His Simplicity Helps Us Remember Vaishnava Dharma

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One day Tirtha Maharaj got ready to leave for Chakdah math but it became afternoon, so Maharaj said we will go by train. Then I told him, Maharaj please wait. I have a friend who can send us his vehicle. I called him and we went by vehicle to Chakdah. When we were returning, I called the friend again to use his vehicle, but he could not send it. So, from Chakdah we came by truck—my Gurudev and I and, Tirtha Maharaj with his sevak Madan Gopal. 

On the way, the tire got punctured and the truck stopped. What to do? I saw Tirtha Maharaj's simple nature as he sat by the roadside and started chanting Harinama. 

I asked my Gurudev who was in his advanced age to sit in the vehicle itself and I remembered Prabhupad's words: 'One of the qualities of a Vaishnava is simplicity. Another name of Vaishanvata is Saralata, simplicity. If one is not simple natured, it will be very difficult for him to understand Vaishnav dharma.'

There is a saying in Bangla that till one become simple hearted he cannot understand Gauranga Mahaprabhu's teachings. Since my childhood to my moving to Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math, I saw Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvami Maharaj always simple-hearted.

—Srila Bhakti Vibudha Bodhyan Maharaj (Acharya, Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math)

Transcribed and excerpted from a translation of Hindi katha: link here
Streamed live on 1 Apr 2019 by Vishwambhar Das


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