Samadhi: His Divine Grace

 A HUMBLE SUBMISSION 

On the Occasion of the Inauguration of the Samadhi Temple of Nitya-lila-pravista Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa 108 Sri Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj

by

TRIDANDI SWAMI B.B. BODHAYAN MAHARAJ

PRESIDENT AND ACHARYA OF THE GOPINATH GAUDIYA MATH

By the general agreement of astrologers and devotees, the date for the inauguration of the newly constructed samadhi temple was set for March 4, 2004.

Today, I cannot help but think back to the day when our Guru Maharaj first began displaying his pastimes of being unwell in order to give us the opportunity to serve him. It was the Ekadasi preceding Nrisingha Chaturdasi in 1999. At that time I was in South India on a preaching tour.

Not much later in that same year, at 2:10 in the morning of the 22nd of November, Guru Maharaj passed into the divine realm. It was as if the sun had set on the Gopinath Gaudiya Math. It seemed as though the entire world had been plunged into an ocean of pain and was responding by singing Narottam Das’ famous hymn of separation:

je ānila prema-dhana karunā pracura

hena prabhu kothā gelā ācārya thākura

Where has he gone, my Acharya Thakur, who out of his great mercy brought the world the wealth of love?

My older godbrother, Sripad Gopinath Prabhu, phoned me in America, where I was at the time, to give me the news. I had been feeling somewhat unwell even before receiving the sad tidings of Guru Maharaj’s departure, but still it had a tremendous effect on me. I felt as if I had been knocked unconscious. Even so, I immediately remembered the words Guru Maharaj had spoken to me when he was still well: Baba, when I leave, I want you to take my remains to Mayapur. My spiritual master, my Parama Gurudeva, and most of my godbrothers have all been placed in samadhi in Mayapur. I also want to be buried there.

Taking Srila Gurudeva’s wish as our command, we had his transcendental remains taken to Sri Mayapur on the very next day, November 23, 1999, which was Rasa Purnima. There, at midday, Srila Guru Maharaj was buried on the grounds of the Gopinath Gaudiya Math in the presence of a large number of sannyasis and devotee householders. We immediately began making plans for the construction of a samadhi temple.

Why do devotees bury the bodies of great saints? In order to understand this, we must first analyze the word samādhi, for this is the term that Vaishnavas use to designate the act of burying a saint who has perfected his life in devotion. The word samādhi is derived from the verb root dhyai, to meditate, preceded by two prefixes, sam and ā. A meditation that is perfect and complete is called samadhi. Expressed differently, it means the renunciation of all bodily and sensual activities to meditate exclusively on one’s worshipable deity. When the pure devotee finally closes down all contact with the outer world to be completely absorbed in the eternal pastimes of Radha Krishna, it is said that he has entered samadhi.

The place where the spiritual master has been placed in samadhi is the ideal location for a disciple to meditate on him and his instructions and to engage in bhajan. From the transcendental point of view, the spiritual master is always present in his samadhi site. This is why devotees give it special significance by building a temple or samadhi mandir over it.

All the devotees of the Gopinath Gaudiya Math and its well-wishers have come together to construct this temple so that we will have an eternal memorial of our Guru Maharaj, his exemplary life and teachings, where we can be inspired in the life of devotion. It is our prayer that we all remain conscious of his physical presence here and to become motivated to adopt the life of pure devotion that he taught us by his words and example. If we can do so, then all the efforts that have been made toward construction of this temple can be considered a success.

Those who have contributed to the building of this samadhi mandir, whether through donations, through physical labor or through preaching, have given individuals like myself the opportunity to remain in constant proximity to our beloved spiritual master, even though we may be devoid of devotion and completely undeserving. I take the dust from their feet and sprinkle it on my head in humble gratitude. I beg you to continuing being merciful to us and give us your blessings, that we may be able to continue following every last unstruction that he has given us, and that we may become qualified to remain his eternal companions, thus making our human birth a success. 

These Sanskrit prayers were often chanted by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaj, either to invoke auspiciousness or bless disciples.

 SVASTI-VACANAM 

by

HIS DIVINE GRACE SRILA B.P. PURI MAHARAJ

om visnuh, om visnuh, om visnuh

om

tad visnoh paramam padam

sadā paśyanti sūrayo

divīva caksur ātatam

tad viprāso vipanyavo

jāgrvāmsah samindhate

visnor yat paramam padam

Om. Just as the sun’s rays in the sky are extended to the mundane vision, so in the same way the wise and learned devotees always see the supreme abode of Lord Vishnu. Because those highly praiseworthy and spiritually awake Brahmins are able to see the spiritual world, they are also able to reveal that supreme abode of Lord Vishnu.

