https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Bhakti_Rakshak_SridharBhakti Rakshak Sridhar - Revision history2026-07-31T16:54:02ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Bhakti_Rakshak_Sridhar&diff=490769&oldid=prevN V Raghunath at 07:04, 13 November 20252025-11-13T07:04:42Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian guru}}<br />
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{{EngvarB|date=October 2020}} <br />
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{{Infobox religious biography<br />
| name = Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar<br />
| honorific-prefix = Srila<br />
| honorific-suffix = Dev-Goswami Maharaj<br />
| image = Srila Sridhar Maharaj.jpg<br />
| alt = <br />
| caption = <br />
| religion = [[Hinduism]]<br />
| philosophy = <br />
| denomination = [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]]<br />
| sect = <br />
| lineage = [[Gaudiya Math|Gaudiya-Saraswata Sampradaya]]<br />
| temple = [[Gaudiya Math]], Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math<br />
| other_name = <br />
| nationality = Indian<br />
| birth_name = Ramendra Chandra Bhattacarya<br />
| <br />
| birth_date = {{birth date|1895|10|10|df=yes}}<br />
| birth_place = Hapaniya, [[Burdwan]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br />
| death_date = {{death date and age|1988|08|12|1895|10|10|df=yes}}<br />
| death_place = [[Nabadwip]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]<br />
| resting_place = Temple of Union in Separation, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip<br />
| resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|23.390573|88.363274}}<br />
| alma_mater = [[Krishnath College]] <small>([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])</small>, [[Berhampore]], Bengal Presidency<br />
| consecration =<br />
| predecessor = [[Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati]]<br />
| reason =<br />
| rank =<br />
| reincarnation_of =<br />
| students =<br />
| works = ''The Search for Sri Krishna'', ''Sri Guru and His Grace'', ''The Golden Volcano of Divine Love''<br />
| initiation = [[Diksha]] (as Ramendra Sundara), 1926<br/><br />
[[Sannyasa]] (as Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar), 1930<br />
| post = founder-president-[[acharya]] of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math<br />
| website = [http://www.scsmath.com/ Sri Chaitanya Saraswati Math]<br />
| background = #ffbb99<br />
}}<br />
{{Vaishnavism}}<br />
<br />
'''Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar''' ({{IAST3|Bhakti-rakṣaka Śrīdhara}}; 10 October 1895 – 12 August 1988) was an Indian [[guru]], writer, [[sannyasa|sannyasi]] and spiritual leader in the [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Vaishnava]] tradition of [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]], founder-president-[[acharya]] of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.<br />
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Recognised as a "profound thinker" and "learned representative of the [[theism|theistic]] conception of Gaudiya Vaishnavism",<ref name="Vishnu">{{cite book |last=Vishnu |first=Bhakti Bhavana |title=The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant |year=2004 |publisher=Columbia University Press |pages=170–187}}</ref> Sridhar was a senior disciple of [[Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati]] and elder "godbrother" (i.e. received initiation from the same guru) to [[A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]],<ref name="Melton1999">{{cite book |last=Melton |first=J. Gordon |authorlink=J. Gordon Melton |title=Religious Leaders of America: A Biographical Guide to Founders and Leaders of Religious Bodies, Churches, and Spiritual Groups in North America |year=1999 |publisher=Gale Research |pages=534–535}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Goswami |first=Satsvarupa dasa |title=Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta, volume 1: A Biography of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada |publisher=Bhaktivedanta Book Trust |isbn=9789171496768 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g_lhBAAAQBAJ&q=Sridhar+Maharaj&pg=PT833}}</ref> founder of the [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]] (the ‘Hare Krishnas’), to whose young disciples he provided spiritual guidance after Prabhupada's passing in 1977.{{promotion-inline|date=November 2021}}<br />
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==Early life==<br />
Born '''Ramendra Chandra''' ({{IAST|Rāmendra Candra}}) into a family of a high-class Bengali [[brahmin]]s (his family bore the aristocratic title, or {{IAST|upādhi}}, of [[Bhattacharya (surname)|Bhattacharya]]), Sridhar joined his guru's mission, the [[Gaudiya Math]], in 1926, taking [[diksha]] initiation from [[Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati]] as '''Ramendra Sundara''' ({{IAST|Rāmendra Sundara}}).<br />
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On the meaning of his first [[Religious name#Gaudiya Vaishnavism|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 [[Rama|Dasarathi Rama or Lord Ramacandra, the son of King Dasaratha]]. It means [[Radha Ramana|Radha-ramana]] Rama – [[Krishna|Krsna]], the lover of [[Radha]]rani.”<ref name="Transcripts">{{cite web |last1=Giri |first1=Bhakti Kanan |title=Srila Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhara-Deva Goswami Maharaja: The Complete Transcripts 1973–1983 |url=https://archive.org/details/SridharadevGoswamiCompleteTranscripts19731983FromSrilaB.K.Giri/Sridharadev%20Goswami%20-%20Complete%20Transcripts%201973-1983%20From%20Srila%20B.K.%20Giri/page/n1/mode/2up |publisher=Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math |access-date=17 October 2020}}</ref><br />
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Before being sent by Saraswati to locate the site where [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]] spoke with [[Ramananda Ray]] on the banks of the [[Godavari]] ({{IAST|Rāmānanda Saṁvāda}}), his guru gave him the new name '''Ramananda Das''' ({{IAST|Rāmānanda dāsa}}),<ref name="Autobiography">{{cite web |title=Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj |url=http://scsmathinternational.com/SrilaBRSridharDevGoswamiMaharaj.php |publisher=Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math International |access-date=18 October 2020}}</ref> meaning servant of Ramananda. He finally became ''Bhakti Rakshak'', meaning 'Guardian of Devotion', after taking sannyasa in 1930.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}<br />
