śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ
15th Caitra, Wednesday—1334
[March 28, 1928]
Supplication of the Fallen
mahā-aparādhī janame janame
ki guṇe caraṇa pābo |
nija guṇe nātha nā karile dayā
amani paḍiyā rabo ||
A great offender, birth after birth
By what virtue will I attain Your feet?
If You, O master, do not have mercy of
Your own accord, then I will just remain
laying here like this, listless.
dayāra ādhāra adoṣa daraśī
jagate vidita nāma |
tabe keno pāpī pāpete dubibe
bolo bolo guṇadhāma ||
You are the foundation of compassion;
You see no fault. Then why should
sinners sink into sin? Tell me, tell me,
O abode of virtues.
nāme nite prema deo dui bhāi
tomāra bhakata-vāṇī |
bhakta vāṇī vṛthā karibe ki gaura
tumi nāma-cintāmaṇi ||
Your devotees claim that the two
brothers [Gaura-Nitāi] give prema if one
simply chants the holy names. O Gaura!
Will You, who are Yourself the
touchstone of the holy name, prove
Your devotees’ words false?
bhakata-vatsala patita-pāvana
tomāke sakale bole |
ke āra ḍākibe dayāla baliye
bhakta vākya vṛthā ha’le ||
Everyone says You are affectionate to
Your devotees and the deliverer of the
fallen. Whom else shall they call
merciful if the devotees’ words are futile?
doṣa guṇa ādi nā ka’re vicāra
pātakīre tāra’ ba’le |
ba’se āchi nātha se bharasā ka’re
laohe caraṇe tule ||
You deliver sinners without considering
their faults, qualities, etc. It is with this
hope that I am sitting here, O Lord. Take
me and place me at Your feet.
An Old Man’s Tale
“Vṛddhasya vacanaṁ grāhyam – The words of the elderly are to be heeded.” Hence, I will tell you something, so listen. Don’t say, “Oh this is some old-fashioned nonsense,” and not heed it at all. I will relate the actual point of discussion afterwards. For now, I am going to tell you a story. Listen. Once, a scholar got into a boatman’s boat. As they were crossing the river, the scholar started asking the boatman, in scholarly language, “O boatman! Have you studied Nyāya [logic]?” The boatman was at a loss for words. He said, “What did you say? I can’t understand what you’re saying. What is Nyāya? This is the first time I’ve heard about it.” “What?” said the scholar, “Oh my! Boatman! Your life has gone in vain! Okay, but have you have studied Vedānta?” The boatman said, “No, scholar sir, I have not even heard the names of all those books.” The scholar again became very dejected and said, “Oh boatman! You have spent your life in vain; okay, but have you studied poetry or grammar?” The boatman said, “No, paṇḍita maśāi, I am a fool. I do not know how to read or write at all.” Again, hearing this, the scholar seemed very saddened by the boatman’s sadness and let out a long sigh, saying, “Oh boatman! You really have spent your life in vain.” Just as he was saying this, the water level of the river rose so suddenly and violently that the boat capsized and was swept away. The boatman called out to the scholar, “Say, paṇḍita maśāi, do you know how to swim?” “No!” cried the scholar, terrified of dying. The boatman said, “What can I say? Even though you read and studied so much, your life has actually gone in vain. Even though I am a fool, I won’t have to die an early death in the middle of the river.”
So, what I’m saying is you have also done a lot of studying. You have done up to an MA in college. You’ve studied Sanskrit, poetry, and grammar. And it’s not like you don’t know Nyāya and Vedānta. But be careful you don’t lose your life in the middle of the river like our paṇḍita maśāi. That said, I’m not telling you to be an illiterate fool like the boatman. I am saying that you should first learn how to save yourself; otherwise, everything else will be in vain. One of these days, whether it be today or two days hence, you will have to cross the ocean of nescience, which is called the bhava-samudra. If you study lots but spend your life bobbing up and down in the ocean of nescience and end up dying like paṇḍita maśāi, then what good was it all? You might say you have to earn an income to feed yourself at least twice a day for as long as you do happen to be living. Otherwise, how will you maintain your life? And if you’re going to earn money, then you need to become a scholar. But I am not telling you to be a fool and not earn money. I am saying that it will not suffice to simply be such a scholar. Become a scholar of higher knowledge, by the power of which you will be able to save your soul. The studies that help us write a job application or allow us to write a few novels—where does all that knowledge leave us? Just think about that for once. Do you see my point? As I say all this, an old song comes to mind. The song goes like this:
mana re keno koro vidyāra gaurava |
smṛti śāstra vyākaraṇa, nānā bhāṣā ālocana
vṛddhi kare yaśera saurabha
kintu dekho cintā kari, yadi nā bhajile hari,
vidyā tava kevala raurava
O mind, why do you take such pride in knowledge? Studying the old orthodox scriptures, grammar, and many languages does augment the fragrance of your fame, but look, think carefully—if you do not worship Hari, then your learning will just be hell.
