śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ |
3rd Caitra, Friday—1334 |
[March 16, 1928]
Ahiṁsā Paramo Dharmaḥ
In ancient times, the karma-kāṇḍīya priests, becoming selfish, used to slaughter animals in various yajñas and rituals that were geared toward their own sense gratification. Their belief was that since there are allowances in scripture for the slaughter of animals, then animal slaughter can never been called a crime, or sinful activity. Many still believe this today. It is true that there are certain rituals in scripture that entail the killing of animals, but it is our duty to understand why these rituals were introduced! First it is important to recognize that the authors of scripture were not cruel. They had a truly egalitarian outlook. Their composition of scripture was for the welfare of living entities, so it was never cruelty they condoned when prescribing certain specific rituals involving the killing of animals. Now we should see what the purpose of the rituals were. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which as a whole is a determination of the true purport of the Vedas, says, “The conditioned soul bound by māyā naturally has a desire to satisfy the senses by enjoying with the opposite sex, partaking of intoxication, and killing animals, so these are not things the scripture is actively trying to promote. In order to restrain these proclivities, scripture prescribes giving up wanton illicit sexuality and instead forming a lawful relationship with the opposite sex; animal slaughter is prescribed for certain specific yajñas, as is the ritual inhalation of the scent of liquor.” Now look, scripture is only trying to restrain our natural proclivity for violence, but we take the words of scripture to mean the opposite. We use the scriptures as excuses to enjoy our senses.
The yuga-dharma during Tretā-yuga was yajña. In those times, worship of Bhagavān was performed by aśvamedha (horse sacrifice) and gomedha (cow sacrifice). The Ṛṣis of those times were so empowered that they could kill the sacrificial animal and rejuvenate it. However, now is Kali-yuga. The dharma for this age is only nāma-saṅkīrtana. We have deviated from religious practice and lost our spiritual prowess. Every intelligent person can understand to what extent it is proper to leave aside our yuga-dharma and strive for yajña, vrata, tapasyā, yoga, and other pursuits and imitate the ṛṣis of old. To liberate the living entities from entanglement in such violent activities, Buddhadeva, Bhagavān’s śaktyāveśa-avatāra, incarnated roughly 3000 years ago and preached the religious principles expressed in the Vedic statement “mā hiṁsāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni – Do not inflict violence unto any living being”. However, succeeding generations of Buddha’s followers could not understand the full purport of His teachings and became opposed to the Vedas. Anyhow, the proper purport of the Vedic statement preached by Buddhadeva is recorded in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as follows:
ahastāni sahastānām apadāni catuṣpadām |
phalguni tatra mahatāṁ jīvo jīvasya jīvanam ||
In other words, in this violent world, living beings are situated in cycles of mutual violence. Owing to the results of time and actions, the animals, who do not have hands, are fit to be killed by the humans, who do have hands. The grasses, which do not have feet, are eaten by the four-legged creatures. Larger creatures survive by eating smaller creatures. There is no way to survive on this Earth but through violence. The living entities entrenched in this hiṁsā-dharma, or cycle of violence, spend their lives quarrelling, killing, and decimating each other. The living entities can only be free of the cycles of violence by situating themselves in the service of Hari. There is no other way to gain deliverance from violence. Those who follow the Jains and are vegetarians think themselves to be nonviolent, but they have not actually escaped hiṁsā-dharma. Service to Bhagavān is the sole objective of ‘ahiṁsā parama dharma – the supreme religion of nonviolence’.
