Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami
Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Maharaj appeared in this world only to benefit others. He was endowed with natural humility and unfathomable knowledge.
His personality reflected the descriptions of the spiritual master as we find in the Vedic scriptures. Srila Puri Maharaja’s form appeared very gracious and spiritually attractive even at the venerable age of 100 years. The Kularnava rahasya says, ingita akaravit prajnah. One can detect the internal conscience of the spiritual master from his physical appearance. This is so because the outside and the inside of Sri Guru are one. The whole body and particularly the eyes of Srila Gurudeva are a mirror of his pure conscience. Another characteristic of the spiritual master is vichakshanah, which means that he does not disturb the spiritual feelings of anybody.
Srila Puri Maharaj departed at the age of 102. He preached tirelessly up to the age of 100 years, when the conditions of his body did not allow him to speak any more. We saw a flow of divine energy coming from the figure of Srila Puri Maharaj. He applied the ointment of divine knowledge (jnananjana) to the eyes of uncountable aspirants on the path back to God.
Srila Puri Maharaj preached fearlessly the science of God with the desire to rescue the conditioned souls all over the world. At the age of 89, in 1987, he established Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math responding to the desire of his disciples. He was never attached to increasing his following. He never presented allurements or material benefits to attract followers. Everyone wanted naturally to follow him for he was such a disinterested Vaishnava.
Srila Puri Maharaj always reminded others about the hellish conditions of life. In this way he was very merciful to all living entities. He wrote innumerable articles for the Dainik Nadiya Prakash to uplift the people of this age and the devotees read them with great interest and reverence. He spent several years publishing spiritual literature.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur appreciated very much the attachment for the scriptures of his own disciple, Pranavananda Brahmachari (Puri Maharaja’s name as a brahmachari) and bestowed upon him two titles, Pratnavidyalankar and Mahopadeshak. These recognitions came from a very sober, thoughtful and illustrious source such as Srila Saraswati Thakur. They cannot be taken lightly and should be accepted as most authentic and meaningful. By giving him the title Mahopadeshak, Srila Saraswati Thakur recommended Pranavananda Brahmachari as one of his most competent disciples, someone who could give relevant instructions to others in spiritual matters. The title Pratnavidyalankar implies that the knowledge acquired by Pranavananda Brahmachari was indeed most refined and effulgent.
Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Maharaj was a dispassionate speaker well versed in the truth about Lord Chaitanya and Sri Sri Radha Krishna. He could speak very charmingly. By hearing him, whoever was overwhelmed with lust, anger, greed or any other mental trouble, would immediately become free of all such difficulties. He was very affectionate to the devotees, sober, merciful and had a spontaneous tendency to smile while speaking.
May the glories of Om Vishnupada Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Maharaj spread in all the corners of the universe!
