Meeting Gauḍīya Maṭha devotees
During his time in college, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Hṛdaya Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja (then Śrī Narendra Bandopādhyāya) was an exceptionally bright college student, well liked by both teachers and students. He displayed a natural aptitude for drama and theatre, and because he had studied in an English medium school, he was fluent in English.
Śrī Narendra was his father’s tenth and youngest son and was also very dear to him. After he finished his collegiate studies, his father fell seriously ill, and due to this, some of the family moved from their village and rented an apartment in Gāṇdāriyā Pallī, Ḍhākā, where his father had been admitted to the hospital and was undergoing treatment. Soon after their move, however, Śrī Narendra became aloof from virtually all social activities. He suddenly found himself unconcerned for the affection of his family and friends. Instead, he nourished his increasingly growing compulsion to find a bona fide guru, perform kṛṣṇa-bhajana, and thereby make his life worthwhile.
Bhagavān makes all kinds of arrangements for those who sincerely seek after Him, and so around this time, as a result of his powerful bhakty-unmukhīsukṛti
Śrī Narendra somehow came in contact with the devotees of Śrī Madhva Gauḍīya Maṭha in Ḍhākā. There, Śrī Narendra heard about Śrīla Prabhupāda’s extraordinary glories, and before long, he decided to set out for Kolkata to have a glimpse of his holy feet on the pretext of picking up medicine for his father.
At Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha, Kolkata, Śrī Narendra Bandopādhyāya obtained the audience and inexhaustible affection of Śrīla Prabhupāda, whose powerful hari-kathā inspired him to begin a new life. He decided not to return to Ḍhākāat all, and instead arranged for someone to deliver his father’s medicine while he remained at the maṭha in Kolkata.
After further hearing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s hari-kathā for some days, Śrī Narendra Bandopādhyāya requested Śrīla Prabhupāda for harināma and mantra-dīkṣā. According to the verdict of the scriptures, both guru and disciplemust examine one another before establishing a formal relationship based on initiation. Therefore, before giving his sanction, Śrīla Prabhupāda examined Śrī Narendra by asking him to compose an article, in his own words, conveying some of what he had assimilated.
Śrī Narendra carefully wrote an essay titled Ātmīya Ke (Who is One’s Own). Although the word ātmīya is generally interpreted as relating to either the gross or subtle body, Śrī Narendra explained it in relation to the soul (ātmā). That Śrī Narendra Bandopādhyāya deeply understood such a grave subject matter in only a short time indicates he must have associated with sādhus either earlier in his current life or in previous lives, for it would have been otherwise impossible.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was so pleased by Śrī Narendra Bandopādhyāya’s essay that he had it published in his weekly Gauḍīya magazine (Year Two, Issue Forty-eight, 26 July, 1924). In this way, Śrī Narendra Bandopādhyāya passed his test. Shortly after, he received pāñcarātriki-dīkṣā from Śrīla Prabhupāda and became known as Śrī Nanda-sūnu Brahmacārī.
Once he received dīkṣā initiation from his śrī gurupāda-padma, Śrī Nanda-sūnu Brahmacārī constantly strived, at every moment, to adhere to the concept of viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā, performing intimate service to śrī guru without hesitation or reservation. Śrī Nanda-sūnu Brahmacārī was never seen diverting his attention from his efforts to serve Śrī Hari, guru and Vaiṣṇavas to indulgence in sense gratification, for even a second.
Preaching under Śrīla Prabhupāda’s guidance
29 January, 1925, the day of Śrī Viṣṇu-priyā devī’s appearance, a pilgrimage tour of Śrī Gauḍa-maṇḍala commenced under the guidance of Śrīla Prabhupāda. During the expedition, Śrīpāda Nanda-sūnu Brahmacārī spoke in many places as ordered by Śrīla Prabhupāda and executed countless other services for śrī guru and Vaiṣṇavas, thereby becoming the recipient of his śrīgurupāda-padma’s profuse love and affection. That year, on 4 September,1925, he acceptedtridaṇḍa-sannyāsa at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda and became known as tridaṇḍi-svāmī Śrīmad Bhakti Hṛdaya Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja.