—Rig Veda 1.22.20-21

om

apavitrah pavitro vā

sarvāvasthām gato’pi vā

yah smaret pundarīkāksam

sa bāhyābhyantara-sucih

Om. Clean or unclean, in whatever state one finds oneself, if one remembers the lotus-eyed Lord Krishna, he becomes both outwardly and inwardly sanctified.

—Garuda Purana

om sucih, om sucih, om sucih

om

svasti no govindah

svasti no’cyutānantau

svasti no vāsudevo visnur dadhātu

svasti no nārāyano naro vai

svasti nah padmanābhah

purusottamo dadhātu

svasti no viśvakseno viśveśvarah

svasti no hrsīkeśo harir dadhātu

svasti no vainateyo harih

svasti no’njanā-suto hanūr

bhāgavato dadhātu

svasti svasti su-mangalaih keśo mahān

śrī-krsnah sac-cid-ānanda-ghanah

sarveśvareśvaro dadhātu

Om. May Lord Govinda bring us auspiciousness. May Achyuta and Ananta Sesha bring us auspiciousness. May Lord Vasudeva Vishnu bring us auspiciousness. May Nara and Narayan bestow auspiciousness on us. May the Supreme Person, Lord Padmanabha, bestow auspiciousness upon us. May Vishwaksen, the Lord of the universe, bestow auspiciousness upon us. May Garuda and the son of Anjana, the great devotee Hanuman, bestow auspiciousness upon us. May the great and only lord of all benedictions, Sri Krishna, the personification of eternity, knowledge, and bliss, the supreme lord of lords, bestow upon us all prosperity and auspiciousness.

—Krinopanisad

karotu svasti me krsnah

sarva-lokeśvareśvarah

kārsnādayaś ca kurvantu

svasti me loka-pāvanāh

May Lord Krishna, the lord of all the gods, the presiding controllers of all the worlds, bestow auspiciousness upon me. May His devotees, the purifiers of the world, bestow all benedictions upon me.

—Sammohana Tantra

krsno mamaiva sarvatra

svasti kuryāt śriyā samam

tathaiva ca sadā kārsnih

sarva-vighna-vināśanah

May Lord Krishna along with His beloved Radha bring us prosperity and auspiciousness at all times. May the devotees of Krishna, who are able to destroy all obstacles, similarly bring us eternal benedictions.

—Vishnu-yamala Samhita

om

yam brahma vedānta-vido vadanti

pare pradhānam purusam tathānye

viśvodgateh kāranam īśvaram vā

tasmai namo vighna-vināśanāya

Om. Obeisances unto the destroyer of all obstacles, whom the knowers of Vedanta describe as the Supreme Brahman, and who others describe as the pradhāna, or totality of the material elements. Some describe Him as the supreme person, or purusa, while others describe Him as the Supreme Lord and the cause of the creation of the universe

—Vishnu Purana

om

krsno vai sac-cid-ānanda-ghanah

krsna ādi-purusah

krsnah purusottamah

krsno ha u karmādi-mūlam

krsnah sa ha sarvaih kāryah

krsnah kāśam krd ādhiśo

mukhyah prabhuh pūjyah

krsno’nādis tasminn ajāndāntar-bāhye

yan mangalam tal labhate krtī

Om. Lord Krishna is the embodied form of eternity, bliss and cognizance. Krishna is the original person. Krishna is the supreme person. Krishna alone is the original source of all activities. Krishna alone is the goal of everyone’s activities. Krishna is the one and only Lord of all. Krishna is the most worshipable Lord, the best of gods. Krishna is without any beginning. The capable person finds whatever benedictions exist, whether within or without this universe, in Krishna alone.

—Krishna Upanisad, Rig Veda

sarvatraiva tesām jayah

kutas tesām parābhavah

yesām indīvara-śyāmah

hrdaya-sthah janārdanah

Those in whose heart Janardana, the blue-lotus-hued Lord, resides are victorious everywhere. Where do they ever encounter defeat?

jaya janārdana! jaya janārdana!

jaya janārdana!

om

mādhavo mādhavo vāci

mādhavo madhavo hrdi

smaranti sādhavah sarve

sarva-kāryesu mādhavam

Om. May Madhava and only Madhava be in our words! May Madhava and only Madhava be in our hearts. The saintly remember Lord

Madhava, the husband of the goddess of fortune, in all their undertakings.

