User:Srila BV Vaman Goswami Maharaj

Srila Bhakti Vedanta Vaman Goswami Maharaj
President-Acharya Sree Goudiya Vedant Samiti

Gurudeva Srila Bhakti Vedanta Vaman Goswami Maharaj appeared in this world on December 23, 1921 in East Bengal (now Bangadesh).

His boyhood name was Santosh, and his paternal uncle was one of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Prabhupada's first disciples, Sripad Nrsimha Maharaja. His mother was also a disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Prabhupada, and she was very strict; she would even discipline her husband. If her husband had been eating any prohibited food, she would not allow him to enter the house, and she disciplined the children in the same manner. When Srila Gurudeva was only nine years old, His mother took Him to Srila Prabhupada's Math in Mayapura where Narsimha Maharaja was already staying. When they arrived there, Srila Nrsimha Maharaja led them to Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja, who was the temple commander at that time. Residing in the Math from that day on, Srila Gurudeva received Harinama initiation directly from Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada and remained a lifelong naistika-brahmacari.

Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja immediately put Srila Gurudeva in school and would say to him, "I will give you some candy if you will recite just one sloka for me." In this way He learned many slokas, and Parama-pujyapada Srila Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja was always extremely affectionate to him. At that young age Srila gurudeva learned how to seat Vaisnavas for honouring prasada by giving them a leaf to eat from and some salt and water. Then, after all the Vaisnavas were finished taking prasada, He would clean the area and paraphernalia. He also learned how to cook there, and he could very quickly prepare first-class offerings.

After the dissappearance of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Prabhupada in 1937, srila Gurudeva received Diksha initiation from Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshab Goswami Maharaj in 1939.

When Srila Prabhupada departed from this world, then Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshab Goswami Maharaj established the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti in 1939. Since its inception Srila Gurudeva did everything: writing letters, managing the temple, cooking, and traveling for preaching. Srila Gurudeva received Sannyasa from Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshab Goswami Maharaj on Gaura-Purnima in 1954.

Srila Gurudeva was a great scholar just like His own Gurudeva was. It has been said that he is like a dictionary of slokas because he knows so many verses from the scriptures. While lecturing when Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshab Goswami Maharaj would sometimes forget a sloka, Srila Gurudeva would always supply it from memory.

Once, when they went to Assam for preaching, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshab Goswami Maharaj boldly declared that the mouths of the people there who eat meat and fish were like the drains of sewers. One of the sects there, who were virtually prepared to stone us, challenged us by saying, "You say that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Bhagavan Himself, but what evidence is there of this?" Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshab Goswami Maharaj turned to Srila Gurudeva and said, "Speak." Then Srila Gurudeva recited fifty slokas one after the other from different scriptures as evidence, and those people were silenced.

Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshab Goswami Maharaj left the entire responsibility of editing and publishing the Bengali magazine, books exclusively upon Srila Gurudeva. From his boyhood Srila Gurudeva studied Bhagavatam verses and their commentaries, and as a result he could speak on Vaisnava philosophy for hours without stopping. He was a great scholar, and a very sweet person as well. With children he was very affectionate, and he spoke with them concerning things like ghosts which they enjoyed hearing about. He attracted innumerable persons to spiritual life, and even in an assembly of scholars, he was always the greatest scholar. He would refute other's misconceptions, but he did it in such a way that their feelings are not hurt, as if carefully performing a surgical operation.

Srila Gurudeva was very grave and quiet, and there was another special quality which he possessed: There are many people, who give explanations from the scriptures and enjoy taking praise from others for it. But Srila Gurudeva never did anything like this, not even by accident. He was also very tolerant. As if taking poison and digesting it, he may see the faults in others but he never spoke about them. He had so much eagerness to preach the instructions of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and he has preached all across India especially in each and every village of West Bengal and Assam. The Supreme Lord Krishna especially empowered this great personality with many transcendental qualities. All His God brothers would consider Him as their Siksha-Guru.

He was appointed as President - Acharya of Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti in October 1968 by His Gurudeva Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshab Goswami Maharaj, himself. He established about 35 Preaching centers, Maths, all over India.

On the intervening night of November 14-15, 2004, a day after Sri Goverdhan Pooja He entered into the transcendental pastimes of Sri Sri Gaur Radha Vinode Behari Jiu leaving behind thousands of His disciples, God brothers and followers in a state of immense grief and shock.

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