śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ
22nd Caitra, Wednesday—1334
[April 4, 1928]
To the Readers of Nadīya Prakāśa
Many may say, “What are we going to do with Nadīyā Prakāśa? What’s in there? Why to waste time reading that?” What we have to say to readers in response to this is that whatever the average newspaper contains is here too in Nadīyā Prakāśa, in a uniquely condensed size and format. There is no dissimilarity between Nadīyā Prakāśa and other newspapers in any regard except one. That is that Nadīyā Prakāśa is saying, “O readers! You are reading daily newspapers, but what essence have you extracted from them? The bee disregards what is inessential and only extracts the essence. Though you are infinitely superior to that honeybee, why have you become averse to grasping the essence? Come, how much longer will we be beasts of burden? Try to grasp the essence of matters, in emulation of the bee’s example. We will not have to exert ourselves too much in order to gather the essence. When we read daily newspapers, we only obtain news of this world. From them we can know where there was some horrible fire, where some awful torrential rains caused a flood, where there are water shortages, where there is famine, where there are outbreaks of disease, where the interests of rulers are against the interests of the citizens or where the ruler’s interests are being opposed by the interests of the citizens and therefore the two of them are fighting, or where one newspaper is debating with another newspaper because one supposedly opposes the interests of the other, where crimes are being inflicted against women, or who is suffering and who is enjoying, who is meeting with ruin and who is reaping a harvest—these sorts of woes and successes, which are happening all of the time. O readers! You are seeing this pattern of the world all the time. It is not as if you have only been seeing this for the last few days. It has been like this since time immemorial. Therefore, you should realize the inferiority and unsuitability of all this and search for a place that is truly suitable, being devoid of such inferiority and triviality, where there is no birth, death, and disease. You have only heard the tales of amṛta [nectar], but no one actually investigates whether such a substance actually exists. There is a world that is higher than this one. Bhagavān has created this world of inert matter that is inhospitable, trivial, and inferior in order to help us understand the appeal of that world. This play of Bhagavān is to lead us, who have lost our way, toward that world. However, in our case, we have taken this helpful gesture in completely the wrong way. We have understood that Bhagavān has created this world for our enjoyment. As a result of that, we have been suffering like this since time immemorial and are reading about the sufferings experienced by the inhabitants of many lands and by our own bodies in daily newspapers. But alas! Even today, our delusion has not been dispelled. That is why Nadīyā Prakāśa is saying, “Alongside reading about worldly affairs, please engage in some discussion of a higher realm. If you do so, you will be apprised of the goings-on of this world and the next and be able to determine what you should do and what you should not.
Bengali translation of
Śrī Māyāpura Vaibhava Praśasti
written by Admar Śrīmad Viṭṭhalācārya
Dvaita-vedānta-vidvāna Mahodaya
To facilitate the appearance of the greatly magnanimous Mahā-vadānya Śrī Śrī Gaurasundara, Māyāpura, which is brimming with wondrous glory and is very difficult to comprehend for deceitful persons, is sporting beautiful gates that resemble the high peaks of Sumeru Mountain. (1)
Satyavrata, King of the Earth, divided his kingdom into seven parts and with great love entrusted them to his own seven sons. The supremely merciful Śrī Gaurasundara also divided Navadvīpa among Vaiṣṇavas who are endowed with nine varieties of bhakti. (2)
Just as the two oceans of nectar called ‘Ara’ and ‘Ṇya’ surround Vaikuṇṭha-loka very beautifully, in the eternal abode of Māyāpura also, the two rivers Gaṅgā and Sarasvatī surround the region on all sides. (3)
A long, cruel serpent, when punished by a stick, undulates its hoods as it catches its breath and hisses, while coiling in on itself and assuming the shape of an earring. Similarly, the Bhāgīrathī, put into a state of reverence by the sight of Mahāprabhu, makes sounds with its waves and has assumed the shape of a coiled earring. (4)
Just as the devotees of Viṣṇu traverse the path to mokṣa, the people of this place, who are intoxicated with hari-kathā and kīrtana, satisfied with the bliss of their own true identities, detached from sense objects, and endowed with natures that are expressed in mutual love and humility, are traversing the grounds of this Śrī Māyāpura. (5)
