Divine Life of Srila Bhakti Sourabh Bhaktisar Goswami Maharaj
We know from our previous teachers that as soon as we have the opportunity to see any pure devotee, immediately, our mind, heart, consciousness, and intelligence which together are called ‘chitta’ becomes absolutely pure. His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada) is the exemplary holy feature of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s lineage.
Srila Bhakti Sourabh Bhaktisar Goswami Maharaj’s birth name was Sri Nanda Gopal. His decision for taking renounced life is a perfect example for us. Sri Nanda Gopal was born in a reputed Brahmin (Bandopadhyaya) family in 1902 at the village of Chandani Mohal, Khulna district in Bangladesh. His father’s and mother’s names are Sri Shashadhar Bandopadhyaya and Srimati Shailabala Devi, respectively.
Since childhood, Nanda Gopal was a good student in his school. In his matriculation examination, Sri Nanda Gopal passed with reputed academic results. Later, in order to proceed towards further study, he got admission to Cuttack Engineering college, Odisha. During his studies in the Cuttack Engineering college, he often used to visit Sri Gaudiya Math in Cuttack. At the Gaudiya Math, he met Srila Brajabihari Das Babaji Maharaj and eventually, got the opportunity to study many spiritual books which were published by Srila Prabhupada. Sri Nanda Gopal had not even met Srila Prabhupada personally but the devotional and logical information in Srila Prabhupada’s books took all of his attention and inspired him to meet Srila Prabhupada. His father, Shashadhar Bandopadhyaya, realized that his son, Nanda Gopal, had become interested in studying Sri Gaudiya Math books instead of academic engineering.
We know from Srimad Bhagavatam that a person is qualified to become a real father if he inspires his children to practice spirituality. In order to establish the example of becoming a real father, Shashadhar Bandopadhyaya took his son to Sri Caitanya Math at Mayapur. It was a few days before Lord Caitanya’s appearance day ceremony, which is famously known as the Gaura-Purnima festival at Mayapur. Sri Nanda Gopal and his parents came together for attending the festival. Here, all three saw Srila Prabhupada and experienced a heartfelt attraction for taking shelter of Srila Prabhupada. During the day of the Gaura Purnima festival, Srila Prabhupada gave them 1st initiation (Harinam) and 2nd initiation (Brahman-Diksha), together. After the initiation, Sri Nanda Gopal became Nanda Dulal Das Brahmachari and decided to stay forever under the shelter of Srila Prabhupada and not return home with their parents.
Gradually, Sripad Nanda Dulal Das Brahmachari’s service attitude made all the temple devotees happy. They all gave favorable recommendations about Nanda Dulal Prabhu to Srila Prabhupada. Eventually, Nanda Dulal Prabhu got the title ‘Bhaktitul’, which means devotional inspiration, from Srila Prabhupada. Later on, Nanda Dulal Brahmachari was engaged by Srila Prabhupada as a teacher in Sri Bhaktivinode institute. For a long time, he continued this teaching service. After Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure, in order to spread the loving message of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu elaborately, most of the godbrothers gradually split and established different units of Lord Caitanya’s preaching mission. In order to establish another preaching mission of Lord Caitanya, Sripad Nanda Dulal Brahmachari decided to take sannyasa initiation from his dear most godbrother, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj. After sannyasa initiation, his name became Srila Bhakti Saurabh Bhaktisar Goswami Maharaj (Srila Bhaktisar Goswami Maharaj). Eventually, he established a few units of Lord Sri Caitanya’s preaching mission in the name of Sri Gauranga Gaudiya Math at Mayapur, Sri Nityananda Gaudiya Math at Birbhum, Sri Radha Govinda Gaudiya Math, Kendra, Burdwan, Sri Bhaktisar Gaudiya Math at Vrindavan, and Sri Narasimha Gaudiya Math, at Puri, Odisha.
Srila Bhaktisar Goswami Maharaj’s nature was to stay away from all material worship, name, fame, and recognition. At his old age, he was fully absorbed in chanting the Holy Name (Hare Krishna Mahamantra). During that period, he used to say to whoever came to hear harikatha from him, “Do you know that I spoke lots and all of you listened from me lots. Now, please do something as I told you before. If you follow what I said, then I am sure that all of you will go ahead with your spiritual practice properly and gradually and reach your final destination the abode of Sri Sri Radha Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan.”
On the 14th day of July 1995 at 5:10 AM in the early morning at Sri Gauranga Gaudiya Math, Mayapur in the presence of his favorite disciples such as Bhakti Lalit Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Sundar Sadhu Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Sudhir Acharya Goswami Maharaj, etc., Srila Bhaktisar Goswami Maharaj physically left all of us. According to Srila Bhaktisar Goswami Maharaj’s desire, his visible transcendental physical body was buried in his Mayapur temple campus. Presently, his favorite disciple, Srila Bhakti Sudhir Acharya Goswami Maharaj is continuing the mission as his successor.
