The Bond

of Sound
Inspiration through Vani

(A collection of Homages)
The 73rd Sri Vyasa-puja of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami
June 21, 2019
 ÇRÉ GURU PRAËÄMA
oà ajïäna-timirändhasya jïänäïjana-çaläkayä
cakñur unmélitaà yena tasmai çré-gurave namaù

I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has

opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance,
with the torchlight of knowledge.

ÇRÉLA TAMAL KRISHNA GOSWAMI PRAËATI

nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale

çrémate tamäl kåñëa gosvämin iti nämine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Tamala Krishna

Goswami, who is very dear to Lord Kåñëa, having taken shelter at His
lotus feet.

ÇRÉLA PRABHUPÄDA PRAËATI

nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale

çrémate bhaktivedänta-svämin iti nämine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda, who is very dear to
Lord Kåñëa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

namas te särasvate deve gaura-väëé-pracäriëe

nirviçeña-çünyavädi-päçcätya-deça-täriëe

Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of

Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé. You are kindly preaching the
message of Lord Caitanya deva and delivering the Western
countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
 ÇRÉ VAISËAVA PRAËÄMA

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāḿ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the

Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone,
and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.
 Contents
I. Introduction 6
II. Meaning of Vyasa-puja 10
III. HH Tamal Krishna Goswami’s Vyasa-puja 14
Offering to Srila Prabhupada, 1998
IV. Letter from TKG Nectar Team 18
V. Homages from Godbrothers 22
1. Mahatma Dasa 24
VI. Homages from Disciples 26
1. Acarya Sakti Dasa 28
2. Dayal Nitai Dasa 32
3. Gita Kirti Devi Dasi and
Gurusmarna Devi Dasi 34
4. Gurudakshine Dasa 36
5. Hayagriva Dasa 38
6. Hladini Shakti Dasa 42
7. Jayaradhe Dasi 44
8. Madhuri Devi 46
9. Mathura Lila Devi Dasi 48
10. Nandini Devi Dasi 50
 Contents
11. Nitai Karuna Dasa 52
12. Premamayi Devi Dasi 54
13. Radha Vinod Dasa 58
14. Rupanuga Dasa 60
15. Vallyshyama Devi Dasi 62
16. Vamandev Dasa 64
17. Yudhisthira Dasa 66
VII. Homages from Followers & Well-wishers 68
1. Bhaktin Aayushi 70
2. Bhakta Abhinav 72
3. Ananta Svarupa Dasa 76
4. Bhageshvari Devi Dasi 78
5. Bhavya Bhagavan Dasa 80
6. Dvijanatha Gauranga Dasa 82
7. Bhakta Gaurav 84
8. Bhakta Gorakhnath 86
9. Hriday Govind Dasa 90
10. Jarikhanda Sevaki Dasi 92
 Contents
11. Bhakta Kamlendra 94
12. Bhaktin Kelsie 96
13. Ksircor Gopinath Dasa 98
14. Nilamani Dasi 100
15. Bhaktin Paridhi 104
16. Parasurama Dasa and
Shyamangi Radhika Dasi 112
17. Raghunatha Dasa 114
18. Bhakta Rohan 118
19. Bhaktin Sandhya 120
20. Sharad Bihari Dasa 122
21. Sri Radha Govindanandini Devi Dasi 124
22. Tamala Krsna Dasa 126
23. Bhakta Venkatesh 128
24. Bhaktin Vrinda 130
25. Bhakta Yoodish 132
26. Anonymous 134
VIII. Sri Guru Vandana 136
IX. About HH Tamal Krishna Goswami 138
Introduction
 E verybody needs it. Everyone is looking for it. It’s the highest
valued commodity but it can’t be bought anywhere. For it to really satisfy
the heart, it has to be given free of charge. Then the more one receives it,
the happier one becomes. The more one shares it, the more one possesses
it. What could possibly be the answer to this riddle? A simple one: love and
affection. Love is the source of all our inspiration, the driving force behind
everything we may do. When we experience love, our lives blossom and we
feel capable of performing countless activities. Without it, we feel like dead
although breathing, and even the slightest task becomes very difficult.
What else can be said about the nature of love? Love is an energy. But not
like a type of light which is floating in the air, as impersonalists would like
us to believe. It is rasa, the taste relished between individuals as they care
for each other in various relationships. Thus there are also various ways
through which one may experience it. Love between friends, between par-
ents and their children, between husband and wife, so many different types
of love are possible in this world.

Yet there is one special type of love which is much rarer to be found.
Those who stumble upon it are very fortunate indeed. This type of love
is developed within this world, but is able to lift those involved in it out of
this world. Crossing the boundaries of birth and death, which relentlessly
cause all other relationships to come to a sorrowful end, and transcending
the limits of space and time, this relationship is meant to carry both parties
into the spiritual realm, where it continues forever. What type of love are
we speaking about? The love between guru and disciple.

What is a guru and what is a disciple? A real guru is someone who rep-
resents God in all his actions. Because of all he learned from his own
spiritual master and his being well-versed in the scriptures like Bhaga-

9
vad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, he understands that the ultimate goal
of life is to render loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord Sri
Krishna, who appeared in this world as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What
makes the relationship between a genuine guru and his sincere disciples
so unique? Contrary to even the most lofty emotions exchanged between
people in this world, there is no material motivation involved. The guru
receives no payment for his teachings, and the disciple gets no reward for
his service rendered. The sole purpose behind their exchanges is to give
pleasure to Krishna and together, to grow closer in their devotion for Him.
It is said that to meet a pure devotee is very rare. Yet by the combined
grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His Divine Grace A. C. Bhak-
tivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, who so kindly brought Krishna con-
sciousness to the West, this earth is currently being blessed by the presence
of many purified souls. On Prabhupada’s order, these loyal servitors have
taken up the duties of spiritual masters and they are trying their utmost to
help as many souls as possible traverse their way back home, back to God-
head. Sincere persons who meet those devotees can’t help but be attracted
to their purity and to the exalted message they are so eager to share. Thus,
in due course of time, some of them desire to become disciples and try to
follow the guidance of their spiritual master and to assist him in his mis-
sion by rendering service to him. In this way, the disciples experience great
satisfaction, and gradually their own Krishna consciousness is becoming
revived.

Today is a special day. Why? It is the celebration of Sri Vyasa-puja, the

appearance day of one such pure devotee within this world. As a faithful
son of Srila Prabhupada, he has inherited all the spiritual fortune of his
beloved spiritual master. And out of his munificence, he is distributing this
fortune like anything, all over the world. Day by day, his mercy is touch-
ing people’s lives, homes and hearts. Hundreds and thousands of people
from all walks of life, all countries, all ages, all colors, all classes, literally

10
everyone who comes in contact with this transcendental personality feels
charmed by the rays of his kindness and mercy and his uncommon love
for all souls. Filipino housewives, a professor in religious studies, Indian
businessmen, an elderly lady from Singapore, high school girls, a travel
agent from Hong Kong, a New Zealand temple president, German sankir-
tana brahmacaris, an airline stewardess, an accomplished interfaith mem-
ber, helpless toddlers, ISKCON sannyasis, Vrindavan gurukula boys, the
list could simply go on and on.

Need any proof ? Just walk up to any of these people, as they go about
their activities, and ask them one question: “Do you know Srila Tamal
Krishna Goswami Gurudeva?” As they nod in agreement, watch how their
eyes start to twinkle and a bright smile lights up their face. Now, out of cu-
riosity, you may want to inquire further, “Who is this person? What makes
you so happy to remember him? What does he mean to you?” If you do
so, be prepared for their replies, for they may overwhelm you. You see,
these devotees could speak to you for hours about the love and the grati-
tude they feel for their spiritual master, who is so kindly taking the trouble
to help them in their spiritual lives. Their stories are inspiring, endearing,
worth recording and recalling. And that’s precisely what this book is all
about. It is a collection of statements by devotees of Krishna, whose lives
have been touched and transformed by the mercy of that great soul, Srila
Tamal Krishna Goswami Gurudeva.

Without delaying any further, let us turn the page and hear what they have
to say.

On behalf of your disciples (and followers),

Rati Manjari Devi Dasi
Sri Vyasa-puja book, 1998

11
Meaning of Vyasa-puja
 L iterally, it means the worship of the spiritual master who
comes in the disciplic succession of Srila Vyasadeva, an incarnation of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. Srila Vyasadeva is the
compiler of the Vedas. The uninformed may challenge how such vener-
ation can be bestowed upon anyone. How do we understand this? This
requires comprehension of the nature of the living being in relation to the
Supreme Lord.

Comprehending the living being is most fascinating! It is said that the

living being is eternally a servant of the Supreme Lord. But due to the
misuse of freedom, he is trapped within the material universe, ever for-
getful of his Lord. Though the living being is the same in quality with the
internal potency of the Supreme Lord, he is nonetheless infinitesimally
small. Hence, he becomes covered by the material energy. So within the
material universe, the living being is misled by the illusory energy of the
Supreme Lord. It misleads a living being just as fog blocks off the light of
the sun. This illusion takes the form of ‘I’, ‘Me’, and ‘Mine’. Thus, the
living being lives an existence thinking he is the body and suffers within the
material world. But the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, is very kind. He feels
great compassion for the helpless condition of the minute jiva. He yearns
for our association as well! To this effect He either personally descends
time and time again to this world to attract us back to our natural position,
or at other times He sends His representatives or appears in the form of
the scriptures or spiritual masters to deliver the living beings from material
existence.

Intelligent people are eager to understand the Absolute Truth through the
medium of science, and therefore some scientists endeavor to prove the
Lord’s existence on a scientific basis. Similarly, theistic philosophy aims to

13
establish that the Absolute Truth exists and is sentient and all-powerful.
While mere book knowledge about the living being or the Supreme Lord
may give us particular clues, the secret of actual understanding can only
be realized when one seriously practices devotional process as stated in the
revealed scriptures through the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.9.32, the Lord informs Brahma that the
transcendental knowledge of the absolute Supreme Being can be known
if it is revealed by the Lord Himself. Not even by the mental speculation
of the greatest mundane thinkers, can the Absolute Truth be understood.
Inductive and deductive knowledge are defective, as they are based mainly
on the mind and the senses. It is said that the mind is material and thus,
knowledge presented by material speculators is never transcendental and
can never become perfect. It should also be understood that mundane phi-
losophers being imperfect themselves, disagree with other philosophers be-
cause such persons are only recognized as philosophers when they present
their own theory! Hence, transcendental knowledge can only be received
via the disciplic succession and know other way.

The Lord first uttered the transcendental knowledge of the Vedas to Brah-
ma, who imparted it to Narada. From Narada the knowledge descended
to Vyasadeva, from Vyasadeva to Madhava, and in this process of disciplic
succession the transcendental knowledge was transmitted by one disciple
to another until it reached the founder-acarya, Srila Prabhupada, who
in turn gave it to Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami. The knowledge that we
receive from our Srila Gurudeva is not different from that imparted by the
Lord Himself and all the acaryas in the disciplic line of Lord Brahma.
Such knowledge is rare and difficult to understand. Therefore, any per-
sonality giving it generously and mercifully automatically deserves to be
worshipped like the Supreme Lord. In this regard, the Supreme Lord also
declares in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that the spiritual master is as good as
He and should be honored and revered as such without any envy and en-

14
mity! It is for this particular reason that we worship, honor, and celebrate
our guru who is representing Vyasadeva, the originator of the written
Bhagavata.

Let us now celebrate our Srila Gurudeva’s Vyasa-puja with pomp and
purpose, for without his guidance and knowledge, we would be just anoth-
er living being on this planet! Let us now venture forth into this book to see
how this transcendental knowledge has indeed touched and changed the
lives of so many by one so dear to the Supreme Lord—Srila Gurudeva.

