Since childhood, the boy Nrisimha was academically talented and eventually passed higher education with a B.A. degree from the local college, Khallikote at Berhampur, Odisha. However, the young boy was interested in the knowledge of Ayurveda. Thus, he went to study under a famous Ayurvedic doctor named Madhusudan Sharma who was initiated, along with his wife, by Srila Prabhupada. We know from Sri Caitanya Charitamrita that the root cause of devotion to Krishna is the association of vaishnavas (pure devotees). Thus, Nrisimha got devotional inspiration from his Ayurveda teacher, Sripad Madhusudan Prabhu and fortunately, got connected to the guru parampara by receiving harinama first initiation from Srila Prabhupada on 3rd of August 1936 at Mayapur, Sri Caitanya Math. After initiation, Srila Prabhupada gave Nrsimha the name Nrisimhananda Prabhu. Subsequently, Nrisimhananda Prabhu got second initiation in 1937 from his reputed senior godbrother.
Sripad Nrisimhananda Prabhu had very sweet relations with all of his Godbrothers. In a short period of time, Sripad Nrisimhananda Prabhu gained expertise in giving discourses on different scriptural evidences in various languages such as Telegu, Oriya, Hindi, English etc. Also, Nrisimhananda Prabhu used to offer respect to all of his senior Godbrothers. Therefore, he was appointed as temple president of Madras Gaudiya Math and Sri Ramananda Gaudiya Math at Kovvur, Andhra Pradesh.
In order to spread the loving message of Mahaprabhu in different parts of India as well as abroad, he got inspiration for taking the vow of renunciation known sannyasa. On the 7th day of February 1966, Sripad Nrisimhananda Prabhu took sannyasa initiation from his dearmost godbrother, Srila Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Goswami Maharaj at Yogapith temple, the birth place of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. After the sannyasa initiation, he became known as Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Goswami Maharaj.
Eventually, Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Goswami Maharaj established more than 15 centers in India and several centers abroad, such as Sri Radha Govinda Gaudiya Math in Vienna, Austria. Presently, that center is taken care of by one of his disciples, Srila Bhakti Sadhak Muni Goswami Maharaj. Also, Srila Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami Maharaj has many preaching centers in Italy, Spain, etc till today.
It is an absolute truth that everyone must die having taken birth in the material world. However, the example of Srila Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami Maharaj’s devotional service is allowing him to be alive with us forever. The material truth is that on the 3rd of March 2009 during the evening arati in his center at Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India, Srila Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami Maharaj physically passed away from all of us. Srila Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami Maharaj’s entire life teaches us to become truthful, humble, respectful and forbearing. These are the most important qualities in pure devotional practices.
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Pūjyapāda Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja
[February 2, 2021 is the appearance day of Pūjyapāda Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, in Vṛndāvana, India. The following is an excerpt of a bhāva anuvāda of the kathā given by Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Bhāratī Gosvāmī Mahārāja on the same tithi on March 5, 2017. Editors’ input: Additional text has been included in square brackets to facilitate the flow of content.]
UNFAILING COMMITMENT TO BRINGING PRASĀDA
Śrīla Mahārāja used to stay in the Kovūra Maṭha and each time we would pass Kovūra by train he would unfailingly come to meet us with prasāda in hand. Then he would also take us for darśana of the Kovūra maṭha. [Kovūra is the place where Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first met Rāmānanda Rāya] Later he established a maṭha in Rājamundarī, on the east side of the Godāvarī river. His disciple, Śrī Bhakti Kamala Govinda Mahārāja, who was still a child at that time, would also accompany him to the train station with prasāda. They would visit our Hyderabad Maṭha often.
LESSONS BAY BECOMES RĀDHĀNAGARA
Once, Śrīmad Bhakti Vijaya Puruṣottama Tīrtha Mahārāja established a maṭha in Visakhapatnam in the area called “Lessons Bay”. Pūjyapāda Vaibhava Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Pūjyapāda Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja and myself attended the inauguration of the maṭha and deity installation ceremony there. I suggested for them to change the name from Lessons Bay to Rādhānagara, similar to Kṛṣṇanagara. I felt very happy many years later, when I was there on Mahārāja’s āvirbhāva tithi and I heard his disciple announce the name had been changed to Rādhānagara.
AN ILLNESS PASTIME
There is another maṭha in Purī established by Śrīmad Puruṣottama Tīrtha Mahārāja, and later given to Purī Mahārāja. There, Śrīla Puri Mahārāja performed his illness pastimes. Once, after becoming so ill that he was unable to eat or move, his disciples requested me to go and speak to him, “He accepts only caraṇāmṛta and nothing else. Because he has great affection for you, please encourage him to take something more”.
I went the very next morning and asked, “Mahārāja, why have you given up eating and drinking?” In a very low voice he explained, “I have burning pain”. I told his disciples to give him one or two spoons of miśri [sugar candy] with saunf [aniseed] soaked in water, every so often. When I met him again after 2-3 days, he told me “I ate rice, brinjal, and jackfruit, so far”.
His sevaka confirmed this but admitted he had only taken very little, next to nothing. Eventually they consulted with a doctor from Visakhapatnam who prescribed him strong medicines to be taken with sweet lime juice. The sweet lime juice was not available in Purī at that time so they used to get it from Bhubaneśvara and bring it back to him. After some time he was restored to health and later traveled abroad to preach.
Today is Śrīla Mahārāja’s disappearance day. I remember him and offer my obeisances to him.