Appreciation for Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj’s compositions.

By Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

Every composition of Srila Guru Maharaj, every verse, is enriched with so much knowledge, devotion, realisation, and quality. At first we could not understand this fully; we could only partly understand. But Srila Krishnadas Babaji Maharaj was always praising Srila Guru Maharaj’s verses. Actually, he spread Srila Guru Maharaj’s verses all over the world. Pranamami sada Prabhupada-padam: everyone knows these verses, though they may not know who composed them. Everyone in our sampradaya knows these verses, though they do not know that Srila Guru Maharaj composed them.

Krishnadas Babaji Maharaj was learned, and he read and memorised so many of the Goswami’s writings. Yet he praised the verses of Srila Guru Maharaj so much. One day Guru Maharaj asked Krishnadas Babaji Maharaj, “When you come from Vrndavan to Nabadwip, you stay in Mayapur and you come to my Math, but why do you go to Hapaniya every year? And why do you walk from there to the village where I went to school?”

Babaji Maharaj replied, “Because of your verses. Your verses have given me inspiration, and I feel that they are Rupa Goswami Prabhu’s gift to you. You are enriched with Rupa Goswami Prabhu’s conception, and your verses are nondifferent from Rupa Goswami Prabhu’s verses.”

When I heard this, I was not so learned, but now I am a little more. And now I am realising and very happily tasting every verse of Guru Maharaj. Very very happily I am tasting them. Before I was collecting flowers, but I was not realising how much quality and taste the flowers had. I was in the flower garden and quickly picking and putting so many verses into my bag. At that time I did not have so much realisation, but now I am realising everything about the writing, behaviour, and mood of Srila Guru Maharaj. I am always thinking about that and very happily tasting it. When I was living with Guru Maharaj, I did not understand his full divine form and activities. But now that Guru Maharaj is far from our vision, I am feeling many things and tasting so many of his verses.

One who enjoys through Krishna consciousness is a very fortunate soul.