To Our Kind-hearted Brothers
Bhārata-varṣa has long been renowned as a supremely sanctified and pious land. The pinnacle of religious refinement that is observed in Bhārata-varṣa is not seen anywhere else. The inhabitants of other continents are not as familiar with the topics of spirituality. What to speak of people on other continents, even the demigods are not as familiar with such topics as the people of Bhārata-varṣa are. If we consult history, we will see that there was a time when even the demigods were anxious to take birth in this sacred land. Even today, what we are seeing in Bhārata is not seen anywhere else. There was a time when dharma alone was the life of the inhabitants of Bhārata. What have they not done for the sake of dharma? What to speak of the relatively ordinary feat of giving up the attachments of wife and children, they would not hesitate to give their very selves for the sake of dharma. Just thinking of their strict celibacy and sincere service to their gurus drives one to a state of wonder. They became so empowered by the strength of dharma that the inhabitants of other continents were always apprehensive of them. Next to glaring radiance of their dharmic power, the might of kings was forever paled, like glow-worms held up to the sun. The inhabitants of Bhārata-varṣa were so proud to have been born here that they did not think the inhabitants of other continents were even worthy of being considered humans. They would not accept even water that foreigners had touched. What to speak of foreigners from other continents, even among Bhārata residents, those who were bereft of varṇāśrama-dharma, the antyaja, were similarly ostracized; the proud people of Bhārata would not accept anything the antyaja had touched. Though the inhabitants of Bhārata have at present lost all standards of proper conduct, the rubble heap of their palace of dharma is still visible. What a deplorable state the inhabitants of Bhārata are in today. Those Bhārata-vāsīs who were feared by the inhabitants of the other six continents, who were revered by all beings for their valor and intelligence—what sorry plight is theirs today. Those who were once rulers of all beings are today squashed beneath the feet of others. Why? What is the reason? If you study ancient history, you will come to know that in the first yuga, dharma was at its fullest. The second yuga began when dharma became slightly diminished. At the outset of the third yuga, dharma had been obscured by a whole half. In this way, dharma has been gradually diminishing and now it is practically extinct. We are seeing that the ultimate limit of our own degradation correlates to the deterioration of dharma. It is because we have lost our dharma that we are being squashed beneath the feet of others. Now if we want to regain our former position, we will have to strive to develop our dharma first. Dharma is always victorious and adharma is always subdued. There is no reason not to have faith in this saying. But the new generation of youths today may laugh at this assertion. What to speak of religious reform, the people of Bhārata cannot even hear the word dharma nowadays. Though born in Bhārata, people think themselves blessed and fulfilled to be able to take the air of the river Thames. Since childhood we have been learning to ridicule religious people, even assault them, and hate religion and God. The dharma that was once the life of Bhārata’s citizens has become an object of their ridicule and hatred. Bereft of dharma, we have become so bereft of valor that we think another race to be naturally superior to us, and we think we ought to imitate them to become like them. It seems this is why it has become very respectable to give up the religion of our nation in favour of the company and religion of people from another country, which is resulting in “para-dharma bhayāvaha – the dharma of others invites terrifying consequences [Gītā 3.35].” Aho! When will that day come again in the homes of Bhārata-vāsīs when they will learn to honour dharma. Celibacy, introspection, and service to guru will become the sole vow of each and every person’s life. O Bhārata-vāsī brothers! My humble plea to you is this: Why are you prepared to give up your own dharma? Just because you’ve been bewildered by the sight of another race’s economic development? If you strive for true opulence and spiritual wealth, you will see that even Brahmā’s opulence looks like that of an insect. My request, therefore, is this:
he sādhavaḥ! sakalam eva vihāya dūrāt
caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgaṁ
O saintly persons, give up everything
and simply develop loving attachment
for the feet of Śrī Caitanya-candra!
