It's not an ordinary thing to sing the glories of Sri Guru. The glories of the Supreme Lord are endless. Brahma offered prayers to Krishna: "Oh Lord, I have no power to glorify you or pray to you. No one in the world is capable of offering prayers to You unless they have the power of devotion. One who has the power of devotion can sing Your glories. Your glories are endless, that’s why another name is Ananta; there is no end to your glories.

The non-different form of Supreme Lord is Baladev-tattva and non-different from Baladev is our Sri Guru, so who has the capacity to sing the glories of Sri Guru? Whatever he has practiced in his life and showed to the people of this world——only that much we can understand. Whatever pastimes he has done are only for the welfare of the jivas. By his mercy, we can remember a few things. Without the mercy of Sri Guru, no one can glorify him.

Before the Goalpara Math was constructed, there was a big mountain area that was called the forest reserve. There was no road for cars to pass, only people could walk through there. A few persons staying on the side of the mountain in the reserve became Gurudev’s [Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Maharaj’s] disciples and took shelter of him. The jungle was very dense with tigers, bears and tall tall trees. There were all different kinds of wild animals. They wrote a letter to Srila Gurudev requesting him to have mercy on them and please come there. They said if you come here and we can have the dust of your lotus feet we'll feel fortunate.

After Gurudev got the letter, he told me to go there and see the condition of the area and if there was a way to pass through the dense forest. So by the order of Gurudev, I went to see. I went alone. When I reached, I saw there was no place for cars to pass. The trees were so big that in the daytime, the sun didn't even fall on the path. It was covered with bamboo. The people who cut the trees inside the forest made a little space for trucks to carry logs of wood. When I went I saw a few villages there, so I spoke with them and asked: if you are thinking of bringing Gurudev here, how will he come? There is no transportation facility to come here. At that time, there was a war with Netaji and Bose with the British. Brimangati was a place reserved for war. They put bricks into the mud there so soldiers could pass through. That road was in Goalpara before the Math was there. At the time of war, people would supply vegetables and food for soldiers, so they had a police van and said they could use that to bring Gurudev there. When the Britishers left, they gave that van to someone in the village. No car or taxi was there, only that police van. With the help of that van, they told me they will bring Gurudev. One day the devotees also made a road where they will bring Gurudev. After I came back to Gurudev I told him: yes, I visited there and they made arrangements for the road and it’s possible for you to go.

He told me that after he goes there he will go to Guwahati, Manipur, and other places for preaching. After I told everything to Gurudev, he told me to write a letter saying he will go in January and stay for 3 days. He emphasised that he won’t stay for more than 3 days. He also mentioned in the letter that he’d come after he stops in Goalpara. Gurudev took Madan Prabhu and all senior disciples with him. A few disciples of Srila Prabhupad went too, including Bodhyan Maharaj, Muni Maharaj, Krishna Keshava Prabhu, and Uddharan Prabhu. They all went with Gurudev. We missed the boat, so it took a long time for us to reach. In the month of January in Assam there is snowfall. It is very cold. We reached at 8pm. The people who gathered to receive Gurudev were few due to the intense cold.

We took the road to get inside the forest that was not so good. The devotees offered obeisances, burned crackers, and chanted, “Jai Gurudev, Jai Gurudev. Jai Gurudev!” When they saw the dense forest, Srila Prabhupad’s disciples said, “Where have you brought us? Krishna Keshava Prabhu said: why will we only preach to city people? We should also purify the souls of those in the forest. So we all got down where the road was constructed. There all the disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and Gurudev’s disciples got out of the vehicles. There was a place where there was so much mud. The devotees told the driver to go straight through the mud, but the driver thought his car would get flooded. The devotees told him to start the car and see what happens, but he feared his car would get damaged. After the devotees continually requested, he tried going through the place with mud. The car went entirely into the mud and then it couldn’t come out or go forward; it was stuck. Gurudev was sitting inside and couldn't come out. The driver got angry and said: I told you it would get stuck! Devotees told him don't worry, we'll do something.

One devotee went and brought strong people from the villages. They took out bamboo and ropes and strong sticks. With the help of sticks, they put 2 bamboo sticks into the car and tied them to the wheel. They carried the whole car on bamboo and took it out of the mud. The mountain is not flat——so many ups and downs. The devotees told the driver: don't start the car, just hold the steering. We'll carry the car. The driver was only holding the steering wheel and devotees pushed the car from the back and brought Gurudev there. It was almost 10pm at this time. The devotees made arrangements with big grass, a temporary house for them to stay. The room given to Gurudev was very nice and beautiful and they constructed a temporary bathroom for him and told the brahmacaris to go to the bathroom in the forest.

