Each of His Holy Steps Follow Behind His Most Revered Gurudeva

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Śrīmad Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Maharaj is my śikṣā-guru. I understand that he is the replica of Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvāmī Maharaj. Madhava Maharaj was so dedicated to serving his Gurudeva and Sri Sri Radha Krishna so much so that his physical appeared as being similar to Srila Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākur Prabhupad. Similarly, Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Maharaj is also dedicated to his Gurudeva, to the entire paramparā, always thinking how to serve Guru Maharaj. His nature, actions, and everything appeared like Madhava Gosvāmī Maharaj. Even his physical form appeared to invoke respect like Bhakti Dayita Madhav Gosvāmī Maharaj. Therefore he has also taught us how to serve Gurudeva who is the source of our spiritual practice. Vamsidas Babaji says, "Mercy of Gurudeva is the root of our devotional practice." That exemplary character is our Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Maharaj.

I observed that he was always giving examples from his Gurudeva. He liked to follow the footsteps of his Gurudeva in every action, showing us the actual path. I recall seeing his smiling face and how he asked me about my grandfather, "How is Madanmohan Prabhu?" He would always remember to inquire about the welfare of his Gurudev's godbrothers. I have seen how much he would respect my spiritual master. Every single day after evening ārati, he would first go to Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvāmī Maharaj's bhajan kuṭir and pay obeisances and then go to my spiritual master's bhajan kuṭir and pay obeisances. He always followed in Gurudev's footsteps. 

Before he would leave for a preaching program, he used to go to my spiritual master's room and in a very soft voice (like a Vaiṣṇava's voice should be) he would say, "Maharaj, you are my śikṣā guru, please bestow your mercy as I am going to spread the message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu." Then my spiritual master would take some flowers and dip them in ācaman water, sprinkle it on him, and chanted swasti-vachan. I learned this practice from him, the submissive nature, following in the footsteps of Gurudev and Vaiṣṇavas.

He never discriminated in a way that regarded me as an outsider. To illustrate this, I recall one instance. After the disappearance of my spiritual master, I went to Kolkata Sree Chaitanya Gauḍīya Maṭh.  I had entered the temple after having finished mangalārati and mandir-parikramā and upon seeing me, he said, "You have to come to Chandigarh Maṭh for Rāmanavamī." I said, "I will surely come, but the day after Rāmanavamī, because on Sri Rāmanavamī day, I will be here in our Vṛndāvan Maṭh." I went there the next day in the afternoon time when was giving hāriṇam initiation in his room. When Amarendra Prabhu, his personal sevāk informed him I had arrived, I saw him expressing his happiness that I had come. I was feeling reluctant to go in at that time thinking I would be a hindrance in hāriṇam initiation. 

Later in the evening, Srikant Prabhu did some nice kirtans and a few of the devotees began dancing. I was very happy to be in those celebrations, hearing the glories of Sri Ramachandra and the Vaiṣṇavas. When I asked how his vyāsa-puja was observed the previous day, Nityananda Prabhu narrated that Gurudeva would make all the Vaiṣṇavas sit on the stage with him on one platform and worship them. I was very inspired to hear it. Then I also called my god-brothers on my vyāsa-puja day following his example. I learned this from him, and mostly I follow his Vaiṣṇava etiquette. He is a very significant character particularly in following Vaiṣṇava etiquette; everyone should follow in his footsteps and read his life story. Recently I saw Prahlad Prabhu's book of his biography "Sweet, Sweeter, Sweetest."  It is so very nice, his nature is like that. He is indeed sweet, sweeter, sweetest. 

In 1990 we arranged our Guru Maharaj's appearance ceremony in Mayapur. At that time, the temple had just four rooms and nothing else like—no temple, no saṅkīrtan hall; very minimal. Tirtha Maharaj appeared with about eighty devotees and the celebration became successful because all Vaiṣṇavas came and I got the opportunity to get their foot dust. Looking at their life of dedication and humility, my life became meaningful, successful. He uttered the kirtan Śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya prabhu, dayā koro more.  In this kirtan, Narottama Das Ṭhākur is begging for mercy and blessings of Śrīnīvās Ācārya, for the association of Ramachandra Kavirāj who is an exemplary character dedicated to serving Gurudeva. Tirtha Maharaj is also so dedicated like Madhava Maharaj, giving respect to all his Gurudev's godbrothers. He would say the controller is Gurudeva, the controller is Krishna; I am not the controller.

— Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj 

Spoken in English on 1.4.2020 from Sri Gopinath Gauḍīya Maṭh, Vrindavan 

Excerpted from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgSHGj-FBGs





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