Current News
Readers surely know that every day in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura Caitanya Maṭha, in the evening, after sandhyā-ārātrika, Caitanya-bhāgavata is read and recited. I am relating an incident that occurred a few days ago. One day, at the beginning of the class, the devotee who reads Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata brought up the topic of who should recite Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata and who should hear it and, in this context, recited the verse “asat-saṅga tyāga ei vaiṣṇava ācāra | strī-saṅgī eka asādhu kṛṣṇābhakta āra ||” and explained it. In the audience there was a young bābājī. With him was a young woman as well. He introduced himself as ____________ Parivrājakācārya. When this bābāj heard the devotee’s explanation of this verse, he began feeling deeply offended. He maintained his composure for a long time, but toward the end of the class, he could not contain himself anymore and said to the devotee giving the class, “You are all good people, but I see one lacking in your sampradāya. You do not have tṛṇad api sunīcatva [the quality of being humbler than a blade of grass]. I buy your Gauḍīya magazine and read it, and I also read various other magazines, but I see even in your writings there is no mood of tṛṇād api. Śrīman Mahāprabhu taught this tṛṇād api verse, but you do not follow this instruction of Śrīman Mahāprabhu.
When the devotee heard bābājī-mahāśaya’s words, he could understand that what he had said had offended the bābājī-mahāśaya, but still the devotee said, “Where have you seen a lack of tṛṇād api sunīca-ness among the devotees of Caitanya Maṭha? You have come to their temple today and they have greeted you with all due respect and given you a place to sit in the śrī maṭha and have attentively made sure you have everything you need. Where do you see they lack the mood of being humbler than blades of grass?” To this, the bābājī said, “Though I do not see any lacking of tṛṇād api sunīcatva in your dealings and behaviour, I see it in your classes and writings.” The bābājī mahāśaya was a guest from earlier that day at the śrī maṭha and now, some time later, he was dissatisfied, so the devotee giving the class did not answer him at first, but when the bābājī-mahāśaya asked him repeatedly to resolve his query, the devotee answered him. He said, “Bābājī Mahāśaya, it is true that Śrīman Mahāprabhu has defined the nature of a devotee in the tṛṇād api verse, but He has not condoned false humility. Śrīman Mahāprabhu has said, ‘Only a Vaiṣṇava who is devoid of pride associated with birth, wealth, erudition, and physical beauty is truly akiñcana [detached from the world].’ Only such persons are truly humbler than a blade of grass. The primary characteristic of a Vaiṣṇava is that they do everything for Kṛṣṇa’s sake. Making fake, outward displays of humility to people does not constitute what this verse is talking about. No matter how much humility we display externally, if we try to leap over what Śrī Gaurasundara personally practiced in order to teach the living entities of this world, our conduct will never amount to Vaiṣṇavism. In a previous era, there was a group of such false displayers of humility who deceived innocent people and were simply obsessed with filling their stomach and satisfying their other senses. At that time, Ṭhākura Narottama appeared and said, “Disguised as Vaiṣṇavas, they roam from door to door in the hopes of gaining wealth.” Those who outwardly don the garb of Vaiṣṇavas and imitate Vaiṣṇava behaviour, displaying false humility while simply being interested in satisfying their senses, are kapaṭa [deceitful]. Rather than proudly introducing themselves as Gosvāmīs or Parivrājakācāryas, Vaiṣṇavas reserve that honor of Gosvāmī or Parivrājakācārya for Gurudeva and think of themselves as bereft servants. But the tṛṇād api sunīca-ness of today is of a different variety. Inside, people think of themselves as Gosvāmīs, Vaiṣṇavas, Parivrājakācāryas, or Vaiṣṇava-gurus, but from their mouths, you hear: “I am very fallen.” If this is the tṛṇād api dharma Mahāprabhu taught, then what is deceit? The anger that devotees display in their writings or speech toward antagonists of Kṛṣṇa, or the arrogance they display when describing Kṛṣṇa’s qualities, is but the manifestation of prema. In reality, they do not lack the dharma of tṛṇād api in any way. Please remember the words of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda: ‘na prākṛtatvam iha bhakta janasya paśyet – Do not see the Vaiṣṇavas with mundane vision.'”
