If You Serve Him, You Shall Attain Everything

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Guru Mahārāja's life is most wonderful. Anaṅga Prabhu, who is now Bhikshu Mahārāja, had first joined Śrī Caitanya Maṭha and then came to Sree Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha. He was with Guru Mahārāja in Śrī Jagannatha Puri for recovering the birthplace of Śrīla Prabhupāda. 

At that time, there were some 30-40 tenants who had been residing there for some 50 long years. Except for one room, the whole of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's house was occupied by these tenants. The tenants were so very terrifying and so daring they were ready to even kill someone who would oppose them. They would even carry knives in their hands, ready to attack anytime. Anaṅga Prabhu used to say that during the night, those tenants would pelt stones on the closed door towage them from sleep. 
So, Ananga Prabhu told Śrī Kṛṣṇa Keśava Prabhu (who is Prabhupāda's disciple) that I have not come to the maṭha to die, I have come here to perform bhajana. 
Then Śrī Keśava Prabhu convincingly explained this to him: "Where are you? You are in Jagannatha Puri. In what sevā? In the service of recovering Śrīla Prabhupāda's birthplace. And with whom? You are with Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja." 
Śrī Keśava Prabhu continued. "Even if you are to die, you should not be worried for it, because you have achieved the goal of your life—your life's purpose is fulfilled." Hearing this, Ananga Prabhu's head reeled. What a great teaching by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciple! What should be the goal of your life? Vaiṣṇava-sevā, guru-sevā, and to reach the Lord's abode. You have achieved all three now."
At that time Guru Mahārāja was not an ācārya, he was Secretary in the maṭha. I had heard this instance from Śrī Ananga Prabhu (now Śrī Bhikshu Mahārāja) some 30-32 years back and it comes like a scene from a movie before my eyes. Ananga Prabhu said, "I heard Śrī Keśava Prabhu's words and I associated with Tirtha Mahārāja too, but at that time I had wondered what is so special about associating with Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who is my god-brother?" 
This instance was also spoken by Śrīla Bhakti Prasād Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāja to me. Śrī Keśava Prabhu had also told him that if you serve Tirtha Mahārāja, you will attain everything. So Ananga Prabhu said that it was then that he started observing the activities of Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja more closely and keenly. Guru Mahārāja would get up early in the morning and after finishing his bath and sandhya, he got ready to attend court arriving an hour and a half ahead of the scheduled time of 9 am. He would stand in the queue for hours if required. 
Guru Mahārāja told this to me once when I got late by half an hour to go for Bombay Maṭha's registration work. That time he had told me, "I used to go an hour before the scheduled time to the court taking into account the travel time of two or three hours to reach the court and return in the evening at 4 pm, or 5 pm or 6 pm."
And Guru Mahārāja had no habit of eating anything outside, but drinking only a few handfuls of water from a hand pump (dhāma water); that was all. 
Then Ananga Prabhu thought, "Oh Lord, Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja is such a great Vaiṣṇava, that is why I was asked to serve him." He explained that prior to hearing from Śrī Keśava Prabhu, although he was staying with Śrīla Tirtha Mahārāja, he never got such a vision before to see him as a great vaiṣṇava. Guru Mahārāja was so engrossed in following the instructions of Param Gurudeva and was so occupied with the service of procuring the appearance place of Śrīla Prabhupāda that he was not giving the least bit of attention to his body and bodily needs. Whether he was sitting in the cold weather or in the hot weather, he had no awareness of the body at all. —Śrīla Bhakti Prasun Madhusūdana Mahārāja Spoken in Hindi, translated to English. Source: Facebook live. TIRTHA - Glorification Of Śrīla Gurudev - Part 1 || 16 Apr 2020 ||





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