All Glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga
Tridandi Swami Srimad
Bhakti Aloka Paramahamsa Maharaj
Related reading from the Math's publications
1) From Centenary Anthology, regarding receiving sannyas from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Mahārāj.
Excerpt from This Extremely Auspicious Day, A Śrī Vyāsa Pūjā address,
by Śrīla Gurudev Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj:
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Śrīla Guru Mahārāj preached very successfully all over India. His preaching satisfied Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur. Everyone had special respect for Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, and this was shown by their actions. Śrīla Bhakti Sāraṅga Goswāmī Mahārāj took sannyās from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj even though Śrīla Guru Mahārāj was junior to him (in the mission). Śrīla Bhakti Prajñān Keśav Mahārāj was also senior to Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, and he was a very exalted brahmachārī of the sampradāya, but he took sannyās from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj. Such advanced, intelligent personalities knew the prospect and conception of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur and his sampradāya. Like these examples, many great devotees of Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur wanted to take sannyās from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, but Śrīla Guru Mahārāj did not give easily. They wanted to take, but I saw that often they were afraid to ask him. In Vṛndāvan, in perhaps the 1950s, I saw two disciples of Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur who wanted to take sannyās from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, but they could not approach him, and lastly they went to Śrīla Goswāmī Mahārāj. Śrīla Goswāmī Mahārāj then asked Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, "Mahārāj, shall I give sannyās to them?"
Śrīla Guru Mahārāj had much respect for Śrīla Goswāmī Mahārāj and replied, "Yes. Why are you asking me?" But it is a fact that those devotees could not ask it from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj.
Many wanted to take sannyās from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj but could not come to him directly. That was the position of Śrīla Guru Mahārāj.
There was a very dear disciple of Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur who lived in the same room with Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur and received much affection from him—his name was Mahānanda Brahmachārī. We saw that lastly he came to Śrīla Guru Mahārāj and said, "Mahārāj, I want to take sannyās from you. Please give me sannyās." Śrīla Guru Mahārāj gave it very happily and his name became Śrīla Bhakti Ālok Paramahaṁsa Mahārāj.
There were many other disciples of Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur, including Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Mahārāj, who wanted to take sannyās from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj.
Having some idea about their sampradāya going in the line of Śrī Rūpānuga, they all came to Śrīla Guru Mahārāj. Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur expressed this through the highest song of our sampradāya, Śrī Rūpa-Mañjarī-pada. He wanted to hear that song from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, not from others. This story is famous.
If we need Ganges water, we must go to the Ganges. Similarly, it is necessary that if we want the conception given by Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu as well as Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur, we must come to Śrīla Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj. This was also the expression of all the devotees of Śrīla Saraswatī Goswāmī Prabhupād.
2) From Affectionate Guidance. Śrīla Gurudev regarding starting the Maṭh's Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan magazine:
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Śrīla Guru Mahārāj was very enthusiastic and said, "This idea is very good. If you can continue, then try to do this." I then began.
It is the teaching of Śrīla Guru Mahārāj that we shall proceed under the guidance of Śrī Guru-Vaiṣṇava, and it is my nature that I always keep the Vaiṣṇavas upon my head. In that way, I considered Śrīpād Madhusūdan Mahārāj to be highly qualified, and if he would take the editor's position, our magazine would receive universal appreciation. That is, we are living in Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, and this magazine is for Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, but our editor is from another Maṭh. Thus, everyone can see that our vision is that we are giving position to those who are really qualified. They will see that we have a broad view. Not only that, but we decided that we shall glorify other Vaiṣṇavas' characters, and give news of other Vaiṣṇavas' preaching also. We did that, and furthermore, we published their activities with pictures. We tried to glorify the Mission and character of all the godbrothers who were very affectionately connected with Śrīla Guru Mahārāj. In that way, our Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan had a broad 'international' vision.
Śrīla Guru Mahārāj agreed and said to me, "If Śrīpād Madhusūdan Mahārāj will accept the position of editor, it will be very good, but you must put your name there as joint editor." Therefore, Śrīpād Madhusūdan Mahārāj and myself were joint editors, Śrīla Guru Mahārāj was the Founder-Āchārya, and Śrīpād Jājāvar Mahārāj and Śrīpād Paramahaṁsa Mahārāj were advisers of Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan. Śrīla Guru Mahārāj as far as possible gave an article each month. Śrīpād Madhusūdan Mahārāj, Śrīpād Paramahaṁsa Mahārāj, and others also gave.
3) Golden Reflections. Śrīla Gurudev regarding his proposal to srart Himalayan pilgrimages:
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[Śrīla Guru Mahārāj responded:] "It would be an arduous journey. Can you organise and run it successfully?" I said, "Yes. If you give your grace, I can."
Śrīla Guru Mahārāj gave me enthusiasm and said, "If you can, it will be very good."
Then, myself and other devotees, we went and gathered people for the tour. With the help of our patrons we advertised by distributing handbills from door to door.
In the first party were about fifty-four persons. Myself and Paramahaṁsa Mahārāj—a sannyās disciple of Śrīla Guru Mahārāj who also helped him very much by collection and preaching—we took charge of the party. I was very young at that time, around twenty-four years old. For that first tour Śrīla Guru Mahārāj said it was necessary for an older devotee to also head the party, therefore he invited Paramahaṁsa Mahārāj. Actually I was in charge, but Paramahaṁsa Mahārāj was very helpful. Each year we would go to Kedarnath, Badarik Ashram, and Tunganath.
After that we started various parikramā tours to the holy places of Southern India, Western India, Purī, Vṛndāvan, Dvārakā, and so on. These tours would all go to holy places. We established good relations with many people, and many of them also took initiation from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj. Many of the participants became devotees. In addition, by those tours we were able to collect much money at that time. I can remember that each tour would make at least Rs 5,000. With our nourishment they were very happy.
Śrīla Guru Mahārāj also came with us on three or four occasions. He went on the train tours and also on the pilgrimage by foot to Badarik Ashram. By that time the bus ran into the Himalayas all the way up to Rudra Prayag or maybe Chāmauli. When we first started, the whole journey by foot was about 286 kilometres and it took one month to complete.