Praṇamāmi Guru Tīrtha Padaṁ

There is no doubt that our Most Merciful Srila Gurudev is an embodiment of patience, but we had the real experience of it when there was once a General Meeting held in Kolkata. There I happened to read the false accusations made upon Srila Gurudev by two Vaishnavas who had filed them in the court.  I  was surprised to see the serious and baseless accusations that so extremely attacked  His character.  Reading those accusations, I had felt great anger and also was surprised as to with what thoughts and intentions such senior Vaishnavas did this. In the assembly, all household Vaishnavas expressing their minds let out their anger and pacified themselves. Srila Gurudev did not consider it appropriate to speak anything against anyone and only said that whatever Guruji and Supreme Lord does is all-good. I was astonished seeing this extreme forbearance. —Sri Vishvambhar Das (B. L. Chotani), Manasa  Translated from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Sandesh July-Oc...

One time during a Harikatha in Kolkata Math, Gurudev expressed his great concern about devotees who had a desire to visit the zoological park at Kolkata when they came there.
 His concern was really palpable when he said, "You go there to see the lions and tigers, but if you suffer a heart attack and die there out of fear hearing just one roar from one of them in close quarters, you may be born as a tiger or a lion next because your last thoughts were of them!"

By Gurudev's grace we see a lesson He is conveying to us, i.e. though death of the body is certain and I have no control over the date, time, place and circumstances of death, but I still have a choice to choose how I live now and so, let me only aspire and pray to live a devotional life in the association of pure devotees of the Lord.

 I found myself pondering on the words of Gurudev and could not get it off my mind easily. More thinking made me realize that Gurudev's concern was not like an ordinary m...

Gaursundar Prabhu was there in Guwahati hospital, and he started doing kirtan for the first time. There was space near the hospital, and the arrangement was such that Gurudev was moved to another separate room. It was near an empty building next to the hospital. Gaurasundar Prabhu started doing kirtan there and the sound of kirtan went directly to Guru Maharaj's room. That was his arrangement. Muni Maharaj was there and he sang, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu, doya koro more . I still remember the mood with which he sang. That time, moods of material discomforts, they all disappeared. Everyone was filled with deep feelings for Gurudev, and with that mood they sang. Everybody had Gurudev in their mind, in their heart. The full mood was with Gurudev. Being a part of that kirtan, was really a different experience. That time I took a snap just to remember that, I still have that snap. It was altogether a different atmosphere that time. Then the kirtan started regularly f...

Our Guru Maharaj is the incarnate form of Sriman Mahaprabhu’s 3rd sloka of Sri Sikshastakam amanina manadena , not expecting respect for oneself but at the same time giving due respects to others, and this mood of his is unparalleled. Not a trace of desire of respect for himself. We can personally observe these qualities of Guru Maharaj in his day-to-day activities. In Sri Dham Mayapur, ISKCON’s Sri Jayapataka Maharaj submitted to Guruji saying, “Maharaj, you take many devotees to several places during Parikrama while performing sankirtans. So, please come to our place as well.” Guruji accepted his submission. One day Guruji was taking devotees along in Nagar Sankirtan and arrived at Sri Krishna Chandrodaya mandir. Sri Jayapataka Maharaj and math’s other sanyassis and brahmacharis gave a warm welcome to Guruji at the main gate. They expressed great joy on the arrival of Guru Maharaj and blissfully joined the sankirtan. With great respect, Guruji was lead to the Satsang...

When sitting alone, I sometimes remember the olden days pastimes of Guru Maharaj  when I was a pujari in Dehra Dun, I saw the early morning cold weather and severe Winter there. Guru Maharaj gave me warm clothes with his own hands. Feeling the cold winds, he also offered carpets and mats. He took care of me like a mother. Another memory is when I traveled with Guru Maharaj in trains many times. Guru Maharaj used to be always calm and composed and used to even joke. Yet, once I saw his angry mood like Narasimhadev when coming back from Assam to Kolkata. At Kolkata station, the taxi drivers were hurrying them to keep their luggage in the carrier.  Guru Maharaj got angry seeing them giving trouble to the devotees.   That time he manifested that Narasimha form, an angry mood came. Putting his foot down and holding his danda in the air, and said, "What are you doing?  What do you think about Chaitanya Gaudiya Math!  These are devotees of Chaitanya Gaudiya...

I was supremely fortunate to have had your association in Sridham Mayapur during Kartik time. Your undeserved remembrance of me and warm affection will forever remain in my memory. I am also eternally grateful for the love and affection that you have shown toward my mother and other family members. You are a greatly munificent and compassionate soul---a genuine representative of the Supreme Lord in a world riddled with hypocrisy and dishonesty. Each day, here in the West, I am confronted with such a lack of interest in the truly meaningful things in life, and an ever-burgeoning indifference or resentment toward God and His Eternal Servitors. However, this only serves, by contrast, to make me realise the greatness and unique position of a pure devotee such as yourself, and my good fortune to have been rescued by you from a similar fate. I am forever indebted to you, and Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Nayananatha who brought me to you so many years ago in Kolkata. You will always r...

On one occasion we were performing Vraj-mandal parikrama with our Guru Maharaj. When the parikrama reached Brahmanda Ghat, Guru Maharaj declared that Krishna Ballabh* is the future acharya . This is at the time when Maharaj had not even got sannyas . Also during his manifest pastimes, Guru Maharaj had given a letter to Pujyapad Jagamohan Prabhu wherein he had written that after his departure Tirtha Maharaj will be the acharya . I see Guru Maharaj’s full grace is upon Maharaj. From beginning to date I have observed from his conduct that he has never anytime criticized anybody before others. His life is always so pure, without a blemish. A long time ago someone in Assam asked Guru Maharaj that at present preaching is going on well, but in the future what will happen to the math ? I personally heard Guru Maharaj's reply that there is no cause for worry; after him, the preaching will be more widespread. Today it can be seen that Guruji’s desire is being fulfilled. The ...