The glories of Sripad Ajita Krishna Brahmachari.

By Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

The following is an English translation of the article written in honour of the passing of Sripad Ajita Krsna Prabhu Seva Saurabh. It was first published in Sri Gaudiya Darsan in Volume 14, Issue 4, on Sunday, 19 September 1971.

Sripad Ajita Krishna Prabhu reaches the dust of the Holy Dham

Last Wednesday, 30 June 1971, the Math’s distinguished servitor—the best of Sri Guru-pada-padma’s single-minded servitors—the ever-smiling Sripad Ajita Krishna Brahmachari Seva Saurabh Prabhu suddenly left for his abode and immersed us all in an ocean of separation. Today it is painful to even think that this courageous, enthusiastic, resolute, tolerant, and single-minded servant of Sri Guru, Sripad Seva Saurabh Prabhu, who was a tireless worker and determined to make the impossible possible, is no longer externally present amongst us. His extraordinary qualities and extremely sweet behaviour equally attracted everyone, even if they were unacquainted with him, be they residents of the Math, householders, sannyasis, or townspeople. Thus, everyone is heartbroken and overwhelmed by separation from him.

His endeavours to serve were so extraordinary and broad that all the servants of the Math would get inspiration to perform their own services with more enthusiasm and natural satisfaction when they saw him covering and completing all of his services. Everywhere—whether on parikrama in Sri Nabadwip Dham, in Vrndavan, in Dvaraka, in Haridvar, in Ayodhya, in any other place in North India, in South India, or in Sri Kedar Badarik Asram—his service and companionship were completely indispensable. There was no place for even a moment of rest on the garland of his service and duties. Over the course of all his prolonged and extremely laborious service, no one would ever see him lay down to rest on a bed during a break time. Such was his enthusiasm for service. He was the ideal servitor: he engaged in service twenty-four hours a day, every day.

Almost twenty years ago today Sripad Ajita Krishna Prabhu joined Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Nabadwip.

Prior to that, he frequented many Maths enquiring about spiritual life. Not finding satisfaction anywhere, he at last came at the request his Vartma-pradasak-guru Sriyukta Satyacharan Ghatak Mahasay—a long-time servitor of Sri Gaudiya Math—to the holy lotus feet of our Math’s Acharya, the supremely worshippable Parivrajakacharya-varya Om Visnupad Sri Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, accepted Sri Hari-nam and gayatri-diksa from him, and dedicated his heart to the service of Sri Guru with great satisfaction.

His name in his previous asram was Sri Adhirachandra Majumadar. His only tie [at that time] was his mother. (She also later accepted initiation from Sri Guru Pada-padma.) Although he externally conducted himself like a householder as long as his mother lived, because there was no one to look after her, he never slackened his service to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga. Even during his life as an employee of Bengal Immunity Co. Ltd., everyone knew of his exalted reputation and good name. Not only was he elected a ‘selected member’ of the said company’s ‘watch committee’ on account of his honesty and efficiency, but after his mother’s death, even after he resigned from his employment, offered all his wealth at the feet of Sri Guru, and embraced a life of constant service to the Lord in the Math, many of his friends and relatives who were enamoured by his qualities frequented the Math desiring to met with him and eventually took shelter of the Math as a result of his association. Furthermore, the said company also behaved extremely respectfully towards him [even after he resigned].

Although his detached household life was one of abundant affluence and furnishings, his service life in the Math was filled with service-based austerity, renunciation, unostentatiousness, and deep attachment to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga. Although his destiny was to leave in Kedar Badarik Asram this year, he reversed this on the strength of his service, returned from there, and performed his Pastime of departing in Sri Gaura Dham, which he always cherished; souls with deep vision are praising his disappearance Pastime in this way.

When we think of his grand departure from the midst of Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga, Sri Gaura Dham, and Sri Ganga, and above all, his leaving one service to immediately engage himself in another, as the limit of his fortune cannot be ascertained, so we are not able to estimate our misfortune in being deprived of the great association of this exalted soul. “Svatantra Krishnera ichchha ha-ila sanga bhanga: Krishna’s independent will has broken that association” (Cc: Antya, 11.92). Although Sripad Seva Saurabh Prabhu is not personally in our midst today, we make only the small prayer at the feet of Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga that the Lord does not deprive us of his association eternally.

Reference

Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj also wrote the following Sanskrit poem as a tribute to Sripad Ajita Krsna Das Brahmachari Seva Saurabh which was published as a dedication at the beginning of the first Bengali edition of Sri Sri Prema-dhama-deva-stotram.

Utsarga Patram

An Explanatory Note

srimad ajita-krsnakhyo brahmachari cha dasakah
purvam srimad adhirakhyo majumadara itiritah [1]
utsargi-krta-sarvasvo guru-krsna-padambuje
mano-dhana-tanu-sraddha-guru-seva-sada-vratah [2]

Srimad Ajita Krishna Das Brahmachari, who was formerly known as Srimad Adhirachandra Majumadar, gave everything to the lotus feet of Sri Guru and Krishna, and constantly engaged in faithful service to Sri Guru with his body, mind, and wealth.

rasadri-veda-gaurabde suklasadhastami-tithau
prapto dhama-rajo-’chintyam sevartih sevakottamah [3]

On Gaura Astami in the month of Asadh in the year 485 of the Gaura era (Wednesday, 30 June 1971), he who was the best of all servitors and always anxious for service reached the inconceivable dust of the Holy Dham.

puta-seva-smrtes tasya sri-seva-saurabha-prabho
samraksane krtotsahair visva-srestha-hitaya cha [4]
gaura-gatha-maya-granthah prema-dhamas tavakhyakah
prakasito ’tra chaitanya-sarasvata-mathasritaih [5]

With great enthusiasm for preserving remembrance of Sri Seva Saurabh Prabhu’s pure service, and for the greatest benefit of the world, this book which is made up of the glories of Sri Gaura, Sri Sri Prema-dhama-deva-stotram, has been published here by the surrender souls of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.