Today is the holy appearance day of Saccidananda #Bhaktivinoda Thakur. He is a great vaiṣṇava ācārya in the line of gauḍīya vaiṣṇava paramparā and is known as the Seventh Goswami.
In Sajjana-toṣaṇī, Bhaktivinode Thakur has described what is the best type of welfare work, para-upakāra. He says that there are three types of dayā, mercy. Showing mercy to this gross body is also one type of doing good, known as sat-karma, or puṇya-karma. To feed the hungry, to make arrangements for the medical treatment of patients, to give water to thirsty persons, to give warm clothing to someone suffering from cold — all these are types of mercy pertaining to the gross material body. Others open schools and colleges and make arrangements for free education. That is showing mercy to the mind. But the topmost activity is showing mercy to the soul. Those who are engaged in preaching the science of Krishna consciousness to others and speaking about the science of devotional service, they are doing the topmost humanitarian work for others whereby they will be freed from material sufferings and develop complete Krishna consciousness. Developing pure devotion, they will be freed from material bondage and at last go back home, back to Godhead, never to return again in this material world to suffer.
Those vaiṣṇavas who have dedicated their life to preaching the science of Krishna consciousness are doing the best type of good. Those who are following the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas don’t do such good. They may be engaged in doing something beneficial for the gross body or the mind, but pure devotees, who are only engaged in preaching the science of Krishna consciousness, are doing the topmost good. This is what Bhaktivinode Thakur has said.
How many can understand Bhaktivinode Thakur’s words? And who is following them? Only vaiṣṇavas, mahājanas, they know, they understand, and they are engaged in such activities.
How many persons are glorifying such vaiṣṇavas in this material world? vaiṣṇavera kriyā mudrā vijñeha nā bujhaya [adapted from Cc. madhya 23.39] — even a vijñā, a very wise and learned person, cannot understand the activities of vaiṣṇavas. Those who are engaged in doing some good to the body or mind are glorified in this human society. But how many are glorifying those who are engaged in doing good to the soul? How many are recognizing them? How many know about the soul? How many see the soul? How many have developed the vision to see the soul? Very, very few.
Bhaktivinode Thakur’s previous name was Kedaranath Dutta. He was born on 2 September 1838 in the village Ula in Nadia district, West Bengal. However, that was his maternal uncle’s house, not his paternal house. His paternal house was in Odisha. So he belongs to Odisha. [According to the tradition in India, the village where one’s paternal ancestors resided is considered to be one’s native place.]
The name of his father was Ananda Chandra Dutta. The name of his grandfather was Raja Vallabha Dutta. The name of his mother was Jagat Mohini. The name of the father of Jagat Mohini was Ishwara Chandra Mustafi.
So Bhaktivinode’s paternal house was in Odisha. At that time it was in the district of Cuttack. Now it is in the district of Kendrapara, near the river Birupa, and the name of the village is Choti Mangalpur. This is Bhaktivinode Thakur’s śrīpāta.
Last year on the 155th appearance day of Bhaktivinode Thakur some of our devotees went to this village. One assembly was held there, organized by Dr. Fakir Mohan Das, a research scholar. He was a professor at Utkal University. He is writing a book that is soon to be published about Bhaktivinode Thakur and is bringing out some undiscovered facts.
On this day last year the Kendrapara Law College installed a picture of Bhaktivinoda Thakur at their school, because he was the first law graduate of Odisha. He was also a magistrate. Today in both Chotigram and at the Law College in Kendrapara there will be some meetings for the glorification of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. I hope that those who are engaged in doing this activity will get the mercy of Bhaktivinode Thakur and achieve all perfection.
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
— Lecture in Bhubaneswar on 17 September 1994.
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