Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja

Topics

• Glorification of Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Maharaja on his appearance day.
• Srila Gurudeva was with Srila Vamana Maharaja from 1946 till he left the world.
• Srila Vamana Maharaja's mother offered him at the lotus feet of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura when he was 8 and a half years old; His name was Santosa Kumara and he was the oldest son.
• Srila Vamana Maharaja was nourished by Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja in Mayapura.
• Srila Vamana Maharaja was admitted to the Bhakti Institute and studied under Srila Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Maharaja who was the school headmaster and liked him very much.
• Srila Vamana Maharaja would learn 4 to 7 slokas a day, receiving a toffee for each one he learnt; He was first in his class with a very sharp memory.
• Srila Vamana Maharaja used to daily serve leaf plates with lemon, etc. for all the Vaisnavas.
• When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura left the world in December 1936, the Gaudiya Matha went into a quarrel and 25 Godbrothers were imprisoned; Srila Vamana Maharaja used to cook for them and serve them in the prison.
• At that time Srila Vamana Maharaja was initiated by Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja.
• Srila Vamana Maharaja also used to go to court on his Guru’s behalf.
• Once, Srila Vamana Maharaja had such a severe fever of 104 degrees that he was lying in bed; His Guru Maharaja called him to cook for some guests; After doing so, his fever went away.
• Srila Vamana Maharaja did a lot of editing seva; he badly sliced his finger once in the printing press and his Guru Maharaja personally took him to a hospital in Calcutta where he recovered.
• In 1954, Srila Vamana Maharaja took sannyasa along with Srila Trivikrama Maharaja and Srila Gurudeva.
• Srila Vamana Maharaja was the embodiment of humility and tolerance and always gave respect to others.
• He told his disciples to go to Srila Gurudeva to solve their problems.

Transcript

[This lecture was spoken by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja on December 14, 2006 in Hawaii on the occasion of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s appearance day.

Note: This transcript has the following editors’ inputs: the language may be slightly edited, endnotes may be provided, additional text has been included in square brackets to facilitate the flow and understandability of the content. The verbatim transcript is available below the edited version.

If you are inspired to participate in the transcription sevā, please register at https://www.audioseva.com/register.]

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Today is the auspicious birthday of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Tridaṇḍisvāmī Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja served his gurudeva from boyhood, and he was always with our parama-ārādhyatama gurudeva, like that [as a servant].

From the beginning of 1946, I was with Vāmana Mahārāja until his disappearance day. So I know more than anyone who is present at this time about Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja. I have heard from his mother that in the very beginning of his boyhood, at about twelve years of age…

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: [in Bengali:] He came to the maṭha when he was eight and half.

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: At eight and a half years of age, his mother, her name was Bhagavatī-devī perhaps, or what? Yes, Bhagavatī-devī. She was initiated by Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. She took her eldest son, Santoṣa Kumāra…

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: ... dvitīya [second], not the first…

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Who is the first?

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: I don’t remember.

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: [In Bengali:] There was no elder brother. He is the first son.

[In English:] He is the eldest son of his father and mother. So, at the age of eight and half, she brought her son, Santoṣa Kumāra, which was his boyhood name, to the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda. So in Bagbazar or Māyāpura, she gave this child, her child, Santoṣa Kumāra, into the hands of, or unto the feet of, our parama-ārādhyatama guru-pāda-padma, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and he, with great care, used to nourish (pālana-poṣaṇa) him.

He admitted him into the Bhaktivinoda Institute in Māyāpura, and he used to tell Santoṣa Kumāra, "If you will remember one śloka of Śrīmad-Bhāgavad, Bhāgavatārka Marīci-mālā, Gauḍīya-kaṇṭhahāra, or Caitanya-caritāmṛta, I will give you one toffee.”

Brajanāth dāsa: Candy

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Candy. And this boy, Santoṣa Kumāra, used to remember four, five, six, seven, eight ślokas per day, and Guru Mahārāja used to give him toffees like that. Not only this, but he used to always be first in his class, always. His remembering power [memory] was very astonishing. Daily, he used to bring leaf-plates for the Vaiṣṇavas [before prasādam] and on the leaf-plates, he would place salt, a piece of lemon and a glass of water  And after prasādam he used to clear [clean up] all these things himself. By doing these services, he was very dear to all the Vaiṣṇavas. So, all the Vaiṣṇavas, especially the school headmaster, Śrīla Bhakti Pradīpa Tīrtha Mahārāja, used to like this boy very much. After some time Śrīla Prabhupāda entered into aprakaṭa-līlā (the unmanifest pastimes), in 1937, the last day in December 1936.