Srila Gurudeva ki jaya!

Srila Gurudeva ki jaya!
Srila Gurudeva ki jaya!

Your servant,
Radha-Krishna Dasa
Sri Vyasa-puja book, 1998

15
HH Tamal Krishna Goswami’s
Vyasa-puja Offering to
Srila Prabhupada, 1998
 A Beggar at Prabhupäda’s Door

My dear Çréla Prabhupäda,

P lease accept my most humble obeisances at your divine lotus

feet.

Today, I stand before you, a wayward son, pitiably reduced, bowed and
bereft—more a beggar than when we first met thirty years ago. At that
time, Haight-Ashbury was a blazing crematorium filled with ghoulish,
ghostly characters, I among them. The entire city of San Francisco was
spooked by our outrageous behavior. No one had any idea what to do
with us—not the mayor, nor the governor, nor the police. Had you not
arrived, though uninvited by them, the entire city would have been
desecrated. Yet none of those municipal authorities could fathom your
glories. Instead, seeing you dance and sing and associate with the half-
crazed, they mistook you for one of us, not recognizing who you were,
where you had come from, and what your mission was.

Lord Çiva, too, is grossly misunderstood due to his unusual behavior

and ghostly entourage. You, like Lord Çiva, are the best of the devotees,
the deliverer of the most fallen. As Lord Çiva rides upon his white bull
Nandi, you are carried on the back of Dharma. Çiva means “auspicious”:
he holds the Ganges and the moon on his head, a tåçüla and òamaru
drum in his hands. Similarly, you are the brilliant moonlike disciple of
the star-studded sarasvat firmament. You are as auspicious as Lord Çiva,
for the same Ganges only agreed to come to earth if she could be puri-
fied by personalities like you. The whole world dances to your båhad
mådaìga rhythms, urged on by the three prongs of Kåñëa’s prasädam,
His holy names, and your books.

18
You are the destroyer of all that is inauspicious. Like Lord Çiva, without
waiting to be asked you proceeded to drink the poisonous ocean of that
city’s sins. Äçutoña is another of Çiva’s names, but are you not equally
magnanimous? We pleased you simply by our wild dancing, encouraged
by your nods and smiles. With no effort on our part, you freed us from
ghostly existence by giving us birth as your own sons and daughters.
Then you nourished and raised us to one day inherit your divine mis-
sion—Lord Caitanya’s saìkértana movement.

So now I stand here, remembering my former life, knowing what I was

and what you wanted me to become. I feel so inadequate, completely
unqualified. I feel naked, revealed by my failings, ever reminded of my
past, which is much closer than I wish. Thirty years of Kåñëa conscious-
ness has changed many things, but at least one thing remains the same:
I am still the shameless beggar I was the day we first met. Therefore, on
the occasion of your Vyäsa-püjä, when I should offer rather than take, I
stand before you empty-handed, with only this pauper’s appeal to make:
Independence has been my undoing; free will has been only misused.
I consign these, now, to you. Please, Çréla Prabhupäda, do not return
them. Despite my hesitancy and possible unwillingness, force me to
accept your causeless mercy. May I never know ghostly existence again;
please make me your authentic son.

Begging always to remain your servant,

Tamal Krishna Goswami
Srila Prabhupäda’s Vyas-puja, 1998

19
 L etter from

TKG Nectar Team

Our dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept our humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to your divine, loving grace,
which is our strength, our hope, and our savior, always.

Happy Vyasa-puja, Gurudeva!!

T his is supposed to be your 73rd appearance day, but it feels

like time has frozen. You don’t seem to age, for your wisdom is divine and
perfect. You don’t seem to have really left even after seventeen years of
your departure, for you make us feel your presence in strange and sur-
prising ways. You are still here, guiding us in unique ways when we need
your help, surpassing the limitation of distance and time. It took us time to
realize your magnanimity, but now we can see it more and more, through
your vani, which sharpens the eyes of the soul.

Devotees all over the world are very inspired by your Krishna conscious-
ness. It warms our hearts to see, how even those who have never met you,
are feeling a special connect with you, associating with your vani. And
those who know you well from many years ago find solace in your vani
every day. Just to witness this is so satisfying.

You are an ocean of nectar, an ocean of love, and mercy. And we are try-
ing to share a small drop from that magnanimous ocean every day, in our
“Tamal Krishna Goswami – Nectar Drops” community. In the beginning,
we weren’t sure how much service we could be of, and how much of an
impact it would make. We were simply putting in little endeavors, with a
desire in our heart, to share the benefit we were receiving from your price-
less association. And now, by your unlimited mercy and compassion, after

21
nearly three years, so many thousands of devotees wait for your quotes
every day. You are amazing! We can’t stop smiling with joy and gratitude
when they tell us, “This is exactly what I needed to hear today!” How do
you do that to so many of us? You are inconceivable. It gives us great hope
to see how your compassionate heart goes out to us fallen souls.

One of our all-time favorite quotes by you is, “A guru does not stop his
instruction because of his physical absence.” You didn’t only say this when
you were physically present, but are actually making us experience it now
when you are not physically present. How amazing, that by the Lord’s di-
vine grace, we disciples can always stay connected to our gurus, and get to
be under their protective shelter, no matter what. Our gurus never leave us.
And so did you not leave us. Every day, in every word you say, you remind
us that you are here for us, very personally, your words the only permanent
thing we can hold on to, when everything else is changing around us. And
you will be as much available to us, as strong our desire to associate with
you will be. We believe that mercy is always there, it is only our endeavor
that is lacking. We wish we all can value your association, your mercy, your
kind presence in our lives, deeply, and grab this opportunity of reviving
our pure love and unalloyed devotion for guru and Krishna in this very
life—by your, and Srila Prabhupada’s divine grace.

Life at times can be very difficult, but just seeing that you are always there
for us, gives us great hope, comfort and confidence. It gives us the strength
to continue. It gives us the strength to live, and serve.

Today, we, along with so many grateful devotees, wish to thank you, for
your loving presence in all our lives, for your strong, yet sweet example of
dedication and devotion, for your continued, comforting leadership in our
Krishna consciousness, driving us all towards the goal, towards home!
This compilation, “The bond of Sound” is proof that your transcendental

22
sound vibration carries your compassion and touches many hearts, makes
us feel secure in your shelter and eternally grateful to Your Divine Grace.
We hope our offering pleases you.

We pray to be able to serve you more and more, and more and more, and
eternally assist you in your service to Sri Sri Radha-Shyamasundara, Srila
Prabhupada, and their associates.

Sending you all the (little) love that we have in our hearts. And we eagerly
look forward to meeting you some day, soon.

Your fortunate servants,

Aishwarya and Madana-mohana-mohini dasi
TKG Nectar Team
Pune, India

23
H omages from
Godbrothers
 - Mahatma Dasa -

“It always gave me great solace to know that no matter what happens, you would be there to
consult. What may take us weeks, months or even years to figure out, you could tell us in a few
minutes!”

Dear Tamal Krishna Maharaja,

Please accept my obeisances.

All glories to Prabhupada.

I n you I had someone who I could trust to give me proper di-

rection when I had difficult decisions to make or difficult problems to face.
It always gave me great solace to know that no matter what happens, you
would be there to consult. Your absence, therefore, left a dark hole in my
life - and in my heart. When I am dealing with difficult issues, especially in
management, how much I wish I could call you. What may take us weeks,
months or even years to figure out, you could tell us in a few minutes! I still
acutely feel your absence today and think of you often, wishing somehow
you were still with us. Yet I know Krishna had other plans for your service.

26
You are not someone that can be easily forgotten and you live on in the
memories of thousands of devotees, not just disciples, but in the memories
of so many devotees.

Your servant,
Mahatma Dasa
Alachua, FL, USA

27
H omages from
Disciples
 - Acarya Sakti Dasa -

“My true loving guardian and eternal spiritual father, my most worshipable and praiseworthy Divine Master, and the
most intimate of well-wishing friends, to the heart of my hearts.”

A humble offering at the lotus feet of my Srila Gurudeva.

To my most dearly beloved, eternal Spiritual Master, Srila Tamal Krishna
Goswami Maharaja,

Please accept my most humble obeisances at the Holy dust of your Holy
lotus feet. All glories to Guru-Gauranga, Radha-Govinda, Srila Prabhupa-
da, our most venerable Sri Guru Varga, and all the Vaisnava devotees of
the Lord.

Dearmost Srila Gurudeva,

It is the upcoming of your most auspicious 73rd Sri Vyasa-puja

day. I know that by your mercy I could write many nice words in glorifica-
tion of your Divine Grace. But “action speaks louder than words” as you
would often say. So what is the use of my Vyasa-puja ‘offering’, absent the

30
offering of my actual self . . . in genuine selfless service, at the dust of your
feet. And my great misfortune is such Srila Gurudeva (and of that you are
well aware), that I haven’t truly fully surrendered as of yet, at the feet of
your Divine Grace.

So let all my dear godbrothers and godsisters, who are more qualified and
worthy than daso’smi, glorify your Divine Grace on this most auspicious
day. From your ground-breaking dedication to the mission of Lord Caitan-
ya, to the heart-breaking beauty . . . of your pure loving heart.

As for me, let me just humbly pray at your feet on this day Srila Gurudeva
(and at the feet of all the merciful Vaisnavas), that you may all kindly give
me your blessings, and grant me the wisdom, courage and inspiration to
embrace the process of bhakti nicely, and pray that I may be fortunate
enough to be able to offer our Srila Gurudeva something of true value in
service, in this life.

And whatever service that might be, and however ‘big’ or ‘small’, let it be
my humble attempt to repay the debt of love that I owe you Srila Gurude-
va, as an ever-unfolding expression of my eternal gratitude. Not only for
all the invaluable gifts you have given me along the way, but also for what
you were for me . . . by virtue of your mere existence in my life; my true
loving guardian and eternal spiritual father, my most worshipable and
praiseworthy Divine Master, and the most intimate of well-wishing friends,
to the heart of my hearts.

I miss you Srila Gurudeva. So very much.

Wishing you and all the devotees celebrating, a most blessed and joyous Sri
Vyasa-puja event.

31
Forever longing, at the dust of your feet,
Your ever aspiring servant,
Acarya Sakti Dasa
Israel

PS: I wish to thank the devotees who put up the reminder posts on Face-
book, inviting and encouraging the devotees to submit our Sri Vyasa-puja
offerings. And also to thank the devotees from the ‘TKG Nectar Drops’
page. Such nice service that they are rendering to the Vaisnava community
of your followers and friends with those lecture quote cards. I personally
find them very inspirational, and sweet.

32
 - Dayal Nitai DASA -

“Your very personality totally captured our hearts, strengthens our faith, pushes us forward, and
keeps us going.”

Dear and respected Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my obeisances in the dust at your feet. All glories to Your
Holiness. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I n your crystal clear lectures, you teach us how to understand

and think in Krishna consciousness.
By your sterling example of a surrendered disciple, you teach us how to act
in Krishna consciousness.

In your classic evergreen ‘surrenderloka kirtans’, you laid the cornerstone

for the kirtans we know today in the ISKCON world. Your seminars, such
as Brahma-samhita, and the songs of Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, in-
vite us to go deep in Krishna consciousness. Your stories of Li Guang Shi
teach us how to preach Krishna consciousness.

34
“Servant of the Servant”, “Srila Prabhupada Antya-lila”, “TKG’s Dia-
ry”, teach us in detail about intimate, atma-nivedanam service to Sri Sri
Guru and Gauranga. Your brilliantly written “Jagannatha-priya-natakam”
brings us tangibly closer to Sri Jagannatha in seva.