—Nrisingha Purana

śrī-krsna-caitanya

prabhu-nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadādhara

śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda

hare krsna hare krsna

krsna krsna hare hare

hare rāma hare rāma

rāma rāma hare hare

śrī-nrsimha, jaya nrsimha, jaya jaya nrsimha

prahlādeśa jaya padmā-mukha-padma-bhrnga

All glories to Lord Nrisingha, master of Prahlada! Victory to Lord Nrisingha! All glories, all glories to Lord Nrisingha, whose eyes are like bees in the lotus face of Lakshmi, the goddess the lotus garden.

namas te narasimhāya

prahlādāhlāda-dāyine

hiranyakaśipor vaksah-

śilātanka-nakhālaye

I bow down to Lord Nrisingha, the giver of joy to Prahlada. I bow down to Him whose claws tear into the stone-like chest of Hiranyakashipu.

vāg-īśā yasya vadane

laksmir yasya ca vaksasi

yasyāste hrdaye samvit

tam nrsimham aham bhaje

I worship Lord Nrisingha, on whose tongue dances the Goddess of Speech, on whose chest cavorts the Goddess of Fortune, and in whose heart resides the spiritual energy of consciousness.

ito nrsimha parato nrsimha

yato yato yāmi tato nrsimha

bahir nrsimha hrdaye nrsimha

nrsimham ādim śaranam prapadye

Lord Nrisingha is here, Lord Nrisingha is there. Wherever I go, there is Lord Nrisingha. Nrisingha is outside of me, He is within me. I surrender to Nrisingha Deva, the original refuge.

om

namo bhagavate tubhyam

purusāya mahātmane

haraye’dbhuta-simhāya

brahmane paramātmane

Om. I bow down to You, O Lord, O Great Soul, O Supreme Person! I bow down to You, O Hari, O amazing lion, O Supreme Brahman, O Supreme Soul.

om namo bhagavate narasimhāya

namas tejas-tejase āvir-āvirbhava

vajra-nakha vajra-damstra

karmāśayān randhaya randhaya

tamo grasa grasa om svāhā

abhayam abhayam ātmani bhūyisthā

om ksraum, om ksraum, om ksraum

Om, I bow down to Lord Nrisingha. I bow down to Him who has the brilliance of fire. Please appear, please appear to me. You whose claws are hard as thunderbolts, whose teeth are likened to thunderbolts! Please destroy the desires that perpetuate my entanglement in karma. Swallow up the darkness of my ignorance, swallow up my darkness. Om Svaha. Give me fearlessness in my heart, give me fearlessness. Om ksraum, Om ksraum, Om ksraum.

—SB 5.18.8

 jaya nrsimha-deva! jaya pabhupāda! 

 CHANTING INATTENTIVELY 

Chapter 12 of Harinama Chintamani

by

SRILA BHAKTIVINODE THAKUR

jaya jaya mahāprabhu

jaya bhakta-gana

jāndera asāde kari

nāma-sankīrtana

All glories to Lord Gaurachandra,

who has descended to propagate

the Holy Name!

All glories to the Holy Name,

the essence of all spiritual teaching!

The OFFENSE KNOWN AS PRAMADA or INATTENTIVE CHANTING

haridāsa bale prabhu

hethā sanātane

āra ta gopāla bhatta daksina

bhramane śikhāile apramāde

śrī-krsna-bhajana

pramādake aparādhe

karile ganana

Hari Das said: O Lord, to Srila Sanatan Goswami here in Jagannath Puri and to Srila Gopala Bhatta Goswami while wandering in South India, You taught that one must worship the Lord without being distracted; You thus counted inattentiveness amongst the offenses in chanting.

Bhaktivinode’s comment:

Mahaprabhu instructed Sanatan Goswami:

eka anga sādhe keha sādhe bahu anga

nisthā haite upajaya premera taranga

Whether a person executes only one or many of the processes of devotional service, the waves of love of Godhead will arise if he or she practices with fixed determination or nishtha.

—CC 2.22.130

The nishtha spoken of here is achieved by giving up inattentiveness in chanting.

anya aparādha tyaji sadā

nāma laya

tabu nāme prema nāhi

haya ta udaya

Some people give up all the offenses and chant constantly, but still do not experience the awakening of prema.

tabe jāni pramāda

nāmete aparādha

prema bhakti sādhanete

kariteche bādha

When I see this, I know that the offense of inattentiveness is interfering with their attainment of