One of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s cherished pursuits was to impart the message of pure devotion through the medium of his spiritual Sat-śikṣā Pradarśinī exhibitions. Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja was significantly involved in designing and decorating the exhibits in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, Kolkata, Ḍhākā, Paṭnā, Kāśī, Prayāga and Kurukṣetra. He was particularly involved in designing the dioramas of Śrī Govardhana and the sakhīs’ groves at Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa for an exhibition in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura.
Revealing the heart of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī after an indication from śrī guru
Every solar eclipse, hundreds ofthousands of people journey to Kurukṣetra to ritualistically take bath in Brahmā-sarovara, but the deep import of this ritual remains unknown to the vast majority of these pilgrims. Once, some time before such a solar eclipse, Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote a letter to Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahāṛāja in which he mentioned, “Śrīmatī Rādhīka will soon go to meet with Kṛṣṇa in Kurukṣetra, and so we have some service to perform there, as well.”
Although the message was short and cryptic, Śrīla Mahārāja understood that his śrī gurupāda-padma wanted him to manifest to the whole world a confidential pastime, which previously appeared in the heart of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī by the divine mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu. To this end, during a month-long local fair in Kurukṣetra, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja expertly created an exhibition with dioramas that beautifully depicted the following:
– Nanda Bābā meeting with all the senior Vrajavāsīs before a solar eclipse
– The Vrajavāsīs preparing to depart for Kurukṣetra
– The deep, dark forests they encountered on their journey being illuminated by the natural radiance of Śrī Rādhā’s
body, which protected them against the attacks of wild animals
– The Vrajavāsīs’ meeting with the Dvārakāvāsīs
– Nana Bābā and Mother Yaśodā’s tearful reunion with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who burrowed Himself so deeply into Yaśodā’s lap
that it appeared as if He were trying to merge into her
– Everyone’s bathing in Brahmā-sarovara on the day of the solar eclipse
– The queens of Dvārakās’ proposal to donate to Nārada Muni Kṛṣṇa’s weight in a precious substance during the solar
eclipse, and Nārada Muni’s condition that he will take Kṛṣṇa away with him should they be unable to match Kṛṣṇa’s
weight
– The queens of Dvārakās’ prideful acceptance of Nārada Muni’s proposal, followed by their inability to give him a sufficient amount of gold
– Their weeping at the thought of Nārada taking Kṛṣṇa away
– The advice of Mother Rohiṇī to bring all the gopīs, headed by Śrī Rādhā
– Śrī Rādhā replacing all the queens’ gold with a single tulasī leaf on which She had written the name ‘Kṛṣṇa’
– That tulasī leaf outweighing Śrī Kṛṣṇa, thus establishing that kṛṣṇa-nāma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself are non-different (it was the weight of the tulasī leaf that tipped the scale)
– Śrī Kṛṣṇa meeting with the gopīs in a secluded place on the pretext of falling ill, and their subsequent conversation
– Śrī Rādhā complaining to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His attempt to pacify Her
– The gopīs demonstrating the insignificance of opulence (aiśvarya) in the face of of sweetness (mādhurya)
– The weeping of Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa
– The gopīs pulling Kṛṣṇa in His chariot back to Vṛndāvana
– Śrīman Mahāprabhu manifesting the mood of Śrī Rādhā while dancing in front of Jagannātha’s chariot and ecstatically reciting a verse from a seemingly mundane poem:
yaḥ kaumāra-haraḥ sa eva hi varas tā eva caitra-kṣapās
te conmīlita-mālatī-surabhayaḥ prauḍhāḥ kadambānilāḥ
sā caivāsmi tathāpi tatra surata-vyāpāra-līlā-vidhau
revā-rodhasi vetasī-taru- tale cetaḥ samutkaṇṭhate
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 13.121)
He who has stolen away my youth is now my husband. These are the same moonlit nights in the month of Caitra, when we first met in our youth. The same breezes from the kadamba forest are blowing the same light, sweet fragrance from the blossoming mālatī flowers. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover. Nonetheless, myheart is longing for the amorous, love-laden play of our first meeting at the foot of the vetasītree on the bank of the river Revā.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī mentally composing a parallel verse that revealed the mood and intended meaning of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s poetic recitation:
priyaḥ so ’yaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ sahacari kuru-kṣetra-militas
tathāhaṁ sā rādhā tad idam ubhayoḥ saṅgama-sukham
tathāpy antaḥ-khelan-madhura-muralī-pañcama-juṣe
mano me kālindī-pulina-vipināya spṛhayati
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 1.76)
My dear friend, in this Kurukṣetra is that very same Śrī Kṛṣṇa who had secretly engaged in amorous pastimes with Me in Vṛndāvana. I am also the same Rādhā, and the happiness of our meeting is still the same. But nonetheless, My heart is yearning for that very forest of Vṛndāvana, situated on the banks of the Yamunā, where Śrī Kṛṣṇa used to continuously engage in pastimes and play the fifth note of His charming muralī flute.
– Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī later writing this verse on a palm leaf and keeping it in the thatched roof of his bhajana-kuṭīra
– Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s ecstasy upon finding and reading that verse, and His admittance that Rūpa Gosvāmī was able to understand His heart because He had previously blessed him in Prayāga
Next to each diorama, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja placed a brief description and also posted a devotee to further explain its depicted pastime. Śrīla Prabhupāda was highly pleased by this arrangement. All those who attended the exhibition were endlessly grateful to have learned the real purpose of visiting Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse.
It is exceedingly difficult for a disciple to understand the intentions of śrīguru, who, being a sincere follower of śrauta-vāṇī—the teachings of theVedas, which are often conveyed indirectly—relishes parokṣa-vāda, or indirect speech. Only his antaraṅga disciples are capable of understanding the true intended meanings of his words. The term antaraṅga, or ‘internal,’ refers to one who has proven himself to possess such firm faith that śrī gurudeva relies on him completely and, without hesitation, allows him to enter into the innermost chamber of his heart.
Because Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja was an intimate antaraṅga associate of Śrīla Prabhupāda, he understood the true meaning of his gurudeva’s mysterious instruction and was thus able to serve him in a way that fulfilled his heart’s desire.
His natural talent
Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja had a natural, God-gifted talent for public speaking, which flourished even more by the mercy of the venerable Śrīla Prabhupāda. He could speak without pause for hours on end in Bengali, Hindi, and English. Śrīla Prabhupāda awarded him with the title ‘Vāgmi-pravara,’ which means ‘the greatest of orators.’ Through his mastery of language and his deeply devotional lectures, he connected many people with Śrīla Prabhupāda. While delivering hari-kathā, his eyes would move continuously like a gramophone. He often spoke for hours on end, yet never suffered from issues with his throat, medical or otherwise, up to the very end of his life.
Carrying on his head the gracious blessings and orders of Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja constantly preached Śrī Śrī Guru-Gaurāṅga’s divine message of pure devotion across India—from the Bay of Bengal to the Indian Ocean to the Himalayas—with dauntless enthusiasm and total fearlessness. By Śrīla Prabhupāda’s boundless mercy, Śrīla Mahārāja assisted in establishing Gauḍīya Maṭha branches in various places in India, including Madras, Kabhūra (where Śrīman Mahāprabhu met Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda), Kāśī, Naimiṣāraṇya and Kurukṣetra, thereby rendering an invaluable service in propagating the teachings of Śrī Caitanya-deva.
Sending a worthy preacher
The message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu concerns jaiva-dharma, the innate propensity of all living entities, regardless of the country in which they happen to reside. Following the desire of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrīla Prabhupāda did not want the preaching of this message to be limited to India alone. Thus, he met with Śrī Rabindranath Tagore, who had recently returned to India after receiving a Nobel Prize in the West, and asked him, “In your opinion, to which Western country should we first send preachers to spread the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu?”