Your Fiji lectures make us proud to be somehow associated with you.

Your Radha-Damodara and your China Mission pastimes never fail to
amaze and inspire us. Your years spent studying and unprecedentedly serv-
ing Srila Prabhupada fill us with awe and leave an everlasting impression
of devotion, dedication, and sacrifice on our minds and hearts. Your very
personality totally captured our hearts, strengthens our faith, pushes us
forward, and keeps us going.

There have been one, two times when the subtle thought crossed my dull
mind that Srila Gurudeva is now ‘dead and gone…’ yet, obviously it was
me (my Krishna consciousness) who was dead and gone, and although I
was/ am here-and-now present on this earth in this body from tip to toe, I
was/ am more life-less than you were, are and will ever be.

My heartfelt obeisances at your worshipable feet may be the only thing I

have to offer to you, a meagre return for all the wealth you abundantly and
gracefully bestow upon my wayward head.

Love you Srila Gurudeva. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Your servant,
Dayal Nitai Dasa
Belgium

35
 - Gita Kirti Devi Dasi &
Gurusmarana Devi Dasi -

“We love you so much for giving us the opportunity in this life to serve Their Lordships.”

Hare Krishna Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept our humble offering.

T

hese past years, since you left us in your vapu form, have been
very challenging. You knew you had to keep us very busy when you are not
around, so you instructed us to build a house in Fiji overlooking the sea
and on a freehold property. It all ended up in a magnificent palace of Sri
Sri Radha-Damodara with a beautiful museum of yours.

We are so busy in temple management, with all your instructions, and

have so little time to think that you are no more. We feel your presence in
everything we do, so please keep us busy in Krishna consciousness till the
end of our lives.

36
Our lifetime offering is this temple of Their Lordships.

We love you so much for giving us the opportunity in this life to serve
Their Lordships and our eternal gratefulness to Srila Prabhupada for let-
ting us know who is Krishna.

Your servants of the servants,

Gita Kirti Devi Dasi &
Dr. Gurusmarna Devi Dasi
Sigatoka, Fiji Islands

ISKCON Sigatoka Temple

37
 - Gurudakshine dasa -

“The wish-fulfilling tree of Krishna Consciousness.”

Dear Gurudeva,

On your Vyasa-puja 2019, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories

to Srila Prabhupada.

Y ou are as fresh as a sun shower,

As ripe in Bhakti as a mango,
As sure as an arrow of desire,
You are Tamal Krishna,
The wish-fulfilling tree of
Krishna Consciousness.

Your benedictions flung far,

Following Srila Prabhupada
You scooped up ALL,

38
 Into a frenzy of comments,
Chanting Harinama Sankirtana,
Sri Mayapur dham basi done.

This is the time Vyasa spoke,

The time of Re-spiritualization,
The appreciation and practice,
Returning to Home is a process,
The Original message is clear,
Back Home to Godhead now.

Your servant of the servant of the servant,

Gurudakshine Dasa
Vaisnava Recording Seva
Sridham Mayapur, India
New Govardhana, Australia

39
 - Hayagriva Dasa -

“HH BB Govinda Maharaja said that Srila Gurudeva seemed to be heavy, but he was very
humble and dedicated to Srila Prabhupada. ”

Hare Krishna.

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Gurudeva and

Srila Prabhupada.

O n the auspicious occasion of Srila Gurudeva’s 73rd Vyasa-puja,

I would like to share a few pastimes of Srila Gurudeva which inspire me,
and are close to my heart.

1. In the early days of Hong Kong Yatra, the devotees in Hong Kong
did not have enough money to buy flowers for making garlands. The
flowers were also very expensive. The devotees made one garland for Srila
Prabhupada’s deity and one for Srila Gurudeva. Once during Guru-puja,
Srila Gurudeva noticed that Srila Prabhupada did not have a garland on,

40
and he asked the devotees where Srila Prabhupada’s garland was, to which
they replied that they didn’t have enough flowers to make two garlands
and so they made only one garland, just for Srila Gurudeva. Srila Gurude-
va took his garland (which he had not worn yet), shortened it a little, and
offered it to Srila Prabhupada. Then he told us to never offer him a gar-
land if Srila Prabhupada wasn’t offered one.

2. Srila Gurudeva once told Srila Prabhupada that he loved to eat

samosas. Srila Prabhupada asked Srila Gurudeva how many samosas he
could eat at a time, and Srila Gurudeva said he could eat around 10 to 15
of them. Srila Prabhupada’s eyes widened and he said, “Are you eating to
die?” Srila Gurudeva smiled and told Srila Prabhupada that Srila Prabhu-
pada once ate 12 chapattis. Srila Prabhupada said, “I never ate 12 chapa-
ttis, I can never do such a thing!” Srila Gurudeva said, “I served you Srila
Prabhupada, you rang the bell 12 times and I served you the chapattis.”
Srila Prabhupada said, “No, no, I never had so many”, and they laughed
together. Srila Gurudeva had a very special relationship with Srila Prabhu-
pada.

3. Srila Gurudeva used to wear Western formals (pant and shirt) when
he used to go for preaching in China. One time, in Hong Kong, he asked
my father if there was a good tailor who could stitch a shirt for him. My
father took him to an Indian shop where one could buy the shirt piece and
also get it stitched there. Srila Gurudeva chose an orange-pink color. Later
my father got the stitched shirt to Srila Gurudeva’s room. The tailor had
put white buttons on it, and Srila Gurudeva told my father to go back and
tell him to remove the white buttons and put pink buttons because it was
a pink shirt! So my father took the shirt back and had it changed. Srila
Gurudeva asked my father if the tailor had said anything. My father told
Srila Gurudeva that the tailor said, “Your Guru is a Sannyasi. Why is he
so worried about buttons?” Srila Gurudeva said, “Go and tell him that my

41
Guru Maharaja (Srila Prabhupada) said that first dress, then address.”

4. Once HH BB Govinda Maharaja was sharing a pastime about

Srila Gurudeva. He said that Srila Gurudeva once showed him a kavaca
which had Srila Prabhupada’s tooth in it, and Srila Gurudeva told HH
BB Govinda Maharaja that he always wore the kavaca. HH BB Govinda
Maharaja asked who he would give the kavaca to later and Srila Gurudeva
told him that I have told my disciples that when they put me in my sama-
dhi, they can keep the kavaca on my chest. So when people come to offer
respects at the samadhi, they have something worthwhile to offer respects
to. HH BB Govinda Maharaja said that Srila Gurudeva seemed to be
heavy, but he was very humble and dedicated to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you.

Your aspiring servant,

Hayagriva Dasa
Mayapur, India

42
 - Hladini Shakti Dasa -

“You left, suddenly. And yet, you did not leave. You remain in our hearts, our father. At
every step, by your vani, you are here.”

T o my swanlike master, His Holiness Srila Tamal Krishna

Goswami, who is the fearless servant of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:

Beloved master, Srila Gurudeva,

You left, suddenly. And yet, you did not leave.

You remain in our hearts, our father. At every step, by your vani, you are
here.

Your sweet smile, the twinkle in your lotus eyes, your laughter, your wise
teachings that inspire and guide us, your legacy of literary riches, your
attentive, unchanging love - these reside, here and now, always with us, in
our hearts. And sometimes, incarnadine, the deep dancing divinity that

44
suddenly appears in those fierce moments when agni’s fiery flames, sum-
moned by need, dart from your eyes and mouth in an avalanche of divine
intelligence and emotion to safeguard a dear disciple’s devotional creeper,
or to advance your beloved Srila Prabhupada’s mission, or to preserve his
reputation and legacy from harm intended by rascals busily opposed to His
Divine Grace.

Your unflagging devotion has inaugurated a flood of love, inundating your

loved ones: godbrothers and godsisters, beloved disciples, the unlimited
profusion of Lord Krishna’s unalloyed devotees, and the uncountable mul-
titude of souls caught in samsara. We take shelter at your lotus feet.

Please bless me that I may follow in your lotus footprints.

Your humble servant,

Hladini Shakti Dasa
New York, USA

45
 - Jayaradhe Dasi -

“I observed Your effulgent compassionate eyes lighting up and that endearing charming smile
softening the hearts of the receivers as You appreciated even their tiniest seva.”

My Dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my most grateful obeisances at Your sweet lotus feet.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and His eternal mercy.

L et me glorify You today in Your own commitment to grati-

tude. In the times You showered Your personal association on me, this
insignificant jiva, I observed Your effulgent compassionate eyes lighting up
and that endearing charming smile softening the hearts of the receivers as
You appreciated even their tiniest seva. I heard You say in an impromptu
darshan, “Even if someone bows down once before the Dieties, they are to
be considered a devotee because they have begun their Krishna conscious
journey”. Another time I asked You, “What about when someone tries
to attack me on book distribution, Gurudeva?...Someone kicked one of
those plastic cones at me that they place in the middle of the road”. Srila

46
Gurudeva, you replied, “Advancement will come gradually by stages. The
first stage is when they meet up with devotees and have an encounter such
as the one you had”. Please find above a letter I received from You, Srila
Gurudeva, which You wrote me without my writing You.

I remain,
Your most insignificant disciple,
Jayaradhe Dasi
London, UK

Letter from HH Tamal Krishna Goswami

dated February 8th, 1994

47
 - Madhuri Dasi -

“I appreciate so much that I have a father who takes care to keep me engaged in
Krishna seva.”

Jai Srila Gurudeva!

Dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All

glories to you for accepting me as your disciple.

I ’m humbled to be in front of you. You have saved our lives from

getting wasted in this material world. I appreciate with a lot of gratitude
that you also accepted my family members, starting with my mom, 80 now,
and still going on with the devotional service you instructed her to do. She
visits a lot of temples as she moves around a lot.

My eldest brother, with his wife and three children (with their own families
now) attend temple programs with the support of their family. After you

48
left this material world, three of them joined the group and accepted initi-
ation, and are doing seva in Vancouver (Canada) with our mother.

Srila Gurudeva, I humbly thank you for all that you have done. With your
mercy and love we all can still go on doing seva.

This year, you came in my dream again, and as I got your divine darsana,
you asked how I was doing with my devotional seva. I was so surprised to
know how you knew what I had been doing, not remembering that Guru
knows everything. I appreciate so much that I have a father who takes care
to keep me engaged in Krishna seva. Please keep me engaged as you do,
so I am all well prepared to follow in your footsteps, leaving this world in
Krishna consciousness.

Your humble servant,

Madhuri Dasi
Melbourne, Australia

49
 - Mathura Lila devi dasi -

“Once you told me, ‘The heavier the test, the more Krishna loves you’.”

Dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to your divine grace.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Gurudeva,

O h, how I miss you!

I’m drowning in an ocean of sorrow, and I’m so lost. I am trying all I can
to hold on very tight at your lotus feet, please don’t let me go. Once you
told me, “The heavier the test, the more Krishna loves you”. Lately, Kr-
ishna has been giving me so much spicy mercy. I do wished that Krishna
will give me a break and instead of the super-hot and spicy chutney, some
gulab jamun and rasagullas will be a nice treat.

50
Gurudeva, now that my children are grown up, by your mercy, I’m able to
do more service to Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana and Srila Prabhupada.
I pray that one day, when I leave this world, I will attain your association
again with Srila Prabhupada, and I pray that you will be pleased to have a
disciple like me.

Longing for your love and mercy,

Your most fallen daughter,
Mathura Lila Devi Dasi
Vancouver, Canada

51
 - Nandini Devi Dasi -

“You sparkling smile is ever fresh in my mind and the memories of how like a loving father
you nurtured us all.”

My most beloved Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All

glories to you for accepting me as your disciple.

