Praṇamāmi Guru Tīrtha Padaṁ

Dear Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaja, Please accept my most humble obeisances and all glories to your most revered Gurudev, Om Vishnupad 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhava Goswami Maharaj, and all glories to His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad 108 Sri Srimad Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You are a first-class Vaishnava and one of those who inspire thousands around the world to follow the footsteps of the Sri  Pancha Tattva and the chanting of the Mahamantra Hare Krishna. I have known Your Divine Grace since 1999 and it has been a big fortune for me to see how you and our Guru Maharaj Srila Jayapataka Swami meet and work together, to make the Holy dham and the Vaishnava community better, in tune with the orders of both of your revered Gurudevas. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Maharaja. At your Gurudeva's ashram, our Gurumahar...

During Jhulan festival in Vrindavan, Guru Maharaj was speaking Harikatha in the evening. Suddenly an unknown saint quietly came and sat down to hear Guruji’s Harikatha. He looked like a sanyassi but he was not carrying a tridanda. Guruji did not recognize him. He inquired about the saint and arranged to get him a seat. Guruji explained that out of fear of an offense, he had to arrange a seat for the saint. In this way, there was a break to his Harikatha. Guru Maharaj then spoke about a similar instance that occurred during the time of Param Gurudev and also advised us to be cautious by always giving respect to others. He told us that we need to give special attention to our devotional practices. If we do not give attention to respecting others, then our devotional practices will be destroyed. Not only this, Guru Maharaj does not even consider his own disciples as disciples, but as friends. Therefore in his conversations, he addresses them very respectfully. Having great regard for...

Whenever any question arises in my mind for which I wish to seek an answer from Guru Maharaj, just by sitting in front of him and without having to ask, the answer to the question is often received. Once when Guru Maharaj was in Bhatinda, there was a discussion in our house to ask Guru Maharaj whether his coming to math was by running away from home or was it with the permission of parents.   While thinking so when we reached Guruji’s room we saw that Pandieji and his wife from Jalandhar were sitting.    Pandeji’s wife was crying because their son Bhagavan Das Prabhu had become math-vasi.   As a mother, she felt that  if he stays at home then it is good.   Srila Gurudev convincingly told her that there is no reason for her crying and that he had come for the Supreme Lord’s service only.   He continued, " Even I came to math running away from home," and he told his story in detail. —Partha Sarati Das (Om Prakash Lumba) Chaitanya Sandesh July-...

Most Revered Srila Gurudev, by His causeless mercy, encouraged me and my wife Bosudha Dasi to travel with Him to different places in India on his preaching tour at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. After touring North India and Assam we came to Kolkata in Dec. 2010.  At the beginning of January 2011, there was an ongoing discussion among Srila Gurudeva's sevak team whether Srila Gurudev would be going to Chakdaha Jagannath temple for the annual festival or not as it was very cold there at that time. I was also afraid to go because I had just recovered from illness. One day, after Srila Gurudev's Tulsi parikrama, He was going towards His bhajan kutir and looking at my wife He asked her: "We will go to Chakdaha?" My wife responded that it depends on You (Gurudev).  Gurudev smiled and then pointing at me He said: "Everything depends on him (me). We will go?"  I replied that I heard it is cold but that it depends on You (Gurudev).  Then G...

Srila Gurudeva has no enmity towards anybody. We have never seen feelings of hostility towards any human being or towards animals in him.   Whenever Guruji’s assistants put "good night" machine (for killing mosquitoes) in Guruji’s room, he would invariably express his disapproval of it.   He always uses a mosquito net so that not even small insects also face any difficulty. His efforts are always in this regard. One time being troubled very much by cockroach menace I went to Guruji to take advice as to how I can get rid of them without committing sin.  Guruji told me that every action has a reaction and its reaction I have to necessarily suffer.   Guruji then said, “Sprinkle turmeric power and they run away.”    Guruji’s vision itself is merciful, so he does not carry the feeling like this is good, that is bad .   He loves all equally.   —Purushottam Das Sekhari (Punjab) Translated from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Sandesh July-Oct, 1997 (Yea...

When asked about chanting one lakh, Srila Guru-Maharaj would usually say, eka - laksana , with a one-pointed quality you should chant, from the core of your heart. One name is enough to attract Krishna. This, of course, doesn't mean to neglect our sankhya . Gurudev had asked at least one devotee to chant one lakh, but these occasions were exceptional. Like Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhar Maharaj, he put more emphasis on quality.  In Govardhan , I once asked Sri Aniruddha Prabhu how he developed taste for chanting. His eyes lit up, and he told me, how once in our Chandigarh math, he noticed how Srila Tirtha Maharaj would suddenly disappear each afternoon. So, when seeing him climb the stairs one afternoon, he followed him at a distance. He saw how he disappeared in an empty room and went closer. He heard how he started calling out the Maha-mantra very loudly, until his voice broke due to weeping in ecstasy. "This was the moment I attained nama - ruci !" Aniruddha Prabhu...

Among all the brothers and sisters, Mahārāja was of a completely different nature right from his birth. He used to be absorbed in divine feelings, limited in speaking, simple, gentle, grave, straightforward, detached from material objects, and had no interest in material enjoyment. It could be easily understood from his activities that he is not a person of this material world. He would never argue with elders. Even if he was not at fault, he would not show any disagreement with them. He would quietly listen to their chastisement. In this manner, he was highly obedient and devoted to the elderly. He was also equally affectionate and caring for the younger kids; he would guide us and correct our mistakes immediately.  The elders said he would quietly listen with his head down as they spoke. He would neither speak in a raised voice nor raise his head in front of them. Not only that, he would not tolerate anybody disrespecting elders. He would immediately discipline us whenever we...