“None,” the poet replied. “Many unscrupulous persons who earlier visited these places to preach Vedic dharma have tarnished the image of sādhus. As a result, Westerners have lost faith in Indian saints.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda then explained to him Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s message, and in particular, made cutting remarks regarding the popular sects of the prākṛta-sahajīyas, or mundane sentimentalists who believe Śrī Bhagavān isattainable through material means. After attentively hearing everything, Śrī Rabindranath Tagore asked, “What exactly does the term prākṛta-sahajīya mean? I have never heard it, nor have I seen it in any dictionary.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda explained, “The word sahajiyā is a highly sacred term. It refers to those truly pure devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa whose hearts are filled with a spontaneous, unconditional love and affection for Him that does not depend on the statements of scriptures that glorify Him as Bhagavān. The eternally perfect residents of Vraja—like Śrī Nanda, Śrī Yaśodā, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and others —are shining examples of such sahajiyā devotees. Nowadays, many unqualified conditioned souls try to imitate the moods of these transcendental personalities by deceitfully imposing such moods on their own character. Therefore, I use this word, prākṛta-sahajiyā, to refer to such persons, because the prostitution of words—that is, grossly misrepresenting the true meanings of words in order to support one’s vested interests—has now become common practice. These days, the vast majority of people are incapable of understanding the actual imports of words, and so perversions of terminology often remain unchecked.”
Śrī Rabindranath Tagore, being captivated and moved by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s presentation of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy, said, “It is only if you yourself visit the Western countries that great success in preaching will be assured. Everyone will surely greet you with honor.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda replied, “If I choose to send someone, it will be someone equally as qualified as myself.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda was so proud of his worthy disciples’ accomplishments that he resolved to send them across the oceans to the West. Thus, he determined to send Śrīla Vana Mahārāja and my Guru Mahārāja (then Śrī Hayagrīva Brahmacārī), for in his opinion, their personal conduct and ability to deliver the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as presented by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura mirrored that of his own. However, Guru Mahārāja was prevented from going to the West, not only because he was needed in India for his expertise in preaching and his ability to maintain Śrīla Prabhupāda’s maṭhas through collecting sizable donations, but also because some of ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s disciples felt his effulgent, youthful beauty made him a target for the affection of Western women, who had no understanding or appreciation of the celibacy of Indian sādhus. Thus, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Pradīpa Tīrtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja was sent in his stead.
Renouncing even renunciation for the service of Śrīman Mahāprabhu
Śrīla Prabhupāda once asked Śrī Kuñjabihārī Vidyābhuṣaṇa Prabhu to buy an expensive pair of shoes for Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who out of his natural renunciation never wore footwear during his stay in the maṭha. Śrī Kuñjabihārī Prabhu then brought those shoes—which cost thirty-two rupees, a considerable expense at that time—to Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja with an instruction from Śrīla Prabhupāda to appear before him wearing those shoes. When Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja abided by this instruction and came before him wearing the shoes, Śrīla Prabhupāda declared, “Today your renunciation has achieved perfection, because you have renounced even your renunciation for the service of Śrīman Mahāprabhu.”
Preaching in England and Germany
During Śrīla Prabhupāda’s previously-mentioned conversation with Śrī Rabindranath Tagore, Śrī Rabindranath Tagore suggested, “If you are going to send your preachers to foreign countries, it would be best for them to first go to Germany, not England. This is because the German people are interested in our Vedic Indian Philosophy, whereas the English have a superiority complex toward us. They consider us their subjects and feel we are inferior to them in every respect. They will not listen to your preachers, nor will they appreciate their message.”
When Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned this to Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrīla Mahārāja told him, “We must first preach where there is more difficulty. It is only when we are successful there that we will move on to places where success is inevitable. I do not wish to waste the wealth of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s service on mere sightseeing.”
Appreciating his view, Śrīla Prabhupāda first sent him to England, and later to Germany. In England, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja preached the message of Śrīman Mahāprabhu at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Exeter, as well as at various establishments in London. At Oxford, he was invited to speak for just fifteen minutes, but in that brief period, he so impressed his audience that he was invited to Buckingham Palace to address the royal assembly there.