T

o this very day it seems inconceivable that you departed from
this world 17 years ago. But indeed, you seem so alive in my life. Hearing
your lectures daily, I realize your vani is so potent and pure. It penetrates
my dull mind and illuminates my consciousness, calling me home.

Worshiping you in our home altar and in the magnificent temple you or-
chestrated, I feel you very much alive even in a stone like heart like mine. I
have no qualifications and without your continued mercy upon me, I have
no hope. I pray to you to bless me in my service, that by your divine grace,
I may be continued to be allowed to dress the deities, to offer puja, to cook

52
and clean and serve the devotees.

You sparkling smile is ever fresh in my mind and the memories of how like
a loving father, you nurtured us all. You encouraged us in our service to
open a prasadam restaurant.

The following excerpt was on our Tamal Krishna’s Veggie Garden Cafe
menu—serving from 2002-2011.

Everything you did for your beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada,
was perfect. You were so first class and attentive to every detail. With this
in mind, it is our desire to offer you a prasadam cafe that would please and
honor you.

Filled with gratitude and love,

Your fallen servant,
Nandini Devi Dasi
Dallas, TX, USA

53
 - Nitai Karuna Dasa -

“Your many different excellent services to Srila Prabhupada and toward Iskcon always show
me how I can follow in your footsteps and maintain my devotional life.”

My Dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you, Srila Prabhupada

and Sridham Mayapur.

T oday, when I am writing this offering for you, it is “Father’s
Day”. So please accept my wishes Srila Gurudeva, “Happy Father’s Day!”

I always remember you in every moment of my life and try to please you.
I love you so much. I always miss you when I desperately need your ad-
vice and guidance. You are my everything. You are so merciful to me that
you’ve allowed me to stay in Sri Mayapur Dham since 2003. I am so fallen
that I haven’t been able to do any service to please you all these years. I see
how all my qualified godbrothers and godsisters have served you so nicely

54
to please you every moment of their lives. Your many different excellent
services to Srila Prabhupada and toward ISKCON always show me how
I can follow in your footsteps and maintain my devotional life. But I am
very much unqualified. So, I need your causeless mercy and blessings to
become qualified and follow your teachings. Please give me your blessings
and shelter at your lotus feet.

Your fallen son,

Nitai Karuna Dasa
Mayapur, India

55
 - Premamayi Devi Dasi -

“I feel extremely grateful. Srila Gurudeva, without you, who could have connected me to Srila
Prabhupada? Without you, who could have brought about a change in my consciousness?”

My dear Spiritual father,

Koti koti panchanga pranam.

O
n the very auspicious 73rd Vyasa-puja day of yours, all glories
to Sri Guru and Gauranga. Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja,
Srila Gurudeva, Oh Lord and Master, winner of the heart of Srila Prab-
hupada, you very mercifully accepted me as your disciple and gave me the
new name Premamayi devi dasi. I feel extremely grateful. Srila Gurudeva,
without you, who could have connected me to Srila Prabhupada? Without
you, who could have brought about a change in my consciousness? With-
out you, who could have given me the inspiration to serve the mission of
my grandfather, a mission which is not different from the mission of Cait-
anya Mahaprabhu?

56
 I read your book, “Servant of the Servant”. It was a big inspiration to
learn from you, Srila Gurudeva. So much dedication to Srila Prabhu-
pada. What a wonderful intensity and sincerity with which you followed
Srila Prabhupada’s orders! For book distribution, Srila Gurudeva, you are
famous, a pioneer in our ISKCON movement. Especially, the Radha-Da-
modar Travelling Sankirtana Party. Now, there is a temple in Fiji, Sigatoka
Radha-Damodar temple, which was your plan. HH Vedavyasapriya Ma-
haraja told me about this in Ahmedabad, and showed me pictures of the
same. By your blessings, one day I would like to visit that temple.

I remember once I wrote a dream I had to you. I dreamt that Srila Prab-
hupada was giving a class and before that, one brahmacari came forward
to apply candana paste to Srila Prabhupada and Prabhupada told him to
give it to the Mataji who was standing alone, close to Srila Prabhupada’s
altar. I took the candana and applied it to Srila Prabhupada’s forehead.
Srila Prabhupada looked very blissful in my dream. Srila Gurudeva, you
wrote me back saying that Srila Prabhupada accepted my service. I got
so much mercy to develop the desire to do more service to please you and
Srila Prabhupada. I started distributing books in Vrindavan and Sweden. I
meditated on this quote of Srila Prabhupada many times, “By distributing
these books, you are doing a great service for Krishna.

I recently conducted a cooking course in Norway and recorded videos of

the same. I put my Krishna consciousness more sincerely into this service
to please you, Srila Gurudeva, because in Sweden, I conducted cooking
courses for many years and maintained myself. But now it is free for dev-
otees and for karmis to support the temple. Srila Gurudeva, you showed
me the pure path of devotional service. “Sri-Guru karuna-sindhu, adhama
janara bandhu. Prema-bhakti jaha hoite, avidya vinasa jate.” Srila Gu-
rudeva, by a drop of your mercy, please make this servant of yours more

57
humble and beloved to your divine lotus feet, so that I can serve you life
after life.

All glories to you, Srila Gurudeva.

Your eternal servant,

Premamayi Devi Dasi
Sweden

58
59
 - Radha Vinod Dasa -

“Your compassion, Srila Gurudeva,

Has made the impossible possible,
A crow will fly with swans.”

A Crow Will Fly With Swans

Dear Srila Gurudeva,

B y meditating on your lotus feet,

I will cross this ocean of nescience.
By meditating on your samadhi,
I will connect with the spiritual world.
By service to your mission,
One day I will join Your Divine Grace.
In sadness I long for all of this to ever happen,
Hope against hope,
But I have faith in the power of your mercy.
Otherwise, how can such a prayer appear

60
 From the mind of this low class human?
It feels beautiful, comforting, His presence felt.
Now I know I am not alone in this battle.
The truth is that sometimes I felt ignored,
But what a great misconception,
I just didn’t have the eyes to see.
Your compassion, Srila Gurudeva,
Has made the impossible possible,
A crow will fly with swans.

Your aspiring servant,

Radha Vinod Dasa
Mammoth Lakes, CA, USA

61
 - Rupanuga Dasa -

“You say, ‘Aren’t you my disciple? Do you think I would abandon you?’”

T hey said, “Srila Goswami’s coming. You come, too.” So, I

came. It was 1978.
You said, “Come to Dallas. Let’s talk about a rural community in Tennes-
see.” So, I came.
You said, “Bring your wife and kids to Dallas and get trained up for start-
ing a community.” So, we came. It was 1979.
I said to my wife, “I don’t like Dallas. Let’s move back to Mississippi, to
New Talavan.” So, we left.
You said, “Come back to Dallas. Get a job; get a house; raise your kids
here.” So we came back.
You said to Jayanti, “Don’t let the school close.” She didn’t. We stayed in
Dallas.
You said, “Take all the gurukula kids to Fiji. Teach them there.” We said,
“Okay.”
You said, “Change of plans. Stay in Dallas.” So, we did.
You went back to college, first in Dallas, then in Cambridge. You always

62
thought about serving Srila Prabhupada. I worked to support my house-
hold. You didn’t complain.
You entered Academia, preparing to show the world Srila Prabhupada, the
Scholar.
Then, suddenly, you left.
You said, “But Srila Prabhupada, there’s so much left to do.”
Srila Prabhupada said, “I have something for you to do.”
I say now to you, “Srila Gurudeva, I haven’t done anything worth men-
tioning. But the time is getting close for me to leave. Will you still be there
to give me my next assignment? Will you continue to help me get to Golo-
ka?”
You say, “Aren’t you my disciple? Do you think I would abandon you?”
I say, “Thank you for having faith in me, for letting me stay close to you. I
know, somehow, that you will continue to care for me and direct my wan-
derings. I don’t know much about Krishna and Radha, but I know some-
thing about you. And I know that wherever you are, that’s where I want to
be.”

Your servant,
Rupanuga Dasa
Dallas, TX, USA

63
 - Vallyshyama Devi Dasi -

“At times I am lost, of pure spirituality, I am deprived,

Then in a magical way, You come and get me revived.”

My Srila Tamal Krishna Gurudeva,

I was searching on the path of speculation,

You appeared to show me the path of devotion.

With the torch of knowledge, You opened my eyes,

Your association removed the cataract from my eyes.

O Srila Gurudeva, I was immersed in a maya spring,

In full trust, You put on my finger the Initiation ring.

In front of my eyes, Maya, in numerous forms, dangles,

You keep Your promise and offer me protective bangles.

64
 At times I am lost, of pure spirituality, I am deprived,
Then in a magical way, You come and get me revived.

My dear Gurudeva, in this world, You have appeared,

To guide fallen souls, then in Goloka, You reappeared.

My dear Gurudeva, You may not be present physically,

But You remain in my mind, senses and heart spiritually.

Your presence is felt by Your sincere and faithful disciples,

While You devote Yourself in the transcendental water ripples.

Vallyshyama Devi Dasi

New South Wales, Australia

65
 - Vamandev dasa -

“May you be my guru in all my lifetimes.”

Jai Srila Gurudeva!

T oday is Nirjala Ekadasi and it’s a very auspicious day for all
the devotees. I’m praying to Lord Krishna that today I be able to offer my
Nirjala fasting to you, Srila Gurudeva. We love you and miss you, and may
you be my guru in all my lifetimes. Though you are not physically present,
you are lovingly in the hearts of all your loved ones. We are very fortunate
that even today we feel your spiritual presence. Heaps of love to you, and
please keep blessing us.

Your disciple and servant,

Vamandev Dasa
Fiji Islands

66
 - Yudhisthira Dasa -

“I have clearly felt that you have been communicating with me fully through the dream states.”

Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my respectful, although not sufficiently humble obeisances.

All glories to your unfathomable surrender to Srila Prabhupada.

I t has been a long time since I have written to you, yet not one
day has passed where I have not remembered you and many of your
countless instructions, what to speak of the constant care that I have felt
from you since we first met in 1982. You called me your “permanent”
secretary. I hold that very closely to my heart and feel that guru-disciple,
mentor-mentee, and teacher-student relationship running through my
veins. But, most importantly, I feel your love and affection.

Like so many others, you have visited me in so many dreams, some of

which I remember vividly. And, they are all in my “dream journal” for
reflection and exploration in the years to come. Most were loving, sup-

68
portive, encouraging, and very sweet. Many feelings from the heart were
left unsaid before your departure from the physical realm on this planet
in 2002. However, in recent years, I have clearly felt that you have been
communicating with me fully through these dream states.

Since you do not seem to even think about letting me alone, my connec-
tion to you remains very strong. After all, it seems destined for me to try
and follow in your large and looming footprints, at least to a microscopic
amount. You had two prostate and bladder region surgeries. I also had two
very similar surgeries. And, I also experienced a devastating car accident.

In early 2018, I should have died in that car crash. It surprised everyone
that I was not more seriously injured. The result is a strong feeling of being
reincarnated in the same body. Obviously, unlike you, I was not ready to
return to the Kingdom of God; however, I was allowed to remain in this
body to continue my “heart work” alongside the hard work that you always
inspired me to perform through your example.

I was left with a scar on my forehead. When I look in the mirror, it looks
like a “G” … and we all know who that represents. Am now officially
branded. Who could ask for anything more?

Yours in service with a growing desire to learn the lessons of love,

Yudhisthira Dasa
Dallas, TX, USA

69
H omages from
Followers &
Well-wishers
 - Bhaktin Aayushi -

“You have helped the growth of this Krishna consciousness movement nicely without any
modifications, deletion or addition.”

