Srila Bhakti Swarup Parvat Goswami Maharaj
A child born and raised next to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s residence in Godruma often awoke well before dawn upon hearing the Thakura loudly chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, as if calling someone from a distance. Seeing this boy’s budding interest in suddha-bhakti, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura told him to daily cross the river and walk to Mayapur playing karatalas and singing songs such as nadiya-godrume nityananda mahajana and others that the Thakura had composed for nagara-sankirtana. Each day upon the lad’s return, the Thakura would give him batasa prasada (a type of sweet made wholly of sugar).
Appreciating the boy’s faith in bhakti, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura ordered Sri Krsnadasa Babaji to award him harinama. After doing so Babaji Maharaja supplicated Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, “Because you ordered me, I gave him harinama, although I am unfit. But if he is to take diksa, it should be from Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati”
Soon after his marriage there arose in that young man a feeling of detachment from wife and home. So he approached Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati in Mayapur and begged to be delivered from worldly existence. Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati sent him to Puri to oversee Bhakti-kuti—a service he performed for several years, during which his main engagement was chanting innumerable rounds of japa. Shortly after Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati began his full preaching career, he awarded sannyasa to that disciple, giving him the name Tridandi Svami Srimad Bhakti Svarupa Parvata Maharaja.
Just after accepting sannyasa Srimat Parvata Maharaja went preaching in north Orissa. One evening in the remote village of Udala, accessible only by foot or bullock cart, he began his first public lecture there by saying, “Who shall I speak to here? All are without aksara-jnana.” Since aksara means “letter,” the people assumed that he was accusing them of being analphabetic fools. Infuriated, the villagers decided to give him a good thrashing the next morning. Expecting trouble, Srimat Parvata Maharaja’s accompanying brahmacaris warned him not to participate in the usual dawn nagara-sankirtana. He responded, “I came to preach on the order of my guru, so I must preach. If people are dissatisfied and beat me, then I must deserve it. So be it.” He then ventured out and explained to the waiting crowd that in stating aksara he was referring to another meaning of the word, namely brahma, the imperishable spiritual truth. He elaborated that not only in Udala, but throughout the entire universe, people are bereft of the vital knowledge of spiritual reality. In this way Parvata Maharaja caught the imagination of the local people, who then repented their previous wrath and accorded him great respect.
Some years after Srila Sarasvati Thakura had departed, Srimat Parvata Maharaja founded a Matha at Udala, personally bringing earth from the spot where his guru-maharaja had sat at Kuamara, some fifteen miles distant, and depositing it in the foundation of the future structure.
Srimat Parvata Maharaja endeavored painstakingly for the mission, preaching fearlessly in many areas of Bengal and beyond. He would accept any living conditions and hardly bothered to eat properly. Even when sick he insisted on addressing meetings, saying, “Let not a day pass without pracara” He was so strict that he rebuked any brahmacari he saw touching or fondling children, cautioning them that by so doing the desire for family life would arise within them.
Observing his austerities Srila Sarasvati Thakura told Srimad Bhakti Svarupa Parvata Maharaja, “I am watching over you. The day will come when I shall take you from this hard way of life and ask you to simply sit somewhere and chant, and I will give you an attendant.”
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Srila Bhakti Swarup Parvat Goswami Maharaj
Lord Caitanya’s spiritual descendants and pure devotees are born in different places in the world but Lord Caitanya is pulling all of them to His lotus feet at Mayapur. Srila Bhakti Swarup Parvat Goswami Maharaj was so dear to Lord Caitanya. By the grace of his gurudeva, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur and by Lord Caitanya’s desire, Srila Parvat Goswami Maharaj was born in Godrumadvipa in the year 1884 on the day of Guru Purnima and was named Badol.
We know that Godrumadvipa represents the congregational chanting (sankirtanakhya-dvipa). His father was Panchu Gopal Vedanta Desika; his mother was a disciple of Bhaktivinode Thakur. Since his childhood, he used to listen to harikatha at Svananda-sukhada-kunja from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. Bhaktivinode Thakur’s holy discourses were so attractive. This little boy, Badol, used to often go to Svananda-sukhada-kunja at midnight in order to listen to the holy pastimes of Lord Caitanya from the lotus lips of Srila Gaurakishore Das Babaji Maharaj and from Srila Krishnadas Babaji who was the personal servant of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur.
According to the order of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, Badol took first initiation from Srila Krishnadas Babaji Maharaj and he accepted Bhaktivinode Thakur as his shiksha guru. In the year 1900, when he was 16 years old, he manifested the pastime of marriage in order to bring new sevakas into the world for Lord Caitanya’s services. As a result, he got two daughters. In 1908, he took second initiation (diksha) from Srila Prabhupada when Srila Prabhupada was still a brahmachari. Srila Prabhupada sent him to Chatak Parvat in Jagannath Puri where the present day Purusottama Math is situated. After second initiation, Srila Prabhupada gave him the name Haripada Das Vanachari as he had left home.
When he lived in Chatak Parvat, he used to daily take Jagannath Mahaprasad which cost four rupees and 50 paisa per month. As soon as Srila Prabhupada knew about it, he ordered him saying, “Whatever you get from begging should be cooked by your own hands and offered to the Lord as bhoga, everyday.” He used to follow Srila Prabhupada’s order without argument. In 1914, when Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur physically passed away in Kolkata, Haripada Das Vanachari came to Bengal and spent several months in Mayapur.
In 1918, Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta took sannyasa. In the same year, after a few months, Srila Prabhupada gave sannyasa initiation to Haripada Das Vanachari and his name became Tridandi Swami Srila Bhakti Swarup Parvat Goswami Maharaj. After taking sannyasa, he visited the four dhamas by barefoot. After 30 years of his sannyasa initiation, in order to fulfill the order of Srila Prabhupada, Srila Parvat Goswami Maharaj got an unbelievable donation from the Kaptipada King of Odisha including a palace and agriculture land at Udala, Mayurbhanj, Odisha. In that place, Srila Parvat Goswami Maharaj installed Srila Prabhupada’s holy footprints, thus showing us the example of how to keep firm faith on our spiritual master. Eventually, he named the place Sri Varshabhanavi-dayita Gaudiya Math; therein, he established the Bhaktivinode-vani Prachar Sabha preaching center at Udala, Mayurbhanj, Odisha.
Srila Parvat Maharaj mostly preached in Odisha state. Many people were able to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada through Srila Parvat Maharaj’s preaching endeavor. After Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure, Srila Parvat Goswami Maharaj became an initiating guru. His most prominent disciples were Bhakti Vikash Mahayogi Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Sundar Sagar Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Prapanna Parivrajak Maharaj (who established a temple near ISKCON in the name of Sri Krishna Caitanya Gaudiya Math), Giridhari Das Babaji Maharaj, Pranakishore Brahmachari, etc.
In 1957, on the day of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Swarup Parvat Goswami Maharaj physically left all of us at Sri Varshabhanavi-dayita Gaudiya Math, Udala, Mayurbhanj, Odisha. His exemplary dedication for the service of guru, vaishnava and bhagavan is the inspiration for all spiritual seekers. If anyone reads his short biography, one will definitely get pure devotion. The characters of pure devotees inspire us to practice pure devotion.