Pranamami Guru Tirtha Padam

During Jhulan festival in Vrindavan, Guru Maharaj was speaking Harikatha in the evening. Suddenly an unknown saint quietly came and sat down to hear Guruji’s Harikatha. He looked like a sanyassi but he was not carrying a tridanda. Guruji did not recognize him. He inquired about the saint and arranged to get him a seat.

Guruji explained that out of an offense, he had to arrange a seat for the saint. In this way, there was a break to his Harikatha. Guru Maharaj then spoke about a similar instance that occurred during the time of Param Gurudev and also advised us to be cautious by always giving respect to others. He told us that we need to give special attention to our devotional practices. If we do not give attention to respecting others, then our devotional practices will be destroyed.

Not only this, Guru Maharaj does not even consider his own disciples as disciples, but as friends. Therefore in his conversations, he addresses them very respectfully. Having great regard for disciples,…

Whenever any question arises in my mind for which I wish to seek an answer from Guru Maharaj, just by sitting in front of him and without having to ask, the answer to the question is often received.

Once when Guru Maharaj was in Bhatinda, there was a discussion in our house to ask Guru Maharaj whether his coming to math was by running away from home or was it with the permission of parents.While thinking so when we reached Guruji’s room we saw that Pandieji and his wife from Jalandhar were sitting.

Pandeji’s wife was crying because their son Bhagavan Das Prabhu had become math-vasi.  As a mother, she felt that if he stays at home then it is good.Srila Gurudev convincingly told her that there is no reason for her crying and that he had come for the Supreme Lord’s service only.  He continued, "Even I came to math running away from home," and he told his story in detail.

—Partha Sarati Das (Om Prakash Lumba)

Chaitanya Sandesh July-Oct, 1997 (Year 17, Issue No.4, Page 56-60) 




Srila …

Most Revered Srila Gurudev, by His causeless mercy, encouraged me and my wife Bosudha Dasi to travel with Him to different places in India on his preaching tour at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. After touring North India and Assam we came to Kolkata in Dec. 2010. 

In the beginning of January 2011 there was an ongoing discussion among Srila Gurudeva's sevak team whether Srila Gurudev would be going to Chakdaha Jagannath temple for the annual festival or not as it was very cold there at that time. I was also afraid to go because I had just recovered from  illness.
One day, after Srila Gurudev's Tulsi parikrama, He was going towards His bhajan kutir and looking at my wife He asked her: "We will go to Chakdaha?" My wife responded that it depends on You (Gurudev). 
Gurudev smiled and then pointing at me He said: "Everything depends on him (me). We will go?" I replied that I heard it is cold but that it depends on You (Gurudev). 
Then Gurudev smiled and said:…

He has no enmity towards anybody. We have never seen feelings of hostility towards any human being or towards animals in him.Whenever Guruji’s assistants put ‘good night’ machine (for killing mosquitoes) in Guruji’s room he would invariably express his disapproval of it.He always uses mosquito net so that not even small insects also face any difficulty, his efforts are always in this regard.

One time being troubled very much by cockroach menace I went to Guruji to take advice as to how I can get rid of them without committing sin, then Guruji, first of all, told me that every action has a reaction and its reaction I have to necessarily suffer.Guruji then said, “Sprinkle turmeric power and they run away.”Guruji’s vision itself is merciful, so he does not carry the feelings like ‘this is good, that is bad’.He loves all equally.

—Purushottam Das Sekhari (Punjab)

Translated from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Sandesh July-Oct, 1997 (Year 17, Issue No.4, Page 63-65) 

When asked about chanting one lakh, Srila Guru-Maharaj would usually say, eka-laksana, with a one-pointed quality you should chant, from the core of your heart. One name is enough to attract Krishna. This, of course, doesn't mean to neglect our sankhya. Gurudev had asked at least one devotee to chant one lakh, but these occasions were exceptional. Like Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhar Maharaj, he put more emphasis on quality. 

