Instructions by Srila Maharaj:
- The one and the only way of achieving the Supreme Lord is to cultivate one-pointed, unalloyed devotion for Him. One must have the same type of devotion for the spiritual master who is the condensed form of the mercy of the Supreme Lord.
- I have many instructing spiritual masters (siksa-guru) but only one initiating spiritual master (diksa-guru) who is one without a second. Everybody can give instructions and teachings; however, only one person can accept me as his own and offer me to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.
- One on the path of devotional practice (sadhana-bhakti) eternally sees the Lord present in all Vaishnavas and lovingly deals with them, offering appropriate respect, reception, and service. Such behavior is the life of the devotees who are practicing devotion (sadhana-bhakta).
- A rupanuga is one who practices devotion following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Raghunath Das Goswami; a rupanuga is totally overwhelmed in the mood shown by Sri Rupa and Raghunath in both their forms on earth and in the spiritual world. Amongst all of the Vaishnavas on earth, a genuine rupanuga Vaishnava is extremely rare and supreme.
- How can those who cannot unitedly serve here following in the footsteps of Sri guru-Vaishnavas serve in the footsteps of the devotees in the spiritual world? Without following in the footsteps of the devotee, service becomes mundane work. Lack of tolerance and lack of following in the footsteps of the devotees is equivalent to suicide.
- A life favorable for devotion consists of straightforwardness and simplicity. The sign of Vaishnavism is to not give trouble to any living entities while carrying out one’s daily work. Before instructing others, one must accept and follow the instructions in one’s own life.
- One can gain spiritual qualifications solely through one-pointedly surrendering unto Sri Hari, Guru, and the Vaishnavas. One-pointed surrender is the sign of a healthy devotional life. There is no time for independence in the practice of surrender.
- If practicing devotees do not remain careful from offending Sri Guru, Vaishnavas, the deity, the holy name, and the holy places, then even if they perform service and chant the holy names for a long time, it will be impossible for their consciousness to become turned away from the desire to enjoy material sense objects. Rather, unwanted material motives and tendencies (anarthas) and ignorance that are unfavorable for devotion and various desires that are not beneficial for devotion will gain strength in the heart.
- Being established in one’s relationship with Krishna, being constantly engaged in loving service, chanting the names of Krishna causelessly without deception is the main duty and constitutional function of a servant of Krishna. If this occurs, then one’s mind, intelligence, consciousness, and heart will be purified and it will be possible to attain pure loving devotion (Prema-bhakti). The holy name is the bud of divine love.
- The extent to which one’s absorption in material sense objects decreases is the extent to which a practitioner of devotion gains more devotion. As long as one does not develop a true feeling of compassion towards all living entities, one will continue to have a lack of taste in chanting the holy names. Having compassion upon the living entities, understanding their relationship with the Supreme Lord, is the ornament of the Vaishnava.
- Genuine chanting of the holy names is to be done in the way that was taught by the most merciful Sri Sacinandana Gaurasundara. Sri Vrsabhanu-Nandini Radharani is the main blissful potency (Mula hladini). Without Her mercy, it is impossible to serve Sri Krishna.
- Sri Gaurasundara is the incarnation of the Supreme Lord, Sri Vrajendranandana, in the form of the spiritual master who teaches by example (Acarya-avatar). The beauty of Lord Gaurasundara’s form, His behavior and preaching, and His unparalleled magnanimity is but a wonder of the extremely merciful sweetness of Sri Vrsabhanu-Nandini who cannot even be reached by the sruti, smrti, Puranas, Brahma, and the devas.
- Srimati Radharani is my master. The dust of Her lotus feet is just like a wish-fulfilling cow (kama-dhenu). A particle of transcendental dust of Her lotus feet controls the all-attractive young cupid-like king of all mellows, Sri Shyamsundar. My constitutional function is to be Her servant. The servants of Srimati Radharani are my shelter. Srimati Radharani is most merciful and loves Her servants very much. Sri Radharamana is an unlimited ocean of nectarine mellows; He increases the love of Srimati Radharani. He is the love of My life.
- Gaining devotion for the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, is very rare. Even rarer than that is to gain devotion for becoming the servant of Srimati Radharani who is the form of supreme ecstatic bliss. Under the shelter of the spiritual master in his form as a Sakhi, one gains the desire for becoming the servant of Srimati Radharani.