I regard the sannyāsīs, who are bearing tridaṇḍas and beautiful reddish garments, whose hearts are devoid of lust and other enemies of the soul, and who bear radiant ūrddhva-puṇḍra markings and neckbeads, to be like Sanaka and other paramahaṁsas. (6)
Just as Brahmā recites the Vedas with his four mouths while remembering Śrī Hari in his heart, this vimāna [aerial ship or temple dome] contains the four ācāryas within its four gates, and in its heart region, in the middle, it carries the son of Nanda, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (7)
Sumeru Mountain, with its various crystalline peaks, which serve as shelters for the demigods who have their own interspersed dimensions throughout the Goloka of fourteen worlds, appears to be embarrassed upon beholding this gopura [gate or dome] that houses seven opulences including Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Śrī Rādhā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Gaurasundara, who is Śrī Kṛṣṇa united in body with Śrī Rādhā, and the four Vaiṣṇava ācāryas). (8)
Those who are inclined to hearing gaura-kathā, forever hold Śrī Hari in their hearts, and for them, the four attainments of dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa are easily available. The gopura seems to convey this with its four gates. (9)
Kṛṣṇa is forever equipped with inconceivable and wondrous potencies. Prabhupāda is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s one-pointed devotee and Śrī Kṛṣṇa has showered boundless mercy upon him, hence we know not what other wondrous phenomena will manifest here in this Māyāpura. (10)
Among those who long for the service of Śrī Hari, some aspire for Goloka, some Vaikuṇṭha-loka, some Śvetadvīpa, some the Kṣīra-sāgara. We, however, aspire for Śrī Māyāpura. (11)
Ore Bābā Sāpa!
“Bābā Bholānātha! Why are you shouting so loudly? Has something bad happened to you?” “O Bābā Go! A terrifying black serpent has risen up in front of me, hood spread wide. My whole body is trembling in fear. I can’t speak anymore. Bābā! Quickly save me, save me. I’m going to die, I’m going to die.” The father swiftly grabbed a large stick and rushed to protect his son. He saw there was no snake anywhere, but a rope made of coconut fiber that looked like a snake had fallen in front of his son. The father understood his son was confusing the rope for a snake and began to console him, saying, “Son! This is quite amazing. On a bright full moon night you see a rope and think it’s a snake.”
So it is that the jīva has lost himself and is seeing the opposite of what is really there. As if awake in the middle of the day yet seeing dreams of the night, they are seeing snakes in ropes, water in the desert, the sky below the water, the moon and sun, visions, or illusions that are like how the plants and trees alongside the train look like they are running with the train. O jīva, this is the limited capacity of your intelligence. And you have the audacity to take measure of Bhagavān’s devotees, His sacred abode, and His form with this finite intelligence? You don’t know that Bhagavān’s abode is spiritual, His form is spiritual, as are His devotees? These mundane eyes can never perceive them.
Is it that you have been driven by a scholar’s pride, by the arrogance of erudition, to come and test the devotees of Bhagavān and thereby have accumulated a stock of offenses toward their feet and are polishing your own path to hell? Do you not realize what you are doing? Strong people need real goods, real gold, silver, milk, cheese. You think you are very wise as you go about purchasing fake gold and chalk milk, thinking they are the real deal. A person as blind as you judges the devotees of Bhagavān by their external behaviour and thinks them to be non-devotees, thus accumulating offenses toward them. Bhagavān’s devotees are not blind, lame, stupid, foolish, diseased, or low caste. But you are seeing all this in them and criticizing them.
If gold falls into a pile of stool, has it lost its worth? If there is stool floating in the waters of Ganges, have its waters become impure? Can you no longer worship Bhagavān with that water? Therefore, be careful. Never assume Bhagavān’s devotees are ordinary humans and criticize them. Listen what the scriptures are saying, “dṛṣṭaiḥ svabhāva-janitair-vapuṣaś ca doṣaiḥ na prākṛtatvam iha bhakta-janasya paśyet |”
Those who are sajjana [saintly persons] know how to honour other sajjana. That is why the Lord of our hearts, Śrīman Mahāprabhu, embraced Sanātana Prabhu and held him to His chest, even though Sanātana Prabhu had oozing sores all over his body. This was to teach us jīvas who are immersed in material perceptions.
