His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhakti Ballabha Tīrtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja

His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhakti Ballabha Tīrtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja was one of the foremost spiritual leaders of the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the recent times. He was the dearly beloved disciple of Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who was in turn the equally beloved disciple of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvati Gosvāmī Prabhupāda.

His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhakti Ballabha Tīrtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja appeared in 1924 in Assam, India, on Rāma-navamī, the most auspicious appearance day of Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa in His form as Rāmacandra. From his very early childhood he was richly endowed with all devotional virtues. His strong inclination to search for the ultimate goal of life led him to take up the study of philosophy at Calcutta University. While studying there he came in contact with his spiritual master, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Maharaja, and immediately became attracted by his transcendentally powerful personality. After completing his Masters Degree in Philosophy in 1947, Śrīla Bhakti Ballabha Tīrtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja wholeheartedly and unreservedly dedicated his life to the service of his spiritual master.

His service attitude was so exemplary that soon his Gurudeva established him as the secretary of the devotional institution known as Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, which has over twenty āśramas (monasteries) in India alone. He was awarded sannyasa, the order of renunciation, in 1961. Seeing his degree of dedication and sincerity combined with an astute and practical mind, his Gurudeva appointed him as his worthy successor. After the disappearance of his revered spiritual master in 1979, Śrīla Tīrtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja was appointed as President-Ācārya of the Math. He received the fortunate blessings and great affection of many of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s prominent followers.

For several decades, His Divine Grace propagated the all-embracing doctrine of Transcendental Divine Love of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to counter the present trend of violence and cruelty, and to bring about unity of hearts among all, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. ‘Example is better than precept’ was his way of preaching. He would always practice what he preached. He is known for not even deviating one iota outside of the four corners of the prescripts of the holy scriptures. His Divine Grace is a renowned authority on Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy and he is beloved of thousands of devotees throughout the world as the very embodiment of humility and spiritual affection.

Even at a very advanced age, inspired by the grace of his Gurudeva, His Divine Grace was always on the move, going from town to village in India and also abroad, propagating the divine message of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

At the behest of his beloved śikṣā-guru (instructing preceptor), His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhakti Promode Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrīla Tīrtha Gosvāmī Maharaja preached the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu throughout the world, beginning with a tour of the United States in 1997.

As well as being the President-Ācārya of the Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math devotional institution, he was also the Founder of GOKUL (Global Organisation of Kṛṣṇachaitanya’s Universal Love). His Divine Grace also served as the President of the World Vaiṣṇava Association (WVA).

His Divine Grace was always engaged in writing articles and books of a profoundly spiritual nature in several native languages, as well as English, for the eternal benefit of the conditioned souls of the world. To date, his books in English include Suddha Bhakti, Sages of Ancient India, A Taste of Transcendence, The Holy Life of Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Maharaja, Guru Tattva, Daśāvatāra, Pearls of Wisdom, Philosophy of Love, Teachings of Bhagavad-gītā, Harikathā and Vaiṣṇava Aparādha, Affectionately Yours, Nectar of Devotion, Sages of Ancient India, Nectar of Harikathā, Lust: The Heart Disease, The Path of Pure Devotion, the present book and a number of others that are yet to be published. A few of his books are now available in the world’s other languages such as Deutsch, Spanish, Russian, French and Tamil.

In the night of April 20, 2017, at 10.15 PM, His Divine Grace entered into nitya-līlā at Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math in Kolkata amidst 7th day of nonstop kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana-yajña performed by his beloved disciples.