Paraśamaṇi
(Continued from previous issue)
The brāhmaṇa was very satisfied and, without delay, travelled to Vraja-dhāma. Nurturing great hopes in his heart, quietly tolerating all the troubles along the way, the vipra Jīvana finally arrived in Vṛndāvana at the feet of the greatly renounced niṣkiñcana paramahaṁsa, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī and, bowing before him, communicated his intentions. Śrīla Sanātana said, “I am a sannyāsī who dwells at the base of trees, lives only on begged alms, and wears nothing but a loincloth. Where am I supposed to obtain such wealth as to deliver you from poverty? You have come to me by mistake.” Hearing this, the brāhmaṇa was rather upset. As he started back, he was thinking, “I am so ill-fated that even Āśutoṣa cheated me. What is the point of carrying on in this spurned, worthless life?” He began thinking he would immediately go to the Yamunā and when no one was looking, just give up his life in its depths. As the brāhmaṇa was immersed in this ocean of woe, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī suddenly remembered something that had happened a few months back. He immediately got up and went after the dejected brāhmaṇa. Eventually he found the brāhmaṇa on the banks of the Yamunā and said, “Brāhmaṇa, Mahādeva did not deceive you. It was my mistake. Some time ago, while I was bathing in the Yamunā, I found a paraśamaṇi, but I figured I had no need for it, so I buried it in the sands of the Yamunā. Come brāhmaṇa, I will find it and give it to you. Once you have that, this forest fire of poverty that is burning you up will be extinguished forever.” Saying this, he searched for a while and found the gem where he had left it, gave it to the brāhmaṇa, and went back to where he had been sitting.
The brāhmaṇa tested the gem and saw that it really was a touchstone. This gem is truly capable of turning iron into gold just by its touch. The brāhmaṇa’s delight knew no bounds. In his imagination, he became the master of vast opulence and began relishing the luxuries of heaven. But suddenly another thought entered his mind and interrupted the giddy daydream he was having. The brāhmaṇa thought, “This is one of the rarest objects in the world and now that I have it I am floating in an ocean of bliss. But how astonishing is it that this sannyāsī, who is wearing nothing but torn strips of cloth, living on alms, and dwelling under trees, knew how wondrous this object is and yet was able to let go of it like it was just another rock. Who is this great personality, to whom a touchstone is insignificant, so trivial! He left it buried in the river sand and just forgot about it! A touchstone’s riches could easily put sovereignty of the Earth in the palm of one’s hand. How astonishing this is! Surely this sannyāsī is the master of some extraordinary gem, next to which sovereignty of the Earth or heaven seems utterly negligible. If I surrender to him, he can let me know what great gem that is.” Overwhelmed with such thoughts, the brāhmaṇa went back to Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī. He saw that the Gosvāmī’s serene face was shining brilliantly with the bliss of divine love as he sang Kṛṣṇa’s name. Understanding that this was his chance, the brāhmaṇa clasped the sannyāsī’s feet to his chest and petitioned him ever so humbly: “O master! Whatever treasure you have that made you throw away even a touchstone as if it were a lump of rock, kindly give some of that treasure to me.” Seeing the brāhmaṇa’s anguish, the Gosvāmī’s heart melted and he mercifully said to the brāhmaṇa, “If you really want to attain that great gem, then that touchstone you have, you cannot stay attached to it. Quickly go and throw it into the Yamunā and come back.” The brāhmaṇa followed his order with a resolute heart. Śrīla Sanātana saw that he was worthy and bestowed kṛṣṇa-mantra upon that brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa became overwhelmed with the bliss of prema and was delivered forever from all the sorrows of the world.
Have we been able to extract some essential teaching from this story? Though the brāhmaṇa Jīvana truly did come into possession of a touchstone, why did he let go of it? He did not really gain anything more valuable, so was he just deluded? If we think about this somewhat deeply and discuss the matter, we will be able to understand that the brāhmaṇa Jīvana did what a truly intelligent person would do. Jīvana could have alleviated his financial difficulties in this mundane world, but he had no control over birth, death, old age, disease, and grief in this life or the next. And there is no certainty that a paraśamaṇi will stay in the possession of a person all his life. Dacoits or anyone stronger than him can steal it at any time. Therefore, there is no chance that such an object can relieve us completely of sorrow. We can think of the tale of the Syamantaka gem in this regard. The brāhmaṇa Jīvana thought deeply about all these variables and surrendered at the feet of the penniless sannyāsī Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī. By that, by the grace of sādhu and guru, his eternal identity was revealed and he gradually became situated in service to Kṛṣṇa and attained supreme peace, supreme bliss. Real association of a sādhu is millions of times more valuable than a touchstone that begets gold.
sādhu-saṅga sādhu-saṅga sarva-śāstre kaya |
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅga sarva-siddhi haya ||
Phalgu o Yukta Vairāgya
(Continued from previous issue)
kāryam ityeva yat-karma niyataṁ kriyate ’rjuna | s
aṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalañcaiva sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ ||
In other words, one who does his prescribed duties and relinquishes attachment to those activities and their results engages in sāttvika renunciation.
