Tridandi Swami B.H. Bon
Crowded meeting at Gaudiya Math for reception
In
spite of the inclement weather, Calcutta witnessed a historic gathering
of more than ten thousand people in the Saraswat Sraban Sadan assembly
hall where a public reception was held under the presidency of the
Maharajadhiraj Sir B.C. Mahtab Bahadur, G.C.I.E.K.C.S.I.I.O.M.L.L.D. of
Burdwan to present an address on behalf of the citizens of Calcutta to
Tridandi Swami B.H. Bon Maharaj, who, with the two German devotees, Herr
Baron H.N. von Koeth and Herr Ernest George Schulze, returned from his
preaching tour in Europe.
Swamiji was sent on a mission tour on
behalf of the Gaudiya Math by His Divine Grace Paramahansa Srimad B.S.
Saraswati Goswami Maharaj to represent the culture of devotional cult of
Sree Chaitanya amongst the Western savants.
The Hon'ble Prince
Akram Hossain in proposing the Maharajadhiraj Bahadur to the chair,
appealed to his co-religionists to sink their differences and to live as
brothers of the Hindus as sons of the common motherland. Mr. Santosh
Kumar Bose, ex-Mayor of Calcutta in course of his speech appealed to his
countrymen to hear the message of great Chaitanya as expounded by the
Gaudiya Math which is doing yeoman's service since its foundation in the
city of Calcutta for the propagation of the religion of Love of Lord
Chaitanya.
Tridandi Swami B.H. Bon Maharaj while replying to the
address said: "You can well understand how deeply touched I am by the
great honor you have shown me by this gathering. As you know, I was sent
by my Master to represent to the people of the West the excellence of
India so that there can be a greater possibility of mutual understanding
between India and the West. It is often said that religion has been the
cause of misfortunes of present India, but from my personal experience I
feel, may be I am wrong, that it is not religion which has brought
degradation to any country or people, but it is religion which really
upholds the supremacy and, as a matter of fact, the life of any nation.
In Europe it is true that about half a century before we could see a
greater number of people filling the benches in the cruch which were
often found to be left vacant when the bishop was giving his sermon from
the pulpit. But this did not convince me that there could be no genuine
seeker after truth with a greater amount of sincerity. In the spiritual
life, it is not the number that counts much, but it is the genuineness
and earnestness of the individual souls that is of a greater importance.
In India also, I feel that it is not religion, but a misconception of
religion, which might have been indirect cause of her material
degradation. On the other hand i feel pride to call myself Indian and
with that honest pride I say that India an really today stand before the
whole to speak of her superiority in the domain of religion...
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