Praṇamāmi Guru Tīrtha Padaṁ

During the period of Kārtik observation, Gurudev had inaugurated the guest house at Goalpara. Bhakti Sarvasva Trivikram Mahārāj of Bhakti Saranga Gosvāmī's maṭh was also present there and Gurudev led him to the forefront and also asked him to speak hari-kathā on that occasion. He spoke on the necessity of hari-bhajan in human life. This also shows how Gurudev would give respect to his elders. In 1997 Guru Mahārāj took the whole group of devotees and came to Krishnai, a small town near Goalpara near the Krishnai river. Earlier one  brahmacārī of our maṭh had come and requested Gurujī to come to his āśram in Krishnai. To fulfill his desire, Gurujī made this trip to Krishnai. We all went there by bus. His āśram  was quite small with a narrow pathway leading to it, about two and a half kilometers from the Krishnai town. It was in the middle of the fields without a single house in the vicinity.  When we all reached there it was afternoon time. While returning Gurujī...

When I went with my mother for Gurudev's darśan for the first time, my mother told Gurudev that I wished to take initiation from him and that I am already wearing tilak and kāntikar . Then Gurudev told the following verse: harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā  -Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi, 7.76 [In kaliyuga there is no other way no other way no other way, except chanting of the Holy Name.] Whenever I came to meet Guru Mahārāj I saw many devotees enthusiastically coming and wanting to meet Guru Mahārāj, they had a great desire to see him and wait for when the door of his bhajan k uṭir   would open. After darśan , all of us would feel very happy. So I was very curious to know what is so special about him and later when I came in his presence he attracted me so much. I started to realize what charm and attraction he has, then I also developed the desire to take hāriṇam and dīkṣā from him. Mayapur parikramā is a very happ...

Everybody who joins Mahāprabhu’s movement eventually takes shelter of śri guru . I asked about whose shelter I should take and what are my duties? Devotees told me not to think much, just take shelter and receive initiation from my local temple. It seemed that they did not give it much thought.  In my case, I insisted on seeking the best, topmost spiritual master.  I went to Śri Rūpa Sanātana Gauḍīya Maṭh in Vṛndāvana. I prayed there to the Lord that I am helpless, please at least let me know whose shelter I should take.  As soon as I paid obeisances and started to leave, a brahmacārī came to me, I did not know him nor did he know me. He said, "You should take initiation. Śrīmad Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāj is a Mahābhāgavat Vaiṣṇava .   I was very happy, maybe that was Krishna's will. I found a website run by our maṭh .  There I read about the glorification of Gurujī by a prominent vaiṣṇava and I was impressed.  That was the moment when I ...

One day I went and offered praṇāms to Gurudev, he gave Śri Śri Caitanya-caritāmṛita  in my hands and said, " You can do harikathā ." It was a long time ago when I was a young brahmacārī . I said I do not know how to do kathā . Then Gurudev said, ' This is a Bangla grantha, can't you read Bangla? So you read this ." Another time he gave me an order when we were in Jalandhar on pracar. Rasbihari Prabhu had arranged for Gurudev's programs in Jammu, but the first two days overlapped with the programs fixed in Pathankot.  Gurudev called and told me, " Now you have to go to Jammu with Mishra jī and take along with you Dinabandhu Prabhu for kīrtans . There will be a program for seven days and for two days you have to do kathā and then I will come and continue for the next five days ." I was still a brahmacārī and had never spoken kathā in Hindi in any sabhā ; I used to read Bangla scriptures. I started getting heart palpitations.  We went with Mishrajī...

I will narrate an incident I heard from Gurudev's mouth. When the maṭh was in Rasbihari Avenue, (before Kalighat) one brahmacārī who was a mṛdaṅga player would pester another sevāk in the maṭh saying, "Why do you do so much sevā ? What is the need? Come let us roam in the city."  The maṭh sevāk replied,  "I like to perform sevā ; I feel good by serving." But the mṛdaṅga player would persist, saying, "You are simply engaging in useless sevā , what is the necessity of so much sevā , do you have your children here?" One day the aggrieved sevāk informed our Gurudev that the brahmacārī bothers him repeatedly telling him not to do sevā and says, "See me, I play mṛdaṅga and then I am free to wander in the city and you slog like a fool whole day." Gurudev got angry and said, "He will enter into material life, how dare this wicked fellow hinder you from service?" There cannot be any dosh (mistake) in the words of a saint, such as G...

When Our Tirtha Mahārāj when came to the maṭha , he would do so much hāriṇam and he gave up eating and became mad chanting while shedding tears. Then Gurujī [Śrīla Bhakti Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāj] engaged him in sevā and he performed it with such dedication.  He underwent so much trouble and attended so many court cases to reclaim Prabhupad's birthplace at Jagannath Purī.  When I was in Kolkata I had seen that he went into the kitchen and did all the cooking when the cook was not available, and he also personally cleaned the vessels when the necessity arose.   He considered all sevās are guru-sevā , whether cleaning the lavatory, doing arcanā , preparing rotis , or sweeping the floor— all are guru-sevā; no sevā is big or small. Without thoughts like this, one cannot become a guru, one cannot do bhajan .   We are narrow-minded, we are not simple-hearted or open-hearted. Only the simple-hearted can understand Mahāprabhu's teachings.  With d...

The following is a continuation of this last post (same speaker, next day): Yesterday we remembered how much Guru Mahārāj gave emphasis on the words of Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur. He used to say if having come to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava world we do not follow Śrila Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, his vani , his scriptures, and his songs, then everything is useless (meaning all our efforts are futile).  In the early 1980s, Guruji was in Bathinda for a house program in one of our god-brother's homes that was a little far from our place and I also went there. As the program was ending,  Śri  Bhakti Prasād Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāj told me, " Now Guru Mahārāj will go to your place ."  I was taken by surprise as there were no preparations for his welcome at all, but still, I said it's fine and came home. My god-brothers came running and helped me a lot. Guru Mahārāj got all necessary arrangements made within a few minutes. I was left spellbound.  When Guru Mahārāj arrived he stood at ...