Then, in the Gauḍīya Maṭha, there was a big quarrel among themselves [the devotees]. Then Guru Mahārāja left the Gauḍīya Mission. But at that time, the opposite party put him in jail [they arranged for him to be incarcerated] in a murder case, though it was false [a false accusation]. And so Guru Mahārāja, along with about more than twenty-five godbrothers, was in jail. At that time, Vāmana Mahārāja used to cook for them all, twenty-five of them, and used to take it into the jail, and then after prasādam, he used to take all the utensils from the jail, and then he, with the court file [documents], he used to  go to the advocates. And after that, when all the advocates were ready for the court case, he would attend the court case also. At that time, he used to do the marketing [shopping for vegetables] for cooking and everything. So you cannot imagine how hard he labored at that time. So at that time Guru Mahārāja initiated him with pūrṇa-dīkṣā [full initiation]. So that he could cook and offer [the bhoga] to Kṛṣṇa, and then he could bring [the prasādam to the jail]. So, he used to do like this. And after Guru Mahārāja was recovered [released] from jail, he came with him, [to Kolkata] and a new maṭha was established: Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti, in Kolkata, Bospada Lane.

Brajanāth dāsa: 1941

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: In 1941. And in that meeting, Abhaya Caraṇāravinda, who would later become known as Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, was also there. So he is also one of the founding members of Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti. And after that, Vāmana Mahārāja was serving him so much.

One day, when Guru Mahārāja was in Bospada Lane…at that time, maybe it was Ekādaśī or  any other day. Vāmana Mahārāja was ill. He had a fever of 104 or 103 degrees. And that day, some guest Vaiṣṇavas came, some of Guru Mahārāja’s godbrothers came. Then Guru Mahārāja went to Vāmana Mahārāja and said, "Why are you lying down? Get up at once and go to the kitchen room, and cook for all the Vaiṣṇavas."

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: …because no one was there to cook.

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: At once, Vāmana Mahārāja, or Santoṣa Kumāra, who was now Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacārī, went to the kitchen room and cooked for all and that fever was gone. We cannot imagine how this occurred. After this, Guru Mahārāja began to preach from Navadvīpa; he preached on both sides of the Ganges. And Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacārī was always attending to Guru Mahārāja.

After that, Guru Mahārāja came to Navadvīpa and took sannyāsa from Pūjyapāda Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja [at Katwa]. At that time, Sajjana Sevaka Brahmacārī was also with Gurudeva and served him. And after that he came to Navadvīpa, to Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti’s own land, but it was rented. And Guru Mahārāja began to do [host] parikramā. And Vāmana Mahārāja used to arrange everything. And when he established Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā [Bengali magazine]. Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja, Pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja, and myself, three of us, became the editors of…

Brajanāth dāsa: Chief editors…

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: No. The chief editor’s name was Nṛsiṁha Mahārāja, but all the editing works were done by Vāmana Mahārāja, and his office was in Chunchura. One day, while working the press, Vāmana Mahārāja’s hand went under the press and one finger was crushed. And so much blood was coming. Guru Mahārāja saw and at once took him to Kolkata medical hospital. And there, he was admitted, and after some time, he recovered.

Also, [in Bengali:] Anything else?

Brajanāth dāsa: Sannyāsa…

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Yes. Then Guru Mahārāja gave sannyāsa. He wanted to give sannyāsa to Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja, Trivikrama Mahārāja, and myself. But Vāmana Mahārāja and Trivikrama Mahārāja [and myself] refused.

They said, "We are not as qualified as you are qualified, Guru Mahārāja, or as Pūjyapāda Śrīdhara Mahārāja, Nemi Mahārāja, Araṇya Mahārāja, or Śrautī Mahārāja are. So, we are very…

Brajanāth dāsa: Junior

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Not junior

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: Unqualified

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Unqualified to take sannyāsa.

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: In front of them…

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Then Pūjyapāda Nṛsiṁha Mahārāja came to me and said, "Do you want to take sannyāsa because your Gurudeva wants you to, or…[do you want to do what you want]?"

“Then surely,” I said, “if Guru Mahārāja will tell me that, ‘You should be naked and dance,’ I will do. I have already given my everything unto Guru Mahārāja’s lotus feet.” When I became ready to take sannyāsa, then Vāmana Mahārāja and Trivikrama Mahārāja also agreed, and we three were given tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa.

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: 1954

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: In 1954. His name was given as Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja, and [we were named] Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Mahārāja, and Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja.