Śrīla Rūpa-pāda has said:
prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi vastunaḥ mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate ||
śrī hari sevāya yāhā anukūla |
viṣaya boliyā tyāge haya bhūla ||
The purport of these verses is that all the objects of the world are connected to Śrī Hari. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the sole enjoyer. Every object is to be enjoyed by Him. Every living entity is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, at every moment, with all one’s senses, considering what is favourable and what is unfavourable, one must reject what is unfavourable and expertly utilize all that is favourable in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s service. This is the sole duty of every servant of Kṛṣṇa, every living entity. The jñānīs who hanker for liberation give up all these objects thinking them to be mundane or false and illusory. This sort of renunciation is phalgu, or dry renunciation.
phalgu vairāgīra mana sadā śuṣka rasahīna | nāma rūpa guṇa līlā nā haya samīcīna || – [The false renunciate’s mind is always dry, bereft of rasa. He does not discover the appeal of Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, qualities, and pastimes.]
Śrīla Rūpa has defined the term yukta-vairāgya thus:
anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ | n
irbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyaṁ ucyate ||
āsakti rahita sambandha sahita
viṣaya samūha sakali mādhava |
The purport of this is that becoming firmly established in sambandha-jñāna and accepting sense objects without detachment and as one requires is called yukta-vairāgya. When, by the grace of a bona fide guru, as the jīva realizes the identity of his soul, then—
mānasa deha geha jo kichu mora |
arpilūñ tuyā pade nanda kiśora ||
[Mind, body, home—all that is mine, I offer at Your feet, O son of Nanda.]
āmāra bolite prabhu āra kichu nāi |
tumi-i āmāra mātra pitā bandhu bhāi ||
[I have nothing left to call my own. You are my only father, friend, and brother.]
dhana jana gṛha dvāra tomāra boliyā |
rakṣā kari āmi mātra sevaka haiyā ||
[Wealth, followers, home, door are Yours. I guard them only as a servant.]
tomāra kāryera tore upārjibo dhana |
tomāra saṁsāra vyaya karibo vahana ||
[For Your works, I will earn wealth. I will carry the expense of Your household.]
bhālamanda nāhi jāni sevāmātra kari |
tomāra saṁsāra āmi viṣaya praharī ||
[I do not know good or bad. I only know service. I am just a guardian of Your property.]
In this way, when bhāva (mood) turns into svabhāva (nature), then there remains no engagement other than the constant service of Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s eternal associate, Śrīla Jagadānanda Ṭhākura has cautioned us in the following verses so that we do not make a mistake in understanding the meaning of ‘yathā-yogya – as one deserves, or requires’:
yathā-yogya ei śabda duṭīra marmārtha bujhelaha | kapaṭārtha lañā yena dehārāmī nā ha’ || śuddha-bhaktira anukūla kara aṅgīkāra | śuddha-bhakti pratikūla koro asvīkāra || deha-yātrāra upayogī nitānta prayojana | viṣaya svīkāra kari koro dehera rakṣaṇa ||
[Understand what yathā-yogyā means. If you are deceitful in how you understand these two words, you can become indulgent and lazy. Accept what is favourable for pure devotion. Reject what is unfavourable. Take only what you really need to survive. Accept the objects of the senses as far as you need in order to maintain your body.]
In this context, if we consult the lives of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s associates, we will find even more clarity on this matter. With our external perception, we find two types of examples among Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s devotees. On one side you have Ṭhākura Haridāsa, Śrīla Raghunātah Dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, etc., and on the other hand, you have Śrīvāsa Ācārya, Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda. All of them possess matchless vairāgya. Ṭhākura Haridāsa used to live in a small, secluded cave and chant three lakhs of harināma every day. He would maintain his life by begging alms from the homes of brāhmaṇas. Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, in Śrī Puruṣottama Kṣetra:
rātridina kare teñho nāma-saṅkīrtana |
kṣaṇamātra nāhi chāḍe prabhura caraṇa ||
parama vairāgya tā̃ra, nāhi bhakṣya paridhāna |
jaiche taiche āhāra kari rākhaye parāṇa |
daśa-daṇḍa rātri gele puṣpāñjali dekhiyā |
siṁha dvāre khāḍā haya āhāra lāgiyā ||
keho yadi deya, tabe karaye bhakṣaṇa |
kabhu upavāsa, kabhu karaye carvaṇa ||
[Day and night he performed nāma-saṅkīrtana and never left the Lord’s feet for even a moment. His renunciation was extreme. He had nothing to eat or wear. He survived on whatever little he came by. Four hours into the night, he would go to see the puṣpāñjali ceremony; then he would stand at the Lion Gate for some alms. If someone gave him something, then he ate. Sometimes he fasted, some times he ate.]
