Having known Sripada Bon Maharaja since 1990 when I first came to Sri Kesabji Gaudiya Matha in Mathura, I have seen him “grow up” in Krsna Consciousness. But there have been things I have noted about him that have not changed much: his fixed sense of humility. As long as I have known him, he has been serving Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja in his own humble, unassuming way. He would hardly be seen around the Math, always out preaching around Mathura to different devotee families. But he was always back in time for Srila Narayana Maharaja’s nectarean evening lectures. One of our most respected of elderly Vaisnavis, Uma Didi, once said that “Subala Sakha Prabhu (the name given by Gurudeva) always tries to give exactly what Maharaja was giving…he is the most honest and true to Gurudeva’s words…” So, when he came to America for the first time, it was a severe test for him, with his Indian English and all. But he has been protected by his humility to present the siddhanta in a true way; he is protected by his simplicity in that way.

I was touched by his internal absorbtion and humility when in Nirguna Prabhu’s house, he turned to the alter and looked at a picture of Puyjapada Srila Bhakti Raksaksa Sridhara Maharaja and remarked, “Oh, puyjapada Sridhara Maharaja… I remember in the early days when I went to see him. Between his sentences, he always would say ‘Gaura, Gaura, Gaura, Gaura. He would not let a moment go by without saying Gaura…” By this innocent remark, I noted his real humility, his true appreciation of Vaisnavas.

I remember I had that feeling also with Srila Narayana Maharaja when I also first met him. I was inquiring about any conflicting differences in their Matha and Srila Sridhara Maharaja. At that time Maharaja remarked, “Swami Maharaja, Sridhara Maharaja, I am not on their level…They are so high…” And he said it very humbly, honestly feeling the greatness of other Vaisnavas. Always feeling himself lower.

Das Gosvami’s Sound Advice

Sometimes we may look at a Vaisnava’s knowledge of scripture, his high Indian birth, or whatever, but I always look intensely for the humility of the Vaisnava. Without humility, he is not really a Vaisnava. He is a servant of the servant of the servant always, ready to sincerely serve all other Vaisnavas, irregardless of society or country or position. Srila Raghunatha Das Gosvami, one of our chaya-guru siksa-gurus, says in his first sloka of Manah Siksa:  

gurau gosthe gosthalayisu sujane bhusura-gane
sva-mantre sri-namni vraja-nava-yuva-dvandva-sarane
sada dambha hitva kuru ratim apurvam atitara-
maye svantar bhratas catubhir abhiyace dhrta-padah

“Gurudeva (diksa & siksa), Vraja-vana, Vrajavasis, Suddha-bhaktas, Vipras, ista-mantra (Gayatri mantras), and harinama, and always eager to serve the Divine Couple, Sri Radha-Govinda” are the eight tattvas of deep absorbtion for us to always honor and to keep pride at bay. This is the smara asta-tattva, mana, the eight tattvas or divine truths, we all should hold close to our hearts and always remember without pride. By giving up our pride and serving these, then Sraddhadevi can give us everything, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has explained, regarding this particular verse.

It is difficult to give up our pride, no doubt. We have been conditioned since time immemorial to think we are number one, we should be the first for everything…we are very advanced…we are big acaryas, and so on. Even from our low positions, it is a sense of pride to try to think we know what humility is…It is the last snare of maya. For this very reason, we desperately need the association of higher Vaisnavas who live and breathe this quality.

There are many things one can learn from listening to Sripada B.V. Bon Maharaja. His honest and candor way of speaking has been a moving experience for devotees in New Vraja (Badger) the last few days. At the beginning of each pravacana, spiritual discourse, he would always sing a song by Sri Narahari Thakura about Gauranga…Gaura Mana Re…and Bon Maharaja would say,”Ok, maybe, one can not come for Kartick. Long time. And money short. But you must come to Nabadvipa Parikrama!” And how he humbly mentioned his experience of learning how to chant bhajans: “Oh, my voice is like Gada, donkey, but Gurudeva forced me to chant…” and sukrti, “Gurudeva said, I am your sukrti…” and his wonderful stories of three Cupids in his explanation of Gayatri mantra, his analysis of Bilvamangala Thakura…

All in all, everyone has gathered hope from his humble efforts to preach. In the aftermath of a Kartick that has seen the divine and moving disappearance of Srila Trivikrama Maharaja, he has led the field into a new year of devotional inspirational. His preaching has set a solid ground for Srila Narayana Maharaja’s coming to the West, to Hawaii and America once again. We are thanking him and honoring him for keeping the Vaisnava spirit intense and high with new hope. And I was not at all surprised with some of his ending bhajans, “Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna Jaya Vrndavana / Rasika- mukuta-mani, Jaya Gopi-gana…Vrndavana Vilasini Radhe Radhe…Syamasundara, Madana-mohana, Vrndavana-candra…and then spontaneously he took the opportunity to stop some of his songs and speak in a Vrajaboli blessing then immediately continuing…Radhe Radhe Jaya Jaya Jaya Sri Radhe…reminiscent of what Srila Narottama Thakura’s kirtanas would have been like…”

Factual Humility is the Mature State of Prema

In Sri Brhad-Bhagavatamrta (Part Two, Chapter Five, Divine Love, 221-225) an amazing sequence of deeper definitions of humility are given by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

“That prema is far removed from the sadhanas of karma, jnana, and yoga, because no other sadhana can produce it. That prema is the very basis of humility. Scholars define humility as when a person, even though possessing all good qualities, considers himself to be completely unqualified, worthless, and unintelligent. Therefore, by his words, activities, and intelligence, it is the duty of a sadhaka to conduct himself to be completely unqualified, worthless, and unintelligent. Factual humility is the mature state of prema, and this state was exhibited by the Vraja-gopis when they were separated from Sri Krsna. And fully mature humility always increases one’s prema – therefore humility and prema are each other’s cause and effect. O Sakha! The real nature of prema is only known by premi devotees. Only when the heart is melted and when shivering and other symptoms of ecstatic love are manifest is there prema.”