This morning a full programme of glorification for Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was held in Nabadwip. Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj began speaking the glories of Srila Saraswati Thakur in his early morning darshan and continued later in the main programme held in Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj’s quarters.
In between Srila Acharyadev led another programme at Sri Giriraj’s temple, in honour of this day that Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj chose to manifest the worship of Sri Giriraj in Gupta Sri Govinda Kunda. There Srila Acharyadev reminded the devotees that we were in Koladwip, Gupta Govardhan, and remembered Srila Govinda Maharaj’s request to him to manifest this kunda and this temple and thereby fulfil Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s desire.
In his lectures about Srila Saraswati Thakur Srila Acharyadev spoke of Srila Saraswati Thakur’s bold preaching style; the strong stance he took against mayavad and sahajiyaism; his successful preaching throughout India; and his adjustment of vidhi-marg in relation to service necessity. Srila Acharyadev explained that worship must be carried out with understanding of the desire of the object of worship, and that this was demonstrated by Srila Saraswati Thakur and his followers, who, in order to successfully spread Mahaprabhu’s preaching mission, slackened their adherence to certain stipulations of vidhi-marg.
Repeatedly, in his lectures both this morning and yesterday evening, Srila Acharyadev emphasised that it was meaningless to glorify Prabhupad Srila Saraswati Thakur without following his instructions. Srila Acharyadev concluded his final lecture this morning with:
“We have to fulfil his vani, what he told, what was his advice. … You are telling ‘Prabhupad, Prabhupad, Prabhupad’, but you are not following the ‘Prabhupad’ conception. Prabhupad will not be happy. … What Prabhupad said, we have to follow that conception. In this way we can continue Prabhupad’s movement all over the world.”
[nggallery id=11]