Pranamami Guru Tirtha Padam

After most revered Gurudev was hospitalized on November 28, 2013, He engaged many fortunate devotees in a very intimate mood of loving devotional service. There should not be any trace of doubt that the illness pastimes of Guruji are meant only to give service opportunity to all His dear and sincere disciples.
Many disciples approached His Divine Grace in the past asking Him how He will be pleased and how He could be served. Srila Gurudev's answer was always, "This human birth is very rare. You should worship Supreme Lord from the core of your heart." He would point his fingers at the heart. 

When Guruji was on the hospital bed, He exhibited the pastimes of speaking very few words of this material world, yet His bodily actions and gestures in response to kirtans conveyed meaning. We observed him consistently patting His right hand at the place where the heart is located. This only reiterated, "Chant from the core of your heart." 
On the 3rd Dec, 2013 devotees perf…

We got the message that Gurudev is performing the pastimes of illness, whoever wants darsan should go to Guwahati.  I was in the office. The next day morning we took a flight, six of us travelled from Pune to Guwahati the next morning. 

In the afternoon we arrived in Guwahati and went straight to the hospital, GNRC. We had darsan of Gurudev from very far as he lay inside the room. That time he was fully unconscious. We had gotten the message from the sevak team that the situation was very serious.  
Gurudev was on the fourth floor initially. We came back and there was a hall nearby the hospital where devotees would just sit and have conversation.  The only topic of conversation was centered around Gurudev. Everyone's attention was on the floor where Gurudev was–that was the point from where the soul of that environment existed, the soul of the hospital. There was not even a single time I felt that I am visiting a hospital.  It was an environment like the math.

Everybody was concerned…

During my first visit to India in 2008, I happily took Harinam initiation from Srila Gurudeva in Mayapur-dham. Some senior devotees urged me to immediately take diksa then also. I didn’t really understand the reasons to take diksa, and also felt unqualified to even ask for it. 

Nevertheless, I went to Srila Gurudeva and asked. He gravely inquired why I wanted it, and feeling a little bit conscience-stricken to ask so soon after having received Harinama initiation, I replied that the devotees urged me to take it. Srila Gurudeva then told me to do some devotional practice first. 

After that, I went back to the Netherlands and started, according to my limited capability, and despite my manifold drawbacks and anarthas, to perform devotional practice with a bit more intensity than before. Even though I felt my efforts were inadequate, by Srila Gurudeva's blessings, I was able to attend the Navadvipa-dhama parikrama of 2009. It was a purifying and auspicious time. I went again to Srila Gu…

Sometimes Guruji would call me and make me sit in front of him. He would tell many stories about his childhood, or sometimes he used to speak about Param Gurudev.

One day I asked Guru Maharaj, how do I know if Gurudev, Bhagavan, or Vaisnavas are pleased with my activities? Bhagavan never comes and says, I am pleased with your services, and Vaisnavas also do not. Guru Maharaj gave a very very simple answer to that.

He said, there is only a very simple formula: if the object of our worship is pleased with our service, then he will award more and more service. If you are getting more service, and if you are also feeling blissful by getting that service, then you will know that Guru, Vaisnav, and Bhagavan are pleased with your service.

How much inclination you are getting to perform chanting, to perform circumambulation of the temple--the more you are getting an inclination to perform these activities, the more you can understand that Guru, Vaiṣṇav, and Bhagavan are pleased with these ac…

Now someone may look at Gurudeva and think he’s a old and sick man. No! If you can see him, then you can see he is not an old and sick man; he looks very beautiful. In the whole world, you cannot find anyone like this. Each interaction with him I felt was the best, entirely fulfilling, and it could not be better than that.

His realized logical explanations, his kirtans, his Hari-katha, his care for us, his beauty, all these things – every time, you would feel that it could not get better than that, but still, it would be better next time and again better next time – beyond all our expectations. 

So, by Guru Maharaja’s mercy, I could understand, I could directly see that his qualities are unlimited; you can never finish that. Not that you can think, "Now I know Guru Maharaja." Next time I would meet him, it would be a new higher experience, ever increasing.

For our benefit, to teach us by example, most of the times Guru Maharaja would express himself as “I am conditioned soul, I…

Our Radha Mohan Prabhu was clerk to my uncle who was an advocate (lawyer). When Guruji stayed at his (Radha Mohan Prabhu's) house, I wanted to see him. Sri Radha Mohan Prabhu said, "Guruji is a great saint. Because we worship Radha Krishna and Mahaprabhu at house, all devotees like us. So he is in our house. We also do not eat items that are not offered."

So, I went to see Gurudeva. Along with me was my college friend. I listened to Guruji speak there. I did not understand anything that Gurudev spoke. The language (philosophy) was totally new to me. Now I use those words, but at that time I did not know that terminology.

I used to wear shoes and have hair on my head. I was a student then. Listening to Gurudeva, I only understood that he is a Krishna Bhakta. I thought, I want Krishna Bhakti, so I'll go. I did not understand anything more than that.
Wherever Gurudev went, I followed him. After a few days, Gurudev was supposed to go to another village and a river was ne…

In 2002, Guru Maharaj led Braja Mandala Parikrama. We went to Raman Reti in Gokul Mahavan, one of the twelve forests in Braj. Reti means sand, and raman means pleasure– together it means pleasure giving sand. Krishna and Balaram along with other cowherd boys, (sakhas) performed leisurely plays in this place during their childhood. Today that particular land is being taken care nicely by a mayavadi ashram. They serve prasad free of cost to all the pilgrims.

Upon our arrival there, Guru Maharaj spoke the glories of that place. He said that that was the place where Krishna and Balaram performed many playful pastimes. Therefore, nobody should be morose there– everyone should be laughing and smiling. Guru Maharaj was very blissful there. He laughed very sweetly and made all of us laugh loudly also.

After Harikatha and some playing in the divine sand, the sadhus and sannyasis were invited into the dining room. Everyone else followed after them and sat there in a line ready to take Prasad.

…

Our Guru Varga–Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada's most prominent disciples such as Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kumud Sant Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Saran Trivikram Maharaj, and many others used to say, "Your Guru Maharaj is not an ordinary soul and should never be underestimated for His spiritual powers." 

Our Gurudev considers Himself as humbler than of blade of grass,and is much more tolerant than a tree. He is the true follower of Mahaprabhu’s teachings and conduct– therefore can educate others.

I recall the above mentioned Guru Varga performed the parikrama of Vraja Mandal, Sri Ksetra Mandal and Sri Gaura Mandal along with Gurudeva. In the year 1993, they advised their disciples to follow our Gurudev in performing parikrama. They also taught that under his guidance, all will get the true knowledge.

Gurudev has been very kind to all living entities. Everybody used to get attracted by his sweet personality, extraord…

During the 1979 Braj Mandal Parikrama, we went to Brahmand Ghat and the breakfast prasadam was prepared and brought from our Gokul math. Srila Maharaj was the Secretary of the Math, but he had no dedicated personal servant. I used to serve him a little. That day breakfast was being served, but I forgot to carry Maharaj’s bowl. I was wondering how to serve prasadam to Maharaj.

The leaf plate was also not available, but I had carried my bowl. I offered in that bowl and Maharaj took prasadam in that. I was a brahmachari that time. But he had no ego of being a sannyasi or being the secretary of the organization.

The more one is humble, the more Mahaprabhu showers His mercy on him. And also, the more one is advanced the more humble he is.

—Srimad Bhakti Saudha Jitendriya Maharaj