Some devotees told me to stay with Gurudev and always be near him since I knew the local language. After Gurudev sat to rest, I was sitting beside him and he said: where have you brought me? I can only see big trees and mountains. Now I will do anhik. Take me to a place where I can wash my hands and feet. So, I took him to the bathroom they made for him and I gave him water to wash his hands and feet. The place I took him to wash was a big area with only big banana trees. The banana trees of Assam are famous because they are so big. In that open area, they constructed pandals and with the help of bamboo leaves. In that pandal covered with banana leaves, Gurudev sat and spoke harikatha. Only 2 tables were there. They covered the upper portion of the pandal with Assamese cloth. When Guru Maharaj saw that he asked: what is this? I told Gurudev, you sit here and devotees will sit in front and listen. After seeing this, Gurudev said: this is a forest— so from where will people come? I told him they will come. Disciples of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarawati Thakur always traveled with Srila Gurudev—Uddharan Prabhu, Bodhayan Maharaj, Krishna Keshava Prabhu, and Bodhyan Maharaj always accompanied Gurudev. Gurudev told Krishna Keshava that: oh, we have been brought here to the jungle. They made a big pandal, but from where will people come? Don’t worry, Keshav Gopal Prabhu replied, we have come here now and have nowhere to go so we have to wait and see what happens.

So the next day people were coming and after Gurudev performed anhik, I showed them a place to wait at the pandal until he came to speak. By hearing the sounds of crackers at Srila Gurudev’s arrival, people got the news to come and started walking from far away areas. Many people came to take darshan. After Gurudev completed anhik, I told him many people have come, so please come and give your darshan to them. He asked how many came.

There was a place in front of Gurudev’s bhajan kutir where a couple of hundred people could honor prasad. So he said to call them here and I can speak from the balcony. I told him this place is not big enough. Then Gurudev said: what do you mean? Where did they come from? Keshav Prabhu replied: Maharaj, we have to hear whatever they say; we have come here and have nothing else to do but hear what they say. He told Gurudev to go give darshan to those people. Devotees were doing kirtan in the pandal and when he went to the stage he saw so many people had come to listen. So Gurudev told me: Bhagavan Das, it’s night now, tomorrow I will speak more. Please announce that tomorrow morning starting at 8 am I will start again. Please tell everyone. From evening at 4 pm I will also speak. So I repeated that to everyone, whatever Gurudev had told me.

When Gurudev was coming back from there, he saw lights in the jungle, so he asked me: Bhagavan Das, what are those lights that I see? I told: Guru Maharaj, people are coming from far distances in the jungle to have your darshan. He asked: even in those remote places of the jungle, people stay there? I told him: yes Maharaj, they're coming by your grace, this is your glory. Gurudev asked Krishna Keshav Prabhu: how do so many people come now? It's a dark night. Krishna Keshava Prabhu replied: we have to see what they will show us. The next day was a huge festival in the morning, so many people were coming and going. Gurudev was ready at 8 am and the pandal was full. There was no place for anyone to sit. Guru Maharaj was speaking so loudly for 2 hours continuously. Damodar Maharaj, his elder guru brother was there so he asked him to speak next, and then after that Keshav Prabhu spoke. Thousands of people were coming for prasad and darshan. In big pots people were cooking for devotees. They were continuously cooking. The size of the pots was so big there were not enough people to carry the pots.

Gurudev wrote he will stay there for only 3 days. Then the 4th day went, the 5th day gone... and more people kept coming. So Gurudev said: we will do nagar sankirtan and circumambulate this big mountain. I told Gurudev there is no proper way for nagar sankirtan, as it is uneven and has no real path. But Gurudev was so enthusiastic to go for nagar sankirtan. Thousands followed him and all were chanting “Gurudev, Gurudev!” and raising their hands in the air.

While performing nagar sankirtan, he stopped at a devotee’s house and spoke harikatha. He spoke for one hour in that bungalow that was full of devotees. In Assam people weave their own cloth and give that as a gift to Gurudev. They also gave donations. After speaking and receiving the gifts Gurudev said: let's go back. People were bringing vegetables and coming to see Gurudev. Many people brought various items for service: some brought milk, yogurt. In those days, there were no impurities. Extra milk was there even after giving to everyone, straight from the cow. He was only supposed to stay 3 days but now 5 days had come. Some were coming and staying a short time but others camped out there.

