Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar (; 10 October 1895 – 12 August 1988) was an Indian

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

, writer,

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), '' grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprastha ...

and spiritual leader in the

Gaudiya Vaishnava Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal (present-day Malda dist ...

tradition of

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

, founder-president-

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Recognised as a "profound thinker" and "learned representative of the

theistic Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of at least one deity. In common parlance, or when contrasted with '' deism'', the term often describes the philosophical conception of God that is found in classical theism—or the co ...

conception of Gaudiya Vaishnavism", Sridhar was a senior disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and elder "godbrother" (i.e. received initiation from the same guru) to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...

(the ‘Hare Krishnas’), to whose young disciples he provided spiritual guidance after Prabhupada's passing in 1977.

Early life

Born Ramendra Chandra () into a family of a high-class Bengali

brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

s (his family bore the aristocratic title, or , of Bhattacharya), Sridhar joined his guru's mission, the

Gaudiya Math The Gaudiya Math (, ; ) is a Gaudiya Vaishnava ''matha'' (monastic organisation) formed on 6 September 1920,Devamayī dāsi, "A Divine Life: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda" in ''Prabhupada Saraswati Thakur: The L ...

, in 1926, taking

diksha Diksha (Sanskrit: दीक्षा, IAST: dīkṣā) also spelled diksa, deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony", is giving of a mantra or an initiation by the guru (in Guru–s ...

initiation from Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati as Ramendra Sundara (). On the meaning of his first spiritual name, Sridhar recalled: “My original name was Ramendra Candra. When I was given initiation, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura gave me the name Ramendra Sundara. I asked him, “What is the meaning of Ramendra?” He told me, “In our consideration, Rama does not mean Dasarathi Rama or Lord Ramacandra, the son of King Dasaratha. It means Radha-ramana Rama – Krsna, the lover of

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

rani.” Before being sent by Saraswati to locate the site where

spoke with

Ramananda Ray Ramananda Ray (IAST: Rāmānanda Rāya) lived in the Indian state of Odisha (Oḍiśā) during the latter part of the 15th century to around the middle part of the 16th century CE and was the author of the celebrated drama Jagannatha Vallabha Nat ...

on the banks of the

Godavari The Godavari (, �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga River and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharash ...

(), his guru gave him the new name Ramananda Das (), meaning servant of Ramananda. He finally became ''Bhakti Rakshak'', meaning 'Guardian of Devotion', after taking sannyasa in 1930.

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

In 1941, after the death of his guru, Sridhar founded his own international mission, becoming

of the monastic and missionary society "Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math," in

Nabadwip Nabadwip (), also spelt Navadwip, historically known as Nadia, is a heritage city in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is regarded as a holy place by Hindus, and is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Located on the wes ...

, now in West Bengal. His chosen successor was his disciple, Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami, who led the math until his death in 2010.

Relationship with Prabhupada

Though "something of an outsider in his spiritual master's original movement", Prabhupada,

ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 ...

's founder, had "strong friendships with two prominent sannyasi godbrothers, Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar (1895–1983) , founder of the Chaitanya Saraswata Math, and Bhakti Prajnan Keshava (1898–1968), founder of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti." After Prabhupada's death in 1977, Sridhar Maharaja gave instruction to Prabhupada's disciples, with Americans Bhaktivedanta Tripurari and Jayatirtha Swami and Hungarian devotee Dvarakesa Swami (Bhakti Abhay Narayan) among the prominent ex-ISKCON members to take

shiksha ''Shiksha'' (, ) is a Sanskrit word, which means "instruction, lesson, learning, study of skill".Sir Monier Monier-Williams A DkSanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-Europ ...

or sannyasa initiation from Sridhar. Prabhupada and Sridhar were close, having a "long and intimate relationship" over almost five decades. Prabhupada described Sridhar as the "most highly competent of all my godbrothers" and "even my shiksha-guru". He had previously asked Sridhar to be president of the new institution he planned to set up following the disintegration of the original Gaudiya Math. He later described how Sridhar had agreed to "cooperate with our society" (ISKCON), and had his disciples honour Sridhar's ''Vyasa-puja'' (birthday), in order than ISKCON's young brahmacharis “shall learn how to celebrate the spiritual master's birthday.”

Honorifics

In a Gaudiya Vaishnava context, Sridhar's full title is Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, (where ''Śrīla'', an adjectival form of '' Śrī'', is a respectful honorific akin to 'Reverend', and '' Mahārāja'' means 'Great King', while '' Gosvāmī'' reflects his status as a sannyasi). He is known simply as Srila Guru Maharaj within Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

References

External links

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math International
{{Authority control 1895 births 1988 deaths Gaudiya religious leaders 20th-century Indian theologians Presidents of religious organizations People from West Bengal Bengali Hindus Bengali philosophers 20th-century Bengalis People from Purba Bardhaman district