Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar (; 10 October 1895 – 12 August 1988) was an Indian

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

, writer,

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...

and spiritual leader in the

Gaudiya Vaishnava Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meanin ...

tradition of

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...

, founder-president-

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a tit ...

of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Recognised as a "profound thinker" and "learned representative of the

theistic Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to ...

conception of Gaudiya Vaishnavism", Sridhar was a senior disciple of

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (; bn, ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী; ; 6 February 1874 – 1 January 1937), born Bimala Prasad Datt (, ), was a Gaudīya Vaisnava Hindu guru (spiritual master), ācārya (philo ...

and elder "godbrother" (i.e. received initiation from the same guru) to

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami (; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna movement". Members of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a repr ...

, founder of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known Colloquialism, colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava Hinduism, Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was found ...

(the ‘Hare Krishnas’), to whose young disciples he provided spiritual guidance after Prabhupada's passing in 1977.

Early life

Born Ramendra Chandra () into a family of a high-class Bengali

brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

s (his family bore the aristocratic title, or , of Bhattacharya), Sridhar joined his guru's mission, the

Gaudiya Math The Gaudiya Math (, ; ) is a Gaudiya Vaishnava ''matha'' (monastic organisation) formed on 6 September 1920,Devamayī dāsi, "A Divine Life: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda" in ''Prabhupada Saraswati Thakur: The Li ...

, in 1926, taking

diksha Diksha (Sanskrit: दीक्षा) also spelled diksa, deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony", is giving of a mantra or an initiation by the guru (in Guru–shishya tradition) ...

initiation from

as Ramendra Sundara (). On the meaning of his first spiritual name, Sridhar recalled: “My original name was Ramendra Candra. When I was given initiation, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura gave me the name Ramendra Sundara. I asked him, “What is the meaning of Ramendra?” He told me, “In our consideration, Rama does not mean Dasarathi Rama or Lord Ramacandra, the son of King Dasaratha. It means Radha-ramana Rama –

Krsna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one o ...

, the lover of

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

rani.” Before being sent by Saraswati to locate the site where

spoke with

Ramananda Ray Ramananda Ray (IAST: Rāmānanda Rāya) lived in the Indian state of Odisha (Oḍiśā) during the latter part of the 15th century to around the middle part of the 16th century CE and was the author of the celebrated drama Jagannatha Vallabha Nat ...

on the banks of the

Godavari The Godavari ( IAST: ''Godāvarī'' �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakesh ...

(), his guru gave him the new name Ramananda Das (), meaning servant of Ramananda. He finally became ''Bhakti Rakshak'', meaning 'Guardian of Devotion', after taking sannyasa in 1930.

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

In 1941, after the death of his guru, Sridhar founded his own international mission, becoming

of the monastic and missionary society "Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math," in

Nabadwip Nabadwip (), also spelt Navadwip, anciently Nadia or Nudiya, is a heritage city in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is regarded as a holy place by Hindus, and is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Famous for Rass fest ...

, now in West Bengal. His chosen successor was his disciple, Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami, who led the math until his death in 2010. The current acharya is Bhakti Nirmal Acharya, Govinda's disciple.

Relationship with Prabhupada

Though "something of an outsider in his spiritual master's original movement", Prabhupada,

ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...

's founder, had "strong friendships with two prominent sannyasi godbrothers, Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar (1895–1983) , founder of the Chaitanya Saraswata Math, and Bhakti Prajnan Keshava (1898–1968), founder of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti." After Prabhupada's death in 1977, both Sridhar and Bhaktivedanta Narayan, a disciple of Keshava, gave instruction to Prabhupada's disciples, with Americans Bhaktivedanta Tripurari and Jayatirtha Swami and Hungarian devotee Dvarakesa Swami (Bhakti Abhay Narayan) among the prominent ex-ISKCON members to take

shiksha ''Shiksha'' ( sa, शिक्षा IAST: ISO: Śikṣā) is a Sanskrit word, which means "instruction, lesson, learning, study of skill".Sir Monier Monier-WilliamsSiksha A DkSanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arr ...

or sannyasa initiation from Sridhar. Prabhupada and Sridhar were close, having a "long and intimate relationship" over almost five decades. Prabhupada described Sridhar as the "most highly competent of all my godbrothers" and "even my shiksha-guru". He had previously asked Sridhar to be president of the new institution he planned to set up following the disintegration of the original Gaudiya Math. He later described how Sridhar had agreed to "cooperate with our society" (ISKCON), and had his disciples honour Sridhar's ''Vyasa-puja'' (birthday), in order than ISKCON's young brahmacharis “shall learn how to celebrate the spiritual master's birthday.”

Honorifics

In a Gaudiya Vaishnava context, Sridhar's full title is Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, or (where ''Śrīla'', an adjectival form of '' Śrī'', is a respectful honorific akin to 'Reverend', and ''

Mahārāja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

'' means 'Great King', while '' Gosvāmī'' reflects his status as a sannyasi). He is known simply as Srila Guru Maharaj within Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

References

External links

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math International
{{Authority control 1895 births 1988 deaths Gaudiya religious leaders Indian theologians Presidents of religious organizations People from West Bengal Bengali Hindus Bengali philosophers 20th-century Bengalis People from Purba Bardhaman district