Paramahaṁsa Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s
Auspicious Arrival in
Dumurkonda Maṭha
[Excerpted from the English edition of Dainika Basumati published March 25, 1928]
Calcutta Gauḍīya Maṭha’s Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, accompanied by nearly 25 devotees, arrived at Sitarampur station today at 2:42 in the afternoon via the “Delhi Express” from Calcutta. At the station, the distinguished gentry of Manbhum District greeted Paramahaṁsa Mahārāja with special honour. Amid the jaya-dhvani cries of hundreds and hundreds of people on the station platform, Paramahaṁsa Mahārāja was decorated with flower garlands and the inhabitants of Manbhum granted him a formal welcome plaque! There was such a big crowd consisting of travellers disembarking and countless people outside the train waiting that the train was delayed at Sitarampur station by 15 minutes. After that, the arrivals accompanied the greeters to Barakar via motor vehicles. From there, several thousand people joined them, led by a band of various musical instruments, and thus arrived at the Dumurkondā Maṭha performing saṅkīrtana. Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Mahārāja delivered a brief talk to the assembled crowd and conveyed to them his thanks.
_______
Putul Khela
“Playing with Dolls”
(Submitted)
Little girls play with dolls. They are naturally delighted to play with dolls; they love dolls so much that they completely forget even to bathe, eat, etc. Sometimes they act out marriages between the dolls and make little toy palanquins for the bride to go to her in-laws’ home with her groom. They make beautiful hats, clothes, shoes, and umbrellas out of lace for the groom; to either side of the groom, they fan cāmaras made of silk. What a pretty sight! Seeing all this pomp and splendor, no one can think there is no bliss in playing. If I described the fanfare they enact of the bride leaving her father’s home and going to her husband’s home, you would not be able to contain your laughter. They use grass for rice, a slurry of brick-dust for rice pudding, dirt for sweets like sandeśa, rasagolla, pantua, jilebi, kṣīra, various yoghurt dishes, etc. and put on a wedding feast. Only those who have seen these festivals with their own eyes can appreciate the joy of them—no one else.
Later on when these girls grow up and become young women, they are no longer fond of such play-pretend games; they do not delight in arranging the marriages of dolls. Eventually, when the young woman’s father arranges a suitable groom for her and hosts her marriage, then this young woman packs up all her precious dolls in a chest and goes to her in-laws’ home with her husband, where she tends to her husband and forgets all about the joy of playing with her dolls because she comes to regard it as something that is fake. Through her husband, she forms relationships with her mother-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and others and derives joy in her life from caring for them. That is the joy she comes to regard as true.
We are like this innocent little girl. We are intoxicated with the bliss of this fleeting, trivial, perishable doll’s play in this temporary world, this inert world of Māyā, which is but Māyā’s play. We become completely intoxicated. When we have no more thirst or hunger for the spiritual realm, a saint may call out to us from behind, but we pay no attention. We are obsessed with our mind’s delight in playing. We are mad, saying, “My, my! My wealth, my followers, my opulence! My beauty, youth, knowledge, strength of arms, erudition, my home and garden, my charming mansion, my father, mother, my wife, son, daughter, relatives, etc.” Like this, chanting, “My, my!” we lose ourselves. Still we cannot comprehend that this bliss is extremely trivial, like this doll’s play. It is prone to destruction, it is detestable, unsuitable, and only present for a matter of days. There is no eternal joy in this temporary bliss. Then, as a result of great good fortune, comes the ocean of causeless mercy, Śrī Gurudeva, who is in principle the embodiment of Nityānanda, the bestower of knowledge of one’s divine relationship. He appears in this world to deliver us and helps us determine our eternal relationship with the one eternal master of the spiritual realm, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He says:
ekalā puruṣa kṛṣṇa nitya vṛndāvane |
jīva-kula nārī-vṛnda rame kṛṣṇa sane ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the one eternal pati [husband or protector] of the living entity. Serving Him and His associates is the only means by which the living entity can attain eternal bliss. Besides this, the living entity has no other means or destination. Serving Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of the Universe, gives the living entity eternal bliss, while serving Māyā gives the living entity temporary joy, or none at all.
