Summary:

Today is the appearance day of Lord Ramachandra. Ramachandra appeared to destroy many anti devotional followings. This is described in Ramayan.

Today is, also the appearance day of Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, he appeared in Goalpara district. Goalpara is called dham. Our param gurudev Srila Bhakti Siddhant Sarasvtati Thakur Prabhupad visited Goalpara for preaching and established a Math there. That was the first Math established by him in Assam. Later it got moved to some other place in Assam. Then our gurudev, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Hriday Bon Goswami Maharaj, Srila Goswami Maharaj and many other Prabhupad’s disciples visited Goalpara and preached the sublime teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu, extensively. Srila gurudev established Sri Radha Damodar temple there. That’s the reason it is called dham. It is the land which got touched by the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupad.

And that is the appearance place of Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirth Goswami Maharaj. His father’s name was Sri Dhirendra Kumar Guhroy and mother’s name was Sudhanshubala Guhroy. His name, given by his father was Kamakhya Charan Guhroy. The personal associates of Supreme Lord descend in human form to rescue the fallen souls in this world. If they come in the form of any demigod then people will request them to fulfill their material desires only and they will not be able to preach the real message of Supreme Lord. That’s the reason they come in human form. Srila Tirtha Goswami Maharaj also came to deliver the sublime message of devotion to the Lord.

From childhood itself, all the time he used to stay absorbed in trance. We cannot understand that state. Some time when his relatives used to tell him, “It’s the time for you to go to school; will you not get ready to go?” Then he will say, “Oh, yes I will.” And he used to go wearing one footwear of someone else’s and one of him! As he was absorbed in the trance always, he did not have any external awareness of his activities.

His brahmachari name was Krishna Ballabh brahmachari. Srila Gurumaharaj gave him a room in the Math at Rasbehari Avenue. There also, he used to stay in trance chanting harinam always. One day Srila Gurumaharaj asked me to call him to write a letter. I went and told, “Krishna Ballabh Prabhu, Gurumaharaj is calling you.” Immediately, he left his harinam, and rushed to Gurumaharaj. He did not even think that let me finish my harinam and then I will go, not like that. Immediately he went to Gurumaharaj. Such was his ideal conducts were.

He used to live a very simple life always, without thinking about food or anything else. There was one person named Krishna Kinkar Das to whom Gurumaharaj asked to look after his food, bath etc. as he used to be in trance always, without much of external awareness. I have heard, in school days also, he had least interest in studying the material subject matters. His parent used to force him to give importance to studies and other external things. And he used to go to school to satisfy them. Why? Because he is one amongst, the personal associates of the Supreme Lord. They are self realized. They are not of this world. They come in this world ordered by the Lord to deliver the conditioned souls. They do all other activities like ordinary person just to pose themselves as normal human beings.

One day Gurumaharaj came to Mayapur. That time, we three, Krishna Prasad Das Brahmachari (Ashram Maharaj) and one disciple of Bhakti Vilas Tirth Maharaj named Vrindavan Das (Bhagavat Maharaj) used to stay together at Srivas Angan. Gurumaharaj used to go for preaching. He called Krishna Prasad Das Brahmachari and told him that Krishna Ballabh will stay here. He instructed me that do not serve prasad to Krishna Ballabh in pattal (plate made of plant leaves). He has a steel plate you serve him in that only. Also, never give him drum-stick in prasad. So I asked Krishna Prasadprabhu, we all take Prasad in pattal, why does Gurumaharaj told not to give him prasad in pattal? Here, we have leaves of banana tree, why not to give him prasad in that? I could not understand the reason for that. Then Krishna Prasadprabhu told me that if you give him prasad in pattal then he will eat the pattal also. He has such a faith in prasad that he cannot even throw the pattal in which he has accepted the prasad. If you give him drum steak, he will eat even the portion which is to be thrown. And he will get his stomach upset. Such a strong faith he has in prasad. We all, who have less of pious activities on our account, do not have such faith in prasad. While we eat thinking it to be dal, curry or sweet but Srila Maharaj has such a faith that how can even I throw the pattal which has got the touch of prasad. It also has become spiritualized. I will eat that also. How can I throw drum-stick remnants which were offered to the Lord? Such a strong faith he has in mahaprasad.