Submitted Letter
To the Śrīyukta Nadīya Prakāśa Editor Mahāśaya,
Mahāśaya,
All this time, people were rather carefree, laid-back, putting mustard oil in their noses at night before sleeping, and then all of a sudden, we are hearing that Mahāprabhu has been born somewhere in Śrī Navadvīpa and some big headache about finding its location has appeared. Why all this pomposity all of a sudden? According to Vaiṣṇava Sārvabhauma Śrī Śrī Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahāśaya and other exalted personalities, it has long since been determined that Mahāprabhu’s birthplace is in Māyāpura, on the eastern bank of the Gaṅgā. So is it that they simply do not respect or believe those personalities? We ought not even look upon the faces of those who want to disregard Sārvabhauma Bābājī Mahārāja and broadcast their own fame. If all this conspiracy is driven by some envy of theirs, then write that. What is this protest of a topic that was resolved long ago? Every year thousands and thousands of pilgrims come for Śrī Śrī Dhāma Parikramā and Gaura-janmotsava. They are doing parikramā and visiting the ancient sites according to what has been recorded in scripture and are very satisfied to be doing so. I too have gone on parikramā several times with the purehearted devotees of Māyāpura and been provided radiant scriptural evidence on all these topics. I am hearing that certain Mahāśayas are sitting in Calcutta and deciding where the dhāma is! It would be best if they would come to Māyāpura once and settle the confusion with their eyes and ears. And then there is this womanizing bābājī who has risen up and is trying to drag Mahāprabhu’s birthplace over to his new settlement in Kākuḍa-māṭha, Rāmcandrapura? Somehow he knows everything and has become a second Bhagīratha, bending the course of the Gaṅgā to follow behind the whim of his pen as he prepares various maps and goes around showing them to everyone, saying, “Look, Gauraṅga-siṁha’s Rāma-Sītā temple is Mahāprabhu’s birthplace!” It is as if bābājī assumes everything is going to go the way he says. What about the statement from Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata that says, “Sabe gaṅgā, madhye nadīyāya kuliyāya – Between Nadīyā and Kuliyā was the Gaṅgā, and everyone…”? Even today, Ballāladīghī, the Kazi’s samādhi and other glaring pieces of evidence are there to burn all the opposition’s faulty claims to ashes. Therefore, the bābājīs are not going to be sounding their bugles any time soon. Literary king Rāya Śrīyukta Dīneśa Candra Sena Bāhādura has uncovered very specific evidence determining that Śrīvāsa’s home (where Mahāprabhu performed His kīrtana pastimes) was located along the edge of Ballāla-dīghī. I definitely don’t know much. All I ask is that you discuss some of these topics a bit more to lessen the bragging and boasting of this antagonistic party.
niḥ iti |
Śrī Nanī-gopāla Mukhopādhyāya
About Society
Nowadays it seems there is an era of movements underway. Everyone seems to be taking a particular issue and starting a movement over it, as if they cannot sit still any longer. They are thinking, “This movement will facilitate me making a name for myself. People will come to know me as someone who really wants the best for our country.” Some people are starting movements about widow marriages, child marriages, about banning untouchability, etc., and someone else is starting a movement in opposition of them. In the markerts, at the ghats, in the fields, wherever they can, people are starting some big, big movement. All this time, I have not seen a single one of these movement-makers utter Bhagavān’s name, even by accident, in the course of any of their speeches, writings, or activities. Their belief is that none of the ancient mahājanas of old prided themselves as educated in Western knowledge, none of them had studied science or could have known anything about 20th century civilization, so although they stand as reformers of the undeveloped society back then, none of their ancient practices of reform can be accepted by today’s advanced society. “We are civilized people of the day. We are the reformers of society.” As long as human beings do not follow the most ancient, eternal, everlasting path of the seers of past, present, and future, those acquainted with the science of reality (vastu-vijñāna), and do not come to realize the error of this new path forged by nearsighted modern speculators versed in mundane science who think themselves educated, then no matter how fertile their minds may be, the fruit of their efforts won’t amount to even a defunct cowrie. The land of Bhārata is the land of Sanātana-dharma. No newfangled kind of dharma can gain any sort of foothold here. There is simply no counting the number of times this Sanātana-dharma has been under attack in a variety of ways. But none of that has even slightly shaken the seat of the eternal truth that is Sanātana-dharma. Even now it remains immovable, unwavering, bearing witness to the ages and their ancient history while the existences of its assailants have, one by one, disappeared or are in the process of disappearing. If people who want the best for their country, who are reformers of society really want the wellbeing of the nation, if the