Simha Guru: Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's 

Vaisnava dharma vs. theosophical humanism/impersonalism

What follows is an example how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati used the money collected by a Gaudiya Math devotee in the name of flood 

relief for his "Theistic Doll Exhibition". This proves that he did not care so much for these flood relief activities even though it was 

clear that the devotees would have distributed prasadam during flood relief from the funds collected. He took this step even though Gaudiya 

Math got such bad publicity for this apparent misappropriation of funds that both Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and Annie Bessant came to 

Calcutta and protested in front of the Baghbazar Gaudiya Math for three days and nights. And this is why he got the name Simha Guru.

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In the year 1931 there was a huge flood in the Mednapur district of West Bengal, destroying many villages and many people's livelihoods. 

At the same time Sarasvati Thakura was contemplating his "Theistic Doll Exhibition" and collecting donations for it. One devotee was 

collecting in the name of flood relief, making a lot of money, but Sarasvati Thakura took it and engaged it for the exhibition. Netaji 

Subhas Bose took a party outside the Baghbazar Gaudiya Math in Calcutta in protest against this action. They had a protest party 

standing at the gate of the Gaudiya Math, staying outside for several days and nights, sleeping on the gate, with banners, signs of protest, 

and regular chanting of "Jai Hind!" and slogans in protest against the doll exhibition utilizing the funds that were collected for flood 

relief. In this strike, Gandhi also came to Calcutta to join Netaji Subhas Bose. This went on for three days. Sarasvati Thakura said that, 

"The oil for the Deities' lamp should not be used for your chakha" (Gandhi's spinning wheel). After sitting in the temple for three days, 

Sarasvati Thakura came out and spoke to them.

He also said that, "We must start a daily newspaper, to present our points of view", and from that time on he started Nadia Prakash, the 

daily spiritual newspaper. One of the main purposes of Nadia Prakash was to answer such challenges as these, which were put to his mission. 

Sarasvati Thakura said, "There are floods in Mednapur, but you are already in a much worse flood - bhava sagar, or the ocean of material 

existence. Your soul is drowned in this bhava sagar. So my mission is to stop the flood of the bhava sagar, to stop that flood, a much 

bigger flood than these small floods which you consider devastating in Mednapur. These incidents were, of course, reported in all the 

newspapers, especially in Calcutta. At that time Mahatma Gandhi put twelve questions to Sarasvati Thakura.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose came one time with a party of supporters to the Gaudiya Math, at the time when Sarasvati Thakura was holding his 

first "Theistic Exhibition" in Mednapur. Now, at that time there had been a great flood in Mednapur, a district west of Calcutta. Because 

of the flood the people were in great difficulty - poverty stricken. 

This was in 1933. They were suffering from shortages of rice, cloth, and all essentials, so Netaji came and told Sarasvati Thakura, "You 

stop this exhibition! Why are you spending so much money for this when the people need practical help? You're spending so much money for 

lights, electricity. You have elephants and so many other things." Sarasvati Thakura then told him, "No, you do not know. This is the 

only way to root out miseries from the world. You are working only for the good of the body. You are treating the symptoms, not the original 

disease. Don't blow on boils - operate." Annie Bessant, Mahatma Gandhi's friend from London, who was famous for 

co-founding the "Theosophical Society" also came and said the same thing and Sarasvati Thakura gave the same answer. Mahatma Gandhi also 

came and told Sarasvati Thakura, "Don't waste money on this. Spend money on the daridra Narayana, the poor Narayana." Sarasvati Thakura 

then told him, "Your idea is wrong. You cannot serve daridra Narayana. Just as you cannot mix gold and stone. This is cit-jada-vada or 

attempting to mix the material with the spiritual. Tasmin tuste jagat tustam - if Krsna is satisfied then the whole world is satisfied. You 

don't disturb us. In the Jagannatha temple they are using ghee for the ghee-wick. You don't say to use it for oiling the wheel, your spinning 

wheel. All the oils should be used for Krsna." 

Citaranjan Das, a very prominent, famous and wealthy advocate and a leader of the Independence Movement in India at that time, said that 

Sarasvati Thakura was a simha guru, a lion guru. Sishir Kumar Ghosh,editor of Amrita Bazaar Patrika, a famous paper in Calcutta, also 

called him like that.

 (from Bhakti Vikasa Swami's notes on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati)