idtsevak
His Grace Dina Bandhu Prabhu
On Sunday September 25th the ashes of His Grace Gopiparandhana Prabhu were placed in Samadhi by his son Gaura Mohan at the foot of Govardhana Hill just in front of the Bhaktivedanta Ashram. Earlier at the ashram there was a Smriti Sabha, Memorial Service, where many senior men and women offered their fond remembrances of him and the great service that he rendered to Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON, and the world.
First his wife Archa Murti shared with us the history of how he became a devotee and the various service he rendered. He had dropped out of Colombia University and became a hippie in New York. Being a bit of a bookworm, one time he descended into the subway with his books and stayed there for several days reading without bathing or eating! When he came up, he saw the devotees on the street chanting and one approached him. "Hey you look hungry! Come with us we're going to the Sunday Feast at the temple in a few minutes!" So he followed them back to the temple, but there was one devotee posted at the door checking out everyone who entered. When he smelled the bad odor coming from Gopi, he refused to let him enter saying that he had to go bathe and put on fresh cloth. Gopi protested that he had no where to go. While they were discussing, Yadurani happened by and noticed that he looked like and educated fellow. She began to ask him about his education. When he mentioned that he had studied various languages, she said great, now you can learn Bengali as we are on a marathon to publish 17 volumes of a Bengali scripture that my Guru Maharaja in translating.
She grabbed his hand and took him to the BBT had him take a bath and take the Sunday Feast. She got someone to give him a place to stay and told him to meet her in the morning in the BBT offices. Thus began an illustrious career of devotional service that culminated in finishing the translation of Srimad Bhagavatam and finally in publishing Brihad Bhagavatamrita of Srila Sanatan Goswami!
All the devotees who spoke consistently praised the humility that so naturally radiated from his personality. Never a person to put himself forward despite his great learning and scholarship. At the same time, though being an amazing scholar, who are generally caught up in their books and learning, he was a very warm and real person. Everyone praised his dedication to Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON. Archa Murti revealed that Srila Prabhupada, being very pleased with his work, personally told him to correct the word for word translations and touch up the verse translations, but not to touch his purports as they were his personal ecstasies! Everyone unanimously agreed that his untimely demise was an unfathomable loss to ISKCON and the world.
When the Smriti Sabha was concluded, Deena Bandhu Prabhu led a kirtan and procession to the side of Govardhana Hill. There his son Gaura Mohan lovingly placed the urn with his father's ashes into a small samadhi next to the pushpa samadhi of Padma Locana Prabhu. Everyone came forward and reverently placed sand from Govardhana into the samadhi.
After the procession the devotees returned to the ashram where one of his students, Krishna Balarama Dasa, led artika with a heartfelt rendition of Gurvastakam. Then pushpanjali was performed after which all the devotees sat in the front gardens and enjoyed a sumptuous feast that was sponsored by His Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami. The devotees remarked how every single preparation was excellent! And everyone revealed that their hearts felt a very special peace and happiness after the auspicious samadhi ceremony!
Srila Gopiparanadhana Prabhu ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri Krishna Balarama ki jaya!
Bolo Sri Giriraja Maharaja ki jaya!
His Grace Ananda Tirtha Prabhu
Hare Krishna.
I attended the recent samadhi ceremony and memorial service for Gopiparanadhana Prabhu at Govardhan. It was an emotional ceremony, full of memories of a most dedicated servant of Srila Prabhupada. I also had the fortune to
visit the apartment next to the Govardhan Palace where he left this world. Unmentioned in any reports I read of his passing, Gopi Prabhu was actually living somewhat separately from his family as a vanaprastha and was thus alone when he left.
visit the apartment next to the Govardhan Palace where he left this world. Unmentioned in any reports I read of his passing, Gopi Prabhu was actually living somewhat separately from his family as a vanaprastha and was thus alone when he left.
Years ago I had the fortune to spend some time at Govardhan serving the Brhad Bhagavatamrta project in Prabhu’s company. Once I recall meeting him wheezing and struggling up the parikrama road towards Govardhan town. He was in urgent need of asthma medicine which I glady hurried to get for him while he sat on the roadside waiting.
