Friday, October 24, 2008
Srinivasa Acarya, Gauranga Naam, and Radha-Krishna Mantra?
Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!
Dear Swami Gaurangapada and assembled devotees, please accept my full obiesances.
While reading , All Biographies - click here - from Nitaai Veda, the biography of Srinivasa Acarya; it was my pleasure to find the mention of Gauranga Naam.
...Shrinivasa Acarya's mother was Shri Laksmipriya and his father was Shri Gangadhara Bhattacarya (later known as Shri Chaitanya dasa). They lived in the village of Cakhandi near the Bhagirathi river. When Shri Gaurasundara completed His activities in Nadia and went to the asrama of Shri Kesava Bharati in Kantak to take sannyasa, the news spread rapidly and thousands of people from far and wide assembled to witness the ceremony of Mahaprabhu's sannyasa initiation. Gangadhara Bhattacarya also went to witness the event. The devotees were overwhelmed with grief at the thought of Mahaprabhu shaving off His beautiful curly hair. Madhu, the barber, was completely depressed and stood motionless, unable to cut the Lord's hair. Only after the Lord repeatedly insisted, did Madhu finally cut off Mahaprabhu's beautiful locks. However, immediately thereafter Madhu fainted on the ground crying pathetically, "Oh what have I done, what have I done?" The entire atmosphere was filled with lamentation and no one was able to console each other. Even the birds in the trees began to cry, and Gangadhara Bhattacarya fainted in grief.
After a long time Gangadhara Bhattacarya regained consciousness and began reciting the name "Shri Krishna Chaitanya, Shri Krishna Chaitanya." He then returned to Cakhandi village and like a mad man incessantly chanted the name of Shri Chaitanya. His devoted wife also cried her heart out when she heard the news of Mahaprabhu's acceptance of sannyasa. Thus people began calling Gangadhara, Chaitanya dasa.
Later, Chaitanya dasa and his wife went to Puri to visit Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. From a distance Chaitanya dasa spotted the Lord and immediately he and his wife fell prostrate, offering obeisances with tearful eyes. The Lord called them near to Him and lovingly addressed them in a sweet voice, "By the grace of Lord Jagannatha you have reached here safely, now you must proceed at once to take darsana of the Lord and He will fulfill your desire" (Bhakti R.).
Accompanied by Govinda, Mahaprabhu's servant, Chaitanya dasa and his wife went to see Shri Jagannatha. They tearfully offered prayers to the Lord, then went to the residence arranged for them by Mahaprabhu.
The days passed and Chaitanya dasa and his wife relished every moment of their stay in Nilacala. One day Shri Gaurasundara informed Govinda that both Chaitanya dasa and his wife had prayed to Lord Jagannatha to give them a son, thus they would soon be the proud parents of a beautiful son named Shrinivasa. The Lord further explained, "Through Rupa and Sanatana, I manifested wonderful devotional literatures, and through Shrinivasa, I will distribute those sastras far and wide. Now you may tell Chaitanya dasa to return to Gauda immediately."
As desired by the Lord, Chaitanya dasa happily returned to Bengal. Shri Laksmipriya's father Balarama Bipra, who was a great astrologer and scholar, predicted that soon a great personality would be born to Laksmi devi. Sure enough, on the auspicious full moon day in the month of Vaisaka (April-May), when the star Rohini was visible in the sky, a son was born to Laksmipriya. All the markings of a great personality were visible on the child's body. Immediately Shri Chaitanya dasa offered the boy to the lotus feet of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and happily distributed gifts and charity to numerous brahmanas. Everyone was overwhelmed with joy.
As the child grew Laksmipriya chanted the holy name of Shri Gauranga constantly and taught her son to do the same. Time passed quickly and soon he accepted the sacred thread and began his studies under the guidance of Dhananjaya Vidyavacaspati. Within a very short period he became well versed in every subject....
Later in the biography it is mentioned that Srinivasa Acarya initiated several people into the Radha-Krishna Mantra. My question is, was this Radha-Krishna mantra the Holy Name of Gauranga (the same mantra Gurudeva has given us)?
It is interesting to note that Srinivasa Acarya took initiation of Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, whose personal Deity was Sri Radharamana! In Sri Gopala Bhatta's divine vision Sri Radharamana used to appear as our beautiful Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu.
y.s. Nava.
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