Overview
In commemoration of the 119th appearance of Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja, we present the following article 'Oh Bābā! Bolacche-re!' (My God! He's forcing me to spell!) which was written by Śrīla Śrīdhara Maharaja, prior to his acceptance of sannyāsa, for the Gauḍīya Maṭha’s daily newspaper, Dainika Nadīyā Prakāśa on April 18th, 1928. This article was translated from Bengali to English by Sanātana Dāsa.
One gentleman had a son, and like any parent, when his son was of age to begin formal learning, he endeavoured to provide his child with proper tuition. However, the boy showed an extraordinary aversion towards receiving any type of education. The father became very anxious about his son’s future, but after much endeavour, he ultimately became completely disheartened.
Finally, one experienced teacher came to know of his dejection and told him that he would tactfully teach the boy. On investigating, he came to know that the boy was very fond of various types of food and was greatly influenced by his taste buds. The teacher took advantage of this particular weakness of the boy, and mesmerised the child by discussing various types of food and their qualities. Continuously he made the boy utter the names of fruits like mango, jamun, jackfruit, banana etc. several times. Gaining confidence, the teacher then asked the boy, “Son – say ka!” (the first letter of the alphabet). Instantly the boy came to his senses. It came as a flash of lightning in the boy’s mind that this was all a ploy to make him study. The boy exclaimed, “Oh Bābā! Bolacche-re!” (My God! He’s forcing me to spell!”)
If we deliberate on this with a calm mind, we will find our condition more precarious than that of the aforementioned boy. The Vaiṣṇavas, who are ācāryas of the entire world, having seen the future destination of our souls with their divine vision and being very liberal by nature, have compassionately endeavoured to give us an opportunity to honour varieties of mahā-prasāda in this mundane sphere of enjoyment to engage the souls in their constitutional occupation of devotional service.
But what are we doing? Until we are unable to trace any mundane spirituality in our imaginary mental indulgence in gross matter for our own pleasure, then we are somewhat halfheartedly practicing devotional service in the association of sādhus. When our addiction to the fleeting and temporary aspects of life diminishes due to the infallible consequences of sādhu-saṅga, we are taken aback.
And in spite of realising the insignificance of the lowliness of our self that we have served in the mental realm of our understanding of religiosity, which we have assimilated deeply in our inner being for various lifetimes, we are still unwilling to reject it. On the contrary, seeing the prospect of its disappearance, we tremble in fear at the extermination of our very deeply acquired self!
Just like the boy who was oblivious to his own future, we also want to remain blind to the destiny of our souls. Yet if we compare the loss incurred in both cases, we find that we cannot compare our own deplorable circumstance to that of the boy’s condition.
The boy is simply loosing something in exchange for something else. But whatever he looses or gains belongs to the same category – enjoyment of the tongue and discussion on mundane knowledge (whose aim is to achieve higher material enjoyment) are categorically the same. Both are worldly, transient and illusory.
In spite of daily hearing the warning bells of the thunderous declarations from Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha and witnessing all kinds of endeavours by the maṭha residents to instil and nurture within our hapless sick minds the seeds of nectarean hari-kathā, and endeavouring to establish a loving connection with God – still there is a gulf of difference between that which we are knowingly rejecting in favour of some other illusory charm!
One is of this world, while the other is eternal; one is insignificant and negligible, while the other is supremely beneficial; one is intimately connected to birth, death, old age and disease, while the other is eternal transcendental bliss; one is in the mode of illusion, while the other is purely spiritual, beyond the modes of material nature. To sum up, one is uninterrupted pain and toil while the other is incessant bliss.
In such a situation, I would like to ask the intelligent and good-hearted readers that if we sincerely desire to reform our mentality, which is like that of the aforementioned boy, then considering that which is eternal and that which is temporary, what should the proper activity of the living entities be? Isn’t this the very conduct and preaching of Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha?
Paṇḍita Śrī Rāmendra-sundara Bhaṭṭācārya B.A.