- Becoming the servant (dasi) of Srimati Radharani is even more glorious than becoming one of Srimati Radharani’s friends (sakhis).
The above-mentioned valuable spiritual instructions are coming from the holy lips of Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami Maharaj. Due to Srila Janardan Goswami Maharaj’s humility, we are not getting any information about his family details. His disciples barely managed to get the following information. 1918 is a very significant year for all Gaudiya Maths as in that year, Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur completed chanting one billion holy names and established the Gaudiya Math. In the same year, Srila Janardana Goswami Maharaj appeared in Ganjam district, Odisha, India. It seems like Srila Janardana Goswami Maharaj was a significant spiritual descendant of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada’s mission was started in order to spread the loving message of Lord Caitanya. Therefore, Srila Janardana Goswami Maharaj, at an early age left home (we saw on an internet message that he left home at the age of seven) and eventually, came to the shelter of his Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada. From the time of joining the Caitanya Math in Mayapur, he was fully dedicated to serving all Vaishnavas. He used to attend discourses given by various sadhus (disciples of Srila Prabhupada). He used to attend Mangal Arati, Sandhya Arati, and so on with sound faith. Seeing such faith in him, everybody certified Maharaj’s devotional attitude to Srila Prabhupada. After hearing the devotional glories of the small boy from different Vaishnavas, Srila Prabhupada gave him harinama and mantra Diksha on an auspicious day; Srila Prabhupada named him Sri Ananta Rama Das Brahmachari. After this initiation, Srila Prabhupada kept Sri Ananta Rama Das Brahmachari as his own dear personal servant. Ananta Rama Prabhu was engaged by Srila Prabhupada to study devotional books under senior godbrothers. Also, Ananta Rama Prabhu used to listen to Srila Prabhupada’s harikatha very attentively. Srila Prabhupada’s harikatha inspired Ananta Rama Prabhu to collect alms (bhiksha) for the service of guru and Vaishnavas. Whenever preachers would come to the temple, in order to serve them, Ananta Rama Prabhu used to assist them with his best ability. Seeing such a service mood, all of the devotees living in the temple liked Ananta Rama Prabhu and bestowed their blessings on him. Most of the time, Srila Prabhupada engaged Sri Ananta Rama Brahmachari at the Gaudiya Math branch in Cuttack, sometimes at Chatak Parvat, Jagannath Puri Dham, and sometimes at Bag Bazar Gaudiya Math, Kolkata.
Sri Ananta Rama Das Brahmachari was helpful to his godbrothers who were preaching in order to expand Mahaprabhu’s loving mission. Although he was engaged most of the time in serving Vaishnavas and serving in different temples, from time to time, he used to attentively study Srimad Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrta, Caitanya Bhagavat, Srimad Bhagawat Gita, different Puranas, etc. He used to recite various slokas by heart. In this way, he became a great speaker who would always speak with sastric evidence.
His Divine Life :
On 1st January 1937, the moment of supreme separation arrived for all devotees of the Gaudiya Math; it was Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance. After Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure, Sri Ananta Rama Das Brahmachari used to stay at Caitanya Math, Mayapur but due to certain circumstances, he was drawn to associate with like-minded senior godbrothers; therefore, he left Caitanya Math and came to Sri Shyamananda Gaudiya Math located in Shiv Bazar, Medinipur which was a home rented by a group of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples (Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Radharaman Das Brahmachari who later became Bhakti Kumud Sant Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Vichar Jajabar Goswami Maharaj and Ananta Rama Das Brahmachari) for the purpose of preaching. During his stay at Shyamananda Gaudiya Math, Radharaman Das Brahmachari and Anantaram Das Brahmachari both became bosom friends and studied different devotional books together. Also, they used to go to all of the ancient libraries of Medinipur and study the different scriptures that were present there. Eventually, Ananta Rama Das Brahmachari was told by different godbrothers to take sannyasa. In order to follow his godbrothers’ instruction, he chose his senior godbrother who used to be the raja-pandit of Odisha, Srila Bhakti Gaurav Vaikhanas Goswami Maharaj, to be his sannyasa guru. After sannyasa initiation, Srila Bhakti Gaurav Vaikhanas Goswami Maharaj gave him the name Tridandi Swami Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardana Goswami Maharaj. Eventually, all of the godbrothers of Shyamananda Gaudiya Math decided that the math