Childhood Past-times
Srila BhaktiPramode Puri Goswami Maharaj appeared in this world on Gaur Chaturthi tithi, chaturthi tithi means white fortnight. His mother’s name was Ram Rangini Devi and his father’s name was Tarini Charan Chakraborty. His childhood name was Pramod Bhushan.So a question may arise, why was he born on jurnin chaturthi tithi as this looks like an inauspicious time to be born?This seems inauspicious because jurnin chaturthi tithi is like “vadh” and “bandhan.” Vadh means “to kill” and bandhan means “bondage.”So why did he choose this time?He wanted to kill our bad propensities against Bhakti and he wanted to bind those who were following him with Prema and take these followers to the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the divine couple. For this reason, he chose to appear on chaturthi tithi.In his childhood pastime’s, he displayed deep intimacy with Madan Mohan. Everyday he used to serve Madan Mohan and one day during the winter season, he forgot to give a blanket to Madan Mohan. When he went back to his room and went to sleep, he began to feel severely cold and had a fever. He was thinking what has happened?In that moment he thought “Oh my god I forgot to give a blanket to Madan Mohan.” He came out of his room and covered Madan Mohan with a blanket and then went back into his room. Automatically, all the severe cold and the fever he was experiencing was now gone. So, this shows the level of relationship he has with Madan Mohan, and this is the proof of how intimate it was.When Madan Mohan was feeling cold, he would feel cold. However when he covered Madan Mohan and Madan Mohan became warm, he also became warm and the fever disappeared
ATTACHMENT WITH HIS GURU
First we have to spread attachment for Guru and then others. While he was working at his job, he used to come to listen to Prabhupada’s lectures. One day he was coming after completing his office work, he put shoes on and made his way. When he took his shoes off, somebody noticed that his feet were red with blood. What happened?When they asked if he had seen the blood, he said no. Then they saw one scorpion come out of his shoe. If a scorpion stings you even one time, it creates a strong burning sensation, however when this scorpion entered his shoe and stung him after he stepped on it, he still never felt it’s sting. This is how much attachment he had for his Gurudev, Srila Bhaktisiddhanti Saraswati Thakur.BRAMHACHARI NAMESHis brahmachari name was Pranabananda Brahmachari. So what is the meaning of Pranabananda?Pranab means “Om”, this is the first letter of creation, it is mentioned by Lord Sri Krishna in Srimad Bhagvatam, chapter 8, shloka no. 13:
oṁ ityekākṣharaṁ brahma vyāharan mām anusmaranyaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ sa yāti paramāṁgatimIn
this sloka, Krishna is saying that whoever utters this single syllable during the time that they are departing from this world, if he utters this when he is leaving this body, he will reach a good destination. As such, whoever recites his name, they will reach a good destination meaning they will reach Bhagwat Dhama. Prabhupada therefore kept his name as Pranabananda. Moreover Pranab also means om.
“Akare ucchate Krishna sarba lokayiko nayako,u kare ucchate Radha, m karo jeev o vachak”
So A means Krishna, U means Radhika, and M means the Jiva who is serving the divine couple. So in AUM there is Radha Krishna and the Jiva. Radha Krishna is aradhya and the Jiva is aradhak.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SRI PURI MAHARAJ AND SRILA NARAYAN GOSWAMI MAHARAJ
In 1997, we came to Jagannath Puri with Srila Gurudeva and he took us to meet with Srila Bhaktipramod Puri Goswami Maharaj. Srila Bhaktipramod Puri Goswami Maharaj was asking Maharaj “do you remember your lota?” I asked “what is lota?” and Srila Gurudev said to me “ask your Dadhu (grandsire – Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaj).” Srila Puri Maharaj explained that when Srila Narayan Maharaj came to the math he brought with him one lota, (a lota means one metal pot to hold water). Puri Goswami Maharaj explained that Srila Narayan Maharaj was his first personal servant. Both of them used to travel from Chuchura city to the Ganges to take bath. When they would get there, both of them they would keep their cloth far away from the Ganges water, and Srila Gurudeva (Srila Narayan Maharaj) would keep this lota on the marginal line between the water and the land and after taking bath, both of them would come and take Ganges water, put their tilak on and do Achaman. So in Chuchura the Ganges had high and low tides, this is not visible in Navadwipa. So one time, they were both taking bath in the Ganges and all of a sudden a high tide came. They were both expert swimmers and swam back to share however when they reached they realised the lota was gone. Srila Puri maharaj began laughing so much. Srila Gurudeva asked Srila Puri Maharaj “why are you laughing? With this lota, I am bringing water for you, for your tilak and achaman.” Srila Puri maharaj then explained saying “Iam laughing so much, because the attachment that you have brought from your birthplace, Ganges didn’t like it, so she has taken this attachment from your previous village away.”Srila Puri Maharaj told this and Puri Maharaj told that Srila Narayan Maharaj would take his cloth, clean it, hang the cloth and when it was dry, he would fold and hold the cloth for him. He said he would also use soap to clean the cloth whenever he needed and as such described Srila Gurudeva as his first personal servant. Srila Puri Maharaj asked Gurudev that whenever he publish a book to please send them to him, as such Srila Gurudeva used to send these books from time to time.