When, by the mercy of Śrī Gurudeva, we become surrendered at his feet and attain this sambandha-jñāna, then we become blessed by obtaining the service of guru and Kṛṣṇa. Then distaste for mundane pleasures arises within us. No longer do we harbor longings for the fleeting doll play of this material existence.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya
[Post-sannyāsa pastimes]
(Continuing on from last issue)
When Jagannāthadeva arrived in Sundarācala, Mahāprabhu began to see visions of the Lord’s Vṛndāvana pastimes. During the navarātra-yātrā [the nine days of Ratha-yātrā], Mahāprabhu stayed in the Jagannātha Vallabha gardens. On the fifth day, while beholding the Herā Pañcamī pastime, Mahāprabhu, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Prabhu had a lengthy discussion about Lakṣmī and the gopīs and their differing natures. During Punar-yātrā [Jagannātha-deva’s return to Śrī Mandira], as the kīrtana resumed, Mahāprabhu requested Satyarāja Khan and Rāmānanda Vasu, residents of Kulīna-grāma, to bring silk ropes every year for the Ratha-yātrā celebration. When Ratha-yātrā concluded, Śrī Advaita Prabhu worshipped Mahāprabhu with flowers and tulasī. Mahāprabhu also worshipped Advaitācārya with the flowers and tulasī left in the pūjā plate, chanting the mantra “yo ‘si so ‘si“. After that, Advaitācārya invited Mahāprabhu to his dwelling and fed Him. On the day of Nandotsava, the Lord and His associates dressed up as cowherd boys and held a grand celebration. On the day of Vijayā Daśamī, the day of Śrī Rāma’s march to Laṅkā, He had His devotees dress up as the Vānaras while He Himself assumed the mood of Hanumān and demonstrated great delight. In this way, after celebrating a variety of festivals, He requested the devotees to return to Gauḍa-deśa. Mahāprabhu also sent Nityānanda Prabhu to Gauḍadeśa along with Rāmadāsa, Dāsa Gadādhara, and several other Vaiṣṇavas. He requested Advaitācārya to distribute kṛṣṇa-bhakti to even the caṇḍālas and requested Nityānanda to preach prema-bhakti relentlessly throughout Bengal. Then, expressing many humble sentiments, He sent prasāda, garments, etc., with Śrīvāsa for Śacī Mātā. He glorified the many qualities of Śrī Rāghava Paṇḍita, Śrī Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura, the residents of Kulīna-grāma, and other Vaiṣṇavas and bid them farewell. In response to questions asked by Rāmānanda and Satyarāja, Mahāprabhu instructed that householder Vaiṣṇavas should serve pure Vaiṣṇavas who are dedicated to chanting the holy name. Śrī Gaurasundara then glorified the Vaiṣṇavas of [Śrī] Khaṇḍa and told them what services to render. He instructed Sārvabhauma to worship Dāru-brahma [Jagannātha] and Vidyā-vācaspati to worship Jala-brahma [the Gaṅgā]. Then He described the conviction Murāri Gupta had for the feet of Śrī Rāma. In response to Śrī Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura’s plea, which was perfectly befitting a Vaiṣṇava, Mahāprabhu established that Kṛṣṇa was surely capable of easily delivering the whole world. When Mahaprabhu accepted bhikṣā at the home of Sārvabhauma, Sārvabhauma’s son-in-law, Amogha, developed some negative ideas. The next morning, Amogha fell ill with cholera. The Lord mercifully delivered him from the illness and granted him taste for the holy names of Kṛṣṇa.
For a third year, Śrī Advaita and other Gauḍīya devotees journeyed to Nīlācala by the gracious arrangements of Śrī Śivānanda Sena and came to see Mahāprabhu. A devotee dog belonging to Śivānanda Sena also accompanied them. The dog ate the Lord’s remnants and beheld His lotus feet and disappeared. This time too Mahāprabhu danced with the devotees in front of the ratha, performed the pastime of cleansing the Guṇḍicā, and played as a gopa on Janmāṣṭamī. In response to the questions of Satyarāja and other residents of Kulīna-grāma, Mahāprabhu spoke about those who chant the holy name with some interruption and those who chant constantly. Then there are those whose very audience inspires others to chant the holy name of Hari. In this way, Mahāprabhu taught them step-by-step who is a Vaiṣṇava, a more advanced Vaiṣṇava, and a most advanced Vaiṣṇava.
