Due to lack of sambandha jnana we are not able to realize in what kind of great danger our whole Gaudiya Sampradaya is at present

Our Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura who is known as sara grahi (one who can take the essence from all the scriptures) wrote in one of his kirtans —“āmi to’ tomāra, tumi to’  āmāra, ki kāja apara dhane”– I am Yours and You are mine. What need of any other treasure?

In these two words Śrīla Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura has given us the most vital instruction by churning the vast ocean of Vedic scriptures. If we can have this kind of patience to be under the guidance of pure guru-Vaiṣṇavas to realize the inner meaning of those authentic śāstras, then we can also come to the same conclusion as shown by Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura who wanted to show us this most vital point out of his causeless mercy, otherwise all our reading of śāstras will be only waste of time. So, in short as the conception of seed these two profound words of Śrīla Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura are the essence of our bhajana life.

But we know from śāstra that before realizing bhagavat-tattva sambandha, we will have to realise guru-tattva, because Śrī Guru is the transcendental medium through which we can see what is what there in the transcendental world. In Caitanya Bhagavat we can find the following śloka written by Śrīla Vrindavan das Ṭhākura Mahāshaya—

je vaiṣṇava sevile, acintya kṛṣṇa pāya

se vaiṣṇava pūjā hoite bado āro nāi      (CB. 4.1357)

By serving the lotus feet of Vaiṣṇavas, one attains the Lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa , who is acintya, there is no greater sādhana than this.

It is impossible to approach the transcendental world by the means of our material senses. In this conditioned state jivas are in the trap of maya, so cannot even think about the acintya-tattva of Kṛṣṇa by the help of his material mind. Only by taking shelter of Sad Guru-Vaiṣṇava one can attain the Lord’s grace.

There are innumerable evidences in the scriptures regarding this matter, but due to shortage of time and space we think to make the article more precise, thats why we would like to mention just a few.

ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha

na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ

mad-bhaktānāṁ ca ye bhaktās

te me bhakta-tamā matāḥ                                   (Cc Madhya 11.28)

 “[Lord Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna:] ‘Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My servant are factually My devotees.’

ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ

viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param

tasmāt parataraṁ devi

tadīyānāṁ samarcanam                               (Cc Madhya 11.31)

“[Lord Śiva told the goddess Durgā:] ‘My dear Devī, although the Vedas recommend worship of demigods, the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is topmost. However, above the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the rendering of service to Vaiṣṇavas, who are related to Lord Viṣṇu.’

sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ

sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham

mad-anyat te na jānanti

nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api                                   (ŚB 9.4.68)

The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them.

Also, we can find the total application of those above mentioned ślokas in the life of each of our Gauḍīya guru-varga like Śrīla Bhakti Daitya Madhava Gosvāmī Maharaj, who used to say – “Śrī Viṣṇu and Vaiṣṇava are the only object, if I am able to serve only one of the two, then I will chose the Vaiṣṇava, even if I have to take out loans to do so. If I happen to leave the world before repaying the loans I had taken to serve the Vaiṣṇava, then I will happily take birth again to repay them and enthusiastically take on even more loans in order to remain in their eternal service. My constant prayer is that I may eternally maintain this consciousness without deviation.”

Also, Śrī Rāmānuja Ācārya says that— “Do not consider service to the Vaiṣṇavas as means, but rather always consider it the goal. To think that by serving Vaiṣṇavas one can achieve other fruits is to consider seva as a means, and to think that due to heaps of pious activities one obtains vaiṣṇava-seva is to consider it the goal.”

Gauḍīya  Goṣṭhī  Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī  Ṭhākura Prabhupāda also said that—“Association is the principle impetus in human life to serve Śrī Hari. Due to association of non-devotees, one gets material prosperity. Due to the association of devotees, the spirit soul gradually becomes absorbed in serving Śrī Hari. This is the greatest shelter for a human being. Never become averse to that.”

So, in this way the first and foremost duty of all sincere followers of Bhagavat Dharma is to establish sambandha jñāna with all those exalted Vaiṣṇava who appeared in our Gauḍīya sampradāya. The word ‘sampradāya’ means to pass on all those transcendental siddhānta vichars feelings intact way.

śruto ’nupaṭhito dhyāta

ādṛto vānumoditaḥ

sadyaḥ punāti sad-dharmo

deva-viśva-druho ’pi hi                                 (ŚB 11.2.12)

The bhagavat-dharma is so excellent and powerful that simply by hearing or reciting it in the same way of śrauta-panthā, can purify all those fallen souls.

Śrīla Bhaktii Pragyan Kesava Gosvāmī used to say that— “With a strong hope to get pratiṣṭhā by exhibiting our personal talent, if we never hesitate to identify our most favourable benefactor (or true well-wisher) previous ācāryas as ignorant and foolish, then in that case our children (our next generations) they also can call us ignorant, foolish or uncivilized (or brute) etc. what strange or surprise can be there in it?”

Śrīla Baba Maharaj also many times mentions in his Harikatha that without the establishment of sambandha jñāna, actual hari-bhajana cannot start, and that sambandha starts with the devotees of the Lord. So, the only reason for why we cannot feel that our Gauḍīya sampradāya is in great danger is due to lack of sambandha jñāna.

It is our request to you all to think over and again that how and why Śrīla Baba Maharaj always feeling enthusiastic energy to glorify all guru-Vaiṣṇavas from the bottom of heart, even those who are outside our own Gauḍīya sampradāya. Then why he is feeling uneasy to glorify that international acarya. That is left for your kind consideration.

So, it is our request that all those sincere and honest followers of The Prabhupāda please try to understand the soft heart of Śrīla Baba Maharaj, who never has the desire to criticize anyone, but out of his extreme love for the protection and preservation of the divine glories of all those Gauḍīya guru-varga of our aprākṛta Gauḍīya Math he is shouting like a dog.

Thanks a lot

Truly yours in the service of Guru Gaurāṅga and Go-Mata

All the sincere followers of Bhakti Siddhānta Vāṇī