05/13/98 - 1796

101st Vyasa Puja for Srimad BP Puri Goswami Maharaj

USA (VNN) - BPH

Most Respected Maharaja's and Prabhu's, We are soliciting conceptual essays for the volume 101st Vyasa Puja for Srimad BP Puri Goswami Maharaj; non-standard offerings which converge on the subject of who is BP Puri Maharaj, His contribution to the Gaudiya Mission, to the WVA, to the Sampradaya and/or to the conditioned souls. I thought the following essay might shed some light on what we are looking for. It just came from Santa Maharaj - absolutely beautiful! The offerings must be in to this email (isevperu@amauta.rcp.net.pe) no later than May 20.


Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah

My Humble prostrate obeisances to my Shiksha Guru Parivrajakacharya Tridandi Swami Sri Srimad Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj on his 101st Advent Anniversary.

Respected Gentlemen and disciples of the Venerable Puri Goswami Maharaj;

Most humbly do I submit before you that on this auspicious day, we are moved by those who have come in contact with the grace of Sripad BP Puri Goswami Maharaj and are blessed with boundless fortune. His absence equally pains us. This is high time to convey our deliberation upon this:

Happiness and sorrow arise in material life when our physical wants are not materialized to comply with our satisfaction which is orbiting around the sufficient aplomb of our material lookout. But often there are a few personalities from time to time who are above and outof such boundary of physical satisfaction. They appear on this planet to lead us to the path of divine peace. They are unlike so-called human beings. The shastras [scriptures] identify them as "Gurus". The characteristics of such personalities can only be scrutinized by reference to appropriate scriptures and its heart-felt explanations:

tasmad guru prapadyeta
jijnasuh shreya uttamam
shabde pare cha nishnatam
brahmanupa shamashrayam

"If we are genuinely eager to realize the "Divine"-that is the God-we have to humbly approach a spiritual preceptor, Sri Gurupadpadma, to know about Him. Such a Gurudeva or a preceptor is well established in "shabda-brahman" and "parabrahman"." Such Personalities are rare in this vast world. But our Puri Goswami Maharaj is the one with such qualities. The ideas of the two brahmas - shabda and para - are unknown to the Earthly world. We are surprised how sound can become brahman. But the identification of this world of living and non-living beings is done by sound only. Material sound identifies material objects but the transcendental sound has no material manifestation. It is Brahman on the ultimate spiritual truth. Sri Gurudeva appears on Earth as per the will and direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is energizing Himself in the fountainhead of the "Shabda-brahman". He brings with him the Grace of God through which he teaches the Reality of Transcendental Sound to this material world. God is beyond the reach of our material senses. Thus, to know Him, one has to transcend the limitation of our Earthly senses. Such genuine effort becomes fruitful only with the Grace of a spiritual preceptor. The advent of venerable Puri Goswami Maharaj has taken place to fulfill this purpose. I am blessed with the honour of living in close contact with him from my very childhood. He was born in a renowned family. He learned as well. He received the grace of the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thuakur because it was destined that he could enable others to understand God and become prepared to receive His Grace. Srila Prabhupada is also my spiritual preceptor. Ir is not enough to call someone "Guru". The devotee has to know his spiritual divine qualities. Once he understands his preceptor's position and true form in the spiritual world, his devotion to his Guru will be firmly established. This will lead to an "attitude of service."


All these are a matter of realization.

Apparently there is no shortage of teachers in this world. Our basic instinct draws our attention towards the Earthy feelings "Maya" here because our face is turned away from the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. We are often duped and fall into fully usurping our interest in this material world. If we are lucky enough to receive the grace of a true spiritual preceptor, we chance to realize the importance of "Guru-Vaishnava-Bhagavan" or the forms of the true teacher, real devotee and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His presence in the life of a true devotee will help him to overcome the "maya" - illusion. It is the veil of ignorance which separates us from the Godhead. This veil has both gross and fine characteristics. Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita explains why the essentially self-revealing and effulgent Godhead becomes covered and unknown to us:

krishnabirmukha haiya bhogbanch kare
ni katasthe maya tare japatiya dhare
pishathi paile yena matichhanna hoi
maya grastha jiber hoi se bhave uday
CC

gurabah bahavah santi shisya-bittapa-harakah
durlabhah sadgururdevi shishye-santapa-harakah
[excerpts from the Puranas]

