Srila B.S Govinda Maharaja's Divine Appearance Day 8/12/2014
Prayer to Srila B.S Govinda Maharaja
gurvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam sundaram vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam
"I worship the holy lotus feet of he who perfectly fulfills the most cherished wish of his divine master -- who is adorned resplendently with the blessings of his guru varga; who is adept in all Vedic conceptions, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the faithful follower in the line of Sri Rupa; who is known as Srila Govinda Maharaj; whose beautiful divine figure revels in the mellows of divine love; who is the guru of the entire universe and the bestower of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord."
His Life and precepts
Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj appeared in this world in 1929 at Brahmanpara, District Burdwan, West Bengal. He came to the lotus feet of his gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj in 1947, and has remained faithfully in his service ever since.
History tells us that from the very beginning he held the unrivalled position of the most intimate and faithful servitor of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, and from the beginning Srila Sridhar Maharaj revealed his wish that Srila Govinda Maharaj would occupy the position of his successor in the future. Srila Govinda Maharaj also enjoyed the long and intimate association of Om Visnupad Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, who referred to him as his "dearmost son."
Fulfilling a wish he cherished for about forty years, Srila Sridhar Maharaj conferred sannyasa upon Srila Govinda Maharaj in 1985, giving his final and irrevocable decision of his selection of Srila Govinda Maharaj as his successor President-Acharya of his Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math of Nabadwip, with all of its branches in India and internationally.
Like his illustrious Divine Master, Srila Govinda Maharaj has given us numerous pure devotional compositions in Sanskrit and Bengali, most valuable for the cultivation of spiritual life. His holy talks are also being published in book form.
Srila Govinda Maharaj has travelled around the world many times, and he has attracted thousands of people in such places as India, the U.S.A., Mexico, England, Europe, South America, Africa, Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Srila B.S Govinda Maharaja's Divine Appearance Day 8/12/2014
Today we commemorate the divine appearance day of a great Vaishnava personality who appeared in this world for the sole purpose of delivering the fallen conditioned souls from conditioned material existence, and fufilling the cherished desire of his eternal spiritual master, his Divine Grace Srila B.R Sridhar Maharaja.
Srila Govinda Maharaja taught the path of Bhakti yoga and was famous for his mood of unconditional love and undivided affection for all Gods creatures. His entire being emanated divine love and joy, like that of a divine loving father. By his example he showed everyone the way of affectionate dealings between Guru and disciple, and between all sentient beings in general. Srila B.S Govinda Maharaja is no doubt the embodiment of Lord Chaitanyas divine compassion and mercy.
Srila Govinda Maharaja's life was a great reflection of this famous verse by Lord Gaurasundara:
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
"One who can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." (Śikṣāṣṭaka 3)
All glories to that divine saint Srila Govinda Maharaja who showed the world the divine path of Bhakti yoga and service to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga and Sri Sri Radha Govinda by his great example, and led a path for common men to aspire to follow in his footsteps!
-Yogamaya Dasi