With the grace and permission of Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja established the London Gauḍīya Mission Society, and the Secretary of State for India, Lord Zetland, attended the inaugural ceremony as chairman. A number of affluent members of London high society, being deeply interested in the notion of a true religion, initiated correspondence with Śrīla Prabhupāda and posed various questions to him. The London Gauḍīya Mission Society’s main topics of discussion were Śrīla Prabhupāda’s answers, which arrived weekly in London by airmail.
When Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja wanted to preach in Germany, he was advised against speaking in English due to political tensions. He was given the option to speak either in his native language through a German translator, or directly in German. Thus, Śrīla Mahārāja opted to learn German, which he accomplished in only six months, after which he composed two books in German. As in London, his preaching in Germany met with great success. He delivered addresses at universities in Königsberg, Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin and Munich, and was even invited to speak in cities in other countries, including Prague, Vienna and Paris, where he was given special regard by His Majesty the former Kaiser of Germany.
Upon Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s return to India in December of 1936, he was honored and celebrated by many distinguished Indian intellectuals of the time. He brought with him two German devotees who were eager to take shelter of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lotus feet. One of these individuals later became known as Śrīpāda Sadānanda Svāmī. Thus, it was due to Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s preaching efforts that Śrīla Prabhupāda commenced the initiation of Westerners into Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava dharma.
Preaching in universities and colleges
Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja was the first of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples —and possibly the first person in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—to preach in universities and colleges. He considered that if young people were to accept the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then others would automatically accept it. This technique was later adopted by many Vaiṣṇava ācāryas.
He was invited several times by various universities in the West to expound the specialty of śrī bhāgavata-dharma, the religion of worshipping the Supreme Lord, as described in the Vedic canon. The prominent feature of his preaching was that he established the unparalleled specialty of India’s Vedic philosophy, specifically what was preached and practiced by Śrīman Mahāprabhu.
Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja travelled to America twice. First, in 1939, where he preached extensively across the East Coast, delivering lectures on Śrī Gaura’s message in the cities of New York, Boston, Stockbridge, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, and eventually made his way to Chicago in the Midwest. After this, he went to Japan and returned to India via Hong Kong. In 1960, he went to West Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and various other places. Later, between 1974 and 1975, he again visited America to propound the glories of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s philosophy.
His translation of Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu was accepted as a thesis by universities in America and Sweden, where he was awarded honorary doctorates in literature and divinity, respectively.
To train the youth of Vraja about Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy, specifically Śrī Caitanya-deva’s acintya-bhedābheda-tattva—the inconceivable principle of simultaneous oneness and difference between the Supreme Lord and all that exists—he went to great lengths to establish the Institute of Oriental Philosophy in Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana, as well as a primary school on the banks of Śrī Pāvana-sarovara in Śrī Nandagrāma. Originally, he gave the Institute of Oriental Philosophy the name ‘Vaiṣṇava Theological University,’ but for various reasons, he was compelled to change it.
His prolific literary contribution
After Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disappearance, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja lived somewhat independently and focused on writing several books in English, Bengali and Hindi, which included Vaikuṇṭha-pathe (On the Path tothe Spiritual Realm), My First Year in England, Viraha-vedanā (The Pain of Separation), Geeta as a Chaitanyaite Reads It, Shree Chaitanya, The Search, My Lectures in England, and his translation of Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Healso published the quarterly English magazine Indian Philosophy and Culture.
During most of 1938, he lived in Ayodhya, studying the Vedas under the guidance of a scholar of the Yajur-veda. There, he wrote a book in Bengali called Vedera-paricaya (An Introduction to the Vedas).
The sons of Sarasvatī
Once, I went with a group of devotees to Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s maṭha in Vṛndāvana to have his darśana, but upon our arrival, we learned hewas unwell. Just as I was about to depart after paying my respects outside his door, Śrīla Mahārāja called me inside. He was a bit displeased that I was ready to leave without first seeing him. I explained, “I did not want to bother you, since you are feeling unwell. I heard that your doctor has advised you to speak as little as possible.”