Related Articles & Books
- Vaiṣṇava Nindā by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- A Devotee is Merciful (Sajjana – Kṛpālu) by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
- A Devotee Does Not Engage in Violence (Sajjana – Akṛta-droha) by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
- A Devotee is the Epitome of Truth (Sajjana – Satya-sāra) by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākura
- Oh Bābā! Bolacche-re! by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī
- Problems and Solutions by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī
- The Highest Attainment and Present Adjustment by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja
- Āgun Jvālbe (Light the Fire!) by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī
- Dharma and the Modern World by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda
- Faith Confirms the Absolute by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
- Go Deeper! by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
- To Be a Servant by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
- Harmony – Real and Apparent by Swami B.V. Giri
- The Definition of Faith by Gaura Gopāla Dāsa
Further Reading
- Śraddhā (Faith) – Quotes by Bhaktivinoda Thakura
- Śraddhā and Śaraṇāgati by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- The Association of Sādhus by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Epilogue to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Karṇāmṛta by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Prīti (Love) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- A Dispute Concerning Mahāprasāda by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Śraddhā by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Materialistic Association by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Dispelling Doubts by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- The Enemy by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- A Critique of the book ‘Vanamālā’ by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Kali by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Offences Against Bhakti by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Kārttika-vrata by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Violence and Mercy by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Abandoning Bad Association by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Sad-guṇa and Bhakti by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- The Process of Initiation by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Dainya (Humility) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
- Vaiṣṇava Nindā (Offences to Devotees) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
Pilgrimage With Swami Narasiṅgha – Part 1: Imlitalā
This is the first part in a series of articles for Krishna Talk where Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja talks about various holy places. Our first article begins with the pastimes and philosophical significance of Imlitalā. This article was adapted from a number of talks that Mahārāja gave in the 1990s.
The Disappearance of a Śaktyāveśa-avatāra
The following article is based upon a talk by Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja given in 1998. Mahārāja discusses Śrīla Prabhupāda’s position as a śaktyāveśa-avatāra (empowered incarnation) of Nityānanda Prabhu and connects this to his withdrawal from this mortal world in 1977.
A Devotee is the Epitome of Truth (Sajjana – Satya-sāra)
Sajjana – Satya-sāra (A Devotee is the Epitome of Truth) was written by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda and published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 20, Issue 4 in 1917. Continuing with his elaboration on the twenty-six qualities of a devotee, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura discusses what is relative and absolute truth.
‘The Avatāra’ Biṣakiṣen
This article was first published in 1897 in Sajjana Toṣaṇī Vol.8, Issues 6, 7, 8 and 11 and was written by Śrī Nitya Sakha Mukhopadhyāya, an associate of Bhaktivinoda Thakura who lived in Balasore, Orissa. In his autobiographical letter, ‘Svalikhita Jīvanī, ’Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wrote about this famous event wherein he brought a bogus avatāra to justice in 1871. However this account by Nitya Sakha Mukhopadhyāya is undoubtedly the most detailed version of the incident. It is not known whether the author was personally present or if Bhaktivinoda himself had narrated it to him in detail. Throughout the article, the author refers to Bhaktivinoda as ‘Deputy Babu’ denoting his government position as the Deputy Magistrate of Jagannātha Purī. It is possible that, out of humility, the Ṭhākura had requested the author not to mention his name.
Pilgrimage With Swami Narasiṅgha – Part 1: Imlitalā
This is the first part in a series of articles for Krishna Talk where Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja talks about various holy places. Our first article begins with the pastimes and philosophical significance of Imlitalā. This article was adapted from a number of talks that Mahārāja gave in the 1990s.
The Disappearance of a Śaktyāveśa-avatāra
The following article is based upon a talk by Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja given in 1998. Mahārāja discusses Śrīla Prabhupāda’s position as a śaktyāveśa-avatāra (empowered incarnation) of Nityānanda Prabhu and connects this to his withdrawal from this mortal world in 1977.
A Devotee is the Epitome of Truth (Sajjana – Satya-sāra)
Sajjana – Satya-sāra (A Devotee is the Epitome of Truth) was written by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda and published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 20, Issue 4 in 1917. Continuing with his elaboration on the twenty-six qualities of a devotee, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura discusses what is relative and absolute truth.
A Rūpānuga’s Constant Meditation Concerning Śrī Ratha Yātrā
This article, ‘Śrī Ratha Yātrāya Śrī Rūpānugānucintana,’ by Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja, was first published in Śrī Gauḍīya Darśana magazine, Vol. 13, issue 1 in August 1969 the name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Govinda Dāsa Adhikārī Bhakti-kovinda, and was written in response to certain maṭhas performing Ratha Yātrā in the dhāma.