Some time back, perhaps after Aindra Prabhu left, I was wondering whose departure might be the biggest loss to our society, and I thought of Gopiparanadhana Prabhu. Although not as well known as many other senior devotees, his scholarship and humility were unmatched. His scholarship is well-evidenced, but what always struck me more was his genuine and total humility. It was if it were oozing out of his pores, a quality he lived by and owned totally.
It is hard for me to fathom the bigger picture, how this is all Krsna’s arrangement and for the ultimate good. Some years ago it was Sadaputa Prabhu, our number one scientist; then Aindra Prabhu, our number one kirtaniya; and now Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, our number one scholar.
None of these devotees were in the forefront of our consciousness, none made, so to speak, daily headlines, but their departure has created voids impossible to fill. They are simply irreplaceable.
Being in Vrindavan for a few days, some clarity on this difficult topic gelled in my mind. Every time I visited the temple, I was struck by the enthusiasm of the kirtan party. Rather than shrivel away in Aindra Prabhu’s absence, his crew, both veterans and newcomers, have bonded to not just maintain the kirtan but actually expand it. This goes to their great credit. I honestly don’t recall seeing the same enthusiasm even when he was here.
I know from the inside something of the ongoing struggles and sacrifices to keep the kirtan party running. Aindra Prabhu would certainly be pleased.
Now what will happen to Gopiparanadhana Prabhu’s legacy, his translation work and Bhagavata Vidyapitha school? That responsibility must now be shouldered by his senior students and well-wishers.
This is the natural progression of the changing of the guard, the principle of parampara in action. As the senior generation moves on to serve Srila Prabhupada elsewhere, the onus falls on their students and disciples to carry forth their work. As Srila Prabhupada took his spiritual master’s instructions as his life and soul, disciples such as Aindra Prabhu, Gopiparanadhana Prabhu–and of course so many others–similarly took Srila Prabhupada’s instructions as their life and soul. Now it is up to the next generation to carry on the great mission of all our spiritual preceptors.
Therein lies the challenge for all dedicated disciples and followers of Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, and indeed for all granddisciples of Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krishna.
Your servant,
Ananda Tirtha Das
His Grace Vaishnavanghri Sevaka Prabhu
Recently on the occasion of release function for Telugu (South Indian language) version of Srimad Bhagavatam, I wrote a special article in Bhagavad Darshan (Telugu BTG) describing the events leading to the completion of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavatam. How faithfully the humble disciples of Srila Prabhupada took up the unfinished task of their Spiritual master on their shoulders and thereby became the special recipients of Sri Guru’s mercy was narrated in that article. Srimad Bhagavatam is the heart-line or backbone to Krishna Consciousness movement. When the founder acharya entered the eternal pastimes of Sri Krishna leaving Bhagavatam work unfinished, we can simply imagine the persons who ensured that the nectar of Srimad Bhagavatam is made available in full to the mankind must be how much magnanimous and kind hearted. Conservation of treasure of Bhakti given by acharya is undoubtedly a great task. However completing the unfinished task of an acharya for the deliverance of entire mankind is a supremely glorious task. Sriman Gopiparanadhana Prabhu is one of the members of such distinguished, august, accomplished vaishnava group who completed the left-out portion of Srimad Bhagavatam translation. Even before the ink is not dried in the article glorifying them in Bhagavad Darshan, it is heart breaking to remember Sriman Gopiparanadhana Prabhu in this manner on his permanent departure from the material world.