* * *
ananta raghunāthera guṇa ke karibe lekhā ? raghunāthera niyama yena pāṣāṇera rekhā || sāḍe sāta prahara jāya kīrtana smaraṇe | sabe cāri-daṇḍa āhāra nidrā kona dine || vairāgyera kathā tā̃ra adbhūta kathana | ājanma nā dilā jihvāya rasera sparśana || chiṇḍā kāni kā̃thā binā na parena vasana ||
[Infinite are Raghunātha’s glories. Who will write of them? His vows were like lines in stone. Seven and a half praharas (out of eight) he spent in kīrtana and smaraṇa. Then, on some days, for the last remaining four daṇḍas, he ate or slept. The tale of his renunciation is extraordinary. All his life he never allowed his tongue sense gratification and all he wore was some torn cloth and a patchwork quilt.]
Elsewhere we see:
prasādānna pasārira jata nā bikāya | dui tina dina haile bhāta saḍi’ jāya || siṁha dvāre gābhī-āge sei bhāta ḍāre | saḍā-gandha tailaṅgī-gāi khāite nā pāre || sei bhāta raghunātha rātrye ghare āni | bhāta dhuña phele ghare diyā bahu pāni | bhitarete daḍa bhāta māji’ jei pāya | lavaṇa diyā raghunātha sei anna khāya || [Whatever prasāda rice did not sell would rot after two or three days, so they would dump that rice in front of the cows at the Lion Gate. The Tailaṅgī cows could not eat the smelly, rotten rice. Raghunātha would take that rice home, wash it with a lot of water at home, and whatever kernels of he was left with after the profuse rinsing, he would eat with salt.]
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī dwelled at the bases of trees, and would not spend more than a single night below any one tree—‘eka eka vṛkṣera tale eka eka rātri śayana’. ‘Vipra gṛhe sthūla bhikṣā, kabhu mādhukarī – Sometimes they had full meals at the homes of brāhmaṇas; otherwise they subsisted on small amounts of alms.’ They lived on dry rotis and dry chickpeas. All they carried was a waterpot in hand and some torn fabric to cover themselves. Throughout the eight periods of the day, they spoke of Kṛṣṇa, chanted Kṛṣṇa’s name, and danced exuberantly. They only spent four daṇḍas maximum in eating and sleeping. And some days, they did not make time for even that.
On the other side, you have the enactment of household life by Śrīvāsa Ācārya, in which you see the example of Śrī Bhagavān tending to all the needs of a one-pointed devotee. Ācārya Śrīvāsa had a large family, but he did not want to go begging at anyone’s door to maintain his livelihood. He had firm conviction that whatever he was destined to have he would come by somehow or other. His vow was that if he fasted for three days and still did not come by any food, then he would weight himself down and jump into the Gaṅgā rather than beg at anyone’s door. Hearing this, Śrīman Mahāprabhu said, “Even if Lakṣmī-devī has to go begging, there will never be poverty in Śrīvāsa’s home. He recounted the promise of Gītā and said:
“ye ye jane cinte’ more ananya haiyā |
tāre bhakṣya deñ muñi māthāya bahiyā || yei more cinte’, nāhi jāya kāro dvāra | āpane āsiyā sarva-siddhi mile tāre || – [For one who meditates on Me exclusively, I fetch for him whatever he needs to eat and carry it on My head to deliver it to him. One who thinks only of Me and does not go to anyone’s door finds that all he needs comes to him on its own accord.”]