After that, I have seen his life. He was very tolerant. I see that he was the embodiment of the ‘tṛṇād api sunīcena’ śloka. He was so tolerant that any problems that used to come, he used to tolerate. He used to give respect to others, he did not want to take any respect for him, always respecting others. He would especially give respect to me and Pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja. Though he was the president of the Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti after our parama-ārādhyatama gurudeva, he used to say that, "If there is any problem, go to Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja." Especially to his disciples, if they were quarreling, or anything, then he would say, “You should go to Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja. Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja will solve everything.”

And I also used to give him so much respect. So, under the guidance of Pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja, Vāmana Mahārāja and myself, the Samiti ran for about fifty years after the disappearance (aprakaṭa-līlā) of our Gurudeva. But when Trivikrama Mahārāja and Pūjyapāda Vāmana Maharaja entered in aprakaṭa-līlā, at once everything was upset. And Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti was broken.

So, today is his auspicious appearance day, and I give my puṣpāñjali in the lotus feet of Prapūjyapāda Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja. He should be pleased with me and sprinkle his mercy.

Gaura Premānande, Hari Hari bol!

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VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Today is auspicious birthday of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Tridaṇḍisvāmī Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja. As Vāmana Mahārāja…Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja…from boyhood he has served his gurudeva, and always he was with our parama-ārādhyatama gurudeva, like that. From the beginning of ’46, I am with Vāmana Mahārāja till his disappearance day. So know…I…so I know more than anyone who are present in this time about Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja. I have heard from her mother…his mother that in very beginning of his boyhood, about twelve years age…

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: [in Bengali:] He came to the maṭha when he was eight and half.

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: At eight and half year age, his mother, Bhagavatī-devī perhaps, or what? Bhagavatī-devī. He [she] was initiated by Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. She took this his [her] eldest son, Santoṣa Kumāra…

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: ... dvitīya [second], not the first…

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: [In Bengali] Who is the first?

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: I don’t remember.

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: [In Bengali:] There was no elder brother. He is the first son.

[In English:] He is the eldest son of his father and mother. So, at the age of eight and half, she brought her son, Santoṣa Kumāra (boyhood name) to the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda. So in Bagbazar or Māyāpura, she gave this child, her child, Santoṣa Kumāra, into hands of, or in the feet of, our parama-ārādhyatama guru-pāda-padma, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and he, with great careful, he used to…uh…pālana-poṣaṇa ki re…nourish…nourish him.

He admitted him in Bhaktivinoda Institute…Bhakti Institute in Māyāpura, and he used to tell Santoṣa Kumāra that "If you will remember one śloka of Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, Bhāgavatārka Marīci-mālā, Gauḍīya-kaṇṭhahāra, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, I will give you one toffee.”

Brajanāth dāsa: Candy

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Candy. And this boy, Santoṣa Kumāra, used to remember four, five, six, seven, eight ślokas per day, and Guru Mahārāja used to give him toffees like that. Only this is…mmm…not only one this, he used to be always first in his class, always. His remembers power…remembering power  was very astonishment. Daily he used to bring leaf-plate for the Vaiṣṇava and used to give and on the leaves, salt, lemon piece, water of glass…glass of water, he used to give and aft prasādam…after prasādam, he used to clear all these things himself. Doing these services, he was very dear to all the Vaiṣṇavas. So, all Vaiṣṇavas, especial…especially school headmaster, Bhakti Pradīpa Tīrtha Mahārāja, used to like this boy very much.

After some time, Prabhupāda was in aprakaṭa-līlā in ’70…uh…’37, in December, last day.

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: ’36, last December.

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Then, in Gauḍīya Maṭha, there was a big quarrel among themselves. Then Guru Mahārāja left Gauḍīya Mission. But at that time, opposite party gave him in jail in a murder case, though it was false. And Guru Mahārāja, with his…about more than twenty-five godbrothers, he was in jail. At that time, Vāmana Mahārāja used to cook for them all, twenty-five, and used to take it in jail, and then after prasādam, he used to take all…bāsan…utensils from jail, and then he, with court file, he used to go to advocates. And after that, when all advocates used to be ready for case, then he used to attend court case also. In this…at that time, he used to do marketing for cooking and everything. So you cannot imagine how…how he labored hard at that time. So Guru Mahārāja at [that] time, he initiated with…initiated pūrṇa-dīkṣā [full initiation] to him, so that he can cook and offer to Kṛṣṇa, and then he could bring [the prasādam to the jail]. So, he used to do like this. And after Guru Mahārāja was recovered [released] from jail, he came with him, [to Kolkata] and a new maṭha was established: Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti, in Kolkata, Bospada Lane.