Being the most fortunate person, by the mercy of my spiritual master and blessings of Sri Guruparampara, in translating entire Srimad Bhagavatam in Telugu language I know very well the great service rendered by H H Hridayananda Das Goswami Maharaja, Sriman Gopiparanadhana Prabhu and Sri Dravida Das Prabhu. Keeping aloof from egoism, always resting at Spiritual master’s lotus feet, at the same time employing the practical Bhagavatam knowledge received from their Gurudeva they achieved incredible success in Bhagavatam translation project. But, when I read the memories of Sri Dravida Prabhu regarding Sriman Gopiparanadhana Prabhu my attachment and reverence to Sri Gopiparanadhana Prabhu increased multifold. The great commentary work on 87th chapter of Tenth Canto, namely Prayers by the Personified Vedas, which is like an ocean of siddhanta, as an example would stand tall for the absolute Bhagavatam knowledge of Sriman Gopiparanadhana Prabhu.
Srimad Bhagavatam is the lifeline for Krishna bhakti. It is the life-air for Krishna Consciousness movement. Sriman Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, the glorious servant of Srimad Bhagavatam, who worked for the completion of the unfinished task of Gurudeva, would be remembered by the people as long as Srimad Bhagavatam is there, that is for next ten thousand years.
An attempt to study Srimad Bhagavatam with complete devotion and attachment, rededicating ourselves to Srimad Bhagavatam, will be our humble obeisances at the lotus feet of this great vaishnava. All glories to the glorious servant of Srimad Bhagavatam – Sriman Gopiparanadhana Prabhu!!!
His Grace Kisora Prabhu
A Student’s Memories of Sriman Gopiparanadhana Prabhu
vande vinaya-bhavadhyam
saksad bhagavatamrtam
sastra-marma-vidam varyam
gopi-prana-dhanam prabhum
virahanale no dagdhan
bhavisya-bhaya-piditan
piyusa-bindubhir vanyah
posayanatha-jivitan
vande—I bow down; vinaya-bhava—with humility; adhyam—to one who is endowed with; saksat—to him who is personified; bhagavata-amrtam—nectar of the srimad-Bhagavatam and of the Brhad-bhagavatamrta; sastra—of the sacred scriptures; marma—mysteries; vidam—of those who know; varyam—to the most eminent; gopi—of the gopis; prana—of the life; dhanam—to him who is the wealth; prabhum—to the master; viraha—of separation; anale—in the fire; naḥ—us; dagdhan—scorched; bhavisya—of the future; bhaya—with fear; piditan—who are tormented; piyūsa—nectarean; bindubhiḥ—with drops; vanyaḥ—of your vani; posaya—nourish; anatha-jivitan—those who have lost their master.
Let me offer my obeisances to sripada Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, the most outstanding scholar expert in understanding the mysteries of the Sanskrit scriptures. Although he personifies the nectar of the srimad-Bhagavatam and the Brhad-bhagavatamrta, he is decorated with feelings of humility. We, your orphans, burn in the fire of separation from you and are overcome with fear about our future. Nourish us with the drops of your nectarean, immortal vani.
My dearest Gopiparanadhana Prabhu.
Please accept my humble obeisances. Jaya srila Prabhupada!
Is it really true that my teacher and hero has left us? I am still waiting that someone would wake me up and tell me that everything is all right and that it was just a bad dream. While waiting, I try to console my greaving heart with memories.
My first contact with you was through the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Canto of srimad-Bhagavatam. I noticed your name in them: Gopiparanadhana Dasa Adhikari. I also recall that a devotee once told me about you, a great scholar, living in a simple house in the town of Govardhana with a few cows. He was amazed, and so was I.
Then in March 2005 I remember seeing your email on the Free Forum of the PAMHO email system. It began with:
“Why become an academic scholar when you can be a natural scholar in the eternal Vaisnava tradition?
Why be vague about your future when you can be serving the central aims of srila Prabhupada’s heart?
Why not consider joining the BBT’s new, dynamic school, the srimad-Bhagavata Vidyapiṭham in Krsna’s favorite place, Sri Govardhana?”
This really caught my attention. At that time I was serving as a brahmacari in ISKCON Salem, Tamil Nadu and was attracted to the idea of studying Sanskrit and srimad-Bhagavatam. But since I did not know any Sanskrit yet I did not even dare to think about joining the school. Nevertheless, some months later my Guru Maharaja spoke about your school in one of his lectures and this made me think about it again. With my Guru Maharaja’s blessings I applied for admission and you accepted me. You allowed me to come a month earlier, so I arrived at Govardhana in the beginning of September, right after the Janmasṭami.