sorrows of the nation and of its society truly make their hearts weep, then they should adopt the example of the mahājanas and arrange for the conclusions of the Sātvata scriptures to be told and heard. They should strive to take shelter at the feet of a proper ācārya who knows the truth of the Sātvata scriptures and has realized Parabrahma, and they should, at the same time, encourage others to do the same. Until the nation adopts the personal example of the mahājanas, it cannot proceed along the path to development. It is imperative to uproot the vile practices of the āsura-varṇāśrama-dharma [demoniac social structure] and establish daiva-varṇāśrama-dharma under the guidance of a suitable ācārya. Then and only then can the life of society be saved. The dharma of cultivating devotion for Bhagavān is the sole life force of society. A society that is bereft of dharma is like a corpse. A corpse can be adorned with expensive diamond-studded ornaments, but it is not appealing to people’s eyes. Instead of delighting them, it produces grief in them. In the same way, so-called moral or ethical development that is divorced from any connection to Bhagavān has no value. And it won’t even be possible to safeguard and maintain such dry ethics like that.
A day came, a time came when the prevalence of Deva-bhāṣā [Sanskrit, the god’s language] started to be uprooted altogether. Whatever little remains is only for business. Mostly Sanskrit is read by brāhmaṇas, in order to do their guru/priest business or recite Bhāgavatam and earn some money. Today’s study or scholarship of Sanskrit extends to being able to recite a few charming, memorized Sanskrit verses with their commentaries or repeat a few grammar sūtras. The scriptural instructions of the Sātvatas are to be heard and told for the betterment of ourselves and others, not to deceive others. Therefore, let our message be established all over the world in parāvidyā-pīṭhas, institutes for the teaching spiritual knowledge as imparted by the mahājanas. That will cause the effects of avidyā to disappear. People will be able to lead lives of peace by following the path of the mahājanas. Will those who want what is best for their nation discuss this at all? It should not be nīti [policy, moral philosophy] first, then dharma; dharma is nīti.
The Means to Development
As long as mankind does not reap the good fortune of conducting their lives according to the instructions of Śrī Bhagavān, by first hearing Śrī Bhagavān’s message, or śrauta-vāṇī, from the authorized guru-paramparā, it will not be possible for anyone to harmonize or reconcile their opinions with anyone else’s because their manodharma, or mental reasoning, is so strong and full of various oscillating instances of acceptance and rejection. That is precisely what we see happening. Today someone will be very eager and make a great effort to establish a particular point of view, and tomorrow someone else will show up and demonstrate numerous flaws to that perspective and be busy trying to uproot that view. This kind of polarization exists in all manner of movements pertaining to education, industry, business, politics, social issues, etc. If champions of the nation do not seek out the root cause of these disagreements and instead try to dispel them by various artificial means, then all they will have to show for their efforts will be futile toil. They will not be capable of uplifting the nation in any way. The main reason for such disagreements is that none of our efforts is devoted to the service of Bhagavān. It is only when efforts to develop education, industry, business, etc., are devoid of any connection to the service of Bhagavān that conflicts related to people’s personal self interests arise. If each and every party only seeks to please Śrī Bhagavān’s senses, then and only then will these sorts of disputes be calmed. Otherwise, we can strive for eons to mitigate conflict and it simply won’t go away. It may be that in modern educated society all these considerations will not be accepted as having any value at all. They will think, “What relation does Bhagavān have with the world? We are the conquerors, controllers, and overseers of the world. Only we can give mankind the joy and comforts they seek. Mankind comes to us to demand their pleasures and comforts.” This conception of educated society is rooted in delusion. If there is a one, then all the zeroes that follow have value; similarly, if all activities are done with a focus of serving Bhagavān, then they have value. Otherwise, they have no value. All worldly affairs that are bereft of connection to Bhagavān are fleeting, as are their results, so where is the possibility of happiness when the results one is obtaining are temporary. It is only momentary alleviation of sorrow that appears to be happiness. In reality, the world that is devoid of connection to Bhagavān is full of misery. Therefore, those who will strive to uplift the world must first seek to uplift themselves by taking shelter at the feet of a bona fide guru and developing an attitude of service to Bhagavān, whereby they may dovetail all the affairs of the world selflessly into the service of Bhagavān. After that, they can strive to uplift others in a similar manner.