(to be continued)
Sāmayika Prasaṅga
“Timely Tidings”
Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Prabhupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja made his auspicious arrival in Manbhum District on 23 March 1928 at Śrī Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha, a branch of Śrī Navadvīpa-Māyāpura Śrī Caitanya Maṭha, along with several devotees.
The esteemed zamindars and brāhmaṇa-paṇḍitas from Dhanbad, Chirkunda, Kapasara, Barakar, Kumardubi, Dumurkondā, Beguniya, Kulti, Jashaudi, Dishergarh, Shakaturia, Belarui, Sitarampur, Govindapur, Pindrahar, Kalubatan, Kaliyasor, Daldali, Baria, Shyampur, Pandra, Ubacuriya, Madanpur, Birsinghpur, Śirapura and many other places presented a formal welcome address to Paramahaṁsa Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, the chief member of the Śrī Śrī Viśva-Vaiṣṇava Rāja-sabhā. This address will be published in a later issue.
Prabhupāda stayed in the Dumurkondā Śrī Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha on March 23 and the next day, on the invitation of renowned gentleman and zamindar Ray Saheb Śrīyukta Upendranātha Maṇḍala Mahāśaya of Shakhaturia, he extolled the magnanimity of Śrī Navadvīpa Sudhākara Gaurahari for three hours. In the afternoon, greeted by a hari-saṅkīrtana parade and the jaya-dhvani of thousands and thousands of devotees showering flowers, Prabhupāda set foot in the home of the renowned zamindar of Nirasachati, the deeply religious Śrīyukta Indra-nārāyaṇa Candra Mahodaya. When Prabhupāda arrived in Nirasachati, the accomplished vice-principal of Bhagalpur’s T. N. Jubilee College, Śrīyukta Iśānacandra Miśra M.A. Mahāśaya, who was on vacation, presented a formal welcome address to Śrīla Prabhupāda on behalf of the local inhabitants in English. An extended translation of that will be published later. The aforementioned address describes Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja as currently being the sole protector and reestablisher of pure Vaiṣṇava-dharma and universal Sanātana-dharma as propagated by Śrīman Mahāprabhu in this world. There were many distinguished and highly educated scholars in attendance at the aforementioned assembly.
The next day, in the morning, on the pretext of viewing the Bengal Coal Company’s Chinakuri first-grade coal mine, Prabhupāda descended nearly a thousand feet into the coal mine to sanctify that place, grant darśana to the living entities living in that Pātāla, and bless them with hari-kathā and kīrtana.
In the afternoon, at the home of Nirasachati’s exalted parama-bhāgavata devotee, Śrīyukta Indra-nārāyaṇa Candra Mahāśaya, Prabhupāda performed hari-kathā kīrtana with impassioned language for almost three hours, addressing the plight of many souls averse to God and discussing the speciality of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. All these speeches by Prabhupāda will be published later on.
The greetings that were presented to Prabhupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja on his arrival in Dumurkondā from Sitarampur and his arrival in Nirasachati from Dumurkondā are simply beyond description. For several days, Prabhupāda was showering the kathā nectar of Navadvīpa-candra Śrī Gaurasundara in a manner that was constant and uninterrupted like a stream of oil.
(Local)
One of the sevakas of Śrī Caitanya Maṭha, Śrīyukta Vinoda-bihārī Brahmacārī Mahśaya, who has been entrusted with the responsibility for the viṣaya-vibhāga [district affairs department?] went to inspect a local pāṭhśālā [school] in the village of Śaṅkarapura at the urging of the villagers there. The pāṭhaśālā is providing a primary education to 50–60 boys and 15–20 girls. Government assistance is desperately needed here.
At Śiva’s Wedding
This upcoming 31 March, 18 Caitra, Saturday evening, the wedding of Buḍo Śiva, Bālakanātha Śiva, and Yoganātha Śiva will be held at Poḍā Mā Talā in Navadvīpa town. Every year on this daśamī day this wedding ceremony is held with great fanfare. Many thousands of people assemble at Poḍā Mā Talā to witness the occasion. All the wedding rituals are performed in proper, orderly fashion. The eating arrangements for the grooms are made of dirt but made to look just like actual food preparations. In one corner there is even a wok sat upon a stove for frying luci.
