Establishing the Janmasthān Temple Under His Guidance and Blessings

In 1994 when I first came to Goalpara, Śrī Tatpar Mahārāj (then Madhusudan Prabhu) took me to Gurudev's birthplace. At that time, no road led to the place; there was only a tin shed sheltering the Śiva temple where the local people living down the hill would perform pūjā. We crossed their property and climbed up the hill.  The area was covered by forest with big trees and some dilapidated portions of the house which belonged to Gurudev's family. Retaining only a small portion of the land, all the rest was donated.  

Goalpara Maṭh's annual function is celebrated from the last part of January to the beginning of February every year.  After Gurudev arrived we went on nagar-kirtan.  At Gurudev's birthplace, all devotees offered pranāms.  I did not know anything more than this is the birthplace of Gurudev.  Later we heard that the disciples of Gurudev from Kolkata contributed the donations and got this place to build a maṭh and temple there. 

After all the paperwork was done, Śrī O.P. Lumba from Ludhiana came to see the place.  There was no direct road to reach the place and we had to cross the school premises. Later when they heard that a temple would be constructed atop the hill, the school also closed their gate, stopping us from using that path. The main gate was erected on a property that belongs to a person named Madhav Dās. It was suggested we can purchase this land to get access to the top, but he could not vacate the tenants who were already there in that place. The tenant would not vacate and he fought the case for nearly fifteen years.  

During the annual function at Goalpara Maṭh, we invite dignitaries and one of the chief guests for the function was Ayodhyārām Dās who was the Principal of a college at Krishnai. Gurudev smilingly spoke to him and said, our devotees want to construct a temple in that place but the tenant is not vacating from there. Then Ayodhyārām Dās told Gurujī that there was nothing to worry about, he knew the DC, (Deputy Commissioner of Police, responsible for the implementation of the government schemes in the district) and he was his friend. He said he will visit the DC the following day. 

Gurujī called some of the local devotees and friends including Śrī Golaknath, Niraj Dās, his childhood friend, Narayana Ghosh, and they went with Ayodhyārām Dās to meet the DC whose name was Badgohai. After he saw the sādhus and heard their appeal, he said we will meet the SP (Superintendent of Police who is the head of the District). The SP and his mother used to visit our maṭh. When he heard the case, he said that he will look into the matter.  After about two months lapsed, we approached the DC again and he said don't worry, we could have as much land as we needed for the maṭh construction on the hilltop.

After one or two follow-ups with DC, the tenant came and told that he has invested in that land and if he is compensated, he will vacate. After he got that, he left.  Then Śrī Madanlal Guptajī, Lumbajī, Premjī and later Arun Arora and Parashar Prabhu came and stayed. After a contractor ran away with the advance money and left the laborers unpaid, they paid them and took supervision of the construction into their own hands. Finally, after such hardships and struggles, our beautiful Goalpara Janmasthān temple manifested before our eyes.  

—Patitapāvana Dās

Rasbihari Dās added:

Our Patitapāvana Prabhu is telling us about the struggle and hardships undertaken to get the birthplace of Guru Mahārāj because nothing is without struggle in spiritual life. Under the causeless mercy of Guru Mahārāj, everyone struggled to get the birthplace at Goalpara and ultimately we got it, constructed a temple and in 2007 on Śrī Rāmanavamī Vyasa Pūjā that was celebrated at Goalpara at the birthplace of Gurujī.  

In a way whenever we struggle for a higher goal we get success only through the blessings and by the divine causeless mercy of Gurudeva and this is proven in Goalpara dhām, the birthplace of Guru Mahārāj. Vaiṣṇavas of our maṭh such as Śrī Madanlal Gupta, Śrī Om Prakash Lumba of Bathinda were trying very hard to complete this service and Guru Mahārāj was so compassionate that he melted to see their struggle. They were endeavoring so much, so he blessed them, and when his blessing came everything was successful and we got this place in Goalpara.  

This is big teaching because the abode of Gurudeva is the highest abode for a disciple.  We have three prime abodes for our sampradāya, Śrī Vṛndāvan Dhām (Vraja Dhām), Śrī Jagannath Puri Dhām, and Śrī Navadvip Dhām. In Vṛndāvan Dhām, Nandanandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is in madhura-bhāv, in Jagannath Puri Dhām Dwarakadish Jagannath, and in Navadvīp Dhām, the most munificent form of Supreme Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's abode. More compassionate than these three is the dhām, the appearance of Gurudev, the abode of Gurudev, and this was the beautiful struggle undertaken by the disciples of Guru Mahārāj under the guidance of our Pūjyapāda Bhakti Niketan Turyāśrami Mahārāj who also belongs to the same place, (Maladhar which is also in Goalpara district.)  He guided us and other Vaiṣṇavas helped us and finally, Guru Mahārāj's blessings joined us and we got success. There are always many obstacles in great causes.  

---

spoken in Hindi and English alternatively

Guru-kathā on 29.5.2020, Gokul India