Appearance Day Observance
Saturday February 23rd 10:45 AM
(Recommended Fast till Noon)
Who is Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur Srila Prabhupada?
Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur is the spiritual mater of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami the founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. (ISKCON)
He was born in 1873 at Jagganatha Puri. His father, Kedar Dutta Bhaktivinoda Thakura, was magistrate of the city and superintendent of Jagganatha temple. Once, during the Rathayatra Car Festival, the car stopped in front of the family's house and, taking the opportunity, the mother of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati came out with the baby and put him on the Lotus Feet of Jagganatha A garland from the hand of Jagganatha fell down on the baby.
Schedule of Events
10:45 am .......................... Kirtan
11:00 ................................... Class
11:45 .................................... Arati
12:10 PM ...... Offering of Bhoga
12:20 ........................... Guru Puja
12:45 ....................... Pushpanjali
(Offering of Flowers)
1:00 ............................ Prasadam
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati was educated in
Calcutta and became learned in Mathematics and
Astronomy
In his childhood he once took a mango which was
meant as an offering for the Deity. When his father
rebuked him, saying that he should not have taken
the fruit which was meant for the Lord, the child
took it very seriously and thought himself a great
offender, promising not to take mango again
throughout his whole life.
He was know as Bimal Prasad Dutta before his renunciation, or sannyasi. On account of his writing a book on astronomy known as Sruya Siddhanta, he received the title Siddhanta Saraswati. And, when he took sannyasa, preaching the gospel of Lord Caitanya, he was known as Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. He was acclaimed a great scholar in Calcutta, and the celebrated Dr. Kalidas Nag used to call him 'a living encyclopaedia'.
Thakura Bhaktivinoda trained his son in childhood for preaching, and, after taking sannyasa, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati started the Gaudiya Mission Institution. He started 64 branches of the Gaudiya Math all over India plus one in London and another in Berlin.