disappearance day of Srila Narahari Sarkar

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Narahari Sarkar. I was listening to H.H.Radhanath Swami lecture and thought I will reflect some of his words.

Madhumati gopi is one of the confidential assistants of Srimati Radharani in Goloka and she appeared as Srila Narahari Sarkar in this planet, during the lila of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the village of Sri Kanda, not far from Katwa-the holy place where Lord Chaitanya took the renounced order of life (sanyas).

Srila Narahari Sarkar became a great scholar in Nawadwip and was a close associate of Lord Chaitanya. He had the special service of fanning Lord Chaitanya with a chamara whenever Narahari was with Lord Chaitanya.

Once when Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda requested Srila Narahari Sarkar for honey to drink, Srila Narahari Sarkar’s devotion and enthusiasm to serve was so intense that a lake beside his house transformed into a lake of honey. That lake is called madhupushkarini. This lake is still seen in India today (although through the ravages of time became a lake of water again). This is an example of Srila Narahari Sarkar’s enthusiasm to serve. One of the things we learn as neophyte devotees (apart from the story itself) is the attitude of how to cultivate devotional service. A sincere devotee who wants to attain pure love of God without any conditions and motivations should perform his or her service with enthusiasm to serve and grow in that service. How much ever service we perform on a daily basis, if we could cultivate an enthusiasm to do it properly and sincerely and desire for more, then our own service will be sweet for the Lord. It is the essence of devotional service - Our sincere motivation to serve and desire for more.

Srila Narahari Sarkar was an empowered preacher and devotee of the Lord. He initiated great stalwart devotees such as Raghunandan Takur and Locandas Takur (who wrote Sri Chaitanya Mangal). He was a siksha guru for many devotees such as Srinivasa acharya, Narotam das Takur and Shyamananda prabhu.

After Lord Chaitanya’s departure, many of His disciples were departing. One of them was Gadhadar Das. Narahari Sarkar spent days crying in separation of the Lord and his devotees. Hearing the news of Gadhadar das’s departure, Narahari Sarkar decided to go into seclusion and do bhajan. In the highest spiritual ecstasies of the Lord, Srila Narahari Sarkar departed from this world on Utpana Ekadasi (that is today).

Srila Narahari sarkar exemplified the highest culture of Vaishnavism and he lived according to Lord Chaitanya’s teachings -

nāhaḿ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro
nāhaḿ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher
gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ

"'I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.'" Cc Madhya Lila 13.80

We, coming under the disciplic line of Srila Narahari Sarkar, should not strive for less.

H.H.Radhanath Swami ki jay!
Srila Prabhupada ki jay!
Srila Narahari Sarkar ki jay!
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jay!
Sri Sri Radha Krishna ki jay!