——
Vallabha Digvijaya
Thereafter, Bhagavān, who is the personification of affection for His devotees, was overcome with love and accepted His devotee’s humble worship. Then He asked him to accept a boon. However, having received the Lord’s mercy, Yajña Nārāyaṇa had given up all material desires, so when he did not ask for anything, Bhagavān Himself said, “Your desires have been fulfilled. To broadcast the enormity of your pristine glory, after the performance of a hundred soma-yāgas, I will appear in your dynasty to safeguard true religion.” Having lovingly bestowed this boon, Bhagavān disappeared from the fire. This story was recorded by this exalted personality himself at the end of a book he wrote entitled “Sat-kriyā”.
[He writes:] “Bhagavān Śrī Hari’s every limb is wrought from mantra, ṛtvika, yajamāna, devatā, kāla, and yajña. In other words, these are His limbs. It was this Lord Śrī Hari who appeared before my eyes. For the pleasure of the salaried workers of this yajña, I offer this, the explanation of my own household codex, which is comprised of ancient Vedic tradition, at the Lord’s lotus feet.”
This Yajña Nārāyaṇa had a son named Gaṅgādhara, who was also a soma priest. This son was endowed with all auspicious, magnanimous qualities. He had unequalled excellence or expertise in all branches of learning and studied the Vedas and Vedānta as ordained by tradition. From a scriptural perspective, he was trinayana (“three-eyed”). The water offered lovingly to wash the lotus feet of Śrī Hari, his heart which was deeply, lovingly attached to the Lord, and his repeated performance of yajña had purified his being.
(to be continued)
To the Residents of the Dhāma
Where Svayaṁ Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is nondifferent from Vrajendra-nandana, appeared, that Navadvīpa is not a mundane place, an ordinary part of the material world fit to be enjoyed by jīvas. It is eternal, pure, fully liberated, and nondifferent from Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana. Only exalted personalities who have transcendental perception, who know dhāma-tattva, and are adept in bhajana perceive the transcendence of each and every particle of the Dhāma’s dust and roll in that dust, crying out “Hā Gaura! Ha Nityānanda!” in ecstatic anguish. Even very stonehearted persons cannot restrain their tears when they witness their piteous weeping. But alas! How many hundreds of thousands of time harder are our hearts. We have the audacity to say we are ‘Nadīyā-vāsīs’, indigenous residents of that transcendental abode, yet the piteous crying of these exalted souls does not melt our hearts in the slightest. Instead, their expressions of divine love rising as the eight ecstatic symptoms simply cause us to laugh! How glorious is our residence in the Dhāma! Not knowing dhāma-tattva, making offenses at the feet of genuine dhāma-vāsīs, every day we proceed along a path to some fearsome hell, but we do not even once think of that or see what is happening. Recalling the ancient glory of a Nadīyā that was swept up in the flood of nāma-saṅkīrtana during Mahāprabhu’s manifest presence and seeing the present so-called residents of Nadīyā, we the shame of Nadīyā—seeing our deplorable state and overcome with worry due to it, those exalted souls are weeping profusely. We are heartless, deaf, absorbed in petty village affairs, acting like evil witches in regard to money, bereft of our connection with Kṛṣṇa, jealous of others’ success, and lacking good fortune. Will their anguished message not resonate even a little in our hearts?
The hari-kīrtana-averse māyāvādīs, sophists, their students, and various pāṣaṇḍī miscreants once opposed that kīrtana but ultimately became maddened in the bliss of it. Humans young, old, and inbetween, as well as animals, birds, insects, and worms from the oceans to the Himālayas were swept away in the flood of that saṅkīrtana. Gaurasundara gave everyone equal qualification to participate in that kīrtana regardless of high or low social status, regardless of one’s caste or station in life, regardless of whether one was poor or rich, a king or citizen. Today, we Nadīya-vāsīs have no enthusiasm for that hari-saṅkīrtana. We are all preoccupied with our bodies and minds, engaged in following the evil directives of lust, anger, greed, arrogance, and envy. Rather than trying to perform kīrtana of Kṛṣṇa and topics related to Kṛṣṇa, we are obsessed with trying to enjoy Kṛṣṇa and His relations. We are engrossed in enjoying the Dhāma rather than serving it. Fie on our residence in the Dhāma! Fie on it a hundred times.