How Much More Shall I See?
(Continued from a previous issue)
That’s why I say, “People should stick to what they know, otherwise, they will get the stick.”
There was nothing else I found particularly surprising in what Adhikārī Mahāśaya had said, because I have drunk the water of many a ghat. There is not much left to know or hear. I have also had a lot of pesāda [prasāda]. And there has been no shortage of honor, deference, cordial reception, honours, awards, and praise. But upon arriving here in Māyāpura, I see that all that was hollow. Now I am seeing all of that was worthless. All the futile pride I had been harboring all these days, thinking it to be Vaiṣṇavism and the life of a saint, now I see to be the opposite. That is why I was saying, “Adhikārī Mahāśaya? Whatever Bhagavān does is for the best. Since by great fortune you have happened to come to Śrī Māyāpura, you should at least once hear some hari-kathā from the mouth of a pure devotee and reap supreme auspiciousness and create some top quality sukṛti for yourself. If you have no objection and have not taken any offense to anything said here, then I request you to please relish some nectar of hari-kathā. But just before you do that, there are a few more things I will say. Don’t get upset and don’t take offense and get angry and try to argue. Since you have introduced yourself as a smārta-brāhmaṇa, then I assume you eat fish, meat, etc., because the eating of fish and meat is something the priestly caste introduced. Therefore, surely you have also not observed brahmacarya strictly, lived in the house of your guru for twelve years, studied yajña–vidyā and the Vedic scriptures along with the Upaniṣads. I doubt you have even experienced at all what it means to be in pure sattva-guṇa. What an ācārya is, who a genuine guru is, who are actual sādhus, vaiṣṇavas, and gosvāmīs, and who a real brāhmaṇa is and why one is supposed to take shelter of them—I doubt you have even tried to acquaint yourself with these details. You are simply a brāhmaṇa’s son being a brāhmaṇa, busy and striving to fill your belly and whatnot. Am I right or what?” Adhikārī Mahāśaya was utterly stunned and replied in a moment of genuine sincerity, “Everything you said is true. Please give me some good advice. If I can develop some worthiness by your grace, then perhaps I can have the fortune of hearing some hari-kathā from these sādhus. Otherwise, I am genuinely frightened. I don’t want to make any offense to any sādhu.” I said, “At least understand properly for once what kind of brāhmaṇas these are. We see in Bhāgavatam:
yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ puṁso varṇābhivyañjakam | yad anyatrāpi dṛśyate tat tenaiva vinirddeśat || (Bhā. 7| 11| 35)
A person should possess the appropriate characteristics as described in order to be assigned a particular varṇa. Varṇa cannot be determined just on the basis of birth. Tell me what the condition of varṇa-dharma is in Kali-yuga:
brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāḥ pāpa-parāyaṇāḥ | nijācāra-vihīnāś ca bhaviṣyanti kalau yuge || viprā veda vihīnāś ca pratigraha-parāyaṇāḥ | atyanta-kāminaḥ krūrā bhaviṣyanti kalau yuge || veda-nindākarāś caiva dyūta-caurya-karās tathā | vidhvāsaṅga-lubdhāś ca bhaviṣyanti kalau dvijāḥ || vṛttyarthaṁ brāhmaṇāḥ kecit mahā-kapaṭa-dharmiṇaḥ | raktāmbarā bhaviṣyanti jaṭilāḥ śmaśru-dhāriṇaḥ || kalau yuge bhaviṣyanti brāhmaṇāḥ śudra-dharmiṇaḥ ||
(Padma Purāṇa, Kriyā-yoga-sāra, Pata 17)
In Kali-yuga, the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śudras—the people in these four varṇas have lost the conduct and character they are supposed to have. The brāhmaṇas have given up the other five duties expected of a brāhmaṇa and are prone to engage only in accepting donations. They are generally very lusty and cruel, and they hanker to have intimate relations with women. Some tremendously duplicious people don reddish garments and sport dreadlocks and beards in order to maintain their lives. In Kali-yuga, many occupy this dharma of śudras.