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja,

Kindly accept my respectful obeisances unto the dust of your lotus feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Gauranga.

U ndoubtedly, Maharaja, you are an eternal associate of Srila

Prabhupada. Your role to carry forward the instructions of your Guru
Maharaja is exceptional, like Srila Prabhupada’s. Like Prabhupada’s right
hand, you have helped the growth of this Krishna consciousness move-
ment nicely without any modifications, deletion or addition. You simply
carried forward the instructions of your Srila Gurudeva and hence today,
we are so, so blessed to have the association of many of your wonderful
devotees, who are spreading the nectar of your words of wisdom and
Maharaja, I am one among the millions who are getting benefitted by it.

72
Thank you Maharaja.

You are always among us through your divine lectures and quotes which
your disciples are sharing with all of us out of their mercy and each living
entity is thereby getting benefitted from it. You have left this material world
to go back to Godhead and assist Srila Prabhupada in his further servic-
es, but in this material world, where we have no other shelter other than
suddha bhaktas of the Lord to look up to, Maharaja, you left us by giving
all your mercy in the form of your disciples, who are now helping me in
my practice.

Kindly forgive my offences Guru Maharaja. I am a patita, but you are

Patita-pavana, you have a golden heart and you are all merciful. Kindly be
merciful upon me so that my bhakti-lata keeps growing in service of the
Vaisnavas, Guru Maharaja and Sri Gauranga.

Your insignificant servant,

Aayushi
Haryana, India

73
 - Bhakta Abhinav -

“He emphasized establishing and nurturing loving relationship with one’s fellow Vaisnavas at
all levels - junior, senior and equal, and this is the basis for our relationship with the Supreme
Lord Himself.”

W e are greatly indebted to His Holiness Tamal Krishna

Goswami Maharaja Srila Gurudeva for all he has done for the Society, his
spiritual master, his godsiblings, future generations, Sri Mayapur Dham,
Sri Vrindavan Dham, his centers across the world, his disciples, followers,
siksa disciples, his own blood family, his acquaintances and everyone else
not mentioned above.

By his endeavor to please Srila Prabhupada he benefitted the

whole humanity

One of the principal teachings of Srimad-Bhagavatam is that just by wa-

tering the root, the whole tree gets nourishment. Similarly, just by working
for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, Maharaja gave nourishment to the
whole humanity.

74
In the process of working for Srila Prabhupada’s satisfaction, Maharaja
was able to render service in multiple roles like being a missionary, being
like a fatherly figure to his various godsiblings, an ideal example for the
whole society, etc. In addition to his work for the devotees and preaching
projects, he also undertook the PhD program as an outreach for the “real”
world.

Loving relationships

From my association with Maharaja’s disciples, I have heard on various oc-

casions how he emphasized establishing and nurturing loving relationship
with one’s fellow Vaisnavas at all levels - junior, senior and equal, and this
is the basis for our relationship with the Supreme Lord Himself.

Non-compromising spirit

Maharaja was a strict watchdog who could not tolerate deviations or

dilutions in Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and inculcated the same mood in
his followers and even the godbrothers who looked up to him for guidance.
We are reaping the benefits of the same as we see Srila Prabhupada’s
original mood in his followers. When we see congruence between what is
heard, read and seen - we are indeed getting the highest and we indeed get
the same unadulterated nectar that the predecessors intended to give.

Repetition of essential teachings of Srila Prabhupada in lectures

There are two types of speakers: one simply repeats what is told by the
previous gurus; and the other speaks his original realizations on the basis
of practice and following the spiritual master’s teachings.

Although both styles are essential and beneficial, but by constant repetition

75
of Srila Prabhupada’s original message and guiding how to apply it in day-
to-day scenario and its relevance in today’s time, place and circumstances,
devotees like Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja have indeed suc-
ceeded in keeping Srila Prabhupada alive in a big way.

Acceptance of bittersweet experiences

Sometimes, as comfort seekers, we shy away from personalities who give us

hard times, who speak heavy words, who are strict in their dealings and so
on. But, ultimately we don’t grow without going through it.

Guru means heavy and he’s our ultimate well-wisher. So through

personalities like Maharaja, we realize the value of voluntarily accepting
these bittersweet experiences for our benefit and start to relish them.

These are some things that I am writing in remembrance and glory of

Maharaja although I am not at all qualified. But unless we connect with
these personalities, we have no hope.

We pray to Maharaja for always wishing well for us, give us the required
strength to overcome our weaker moments and be able to render some
favorable service to Their Lordships and Their dear devotees.

Thank you very much.

Aspiring to be,
A servant of the servants of Srila Gurudeva,
Abhinav
(Aspiring disciple of HH Giriraj Swami)
Mumbai, India

76
 - Ananta Svarupa Dasa -

“Your nectarous messages and teachings are saturated with great purity and full Parampara
blessings and potency.”

Dear Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

O n this auspicious day of your 73rd Vyasa-puja, I wish to express

my sincere appreciation and gratitude to you for the invaluable guidance
and inspiration you have been providing for all of us. Your nectarous
messages and teachings are saturated with great purity and full Parampara
blessings and potency. They are certainly helping me to stay focused on my
spiritual life. Thank you very much Maharaja. Looking forward to your
continued support and guidance.

Your servant,
Ananta Svarupa Dasa
Guyana, South America
78
 - Bhageshvari Devi Dasi -

“Your kind-heartedness, Your intimate services to Srila Prabhupada, Your loving relationship
with your godbrothers and godsisters, Your immense contribution to the Iskcon society and the
most astonishing Radha-Damodara Travelling Sankirtana Party. I was attracted by all
these.”

Hare Krishna Maharaja Ji,

Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.

I t is my biggest fortune to write something about you, though I

am completely unqualified. I am thankful to Your disciples who have given
me a chance to thank You, glorify You. Please forgive me if there is some-
thing wrong I write.

Maharaja ji, I have never seen or met You. After coming to ISKCON in
2012, I got to know about You by the mercy of the Vaisnavas I came into
association with. They told me about Your kind-heartedness, Your intimate
services to Srila Prabhupada, Your loving relationship with your

80
gobrothers and godsisters, Your immense contribution to the ISKCON
society and the most astonishing Radha-Damodara Travelling Sankirtana
Party. I was attracted by all these and wanted to know more about You.
Then, since this year only, I started reading Your quotes being posted by
Your disciples on Facebook. And I am really very thankful to them for
sharing Your quotes, which are so full of devotion, surrender, respect,
tolerance and love for every living being. Love and kindness pours out from
your every word. I daily log in to my ID and eagerly scroll to find out Your
post and read it and share it instantly.

And Maharaja Ji, I also want to thank You for Your disciples, who have,
on several occasions, very mercifully given me the chance to do services in
Sridham Mayapur, during the Gaur Purnima festival.

I pray to You to please bless me with unalloyed loving service towards the
devotees of the Lord and never hurt anyone with my words, actions or
even by my mind.

Thank You for Your eternal presence in our lives through Your nectarean
words.

Your Servant,
Bhageshvari Devi Dasi
(Disciple of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami)
New Delhi, India

81
 - Bhavya Bhagavan dasa -

“You’ve said, ‘There are many instructions received from the spiritual master, but of all of them
the most essential is the order to preach.’”

A very happy Vyasa-puja to you Maharaja!

Please accept my most respectful obeisances at your lotus feet.

All glories to you and Srila Prabhupada.

T his year your Vyasa-puja coincides with my dad’s birthday.

And so it is all the more a happening and an amazing day. Maharaja,
you’ve been instrumental in my upbringing of Krishna consciousness, and
one of the key elements is to hear Srila Prabhupada as soon as I wake up
and go for taking shower. You made sure that Guru Maharaja (HG Kra-
tu Das Adhikari) developed this habit and now, in the guru parampara,
Guru Maharaja wants me to develop the same habit and why not? You,
as an Acharya, taught us how we should follow ISKCON’s Acharya, Srila
Prabhupada every minute. Your dear disciples are carrying your lega-
cy beautifully. You gave Gurumaa (HG Amrita Keli Mataji) her second

82
initiation and I beg you to bless me also that I become qualified for second
initiation one day. You’ve said, “There are many instructions received
from the spiritual master, but of all of them the most essential is the order
to preach.” I beg you to please empower me to follow this instruction of
Your Holiness for the pleasure of Guru Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada
seriously and sincerely. Maharaja, I’m sure you’re serving Srila Prabhupa-
da somewhere else and are in his association, so please thank Srila Prab-
hupada for giving me his shelter, his ISKCON and his prana-dhana, Sri
Sri Radha-Rasabihari and the wonderful association, care and love of his
disciples.

Your forever servant,

Bhavya Bhagavan Dasa
Mumbai, India

83
 - Dvijanatha Gauranga Das -

“You are a moon shinning and clearing all the darkness of illusion by your deeds and nectarian
speech.”

Dear Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my most respectful obeisances on your 73rd Vyasa-puja

appearance day.

T he appearance days of Vaisnavas are equally significant and

glorious as the Lord’s. The Lord is more pleased when His loving devo-
tees’ appearance and disappearance days are observed with respect and
love. You are one such loving pure devotee of the Lord. It is my accumu-
lated good fortune from millions of births that I am trying to say some-
thing about a pure devotee of the Lord. Nobody is able to describe the
uncountable transcendental qualities of a pure devotee of Krishna. You
came to bestow the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, Lord GAURANGA and
NITYANANDA to the fallen souls. You showed how to serve Guru. Srila
Prabhupada was your everything. You were completely surrendered to

84
Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada always kept you close to him, as
his very intimate follower. In the ISKCON world, you are a moon shin-
ning and clearing all the darkness of illusion by your deeds and nectarian
speech. Everyone gets a clear understanding when they hear from you,
because you were a self-realized, liberated soul. Please give a drop of your
unlimited causeless mercy. I have no quality to serve Guru and Gauranga.

Please, this time I specially ask you for your causeless mercy, because with-
out mercy from a pure devotee one can’t serve Guru and Gauranga. I am
very much materialistic, I have no devotion. Vaisnavas want to fulfill the
desire of Lord GAURANGA to distribute Love of Krishna to everyone.
Lord GAURANGA becomes happy when anyone helps Him to distribute
love of Krishna. You made GAURANGA happy and are still making Him
happy. I want to make Lord GAURANGA always happy like you, please
give one drop of mercy from the ocean of mercy. I don’t know what is
good and what is bad. Please consider me a dust particle on your lotus feet.
I am begging for mercy. Please don’t refuse me, please consider me your
own. My life will be successful when you will consider me as your own.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Your unworthy servant,

Dvijanatha Gauranga Dasa
Sylhet, Bangladesh

85
 - Bhakta Gaurav -

“All the daily quotes by Maharaja refresh me a lot and solve my many doubts.”

Hare Krishna.
Dandavat Pranam to HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja.

I don’t know much about Guru Maharaja but all the daily
quotes I read refresh me a lot and solve my many doubts. Whenever I see
Guru Maharaja’s picture, I see what mood a devotee should have. Last
year, in May, when I went to Maharaja’s samadhi in Mayapur, I chanted
the Holy name for some time there, and felt very relaxed. That was the
effect of Maharaja’s potency. That is the mercy of Maharaja. I am getting
such powerful dose daily.

Hare Krishna.

Your servant,
Gaurav Bansal
Haryana, India

86
 - Bhakta Gorakhnath -

“You are very dear to Srila Prabhuada and are his dear son. I feel you are the perfect example
of how to serve one’s guru.”

Hare Krishna Dear Goswami Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet Maharaja. All Glo-
ries to Radha-Kalachandji. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. All Glories to
Goswami Maharaja. All Glories to all Vaishanvas.

