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Showing posts from January, 2017

His Pastimes Have No End

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One time during one of the internet webcast darshans, Dinabandhu Prabhu was doing Mahamantra kirtan and many of our god-brothers were there. All were very enlivened, and I was watching from my home and I was also feeling enlivened. Then I started regretting, thinking, why will this have to finish? While I was regretting, I got a message from Gurudev from within my heart that said, no, why should we finish? This will never finish. I am eternal, all these god-brothers are eternal, all our relationships are eternal. Vrindavan is eternal, so if you want to serve, this will always go on. This transcendental realm will always go on. 
Such revelation and encouragement I got from Gurudeva at that time. And there are so many other instances; there is unlimited Guru-katha. 
—Madan Gopal Das, Slovenia 


His Loving Responses to the Desires of Devotees

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On Utthana Ekadasi at the end of Kartik in 2013, I found myself alone in our daily online early morning satsang, as many of our godbrothers and godsisters were either in Kolkata Math or in Chandigarh Math celebrating with Gurudeva and Vaishnavas. I offered Mangalacharan and later read from Gurudev's teachings. Then I remembered a webcast was announced by Chandigarh Math to begin shortly, and I hoped to join there at least. No luck was with me as I found there was some problem with my internet connection. I felt very dejected. Being alone at home that day, I tried to log into the math website for the webcast of celebrations from Kolkata, but to no avail. I registered my complaint with BSNL and waited. I spent the whole day chanting, and I read Srila Gurudev's article on Param Gurudev from Sri Chaitanya: His Life and Associates. Somehow that day I had a strong feeling that Gurudeva would speak Harikatha and break his pastime of silence. At almost 9 pm, before going to bed, I aga

He Considers Himself An Ordinary Disciple

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Once in 2005, Śrīla Bhakti Kumuda Śānta Gosvāmī Mahārāja and other vaiṣṇavas were invited to our Māyāpur maṭha. Gurujī went to the main gate to welcome the Guru-varga. There was a crowd of devotees and Gurujī was standing among them. He showed that he is like any other disciple welcoming his Guru-varga.  That day, Gurujī was not seen to be the Ācārya of the maṭha. All the vaiṣṇavas were warmly welcomed and were made to sit on the āsana (seat) spread on the stage. Śrīla Santa Gosvāmī Mahārāja and Śrīla Trivikrama Mahārāja sat on the āsana and told Gurujī to come and sit with them, but Gurudeva sat on the floor facing them. He did not even accept the āsana put for him on the floor.  Gurujī is the Ācārya of our maṭha and is respected by all the revered vaiṣṇavas, but he sat on the floor in front of his Guru-varga just like an ordinary disciple. This is mānaśūnyata, (no desire for respect from others). Whether he gets respect from anyone or not, it doesn't make any difference to him.

Recalling His Gurudeva's Mystical Pastimes

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Once Srila Gurudeva mentioned to me that His Gurudeva, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj is not an ordinary human being. He is a personal associate of Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. He said that my Gurudeva, Paramaradhyatam Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj was once engaged in preaching programs across Assam (a state in India.) One of our Godbrothers requested Him to come and perform shraddha (ceremony ritual to pay homage to departed souls) of his deceased father. Although his father was not a devotee, his son felt he would be greatly benefited if his Gurudeva conducted this ceremony. Gurudeva replied after referring to His schedule that He would be in Kolkata at that time, where preaching programs would be going on. He said that He will send some competent person or devotee for the ceremony. Again, the disciple politely requested to his Gurudeva to personally attend the ceremony. Srila Gurudeva explained that during the pr

His Playfulness with Disciples

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I cannot forget my first darśana of Śrīla Gurudeva. By the mercy of the devotees, I had been attracted by the unalloyed devotion expressed in his kīrtans and books. Before I knew it, I took a train from Vṛndāvana and arrived at the Sree Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha in Kolkata.  On the way, I remembered the rule of thumb that the Guru and the disciple should test each other for at least one year before initiation.  After the devotees had introduced me to Śrīla Gurudeva, he looked at me with affection and asked, “Have you taken initiation?”  “No, Mahārāja”, I answered. Guru Mahārāja smiled softly and said, “You should take initiation.” My heart understood; it was racing, and I could not speak. I could hardly believe it. An hour had not yet passed—what to speak of a year—and he had already accepted me. He didn’t give me a second to think. Before my mind could ponder if he is my Guru, he made it clear that I was his.  His immediate acceptance was like an overwhelming army breaking into t

