Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada appeared in this world in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent religious scholar and the founder of sixty-four Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge. Srila Prabhupada became his student and, in 1933, his formally initiated disciple.
At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge in English. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, assisted the Gaudiya Matha in its work, and, in 1944, started Back to Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine. Single-handedly, Srila Prabhupada edited it, typed the manuscripts, checked the galley proofs, and even distributed the individual copies. The magazine is now being continued by his disciples in the West.
In 1950 Srila Prabhupada retired from married life, adopting the vanaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing. He traveled to the holy city of Vrndavana, where he lived in humble circumstances in the historic temple of Radha-Damodara. There he engaged for several years in deep study and writing. He accepted the renounced order of life (sannyasa) in 1959. At Radha-Damodara, Srila Prabhupada began work on his lifes masterpiece: a multivolume commentated translation of the eighteen-thousand-verse Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). He also wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets.
After publishing three volumes of the Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada came to the United States, in September 1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master. Subsequently, His Divine Grace wrote more than fifty volumes of authoritative commentated translations and summary studies of the philosophical and religious classics of India.
When he first arrived by freighter in New York City, Srila Prabhupada was practically penniless. Only after almost a year of great difficulty did he establish the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, in July of 1966. Before he passed away on November 14, 1977, he had guided the Society and seen it grow to a worldwide confederation of more than one hundred asramas, schools, temples, institutes, and farm communities.
In 1972 His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary and secondary education in the West by founding the gurukula school in Dallas, Texas. Since then his disciples have established similar schools throughout the United States and the rest of the world.
Srila Prabhupada also inspired the construction of several large international cultural centers in India. The center at Sridhama Mayapur, in West Bengal, is the site for a planned spiritual city, an ambitions project for which construction will extend over many years to come. In Vrndavana are the magnificent Krsna-Balarama Temple and International Guesthouse, gurukula school, and Srila Prabhupada Memorial and Museum. There is also a major cultural and educational center in Mumbai. Other centers are planned in a dozen important locations on the Indian subcontinent.
Srila Prabhupada on ISKCON Vrindavana
Our Vrindavan temple is perhaps our nicest building in the whole movement, and I want that our Vrindavan temple to be the first class temple of India. Already people are saying that it surpasses all temples of the district in beauty, and I think it surasses all temples in India.
Mayapur and Vrindavan are places of spiritual inspiration for all devotees of ISKCON. They are the best places in the world to come and chant Hare Krishna and prepare for going back to home, back to Godhead.
Vrindavana is the most sacred place within this cosmic universe, and people seeking to achieve spiritual emancipation by entering the kingdom of God may make a home at Vrindavana and become serious students of the six Gosvamis, who were instructed by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Founder Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, inaugurated the Krishna Balaram Mandir in Sri Vrindavana Dhama and installed the most beautiful Deities of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram, Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar, Lalita Devi and Vishakha Devi and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai on Ram Navami Day, 20 April 1975.
Srila Prabhupadas most significant contribution, however, is his books. Highly respected by scholars for their authority, depth, and clarity, they are used as textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into over fifty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become the worlds largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.
In just twelve years, despite his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupada continued to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature, and culture.
Srila Prabhupada spend several years in Vrindavan before going to America. Through his travels and preaching he revealed the glory of Vrindavan-dham to the whole world. (www.iskconvrindavan.com)
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Srila Narayana Maharaja was born in a village named Tewaripur located near the bank of the sacred Ganges river in Bihar, India. The area was renowned for being the place where Lord Ramacandra and Visvamitra Muni came and killed the Taraka demon. He was born on the Amavasya (new moon) day 7th February, 1921, into a very religious Trivedi brahmana family. Throughout his childhood he had many opportunities to regularly accompany his father when he would go to attend kirtana and pravachan assemblies.
In February of 1947 he had his first meeting with his Gurudeva in Sri Navadvipa Dhama, West Bengal. He had traveled there from his village after meeting a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura named Srila Narottamananda Brahmacari, who was touring and preaching the message of Sri Caitanyadeva in the area. After initial discussions with this devotee, he was convinced of the paramount position of the philosophy given by the acaryas in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, and within days he left home to join the mission of his spiritual master and surrender his life.
When he arrived in Sri Navadvipa Dhama, the annual parikrama was under way and he joined with the group. Upon its completion on Gaura-purnima, he was given both harinama and gayatri initiations by Srila Kesava Maharaja and received the name Sri Gaura Narayana. Very soon afterward, his Gurudeva also awarded him the title of Bhaktabandhava, which means “friend of the devotees,” because he was always serving all of the Vaisnavas in a very pleasing manner.
