25.12.17 (VT) Bhagavat Katha will be held in several locations around India, in memory of Nimbark Sampradaya’s Sri Radha Sarveshwar Sharandev Acharya Sriji Maharaj, who is remembered fondly for his simplicity and warmth as well as his vast scholarship in the Bhagavatam.
A Bhagavata Katha and cultural program, presided over by his successor, Sri Shyamsharandev Acharya, will be held in honor of Sriji Maharaj from 27th December to 3rd January in Salemabad in Rajasthan, which is where the gaddi of this branch of the Nimbark sampradaya (Akhil Bharatiya Nimbarkacharya Peeth) is situated. Sri Vasudevacharya Maharaj (Vidyabhaskar) will preside over a program in Koslesh Maidan, Ayodhya, from 1st to 3rd January 2018. Sriji Maharaj was known for his love of cows, so Sri Radhakrishnaji Maharaj will take the opportunity to speak about cow protection.
Sriji Maharaj left this world on the 14th January 2017, which is celebrated as Makar Sankranti.
Sriji Maharaj was revered by people of Vrindavan. Acharya Naresh Narayan told Vrindavan Today that, when he was a child, he saw Sriji Maharaj walking barefoot in the intense heat of Vrindavan summer. Being a child, he tried it himself, to see what it would be like, but found it unbearable. He said that, since this time, he was filled with awe and reverence for Maharaj.
Shriji Maharaj used to say that the following shlok was the fulfillment of his life.
vande nanda-braja-strīṇāṁ pāda-reṇum abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
yāsāṁ hari-kathodgītaṁ punāti bhuvana-trayam
“I bow to the dust from the feet of Braj gopis, who purify the Universe with their voices as they lift up the songs of Hari’s glorious acts.”
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