Sri Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur

 

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktisiddhanta-sarasvatiti namine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

When my Guru Maharaja was present even big, big scholars were afraid to talk with His beginning students. My Guru Maharaja was called “Living Encyclopedia“, he could talk with anyone on any subject. He was so learned – so we should be like that as far as possible. No compromise – Rama Krishna, Avataras, yogis, everyone was enemy to Guru Maharaja – he never compromised. Some God-brothers complained that this preaching was chopping technique and it would not be successful. But we have seen that those who criticised, they fell down. For my part I have taken up the policy of my Guru Maharaja – no compromise. All these so called scholars, scientists, philosophers who do not accept Krsna are nothing more than rascals, fools lowest of mankind etc..
(730727 – Letter to Karandhara written from Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK)

So it is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He accepted everyone to this movement. So my Guru Mahārāja’s contribution is that he defeated these caste gosvāmī. He defeated this brahmanism. He created that the same way as Caitanya Mahāprabhu did, that, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu said:

kibā śūdra kibā vipra nyāsi kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa tattva vetta sei guru haya
(CC Madhya 8.128)

“There is no consideration whether a man is a sannyāsī, a brahmin or a śūdra or a this or a gṛhastha, householder, or . . . no. Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he is all right. He is gosvāmī. He is brahmin.” That is the contribution, say, within hundred years. That is the contribution there. And for this reason he had to face so many vehement protests from this brahmin-class gosvāmīns.
He . . . they conspired to kill him. Guru Mahārāja told me personally. Others . . . because, by his grace, when I used to meet alone, he used to talk so many things. He was so kind that he used to talk so many things with me. So he personally told me that, “These people, they wanted to kill me. They collected 25,000 rupee and went to bribe the police officer in charge of that area that, ‘You take this 25,000 rupees. We shall do something against Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. You don’t take any step.’ ” He could understand that they want to kill him. Just like in your country also, the polit . . . Kennedy, was killed. You know. He wanted to kill.
So the police officer frankly said: “Of course, we accept bribe, and we indulge in such things, but not for a sādhu, not for a saintly person. I cannot dare this.” And the police officer refused and came to my Guru Mahārāja that “You take care. This is the position.” You see? So vehemently protested.
(690207 – Lecture Festival Appearance Day, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati – Los Angeles)

In 1936, just on the 13th December, I wrote him one letter. Not 13th. I think by the beginning of December, 1936, I wrote one letter to Guru Mahārāja. I knew he was little kind upon me, so I wrote that “Guru Mahārāja, you have got many disciples. I am also one of them. But they are doing direct service to you. There some of them are brahmacārīs, some of them sannyāsīs, but I am a householder. I cannot . . .” Of course, I was giving sometimes some monetary help, but I could not give any direct service, so I asked him that, “If there is any particular service I can do for you?”
So that letter was replied in 13th December, dated 13th December, from Purī. And he passed away on the 31st December. Just a fortnight before. So the reply was the same as he wanted me to do this preaching work in 1922, when I first met him that, “You try to preach whatever you have learned from me, the English-knowing people in English. That will do good to you and to the people to whom you shall preach. That is my instruction.” So I took up that . . . and then he passed away in 1936, 31st December.
(690207 – Lecture Festival Appearance Day, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati – Los Angeles)

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thakura manobhista to Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati

In 1914, just a few weeks before passing away, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thakura had expressed his manobhista to Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati, instructing him to establish daiva-varṇāśrama, preach śuddha-bhakti, develop Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, and publish Vaisnava writings:

Worldly people who are proud of their aristocratic birth cannot attain to actual aristocracy. Therefore they attack pure Vaisnavas, claiming that they have taken birth in low-class families because of their sins. Thus they commit offenses. The means to rectify this situation is to institute daiva-varṇāśrama- dharma. You have started to do that. Know it to be real service to Vaisnavas.
Due to lack of suddha-bhakti-siddhanta pracāra, all manner of womanish bad theories and instructions are being called devotion by pseudo-sampradayas such as sahajiyā and ativāḍī. Always crush these anti-devotional conceptions by bhakti- siddhanta pracăra and proper acara. Try to begin the parikramā of Śrīdhāma Navadvipa as soon as possible. Thereby everyone in the universe can receive Krsna-bhakti. Diligently endeavor to ensure that service to Śrī Māyāpur becomes permanently established and more resplendent each day. Genuine service to Śrī Māyāpur is not nirjana-bhajana, but to establish a printing press and to propagate devotional books and Nama- hatta. Do not for your own sake undertake nirjana-bhajana and thus impede preaching and service to Śrī Māyāpur.
When I am no longer present, take care to serve your dear Śri Māyāpur-dhāma. This is my special instruction to you. People who are like animals can never attain devotion; never accept their advice. But do not let them know this, either directly or indirectly.
I had a special desire to propagate the importance of such books as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sat-sandarbha, and Vedānta-darśana. Now you must assume that responsibility. Śrī Māyāpur will prosper if you inaugurate an educational institution there.
Never try to amass knowledge or money for your own sense gratification; they should be acquired only for Krsna's service. Never take bad association, either for money or any personal interest.*

* In Prabhupada Saraswati Thakura (p. 18) these instructions are presented as having been given in a letter by Śrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, but in a missive of 1 April 1926 (Patrāvali 2, Page 50-52) Śrī Siddhanta Sarasvati stated that they were imparted verbally. 
(“Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava” Volume One by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami, Chapter ‘Early Days of the Mission’, Page 63-65)