kramaśaḥ kalim āśritya jāyante brahma-yoniṣu | utpanna brāhmaṇa kule bādhante śrotriyān kṛśān ||
All the asuras of previous ages who hated the devas and brāhmaṇas appear in Kali-yuga in brāhmaṇa families and, having appeared in those families, those whose ten saṁskāras and cultivation of knowledge, etc., has waned pose obstacles to all the well-behaved brāhmaṇas who are properly versed in sacred knowledge.
Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata echoes the same sentiment as follows:
ei sakala rākṣasa ‘brāhmaṇa–nāma’-mātra | ei saba loka yama yātanāra pātra || kali-yuge rākṣasa sakala vipra-ghare | janmibeka sujanera hiṁsā karibāre || e saba viprera sparśa, kathā, namaskāra | dharma-śāstra sarvadā niṣedha karibāra ||
Hence, the sons of brāhmaṇas are brāhmaṇas, the sons of gosvāmīs are gosvāmīs, the sons of sādhus are sādhus, the sons of thieves are thieves. Determining varṇa by this seminal conception is deeply flawed, because—
jātir atra mahā-sarpa manuṣyatve mahā-mate | saṅkarāt sarva-varṇānāṁ duṣparīkṣyeti me matiḥ || sarve sarvasva-patyāni janayanti sadā narāḥ | vāṅ-maithuna-matho janma maraṇañca samaṁ nṛṇām ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said to Nahuṣa, “O greatly intelligent serpent, it is very difficult to determine the varṇa of a human being because there is a blend of all varṇas in every one of them. This is my belief, because the men of every varṇa are capable of begetting children in the wombs of women of every varṇa. Human beings of every varṇa are the same in speech, sex, birth, and death.
Adhikārī Mahāśaya was rendered utterly speechless. I remembered the feet of Śrīman Mahāprabhu and kept speaking.
upanīya tu yaḥ śiṣyāṁ veda-madhyā payed-dvijaḥ | sakalpaṁ sarahasyañca tamācāryaṁ pracakṣyate ||
That brāhmaṇa initiate who is bestowed the sacred thread and taught the knowledge of yajña as well as the whole of the Vedas along with the Upaniṣads is called an ācārya by the sages.
ācinoti yaḥ śāstrārtham-ācāre sthāpayaty api | svayam-ācarate yasmād ācāryas tena kīrttitaḥ ||
One who has properly gleaned the conclusions of the scriptures, establishes others in proper conduct, and follows the dictates of scripture himself is a man who is knows the truth, is possessed of proper character, and is therefore known as an ācārya.
Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇyupaśamāśrayām – One who is well-versed in śabda-brahma and the conclusions of the Śruti scriptures. ‘Parabrahma niṣṇāta’ refers to one who has obtained realization of Adhokṣaja. Because of that, he is not compelled by any mundane agitation. Only such a person is a bona fide guru.
kṛpā-sindhuḥ su-saṁpūrṇaḥ sarva-sattvopakārakaḥ | nispṛhaḥ sarvataḥ siddhaḥ sarva vidyā viśāradaḥ || sarva saṁśaya saṁcchettā ’nalaso gurur-āhṛtaḥ ||
One who is boundlessly merciful, who is fully complete, or in other words, who is fully established in his own nature and therefore lacks nothing, who is endowed with all virtues, who is absorbed in striving for the benefit of all living entities, who is devoid of lust, who is perfected in all ways, who is expert in all knowledge, that is, brahma-vidyā or bhaktisiddhānta, who is capable of severing all the doubts of his disciples, who is not lazy, or who is always resolutely engaged in the service of Hari, is known as guru.