I expected to meet a scholar who would look at least something like the professors from the college I attended; distinguished and aware of their own importance. But to my great surprise you were none of that. I offered my obeisances to you and you did the same to me. I was shocked and uncomfortable. At that first meeting I gave you a small gift, a dhoti from South India, and you reacted as if you were embarrassed. That was so typical of you and I saw that so many times. Your unique facial expressions, gestures, child-like innocence, and genuine humility were winning the hearts of people who had the fortune to interact with you.
After a few days in Govardhana you asked me if there was something I would need to facilitate my studies. Instead of politely denying I thought of my somewhat dark room and said that it would be nice to have a small table lamp. You immediately arranged that I got the table lamp from your own room. Again I was uncomfortable and I rushed to your room to return the lamp. You persuaded me that you do not need it at all since your room was sunny during the day, and that you did not stay at the school over the night. I did not want to argue so I gave in, and kept your lamp throughout my stay at the school. You were so senior in every possible way but you acted as if we were fellow devotees trying to help each other.
My next remembrance during that month is of your srimad-Bhagavatam commentary class which was compulsory for everyone at the school. I was invited to attend as well. At that time I hardly read the Devanagari script at the speed of a first-grade kid and knew no Sanskrit whatsoever. I was terrified to sit among others who already knew something. I could not understand anything. And still as a great teacher you asked me if I could read a word from the verse under analysis. With great endeavor I did so and you thanked me with a charming smile on your face. The message I got from you was that I was welcome to study with you and that you were patient. You continued teaching this course throughout our first school year. We, the students, were just beginning to learn Sanskrit and yet you had the patience to deal with us. You had a formula how to engage us. Everyone was allotted one word from a verse and was supposed to analyze it. To help us you asked: “Is it a noun, verb, or indeclinable?” And then often, as we did not know the right answer, you joked, “No, it is not a verb, you have two guesses more.” You made our studies light and jolly. Later when I got to know a bit more about Sanskrit and the depth of your command of it I really understood how patient you were as a teacher.
When all the students arrived at the beginning of the school year, the school building was packed with devotees from top to bottom. We were more than twenty. You told us that you intended to accept less students but while reading our applications you felt that we were all so qualified and you could not reject any of us. I know at least for myself I was not qualified at all. Again you demonstrated your utmost humility and respect for others.
Since Govardhana is cold in winter you arranged for the entire school to move to South India for the month of January. The devotees in Dharvad in north Karnataka loved you so much that they accommodated us in a big newly built two-storey house. The atmosphere was cosy and homely. We were studying and feeling the pressure of the upcoming grammar exams but the local devotees were excited to have you and your students there. You and Mukunda Datta Prabhu were lecturing in the evening for the local devotees. They arranged many preaching programs for us that often interfered with our studies. But this simply showed that your school was different from other schools; you established it to satisfy srila Prabhupada whose main emphasis was preaching.
Seeing us frantically studying for the grammar exams and sometimes skipping the regular programs you would tell us that studying Sanskrit per se is not that important and that the study of srimad-Bhagavatam is far more valuable. You insisted that we should not lose the proper focus. This made us wonder what to do, and still does. You were never “lost” in Sanskrit and did not want us to become bewildered.
Although your school was known to many devotees as Gopiparanadhana Prabhu’s Sanskrit school or “the Govardhan school” you named it srimad-Bhagavata Vidyapiṭham. You firmly belived that the dissemination of the teachings of srimad-Bhagavatam was the primary means for the respiritualization of the world.
It is not a secret that your school was not the most organized but as you said with a smile, it is hard to organize intellectuals. They are by nature anarchists, have their own ideas how to do things and are not always the best organizers. We wrestled with this fact and its consequences here and there in the course of our studies, but having you as our teacher was so valuable that the occasional inconveniences faded into forgetfulness and lost any real meaning.
