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Showing posts from June, 2017

He is Giving Light Everywhere...

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Afternoons here are very hot these days, and Srila Gurudev will speak the glories of Sun almost everyday. One day in the afternoon after watering Sri Tulsi tree, touching Her leaves and twigs with His soft hands, and offering obeisances to Her, Srila Gurudev glanced mercifully over the balcony upon the passersby. While proceeding towards His room with a smile on His face, He said, "Sun loves all. He is giving light everywhere without charging us." A few days previously He had said, "Don't become angry by seeing Sun. Pay your respects." —Sripad Bhakti Suhrid Paramadavati Maharaj (extracted from archives on SCGM mailing list)

His Loving Presence is Offered Freely

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In the summer of 1991, when I was still a young girl, I made my first memorable trip to India with my older sister Rukmini Devi dasi, and my late mother, Smt. Devamayi Devi dasi. We almost immediately went to Jagannath Puri with our mother's Pishi, the late Smt. Aruna Didi, a dear and loving disciple of Srila Gurudev, Sri Srimad Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, and her friend LakkhiDi. It was on Jagannath Puri Ratha Yatra Parikrama that I first got real darshan of both Srila Gurudev Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj and Srila Guru Maharaj Sri Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami. (I try to respectfully refer to Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami as “Srila Guru Maharaj” and Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj as “Srila Gurudev”.) I still remember Srila Gurudev, Srila Guru Maharaj, and Sri Srimad Bhakti Kumud Santa Maharaj all sitting together, very affectionately, doing very enthusiastic kirtan in Gundicha Mandir’s courtyard. It almost seems like a dream now. My father, Ras

His Appreciation of Akhanda-Guru-Tattva

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If I would have to name five teachings of Srila Guru-Maharaj I value the most, then one of them would be his teaching of akhanda-guru-tattva, especially in relation to Srila Rupa Goswami. Akhanda-guru-tattva means that Sri Guru is always unlimited and comes to us not only in one, but in unlimited forms. Guru is not limited to our diksa Guru. Our most important Guru may not be our diksa Guru, but a siksa Guru. In one lecture, Srila Gurudev explained, that although Srila Narottam Das Thakura’s Guru was Lokanath Goswami, in his “Sri Rupa Manjari Pada”, he reveals that his eternal Guru is Srila Rupa Goswami, who is Sri Rupa Manjari in Krishna-lila. The way Srila Guru-Maharaj was relating this topic felt as if he was indicating his disciples to follow in the footsteps of Narottam Das Thakur. This teaching entered deep into my heart and I was thirsting to at least hear more about realization of such akhanda-guru-tattva. Then, in 2011, I planned to shortly go to Malaysia to get a new v

It is By Krishna's Desire That He Enters a House

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In late June 2002, this Vaisnava Thakur came to this house of mine without any pre-planning, giving us just about two days notice. I was in London on business when I got this call from Singapore asking if we could receive him on about the 25th. I was aware of Maharaj but just barely because I had been to Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math and stayed a couple of times in the mid 1990s; in fact my first darshan of HDG Srila Bhaki Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj was at that math but HDG Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj was not there each time.  Since I couldn't be back until the following day, the 26th, I called my wife Gopini to ask her if she could receive him. She was ever ready and made necessary arrangements with maybe 10 devotees, mostly family members. Maharaj and his party were staying at Sri Laxmi Narayan Temple. My son Radharaman went to fetch them. It was a long and rather wild drive through undeveloped kampong (Malaysian village) that got Maharaj wondering where Krishna was tak

He Was Not Made an Acharya Due to His Education, But Because of His Surrender

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Once when a court case was going on for our Puri Math (we subsequently won,) Param Gurudev and Guruji were in Guwahati. Param Gurudev told Guruji to go immediately to Jagannath Puri. He bought the ticket and was about to leave, he had a water bottle whose handle was broken. Guruji took a rope made of coir, tied it to the bottle and hung it on his shoulder. When Param Gurudev saw this he exclaimed, “You are traveling by air like this!” He is such a renounced person that he never paid heed to the mundane world.  Among all qualities of Guruji his biggest quality is surrender towards Paramgurudev. Our Guruji was made acharya not because he is educated but because he is totally surrendered. Our Guruji never said anything other than his Gurudev’s words. He always says, “I heard from my Gurudev like this” or “my Gurudev said such and such words.” He is always singing his glories. He says, “My Gurudev has instructed me to only repeat the words of your Guru, Vaishnav, and Scriptures where