Śrīla Mahārāja replied, “Must I simply lay in bed and count the beams on the ceiling? Am I not to speak with the Vaiṣṇavas? We are sarasvatī-putra, the sons of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhakura. As long as we are speaking hari-kathā, we feel healthy. It is when we are cheated of that opportunity that wetruly feel ill. So, do you want me to be healthy or sick?
“Furthermore, the doctors of this world may prescribe us many instructions for our physical wellbeing, but we wish to follow the instructions of śrī guru, the doctor concerned for our spiritual wellbeing, who mentioned, ‘No harm can come to one who properly takes the type of ‘food’ that nourishes the soul. But one who avoids or takes an inadequate amount of such ‘food,’ and instead concerns himself with nourishing only the gross and subtle bodies, invites sickness in the truest sense. Unfortunate is the day that we do not receive the chance to hear or speak hari-kathā, which is the soul’s sustenance. Nityaṁbhāgavata-sevayā, the daily service of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is one of theprimary limbs of bhakti.’ ”
His love and respect for Guru Mahārāja
Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja was the chairman of the memorial assembly held after Guru Mahārāja’s disappearance. He wept the entire time he spoke, so much so that his speech was virtually incomprehensible. However, through the tears, he managed to say, “Although Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja was junior to many of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples, it was he who followed Śrīla Prabhupāda’s example fully, in both his preaching and conduct. The rest of us have made small adjustments and changes along the way, but Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja never displayed such a tendency for change for even a single moment, neither in his personal conduct nor his preaching.”
When Guru Maharaja disappeared from the world, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja gave me many instructions on how to perform the samādhi ceremony. He told me that the size of the samādhi should be one-and-one-quarter the size of the body of the recipient of samādhi; that prior to covering the body with earth and salt, one must cover the body, including the head and face, with a new saffron-colored cloth, so that the earth does not directly touch the body; and that the location of the samādhi should be an adequate distance from the road, so that it need not be moved if by chance the municipality tries to acquire part of the maṭha’s property in order to widen the road.
Firm faith in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s guidance amid discomfort
In 1978, on the occasion of the first vyāsa-pūjā of Śrīla Prabhupāda to be celebrated at his appearance place in Purī, I was given the responsibility of arranging accommodations for all the invited devotees. I arranged two places for Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, so as to provide him with an alternative option. One was a rather poor room in our Śrī Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha, which at the time consisted of an old building that had been acquired with the purchase of the land, and the other was a decent room with suitable amenities in Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Kumuda Santa Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s maṭha. Naturally, disregarding any consideration of material comfort, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja preferred to stay at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s birthplace. “Who knows how long I will stay in this material world?” he told me. “I may never again receive the opportunity to return to this place. It is better to stay where my spiritual master appeared and performed his childhood pastimes. I shall stay here, the place Śrīla Prabhupāḍa decorated with his lotus feet.”
Hearing his decision to stay in our maṭha, I quickly constructed a private latrine for him in only one night, using coconut leaves and a heavy rainproof cloth for the roof. Although the facilities in our maṭha were quite meager, Śrīla Mahārāja happily tolerated everything, thus demonstrating the depth of his guru-niṣṭhā.
It was Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja who performed the ārati and all other aspects of the vyāsa-pūjā celebrations. During hari-kathā that evening, he said, “It will be a matter of great delight if, from now onward, the followers of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Gosvāmī Prabhupāda continue to gather and celebrate his vyāsa-pūjā here and his tirobhāva-mahostava at his samādhi-mandira in Māyāpura.”
Śrīla Mahārāja’s desire is now being fulfilled; annual festivals celebrating Śrīla Prabhupāda’s appearance and disappearance days are held at these locations in Śrī Purī-dhāma and Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, respectively.
Love for and dedication to his deities
Before leaving this world, Śrīla Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja constructed his own samādhi, so as to not trouble anyone or elicit any sort of service from his godbrothers or disciples. Additionally, he had a strong desire to remain close to the deities he established. He therefore feared that his disciples or godbrothers may choose to place him in some other location. For this reason, he arranged everything himself, thus exhibiting the extent of his dedication to and love for his deities.
1 Spiritual fortune that leads one toward the path of bhakti.
