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Sri Devananda Gaudiya Math

Sri Devananda Gaudiya Math (also Matha, or Mutt) is situated at Teghori Pada in Nabadwip dham of district Nadia in the West Bengal state of India, and is a matha and prominent holy place of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, as well the headquarters of the Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. It is located in the middle of the place earlier known as Koladvipa. Math has been continuing as a famous religious spot thronged by thousands of devotees every year.[1]

Sri Devananda Gaudiya Math
श्री देवानंद गौडीय मठ, শ্রী দেবানন্দ গৌড়ীয় মঠ
The Spire of Sri Devananda Gaudiya Math, Nabadwip, West Bengal
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictNadia
DeitySri Gauranga, Radha Vinod Bihari Jiu, Lakshmi Varahadev, Jagannath Dev, Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupad, Bhakti Prajnana Keshav Goswami Thakur, Bhakti Vedanta Baman Goswami Maharaj
FestivalsDolyatra, Ratha Yatra, Jhulan-Janmashtami, Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Goswami Maharaj and Bhakti Vedanta Vaman Goswami Maharaj's Vyas Puja & Tirobhav Mahotsav
Location
LocationTeghori Pada
StateWest Bengal
CountryIndia
Geographic coordinates23°23′52″N 88°21′47″E / 23.3976678°N 88.3629921°E / 23.3976678; 88.3629921
Architecture
TypeHindu temple architecture
CreatorSrila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja
Completed1940
Website
www.facebook.com/SrilaGurudeva

Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti

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The Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti or Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti (GVS) is the one of oldest Gaudiya Vaishnava missionary and monastic organisations, established in 1940 in British India. Its founder-president-acharya became Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja.[2][3]

In April 1940, after the prominent guru-reformer Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada entered aprakata-lila (departure), Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja as one of his disciples and former member of the defunct Gaudiya Math, established the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti (lit. "Gaudiya Vedanta Society") in a rented building in Calcutta. He later purchased an extensive piece of land at Nabadwip on which he established Sri Devananda Gaudiya Math with a beautiful temple. The Math became the headquarters of a new mission with branches across India, predominantly in West Bengal, Assam and Odisha.

The monks, whose sannyasa guru was Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, received the name Bhakti Vedanta, one of them, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the ISKCON.[3][4]

According to official website of the organisation, its present president-acharya is Bhakti Vedanta Budhayan Goswami since 2020.

Inside the Temple

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The following deities preside in the five chambers of the temple and samadhi mandir respectively:

Temple

Samadhi

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The Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Tilaka, a mark usually worn by the Gaudiya Vaishnavas on forehead.

The temple's nine towers each represent one limb of nava-vidha-bhakti, the nine types of devotional service.

  • Hearing,
  • Chanting,
  • Remembering,
  • Serving the Lord's lotus feet,
  • Worshipping,
  • Offering prayers,
  • Engaging as a servant,
  • Serving as a friend, and
  • Completely surrendering oneself.
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The deities of the Mandir – Gauranga and Sri Radha-Vinoda-bihari, Nabadwip, West Bengal

The matha is divided into the following nine parts (khandas):

  • Paramartha-khanda – the printing press where devotional literature and magazines are produced.
  • Kirtana-khanda – the place where sankirtana, lectures on Bhagavatam and other scriptures take place.
  • Upasya-khanda – the temple where the deities of Srila Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, Sri Gauranga, Sri Radha-Vinona-bihari and Sri Koladeva are worshipped.
  • Sevaka-khanda – the place where the residents of the matha live.
  • Bhoga-khanda – the storehouse and kitchen.
  • Govardhana-khanda – the cow shed.
  • Vaisnnava-granthagara-khanda – the library.
  • Udayana-Khanda – the garden.
  • Jnana-khanda – the bathrooms and latrines.

These sections are divided on the basis of activities favourable to bhakti, which are to be accepted and those unfavourable which are to be avoided. Jnana and karma which are devoid of bhakti are always to be rejected just as one rejects stools. For this reason the bathrooms and latrines of the matha are called Jnana-khanda.

It was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami's long-held desire that a deity of Sri Koladeva be established on the Ganga's western bank in the old Kuliya-nagara. To fulfill this desire, Srila Bhakti Prajnana kesava Gosvami Maharaja has manifested the service of Sri Koladeva at the place.

The Past and the Present

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(Pre-ISKCON and sannyasa guru of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.[3][4]

  • Srila Bhakti Vedanta Bamana Goswami Maharaja – next Acharya.
  • Srila Bhakti Vedanta Paryataka Maharaja – present Acharya.
  • Srila Bhakti Vedanta Acharya Maharaja – present Secretary.
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See also

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References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Maharaja 2005, pp. 143–145.
  2. ^ Brzezinski 2004, p. 89.
  3. ^ a b c Sherbow 2004, p. 131.
  4. ^ a b Broo 2003.

Bibliography

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Secondary sources
Primary sources
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