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==Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math==<br />
In 1941, after the death of his guru, Sridhar founded his own international mission, becoming [[acharya]] of the monastic and missionary society "Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math," in [[Nabadwip]], now in West Bengal.<ref name="Melton1987">{{cite encyclopedia |surname=Melton |given=J. Gordon |authorlink=J. Gordon Melton |title=The Encyclopedia of American Religions |url={{Google books|8ojXAAAAMAAJ|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |publisher=Gale Research |year=1987 |page=710 |isbn=0810321335}}</ref><ref name="Sherbow">{{cite book |surname=Sherbow |given=Paul H. |chapter=A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's Preaching in the Context of Gaudiya Vashnavism |editor-surname1=Bryant |editor-given1=Edwin F. |editor-surname2=Ekstrand |editor-given2=Maria L. |editor-link1=Edwin F. Bryant |title=The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant |place=New York |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |year=2004 |page=131 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mBMxPdgrBhoC&pg=PA129 |url= {{Google books|mBMxPdgrBhoC|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |isbn=0-231-12256-X}}</ref><ref name="JonesRyan">{{cite encyclopedia |surname=Jones |given=Constance A. |surname2=Ryan |given2=James D. |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |url={{Google books|OgMmceadQ3gC|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |year=2007 |place=New York |publisher=Facts On File |isbn=978-0-8160-5458-9 |series=Encyclopedia of World Religions. [[J. Gordon Melton]], Series Editor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020070415/https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC |archive-date=20 October 2022 |url-status=bot: unknown |page=166 |access-date=6 February 2022 }}</ref><br />
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His chosen successor was his disciple, Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami, who led the math until his death in 2010.<ref name="Introvigne">{{cite encyclopedia |surname=Introvigne |given=Massimo |authorlink=Massimo Introvigne |title=Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia |url={{Google books|-mXXAAAAMAAJ|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |publisher=Elledici |year=2001 |pages=517–518 |lang=it |isbn=8801015968}}</ref><br />
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==Relationship with Prabhupada==<br />
Though "something of an outsider in his spiritual master's original movement", [[A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada|Prabhupada]], [[ISKCON]]'s founder, had "strong friendships with two prominent sannyasi godbrothers, Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar (1895–1983) {{sic}}, founder of the Chaitanya Saraswata Math, and [[Bhakti Prajnan Keshava]] (1898–1968), founder of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti."<ref name="Brzezinski">{{cite book |last1=Brzezinski |first1=Jan |title=Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices |date=2010 |publisher=ABC-Clio |page=1180 |edition=Second}}</ref><br />
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After Prabhupada's death in 1977, Sridhar Maharaja gave instruction to Prabhupada's disciples,<ref name="Modern World">{{cite book |last1=Rochford Jnr |first1=Prof. E. Burke |title=Hare Krishna in the Modern World: Reflections by Distinguished Academics and Scholarly Devotees |date=2013 |publisher=Arktos Media |page=21}}</ref> with Americans Bhaktivedanta Tripurari<ref name="Brzezinski" /> and [[Jayatirtha Dasa|Jayatirtha Swami]] and Hungarian devotee Dvarakesa Swami (Bhakti Abhay Narayan)<ref name="Handbook">{{cite book |last1=Farkas |first1=Judit |title=Handbook of Hinduism in Europe |date=2020 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004432284 |page=1061 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rAT1DwAAQBAJ&dq=swami+b.r.+sridhara&pg=PA1073}}</ref> among the prominent ex-ISKCON members to take [[shiksha]] or sannyasa initiation from Sridhar.<br />
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Prabhupada and Sridhar were close, having a "long and intimate relationship" over almost five decades.<ref name="Vishnu" /> 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.<ref name="Vishnu" /> 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 [[brahmacarya|brahmachari]]s “shall learn how to celebrate the spiritual master's birthday.”<ref name="Prabhupada-lila">{{cite book |last1=Goswami |first1=Satsvarupa dasa |title=Prabhupāda-līlā Around the World 1967-1969 & 1972-1975 |date=1987 |publisher=Gītā-Nāgarī Press |isbn=9780911233360 |pages=321}}</ref><br />
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==Honorifics==<br />
In a Gaudiya Vaishnava context, Sridhar's full title is '''Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj''', (where ''Śrīla'', an adjectival form of ''[[Shri|Śrī]]'', is a respectful honorific [[wikt:श्री#Prefix|akin to 'Reverend']], and ''[[Maharaja|Mahārāja]]'' means 'Great King', while ''[[Swami|Gosvāmī]]'' reflects his status as a sannyasi).<br />
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He is known simply as '''Srila Guru Maharaj''' within Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.<ref name="Sagar">{{cite web |last1=Sagar |first1=Bhakti Ananda |title=Srila Guru Maharaj Remembers |url=http://scsmath.com/docs/sgurumj-remembers.html |publisher=Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip |access-date=18 October 2020}}</ref><br />
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== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
* [http://www.scsmath.com/ Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math]<br />
* [http://scsmathinternational.com/index.php/ Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math International]<br />
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{{Modern Gaudiya Vaishnavas}}<br />
{{Caitanya sampradaya}}<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
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[[Category:1895 births]]<br />
[[Category:1988 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Gaudiya religious leaders]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian theologians]]<br />
[[Category:Presidents of religious organizations]]<br />
[[Category:People from West Bengal]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali philosophers]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Bengali people]]<br />
[[Category:People from Purba Bardhaman district]]</div>N V Raghunath