Introduction (when Śrīla Gurudeva started giving initiation)

Parama-gurudeva, Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja had many disciples, and amongst them, the most prominent were my dīkṣā-guru Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, my śikṣā-guru Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Gosvāmī Mahārāja. These three shared tremendous intimacy; even if they had been born from the same parents, their intimacy could not have been greater. Śrīla Gurudeva used to say that, “though we are three different bodies, our soul is one.”

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja was the acārya of Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Śamīti and was also the one initiating disciples. At that time, Śrīla Gurudeva was not giving initiation. Although the management of Śrī Devānanda Gauḍīya Māṭha was headed by Śrīla Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja who was offered all respect as the ācārya, when we brahmacārīs or the māṭhavāsīs brought any issues or disagreements before him, he would always tell us, “Take the matter to Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja.” How he handled the matter, and whatever he decided to do was always fully backed by Śrīla Vāmāna Gosvāmī Mahārāja; therefore, whatever Śrīla Gurudeva ordered was the mandate for everyone in the Śamīti.

This closeness and complete trust was also evident between Pujapad Trivikrama Mahārāja and Śrīla Gurudeva. In later years, when Śrīla Gurudeva started giving initiation, Pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja used to say, “I have no disciples, but all the disciples of Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja are my disciples”.

Additionally, when contemplating the intimacy that these three gurus shared, we should bear in mind they all accepted sannyāsa (the supermost position in human society) on the same day, from Param Gurudeva, Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Besides their unending preaching and services to their Guru Mahārāja, we should also consider the divine departure of these three mahā-bhāgavatas. They all disappeared from our external vision while residing in the Lord’s holy dhāma. Both Śrīla Bhaktivedānta

Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja and Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Gosvāmī Mahārāja left this world and entered nitya-līlā, the eternal līlā of the Lord on the same auspicious day (tithī), exactly two years apart (2004 and 2002 respectively). Śrīla Gurudeva said, “Following in the footsteps of my senior god-brother prapūjya-caraṇa Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja, I want to take shelter of the same tithī (exact day) to leave this world.” Instead of leaving on the disappearance day of Śrīla Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrīla Gurudeva left on his most auspicious appearance day at three in the morning. Although none of Śrīla Gurudeva’s sevakas attending him told him which Vaiṣṇava calander day it was, by his own internal, transcendental connection he left at the most auspicious time to join in the most intimate pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Once, just before Śrī Navadvīpa parikramā, my Guru Mahārāja Śrīla Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja became very sick.

He decided to go to Siddha Bāḍi to recover—the same place where Anaṅga-mohana Brahmacārī had stayed when he was ill with tuberculosis. Just then Śrīla Gurudeva was coming from Mathurā for the Navadvīpa parikramā. When he heard the news, he immediately departed for Siddha Bāḍi with two maṭha-vāsīs and me. At that time I was Navīna Kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī. When we arrived at Siddha Bari, Śrīla Gurudeva offered praṇāma to my Guru Mahārāja, who immediately said jokingly, “Navīna, pack my things because a policeman has come to take me away. If I refuse him he will arrest me and take me to Navadipa māṭha. I think it is better to surrender.”

When Śrīla Gurudeva heard that, he laughed and laughed. They both were always serious but at the same time their personalities had a playful side which really came out when they got together. That very evening, all of us left Siddha Bāḍi and arrived in Kolkata the following day.