Pranamami Guru Tirtha Padam

I remember one senior god-brother of ours approached Guru Maharaj, long back and explained that he was not able to get along with his god-brothers, and asked what should be done.  He explained the reply Gurudev had given.  He repeated what Gurudev had said, that even he had this problem in the beginning.  But then, he continued," I completely surrendered myself to the lotus feet of my Gurudev and then all my problems were solved." And this god-brother of mine said that he still I hadn't understood what, how it is done; what it means.  It is a fact, complete surrender, probably till that happens, will not be understood by any of us.  

Different devotees recollect how his answers are so unique and something which is irrefutable.  It is complete in itself and which is direct.  And sometimes this also happened to us.  In fact, I remember there was a sort of a complaint against Guru Maharaj that people would ask him some question and the reply would be something else.  But whe…

The effect of Srila Gurudev’s sound is unlike anything I have ever heard. Even today when a recording of the same mangalacharan prayers is being played, there is a deep kind of seriousness that is conveyed. That sound is out of the world.
In fact, I remember there was one senior sanyassi, a disciple of Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj told us about when Srila Gurudev was going on Kshetra mandal and Vraj mandal parikrama. He said when our Guru Maharaj describes anything in Vraj mandal—about the place, about the pastimes; it appears as if he is giving live commentary.He is seeing it and he is telling us what he sees in reality. I have practically experienced the difference in the speech of Gurudev and how it affects me—completely different than when I hear from others.
If I am calling out the holy names or repeating pastimes that we have heard, or singing mangalacharan, it is not at all the same feeling than when we hear from Guru Maharaj.He is a person who has all the faith com…

One thing I witnessed that is very touching to my heart is an event  I recall that took place in Mayapur. There was an acarya from Sri Vaisnava mission that came with his disciples. He was much younger to Srila Gurudev. When Srila Gurudev came from his bhajan kutir to see him, he walked all the way. I remember Srila Gurudev paid prostrated obeisances to someone that could be the age of his son. He was shaken and could not reciprocate.

I was not feeling good to see that, thinking it should be the other way around. But we saw that Srila Gurudev was so blissful. The reciprocation was not sufficient, but he was happy anyway. Maybe even happier than if those respects had been paid to him. Even when he was sitting in car to leave, Gurudev paid obeisances again outside the car. The humility he was expressing and the bliss on his face is the opposite of an ordinary person. At an advanced age and having so many big positions in World Vaishnava Association and GOKUL, he taught this by his own ex…

Sometimes I have heard that Gurudev takes karma at the time of initiation. I was in doubt about that, so I asked him about it.

Guru Maharaj said, "In a few rare occasions, the guru can do so like with Jagai and Madai. But what you can get from guru is faith. You can get faith from guru. If you chant with faith, all that karma will go."

I felt so happy to know that definitely, I can get faith from Guru Maharaj. He was also instructing me that deep from within by one's own endeavor, this will go. So casually it will disappear just because of Harinam. No. It needs my sincere endeavor, to keep trying. I prayed to Guru Maharaj to give me faith in the holy name. If I chant with faith, everything will fall into place. If you chant with faith, all that karma will go.

—Urmila Dasi

Other acaryas seemed to have demonstrated themselves as acaryas according to the demand of time, place, and circumstances. They sometimes had to be assertive and come down to the platform of madhyam adikari to discriminate. 

Trivikram Maharaj once said Srila Gurudev is uttam bhagavat in comparison to another godbrother of Gurudev who he called him a jitendria-purush, one who won control over his senses. Regarding Srila Gurudev he said uttam bhagavat—and till now he has never come down from that position. Uttam bhagavat sees supreme lord in everyone and pays prostated obesiences to all—dog and dog-eater, brahmana and shudra—to all, indiscriminately he has seen Supreme Lord in their hearts. He has that vision and pays prostrated obeisances to all living entities. That is a symptom of uttam adikari. He will never come down from there. 

When the sole purpose is to serve Supreme Lord, all varieties are possible. Trivikram Maharaj, a disciple of Prabhupada is not an ordinary person, not of th…

Regardless of how many people were there in Harikatha, Srila Gurudev's enthusiasm to speak did not waver. In usual cases, we see that the number of people hearing affects the speaker—excited, disappointed, whatever. We observed with Srila Gurudev that he was always the same with 1000 persons, no persons, or only one person who was sleeping. 

An example of this was during Vraj mandal parikrama. From 4am to 11pm, he led the program for the entire day. Devotees performed kirtans while going from place to place and he would watch for when they would get tired and slow and then he would lead the kirtan and surcharge everyone. His energy was not like ours. It never diminished—always on top, every moment.  

At the end of the day, the final sabha and kirtans were to be performed, the last yam kirtans. Devotees were so tired. Sometimes only about 4 devotees would show. They were sitting in kirtan and all were sleeping. Even at that time, Srila Gurudev was speaking Harikatha with the same vig…

Whatever prayers generally were taken to Srila Gurudev, by the power of his omniscience, he would take care of those prayers. Externally he may not have promised as much, but he took care. Gurudev said when flower blossoms, it's fragrance spreads all around. No need to advertise. 

Many devotees would approach Gurudev to say, Gurudev bless me to go on preaching (prachar). Yet, Gurudev said never have this mood of preaching. Perform kirtan bhakti. If you take up a mood of superiority to someone—that you can rescue them, help them, it may lead to your own fall. Repeat what you have heard from Guru varga for your own benefit, not with the mood to rescue anyone. Prachar is to be done in this mood. 

We know that Srila Gurudev always imbibes and practices this. Example is better than precept. He never stopped practicing this, very unique. Until the end, he considered himself like this. Srila Gurudev presents himself and actually believes he's a conditioned soul. Therefore you can't…

Within the first few weeks after I came to Gurudeva, he granted me shelter and I knew from the core of my heart if I follow this sadhu and his instructions, I will be taken care of and get everything eventually. I don't know how many lifetimes it will take, but if I just follow this sadhu, I will be saved. I had met other spiritual personalities, but these were the lotus feet in which I could fully give myself. There are no doubts. I thought I am alright here. I can let go, I don't have to hold back. I might hold back from conditioning, but actually, there is no need anymore.  This sadhu will let me hold on.

Once in Guwahati, I remember one of Guru Maharaj's gestures. I was there with my sister. When Guru Maharaj came out of the room, I was alone in the crowd of Indians. He saw me from far. I am always amazed he remembered me. He smiled and he gestured, "Are you staying?" It was like a casual thing friends ask each other. It blew me away.

I would come and stay in K…

Guru Maharaj made everything so easy. Everything was beginning from the heart, centered on the heart. During the first two years I had darshans of Guru Maharaj, he said the same thing to me: "It's so easy to please Krishna." My background made me so complicated but Guru Maharaj made it so easy. He said, "It's so easy to please Krishna. Why? Because he's the nearest and dearest. Nobody is nearer to us than Krishna.

So I was thinking even when I feel close to someone, that is nothing compared to how close the Lord is. Naturally, it's easy. If you try to please the Lord from the heart, he is pleased. It's so easy. He kept telling me this again and again, probably because I have a complicated mind.

Looking back and even now what he was trying to teach me is there: it's all very simple.

Many times I heard him say the panacea for all problems is sharanagati. If we surrender, things will fall into place. That was the impression I got from Guru Maharaj—…