should be registered in the name of Bhakti Vichar Jajabar Goswami Maharaj and that the rest of the godbrothers would leave to go out and spread the loving mission of Lord Caitanya sharing amicable relations with each other. After that, Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardana Goswami Maharaj established a temple in Khargapur, Subhaspalli, Medinipur, West Bengal. Srila Janardana Goswami Maharaj’s sweet and logical discourses quoting from different Puranas attracted most of the local people from all walks of life who subsequently took shelter of Srila Janardana Goswami Maharaj. Srila Janardan Goswami Maharaj used to serve cows with his own hands at his temple’s goshala including cleaning cow dung, offering food to the cows, etc. Not only that but also when any holy persons, like his godbrothers, came with their disciples, Srila Janardan Goswami Maharaj used to blissfully host them and look after them in a loving manner. In mind, Srila Janardan Goswami Maharaj used to serve Srimati Radha Thakurani under the shelter of Rupa (Rupa Manjari) and Raghunatha (Rati Manjari), Srimati Lalita Sakhi and their associates. Srila Janardan Goswami Maharaj used to often say to his devotees, “If you really want to establish a love for Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s services, then you must always remain drowned in the ocean of nectar of the holy names given by Lord Caitanya. In mind, you must always serve Srimati Radharani’s eternal maidservants, namely Lalita, Visakha, Rupa Manjari, and Ananga Manjari without hypocrisy, with full humility and not desiring respect for yourself.” This is the supreme goal of Mahaprabhu’s mission. During the time of chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, Srila Janardan Goswami Maharaj used to cry out, “Ha Radhe! Ha Radhe! Ha Visakhe! Ha Lalite! Ha Gaura! Ha Nitai! Ha Prabhupada” with eyes full of tears. Seeing Maharaj’s chanting in this mood of separation, many devotees felt very inspired. Sometimes, they saw him rolling on the ground calling out in this way.
Srila Janardana Goswami Maharaj established two temples: 1. Sri Gauravani Vinodashram and 2. Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gaudiya Math. The temples had the deities Sri Sri Gaura Radha-Nayanavinoda Bihari Jiu and Sri Sri Gaura Radha Kunjabihari Jiu, respectively. Both temples were established in Kharagpur, the Medinipur area. In order to offer Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s favorite flowers like the jasmine, tuberose, Madhavi, Malati, etc. he used to keep flower gardens in each temple, with the flowers being used to personally make garlands for the deities. Srila Narottama Das Thakur wrote in one song, “ganthiya malatira mala diba donhara gale” which means, “I will make garlands with Malati flowers to offer to the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha-Krishna”. Srila Janardana Goswami Maharaj’s attitude was like this example; he used to make the garlands and offer them to Sri Sri Radha Krishna. Maharaj’s loving nature with all of his godbrothers and spiritual nephews made them feel comfortable associating with him. His godbrothers Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Kumud Sant Goswami Maharaj were his bosom friends. Also, during the time of his physical departure, Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami Maharaj appointed Bhakti Kamal Govinda Maharaj, a disciple of Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami Maharaj, as his successor. Also, due to Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami Maharaj’s loving attitude, Srila Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami Maharaj’s disciple took sannyasa from Srila Jivan Janardan Goswami Maharaj in the presence of Srila Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami Maharaja – that disciple’s name became Bhakti Vichar Vishnu Goswami Maharaj who is presently one of the acharyas of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mission. At the age of 76, on Monday 5th December 1994 (18 Agrahayan 1401)at 6:15 a.m during the third day of the waxing moon, Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami Maharaj physically departed from this world from Sri Gauravani Vinodashram Gaudiya Math, Subhaspalli surrounded by his disciples and other devotees who were loudly chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Maharaj left his body while chanting, “Ha Radhe! Ha Krishna! Ha Prabhupada!” Srila Janardan Goswami Maharaj’s exemplary service attitude for a guru, Vaishnava and Bhagavan is giving us the inspiration to practice humility, tolerance, not expecting respect for ourselves, offering respect to all others, and to serve with our own hands as much as possible instead of ordering others. He inspired us to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra while remembering the inner meaning and mood of the pastimes of the transcendental abode.
