Taking Sannyāsa on Gaura Pūrṇimā, 1952

Our beloved Parama-gurudeva, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, told his three prominent disciples–Śrī Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacārī, Śrī rādhānātha Brajavāsi and Śrī Gaura Nārāyaṇa–that he intended to award them tridaṇḍisannyāsa. The sannyāsa order means to renounce the material world completely. However, they thought that they were not spiritually qualified to take sannyāsa because they felt very insignificant in the presence of the sannyāsī godbrothers of their gurudeva, the disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, who were very learned scholars and were far more expert in bhakti-siddhānta. Because of their Vaiṣṇava humility, the three disciples believed that they were unqualified to be sannyāsīs, so did not want to cause any disturbance to their seniors by taking sannyāsa. They felt that to accept sannyāsa would be an insult to their respected seniors, the sannyāsa disciples of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda, and that it would better if they remained in brahmacārī dress.

The situation came to attention of Śrīla Bhakti Kuśala Nṛsiṃha Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who was one of Śrīla Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s disciples, and also the uncle of my guru-mahārāja, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja. He called the three of them together and they listened carefully as he explained the duty of a disciple.

“The primary duty of a disciple is to fulfill the desire of gurudeva. We do not have to be concerned about our own qualifications. It is not your position to judge whether or not you are qualified for sannyāsa. That is gurudeva’s position. Your gurudeva is telling you to take sannyāsa, so you must do so. Whatever he wants, you must follow him and fulfill his desire.”

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has enunciated in his kīrtana, “mānasa, deho, geho, jo kichu mora / arpilū tuvā pade, nanda-kiśora!–Mind, body and family, whatever may be mine, I have surrendered at Your lotus feet, O youthful son of Nanda!”

We cannot surrender anything directly to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The process is to offer everything to śrīla gurudeva, and śrīla gurudeva will transfer the offering to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The kīrtana composed by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Mānasa Deha Geha, from Śaraṇāgati goes like this:

Mãnasa Deha Geha

“Teaching the Process of Full Surrender”

সম্পদে বিপদে, জীবনে-মরণে
দায্ মম গেলা, তুবা ও-পদ বরণে

mānasa, deho, geho, jo kichu mora
arpilū tuvā pade, nanda-kiśora!

Mind, body and family, whatever may be mine, I have surrendered at Your lotus feet, O youthful son of Nanda! (1)

সম্পদে বিপদে, জীবনে-মরণে
দায্ মম গেলা, তুবা ও-পদ বরণে

sampade vipade, jīvane-maraṇe
dāy mama gelā, tuwā o-pada baraṇe

In good fortune or in bad, in life or at death, all my difficulties have disappeared by choosing those feet of Yours as my only shelter. (2)

মারোবি রাখোবি জো ইচ্ছা তোহারা
নিত্য-দাস প্রতি তুবা অধিকারা

mārobi rākhobi jo icchā tohārā
nitya-dāsa prati tuwā adhikārā

Slay me or protect me as You wish, for You are the master of Your eternal servant. (3)

জন্মাওবি মোএ ইচ্ছা জদি তোর্
ভক্ত-গৃহে জনি জন্ম হৌ মোর্

janmāobi moe icchā jadi tor
bhakta-gṛhe jani janma hau mor

If it is Your will that I be born again, then may it be in the home of Your devotee. (4)

কীট-জন্ম হৌ জথা তুবা দাস্
বহির্-মুখ ব্রহ্ম জন্মে নাহি আশ্

kīṭa-janma hau jathā tuwā dās
bahir-mukha brahma janme nāhi āś

May I be born again even as a worm, so long as I may remain Your devotee. I have no desire to be born as a Brahmā averse to You. (5)

ভুক্তি-মুক্তি-স্পৃহা বিহীন জে ভক্ত
লভৈতে তাকো সঙ্গ অনুরক্ত

bhukti-mukti-spṛhā vihīna je bhakta
labhaite tāko saṅga anurakta

I yearn for the company of that devotee who is completely devoid of all desire for worldly enjoyment or liberation. (6)

জনক, জননী, দযিত, তনয্
প্রভু, গুরু, পতি-তুহূ সর্ব-মোয্

janaka, jananī, dayita, tanay
prabhu, guru, pati-tuhū sarva-moy

Father, mother, lover, son, Lord, preceptor, and husband; You are everything to me. (7)

ভকতিবিনোদ কোহে, শুনো কান!
রাধা-নাথ! তুহূ হামার পরাণ

bhakativinoda kohe, śuno kāna!
rādhā-nātha! tuhū hāmāra parāṇa

Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda says, “O Kānā, please hear me! O Lord of rādhā, You are my life and soul!” (8)

On March 11, 1952, on Gaura Pūrṇimā, the appearance day of prema-puruṣottama Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Paramagurudeva, Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī bestowed the Vedic sacred order of tridaṇḍi-sannyāsa upon his three faithful disciples. Śrī Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacārī became Tridaṇḍisvāmī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja; Śrī rādhānātha Brajavāsi became Tridaṇḍisvāmī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Mahārāja; and Śrī Gaura Nārāyaṇa Brajavāsī Bhakta-bāndhava became Tridaṇḍisvāmī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja.

I would now like to provide the respected reader with a short hisory of the lives of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja and Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Gosvāmī Mahārāja.