Divine Life of HDG Srila HDG Srila Bhakti Mayukh Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja
According to the scriptures, we know that Baladeva is the manifestation of Lord Krishna. That same Lord Baladeva appeared in the age of turmoil (Kali-Yuga) in the form of Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu appeared on the 13th day of the waxing moon in the month of Phalguna in this world. On that same day of the waxing lunar cycle, in the year 1904 (Bengali year 1311, Phalguna), Bhakti Mayukh Bhagavat Goswami, a spiritual descendant of Lord Nityananda, appeared in the village of Chinpay, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India in a reputed aristocratic family. His father’s name was Sriyukta Ram Kumar Mukhopadhyay and his mother’s name was Srimati Kusum Kamini Devi. Since his childhood, Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja was naturally truthful, possessed sound character, and was charismatic. Therefore, all of the villagers had great affection and respect for him. As he grew older, his eagerness to realize divine love for the Supreme Lord increased. He sat in a solitary place, his eyes filled with tears, and desired to come into contact with a genuine spiritual master. The Supreme Lord always fulfills the desires of his devotees.
Meeting Srila Prabhupada:
One day, he had a dream wherein he saw His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur. Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja did not know who Srila Prabhupada was but realized that the person he had seen in his dream was certainly his worshipful guru. From the time of the dream, he was anxious to meet that great personality. According to the desire of the Lord, Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja met the personality whom he had seen in his dream at Mayapur on the day of Gaura Purnima. On that same day, although he was not listed for initiation, Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja shaved his head, nevertheless, and eagerly waited to get harinam initiation from Srila Prabhupada.
Out of causeless mercy, Srila Prabhupada gave him harinam initiation; Srila Prabhupada told all of the surrounding devotees, “All of you may not know him, but I know him from before” although this was the first time that Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja was physically meeting Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada expressed to all of the devotees that he knew Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja from before. Within one year, he left his family life and dedicated his whole life to the service of his Gurudeva. In a short period of time, Srila Prabhupada gave him second initiation (pancaratrika diksa) and he got the spiritual name, Shubhavilasa Dasa Adhikari. After the second initiation, Srila Prabhupada appointed Shubhavilasa Prabhu as a teacher of dharma in the Bhaktivinode Institute at Mayapur. Soon, Srila Prabhupada appointed him as the main editor of the Dainik Nadia Prakash daily spiritual newsletter. He efficiently wrote articles, proofread articles, and managed the printing press.
Accepting Sannyas:
Srila Prabhupada saw Subhavilasa Prabhu’s fixedness in the publication service and gave him the title, Bhakti-Mayukh, meaning one who has prime devotion. Eventually, Srila Prabhupada made him a Mahopadeshaka on Gaura Purnima 1936, meaning that he was a great devotional advisor. In 1948, on Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja, Srila Bhakti Bhudeva Shrauti Goswami Maharaja bestowed the order of sannyasa upon Shubhavilas Prabhu in Jhadagrama, Medinipur, West Bengal in the Sri Gaura Saraswati Math. Shubhavilasa Prabhu received the name Tridandi Swami Bhakti Mayukh Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja. Although he had the inner desire to live in Vrindavan and spend the rest of his life in solitary devotional practice, Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaj eventually established his first preaching center at his birthplace in 1951 in order to render some service to Srila Prabhupada’s mission. In 1971, Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja established another preaching center at Bolpur, Shantiniketan, West Bengal. In 1986, he established another preaching center in the city of Purulia, West Bengal.
All of his godbrothers became very pleased to see his firm faith in the guru, his fixedness in serving Hari, guru, and Vaishnavas, and in chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and his one-pointed surrender. Seeing his devotional qualities, many pious people took shelter of him and engaged in their devotional practice. Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja wrote many articles for the monthly Caitanya-Vani magazine published by Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math. Also, Srila Bhakti Mayukh Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja compiled Srila Prabhupada’s hari-katha and published an extremely attractive book called Srila Prabhupada’s Upadesamrta – The nectarine teachings of Srila Prabhupada.
Entering in Divine abode:
On Sunday, 28th December 1986 (Bengali calendar – 12 Poush 1393 Sukla devadasi 12th day of waxing moon cycle), at the age of 82, in the morning at 9:05 AM, Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja left this world from his room located in his temple at Raipur, Birbhum district while remembering the mid-day pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Govinda which take place in Radhakunda (madhyahna-Lila). Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja’s entire life is teaching us to wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to Hari, guru, and Vaishnava. This is the only way to reach our spiritual goal. Our spiritual goal is to become eternal servants of the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha Krishna. Srila Bhagavat Goswami Maharaja was a shining example of a pure, unparalleled, divine personality.
