Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj
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Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj (Srila Gurudeva) (November 18, 1904 - 1979) was born on November 18, 1904 A.D. (on the day of holy Utthan Ekadashi tithi) at Kanchanpara (District Faridpur, now in Bangladesh). He was one of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's favourite disciples.
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[edit] His early life
Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj was born of a high caste Brahmin family. His father's name was Sri Nishikanta Deva Sarma Bandyopadhyaya; His mother's name was Srimati Saibalini Devi. His mother is described as a woman of a highly dignified, sober temperament. His father died in his childhood. His parents named him Heramba Bandyopadhyaya, among friends he was known as Ganesh.
Extraordinary saintly qualities are said to have been manifested in him from boyhood. He was adored by all and was a universally accepted leader in every sphere. He strictly observed ethical rules and celibacy (Brahmacharya) and taught others to observe celibacy and moral rules. His guardians and teachers were astonished to hear profound words of wisdom from the boy. it is said that at the age of eleven years, he had memorized the complete Bhagavad Gita, merely by hearing it from his mother[citation needed].
[edit] Divine Vision
He practiced severe penance by taking only boiled food once in a day in his home at Calcutta. At that time while he was invoking Sri Krishna for His Grace and grew frustrated by his inability to do so. He is believed to have seen Sri Narada Goswami in a dream and received a Mantra from Him. However, he could not completely recall the Mantra after waking from the dream. He became disappointed, and out of persistent solicitousness, left the house and went to the Himalayan Mountains beyond Haridwar where it is said he stayed without food for three days, praying for the grace of Sri Krishna. At last, he heard a prophetic, divine message directing Him, "Go back to your place. Don't be disheartened. Your Gurudev has appeared there - take absolute shelter of his lotus feet." He then came down from the mountains, remained for sometime at Haridwar and later returned to Calcutta.
[edit] Taking Shelter of the Divine Master
He went with friends to Mayapur, the Holy Birth-Place of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and met his Guru, Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada at the Sri Chaitanya Math in 1925. He was attracted to him upon seeing his divine spiritual personality. Taking absolute shelter at His Lotus Feet, he took initiation from him at Sri Gaudiya Math, at 1, Ultadanga Junction Road, Calcutta, on November 1, 1927. He joined the Sri Gaudiya Math Institution immediately after taking initiation and also made his vow of celibacy, even though young of age. Within a very short time, he was regarded as one of the favorite disciples among the entourage of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada.
srila madhava maharaja,s dynamic energy
It is due to his devout devotion to his guru, his competence in rendering all kinds of services, and his untiring enthusiasm and diligence to serve Vishnu and the Vaishnavas. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, seeing his undaunted spirit to contribute to the objective of the Institution by way of practicing and propagating the Gospel of Divine Love of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, used to commend him by saying, "his energy is volcanic energy". Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura never hesitated to send him to perform any important task or to send him out as an advance party because he was confident and sure that the task at hand would be successfully completed in due course.
He actively helped in organising preaching festivals as well as Parikramas of Vraja and Navadwip Dham, establishing preaching centres and the Maths, spreading the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the cities and villages. He also established shrines of Mahaprabhu’s Lotus feet (Pada-pithas) in many of the places the Lord is said to have visited, restored other holy sites, published transcendental books and magazines in order to spread the message of pure devotion. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada had so much confidence in Srimad Hayagriva Das Brahmachari (Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj), that he first selected him to be sent to foreign countries for preaching, for which purpose his Passport and all necessities were ready. But Rajarshi Sri Saradindu Narayan Ray, an important household devotee, objected to this proposal saying that Sri Hayagriva Das Brahmachari was young and very beautiful, "There may be difficulty in sending such a beautiful, young Brahmachari to foreign countries. Instead an old Sannyasi should be sent there." At his suggestion, Param Pujyapad Srimad Bhakti Pradeep Tirtha Maharaj was sent instead. Srimad Hayagriva Das Brahmachari resembled his Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada in appearance so much, that many outside people wrongly thought him to be the son of Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami.
[edit] Taking Sanyasa
Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj took Tridanda Sannyas at the age of forty from his God-brother, Srimad Bhakti Gourav Vaikhanas Maharaj (a Sannyas disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura), at the Sri Tota-Gopinath Temple, Purushottam Dham on Gaura-purnima in the year 1944. He became renowned in the Gaudiya Math as Parivrajaka Acharya Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj. As per the direct instruction of His Divine Grace Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj started his preaching in Assam and established three Maths at: [1] Tezpur, [2] Guwahati and [3] Goalpara. He also managed the seva-puja of Sorbhog Sri Gaudiya Math (in Assam), founded by Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.
[edit] Acquiring Prabhupad's birth Place in Puri
‘Hyutkale Purushottamat’ – Sri Krishna Bhakti will spread from Sri Purushottam Dham in Orissa – predicted Sri Vyasdev in Padma-Purana. This prophecy is said to have been fulfilled after the appearance of Srila Prabhupada in the house of Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode in Puri. Srila Gurudeva recovered this most munificent place of the appearance of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura after great effort for which he is justly renowned.
[edit] His Preaching
‘A gigantic spiritual personality,’ Srila Gurudeva pierced the fortress of impersonalist philosophy in Punjab, where he was first to introduce the Divine Love of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.[citation needed] Tenth in the preceptorial line from Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Gurudeva founded Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math organisation Institution in 1953 and established many large preaching centers.
He also took over the service of the 500 years old temples of Lord Jagannath at Jasra, Chakdah and at Agartala, Tripura. He established Sri Chaitanya Vani Press in Calcutta. He preached extensively in different parts of India, spreading the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu irrespective of caste, colour or creed.
[edit] His Successor
Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, seeing the degree of dedication and sincerity combined with an astute and practical mind of his disciple Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, selected him as his worthy successor. After the disappearance of Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj in 1979, Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj was appointed as President-Acharya of the Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math.