(to be continued)
News of the Times
Calcutta Gauḍīya Maṭha’s Paramahaṁsa Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura in Sītārāmapura
Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Ṭhākura made his auspicious arrival at Sītārāmapura Station last Friday via the Delhi Express along with nearly 25 devotees. The distinguished gentry of Manbhum District were present at the station to greet him. They decorated Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Ṭhākura with flower garlands and gifted him an official notice of welcome. From there, the devotees went as far as Barakar by motor vehicle. From there, thousands and thousands of people joined in a parade with a band with many musical instruments performing hari-saṅkīrtana and followed Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Ṭhākura up to the Dumurakondā maṭha, where he delivered a speech about the speciality of Śrī Caitanyadeva. And the editor of the Gauḍīya magazine, Śrīyukta Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda Mahāśaya, delivered a speech about the utility of Śrī Caitanyadeva’s dharma in the present age. Hearing the news of Śrīla Ṭhākura’s arrival, many people came from up 15–16 miles away and gathered in the maṭha. Mahāprasāda was distributed to the assembled men and women.
Chakturia
By the arrangement of the zamindar of Disargarh, Ray Saheb Śrīyukta Upendranātha Maṇḍala, the next morning, a massive assembly was convened in the courtyard of the Bengal Coal Company. Many people from the surrounding villages started arriving there from the early hours of the dawn and onwards. At around 8:00 a.m., Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Mahārāja arrived with the devotees in several motor cars. Amid loud cries of haridhvani from the assembled crowd, Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Ṭhākura expressed the essential aspects of Vaiṣṇava-dharma as propagated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and also demonstrated that this dharma is the sole cause of supreme auspiciousness for all the souls of the world.
Cirakuṇḍā
On the invitation of the zamindar of Cirakuṇḍā (Śrīyukta Dīnanātha Gaḍāi Mahāśaya), the proprietors and zamindars of the nearby coal mine, and many distinguished individuals of Barakar, Kulti, Begunia, and other places came to see Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Ṭhākura. Śrīla Ṭhākura expounded on the fact that Vaiṣṇava-dharma is Bhārata’s real Sanātana-dharma and, in this context, shed light on the varieties of upheavals and moral shortcomings seen in the modern age.
Nirśācaṭī
On the initiative of two mahodayas, thelocal zamindar Śrīyukta Indra-nārāyaṇa Candra and Manbhum District Board’s vice-chairman, Śrīyukta Kuñjabihārī Candra Mahodaya, last Saturday evening a grand assembly was convened. Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Ṭhākura arrived there in the early hours of dusk with the devotees in six motor cars. The distinguished local gentry arranged for a massive parade with an instrumental band and greeted Śrīla Ṭhākura a mile away from the venue. The former vice-principal of the Bhagalpur T.L. Jubilee College, Śrīyukta I.C. Miśra Mahodaya, welcomed Śrīla Ṭhākura on behalf of the local inhabitants. Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Ṭhākura discussed all manner of comparative religious analysis by way of expounding the confidential truths of the dharma propagated by Śrī Caitanyadeva, or in other words, the Gauḍīya-bhāṣya on Vedānta, the Brahma-sūtra, before the assembled audience. The next day, in the evening, Śrīla Paramahaṁsa Ṭhākura, Śrīpāda Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda, and Śrīmad Bhakti Hṛdaya Vana Mahārāja delivered extensive deliberations on the speciality of the Gauḍīya Maṭha in comparison to the various traditions of the world.
Nānā Kathā
An investigation is ongoing into the violence inflicted by police during the recent riot in the Senate. Police Commissioner Sir Charles Tegart has supplied a report stating, “The students rained down brickbats and bottles on the police, so the police were compelled to launch an assault on the students to restore the peace. The police were simply doing their job. The police are not at all at fault.”
The gatekeeper, Professor Śrīyukta Praphulla Ghoṣa, Śrīyukta Gaurāṅga Bandyopādhyāya, and others have issued a statement insisting that a grave atrocity was committed on the part of the police. Gaurāṅga Bandyopādhyāya apparently saw with his own eyes that a cannon car called the ‘Graghoṣṭa’ entered the Senate courtyard and raised the barrel of its cannon toward the Ashutosh Building.
Last Saturday evening, in Cornwallis Square, under the leadership of Latikā Bose (the assembly leader), Kazi Najrul Islam, Dr. S.K. Bose, and others delivered speeches at a meeting of the Scottish Church students, encouraging them to remain undeterred in their resolve. The assembly leader said, “Foreign students can participate in national movements, but the moment students here try to join a national movement, they are punished. This is the state of the colleges.”