Many times you would tell us that scholarly engagement is just one of the services in the saṅkirtana movement and that we should not consider this particular service so special. Each and every service is glorious and we should find the one most suited to our nature even if that is something different from what the school was offering.
You were extremely enthusiastic about preaching. Devotees from the Delhi temple and the Krishna Balarama Mandir in Vrndavana would regularly invite you to give classes. The weekly free day in your school was organized in such a way that you could go to Delhi on Friday just to give a Saturday morning srimad-Bhagavatam class there. You did not hesitate to accept inconveniences for the sake of preaching.
You did not want us to hear Bhagavata-saptahas and lectures from other camps in Vrndavana. You insisted that we remain faithful to srila Prabhupada. But none of us really felt the need to listen to anyone else since the height of staying in Govardhana was listening to your bhagavata-katha. You could speak on any topic. Your lectures were highly learned but you rarely spoke like, “Visvanatha Cakravarti Ṭhakura says like this, Jiva Gosvami wrote like that.” Your points were intelligible to everyone, just like your Brhad-bhagavatamrta. You could speak on complex topics but in a simple way. This is the ornament of a truly learned person.
I noticed that everyone who came in contact with you would be charmed by your pleasant and unassuming nature. Not only humans, your cows also loved you. There was a time when your cow Visakha was regularly visiting the entrance to our school. She was an independently thoughtful cow who knew how to be at the right place at the right time. On her routine parikrama around Govardhana town she would come to the front metal gate of the school and get some prasadam and vegetable peels. She then happily wandered off. But one day she coolheadedly climbed the few stairs, slipped under the metal gate and entered the school courtyard. As if she were at home there, she headed right for the temple room where your class was going on. When you saw the cow marching in through the blue temple door you innocently asked, “Visakha, what are you doing here?” We, your students, who so far had our backs to the door, turned around to watch this comedy. But we became frightened about all our laptop computers so we managed to close the door before Visakha, greedy for knowledge, could enter. The classes were cancelled and a few students were trying to convince Visakha to leave the school compound, something they managed to do only after much persuasion, pushing, and pulling. Your school was definitely not an ordinary school.
Although you wanted us to study seriously you also loved to see us on Govardhana parikramas. This perfect and pure devotional activity became our “recreation.” It was quite possible to meet you while on parikrama; in more recent times you circumambulated Govardhana on your scooter. We figured out that the best way to easily complete the parikrama was to do one half one day and the second half the next day. We became so familiar with the whole route that we were able to predict the time we needed to complete it, and could choose the right pace to return to the school at a given time. Living in Govardhana town was like living in the center of the universe. You once said that it was proper to have our school in Vraja, the place of the six Gosvamis. But, you said, we do not want to be at Radha-kunda, it is too exalted. So we stay at Govardhana.
Many times you would speak about Uddhava who eternally resides near the Kusuma-sarovara. He desired to be one of the bushes and creepers in Vrndavana so that the gopis would walk over him and bless him with the dust of their lotus feet. That was your mood exactly, humbly serving and not demanding anything for yourself. You were the personification of the trnad api sunicena verse.
But your extreme humility was a great problem for the students. We wanted to properly honor you by arranging the Vyasa-pūja festival. For the first time, we organized it secretly in the year 2008. I took a photo of you humbly entering the decorated temple room when you already understood what was going on. It was evident that we were hurting your humble nature by worshiping you, but what could we do; it was more than proper for us to offer due respect to our illustrious acarya.
You were a perfect disciple. Whatever questions we asked, you always brought us to the point, “srila Prabhupada taught us like this.” You trained us that we should not think whether what srila Prabhupada said was right or not, but only try to understand how it is right. How much you shaped the way I live and think. Many times when I discuss different matters with devotees I remember, “Gopiparanadhana Prabhu said like this.” I am so much indebted to you. Your association, your example, and your instructions were so valuable and now that you are gone that is evident even more.
