His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhara Dev Goswami Maharaja is the foremost pure devotee and is the patriarch of the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
He is an intimate disciple and eternal associate of His Divine Grace Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakura, the founder-acarya of Sri Gaudiya Math who masterminded a spiritual revolution to inundate the world with Krsna consciousness. Noted for his uncanny ability to draw out the inner meaning of the scriptures, Srila B.R.Sridhara Dev Goswami Maharaja once composed a poem describing the ontological positions of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and the line of disciplic succession stemming from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami was so pleased with his poem that he remarked, “Sridhara Maharaja is carrying the conception of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Now, I am satisfied that although I may go, at least one man will remain behind who can represent my conclusions.”
As he prepared to leave this mortal world, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami expressed his desire to fix his consciousness on the lotus feet of Sri Rupa Manjari. He called his beloved disciple Srila B.R. Sridhara Dev Goswami Maharaja to his bedside and requested him to sing the famous song of Narottama Dasa Thakura, Sri Rupa Manjari Pada. At that time, in what has been described as a ‘mystic transmission, he gave Srila B.R. Sridhara Dev Goswami Maharaja entrance into the eternal entourage of Sri Rupa Manjari. According to Srila B.R.Sridhara Dev Goswami Maharaja’s vision, however, he was posted as the gatekeeper, the guardian of devotion (Bhakti Raksaka), to protect the storehouse of conclusive truths about the full-fledged theistic conception of Sri Krsna, Reality the Beautiful as presented in Srimad-Bhagavatam and preached by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
