At the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, near the neem tree where the nāṭya maṇḍir now stands, there were small huts. A very tall palm tree stood there, so tall that it could be seen from Krishnanagar, a town about twenty kilometers away. The area was known as Vishnupriya Palli, and many of Srila Prabhupad’s female disciples lived there.

Srila Maharaj named a few of them: Giribala Pishima (father’s sister is called Pishima), Ganga Pishima and Sriyukta Shaivalini Devi (mother of Srila Paramgurudev). Srila Maharaj fondly recalled how Paramgurudev’s mother would lovingly scold them, saying things like, “You are not doing this”, or “You are not doing that”.

When Srila Paramgurudev established a Math in 1955 at 86, Rasbehari Avenue in Kolkata, Turyashrami Maharaj took Sriyukta Shaivalini Devi there and later when the Mayapur Math was established she stayed there. Her brother (Paramgurudev’s maternal uncle) used to come to our Kolkata Math. He had taken initiation from Srila Paramgurudev. Sriyukta Shaivalini Mataji’s sister lived in Ballygunge, Kolkata and she too used to visit the Kolkata Math. She was of quite fair complexion.

In this context, Srila Maharaj also mentioned about his Gurudev, describing him as having a golden complexion and a tall, attractive figure. He never allowed short doorways to be built in the Math. When he used to lift his hands up everyone used to be amazed seeing his personality.

Sriyukta Shaivalini Devi manifested her disappearance pastimes at the Kolkata Math. Her agni-samādhi was performed at Mayapur, the spot where the kitchen of our Math now stands. The samādhi temple that we see today is her puśpa-samādhi.

Among all the Vaiṣṇava samādhis in the Mayapur Math, the first was of Srila Bhakti Shobhan Padmanabha Maharaj, a disciple of Srila Prabhupad. He was from Mechheda, a town near Kolkata. He had donated all his āśramas to Srila Paramgurudev, but due to certain disturbances later, Srila Paramgurudev gave them up. (From Srila Bhakti Rakshak Narayan Maharaj’s vāṇī-puṣpāñjali on the occasion of the vyāsa-pūjā of Srila Gurudeva celebrated at Mayapur in 2012, I learnt that Srila Maharaj came in contact with Srila Paramgurudeva through the Math activities at Mechheda.)

Padmanabha Maharaj was of fair complexion and had a quite healthy personality. He underwent an open heart surgery in a hospital at Kolkata. However, after the surgery, he did not regain material consciousness and soon manifested his disappearance pastime. He was brought to Mayapur and was given samādhi. His samādhi is the first samādhi in Mayapur Math and the second one was that of Sriyukta Shaivalini Devi.

Following them, the samādhis of several other disciples of Srila Prabhupad took place, including Yagyeswar Das Babaji Maharaj, Bhakti Suhrid Bodhayan Maharaj, and Mukund Das Babaji Maharaj. Among the disciples of Srila Paramgurudev, the first samādhi was of Srila Bhakti Prasad Ashram Maharaj.

Srila Bhakti Prasad Ashram Maharaj was the one amongst the first sannyāsa disciples of Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj. Maharaj was an excellent kirtaniya, known for his sweet voice. His appearance was striking—he looked like a rāja-putra.

He came from a Kashmiri Brahmin family, whose descendants had settled in Assam. His father was a family guru to many people in the surrounding area. When at a young age, as Sri Kamalakant Goswami Srila Ashram Maharaj visited the homes of his father’s disciples, he was respectfully carried in a palanquin. As a child, he had the darśana of Srila Prabhupad, who personally spoke with him at that time.

Srila Paramgurudev awarded sannyāsa order of life to three of his disciples in 1961— Krishna Prasad Brahmachari who became Srila Bhakti Prasad Ashram Maharaj, Lalita Charan Brahmachari who became Srila Bhakti Lalita Giri Maharaj and Krishna Ballabh Brahmachari who became Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj.

After the disappearance of Srila Paramgurudev, Srila Ashram Maharaj continued his manifest pastimes for about seven more years. He was a highly respected and well-known personality throughout Navadvipa Mandal. Upon his disappearance, Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, invited dhāma-vāsīs from all around the villages such as Swarup Ganja, Navadvipa, Balidanga, Vamanpukur, and others. A large number of invitation cards were printed for the viraha-utsav, and thousands and thousands of devotees attended and honoured prasad during the festival.

At that time, Jyoti Basu was the Chief Minister of West Bengal, and Debi Basu, a close associate and also a minister, lived in Navadvipa. Although Debi Basu was a communist and did not believe in God, he saw Ashram Maharaj as God. The devotees asked me to personally visit Debi Basu to invite him to the event.