The exalted souls do not even see the śvapaca (dog-eater tribes) who live in the Dhāma as śvapaca and instead honor them as native inhabitants of the transcendental Dhāma. They beg alms from their houses. Uddhava and other devotees offer prostrated obeisance to the trees, creepers, and shrubs of the Dhāma. In the vision of these exalted souls, the animals, birds, insects, and worms of the Dhāma give up their mutual animosity and are engaged in kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. We, the so-called residents of the Dhāma, however, are constantly compelled by envy, unable to tolerate the happiness of others. We have taken falsity to be truth and risen up to propagate the falsehood. Failing to serve truth ourselves, we are killing our souls and, at the same time, turning others away from the truth, implicating ourselves in a fearsome, violent, and animalistic cycle of behaviour.
Who knows what fearsome, dreadful fate awaits on the other side of the veil of our lives, or even within these very lives? Transgressing the path of the mahājanas creates such enormous impediments that are even beyond man’s capacity to imagine. There is only one recourse. Even now we have a chance. We must relinquish all deceit and offer our souls at Nityānanda’s lotus feet with utter simplicity. We must verbally acknowledge all of the offenses we have committed and vow never to commit them again. We must then pray for forgiveness. If we do that, then the Lord of Mercy, Nityānanda will kindly pull us to His fearless lotus feet. Otherwise we will sink into the ocean of endless anarthas and achieve nothing but the everlasting ruin of our souls! So beware saintly persons!
Nānā Kathā | Various Topics
Doctor Kāṣṭukuli Śaṅkarācārya, who has just recently initiated Miss Miller into Hindu religion, says two centuries prior to the birth of Christ, a Greek gentleman named Heliodorus adopted Hindu-dharma and referred to himself as a bhakta. He had constructed a Garuḍa-dhvaja temple. It is possible that this bhakta was a disciple of a sannyāsī in the Tridaṇḍī Viṣṇusvāmī Sampradāya, and had thus become a sāmpradāyika Vaiṣṇava. There is need for special research and discussion in regard to this. Perhaps this may surprise those who pay no heed to actual history and say that Vaiṣṇava-dharma originated from Christianity. When Sarvajña Viṣṇusvāmī was standing in opposition of Buddhism and busying himself with enlarging the propagation of Vaiṣṇava-dharma, it was roughly 250 years prior to the birth of the hero of Jerusalem. By the power of bhakti-yoga, Jesus gleaned the ancient memory of the dharma Viṣṇusvāmī had taught. It is through Jesus’ followers, however, that various corruptions of these traditions were given the opportunity to spread throughout Western countries.
News has arrived from Kurukṣetra Śrī Vyāsa Gauḍīya Maṭha that the building for Śrī Vyāsa Gauḍīya Maṭha needs to be built before this upcoming Kārtika month. All the inhabitants of the area are eager to have the maṭha building completed very soon. Our request is that the acting members of Śrī Viśva Vaiṣṇava Rāja Sabhā engage special efforts in fulfilling this ambition.
There is an elevated area near Brahma-sara that belongs to the Gujara-wala mahānta. He has proposed to give that site for the construction of Śrī Vyāsa Gauḍīya Maṭha. Another person, a Sardar Sahib from Punjab, is ready to provide land close to Gītā Bhavan. One generous Delhi native has also promised to come in a week’s time and donate a plot for a ṛṣikūla [school?]. Therefore, there should not be any delay in making arrangements to swiftly build a maṭha there. The gopīs once manifested vipralambha-līlā (pastimes of separation) at the nearby lake, and readers may recall description of how Śrī Gaurasundara, following the mood of the gopīs, reiterated the expression of that pastime while living in Nīlācala.
The renowned national hero, Śrīyukta Madana-mohana Mālavya wrote the sampādaka-mahāśaya of the Gauḍīya Maṭha the following letter from Delhi on February 29:
I would like convey my thanks for all the Gauḍīya Maṭha papers that have been sent to me. I am supremely satisfied to see the systematic and formal approach you are taking to the dissemination of bhagavad-bhakti. May your ambitions quickly be fulfilled. That is my prayer.
Yours sincerely,
Śrī Madana-mohana Mālavya
On March 12, in the early morning, a terrible fire broke out in Rangoon’s Kotatanga. Two wood mills, one engineering factory, and four homes were burnt in the blaze. One of the homes was partially saved. Reports state that losses are an estimated one and a half lakh.
