Praṇamāmi Guru Tīrtha Padaṁ

Puru Prabhu insisted that I meet Srila Gurudev. I was reluctant because of the long lines.  He cut to the front of the line, embarrassing me greatly, as this is forbidden in the West.  I offered my obeisances and Puru introduced me.  I had a camera and I asked him if I could take a picture.  He asked me, how I could see him? The soul is 1/10,000 the tip of a hair!   I was mortified. Then a nice brahmachari reached out to me and grabbed my camera and took a shot.   —Bhutabhavana Das (Director and co-founder of the Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library)

There are many incidents where I have felt Srila Gurudev's extraordinary spiritual powers. I will narrate one incident: Once during the month of May, residents of Hyderabad were suffering from the most severely high temperature. Srila Gurudev visited Hyderabad along with the prachar party during that period. The moment he entered the vicinity of Hyderabad the hottest climate changed into the coolest. It was his glory that we all got relieved from the heat. It was a miracle. It was his blessings to the entire population of Hyderabad City. I pray to your lotus feet that forgive my offenses and shower me blessings so that I can spend my life serving Guru, Vaishnavas, and Sri Hari. —Krishnasaran Das, Hyderabad

Srila Puri Goswami Maharaj, in his letter of blessings to Srila Gurudev to go abroad, addressed him as “Pujyapad Madhav Maharajer sneh-dhanya putra” which means son of Pujyapad Madhav Maharaj endowed with his loving affection. These are words used by such an exalted Vaishnava like Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj. Srila Puri Goswami Maharaj used to invite all the devotees of our math to Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math for Prasad during Mayapur parikrama. Srila Gurudev would take devotees to that math. Before our Gurudev and devotees reached, Srila Puri Goswami Maharaj called his sevaks and instructed them: “Today, all devotees from Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math will come here for prasadam. Make nice arrangements for them. Tirtha Maharaj will come. His welcome should be very grand. All of you welcome him by performing kirtan with mrdanga and kartal.” Srila Puri Goswami Maharaj is an associate of Srila Prabhupad. What an example he has set for us to follow. When his sevaks to...

Our Gurudev became an acharya in 1969— for almost 39 years he has been Acharya; such a long period, not even Prabhupad's disciples had been acharyas that long, mostly their acharya service was about 10-20 years.   Our Gurudev is like Bhagavan.    Scriptures describe about Bhagavan's amando daya . Upanishads say Bhagavan's mercy is amando ; there is nothing manda , diminishing, no decrease, deficit, or inadequacy—no fault in that mercy.    Bhagavan is like that, and all things related to him are sarva akarshit : attracting all, living and non-living.    Bhagavan's name, qualities, form, pastimes are all giving bliss to everyone ( sarvananda dayak ) and are also all-attracting ( sarva-akarshaniya ).   Our Guruji is also like that.   In earlier days, we saw our Guruji's smile was like a mirror—so clear and transparent; it would make people forget all their miseries. If they had any questions within their mind, they would get answers in his...

I heard one incident from Bhagavat Maharaj. Tirtha Maharaj always used to remain absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Lord. In Tezpur Math, there was a well. The residents of our Math, as well as another family, used to draw water from that. One day Maharaj was drawing water from the well and water from his bucket accidentally fell in the bucket of a woman belonging to that family. She was an atheist and hostile towards Vaishnavs. She started shouting at Maharaj while speaking abusive words. Guru Maharaj [Sri Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhava Goswami Maharaj] heard this and thought: she is speaking ill to such a person who is a life-long celibate and dedicated. What is his mistake that she is shouting at him? When Maharaj returned, Guru Maharaj asked: Krishna Ballabh, what happened? Maharaj replied:  Nothing has happened. So many abusive words were spoken to him, but none of them reached his ears. If someone speaks such ill words to us, we would have counteracted by abusing even ...

When Guru Maharaj came out to offer water Tulasi ji, he used to take the darshan of the bhog offering to the Lord, seeing it from the balcony on the first-floor corridor. He could not get Thakurji's direct darshan from that angle, but he could see the offerings placed on the floor in front of them. When he saw their offering plates, he would say, Oh! Today there’s a very nice offering to God. He would be extremely pleased. Later he would remark, But I cannot honor that prasad, what to do? Pure devotees relish prasad just by the sight of it, for they have no enjoying tendency. They want to relish it, they have that particular consciousness. On particular festival days like Lord's appearance day, anniversary festivals, etc. he would make a point of requesting us to bring prasad directly from Thakurji's plate. Even if we had his plate ready (from what was separately prepared for him separately due to his special diet) he would not eat that unless we first gave him som...

Those persons who advent from the transcendental world to this material world as spiritual preceptors (acaryas) have certain symptoms. We cannot call anyone as Bhagavan (Supreme Lord). There are certain symptoms of the Supreme Lord mentioned in the scriptures. In the same manner, one who is an Acharya will exhibit symptoms from his very childhood. I heard from Maharaj's younger brother and sister that he was very detached since his childhood. In spite of being good at studies, he never wasted his time. His renunciation was such that he never demanded clothes for himself and was satisfied with whatever was given to him by his father. When our Guru Maharaj [Sri Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj] went to preach in Goalpara, he got his audience first at the house of Radha Mohan Prabhu who was the Godbrother of my Gurumaharaj and a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. As an iron gets attracted by a magnet, he got attracted by Guru Maharaj. After seeing him, his detachment towa...