Taking along one of our godbrothers, Rajeswara Biswas, who was also a political leader, I went to invite Debi Basu. His residence was guarded by police personnel. We informed them that we wanted to meet him personally to hand over the invitation. They told us that he would be coming out shortly to go to the Writer’s Building, and that we could speak to him then, as his car was already waiting.

We sat on a bench nearby and waited. When Debi Basu came out and saw us, he asked the purpose of our visit. I explained that Srila Ashram Maharaj had recently entered his disappearance pastimes, and that a viraha-utsava was being held in Mayapur. I then invited him for the same.

He was visibly shocked and asked, “Oh! Ashram Maharaj left this world so early? When did it happen?” I mentioned the date. Then, he said, “We communists don’t believe in any God, but if I were to believe in God’s existence, I see Ashram Maharaj as God. What I couldn’t accomplish in two or three years, he made it happen in just five minutes. He was truly powerful.”

He further shared that although he normally did not attend religious events, he would have definitely come to Ashram Maharaj’s viraha-utsava out of deep respect and devotion, had it not been for an important, unavoidable ministerial meeting. He expressed sincere regret for not being able to attend. Such was the universal respect for Srila Ashram Maharaj—whether someone was a Muslim, a Ghosh (cowherd), or from any background, they all honoured him like a father and valued his words deeply.

At one point, a political conflict arose between the Krishnanagar and Navadvipa parties of Jyoti Basu's government, over who would be appointed as the minister of the Mayapur region. Debi Basu made numerous efforts to resolve the conflict. Over the course of a year, several meetings were held at various locations, but all the efforts were futile.

The situation escalated to the point where physical altercations frequently broke out between members of both parties. Despite his best efforts, Debi Basu was unable to calm the tensions. Both groups decided never to visit each other’s place. The conflict became so severe that there was even a threat of fireball attacks between the two sides. Jyoti Basu, deeply concerned, also attempted to mediate, but he too failed. Finally, he decided to organize one last meeting between the two parties at a third party place. He was prepared to spend whatever amount of money was necessary to make all the arrangements and try to settle the matter.

Our godbrother Rajeswar Biswas, who had strong political ties with Jyoti Basu, also had deep faith in Srila Ashram Maharaj, and Maharaj, in turn, shared a good relationship with him. Rajeswar Biswas consulted Maharaj and asked for permission to host the political meeting on the Math premises. At that time, the Math was mostly open land, with only a two-storied building that had been constructed in the early days. Back then, Mayapur lacked proper roads as well. Maharaj gave his consent, saying, “If this can help them resolve their conflict, then let them do it here.”

The meeting was organized accordingly. A few ministers stayed in the two-storied building, and representatives from both parties came together to discuss their issues. They spent an entire day and night engaging in intense and often provocative discussions, but still, no conclusion was reached.When all efforts seemed to fail, Rajeswar Biswas suggested to both parties, since neither side is willing to listen to the other, and if you all truly have faith in Ashram Maharaj, then if you're ready to accept his decision, I can request him to intervene and guide us.

Debi Basu and the other ministers liked the suggestion and sought everyone's opinion. All the members unanimously agreed, saying, “Yes, we will accept whatever decision Maharaj makes. Even if he chooses someone from outside both parties, we will respect his verdict and will not fight anymore.”

Rajeswar Biswas then approached Ashram Maharaj and earnestly requested him to come to the meeting and help resolve the issue. At first, Maharaj firmly declined, saying, this is a political matter—why should I get involved in such things? I don’t even understand the issue properly, so it’s better I don’t go. However, Rajeswar Biswas continued to request him, saying, you don’t have to do much—just listen to both sides and give your decision. Everyone has already agreed to accept whatever you say. Finally, Maharaj reluctantly agreed to intervene.

He went to the meeting, listened patiently to both parties, and then humbly said, “I don’t know much about politics, but since you’ve all agreed to accept my decision, I suggest that the representative from the Navadvipa party be made the leader of this region.”

As soon as Maharaj gave his verdict, everyone clapped in agreement. They said, “If Maharaj says so, let it be done.” They then garlanded the chosen leader and formally accepted him. The meeting ended peacefully with full consensus. At that moment, Debi Basu realized the extraordinary influence and spiritual power of Ashram Maharaj. ‘What I couldn’t accomplish in years of effort and with so much money, Maharaj resolved in less than five minutes with just one sentence.’ From then on, there was no more rivalry between the two parties. It was due to this kind of power that Debi Basu considered Srila Ashram Maharaj as a divine personality.

Everyone had such strong faith in Ashram Maharaj that they trusted him more than banks and kept their savings with him. Many people from the Ghosh community (cowherds), who were often involved in jute farming, also entrusted their money to him. Sometimes, in a light-hearted way, I would ask them, “When Ashram Maharaj leaves this world, are you sure you’ll get your money back?”