"Santapaharana" means to relieve one from the pains of unhappiness and sorrow. Only Guru has such capacity. "Sarva-sanshaya-sanchhetah-anahlaso-gururahrita" means he has the power to clarify all the questions and doubts of the devotees. The scriptures prescribe that one must first seek the grace of a spiritual preceptor before seeking the shelter of Godhead. Following "Sri Hari Bhakti Bilasa" the basic qualities of a Guru is:

kripasindhuh susampurnah sarva-sattah-upakarakah
nisprihah sarvatah siddhah sarva-vidya visharadah
sarva samsaya samchhetah-anahlaso-gururahrita

"We are unable to measure the vastness of the sea. Even if we are able to do this, we never meaasure the greatness of "Grace". Therefore, such gift is comparable. A beggar cannot give anything to others but a rich man can. The "Guru" who is endowed with the Godhead's power of Grace can shower us with Grace. If we want to cross the ocean of "maya", we need a true spiritual preceptor to hold on to the fragile oars of this fragile boat called the body. Then there would be nothing impossible. The Guru is to "Susampurnah" which means he is full of "su". The subject "su" is nothing but the Godhead. Godhead is the finest Supreme Being-udgata tame yashmad sa eva uttama. "His All-Encompassing fullness cannot be gauged by the human intellect which is bound within the materialistic lookout."

Purnasya purnamedaya purnameva avasisvate
Invocation, Sri Ishopanishad

"If we take away infinite from infinite, the infinite still remains. The Godhead with such infinite qualities is very much capable of bestowing devotional service and ultimate realization to the conditioned souls. Gurudeva is unperturbed; he is adept and his actions are all beneficial to every living entity. Sriman Mahaprabhu says,

pashupakshi kita adi balite na pare
sunileo hariname tara sabe tare

"The Animal Kingdom cannot talk but even if they hear the Lord's chanting of "Harinama" they are immediately released from the bondage of "maya".

It is heartening to us that Sripad Puri Goswami Maharaj has all the divine qualities of "Sri Guru" herein described so far. The practices which are followed by a true spiritual preceptor are all followed by him unfailingly.

apani athare dharma jibere sikhaya
apani na kaile dharma sikhana na jaye

"There is always an existence of Sripada Puri Maharaj pang of separation-even when we get him close at hand we are apprehensive of losing him. If he is away, his absence pains us. These are similar to the feelings of Srimati Brishabhanu-nandini Radharani which have been conveyed to us through the Vaishnava spiritual lineage. If Sripad Puri Maharaj leaves us it will be a great loss to everyone. But if we are to follow his ideals, peace would be ours.

Our loving Hrishikesh Maharaj of Singapore who is a sannyasi disciple of Puri Maharaj requested that I write a few words on Puri Maharaj. If the devotees get some pleasure out of reading this, it will be a great pleasure to me and I would consider my effort successful.

In the end, I am offering my prostrate obeisances once again to his lotus feet and seeking his unalloyed blessings. I am now eighty-five years. He brought me to the Math. I do not know whether or not I have been able to do justice to his devotional activities. But I have His Divine Grace-the Grace of a Real Preceptor. What can I offer him other than a handful of flowers at His Lotus Feet? I only pray to Him to bless me so that, until the last breath, I can perform the devotional activities with the intention of seeking the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Hence, I lay down my pen.

The Lowest of the Servants,
Sri Bhakti Kumud Shanta

Tridandi Swami Bhakti Kumud Santa Maharaj
Founder-Acharya
Shri Chaitanya Ashram
23, Bhupen Roy Road
Behala, Calcutta 700 034
Telephone [91][33] 468 7866