He traveled extensively along with Srila Kesava Maharaja in preaching tours throughout India over the next five years, and in 1952, on Gaura-purnima, his beloved Gurudeva awarded him initiation into the sacred order of sannyasa. In 1954 Srila Kesava Maharaja posted him in charge of the newly opened temple in Mathura named Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha. Srila Narayana Maharaja began to spend part of the year in Mathura and the other part in Bengal, carrying on extensive services in both areas. This went on over the period of the next fourteen years. He was also appointed by Srila Kesava Maharaja as vice-president of his institution, the Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti and Editor-in-Chief of its Hindi publications and the monthly magazine Sri Bhagavat Patrika. In 1968 Srila Kesava Maharaja passed from this world, and Srila Narayana Maharaja performed all the necessary ceremonial rituals for his samadhi burial.
During this time period, as a humble servitor of the Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti Srila Narayana Maharaja began to organize the annual Karttika Vraja Mandala Parikrama, which he continues to carry on up to the present day.
Srila Narayana Maharaja was requested by his Gurudeva to translate the books of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura from Bengali into his native language, Hindi. He has carried out this request by translating some of the Thakura’s most prominent books, such as Jaiva Dharma, Caitanya-siksamrta, Bhakti-tattva-viveka, Vaisnava-siddhanta-mala, to name only a few. All these books are also presently being translated into English by his followers. He also continues to lecture in Hindi, Bengali and English throughout India. All of his discourses are tape-recorded and are gradually being transcribed as well as translated into English for publication.
A significant relationship in the life of Srila Narayana Maharaja was his association with His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja Prabhupada, the world-famous preacher of Gaudiya Vaisnavism and Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. They first met in Calcutta in 1948 on the occasion of the inauguration of a new branch of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti on Ghosh Para Lane, where they had both come to render their services. Their association continued a few years later when Srila Narayana Maharaja accompanied Srila Kesava Maharaja to Jhansi where Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja had been attempting to start a Vaisnava society named The League of Devotees. A few years later in the early 50’s, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja came to reside at Mathura in Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Math, by invitation of his godbrother, Srila Kesava Maharaja, where he stayed for some months. By having regular devotional exchanges with him and deep discussions of Vaisnava siddhanta, Srila Narayana Maharaja developed a very intimate relationship with him during this time period, regarding him both as his senior and superior, as well as his friend.
In 1959 Srila Kesava Gosvami Maharaja initiated him into the sacred sannyasa order, giving him the sannyasi name and title Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. The ceremony of Vedic fire yajna and all the rituals were performed by Srila Narayana Maharaja.
Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja was already residing in Vrndavana during this period, first at the Vamsi Gopala Mandira and a few years later at the Sri Sri Radha Damodara Mandira. Srila Narayana Maharaja would often go there to visit with him. He would cook for him, honor the prasada with him, and have intimate discussions on Vaisnava philosophy.
Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja went to preach in the West, and succeeded in starting the first Radha Krsna temple in America, Srila Narayana Maharaja sent the first mrdanga drums and karatalas to him to be used for sankirtana. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja maintained regular correspondence every month or two with Srila Kesava Maharaja and Srila Narayana Maharaja up until 1968 when Srila Kesava Maharaja entered nitya-lila. And after that, he continued to write Srila Narayana Maharaja until his own divine departure.
Toward the end of his life, he personally requested Srila Narayana Maharaja several times to kindly give his association to his Western disciples and help them to understand the deep truths of the Vaisnava philosophy in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada. Srila Narayana Maharaja humbly agreed to honor his request considering him to be one of his worshipable siksa gurus. He also requested Srila Narayana Maharaja to take complete charge of performing all the rituals for his samadhi burial after his departure. Both of these requests by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja clearly demonstrated the firm and utter confidence that he held in Srila Narayana Maharaja.
For a period spanning almost two decades since his departure in November 1977, Srila Narayana Maharaja has unwaveringly been carrying out this final request by providing insightful guidance and loving shelter to all who come to him seeking such, and through the medium of his English books he is now giving his purifying association and divine realizations to sincere searchers of truth all over the globe.
For nearly half a century Srila Narayana Maharaja has demonstrated and exemplified the pure, unadulterated life of utter dedication and loving service to his Gurudeva, Sriman Mahaprabhu, and the Divine Couple, Yugala-kisora, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. Srila Narayana Maharaja, as Their intimate servitor, continues to illuminate the path for those who wish to discover and dive deep into the ecstatic ocean of Radha-dasyam, service to the radiantly beautiful lotus feet of Sri Krsna’s dearly beloved, Srimati Radhika.
(www.purebhakti.com)