They would simply reply, “Whatever happens, we are not worried about it.”

Ashram Maharaj himself would say, “Don’t keep money with me—my health is not good, and no one knows what the future holds.”

One day, Srila Gurudev called me and said, “The work at Goalpara Math has not been progressing for a long time. You should go there and see what is happening.” As I was the right-hand assistant of Ashram Maharaj and always accompanied him during all Math-related matters, including court cases and legal issues, I went to him and asked him about my going to Goalpara. Maharaj told, “Since the work is not moving forward, you should go and help. If you hear anything about my ill health, come back immediately.”

I asked a boy from Goalpara who was there in Mayapur Math to look after Maharaj in my absence and then went to Goalpara to supervise the construction work. After the Navadvipa Dhama Parikrama, when Srila Gurudev visited Goalpara, I asked Keshava Prabhu about Ashram Maharaj. He reassured me, saying Ashram Maharaj’s condition was unchanged and told me not to worry but to continue my work at Goalpara Math. By that time, the temple construction was nearly complete, with only some staircase work remaining. One day, we received a telegram from Mayapur informing us that Ashram Maharaj had entered his disappearance pastimes. I immediately handed over all responsibilities to Jagadanand, and along with Giri Maharaj, rushed back to Mayapur. Unfortunately, his samādhi ceremony had already taken place before we arrived, so I was unable to have his last darśana. Afterward, a large viraha-utsava was held in his honour.

I knew who had kept their money with Ashram Maharaj, so I asked them whether they had received their money back. They told me that three days before leaving this world, Maharaj personally called each of them and returned their full amount. He said, “My health is poor, and I may leave at any time. After I am gone, you might not get your money back because there is no formal documentation. If I recover, you can keep your money with me again.”

Ashram Maharaj used to advise them that he wouldn’t pay any interest on their money, so it would be better to keep it in a bank or post office. But they would refuse, saying they didn’t want interest—they preferred to keep their money with him to avoid standing in queues, filling out forms, and other formalities when they wanted to withdraw it.

Maharaj spent very little time writing. If he needed to send a message, he would write very briefly—sometimes just half a postcard. He often wrote letters for Srila Bhakti Vilasa Tirtha Maharaj, who also had a habit of writing short letters. Bhakti Vilasa Tirtha Maharaj would tell those who sent him long letters, “I don’t have time to read long letters. I understand the main point and will reply in two or three lines. We have our own practices to follow.”

Ashram Maharaj was the same. He gave short, direct instructions without going into much detail about how to do things.

Ashram Maharaj was the in-charge of Math at Srivas Angan, and I was with him during that time. Whenever someone faced difficulties—such as court cases or other legal issues—they would call Ashram Maharaj for help, and he would go with them to support and assist.

When conflicts arose between the Ghosh community and Muslim communities in nearby villages, people would call upon Ashram Maharaj to resolve their disputes. Everyone respected him deeply, like a father figure. He handled every situation with great kindness and gentleness.

According to the Math’s rules at that time, any guest could stay for three days without paying. Math was in a very poor financial state then. So, I once asked Ashram Maharaj why we didn’t start charging guests for their stay and prasad. He replied that it wasn’t necessary because even if some didn’t pay, others might voluntarily give more, and it would balance out in the end.

Ashram Maharaj was endowed with all such great qualities. During those days, Math faced a severe shortage of funds. Maharaj would give me a list of groceries and other necessities for the Math and ask me to go to Navadvipa to buy them. There were two wholesalers there—Lakshaman Vanika and Vanchharam—who had such deep faith in Maharaj that they would provide all the items without worrying about payment.

During the Navadvīpa Parikrama, Maharaj would ask them to send rice, pulses, salt, and other essentials, which they gladly did. Srila Guru Maharaj would later repay them from the collections he gathered during his preaching tours in Punjab. Sometimes, Lakshaman Vanika would politely ask, “Maharaj, could you please pay at least some amount?”

Ashram Maharaj would reply, “Don’t worry. You will get your money. The Supreme Lord will rescue you.”

Whenever Srila Gurudev sent some money, Maharaj would ask me to go and give some payment to Lakshaman Vanika. It usually took almost a year to repay the full amount.

At that time, the Math had no major source of income. Guru Maharaj had asked fifty rupees of collection from four of our Math—Vrindavan, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Tezpur. We had to manage yearly Math expenses from that money. Ashram Maharaj managed with that money and some income from selling gram (chickpeas) and peas grown on Math land.

Such were the glories of Ashram Maharaj. Everyone—devotees and non-devotees alike—followed his instructions faithfully.