Praṇamāmi Guru Tīrtha Padaṁ

I met Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaja many times around the world when he was traveling in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Some of the places I met him were San Francisco, Russia, Singapore, and UK. I consider His Divine Grace to be one of the most exalted sanyassis of the modern era who distributed the vani of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu throughout the world. He is also one of the most profound kirtaniyas of Gaura kirtan. When he led kirtan with hundreds of devotees, He was like a volcano of divine energy. His lectures were always full of perfect siddhantic authority and profound realization, utterly heart captivating. I feel so blessed to have had his divine association and I consider him to be one of my prominent siksa gurus. All glories to His effulgent Lotus Feet. —Sripad Bhaktivedanta Padmanabha Maharaj, USA (disciple of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, siksa disciple of Srila Bhakti Rakshak Shridar Goswami Maharaj and sanyass disciple of Srila B...

This incident dates back to the time when Gurudev Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj was present in person. We had gone to a far off village some distance away from Calcutta, accompanying Srila Gurudev. After the spiritual assembly was over, Gurudev and the other Vaishnavas came back to the place where they were staying. Everybody saw that suddenly an insane person, whose body was covered with dirt and who was wearing only two pieces of clothes which were badly torn. His poor body appeared like a skeleton. He was about to enter the gate and the security guard of the dharamsala pushed him out.  This mentally disordered person was unable to speak, started to weep and later on went away. Sometime in the evening that person again entered the dharamsala through a small gate and straight away went inside Gurudeva's room. When we saw that, we all rushed in there to bring him out. But when reaching the room, we saw that the mad person in an extremely humble tone was weeping ...

This is a very old incident. I was with Guruji at a preaching engagement in Saharanpur. One day, Guru Maharaj unexpectedly entered my room and said, “What are you doing sitting idle here? We have taken some land in Vrindavan. Shouldn’t there be some construction there?” “What should I do?” I asked. “Go out and collect some donations for that purpose. I have heard that there is a rich lady living nearby who is very charitable. Go and meet her,” said Guruji. I was not a person who would wander about. Hence I did not know who lived where. “Who is the lady that Guru Maharaj mentioned and where does she live?” Then I remembered that Vijay Krishna Prabhu, who was with us, was interested in moving about. He would surely have found out some information about the city. I approached Vijay Krishna Prabhu and conveyed to him what Guruji had told me earlier. I asked if he knew the lady that Guruji was talking about. “Yes. Yes. Why not? I know her house also,” Vijay Krishna Prabhu said. ...

In Gokul Mahavan in 1993 the deities were damaged. This news reached Srila Gurudeva at Pathankot where he was stationed then.   After hearing the news, without showing any external instability and keeping his pain suppressed within his heart, he consulted some Vaishnavas and sent them to Gokul.    Later after sometime when He came to Gokul Mahavan from Jammu, He saw all the damaged deities and remained completely silent. After that, he came to the assembly hall and began to sing Sri Narasimha prayers. He could not contain his pain and cried out so loudly that it seemed like the whole universe would break. Hearing the sound of those cries, the hearts of all present there were stirred.    No one would cry so much, even in separation grief from loved ones or relatives as much as Srila Guru Maharaj cried in separation grief from the Supreme Lord, and went on telling that due to my offenses Supreme Lord has deprived me of His service.   —Swarup Damodar ...

Sri Guru Maharaj is a storehouse of positive qualities.   The magnitude of his forbearance cannot be explained in words.   All  24 hours of the day he is engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord.   I have never seen anger on his face anytime.   Guruji speaks to all who go to his room with so much affection that every person feels that Guruji spoke in a very special way to him.   Every person comes out of his room after darshan in a blissful mood.   This tolerance and patience he exhibits cannot be seen in any ordinary soul.   Sometimes speaking Harikatha it will be 12 o’clock. at night.   After Harikatha, Srila Guru Maharaj has to remain in the same place for quite some time because devotees block his way while doing pranam.   Such times he is seen to be very patient.   I have never seen him forcibly lift his feet and move forward during these times.   I have no words to say to describe his patience. In 1997 in Sri...

A lady came to meet Srila Gurudev while he was in Chandigarh. She requested to speak to him without others around. She told us she was very unhappy and was thinking about committing suicide. I told her that Gurudev would not like this and we gave her a chance to meet him. She was asked to stand in the end of the que for prasad and when her turn came, I told Guru Maharaj that this lady wanted to speak to him. She was very distressed and she told him, "My in-laws trouble me so much. They constantly curse me, and I want to die. Gurudev then replied, "Did your in-laws push you from the hilltop? Did they push you in the fire?" She responded,  "No Gurudeva.  They only speak these terrible things and I cannot bear it." Srila Gurudev continued, "Prahlad Maharaj was troubled so much. He was pushed from a hilltop, drowned in the ocean, kicked by an elephant, pushed into a fire— still, he did not disrespect his father. By your karma, you have got such a husban...

It is worth noting that in the 1960's, when His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj was still known as Sri Krsna Ballabh Brahmacari, He met His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktvedanta Svami Prabhupada at the Damodar Mandir in Vrindavana. At that time, Srila Prabhupada delineated His plan to go and preach in the West, and asked Sri Krsna Ballabh Brahmacari to accompany Him. Sri Krsna Ballabh Brahmacari explained, with great humility and deference, that He could not do so, as He had the instructions of His own Guru Maharaj to follow, along with many responsibilities deputed to Him within His own Math. In 1997, Srila Gurudeva's siksa guru, His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Paramhamsa 108 Sri Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvami Maharaj, gave Him the order to go to the West, as He Himself could not make the journey. He was advised to continue preaching to the western world the message of Divine Love of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as put into motion by His predecessor, A. C. Bhakt...