HDG Srila Bhakti Srirupa Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj
The rays of Srila Prabhupada appeared all over present-day Bangladesh. On 12 October 1906 (Bengali calendar: Kartik Shukla Panchami 1303, the fifth day of the waxing moon cycle), one of Srila Prabhupada’s rays was born in Sachilapur, Borishal District, Bangladesh in a pious wealthy family and was named Shivashankar. His father was Gopalachandra De and his mother was Srimati Rajalakshmi Devi. From childhood, Shivashankar was of good character, truthful, talented, and helpful to others. Since his childhood, he was studious and generous.
He was inclined towards serving holy, renounced persons (sadhu sannyasis). Once, when Shivashankar was 17 years old, he heard that a renounced person from the Gaudiya Math was coming to their area. Shivashankar and his friend went to attend the devotional program and heard from the sannyasi’s discourse that the Supreme Lord is one without a second. That sannyasi was Srila Bhakti Vivek Bharati Goswami Maharaj. After hearing Srila Bharati Goswami Maharaj’s discourse, Shivashankar decided to take shelter of Srila Bharati Goswami Maharaj. However, Srila Bharati Goswami Maharaj took Shivashankar to Mayapur and brought him to the shelter of his Gurudeva, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur. In 1924, on the holy day of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance (Gaura Purnima), Shivashankar received harinama and Diksha from Srila Prabhupada and was named Siddhasvarupa Das Brahmachari. Siddhasvarupa Prabhu went back to complete his studies and in 1928, he came back to Srila Prabhupada and joined as a full-time renounced brahmachari.
While he was a brahmachari, Siddhasvarupa Prabhu was an assistant of Srila Bhakti Pradip Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vivek Bharati Goswami Maharaj, and Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj in the preaching efforts all over Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Once, in present-day Kishoreganj, Mymensingh District, Bangladesh, Siddhasvarupa Das Brahmachari spoke in an assembly of spiritual debate (Sanatana-dharma sabha) on the topic of “Yoto mot, toto poth – there are many paths to achieve the same goal”. Through proper logic, Siddhasvarupa Prabhu tried to defeat this concept of “Yoto mot, toto poth”. Srila Prabhupada happily spoke in relation to this incident: “Siddhasvarupa’s remarks and the subsequent effects have manifested the fruits of 10 years of preaching in just one day.” However, the whole audience blindly protested against Siddhasvarupa Prabhu’s presentation and stopped him without a proper logical reason. The next day, all major newspapers such as the Ananda Bazar Newspaper covered the incident and featured the Gaudiya Math. Siddhasvarupa Brahmachari used to speak the message of truth without any hesitation. Thus, he spread Srila Prabhupada’s logical explanations of the scriptures all over India. In 1937, after Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure, all of the disciples were feeling the pangs of separation.
In order to expand Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s loving mission, Srila Bhakti Vivek Bharati Goswami Maharaj and Siddhasvarupa Prabhu began a new center in the name of Sri Sarasvata Gaudiya Asana and Mission. In 1941, on the day of Vijaya Dasami commemorating the day Lord Ramachandra conquered over Ravan’s kingdom at Lanka, Siddhasvarupa Prabhu took the renounced order (sannyasa) from his senior god-brother, Srila Bhakti Prasun Bodhayan Goswami Maharaj, and received the name, Srila Bhakti Srirupa Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj. Eventually, Srila Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj established a center at 29 B Hajra Road, Kolkata. After Srila Bharati Goswami Maharaj’s physical departure in 1947, Srila Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj felt much separation but continued the preaching mission and established centers in Jagannath Puri and Navadvipa Dham. Srila Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj published Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushan’s Govinda-Bhashya Commentary, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushan’s Bhagavad Gita commentary, the Vedanta-sutras, as well as many rare Upanishads. Srila Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj often used to say, “He who glorifies Lord Hari is in actuality a generous person.” On Friday 4 October 1985 (Bengali calendar: 18 Ashwin Krishna-sasthi 1392, the sixth day of the waning moon) at 1:05 am, Srila Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj physically departed at the Kolkata temple located on Hajra Road. His desire was to be cremated and his disciples established a Pushpa-samadhi with his ashes at the Jagannath Puri temple and the Navadvipa temple situated at Radha Bazar. According to Srila Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj’s will, the present temple president and acharya are Srila Bhakti Ranjan Sagar Goswami Maharaj (disciple of Srila Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj) who is continuing forth the mission.
HDG Srila Bhakti Srirupa Siddhanti Goswami Maharaj