One more thing I remember, many of our god sisters used to come to Math. And Srila Maharaj used to address them as prabhu. Other boys used to laugh on that. He could address them as sister. But he is addressing them as prabhu. Why? He was above the bodily conception. He did not see the outer gross body; he was situated on the soul platform. The soul is not a male or female. Everybody is servant of Krishna. He sees them as servants of Krishna. And out of humbleness, he is calling them prabhu!

One time Gurumaharaj had sent me for preaching activates in Dhanbad along with Srila Tirtha Maharaj. I was instructed by Gurumaharaj that wherever you go with Tirth Maharaj you carry raw banana and some green leafy vegetables with you. His food was very simple. He used to live on Mahaprabhu’s instruction from Chaitanya Charitamrit bhalo na khayibe, bhalo na paribe. One should not eat good palatable food and should not wear good clothes Maharaj’s harikatha was arranged in the conference hall of a coal industry. Many rich maravadi businessmen had come to listen to Maharaj’s harikatha. He spoke there for more than an hour in English. The owner of the coal industries got very impressed by Srila Maharaj’s harikatha and his conduct. They strongly desired to have darsan of his Gurudev. They asked Srila Maharaj to request his Gurudev to come there and bless them. On their strong desire, Srila Maharaj has requested Gurumaharaj to come there and bless them with his darsan. Srila Gurumaharaj agreed to go there. He was to come by Diamond express from Kolkata. So many marvadi businessmen gathered with very thick garlands in their hands. Seeing such a big gathering, many people thought and asked that whether prime minister is coming there by that train! Gurumaharaj was given such a grand welcome there. And then, Gurumaharaj and maharaj preached the message Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Dhanbad, intensively. A grand Nagarkirtan was also organized there.

There was one special thing I have seen in Maharaj. In Kirtan, when he used to lift his both the hands saying, Ha! Krishna prannath kanha vrajendra nandan! "Where is the Krishna, who is master of my life?”, then he forgets everything about his surroundings and become indifferent to this world. One time, there was Nagarkirtan held in Kolakata. Maharaj was leading the kirtan and he lifted his hands and immediately got immersed in the kirtans. His body turned to red. He forgot whether the devotees are catching up with his speed of walking or not. He is not putting his hands down for a moment! He is incessantly dancing in transcendental ecstasy! And along with him, myself and one more prabhu came very far ahead of the devotees. One was playing mridanga and the other was with kartal. And it so happened then, only three of us was seen doing Kirtan on the road near Rasbehari in Kolkata! Then I stopped playing kartal and Tirth maharaj’s trance broke and he asked why have you stopped? I replied we have come very far ahead from our group and we will have to wait for them. Such an immersion he has for any activity he used to get involved in! He used to always be in such ecstatic mood.

And when he used to speak harikatha, he used to speak with such a strong force that he would fix the teachings in the hearts of the listeners with pressure.

He was so tolerant. He is the embodiment of Mahaprabhu’s third verse of shiksha ashtak, trinap api sunichen taror eva sahishnuta amanin man den kirtaniya sada hari. What all bad things has he not tolerated? But he always talked to them with smiling face only. Such a tolerant person he is! He has just willingly accepted this body with blood and flesh to establish the right conduct. Even, to many who tried to harm him, he had done monetary help! I know one person who always used to have grudge on Gurumaharaj and Tirtha maharaj. One day Tirtha maharaj got the news that his health is not good and he does not have enough money for his treatment. Then, maharaj called his servant and gave him money to utilize for his treatment. There was one more person who used to speak abusive words to maharaj always. One time that person got trapped in some court case and came in such a situation that he had to give some money as a bond to get bail from the court. Tirth Maharaj came to know about him and immediately, sent the required money for his bail. Such a tolerance is not possible in an ordinary human.