Hare Krishna Maharaja,

O n your Divine Appearance Day, the 73rd Vyasa-puja, I am try-

ing to purify my consciousness, and that’s why I am giving my little offering
at your lotus feet.

In ISKCON, you are so famous by the name Goswami Maharaja. Goswa-

mi means who has control over his senses and you are a master at that. I
never saw you or met you personally but I am always hearing about you
88
from my Guru Maharaja (HH Giriraj Swami) who is your Sannyasa disci-
ple. He is always glorifying you in his lectures and his books. One more im-
portant person, HG Madana-mohana-mohini Mataji, is always glorifying
you all over the world.

Goswami Maharaja, in my life, the first time I interacted with you was
through HG Madana-mohana-mohini Mataji. She introduced me to you
very well through her personal experience with you and her dreams and
her service at your lotus feet. She is always glorifying you through social
media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. She everyday posts your
quotes and sometimes writes articles about you. Goswami Maharaja, she is
your daughter and a diehard disciple.

Goswami Maharaja, you are very dear to Srila Prabhuada and are his dear
son. Whenever I see your photos with Srila Prabhupada, I feel you are the
perfect example of how to serve our guru. Your surrender mood to Srila
Prabhupada is amazing. Srila Prabhupada always gives you big responsi-
bilities because he knows that only Goswami Maharaja can do it.

In ISKCON, every Vaisnava devotee loves you so much and whoever

comes to ISKCON and becomes a devotee inquires about you and is eager
to know you.

In ISKCON, every guru and all your godbrothers and godsisters respect
you and love you.

By the instruction of Srila Prabhupada, you and HH Vishnujana Swami

Maharaja started the Radha-Damodara Sankirtana Party. All glories to
Goswami Maharaja and all glories to HH Vishnujana Swami Maharaja.
In Mayapur Dham ISKCON, when there was difficulty in acquiring the
land, Srila Prabhupada knew that only Goswami Maharaja can do it. So,

89
he sent you there to get the land and within a short time, you got the land
for Mayapur temple, by the blessings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila
Prabhupada. It all happened because of your love for and surrender to
Srila Prabhupada and Gauranga Mahaprabhu.

After sometime, Srila Prabhupada sent you to China for preaching. But
in China, preaching is very difficult, because there, people don’t believe in
God. But by your hard work and faith in Krishna and Srila Prabhupada,
you did that. And now, today, the whole of China is glorifying you.

Whenever I read your quotes, I feel enlivened and strengthened to spiritual

progress. You were the personal secretary of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prab-
hupada appointed the first eleven sannyasi diksha gurus, and you were one
of them.

In the last days of Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavan, you were always with
him. You and HH Giriraj Maharaja are always best friends. I have one
photo you and HH Giriraj Maharaja in Vrindavan from Radhastami day,
where you are holding Sri Krishna and HH Giriraj Maharaja is holding
Radharani. It is a very famous photo. I fell in love with that photo when I
saw it.

I saw many photos of yours with Srila Prabhupada and HH Giriraj Ma-
haraja. In one photo, you and HH Giriraj Maharaja are sitting near the
Govardhana Hill, glorifying it.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

All Glories to Goswami Maharaja.
All Glories to HH Giriraj Swami Maharaja.

On this Divine Appearance Day, your 73rd Vyasa-puja, I am praying at

your lotus feet, Goswami Maharaja, please bestow your mercy upon me
90
so that I can serve my Guru Maharaja and make progress in devotional
service.

Hare Krishna.

Your servant of servant,

Gorakhnath
Pune, India

HH TKG and HH GRS,

in Govardhan

HH TKG and HH GRS,

Radhashtami in Vrindavan

91
 - Hriday Govind Dasa -

“Srila Gurudeva followed Srila Prabhupada so closely and was so close to him and how he
served Srila Prabhupada in the formative years of ISKCON really inspires me.”

Please accept my humble obeisances.

I

fondly remember Srila Gurudeva from when I most fortunately
met him in Suva, Fiji. At that time, I used to work at The Hare Krishna
Restaurant in Cumming Street, as the manager. We all met at Vasude-
va Prabhu’s home in Suva with other senior devotees like Nand Kishore
Prabhu (now in Krishna Kaliya Temple, Lautoka, Fiji), Ramachandra
Prabhu, Nityananda Prabhu (now in USA), and others. We all had such
nice spiritual association with Srila Gurudeva. I always remember them
all. May they all bless me to be Krishna conscious.

The fact that Srila Gurudeva followed Srila Prabhupada so closely and was
so close to him and how he served Srila Prabhupada in the formative years
of ISKCON really inspires me.

92
In one of his lectures in Suva, Srila Gurudeva said, “Don’t you think you
have had enough sex in different species of life?” Another time, I asked
him, “What would Krishna be doing now?” Many of the devotees present
at the gathering looked at me in wonder as to what a question to ask. But
Srila Gurudeva said that Krishna would somewhere be taking birth as
Devaki-putra, and somewhere he would be killing Putana. Krishna’s lila
is going on in the fourteen worlds at all times. All these answers made me
believe that he really is so fixed in Krishna consciousness.

Of course I am unable to put all the love and respect I have for Srila Gu-
rudeva in words, but am sure that Krishna knows.

I am in India and am a disciple of HH Bhakti Vikas Swami since 2008.

My wife and daughter and son-in-law are his disciples also. I pray that my
son also gets initiated in time.

Hare Krishna.

Thank you for this opportunity to praise Srila Gurudeva.

Your servant,
Hriday Govind Dasa BVKS
(Hasmukh Umaria)
Surat, India

93
 - JARIKHANDA SEVAKI DASI -

“The expert master Srila Prabhupada proclaimed, ‘Go to China’ and you dearest Srila
Tamal Krishna Goswami, the perfect student, made the seemingly insurmountable journey a
most glorious reality.”

To my dearest Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja,

Please accept my respects at the dust of your lotus feet. All Glories to Srila
Prabhupada. All Glories to your divine grace.

Hare Krishna.

T he great poet and writer, Sir William Shakespeare, once

proclaimed, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely
players.” As I ponder upon the above excerpt, it leads to the realization
that nothing in this creation happens by chance, everything is predestined
and orchestrated by a supremely divine master, being the Lord of the uni-
verse. With this in heart, I thank Krishna for a very special gift of which
you were one of my divine masters in receiving. Four and a half years ago,

94
I journeyed to the land of the great red dragons, China. The experience
was daunting at first. But wait, in the distance hope shines through. Srila
Prabhupada’s beloved movement in the heart of the land of the dragons.
A manifestation only by his most loyal and steadfast follower. The expert
master, Srila Prabhupada, proclaimed, “Go to China” and you dearest
Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami, the perfect student, made the seemingly
insurmountable journey a most glorious reality. I thank you for taking
Krishna to China. In all my association with devotees, I have never met
a more disciplined, spiritually enthusiastic and joyful group of Vaisnavas,
and this is all due to your transcendental grace. Thank you so much. You
made my stay in China a most beautiful one. I am so grateful to Krishna
for having the opportunity to have been in China as it allowed me to devel-
op a relationship with you, one that remains forever fixed deep within my
soul.

I would also like to thank you for my very dear friend and sister, Mada-
na-mohan-mohini dasi. She is a beautiful soul, dedicated to your lotus feet.
Her love, dedication and care for you inspires my krpa of devotion. Yet
again, my dearest Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami, your mercy shines so
brightly within my existential experience.

I pray that I always remain connected to your lotus feet, which have
become a deep shelter to me. I thank you from within my heart for your
grace and teachings.

Sending you lots of love and gratitude.

An aspiring servant,
Jarikhanda Sevaki Dasi
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

95
 - Bhakta Kamalendra -

“Maharaja, being a jewel of Radha-Damodara Party, roared like a lion when it came to
shattering the ignorance of the audience in his presentations.”

H is Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja is someone

who is first and foremost to be remembered when it comes to serving Srila
Prabhupada and fulfilling His Divine Grace’s dream.

Maharaja, being a jewel of Radha-Damodara Party, planted the seed of

devotional service in his first interaction with people and made them first
class devotees, which used to be his real offering to Srila Prabhupada.
HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja was equally attached to the New
Vrindaban farm as he was to Vrindavan.

He preached and made devotees in communist countries, like China,

which was inconceivable.

Maharaja roared like a lion when it came to shattering the ignorance of

the audience in his presentations.

96
Maharaja was so humble and so protective, when it came to serving Srila
Prabhupada as his secretary, he literally gave up all his comfort in Srila
Prabhupada’s last days, which has empowered Maharaja like anything as
he united devotees and moved them, steadfast in the journey of bhakti,
even after the departure of Srila Prabhupada.

Maharaja had a special devotion to Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji.

Maharaja’s contribution academically, in his later years of life, has creat-
ed a distinguished place for Krishna-bhakti literature in the academia of
Universities like Oxford.

He was too attached to Srila Prabhupada and thus His Holiness is still
blessing us all, by residing beside Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi in Sri
Mayapur Dham.

May HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja’s innumerable victories and

glories be sung every day and may his mercy keep showering upon souls
like myself, every day.

A little humble submission on your Vyasa-puja,

By your eternal servant,
Kamlendra Singh Rathore
Jaipur, India

97
 - Bhaktin Kelsie -

“Maharaja is a very strong willed, cut-and-dry personality... so purely no-nonsense that his
preaching style instantly evokes the awareness and urgency of finding and reviving that original
love for Lord Sri Krishna.”

Hare Krishna!

A lthough I have never met His Holiness Tamal Krishna

Goswami Maharaja (in this lifetime), I do attend the Houston temple
where I have met the devout devotees who studied and were initiated
under him. I also more frequently listen to his lectures which are always
playing on TuneIn Radio. During anxious times, the sound of his voice
will calm me. It’s a verbal familiar face who is always preaching the glories
of Sri Krishna, assisting me in bringing my mind, intelligence, and ego all
back to the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord Krishna!
Maharaja can be very humorous and from what I can tell from his lec-
tures, a very strong willed, cut-and-dry personality... so purely no-nonsense
(even harsh at times) that his preaching style instantly evokes the aware-
ness and urgency of finding and reviving that original love for Lord Sri

98
Krishna, which is the only worthwhile thing to do. All Glories to Sri Guru
and Gauranga!

Hare Krishna!
Kelsie Moody
Houston, TX, USA

99
 - Ksircor Gopinath dasa -

“Simply by his purity & simplicity, He attracted thousands of people all over the globe, like a
powerful magnet. The more I heard about him, the more I became attracted to him.”

My humble obeisances at the lotus feet of Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami

Maharaja.

A ctually it is impossible to describe about a personality like

Maharaja in just a few lines. But, for my own purification, I would like to
make a humble attempt to do so.

Maharaja’s life was glorious. Right from dealing with neophyte devotees to
serving Srila Prabhupada, everything he did was of the highest standard.
He was crystal clear in his understanding of things, and had full conviction
in whatever he did. During his life, simply by his purity & simplicity, he
attracted thousands of people all over the globe, like a powerful magnet.

Unfortunately, I could not have his darsana while he was amongst us. I will
have to deal with that sorrow for the rest of my life. But at the same time,

100
I feel very fortunate to have so much of his memories in the form of his
lectures, books, audios, videos and his dear disciples. Which is, more than
enough inspiration for the rest of our lives.

Frankly speaking, I was not knowing much about Maharaja. It was only
when I heard about his departure from this planet that I came to know
about him and everything about his personality, especially about his lila
with Srila Prabhupada; how much Prabhupada trusted him, and how he
served Srila Prabhupada, to the extent that he was known as “Prabhupa-
da’s man”. How glorious it is. It’s the dream of every disciple to be known
by his Spiritual Master’s name.

