sripad Bhakti Kamal Tyagi Maharaj: We feel fully enthusiastic to be here under the guidance of Srila Acharya Maharaj witnessing the miraculous fulfillment of our Gurudev’s desire and it gives us really if it doesn’t give us full enthusiasm and confidence to proceed then we haven’t perceived what’s happened. You know as we mentioned the other day, you know:
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āmāra prabhura prabhu śrī gaurasundara
e baḍa bharasā chitte dhari nirantara[6]
Vrindavan Das Thakur says, you know, “My Lord is Nityananda Prabhu. His Lord is Mahaprabhu. And with that connection, with Nityananda Prabhu’s connection I have unlimited total resolute conviction in faith to proceed and I, and I hold that as the most fundamental and like necessary thing in my life and in my existence that’s the most I’m riveted to that more so than any other notion place thing or noun of any sort in this world.” So if we can see that under the guidance of Srila Acharya Maharaj the desires of Srila Govinda Maharaj are being miraculously gloriously fulfilled, then we can say you know that under his shelter our connection with Srila Govinda Maharaj is how we can have full reliance on that, we can have full faith in that and we can we can firmly you know rivet that within the core of our hearts.
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And if we don’t do that we’re cheating ourselves we you know allowing doubt suspicion illusion and all the permutation effects of Maya which the only what is the you could say define Maya? Maya means anything that somehow leaves you in a condition of non-resolute unenthusiasm, lack of enthusiasm. That’s Maya if you’re not dancing in ecstasy chanting the Name of the Lord with full faith in your association in Guru you’re under the influence of Maya. You know:
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[Bengali]
How long are you going to stay like that it’s not, it’s not a problem with the environment, the problem is you, it’s necessary for you to appreciate and recognize the grace of the Lord as it’s already been extended to you. We can say that about our community about our mission, about those who have a connection with our Guru-varga that is true and if someone doesn’t feel it to be true then that’s they have the necessity of coming to appreciate that through prayer and through obtaining proper association. So we have no excuse no reason not to have full enthusiasm not with heartfelt joy and love chant the name of Nityananda Prabhu and serve Nityananda Prabhu under the guidance of Srila Acharya Maharaj, under the guidance of the Vaishnavas in our community if we’re not sweating bleeding dancing and becoming tired due to having so much enthusiasm for doing this we’re not getting it. And you know we’re lacking in the situation so my prayer to anyone who’s watching this is to please accept these things please take them seriously, please don’t waste any more time with any lackluster degree of faith. You know Nityananda Prabhu festival is where you will get faith, so please faithfully proceed in your spiritual life and you will taste the result of that. And you will also become Nityananda in the sentence not in mayavad sense but in the sense that you will also be perpetually enthusiastic in joyful in your life in your next life and for eternity it’s real.
Captured by Ananta Krishna Das
Edited by Tradish Das