Reports from Begura, March 11, state that there was a meeting of Hindus and Muslims at Al Tafanessa Park under the chairmanship of Śrīyuta Vaidyanātha Sānyāla Mahāśaya. The proposal of the boycott of British goods was accepted at the meeting.
There are reports of two dreadful earthquakes occuring at a place called Nebandan in the Sistan region of Iran. Thousands of homes have been mostly destroyed. Many people had stayed awake at night in observance of Ramadan. That is why not so many people were killed. Only four people died and one suffered life-threatening injuries. The inhabitants are currently terrified and living outside the city.
News of six alarming deaths has come from Muzaffarpur in reports from March 8. A family’s three children were playing in Kalyani. Childish foolishness led them to enclose themselves in a wooden box in a sawmill go-down. What happened was that one of the three children had already thrown a lit match into the box. In a moment, the box caught fire. One of the children died on the spot. The other two were rushed to hospital and died there.
The fourth death occurred due to falling from the roof of a building, the fifth was due to being run over by a car, and the sixth was due to being gored by a bull.
Last Tuesday morning, a Nepali was running through Park Street with a blood-soaked kukri knife in hand. Another Nepali, with blood gushing from his hand, was running after him. Seeing them running, a crowd quickly gathered. The Nepali clutching the kukri was grappled by a beat constable as he turned the corner of Wellesley Street and the injured Nepali was sent to hospital for treatment. Police investigation revealed that the injured man’s name is Saptavīra and he is a gatekeeper at the home of gentleman on Park Street. And the assailant’s name is Khaḍag Bahadur Singh. The two had some conflict over a woman. On the day of the incident, Khaḍag Bahadur went to great difficulty to enter Saptavīra’s home and slashed his arm while he was sleeping. Police are still investigating further.
On March 13, during the assembly of the Indian Planning Council, Pandit Motilal Nehru had brought a proposal to reject the government’s expense claim for the Simon Commission. In this context, Pandit Motilal stated that on February 18, they had expressed their opposition to the commission’s appointment. After expressing dissatisfaction with the commission, there is no point in telling the Council to bear the Commission’s expenses. Everyone should reject this expense to save the dignity of the Council. Pandit Motilal’s proposal for rejecting expenses was accepted with 66 votes in favor and 59 against. The result of the vote was announced amid jubilant cheers in the assembly.
In Bardhaman district’s Sultanpur, the renowned iron businessman Śrī Tulsī Dāsa Kumāra has spent over a lakh on charitable hospitals, schools, boarding houses, and roads from Debipur station, among other projects.
As part of the assistance plan for Rajbandi Warehouse, on March 21, there will be a theatre performance titled ‘Chandragupta’ at the University Institute hall. Additionally, there will be arrangements for other song and dance related cultural events.
On Saturday, March 25, at 6 p.m., several highly educated women will perform a drama entitled “Geeta” at the Empire Theatre. Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the purchase of a bus for the women’s school.
The 15th annual assembly of the Medinipur branch of the Literary Society will take place on March 10 and 11. Dr. Naresh Chandra Sengupta has been elected as the president.
On the premises of the Indian Planning Commission, a representative of the Hindustan Times threw a suitcase at Sir Basil Blanket. The accused has been fined 200 rupees or is to undergo three months of hard labor.
On March 4, a sergeant named Shekh Manjil was hit by a [felled?] banyan and fell in the river, where he drowned. On March 13, during the coroner’s court hearing, Mr. B. Swinhoe deliberated the case with a jury. After considering the testimonies of a doctor and a boatman, the jury decided that the death occurred due to an accidental drowning.
On April 13 and 14, there will be an assembly of the Mymensingh Bengal Regional Hindu Summit.
On March 13, at a place called Gangapur on banks of the Godāvarī river, about five miles from Nashik, the Śrī Śaṅkarācārya of Kabīra-pīṭha initiated Miss Miller into Hinduism. It seems that she has embraced Hinduism out of great love and respect for the religion. Since childhood, she has had faith in Hinduism, and she has studied Hindu philosophy formally in university in America. Her current name is Śrīmatī Śarmiṣṭhā Devī.
Madras’s newly appointed law minister, Śrīyukta Venkataram Shastri, has sent a notice of resignation in protest of authority over the Police Department being taken out of his hands.