Hearing about him transported me into the spiritual realm. I had never
heard such pastimes before (except for Lord Hanumanji’s). It drew me into
pools of ecstasy. I simply fell in love with his personality. He touched my
soul. The more I heard about him, the more I became attracted to him.
Ever since, he has remained to be one of the highest sources of inspiration
for me.

Last but not the least, he has set very, very high standards of service. I
would love to render some service unto his lotus feet in any form, to the
best of my capacity, so that he may shower his mercy upon me and I can
get one drop of his mood to serve our spiritual masters, the way he did. I
hope I can follow in his footsteps.

Thank you HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja for being in our life.

In the service of Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga,

Your humble servant,
Ksircor Gopinath Dasa
Pune, India

101
 - Nilamani Dasi -

“I do not have a tinge of doubt that you are with me, helping and guiding me.”

Dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my most humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I

was acquainted to you through your lectures, quotes, etc., but
when I went to Mayapur Dham this year, I developed a personal relation-
ship with you.

It was the first time that I went to Mayapur Dham and took darsana of the
Vaisnava Samadhis and this place captured my heart. For me, it was magic
happening at the Vaisnava Samadhis. I had a great desire to do service at
the Vaisnava Samadhis and somehow, arrangement was made and every
morning I was cleaning the Samadhis of HH Gour Govinda Maharaja,
HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja, HH Tatpar Maharaja and HH Sridhar
Maharaja.

102
I also desired to assist in the organization of your disappearance day in
Mayapur and somehow, this arrangement was also done and I got to do
the service of making rangoli.

It was a very blissful moment, it was like all my desires were being heard
and fulfilled. But I had one unfulfilled desire. It was time to move on to
Vrindavan and I didn’t get the opportunity to do the cleaning of your
Samadhi and I really wanted to serve you closely.

As I was going through this phase, I had some questions in my mind. I

didn’t know what was the state of your body now? Were you really listen-
ing to me? How was all that happening? Was that a mere coincidence?
I was feeling and living all the mercy you were showering, yet I had these
confusions.

We were in Vrindavan when one of my godbrothers informed that there is

your room in Vrindavan, and we had a great desire to visit it and somehow
we discovered your room. When I took darsana, I again got the desire to
get to do some service in your room. Again, somehow, arrangement was
done and I got to do cleaning of your room every day and preparing the
arati plate. My unfulfilled desire of serving you closely was again fulfilled.
We were also looking for the book, “Servant of the Servant” and this ar-
rangement was also done and I got your book and the Vyasa-puja offering
book of yours. It was all magic happening.

On the celebration of your Disappearance Day in Pune, we were watch-

ing the live program from Vrindavan and HG Radheshyam Prabhu read
his offering. And after hearing him I was just spellbound. He said, “Once,
HH Indradyumna Maharaja said that somebody may think we are bow-
ing down our head to the Samadhis of the past Vaisnavas. Is the Vaisnava
still listening to us? Because the body, when you put it under the ground,

103
it may turn into ashes or turn into worms or whatever may happen to the
body. So we may think, ‘are my prayers being heard?’” And then he said
that the spiritual personalities, especially the Vaisnavas, as soon as they
leave their sadhana-deha, they attain their siddha-deha and in their eternal
forms, they constantly watch down upon all devotees and how ISKCON
is progressing. They are watching. If anybody comes to their Samadhi, in
their manjari form or sakhi form, they are offering their blessings. So he
said that we should not have any doubt as to whether our prayers are being
heard and the blessings are coming down.”

From that day on, I had no more doubt. It was like, I don’t need anything
more than knowing that you are watching over me, hearing me and be-
stowing your blessings upon me.

Last but not the least, after hearing HG Mukunda Dutta Prabhu’s offering
in Pune, I cried so much. It really touched my heart. When we saw him
on our last day in Vrindavan, we wanted to meet him and hear from him
about you. And again, somehow, arrangement was done and he invited us
to his house and shared so much nectar about you before we left Vrinda-
van.

I do not have a tinge of doubt that you are with me, helping and guiding
me. Please always keep your hand on my head so that I can always please
my Spiritual Master, please you and Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja Ki Jai!

Your fallen servant,

Nilamani Dasi
Mauritius

104
 - Bhaktin Paridhi -

“Prabhupada would just move his one finger and who could understand what he wanted?! Srila
Tamal Krishna Maharaja could! And 99% of the time you were correct! You are an eternal
associate of Srila Prabhupada and are serving him in his confidential pastimes on some other
planet.”

My dear Srila Tamal Krishna Maharaja,

Please accept my most respectful obeisances on the auspicious day of your

73rd Appearance Day! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and you!

M aharaja, it is not so easy to describe your unparalleled

glories because there is so much to say that one has to think where to really
start from!

I have heard from my Guru Maharaja, HH Jayapataka Swami, how you

were an outstanding disciple. My Guru Maharaja said that there are three
types of disciples. First class is those who know what the Guru wants
without him saying. Second is those who follow the orders of the Guru

106
perfectly after the Guru instructs them. And the next is those who follow,
but just somehow or the other. Guru Maharaja said that in Vrindavan, in
Srila Prabhupada’s final days, Prabhupada would just move his one finger
and who could understand what he wanted?! Srila Tamal Krishna Ma-
haraja could! And 99% of the time you were correct! So you were clearly
amongst the most outstanding category of disciples.

I also read, Maharaja, that once you were calling Srila Prabhupada from
an STD booth to give some preaching report. When Srila Prabhupada
picked up, he said, “Hello, Bhaktivedanta Swami speaking”. And you
immediately jumped to pay your obeisances right in that STD booth, and
Srila Prabhupada was speaking on the phone “Hello? Hello?”! This was
your example of sweet and complete surrender to Srila Prabhupada with
your mind, body, and actions.

Once while collecting donations for the Juhu temple project along with
HH Giriraj Maharaja, you went to meet a donor, on a hot summer day.
The donor was reluctant and made you and HH Giriraj Maharaja wait
for quite some time, before coming to meet you. When he finally came, he
asked, “Are you prepared to do anything for your Guru?” to which both
of you replied with an emphatic yes! The unthoughtful businessman then
mockingly asked you and HH Giriraj Maharaja to get a bottle of Limca
and pour it on yourselves, following which, he would give you a donation.
You and HH Giriraj Maharaja immediately went and got two bottles of
Limca and poured them on your heads! The man was so astonished to see
your sincerity and dedication that he didn’t think twice before donating a
huge sum, clearly not expecting such a spontaneous response. Probably the
thought that he was mockful didn’t even cross your minds since you both
were so absorbed in the thought of pleasing Srila Prabhupada. Honor and
dishonor didn’t matter to you. When will I be like you Maharaja, to not
care about my personal comforts and honor in the service of the Guru

107
Parampara?

I have also heard from my Guru Maharaja how you were the one to suc-
cessfully preach in China, which at that time was like going to the moon.
Initially, you were reluctant to go, but when you saw Srila Prabhupada
insisting, you thought, “If just by my going to China, Srila Prabhupada
is pleased, my life is made! So how does it matter?” And you surrendered
and went to China and preached Krishna Consciousness there, which was
clearly next to impossible! But by your surrender and efforts, we now see
thousands of Chinese devotees in the movement. When will I learn this
kind of surrender towards my Gurudeva, Maharaja?

Whenever Srila Prabhupada wanted to get a difficult service done, he en-

trusted that on you. Whether it was developing street Sankirtana in USA,
or expanding Krishna consciousness to Europe, or securing the Juhu and
Mayapur lands, or expanding book distribution in the US, or preaching
in China—you assumed the role of a leader in all these services which
formed the foundational basis for the expansion of our movement.

The Radha Damodara Travelling Sankirtana Party, which you founded

along with your dear friend and godbrother, HH Vishnujana Maharaja,
continues to inspire young book distributors even today! Because of the
qualities of purity, sweetness, and full surrender, the Radha Damodara
Party was so attractive, that almost every brahmacari at that time had the
secret desire to join you and HH Vishnujana Maharaja and participate in
that infectious book distribution to come closer to the Guru Parampara.
That energy and infectious mood of book distribution which you infused
in our movement through the Radha Damodara Party continues to stay
with ISKCON even till this day, Maharaja! And I know that you are
watching from some other planet the current activities of book distribution
in ISKCON.

108
My Guru Maharaja also told how you started the practice that all GBCs
should read together and chant together. In Mayapur, in the evenings, all
devotees would jam-pack in your room and you all would have kirtans
together. You really wanted devotees to realize the importance of the Holy
Name. Gradually, this practice of yours has now transpired into the Kir-
tana Mela Festival where all devotees from all over the world come togeth-
er to participate in chanting the Holy Name. This was clearly a result of
your vision. My Guru Maharaja says that you had a real vision of how to
expand our movement.

You also wanted to develop preaching in schools, and colleges as part of

their curriculum. We are now seeing devotees opening preaching programs
in schools, which would be very pleasing to you. You also undertook a PhD
study in the 1990s (when you were in your 50s!) and wrote your thesis enti-
tled “A living theology of Krishna Bhakti: Essential teachings of
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada” which is now published by the
Oxford University Press, so that the Vaisnava philosophy expounded by
Prabhupada gets a distinguished standing in the learned academic world.
Nothing was impossible for you Maharaja.

My Guru Maharaja says that you were very exacting in your service to
Srila Prabhupada. You could not tolerate any sub-standard service. So that
way, you were also very strict and hot tempered and almost all devotees
had the fortune of being chastised by you. Despite being strict outwardly,
you were very soft and sweet internally. Devotees would say that you are
like a chutney—“Too hot to handle, but too sweet to resist!” You would
have many loving exchanges with devotees and were very affectionate and
kind to them and would often go out of your way to protect them. Because
of your exacting nature, whenever I perform my services, I often meditate,
“Will Tamal Krishna Maharaja like it?” and that way I am able to execute
my services with a sense of much more responsibility.

109
HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja says that you are clearly an eternal associate
of Srila Prabhupada. Maharaja says how Srila Prabhupada told him that
when Krishna comes, all His associates come with Him, and similarly
when Krishna’s pure devotee comes, all his eternal associates also come
with him. HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja says that by this statement, Srila
Prabhupada was indicating to him how you are one of his eternal associ-
ates. This is also evident from the feelings of intense separation that you
felt from Srila Prabhupada when he left the San Francisco temple after
giving you initiation.

HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja says that there must be some important

service for which Srila Prabhupada needed you on some other planet,
which is why he called you early. My Guru Maharaja also says that you
are serving Srila Prabhupada on some other planet. And HH Radhanath
Maharaja has an astounding incident to tell in this regard. Maharaja says
that when HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja was leaving his body in 2005, he
told HH Radhanath Maharaja that you appeared in his dream and were
crying incessantly. When HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja asked you in the
dream why you were shedding tears like that, you replied in the dream,
“When Srila Prabhupada called me from this material world to him, I had
to witness the tears and sorrow of my disciples, followers, and well-wishers
after I left. Now Srila Prabhupada is calling you and so I am feeling for
your disciples, followers, and well-wishers, how they are going to suffer and
cry in separation from you. But you have to come because Srila Prabhu-
pada is calling you. But before Srila Prabhupada takes you, I am coming
back to see you.” HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja then told HH Radhanath
Maharaja that the reason why he has not left his body yet is because HH
Tamal Krishna Maharaja has not come to see me yet. Soon HH Radhan-
ath Maharaja and HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja got a phone call from Dal-
las about how you inspired the pujari of your beloved Radha-Damodara
Dieties to go to HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja along with the Dieties and

110
some other followers of yours and perform kirtana for HH Bhakti Tirtha
Maharaja! When the kirtana was going on, HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja
had tears in his eyes and looking at your photo on the altar, he told HH
Radhanath Maharaja, “Did you see? HH Tamal Krishna Maharaja kept
his promise! He came for me! Now I can go to Srila Prabhupada.” and he
soon left his body.