His Holiness Kesava Bharati Maharaja once told us that to praise you as a great scholar is almost an offense, because although you were a brilliant scholar, that was nothing compared to your being a great devotee. Your devotion to Krsna was winning the hearts of people, your excellent scholarship was just an icing on the cake. Vidya dadati vinayam. In your character it was just so obvious that the devotees of the Lord are decorated with all the good qualities.
I always felt completely unqualified to take much of your time. I knew you had so many important services and I did not want to hamper that. But whenever I did come to you, you made me feel comfortable. It was easy to associate with you because you never thought that some devotees were more important than others or that to spend time with some was unproductive.
Last year in October I came to Govardhana to attend Tattvavit Prabhu’s seminar. It turns out this was the last time we met. I was very enlivened by all of your lectures and classes. Deliberating on my good fortune to be able to stay at the feet of Govardhana and listen to your bhagavata-katha, I thanked you for being my link to Govardhana and to srimad-Bhagavatam. You humbly acknowledged.
As much as I am brokenhearted to lose your invaluable association and guidance I am also happy about the favorable circumstances of your departure. This gives me yet another assurance about the supreme auspiciousness of the process of Krsna consciousness and the destination of those who faithfully follow srila Prabhupada.
In so many ways your departure resembles that of srila Prabhupada. You left us simply too soon and it is difficult to see how your great contribution to the society of devotees will be perpetuated. Please continue to shower blessings upon those who, trying to continue the legacy of your glorious service to srila Prabhupada, follow in your footsteps.
Srila Gopiparanadhana Prabhu ki jaya!
Your servant, Kisora Dasa
His Holiness Radhanath Swami
I am beside myself with grief and am speechless while trying to digest the reality that His Grace Gopiparanadhana Prabhu has been taken away by Krishna. Krishna’s plan is always perfect but when it manifests in the passing away of such an intimate, loving Godbrother as Gopiparanadhana Prabhu it is painful. But our solace is in our deep confidence that he has attained the ultimate perfection of life, entrance into Radha Giridhari’s eternal lila.
Gopiparanadhana Prabhu was an all-attractive personality who inspired deep bhakti into our society. He was a profound scholar of Sanskrit who had studied the scriptures and commentaries of the greatest Acaryas and could translate, lecture and teach like no other. Yet he was genuinely humble, unassuming and eager to offer all respect to others. Although he was an intellectual and devotional giant, he never thought of himself as anything more than a servant of a servant of a servant.
Tears of gratitude are falling as I meditate on Goiparanadhana Prabhu’s love, faith and loyalty to Srila Prabhupada. In all of his study and research into the inner mysteries of the Sanskrit texts and commentaries, foremost he appreciated the brilliance, authenticity and compassion of our beloved Srila Prabhupada’s presentation.
He realized that every word of the Vedic literatures were a confirmation of Srila Prabhupada’s perfect teachings and he dedicated his life to share that realization. He saw all the scriptures through the eyes of our beloved Guru Maharaja and saw the divine grace of Srila Prabhupada through the eyes of all the scriptures. Only one who is immensely blessed by Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara could have such faith. I cry and pray for his mercy.
In his gentle, humble way Gopiparanadhana Prabhu had unshakable determination. He pushed forward his Sanskrit academy at Govardhana in the face of a lack of funding, manpower or interest. Harsh winters, burning summers and very poor health could not discourage him from giving his heart to teach others the priceless gift he was entrusted with. Although an empowered guru, translator and commentator of Vaisnava siddhanta, he sat and ate the same simple prasada with his students.
Wherever he shared our Gaudiya teachings, be it India, Russia, America, Europe or anywhere else, Gopiparanadhana Prabhu had an irresistible effect in attracting devotees hearts. He was like a full moon among vaisnavas ever shining with the soothing light of his devotional qualities.
In his departure a great loss has fallen upon the world. At the same time the treasured legacy of the literatures he left for us, his students and his rare example are with us forever. For this we can be grateful and happy.
I offer my sincerest love and gratitude to our dear Godbrother, Gopiparanadhana Prabhu and offer my heartfelt condolences to his beautiful family.
By H.H. Radhanath Swami