TEACHINGS OF SRILA PURI MAHARAJ FOR GURUDEV
Srila BhaktiPramode Puri Goswami Maharaj and Srila Bhaktisubuddhi Maharaj taught Srila Gurudeva how to perform detailed deity installations, temple installations amongst other thing. One day in Navadwip, Srila BhaktiPramode Puri Maharaj came to Devananda Gaudiya Math from Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, Srila Puri Maharaj asked Srila Gurudev, “how did you install the chakra?” Gurudev said “only by worshiping with sandalwood paste and flowers”. Puri maharaj said “No there are some special mantras”. Gurudev said “you didn’t teach me”. Srila Puri Maharaj said he forgot and told Gurudev to send someone to him the following morning so he could give him the dictation. Srila Gurudev said that Navin Krsna will go, and so I went to Chaitanya Gaudiya math. When I arrived there Srila Puri Maharaj was inside of his room doing bhajan. I asked someone and they said he was resting, I told them to tell Maharaj when he was done resting that Srila Narayan Maharaj had sent his sevak. Srila Puri Maharaj heard this from his room and he came out saying, “baba, you have come?” I said “yes”. He then gave his note book and told me to copy what he had written, he said after you’re done, return the note book to me and I will check for any mistakes. Half way through when I was writing, Srila Puri Maharaj came over and he was surprised he said “oh baba, your hand writing is so neat, so nice and beautiful” I said that this is the mercy of all of you. When I had completed the writing, he checked it and there were no mistakes. He became very very happy and said “oh very good, you can serve Narayan Maharaj and you will get all perfection by serving him”. He gave me this blessing.
HOW HE BECAME SRI BHAKTI PRAMODE PURI GOSWAMI MAHARAJ ?
What is the meaning of BhaktiPramode, first I will speak about Pramod. The ‘Pra’ is a Prefix , what is a prefix? To focus any matter in a special way, thus prefix is added before the verbal root. Now the deeper meaning will be explained, so Bhaktipramod means one who by his own inclination has Bhakti towards Sri Krishna and one who by his own inclination of Bhakti first pleases his own Gurudeva, followed by the undivided Guru Tattva – Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, the worshippable deity of this Kaliyuga- SrimanChaitanya Mahaprabhu and the divine couple, he is eligible to get the title ‘Pramod.’WHY THE NAME ‘PURI’?Puri means one who is always living in Puri, which Puri? Does this mean Jagannath Puri? No. Jagannath Puri is a place of oppulence. So what does it mean when Puri is mentioned here? When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in Arail gram, Ballavacharya took him there and Rupa Goswami was also present there. One devotee, Sri Ragupati Upadhay came and Sriman Mahaprabhu began discussing with him. Within the discussion Mahaprabhu requested that he describe some Krishna Leela. Then from that discussion one shloka emerged:
shyam evam param roopam puri madhupuri varah, vayah kayisarah kandheyam abdh rva parorasah
Yes there are many Puris, Puri means places or cities. Which one is considered the best? Madhupuri, which includes Mathura Mandal, Vraja Mandal, Vrindavan Dham. So he who is always living in Mathura Mandal or Vrindavan though it may not always be possible by body, but in his mind or by soul he is always living in Vrindavan. As such, his name became Puri.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF PURI?
So how we can spell Puri? P.U.R.I.P = Pure for sure, he is a pure devotee. Otherwise how was it possible that when he forgot to cover Madan Mohan, he began feeling cold himself just as Madan Mohan was feeling? As such, he is a pure devotee by birth. Why not? Because Mahaprabhu said to Prabhupada Saraswati Thakur, I am sending so many person to you, so whoever are Prabhupada’s associates are not an ordinary personalities, so he’s pure devotee himself, whoever will follow him will be pure no doubt.”U” = Under guidance. Puri Maharaj was himself under the guidance of his Gurudev Prabhupad Saraswati Thakur and those who will follow him and remain always under his guidance will surely receive the mercy of Srila Prabhupad Saraswati Thakur no doubt.”R” = Relax. Due to the top quality of Bhajan, he became relaxed himself and had no tension. He has given pension to tension never mention. As such, whoever that will follow him will be relaxed from material tensions.”I” = Intimacy. He has intimacy for his Gurudev Prabhupad, and especially for Srimati Radhika.
WHAT IS INTIMACY?
Intimacy means Sambandha Jyana, which means the relation between Krishna and the sadhaka. Without Sambandha Jyana, one’s Bhajan is incomplete. The determination of Krishna bhajan depends wholly and solely on Sambandha Jyana. So those who have intimacy with or follow Srila Puri Maharaj, will get Sambandha Jyana no doubt.
By His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Madhava Goswami Maharaj