His Sweet Jokes During Prasād Distribution Pastimes

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When I first came in late 2008, darśanas were in the evening. I would come every day and stand in the doorway, seeing how Śrīla Gurudeva would sweetly distribute prasād to everyone. I would go last in the queue. One day Śrīla Gurudeva looked at me smilingly and asked, “Did you take prasād?” I said, “No, I will take it after everyone else has taken it.” Then he called me inside and gave me prasād. That was so sweet; sweeter than the sweetest. In the afternoon, Śrīla Gurudeva would come out to worship Tulasī Devi after most devotees had taken prasād. All the devotees present there were paying their obeisances to him before he would go inside his room. I also went to pay obeisances and after that, he asked me, "Prasād pawa hoeche?" Did you take prasād? I would reply, “No, Gurudeva, I will take it now,” and immediately he would get worried and would say, “If you do not go now, you will not get anything; everything will be finished.” It would captivate my heart to see Gurudeva'

A Drum Shattering Kirtan

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We would like to offer our unlimited prostrated dandavat pranams to Srila Guru Maharaj, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj.  In 1998, by the mercy of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, we were able to have the most wonderful darshan of Srila Guru Maharaj.   “Krsna krpate Guru mile,   Guru krpate Krsna mile” In this manner, we met His Divine Grace. Srila Guru Maharaj is a personification of love and affection and treated everyone as his own.   Subsequently we were fortunate to have his darshan on several occasions and finally had the opportunity to serve Srila Guru Maharaj at our place.  The most amazing pastime that will always be in our hearts is Srila Guru Maharaj’s ecstatic kirtans. Most importantly, Lord Nrsimha’s kirtan. In our experience, we had never heard such an overpowering and heart rendering kirtan. It was as though the Lord Himself descended, and Srila Guru Maharaj was completely absorbed.  Srila Guru Maharaj got up from the Vyasasan

His Affection to All

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One time Guru Mahārāja was on the balcony in the winter season to get some sun. We observed him to be staring at a particular nearby tree for a long time, seemingly lost in some thought. I was sitting in front of him when he asked a question. He asked, ”These birds, they are going here and there. They bring food and they come back to the same place to nest. They have some small babies, so they go and bring some nice food for them and they come here again. They don't have any house.” I indicated, “Yes, Guru Mahārāja.” Then he inquired very innocently. “When it rains, how do they fly? Their wings get wet. Where do they get food from? They have to fly. We are using umbrellas, but they have no umbrellas. So in the rainy season, where will they go? How will they find food?” I said, “Actually, I don't know,” because I had never thought of it. People like me only consider myself—whether I am okay or not, whether I have sufficient foodstuffs in my storehouse or not, whether I have eno

His Love is More Than a Mother and Father Combined

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I went alone without my parents on a Punjab tour with Gurujī when I was very young around 14 or 15 years old. Gurujī gave me so much love. Every once in a while, he would send some devotees to check if I was doing well. During that tour, there was a program in our Gurubhai's house in Mansa, near Bhatinda. I was feverish, so I lay down. After some time, someone came and kicked me, saying, “You are sleeping! Why? Gurujī will have prasād here.” Feeling sad, I left the room and immediately Gurujī came from the other side. When he held my hand, he felt it was hot and said, “You have fever.” As one feels comfortable with his father, I complained about the kicking incident. He made me lie behind Him while he was honoring prasād. He caressed me and told me, "Do not cry. He is a vaiṣṇava, so forget about it.” During hari-kathā that same night, Gurujī mentioned that if anyone hits a vaiṣṇava or even if his chappals (footwear) touch someone then it is very inauspicious. If by mistake als