One day 4 or 5 devotees came to Gurudev carrying the vegetables they grew in their gardens for Gurudev. Baskets of vegetables were on their heads. Gurudev was sitting on the balcony. I went for some work nearby. Those people don't shave or cut their hair and only wear kaupins as an undergarment and a black t-shirt. Gurudev was sitting on the balcony on the chair. They gave dandavat to Gurudev and sat on the ground. Gurudev said: please call Bhagavan Das. So Gurudev told me these sadhus have come, please give them a proper seat. I said: "Gurudev! They are not sadhus. They construct temporary houses on a tree and live there. They fear elephants, tigers, and bears so they stay up on the trees. They use a beautiful ladder to go up the tree. Once they climb the tree, they take the ladder with them. They think if a tiger comes at night he will climb the ladder, so after they get into their house on the tree, they take the ladder. They are from that village. They can sit on the ground no problem. They ate the meat of all species except humans."

Gurudev was surprised, "Oh really?"

They had darshan, took prasad, and left.

Every day was a festival. After 6 days, Gurudev called Keshav Prabhu and also called me, saying: I was supposed to stay 3 days but this is the 6th day so I was supposed to go to those other programs and now they are getting canceled. I have to leave. But the devotees said: no! One more day, please! Every day with folded hands, they begged: please stay with us one more day! Now Keshav Prabhu told Gurudev: see? when you came you saw this dense forest and were thinking who will come? Who will listen? But now all these people came here and listened with so much sincerity. They didn't know about Krishna but now you have spoken his glories and now they won’t let you go. So Gurudev stayed one more day. On the 7th day, he called me and said: tell everyone I stayed here for 7 days instead of 3. If required, I will come back. I repeated that in an announcement to the devotees who came that day. I told tomorrow I will leave at 8 am from here. Those who still haven't had darshan should come.

On the 6th day, many took imitations from Gurudev. Krishna Keshava Prabhu asked me what Madhav Maharaj spoke here, how do they understand? He does not speak the local language and they don’t understand Bangla, Assamese, English or even Hindi. Only the local language. How could they have understood? Can you ask them? By order of Keshav Prabhu I asked them if they understood what Guru Maharaj spoke. They replied, “Yes we have understood whatever he told. They immediately answered the questions about the different topics that Guru Maharaj spoke about on different days. I asked one uneducated forest lady what she understood from the harikatha. She replied: Gurudev said we got this rare human birth, but being human we live the life of an animal so we should do hari bhajan and serve the Supreme Lord. In a pure state of mind, we should serve Sri Guru. So I told Keshav Prabhu: see? I asked each and every devotee there and understood they heard attentively. Krishna Keshav Prabhu was so happy. Muni Maharaj, a disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said: there is a special power in Madhava Maharaj. He has the power to pierce the hearts of devotees to make the transcendental knowledge go inside. His harikatha is so powerful it went inside their hearts and inspired them to take initiation from him. Supreme Lord is omniscient and Madhav Maharaj is also like that. He knows everything. His harikatha went into the hearts of all the people although they are uneducated. If it were not for this miracle, they could not have understood anything.

Bodhayan Maharaj said: this is really miraculous. Even in an educated society, not many people come for harikatha. I saw thousands coming all day and night honoring prasad and hearing harikatha. In other places, there were festivals for one or 2 days but here 7 days continuous festival. This is amazing. In the evening, Gurudev called me and said: in 7 days, so many people came and honored prasad, so I want to know if any scarcity is there. I want to see whoever came and gave vegetables, rice, etc. Is there enough in their house still? They gave so much for 7 days. So I took Gurudev to the places where Gurudev held the program and saw heaps of rice, dal, and everything in the storehouse. I said, "By your grace, all is full and it's enough for another 7 days."

He saw the storehouse. Madan Prabhu who was also serving Gurudev, told him it is sufficient and the festival could even continue. I showed him the places where we kept the cut vegetables and other things. I showed him where delegates come and are welcomed and he was happy to see everything around. After he came back, the disciples of Srila Prabhupada who were traveling with Gurudev said they were surprised to see that so many arrangements were made there. Muni Maharaj said: I have never had such wonderful yogurt as I had here. The yogurt at this place is so delicious and there is so much milk! I couldn’t have imagined that in such a dense forest you get so many pure things to eat.

