(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 14 December 2011, Durban, South Africa, Lecture)
Disappearance day of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur
His father, Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur, established the birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be in Sridham Mayapur. Not everyone was ready to agree with that, particularly the caste goswamis, and the brahmin community in Navadwip was in total disagreement because they claimed the birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be in Navadwip which was making Navadwip very prominent and also making them very prominent. When Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur had confirmed the birthplace in Mayapur, he had it confirmed by Jaganath Das Babaji, who was the most respected and prominent vaishnava acharya at that time, so there could be no argument. But still Bhakti Vinoda instructed Bhakti Siddhanta to serve Sridham Mayapur and he did so by inaugurating the Navadwip Mandal Parikrama, based on the Navadwip Dham Mahatmya of Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur, by physically visiting all the holy places that were identified in the Navadwip Dham Mahatmya. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta established these holy places as the truth and gradually, in this way, the concept of the holy dham, as Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur revealed it, became established and the glories of Sridham Mayapur became established as a fact.
So Srila Bhakti Siddhanta spent substantial energy to establish Sridham Mayapur as the birth-site of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He also established the entire tour of South India that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu made, by establishing prints of the lotus feet Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in various places that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited. In this way, making the tour of South India famous and known to all so that if anyone might question: Did Caitanya Mahaprabhu really make that pilgrimage of South India?
Then that question would become totally irrelevant and it would become common knowledge that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was there. That mission is to be completed. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta himself only established eight such footprints and his disciples later on established some additional. Lokanatha Maharaja established further footprints when Padayatra visited these places. That mission should be completed…
