In order to prove that spiritual practice may need a lot of adjustment within our lives, Srila Bhakti Kevala Audolumi Goswami Maharaj, a spiritual descendent of Lord Caitanya’s lineage, appeared on the 9th of December 1895, on the eighth day of the waning moon cycle in the village of Vanaripara, Barishal district in current day Bangladesh. His father and mother were Sri Sarat Chandra Guha and Srimati Bhuvanmohini Devi, respectively. His parents and other family members named the newborn baby, Pramodebihari.
Since childhood, Pramodebihari’s intellectual ability was attractive in every aspect, academically and spiritually. In academics, he always came out on top of all classes. In 1919, Pramodebihari graduated from Calcutta University.
In 1913, at the age of 18 years old, he met with Sri Bimala Prasad Brahmachari, later known as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada), at a Bhagwat discourse program in Kalighat, Kolkata. After three or four days of hearing Srila Prabhupada’s discourses, Sri Pramodebihari got inspired to be connected to the Vaishnava lineage, and Srila Prabhupada happily gave him first and second initiation. He received the initiation name Sri Patit Pavan Das Brahmachari.
According to Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, Sri Patit Pavan Prabhu went to get blessings from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, personally. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur gave him the benediction to read Srimad Bhagwatam which is the most authentic scripture for devotional practices.
Due to the loving affection of his mother, Sripad Patit Pavan Prabhu felt reluctant to join Srila Prabhupada’s mission, fully. Eventually, his mother, Bhubanmohini Devi, physically passed away and then, Sripad Patit Pavan Prabhu decided to follow a renounced life. In a short period of time, Srila Prabhupada gave him the devotional title, ‘Vidyarnav,’ which means ocean of knowledge. On the 17th of November 1934, Srila Prabhupada gave him sannyas initiation and he got the name Sri Bhakti Keval Audulomi Goswami Maharaj. After sannyas initiation, Srila Prabhupada appointed him as the principal of Sri Thakur Bhaktivinode Institute, Mayapur and simultaneously, engaged Srila Audulomi Goswami Maharaj in preaching to foreign visitors in Mayapur.
On the 1st of January 1937, Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure put all his disciples in deep separation. In order to follow the instructions of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, he started to preach extensively all over India under the shelter of Srila Puri Das Thakur, who was previously known as Sripad Ananta Basudeva Prabhu. After Srila Bhakti Pradip Tirtha Goswami Maharaj’s physical departure, according to the order of Srila Puri Das Thakur, Srila Audolumi Goswami Maharaj took off his saffron robe (sannyas color outfit) and wore white robes which are known as the fifth stage of the Vaisnava renounced order known as Babaji dress. After an unavoidable incident, on the 16th of February 1954, Srila Bhakti Kevala Audolumi Goswami Maharaj was appointed by Srila Puri Das Thakur as Acharya of the entire Gaudiya Mission. Also, in this time, spontaneously, his eternal identity, ‘Sri Vinodini Manjari’ was revealed in his heart.
In 1958, Srila Audulomi Goswami Maharaj established an ecstatic devotional temple in the name of ‘Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gaudiya Math’ just next to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur’s Bhajan Kutir in Godrumdwip, the island that represents the performance of sankirtan. For almost 28 years, Srila Bhakti Kevala Audulomi Goswami Maharaj ecstatically ran devotional programs under his supervision amongst all branches of the Gaudiya Mission. On the 6th day of January 1982, the truth of the mortal world manifested; on this day, the visible, transcendental physical body of Srila Audolumi Goswami Maharaj passed away from us. His holy body was buried (samadhi) in the temple campus of Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gaudiya Math, Godrumdwip.
