The Mood and Mission of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura | HG Vaisesika Dasa | 25 June 2025

Sound Bhakti

Also, this is another tendency of people: to try to come up with some new religion that will fit everybody. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was in that conversation with others, and then he discovered the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Of course, I'm cutting out a lot of details, but one detail of him finding Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta was that it wasn't so easy to find at that time. We may take for granted that we can go on Amazon and get any book we want by tomorrow, or even today, but back then, books were rare. They had to be written by hand, and if they were printed, then you'd have to search them out. So, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had gotten the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and came back to that group as the first of the modern converts to the movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, presenting that, "Actually, this is the continuation of the philosophy of the Bhāgavata through the modern incarnation of Krishna in the age of Kali, which is very clearly pointed out by our ācāryas." And he brought that to bear and then began to proselytize for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In this way, he revived Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. He brought it back to the surface, brought it back to life, and envisioned it then—and this was after he had studied the great religious philosophies of the world and saw in each of them, and you can find this in his writings, that they are meritorious ideas. And he speaks of them oftentimes, with respect—with respect for their principles, not oftentimes but "regularly." And then he presented Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Krishna and The Savior of the world. So, this was a shock to many of his intellectual friends, but he had come out at that point for his real mission in life: to bring out the movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to the world. What's more, he then began to meet the pure devotees who are also always there, even when Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement had not been extent, the pure devotees are always there. In fact, there's a statement somewhere in śāstra that says the world wouldn't hold together if they weren't, because if there's not a pure devotee somewhere walking the earth or chanting, then I mean, everyone's going to give up and collapse. There is a sustaining force when there are pūre devotees on the planet. But, as the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam says, just like waterfalls, sometimes waterfalls pour forth profuse water, and at other times there’s nothing. Similarly, sometimes pure devotees are front and center, and they’re teaching the principles of the Bhāgavata. And in other times, there are periods in which they’re silent and they’re doing their private bhajan. So, all this came to bear when, this means the pouring forth of the philosophy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, which had been practically underground—like a river that goes underground; it’s down there, but you just can’t access the water, but he brought it out. Therefore, he was noted by a famous editor of one of the most important religious publications of the time. Bhaktivinoda Thakura used to write for that publication, if I remember correctly, and the editor had deemed him The Seventh Goswāmī, based on the fact that when Lord Kṛṣṇa left the world, then the Goswāmīs had been tasked by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to revive the holy places where he had performed his līlā and his philosophy. And the philosophy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, of course, which gave access to Vṛndāvan and the philosophy of the Bhāgavad. And after that had been obscured, it came back again through Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura who was then called The Seventh Goswāmī because he again revived Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s importance in the world, to say the least. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/