Praṇamāmi Guru Tīrtha Padaṁ

The following incident occurred at a time when there was a lot of terrorism in Punjab. As a result of this unrest, many public programs were discontinued or their timings were changed. Gurujī never discontinued any of his preaching programs, although he might have changed the schedule. Gurujī was about to come to Chandigarh by train. One brahmacārī in the maṭha knew some police persons and arranged for police security in the maṭha and at the station for Gurujī’s arrival. Many devotees used to go to receive Gurujī at the station. As soon as he got down from the train, he was surprised to see the police arrangement and asked whether any VIP was arriving. When he was told that the security was for him, his face which usually wore a soft and beautiful smile became very grave but he did not want to disrupt the enthusiasm of the organizers also. He took them aside to speak to them. "We should have faith in the Supreme Lord. I left my house with a firm faith that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is our pr...

When I was staying in Chakdah maṭha, an astrologer saw my palm and told me that I will get married. I was 28 years old then. I showed it to another palmist and he also confirmed that I will get married before I am 30 years of age. A third astrologer also said the same thing. Those days I was serving Lord Jagannātha in Chakdah by the order of Gurudeva. I was not fickle-minded before. But when I became 28-29 years, I became a little restless. I tried to chant  harināma intently and also chanted a lot of narasiṃha-mantra , but my mind did not calm down. I was feeling that I would fall down and might enter in the family life. I tried a lot, but my mind was not calming down. I had no desire to enter mundane life. I thought to convey the condition of my mind to Gurujī. I thought only Gurujī can bring me out of that state of mind.  Guru Mahārāja was in Tezpur maṭha for the annual function. I wrote my heart's feeling in a letter and posted it to Gurujī. Usually, it takes 6-7 days for...

Once we were in Dehradun and it started to rain heavily before nagara-saṅkīrtana was about to start. Gurujī came with Amarendra Prabhu under an umbrella. The hall was filled with devotees and the band was playing music. Many scattered because of the rain. but Gurujī called Śrīkanta Prabhu and asked him to sing the kirtana that began "kripa karo hum pe shyam sundara." After that, Gurujī sang "śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda" and as soon as he started singing "Nitai Gauranga," the rain stopped. The sky became clear and the sun was seen. Then all the devotees went for nagara-saṅkīrtana started. As soon as the nagara-saṅkīrtana reached back to the maṭha , it started raining heavily once again. —Śrīla Bhakti Vilāsa Tridaṇḍī Mahārāja (2015)

Once when we came to Kolkata, we saw Gurujī performing ecstatic kirtana while jumping high in the air. Śrīla Gurudeva was 66 years old at that time.  Param-pūjyapāda Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāja said, “Tirtha Mahārāja is not an ordinary human being. He is the direct associate ( nija-jana ) of the Supreme Lord.” One time I asked Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāja, "You tell one should do sevā of Gurujī, and one should drink the water that washes the lotus feet of Gurujī, but as soon as we go near to him, he gets angry. Once Gurujī went to our guru-bhai Sudhir Kantjī’s house in Bhatinda, He wanted to wash Gurujī’s lotus feet, but Gurujī became very angry." “You will not wash my feet! You should wash my Gurujī’s feet," Gurujī said. So, I asked Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāja what we should do in such situations.  He replied, “You must wash your Gurujī’s feet. When your Gurujī comes and sits in a room then close and lock the door, then take the water utensil in your hand and tell him that Puri Gosvāmī M...

When I saw Gurudeva for the first time in Māyāpura, the door to his room had opened, and I saw something so beautiful that I never saw before; something beyond my imagination that was so beautiful and golden shining—it is beyond words to explain.  Guru Mahārāja was sitting on the ground, and I bowed down and sat next to him. That was my first trip to India and I was traveling first by car and then by three airplanes that were often delayed. I went by car to Māyāpura also, so all together, it was a very long journey and I was very tired.  Guru Mahārāja, knowing my heart, first asked me, “How was your travel?”  In a bit of a complaining mood, I told him, “Oh, very long time. I’ve already been traveling for three days.”  Then Guru Mahārāja gently asked in astonishment, “Three days?”  His mood brought me to sincerity.  I said, “Okay, not three days, but very long.” Then Guru Mahārāja said, “Everything depends on the will of Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”  When I...

Once I told that in Delhi Maṭha, there were so many quarrels and disputes. Then Gurudeva said, "Whenever you think that whatever I think should happen, then you will not be pleased.  If you think that whatever happens, I should adjust with that, then you can stay in the maṭha.” This way Gurudeva showered so much grace on me.  Even now, I look into the eyes of Guru Mahārāja and think, " oh, he's going to speak now, he's going to speak now ." My heart hankers for that smile of Guru Mahārāja. Even now I long for that. Whenever I used to come, Guru Mahārāja would say, "Oh, how are you, when did you come?" Even now when I come, those words are ringing in my ears. -Śrī Bhakti Viveka Narasiṃha Mahārāja Translation from Hindi by Śrī Bhakti Suhrid Paramadvati Mahārāja

I heard a very heart-touching pastime of Śrīla Guru Mahārāja from Śrī Govinda Dāsa Prabhu, a disciple of Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāja, in August of 2012 at Sree Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha in Kolkata. He recounted: “My parents were both disciples of Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. One day, my mother told me about an amazing pastime of her godbrother, Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja, whom she held in great esteem. Knowing this story, we can have an idea of what a transcendental personality he is. This pastime also reveals what can happen if we receive the pure name from a pure devotee with full surrender and devotion.  Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja took harināma initiation from Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja in 1948 in the Kolkata Sree Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha. That time his name was Śrī Kāmākhyā Charana Guharay (Śrī Kṛṣṇa Ballabh Brahmacārī after mantra-dīkṣā .) After hearing the mahāmantra from the divine lips of h...