32 Facts About Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Saraswati inaugurated in Calcutta the first center of his institution, later known as the Gaudiya Math.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is known for his intense and outspoken oratory and writing style as the "acharya-keshari".

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati opposed the nondualistic interpretation of Hinduism, or advaita, that had emerged as the prevalent strand of Hindu thought in India, seeking to establish traditional personalist krishna-bhakti as its fulfillment and higher synthesis.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati researched, translated, and published Gaudiya Vaishnava literature as well as wrote his own works on Vaishnava theology and practice in Bengali, Sanskrit, and English.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gained a reputation for remembering passages from a book on a single reading and soon learned enough to compose his own poetry in Sanskrit.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's biographers stated that even up to his last days Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati could verbatim recall passages from books that he had read in his childhood, earning the epithet "living encyclopedia".

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati then entered Sanskrit College, one of Calcutta's finest schools for classical Hindu learning, where he added Indian philosophy and ancient history to his study list.

In 1895, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada decided to discontinue his studies at Sanskrit College due to a dispute about the astronomical calculations of the principal, Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's soul-searching led him to quit the comforts of his bhadralok lifestyle and search for an ascetic spiritual teacher.

In January 1901, according to his own testimony, Siddhanta Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati accepted the Babaji as his guru.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati first stayed for a year in Jagannath Puri, and in 1904 travelled to South India, where he explored various branches of Hinduism, in particular the ancient and vibrant Vaishnava Shri and Madhva sampradayas, collecting materials for a new Vaishnava encyclopaedia.

At that time, Bhaktivinoda added the prefix "bhakti" to Siddhanta Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, acknowledging his proficiency in Vaishnava studies.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada accepted the invitation and presented a paper, Brahmana o Vaisnava, later published in an extended form.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati described the varnashrama and its concomitant rituals of purity as beneficial for the individual, but as currently plagued by misguided practices.

However, in 1913 Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati established a printing press in Calcutta, and called it bhagavat-yantra and began to publish medieval Vaishnava texts in Bengali, such as the Chaitanya Charitamrita by Krishnadasa Kaviraja, supplemented with his own commentary.

Relentless and uncompromising oratory and written critique of what, in Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's words, was a contemporary religious "society of cheaters and the cheated" became the underlying tone of his missionary efforts, not only earning him the title "acharya-keshari" but awakening suspicion, fear, and at times hate among his opponents.

On 27 March 1918, before leaving for Calcutta, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati resolved to become the first sannyasi of Gaudiya Vaishnavism post Chaitanya Mahaprabhu period, starting a new Gaudiya Vaishnava monastic order.

In December 1918 Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati inaugurated his first center, called "Calcutta Bhaktivinoda Asana," at 1, Ultadinghee Junction Road in North Calcutta, renamed in 1920 as "Shri Gaudiya Math".

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati spelled out his views, which appeared to be modern yet were firmly rooted in the early bhakti literature of the Chaitanya school, in an essay called "Gandhiji's Ten Questions" published in The Harmonist in January 1933.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati argued that Vishnu temples should be open to everyone, but particularly to those who possessed a favourable attitude toward the divine and were willing to undergo a process of spiritual training.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati further stated that untouchability had a cultural and historical underpinning rather than a religious one, and as such, Gandhi's questions referred to a secular issue, not a religious one.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati stated that the sacred concept of love cherished by Gaudiya Vaishnavas was being profaned due to a lacking in philosophical understanding and proper guidance.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati argued instead that the path to spiritual growth was not through what he described as sensual gratification, but through the practice of chastity, humility, and service.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati preaches that human thought should never be allowed to be shackled with sectarian views.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati inherited the vision of spreading the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the West from his father Bhaktivinoda.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is reported to have kept a map of London, pondering on ways of expanding his mission to new frontiers in the West.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati maintained that, if explained properly, the philosophy and practice of Vaishnavism would speak for itself, gradually attracting intelligent and sensible people.

The importance of the Western venture prompted Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to make the Western mission the main theme of his final address at a gathering of thousands of his disciples and followers at Champahati, Bengal, in 1936.

On 3 December 1936, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati answered a letter from his disciple Bhaktivedanta, who had asked how he could best serve his guru's mission:.

Shortly thereafter, on 1 January 1937, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati passed away at the age of 63.

The Gaudiya Math mission, inspired by Bhaktivinoda and developed by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, emerged as one of "the most powerful reformist movements" of colonial Bengal in the 19th and early 20th century.

Rather than appointing a successor, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati instead instructed his leading disciples to jointly run the mission in his absence, and expected that qualified leaders would emerge naturally "on the strength of their personal merit".