Sriharidasniwas

|| Sri Sri Gaura-Gadadharau Vijayetam ||

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Sri Vigraha

Life in Sri Haridas Niwas is centered around the main temple where the vigrahas of Sri Sri Gadadhar-Gaur-Radha-Govind Ji are worshipped.
The main temple in the evening
Mahaprabhu had asked Sri Gadadhar Pandit to do three activities on His behalf.

  • Be the authoritative teacher of Srimad-Bhagavatam
  • Give diksha (formal initiation) on behalf of Mahaprabhu to the true seekers on the path of pure Vraja-bhakti
  • Worship the deity of Sri Govind ji along with His eternal consort, Sri Radha

When the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna appeared in this world, He displayed the acme of spiritualism in the Holy land of Vrindavan. Different individuals serve the Lord in different ways. They have different attitudes and moods, which is called “bhav”.
The Lord says that of all these bhavs, the one He appreciates most is that of the Vrajavasis (the residents of the land of Vraja). This bhav is called Vraja-bhav. Of all the Vrajavasis, Sri Radha embodies the pinnacle of Vraja-bhav. In fact She is Herself Vraja-bhav that appears in the form of a personality. This Vraja-bhav comprises of tyag (giving up one’s own pleasure) samarpan (surrender) and seva (service). In the main temple of Sri Haridas Niwas ashram, Sri Radha, the personality of Vraj-bhav, is worshipped along with Sri Govind ji, who is Sri Krishna Himself. Worshipping Sri Radha and Sri Govind ji together means that the Supreme Lord is being worshipped along with the bhav that He loves most, i.e. tyag, samarpan and seva.The intricacies of Vraja-bhav cannot be understood by ordinary people of this world who have no idea of anything beyond what their sense organs perceive. Therefore it has to be taught to mankind by the Supreme Lord Himself. Hence, Lord Sri Govind ji Himself appeared in this world in the form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to guide mankind on the path of Vraja-bhav. He expained and demonstrated to the world the path of Uttama-Bhakti, which fosters Vraja-bhav in the heart of the devotee. He is also called Sri Gauranga or Sri Gaur. Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu is eternally accompanied by His intimate associate, Sri Gadadhar Pandit Goswami. Whenever the Supreme Lord appears in this world in His full glories, Sri Radha and all other associates also appear in this world to assist Him in His lilas. When Lord Sri Krishna incarnates as Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Sri Radha incarnates as Sri Gadadhar Pandit Goswami. Sri Gaur is worshipped in Sri Haridas Niwas along with His eternal associate, Sri Gadadhar Pandit Goswami.
The deities in the main temple: (Left to right): Sri Gaur,
Sri Gadadhar, Sri Govindadev, Sri Radha
Sri Gaur, Sri Gadadhar, Sri Radha and Sri Govindadev are the presiding deities of Sri Haridas Niwas. They are worshipped in the main temple. This is a rare temple where Sri Gaur and Sri Gadadhar are worshipped together. More information on Sri Gaur-Gadadhar can be seen in the section on Sri Guru-parampara. There is also a small temple dedicated to Sri Hanuman ji, who is known as Sri Haridaseshwar Maharaj. Next to it lies the Samadhi temple of Sri Sri Vinod Bihari Goswami Maharaj.  We address him as Param Guru as he is the Guru of our Gurudev.  Next to it lies the Samadhi temple of our Gurudev Sri Sri Haridas Shastri ji Maharaj.