Praṇamāmi Guru Tīrtha Padaṁ

On the holy occasion of Dīpāvalī, we were to decorate Śrīla Gurudev’s room which would only be possible when he was not inside. On that day, Śrīpad Dāmodara Das and I missed yam-kirtans while we were busy decorating. When Śrīla Gurudev came back to his room, seeing us there he spoke in a commanding voice, chastising us by saying, 'For such less important work you broke the vows (rules of Dāmodara-vrata)? This is not good!" Both of us appreciated Śrīla Gurudev’s instructions to us. In the next yam-kirtan , Śrīla Guru Mahārāj mentioned our mistake in front of all the assembled vaiṣṇavas and devotees. He said, "These people broke the rules of regulative service for one insignificant work." He added that he did not approve of this. As a result of Gurudev’s words, it was noticed that all devotees then started arriving for yam-kirtans on time.  —Partha Sarati Das (Om Prakash Lumba) Translated from Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Sandesh July-Oct, 1997 (Year 17, Issue No.4, Page 56-60...

In 1995 there was an event in New Model, Ludhiana in Śrī Sanātan Dharma Mandir. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtan Mandal was observing their eighth Śrī Harinām Saṅkīrtan Congregation there. One day when I was standing outside the temple, one car came and stopped near me. Śrī Satish Jain, who was the son of Ray Jain (Chief Trustee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Mandir, Shastrinagar, Ludhiana,) got down from that car. Being acquainted with each other for a long time, we met each other affectionately and together we proceeded to Śrīla Guru Mahārāj’s room for his darśan and found him sitting alone there. Śrī Satish placed some fruits and other items before Guru Mahārāj and offering daṇḍavat praṇāms, he prayerfully spoke, "Mahārāj, kindly grace me." "What grace you desire? Is there any need for money?" Guru Mahārāj asked. "No, Mahārāj. Your bountiful grace is there," Satish replied. "What else do you want?" Gurujī asked. "Let my Hari Bhajan go on well; this is ...

Once I was sleeping on the terrace of Chandigarh math next to Gauranga Prabhu (Pandeji's son). It was quite cold there and we slept somehow even though all we had was a quilt underneath us and no warm coverings.  When I woke up I saw that Gauranga Prabhu was not there, but someone had covered me with a blanket.  After maṅgalārati when I went to offer praṇaṁ to Guruji he asked, "Did you feel cold in the night? Then I understood that it was Guruji who had covered me with a blanket.  This incidence very much touched my heart and I remember those words of Guruji's very often.   About thirty years ago  I was back I was in Mayapur for parikramā and I got malaria. So I decided I will go on parikramā the next day and rest, but when Guruji started kīrtans in the morning I put aside my blanket and joined. Though I was following much behind when we reached Nrsimhapalli Jyoti Maharaj started kīrtan  and I began jumping.  Only by Guruji's mercy, I could ...

Guru Maharaj made everything so easy. Everything was beginning from the heart; it was all about the heart. Within the first two years during almost every darshan that I had of Guru Maharaj, He said the same thing to me: "It's so easy to please Krishna. It is so easy. Why? Because He is the nearest and dearest. Nobody is nearer to us than Krishna." My background made me so complicated but Guru Maharaj made it so easy. With so much love he would say to me: "It's so easy to please Krishna." So I was thinking even when I feel very 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. Many times I heard Srila Gurumaharaj say, "The panacea for all problems is sharanagati. If we surrender, things will fall into place."  That was the impression I got from...

I was a full-time brahmachari traveling with Guru Maharaj for all preaching tours. I once approached Guru Maharaj and asked Him for some special service. Guru Maharaj replied, "Have I not given you service already?" I was puzzled and asked "What Service?" He said, "Harinam is the highest service. So why are you not doing Harinam?" I told Him that I am already chanting my rounds. Guru Maharaj firmly said, "The way you are chanting now, you will stay here (in material world) for millions and billions of lifetimes" It meant I was not very serious in chanting Harinam. Further, Gurudev said, "If we are not chanting properly and giving concentration and importance to chanting, then all other services are zero." —Vrindavan Das, Ukraine (recollected during a glorification of Srila Gurudev Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj in Zoom session held on 18 April 2020. Transcribed by Damodar Das, Malaysia)

In my boyhood, when I was a small child, I have seen a steamer (boat) there in Brahmaputra river. That boat was coming and going and making a whistling sound. But I have never seen a train. My uncles and other elders were going and crossing the Brahmaputra to go to another place—it takes about 6 or 7 hours to go. From there, they caught the train and went for higher education. After returning they would say, the train is like this... When I heard them, I got the desire to go on a train. I said, "I shall also go, take me! I shall see!" And they showed me a toy train. By seeing that toy train, I was more insistent to go. Then came their rebuke. "Hey!" You're too small, no time...you have to go to school. After matriculation, then. And I was very dejected. No one giving importance to me. I am a small child and no one giving importance. So much I was dejected! And in the night, I was sleeping by the side of the mother. And there were others. One big bedstea...

Before receiving the shelter of Srila Gurudeva, I had often heard in other sanghas that at the time of initiation the spiritual master takes the karma of the disciple. I was confused about this so I asked Srila Gurudeva about it when we were in Mumbai in 2004. Guru Maharaj replied, "In a few rare occasions the spiritual master might do so, like in the case of Jagai and Madai. But normally he does not do it. But what you can get from Sri Guru is faith. And then if you chant with faith, all your karma will go." I felt happy to know that I can get faith from Guru Maharaj. He was also instructing me that deep from within by one's own endeavour, this will go. It needs my sincere endeavour, to keep trying. I prayed to Guru Maharaj to give me faith in the holy name. If I chant with faith, all karma will go. —Urmila Dasi  

Let me offer my unlimited prostrated obeisances unto the lotus feet of my most revered Srila Gurudeva, Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, who is the embodiment of loving affection towards all devotees of the Lord, who is a holy tirtha traveling the world, and who is now fully immersed in bringing joy to Vrindavanesvari as Her eternal confidant. He Gurudev! I find no words to describe my sorrow. You have blessed me with unlimited showers of affection, and yet I am unable to follow your basic teachings. My heart should melt when uttering your name and when remembering your unlimited glories. Seeing it remaining untouched, I know it to be made of stone. I was unable to write so far, and am doing so only because I was personally requested. I also could not stay in our Math in Kolkata for long. It is too painful still. Everything reminds me of you. The sound of the temple bell, Srila Paramgurudeva’s padukas, Tulasi Devi, and the tiled floor in the library. But what is more ...

In 2002, I was associating with a devotee told me that diksa was absolutely essential in purifying myself to chant suddha nama, so I requested it from Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaja later that year.  Srila Gurudeva looked right at me and told me, “You won’t be able to do. The harinama which I already gave you is all you need.”  At the time, I thought he was testing me, but in retrospect, I can see he meant it. Still, I foolishly insisted for two weeks until he finally gave. A while later, following Srila Gurudeva through the courtyard of the math, I audaciously asked, “Could you please speak something about the difference between sanga-siddha bhakti, sanga-siddha bhakti and svarupa-siddha bhakti?”  Then Srila Gurudeva said, I can tell that you have been associating in another sanga. You may continue, but you should only discuss diksa mantras with me or one of my disciples. In 2003 or 2004, I was sitting in the middle of perhaps 100 people, when the ...