Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj
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Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Goswami Maharaj is the founder-acharya of the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission, one of the most notable preachers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the 20th century, and a regional leader (based in the Indian State of Orissa) of Mahatma Gandhi's freedom fighting movement.
Srila Puri Maharaj was born in the village of Fulta, adjacent to the city of Berhampur in the state of Orissa, India in the year 1913. His given name at birth was Nrusimgha. The name of his father is Sri Damodar and the name of his mother is Srimati Devi. He attended Khallikote Autonomous College in the city of Berhampur, where he received a B.A. degree.
In the 1930s, Srila Puri Maharaj completed his studies in Ayurveda, and also became active in the independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. According to his biography, he was a regional president of the independence movement during that time.
Srila Puri Maharaj's Ayurvedic Instructor, Kaviraja Sripad Madhusudan Sharma, was also an initiated disciple of Gaudiya Vaishnava Acharya Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Through the intervention of his Ayurvedic Instructor, Srila Puri Maharaj was brought to see Bhaktisiddhanta, and on August 3rd, 1936, took initiation from him in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Thus began a long lifetime of spiritual service in the monastic tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
In 1966, after almost three decades as an initiated Gaudiya Vaishnava, he accepted the sacred renounced order of Sanyasa from Srila Bhakti Swarupa Giri Maharaj. In June of 1966, Srila Puri Maharaj formed the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Ashram in Andhra Pradesh. At the present day, Maharaj's organization the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission has approximately eighteen (18) ashrams in India. The mission has also published several books in multiple languages (English, Oriya, etc.) including "A Brief Life History of Sri Srimad Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Goswami Maharaj" and translations of "Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat".
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had many disciples, the most notable of whom being Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the world's foremost preacher of Gaudiya Vaishnavism outside of India (sometimes called the "Hare Krishna" movement by some). Srila Prabhupada's relationship with Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj is best epitomized in this letter written by Prabhupada on December 2, 1970; "My Dear Puri Maharaj, Perhaps you are my only Godbrother who has appreciated my humble service to the cause of Guru Gauranga. All my other Godbrothers are very much envious, as I can understand from their behavior." In 1971, Srila Puri Maharaj invited Srila Prabhupada to inaugurate a new temple at Rajahmundry on the banks of the Godavari river.
In the late 1990s, following the footsteps and tradition of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srila Puri Maharaj began his tours of communicating Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology to the Western World. 1997 marked the beginning of annual European tours which continue to the time of this article's creation. 2001 marked his first tour around the world, at the advanced age of 89. In that year, Maharaj traveled to the European Union, the United States of America, Mexico, Australia, and Thailand.
One of the most memorable events of the 2001 World Tour occurred on Saturday August 25, 2001. On that day, Srila Puri Maharaj and over a dozen devotees visited the top floor of World Trade Center Tower 2, and conducted a short naga-sankirtana event. His most recent tour of the European Union in 2005 at the advanced age of 92 recognizes Srila Puri Maharaj as the eldest known travelling Gaudiya Vaishnav Acharya, having followers all over India, as well as Europe, Thailand, North America, and Australia.
