Paramapujyapad Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj was one of the prominent amongst all our Guruvargas. Today I have got the opportunity to remember his transcendental instructions for my spiritual benefit.

Biography of Nitya-lila pravishtha Om Vishnupad 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj:

Day of Appearance :

Ashwina Shukla Chaturthi 1305 Bangabda, 8th October 1898 AD

Place of Appearance: Ganganandapur Palli, on the eastern banks of Sri Kapotakkha River in the district of Jessore.

Day of Disappearance: 4th Agrahayan, 1806, Shukla Chaturdashi Tithi. English date: November 21, 1999 at the end of night on Sunday.

Place of Disappearance: Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math, Sri Purushottam Dham. He played earthly pastimes for 101 years.

Place of Samadhi: Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math at Ishodyan, Sri Mayapur Dham.

Father’s Name: Sri Tarini Charan Chakravarty,

Mother’s Name: Sri Ramrangini Devi

His Purvashram Name: Sri Pramode Bhushan Chakravarty

His name given as per customs prevalent in those days: Tinkari Chakravarty

Nickname: Tinu

He met the Godbrother and siksha disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Srimad Bhakti Ratna Thakur in his childhood. This was after the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. From Srimad Bhakti Ratna Thakur he came to know about our Param-gurudeva Nitya-lila-pravishtha Om Vishnupad 108 Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhant Saraswati Goswami Thakur. Being attracted by his teachings and his personality, he surrendered to him and got his initiation (diksha) on 3rd September in 1923 AD on the occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashthami Tithi at the age of 25 years. His diksha name was Sri Pranavananda Brahmachari. He became the editor of Dainika Nadiya Prakash and got engaged in the service of Sri Gaudiya Patrika in 1926 AD.

Being pleased by his service, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur awarded two Gaura-ashirvada to him:

1) Maha-mahopadeshaka (great instructor)
2) Pratna-vidyalankar (keeper of the wisdom of the ancient scriptural lore).

He accepted Tridanda Sannyas from the most worshipable Srimad Bhakti Gaurava Vaikhanasa Maharaj on 3rd March 1947 AD, on Amlaki Ekadashi Tithi, in Sri Gaura Gadadhar Math in Champahati at the age of 49 years.

His Sannyas name is Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj.

He stayed one year (1950) at Kalna being engaged in devotion in solitude. After that, he came to our Kolkata Math and expressed his desire to serve the Publication Department. Our Guru Maharaj was very much pleased to get the opportunity to serve his elder Godbrother. He said, “Yes, you will be the in-charge of the Publication Department.”

In my very initial days of Math life, I got an opportunity to have darshan of many prominent disciples of Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad at a grand conference held at the University located in Vrindavan owned by most worshipable Srimad Bhakti Hridaya Vana Goswami Maharaj. That conference was attended by many well-known acharyas, sannyasis and household devotees of various Gaudiya Maths. I was a young boy at that time. I became astonished to have darshan of all of the great personalities there.

That time, to my surprise, Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj called me and said, “Pay obeisances to all the Vaishnava Acharyas who are present here including me and pray for their grace.”

I got astonished and very much blissful on hearing such a loving address from him. I paid prostrated obeisances to all the Vaishnavas present there.

Srila Puri Goswami Maharaj accompanied our Gurudeva to nearly all the places for preaching activities. All became happy by taking his merciful audience. In all the installation ceremonies of our Math deities and temples, our Puri Goswami Maharaj was there with Guru Maharaj, everywhere, in Vraja-mandal Parikrama, Navadwip-dham Parikrama and in Sri Dham Puri. We could not even think of going anywhere without Puri Goswami Maharaj.

I got the opportunity to work under him. Although externally I had the opportunity to be in close contact with him because of my engagement in writing and seeing proofs of text for the press along with him, due to want of bonafide submission, I could not touch his transcendental qualities. Whatever I have understood about the special qualities of Srila Maharaj, even externally, is that he was doing any devotional form with great sincerity and humbleness. I saw him writing Bengali articles quickly and without any spelling mistake. He was an erudite scholar.

He gave so much encouragement to me when I desired to purify my heart by writing the biographies of Guru and Vaishnavas by praying for their grace. He edited the work which then got published as a book titled ‘Sri Chaitanya: His Life and Associates’.

The devotees have seen him installing deities, taking part in snana-yatra (bathing festival of Lord Jagannath Deva at Chakdaha) and performing all sorts of services even in very advanced age with enthusiasm by completely fasting till evening.

During the Rathayatra, he used to recite the topics on Rathayatra pastimes from Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, from Jagannath temple to all the way to Gundicha temple. The Rathayatra of Jagannath starts from the place of aishwarya (opulence) and ends at Gundicha temple which is the place of madhurya lila (sweet pastimes).

Srila Gurudeva established a huge Math at Chandigarh by means of his transcendental potency. After his disappearance, most worshipable Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj established his Pushpa Samadhi at Chandigarh Math. When the Pushpa-samadhi proceedings were being conducted, all the devotees cried in separation grief from Srila Gurudeva. Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj established deities with so much devotion at our Gokula Mahavan Math even at an advanced age without worrying about his health condition.

The devotees of West India were repeatedly requesting me to preach the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the Western countries. I decided to ask Srila Puri Goswami Maharaj thinking that he will surely advise me not to go outside India. But Srila Maharaj replied saying, “You must go. It is the order of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to preach the message of pure devotion to each and every corner of the world”.

I asked him, “Who will protect me there from the excessive material opulence?”

“Your Gurudev will protect you from everything all the time”.

Upon repeated requests by the devotees of West India, I then decided to do so only upon receiving the permission of Param Pujyapad Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj for three consecutive years.

Though Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj disappeared in Sri Dham Puri, his deity was established in Sridham Mayapur. On 4th Agrahayan 1806 Shukla Chaturdashi Tithi, English date 22nd November 1999 AD at 8 A.M. in the morning his divine body was taken in a Tata Sumo Car from Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math, located at Chakratirtha Road, Puri, Orissa, and carried to Sri Mayapur, Sri Chaitanya Math. Eight devotees namely Sri Vidyapati Das Brahmachari, at present Sri Brihatbrati Maharaj, Sri Gopinath Prabhu, Dinabandhu Prabhu, Sri B.S. Damodar Maharaj, Srimad Vishnudas Babaji Maharaj, Srimad Madhavpriya Prabhu, Srimad Radhe Shyam Prabhu, Srimad Bhakta Prasad Prabhu, and other sevaks accompanied his divine body on the way from Purushottam Dham to Sridham Mayapur. They reached Sri Chaitanya Math at Mayapur on 23rd November, Tuesday at 6.30 AM in the morning. His Samadhi rites were finished at about 12:30 PM or 1:00 PM.

Later, at that place, which is located on the eastern side of the Sri RadhaGopinath temple, a huge and tall Samadhi temple was constructed.

When most worshipable Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj was still present, he appointed his disciple, Srimad Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj as the acharya of his institution at Sri Mayapur Gopinath Gaudiya Math.

Why should I miss this opportunity to pray for his grace on today’s special day? I pay my innumerable prostrated humble obeisances to his lotus feet to forgive me for my offenses, which I might have committed knowingly or unknowingly, and bestow his causeless mercy upon me.