Nānā Kathā
“Various Topics”
An eighty-year-old man was fancying to marry a young girl. However, an individual from Pārvatīpura cut all the old man’s hopes off at the root by arranging the girl’s marriage to a youth. The old man has filed a compensation case against the aforementioned individual. The whole matter is a sorry affair!
Almost a thousand workers are protesting in Kodarma at the mica mine of a European company.
An incident similar to what happened at City College has transpired at Boyalmari High School. Students were preparing for Sarasvatī-pūjā for many days and after the pūjā, the deity was kept safely in the room of a second-year student. No one had any reason to object. Suddenly, one day, backed by the authority of a Muslim teacher, several Muslim students secretly made off with the deity and destroyed it. The Hindu students were deeply offended by this and lodged a complaint, which led to the rest of the teachers filing an injunction against the teacher who had instigated the incident. The teacher accepted he was in the wrong, gave the students permission to do their pūjā, and asked the students to submit a petition to him. Afterwards, when that same teacher received their formal petition, he seems to have changed his tune again. As a result, the Hindu students have stopped attending school. All these years Muslim students have even contributed to Sarasvatī-pūjā. They have always cooperated with the Hindu students in every regard. And the Hindu students do not pose any impediment to their Muslim brothers’ religious practices. But now those same Muslim students are objecting to the Hindus’ worship. The rumour is that several outsider Muslim bhadralok and a Muslim government employee is riling up the students. The sooner conflict between brothers can be mitigated, the better. Conflict in the home is the root cause of ruin for us all.
A cashier at the Pratap-pur factory was travelling from Mairwa to Chapra with a 23 thousand taka cheque and some loose cash on the No. 56 Down passenger train. When the train stopped at Daronda, he suddenly noticed that his box and shoes were missing. He got down at Ekoya. A man named Ramsevak Singh from Maharaja-ganj got off there from the next arriving train. The cashier noticed the man was wearing his shoes. The man was arrested. Police investigation is ongoing.
Sultan Amanullah has been celebrated in England in many ways. Most recently he has been awarded the title of “Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L)”. The sultan has resolved to establish a university in Afghanistan. His brother is an undergraduate at Oxford. Apparently he will become the vice-chancellor of the new university. The vice-chancellor of Oxford has shown the sultan and sultana special honours.
Ramesh Chandra Pantha and Motilal Modi, two students of the Benares Hindu University drowned in the evening while swimming. Their bodies were found in the night at around 11 p.m. On the morning of March 25, their bodies were cremated in the presence of a large number of students.
It is not that only Bengali students are protesting. It is heard that 2000 students at Kingston Queen University [Canada] are protesting together. The offense—three students were suspended from the college for attending a forbidden student dance. As a result of the protest, the teachers allowed the students back, at which the protest subsided.
There have outbreaks of plague in various places across India. Symptoms are a regular fever along with throat pain. The fever gradually gets worse and the glands on either side of the throat swell up. People experience extreme pain and burning sensations. Many patients die within 10–15 hours. Outbreaks of plague can lead to a widespread epidemic of what is known as the rat plague [the Black Death]. There have been serious outbreaks in Lahore’s Sarai, nearby Govindpur village, Delhi, and other places. A case of plague has also been reported in Dinajpur District, in the village of Kājala, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Veerganj police station.
There has been a theft in Allahabad, on Stanley Road, at the home of the female doctor Ms. Commissariat. The thieves made off with almost ten thousand taka in cash and ornaments. A gateman has been detained under suspicion.
All members of the Simon Commission have met with the chairman of the Indian Legislative Council, Śrīyukta Patel, on March 23, Friday, in the afternoon, and also had tea with Śrīyukta Patel in the afternoon on March 25.
On March 20, on the occasion of the ritual Vāruṇī bathing in the Karṇaphulī river, an eight-year-old girl was washed away in the current. Nirmalacandra Datta, a matric [Grade 10] student at Saroyatali High School showed boundless courage in battling the current for a long time and was able to save the girl’s life.
The administration of Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railways has opened a new electric train from Varibhil to Kolaba.
Since last Thursday, nearly 800 labourers working in Tata’s roll finishing department in Jamshedpur have gone on strike.