In Vrindavan, a marriage arrangement has been dissolved. An arrangement was made between a young woman and a man. This man’s hands were both crippled. The man was very clever in concealing his condition and tricked the girl’s father. When, during the marriage ceremony, as per the prevailing tradition, the bride’s father went to place a coconut into the groom’s hand, he saw that his to-be son-in-law did not want to take the coconut, so the bride’s father became doubtful and uncovered the man’s hands, revealing his condition. The bride’s father was furious and gave his daughter in marriage to another youth. It may be that the crippled man has filed a case against the bride’s father.
This last Tuesday afternoon, agents of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) received a tip that a gang of dacoits was travelling to Barddhaman, so they arrested six individuals on Platform No. 10 at Howrah Station. Of the men arrested, three are Marwari. Kukri knives and daggers were found on their person.
The conference of the Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association, which had been postponed for a while, is now scheduled to be held in Barisole on March 23 and 24.
The Rajshahi magistrate has issued notice to all the Hindu and Muslim leaders who signed the strike application on March 3 to disprove allegations against them. It is also heard that a probe will be initiated against the weekly Bengali periodical “Hindu-rañjikā” by the commission.
Noakhali’s renowned attorney Śrīyukta Rajanīkānta Āica has donated ten thousand rupees to an English school and a girls’ school in his hometown of Chaupalli. He wants to name the English school after his father and the girls’ school after his mother.
On March 12, the annual celebration of the Kathi National School, presided over by Dr. Pratap Chandra Guharay, concluded with a grand ceremony where 72 students showcased their skill in spinning cotton by hand.
A prominent businessman from Roḍī city in Hyderabad has been missing for almost ten days. Despite police investigation, no trace of him has been found. This has caused significant concern among the local community.
On March 11, a new branch of the Nārī-maṅgala Samiti [“Women’s Welfare Commmitte”] was established at Belia Ghat.
The non-cooperation movement started on the day of Janmāṣṭamī on August 31, 1926, in Puthiakhali Barisole. The movement has made steady progress for almost 19 months, with over two thousand Hindu youths being arrested for participating. Hindus have collectively paid over twenty lakh rupees in punitive taxes.
Charges as per Section 107 have been filed against the non-cooperation leader Satindra Nath Sen. The High Court ordered him to furnish two bail bonds of 250 rupees each or face imprisonment for a year. After consultation with his co-workers, Satindra Babu saw fit to pay the bails and did so, but no reason has been given for why administrators have still initiated proceedings for his imprisonment.
A man named Kala has been sentenced by the Lower Court to life imprisonment in Andaman for killing a man named Pūraṇa-cāñda during the May 14th Lahore riots. On appeal, the High Court has imposed the death penalty against him.
Transforming Your Health
Nowadays, almost everyone in Baṅgadeśa faces some form of health issue. Aside from the hardships everyone else faces, the poor do not have access to the same medical facilities and they have to live in places without proper drinking water that are full of malaria and other diseases. Where are they going to find the money to go somewhere healthy and restore their health? They do not have change to feed themselves twice a day. The rich spend so much many going here and there in hopes of regaining their health. Often, trying to take care of their health, they end up in places that, far from helping their health, actually cause them health problems. For instance, a patient suffering from a stomach ailment might go to Puri to find relief, but the conditions there might exacerbate the issue, and she will end up complaining about Puri. But most people don’t know that Puri is not at all helpful for people with stomach issues. Puri, with the powerful breezes from the ocean, provides relief for conditions like asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc.
On the way to Puri, the next station after Cuttack, is Bhuvaneshvar, where many people are going these days to transform their health. Everyone who has gone there to change their health swears that it is the best place in the area to do so. However, the number of homes is limited. Many times, people have gone there and couldn’t find vacancies and have had to return home. If you write ahead to someone you know there or to the local postmaster to reserve a room, then you won’t have to face such inconvenience. Those new to the area without local experience often rent homes overlooking the Bindu Sarovar. These homes, however, may be unhealthy due to their proximity to the lake. It is best not to take accommodations there. Those dealing with constipation should take water from Kedāra Kuṇḍa and those who have dysentery and other similar stomach issues should drink water from the Ramakrishna Matha. Patients benefit greatly from visiting these places without facing dietary restrictions or excesses. We have informed the general public of what we know. No doubt it will be helpful to numerous people seeking to better their health.