I announced in the night that next morning Gurudev would leave and whoever wants to have darshan can come in the morning. This was the end of the festival. The car was brought then for Gurudev. I told the driver who was bringing him to the town to wait with the car and not come across the muddy place. We will walk with Gurudev to see him off. All the devotees who took imitation were in a huge crowd and we all walked with him. In the morning Gurudev asked me why the villagers were not coming. I told him some are waiting for you on the road when you will go. As you are leaving now they are unhappy and in a mood of separation so they don't want to come in front of you. They're waiting on the road where you'll get in the car. Devotees were walking behind him and I was walking next to him. Near one big tree, so many women were gathered. Gurudev asked me why they came. So I told these women to come to have your darshan so they are waiting. I told no one is cooking anything since you are leaving. They were so sad that no one cooked anything. Gurudev said, "I am going, why haven't they cooked for themselves?" I told them as you're leaving they had such a nice festival and now it's over and all are sad.

There was another place where many young boys and girls were waiting. Gurudev said, they also came to wait for me? Gurudev felt a little sad and along with Gurudev so many were walking with him and singing kirtan. Many people on the side of the road were sad and crying. We saw directly in front of us one lady was standing and crying. I went up to her and said in a rough voice: now Gurudev is leaving. Don't stand there, let him go—— you’re in the way. Guru Maharaj asked me why she was crying. I told him they've been crying since you're leaving. In a heavy voice, Gurudev said, “Oh.” When Gurudev reached the car you can’t imagine how many were there——thousands! Before boarding the car, Gurudev stood in front of the car and said: I was so happy to be there, the festival was so nice. I am so happy. When Gurudev got inside the car, all were crying. Some held the car, some blocked the car——all were in a mood of separation. All were crying in a loud voice. As they were unable to tolerate the separation mood they could not leave.

Gurudev sat in the car for almost 2 hrs, I was holding the door of the car and standing. I saw Gurudev’s tears rolling down. His face was very heavy. After some time, Gurudev said, "Bhagavan Das! If it goes on like this, I will not be able to go. so please give a way for us to go. The driver said, how will I drive? There are people standing everywhere. There is no space to go. I tried to pacify the people. I said: time is going now. He will miss the train, please make space for the car. Twice I told this to devotees, but no one moved and all were crying. Even I felt sad that Gurudev was leaving. It was sad for everyone. I thought then if things go on like this Gurudev will miss the train so I made space with others to make room for the car to go. After we made space for Srila Gurudev, I asked the driver to speed a little. Keshava Prabhu and all the disciples were waiting and I could see them and we picked them up and they left together and went to Guwahati.

In the evening, Bodhyan Maharaj (Srila Prabhupad disciple) said: we have heard in Srimad Bhagavatam that when Akura was taking Krishna and Balaram from Mathura they were holding the chariot of Krishna and Balaram and didn't want to leave him. They wouldn’t let them go. We have heard those glories in Srimad Bhagavatam but never seen it in real life. Madhav Maharaj showed us this amazing pastime. When I saw his car being surrounded by so many, it came to my mind. I can see the real pastime of all the devotees’ love and affection for him. Never have I seen those in cities crying for Guru Maharaj ever. This is beyond our comprehension.

Keshav Prabhu said: I was unable to tolerate the condition of the people crying, it was so sad for my heart to see. Muni Maharaj said: I was dumbstruck, I could not say anything. I wonder now what have I seen? Was it a dream or was it real?

The glories of my Gurudev are innumerable. He inspired the forest people in Krishna bhakti. Their mentality is different from ours because they stay in the dense forest.

Gurudev returned in 1971 and there was a proper road and it was more developed, not so dense. Next time when he went, temporary tents were made. After Gurudev came to Kolkata, he sent me back there because he wanted me to go there and see how they were staying. He told me after he left the first time that he was worried about them, so go and see if they are alright, if they are eating properly, and if they are ok. Go there and see them and write to me about them because I'm worried about them. I wrote back and said by your mercy they are alright.

After that Srila Gurudev Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj went for preaching. When he went there were huge festivals in 2 or 3 places. It’s all written in Chaitanya Vani. Big delegates came there. Tirtha Maharaj cried seeing the devotion of the people there. They have so much love and respect for sadhus. Tirtha Maharaj has many disciples there. Not many disciples of Guru Maharaj are there, but thousands of Tirtha Maharaj. In every Kartik, they conduct a huge nagar sankirtan and hold a huge festival like at the time of my Gurudev. For Vaishnavas, they celebrated 2 days and for local people, the celebration was 1 day. Now it’s unfortunate that we don't have people who can go there to preach. Gurudev has shown these pastimes to us. Being his servant, I was unable to do anything for him. By his mercy, I am here. I don't know when he will free me from here.

—Param Pujyapad Srila Bhakti Niketan Turyashrami Maharaj, Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, Kolkata