Lady Arduin has departed Bombay for England with her son in the afternoon on March 24 aboard the Ranpur. The Maharaja of Bikaner boarded the ship to bid her farewell. Sir Darcy Lindsey is also going to England aboard this ship. He is going to Canada via England to join the Empire Parliamentary Association.
The water level of the Thames river has started to rise. Within the dams, the water has risen 24 inches higher than the road. Alarm has spread among inhabitants of London city’s eastern and western regions.
Modern scientists are attempting to prove that apes are the ancestors of mankind. Only scientists will be able to appreciate how appropriate it is to arrive at such a conclusion simply on the basis of the resemblance shared by humans and apes. To us, the undertaking seems a rather crude one.
There have been outbreaks of plague in all surrounding areas of Delhi. A few people have reportedly come down with the illness within the city itself. The administration of the health department are telling the public to be very cautious.
Reports state that in December of 1927, an Australian astronomer spotted a new comet with the aid of a telescope. Because he first sighted the comet on Christmas, he named it the Christmas comet. Scientists now cannot determine whether it is a new comet or an old one. On December 19, the comet was seen near the constellation of Andromeda. Afterwards, it moved toward the Virgo constellation. It was spotted only after sunset. Till this past January, it was near the Virgo constellation. Now there is no news of whether it can be seen from Australia any longer or not.
Emir Amanullah was decorated with the M.R.G.S. award at London’s [Royal] Geographical Society in the presence of many distinguished individuals on the night of March 22.
Śrīyukta K.C. Bose Mallick of No. 21 Girish Vidyaratna Lane has hunted down an enormous man-eating crocodile in the Hooghly on March 14.
The Liluah strike has gradually developed into a very grave situation. There is a huge protest underway. Picketing has commenced since last Saturday. If the administration does not pay attention even now, there will no limit to the inconvenience caused to the general public.
The situation at Scottish Church College has gotten progressively more complicated. Last Friday, several teachers started spreading a rumour that students are coming in groups to apologize to the principal. This has made the students uneasy, so they convened two assemblies, on Saturday and Sunday. Śrīyukta Subhash Chandra Bose and Śrīyukta Amarendra Ghosh, who were once students at Scottish, delivered speeches at the students’ meetings, encouraging them. The students are arranging to transfer from the college all together. There is an order from the syndicate stating that they will be admitted to other colleges without impediment.
Today, March 28, Wednesday, at 6:00 in the evening at Calcutta’s Albert Hall, there will be a meeting of students’ parents and guardians and the general public to discuss the present situation at City College. In the afternoon, at 5:00 p.m., there will be a student meeting at No. 104 Amhearst Street.
The Duke of Abercorn will again be engaged as the Governor of Ireland for the next six years.
This past 26th of Phālguna, in Agartala, the auspicious wedding ceremony of the Chauhan Rajput prince of the kingdom of Baria and the princess of Tripura, Bibhash Devī, was beautifully conducted without any obstacle. No less than 4 lakh taka was spent on the festivities. Prior to this, the weddings of the Mahārāja-kumāras Vrajendra Kiśora and Raṇavīra Kiśora, the two sons of the late Mahārāja Rādhā-kiśora Māṇikya Bahadur, had been beautifully conducted with the two princesses of Dhaulpur and Patiala, respectively. The kingdom of Baria is in the region of Bombay. Its capital is known Deogarh Baria. The city is situated between two mountains. The current king of Baria is Mahārāol Sir Raṇajit Siṁhī Mānasiṁhī, K. C.S.I. The kingdom’s revenue is roughly 11 lakh taka. On the 25th of Phālguna, after sunset, the Baria king himself and the kings of 34 different states, along with nearly 800 people, were present at the wedding festivities. The groom left for Baria by a special train with his bride on the 29th of Phālguna. May this bond between the kingdoms of Baria and Tripura be auspicious. This is our prayer.
A new kind of petrol has been discovered that is not as easily flammable as regular petrol. The process of its preparation has been kept secret from the general public. The ‘France Air Union’ has decided to soon use this fuel in airplanes running between Paris and London. A lit match has been shown to be extinguished in this fuel. Hopes are that this will be used in motor vehicles as well in the future.
The scent of cloves can kill the microbes of contagious diseases within 35 minutes. A tincture of cinnamon kills the typhoid bacterium within 12 minutes.