Brajanāth dāsa: 1941

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: In 1941. And in that meeting, Abhaya Caraṇāravinda, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja[’s] after name. He was also there, so he is also one of the establish…establishers…founding members of Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti. And after that, he…Vāmana Mahārāja [was] serving him so much.

One day, when Guru Mahārāja was in Bospada Lane…at that time, that day was Ekādaśī or any day. Vāmana Mahārāja was ill. 100…104 or 103 point…what? Bukhār…fever was there.. And that day, some guest Vaiṣṇavas came, Guru Mahārāja’s godbrothers came. Then Guru Mahārāja went to Vāmana Mahārāja and told, "Why you are lying down? Get up at once and go to kitchen room, and cook for all Vaiṣṇavas."

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: …because no one was there to cook.

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: At once, Vāmana Mahārāja, Santoṣa Kumāra now, Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacārī, he went to the kitchen room and cooked for all and that fever…gone. We cannot imagine how this [occurred]. After this, Guru Mahārāja began to preach from Navadvīpa [on] both side of Ganges. And he [Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacārī] was always attending Guru Mahārāja.

After that, Guru Mahārāja came in Navadvīpa and took sannyāsa with Śrīdhara Mahārāja…Pūjyapāda Śrīdhara Mahārāja. He [Sajjana Sevaka Brahmacārī] was also with Gurudeva and served. And after that he came in Navadvīpa, Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti[’s] own…land, but it was on rent…rented. And Guru Mahārāja began to do parikramā. Vāmana Mahārāja used to arrange everything. And when he established Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā [Bengali magazine], Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja, Pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja, and myself, three…became the editor[s] of…

Brajanāth dāsa: Chief editors…chief editors

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: No. Chief editor’s name was Nṛsiṁha Mahārāja, but all editing works Vāmana Mahārāja used to do, and his office was in Chunchura. One day, in press, Vāmana Mahārāja’s hand went into the…

Brajanāth dāsa: Under the press…

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: …and one finger was cut. And so much blood is…was coming. Guru Mahārāja saw and he at once took him to Kolkata medical hospital. And there, he was admitted, and after some time, he recovered. Also…any chīz āro (anything else?)...ār kichu?

Brajanāth dāsa: Sannyāsa…

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Hā̃…then Guru Mahārāja gave san…wanted to give sannyāsa to Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja, Trivikrama Mahārāja, and myself. But Vāmana Mahārāja and Trivikrama Mahārāja, they refused: "We are not as qualified as you are qualified, Guru Mahārāja, Pūjyapāda Śrīdhara Mahārāja, Nemi Mahārāja, Araṇya Mahārāja, or Śrautī Mahārāja. So, we are very…

Brajanāth dāsa: Junior

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Not junior

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: Unqualified

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Unqualified…to take sannyāsa.

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: In front of them…

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Then…Nṛsiṁha Mahārāja came to me…Pūjyapāda Nṛsiṁ – "Do you want to take sannyāsa because your Gurudeva wants?”

“Then surely,” I told, “if Guru Mahārāja will tell, ‘You should be naked and dance,’ I will do. I am…I have already given my all kinds of things in the Guru Mahārāja’s lotus feet.” When I became read…ready to take sannyāsa, then Vāmana Mahārāja and Trivikrama Mahārāja also agreed, and we three were given tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa…Bhaktivedānta…

Śrīpād Mādhava Mahārāja: 1954

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: 19…? …’54…as Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja, Pūjyapāda…uh…his name was Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja, Trivikrama…Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Mahārāja, and Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja.

After that, I have seen his life. He was very tolerance. I see that he was embodiment of ‘tṛṇād api sunīcena’ śloka. He was so tolerance that any problems used to come, he used to tolerate. He used to give respect to others; he did not wanted to take any respect for him, always respect[ing]. Especially, he used to give respect to me and Pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja. Though he was president of Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti after our paramārādhyatama gurudeva, but he used to tell, “Any problem, go to Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja." Especially to his disciples, if they used to quarrel or anything, they…he used to tell that “You should go to Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja. Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja will sol…solve everything.”

And I also used to give him respect so much. So, like Pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja, Vāmana Mahārāja, myself, the Samiti ran more than fifty…or fifty [forty] years after aprakaṭa-līlā of our Gurudeva. But when Trivikrama Mahārāja and Pūjyapāda Vāmana Maharaja entered in aprakaṭa-līlā, at once everything was upset. And Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti was broken.

So, today the…his auspicious appearance day, and I give my puṣpāñjali in the lotus feet of Prapūjyapāda Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja. He should be pleased to me and sprinkle his mercy. Gaura Premānande!

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