Sri Nrsimha Salagram Sila

Sri Nrsimha Salagram Sila of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti

Information – On the 22nd of December 2022, the Sri Nrsimha Salagram Shila, worshipped by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, was officially installed on the Nrsimhadeva’s altar in ISKCON Mayapur. This Sila is placed at the center of the altar. In 2018, per the direction of Jayapataka Swami, to restore and establish worship in various Sripats in Gaura Mandala, a team of devotees traveled throughout West Bengal and Orissa, with the guidance of Namahatta director, Sri Gauranga Prem Swami. His Holiness Jayapataka Swami – On a visit to Devagrama, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur’s birthplace, local villagers had told the team where they could locate the Saligrama Sila worshipped by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur and that it was currently being taken care of by an 80 yr old devotee. This devotee willingly handed the Sila to ISKCON Mayapur. The Sila was then established in Hare Kṛṣṇa Nāmahaṭṭa in ISKCON Mayapur Sri Sri Gaura Nitai mandir.
In November 2022, His Holiness Bhanu Swami Maharaja visited the Namahaṭṭa and took darsana of the Saligrama Sila. Then His Grace Jananivasa Das made a visit and identified it as a Narsimha Saligram. He immediately decorated Him as per Srila Prabhupada’s standards that were instructed to him.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is none other than the combined form of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. He is the life of those devotees who strictly follow in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī are the two principal followers of Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, who acted as the most confidential servitor of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, known as Viśvambhara in His early life. A direct disciple of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, stands as the direct disciple of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. The direct disciple of Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī was Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, who accepted Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī as his servitor. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura accepted Śrīla Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, who initiated Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, who in turn initiated Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī, the spiritual master of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, the divine master of our humble self.
(CC Adi 1 Summary)

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura instructs us, in his famous prayers for the spiritual master, as follows:
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi
dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
“By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master.”
(BG 2.41 purport)

Following in the footsteps of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, later ācāryas like Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura have confirmed the same truths. In his prayers to the spiritual master, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura confirms that all the revealed scriptures accept the spiritual master to be identical with the Personality of Godhead because he is a very dear and confidential servant of the Lord. Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas therefore worship Śrīla Gurudeva (the spiritual master) in the light of his being the servitor of the Personality of Godhead. In all the ancient literatures of devotional service and in the more recent songs of Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and other unalloyed Vaiṣṇavas, the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or a manifested representation of Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu.
(CC Adi 1.46 purport)

“Death is a symptom of the material infection of the eternal living being, and due to material infection only, the eternal living being is subjected to the law of birth, death, old age and disease. The materialistic way of pious activities like charity, etc., is recommended in the smṛti-śāstras, as quoted by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Money given in charity to a suitable person is guaranteed bank balance in the next life. Such charity is recommended to be given to a Brāhmin. If the money is given in charity to a non-Brāhmin without brahminical qualification, the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated Brāhmin, even then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified Brāhmin, the money is returned a hundred and thousand times, and if the money is given to a veda-pāraga, one who has actually realized the path of the Vedas, it is returned by unlimited multiplication.”
(720612 – Lecture SB 02.03.17 – Los Angeles)