There have been terrifying outbreaks of cholera and smallpox in Durgāpura, Dhalāra-ghara, Chaichapā, Khayeradikāndī, Miyāpāḍā, and Goyālanagara cara. In the last fifteen days, over 500 people have fallen into the jaws of death in Rajbari. Most of them were Muslim farmers.
The government announcement about the gunfire volley showered on workers in Howrah, Bamangachi, states that workers became very aggressive and started throwing bricks at the police, so the police were compelled to shoots bullets. Five shots were fired one after another. As result, 1 person was reported dead at the scene of the incident, one died in the hospital, while another two people suffered gunshots wounds on their person and are still in hospital. Another person was injured but not by bullet. Many members of the police were injured by the bricks thrown by the workers. The government investigation has still not concluded.
The agent of the EIR Company says that many people are coming back to work in various places other than in Liluah.
Last Saturday, there was no agitation at Bamangachi or other nearby locations. The workers of the Jessop, Barne, and Martin Company expressed their sympathies for the Liluah strikers and have launched a strike of their own in protest of the bullet volley. The administration of that company is trying to reconcile matters with them. The workers are now demanding the amends they sought for their lackings and complaints. There was talk of reconciliation in a huge meeting of strikers in Howrah Maidan, but there was no final resolution reached.
This past 1st of April, in the evening, a huge assembly of Calcutta’s Muslim ratepayers [a civic organization] convened at the Indian Association Hall on Baubazar Street. Therein, Śrīyukta Subhash Bābu was determined to be the most worthy individual to be elected to the post of mayor of the Calcutta Corporation. Maulana Abdur Rauf Danapuri Mahāśaya accepted the seat of chairman. Maulana Muhammad Akram Khan raised a proposal requesting all the Muslim councillors to support Subhash Bābu in the upcoming election. With Maulana Manirujjaman Islamabadi’s approval and Maulvi Abdul Karim MLC. Mahaśaya’s support, the proposal was unanimously accepted.
Reports are that this upcoming 15th of April, the Afghan royal couple will leave England and journey to Paris. They will rest in Paris for a few days and then proceed to Berlin to consult a doctor regarding a throat illness. Depending on what condition they are in after that, their itinerary may change.
Last year, Bharata’s post offices delivered 1,293,500,000 letters, etc. Of them, 5 million, 10 lakh were registered letters. 6 million taka worth of stamps have been sold for postal tickets. 3 million 70 lakh money orders of a value of 89 million 80 lakh taka have been delivered. An income of 27 million 30 lakh taka has been earned for value-payable items. 57 lakh insurance policies worth 162 million 20 lakh taka have been delivered. 80 lakh taka has been received in duty charges for all the letters and parcels that arrived from abroad. 1 million 58 lakh taka has been delivered to the pension accounts of Bhārata’s soldiers. 13,496 pounds of quinine [malaria medication] has been sold. Up until March 31st of this past year of 1927, 2,519,142 people have deposited money in accounts at the Post Savings Bank. 53,649 people have taken out postal life insurance policies and 10 million 10 lakh taka deposited for that.
Last Sunday, in fierce protest of the Bamangachi killings, two massive assemblies of the Liluah factory strikers were convened at the college’s Albert Hall under the chairmanship of Śrīyukta Mṛnālakānti Bose and that of Śrīyukta Kiraṇacandra Mitra at Howrah Maidan. The act of the police firing on an unarmed crowd without prior warning was fiercely denounced. A proposal was raised stating that it was imperative to form a committee of assembly-approved people to investigate the matter of the Bamangachi bullet attack further and to engage a medical board of assembly-approved doctors to tend to the injured individuals. Demands have been made for the compensation of innocent workers. It was proposed that prayers be offered for the auspicious destination of the killed workers and that condolences be conveyed to their families. Besides that, there was a proposal that if the JEI rail agent does not meet the reasonable demands of the workers, then arrangements will be made for strikes to occur on all lines of the EIR.
Almost 40 people have died in a earthquake in Constantinople and many people have been injured. Nearly two villages have been destroyed in Smarna.