In Govardhan, I once asked Sri Aniruddha Prabhu how he developed taste for chanting. His eyes lit up, and he told me, how once in our Chandigarh math, he noticed how Srila Tirtha Maharaj would suddenly disappear each afternoon. So, when seeing him climb the stairs one afternoon, he followed him at a distance. He saw how he disappeared in an empty room and went closer. He heard how he started calling out the Maha-mantra very loudly, until his voice broke due to weeping in ecstasy. "This was the moment I attained nama-ruci!" Aniruddha Prabhu told me with …

In 1996 during Rathyatra time, Srila Gurudeva was advised by the Doctors not to bend much and to avoid movements (dance and kirtans) due to injury to His back.That time in Agartala I personally saw Srila Guru Maharaj would bend down to do full dandavatpranams (prostrated obeisance) to the Supreme Lord with great difficulty.

When objected to do this he would say if pranams were not done before the Supreme Lord then feeling of pride will remain in the mind.Morning and evening after arati parikrama he would offer pranams to all Vaishnavasalong with others.Also, He could not stop himself from performing dance and kirtan before Rath.

—Sri Damodar Das (Satish Aggrawal, New Delhi)

Translated from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Sandesh July-Oct, 1997 (Year 17, Issue No.4, Page 42-46)

In 1962 I had my first darshan of Maharaj.  I got the chance to associate with him for a longer period when I was sent by Guruji (Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Goswami Maharaj) to Jagannath Puri along with him. That was the time when Maharaj was engaged in the service of recovering the birthplace of Prabhupad at Puri.  At that time we stayed together.  

Maharaj was attending to all outside work and I looked after all inside work.  Once while working I got a big blow on my head when I accidentally hit a cupboard.  When he came to know this, Maharaj left all his other work and engaged himself in serving me.  By his own hands, he applied medicine on my head and took me to the doctor.  Seeing Maharaj’s service mood I was surprised.  Even to this day, I am unable to forget this kind act which he extended even when I am very junior to him.

In Puri when we were staying in one ashram I saw that Maharaj was busy always in seva.  I remember that time Guru Maharaj gave me a letter where it was writt…

Those who know Srila Gurudev also know that no one can ever say there has been any deficiency in his service to the Vaishnavas.He gives due respects to every Vaishnav.He is seen engrossed day and night in the service of his Guru Maharaj.Any work that is in progress, he attributes it to his Guruji’s mercy.Any activity he performs he does is remembering his Guruji and praying for his mercy.

When I got Harinam and Diksha from Srila Gurudev Maharaj he said, “Your guruji is Param Pujyapad Om Vishnupad 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhava Goswami Maharaj.I am only carrying out his orders, I have no qualification to become a guru.Madhava Maharaj is only your guru.Such devotion to guru is rather rare to find.

Once I lost my Japamala when the bag in which it was kept got stolen and I wrote a letter to Gurudev.Then he wrote a letter advising to be very careful about Japa mala and also said he would give a new Japamala in Sridham Vrindavan.On receiving Japa mala from Guruji I did pranams to him …

There is no need for any explanation in regard to Srila Guru Maharaj’s engrossment in devotion to Sri Nandanandana Krishna, everyone who has met Guru Maharaj has seen it.No one can say ‘though, even though’ in regard to his exclusive one-pointed devotion.His firm faith and love in Bhagavan’s Name, Form and Deity form is unparalleled which I have never seen anywhere in my short life.
I got an opportunity many times to participate in Srila Gurudev’s annual gatherings at Rajpura.Srila Gurudev’s morning program was at Sri Satyanarayan temple.When Guruji reached there he found that carpets were not spread in some places on the floor and so noticed that the names of donors were engraved on some stones.He then told that among them many names were of the Supreme Lord and how could one walk on them?He said that the names should not have been engraved on the floor.

Those stones should have been fixed on the wall.But now that the stones/tiles cannot be pulled out he said it should not be left ope…