This incredible incident tells us two things, Maharaja. One is that you are
an eternal associate of Srila Prabhupada and are serving Srila Prabhupa-
da in his confidential pastimes on some other planet. Secondly, it tells us
of your sweet loving exchanges with your godbrothers and how much you
care for devotees.

Those who have the fortune of understanding your glories are blessed.
Although I did not have the fortune of associating with you personally, I
do have the fortune of associating with you through your vani. You have
empowered Mohini and Aishwarya didi to distribute the nectar of your
teachings to people like me who have not had the fortune to associate with
you personally. It is almost an everyday affair for me to receive recipro-
cation from you through those posters that Mohini and Aishwarya didi
make. Whenever I have prayed to you, you have answered my prayers
immediately. On some fortunate rare occasions, you have also appeared in
my dreams to reciprocate. Once I dreamt that I was in Mayapur and I was
desperately asking devotees about where I can meet you. They replied that
you have left the planet and I won’t be able to meet you, but I insisted that
it’s important for me to meet you, and immediately you appeared, smiling
mercifully at me, with your compassionate smile which can capture any-
body’s heart.

However, not all are fortunate to understand your glories and how power-
ful a Vaisnava you are. Because of your transcendental qualities, you easily

111
attract envy. My Guru Maharaja says that those who are in the dress of
a Vaisnava but are envious, are not really a Vaisnava. Out of envy, they
blaspheme you and concoct stories to minimize your glories. Of course,
honor and dishonor don’t matter to you, but as the second generation of
Srila Prabhupada’s followers, it is our duty to protect the glory of our mas-
ters. We have got Srila Prabhupada through our masters and we cannot sit
and watch helplessly the horror created by Kali’s agents in this movement
to blaspheme and minimize the glory of our masters. HH Bhakti Charu
Maharaja says that those unfortunate people who blaspheme you, fall from
their bhakti soon. My Guru Maharaja says that you showed us how to
serve Srila Prabhupada in unparalleled ways. Therefore Maharaja, it is so
important for us to protect your legacy. And I am so glad that Krishna has
empowered Mohini and Aishwarya didi to do the same. It is my fortune to
have their precious friendship.

Maharaja, on this most auspicious occasion of your 73rd Vyasa-puja, I

pray to you again and again to give me the strength to serve my Guru
Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada, and the Guru Parampara fearlessly and with
complete surrender—just as you did, without caring about any personal
comfort, honor, or dishonor. I know that would please you very much and
I shall endeavor for that, my dear Maharaja.

Your spiritual niece,

Paridhi Rathi
Mumbai, India

112
 - Parasurama Dasa and
Shyamangi Radhika Dasi -

“There are so many things to learn from you. The most important is Guru-nistha—your
surrender to Srila Prabhupada. Although Guru-nistha is very rare, it can be seen or found in
some devotees. Rarer still, we think, is Shishya-nistha, which Srila Prabhupada had in you.
The services no one can do, ‘Tamal’ can do!”

Dear Maharaja,

Please accept our most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus
feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauran-
ga.

S ometimes we feel we are very unfortunate to have never had

the chance to be in your association when you were physically present
on this planet, but then, at the same time, we feel that we are very, very
fortunate, that even in your physical absence, we feel so deeply connected
to you, maybe even more connected than we are to any of the gurus who
are personally present here, now, teaching us, guiding us, taking care of us,

114
saving us and what not.

Mysteriously, like a super-hero, you entered our lives and captured major
portions of our hearts. There are so many things to learn from you. The
most important is Guru-nistha—your surrender to Srila Prabhupada. Al-
though Guru-nistha is very rare, it can be seen or found in some devotees.
Rarer still, we think, is Shishya-nistha, which Srila Prabhupada had in you.
The services no one can do, “Tamal” can do! And there is an endless list
of those services.

Aap Srila Prabhupada ke Tamal ho ya Kamaal ke Tamal?!

Every now and then, you have been proving that the guru is not limited by
his physical form. He can instruct, guide, teach, love and even chastise, if
needed, in unlimited ways.

Kindly bless us that by following in your footsteps (even little bit) we can
become genuine servants of the devotees and can serve this mission of
compassion with proper consciousness.

Your aspiring servants,

Parasurama Dasa and Shyamangi Radhika Dasi
Pune, India

115
 - Raghunatha Dasa -

“For generations upon generations to come, not less than for ten thousand years, not only all
devotees but the whole humanity will be immensely benefited and inspired through HH Tamal
Krishna Goswami Maharaja’s exemplary Dedication, Love and Devotion towards
Jagad Guru Srila Prabhupada.”

Hare Krishna.

All Glories to this most auspicious day of the appearance of HH Tamal

Krishna Goswami Maharaja.
All glories to the Ideal Loving disciple of Srila Prabhupada, HH Tamal
Krishna Goswami Maharaja.
All glories to Guru Maharaja (HH Giriraj Swami).
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.
All glories to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji.

W hen my beloved godsister, Madana-mohana-mohini Mataji

116
forwarded me the message about writing an offering/ appreciation note
unto HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja on His 73rd Vyasa-puja,
immediately I remembered about reading “Servant of the Servant” (a
book by HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja) years back and how it
had very much inspired me then. So, before writing, I decided to revisit
the book and when I again started reading “Servant of the Servant”, I
couldn’t believe that such unlimited causeless mercy was waiting for me in
that book.

It is not just a book about collections of Srila Prabhupada’s letters to HH

Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja. IT IS A MANUAL and PRACTI-
CAL GUIDE taught by one’s own example about ‘HOW to make one’s
life successful through GURU BHAKTI’. It’s a ‘MANUAL of GURU
BHAKTI’!

For those fortunate souls who, by Gurudeva and Krishna’s causeless mercy
have arrived at the conclusion of the supreme truth that ‘GURU BHAK-
TI is KRISHNA BHAKTI’, and the only way to attain pure devotional
service unto Radha-Krishna is through GURU BHAKTI, then this book
is the one book that one should live with, breath with, every moment of
one’s life.

Anyone, who would try to follow in the footsteps of Love, Dedication

and Devotion which HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja displayed
towards His Beloved Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada, there is NO
DOUBT, NO DOUBT, NO DOUBT that one can EASILY and very
SOON attain the Lotus Feet of Srila Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada and Sri
Sri Radha-Rasabihariji.

Through the book “Servant of the Servant”, HH Tamal Krishna Goswa-

mi Maharaja exemplified what it means to surrender to one’s Spiritual

117
Master, what it means to have selfless and unconditional love for and
unflinching faith in one’s Spiritual Master, to become an invaluable instru-
ment of one’s Spiritual Master, to willingly undergo any amount of aus-
terities just to please one’s Spiritual Master, to lovingly serve in feelings of
separation from one’s Spiritual Master, to dedicate one’s life in serving the
mission of one’s Spiritual Master, to take as one’s life and soul, the instruc-
tions of one’s Guru Maharaja, to have transcendental loving relationship
with one’s Spiritual Master, to be a perfect loving disciple of one’s Spiritual
Master.

All glories to HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja. All glories to Srila

Prabhupada.

If we, as granddisciples of Srila Prabhupada, feel ourselves very fortunate

to have received Srila Prabhupada and The Holy Name into our hearts,
then we are eternally grateful to the wonderful loving disciples of Srila
Prabhupada.

And HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja is such a perfect loving

disciple of Srila Prabhupada, for generations upon generations to come,
not less than for ten thousand years, not only all devotees but the whole
humanity will be immensely benefited and inspired through HH Tamal
Krishna Goswami Maharaja’s exemplary Dedication, Love and Devotion
towards His Beloved Spiritual Master, Jagad Guru Srila Prabhupada.

On this most auspicious day, this fallen soul begs at the Lotus Feet of HH
Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja that He bless me so that by His cause-
less mercy, I always be engaged in the Loving Devotional Service unto my
Beloved Spiritual Master, following in His footsteps.

118
 Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

All glories to HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja.

All glories to Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.
All glories to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji.
All glories to All Devotees of Lord Gauranga.

Servant of the servant,

Raghunatha Dasa
Mumbai, India

PS: It is my sincere, humble request

to everyone to kindly accept the
boundless causeless mercy that awaits
anyone who reads and dives deeply
nto this most invaluable book,
“Servant of the Servant”,
shown by the personal example of
HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja,
about how to make one’s life
successful through ‘GURU BHAKTI’—
Loving Devotional Service unto one’s
Cover of the book
beloved Spiritual Master. ‘Servant of the Servant”

119
 - Bhakta Rohan -

“Your daily quotes are like the immunity booster medicine which helps us fight against Maya.”

Hare Krishna Maharaja,

Dandavat Pranam.

I never had a chance to see you or meet you personally, since by

the time I was introduced to Krishna consciousness, you were already serv-
ing Radha-Krishna in their eternal abode. But even then I consider myself
to be fortunate, since we are still receiving your causeless mercy through
your vani.

Your daily quotes are like the immunity booster medicine which helps us
fight against Maya. It was through them that I realized the importance of
following spiritual life sincerely.

“To take to spiritual life means not be cheated anymore.” and, “Our
disease is that we think we are very important.” These two are my favorite
quotes.
120
It was like an enlightening moment for me when I read your quote, “To
take to spiritual life means not be cheated any more”.

I am really grateful to you Maharaja, for your mercy in the form of vani.
But I am still struggling with Maya, can’t complete my rounds, even after
being told that this world is duhkhalayam, I still want to enjoy in this
world. I have no taste for chanting the Holy name of the Lord, serving the
Vaisnavas, reading books, and hearing lectures. I am very badly entangled
in the material conception of life, busy trying to satisfy my gross and subtle
lust, and many more such things.

It is only by the mercy of the Vaisnavas that my conditionings will be

finished. I beg you and all the merciful Vaisnavas to give me some special
mercy, so that even I may someday relish chanting the Holy name.

Your servant,
Rohan Rathod
Mumbai, India

121
 - Bhaktin Sandhya -

“Though I never met you personally, I feel a strong connection and miss you so, so much.”

Hare Krishna Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I am so grateful to you for your daily guidance for both my

spiritual and material life. I came across your page this year and while I am
also going through my journey of discovery, your vani via your Facebook
page has been still, and with your blessings will hopefully continue, helping
me in this process. I am so, so grateful to you and though I never met you
personally, I feel a strong connection and miss you so, so much.

Your servant,
Sandhya
London
 

122
 - Sharad Bihari Dasa -

“Maharaja’s quotes and thoughts have always inspired all of us in nurturing our
devotional service.”

Hare Krishna.

Please accept my humble obeisances.

M aharaja’s quotes and thoughts have always inspired all of us

in nurturing our devotional service. We all are extremely grateful to all of
Maharaja’s contributions to ISKCON. Thank you so much Maharaja for
being there and helping us to be more committed to Srila Prabhupada and
Krishna. Thank you so much.

Your servant,
Sharad Bihari Dasa
(Sharad Chitalkar)
Pune, India

124
- Sri Radha Govindanandini Devi Dasi -

“I have one thing I can offer you that is very precious. I can offer you my heart Srila Gurudeva.”

Dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to
you.

O n your Vyasa-puja day, I wish I could give you something grand

to glorify you, but I am poor in many ways. I do not have sweet, beautiful
words to praise your glories for I am not a poet. I do not have a sweet song
about you for I am not a musician. I do not have luxurious prasadam to
offer you. I do not have copious laksmi to donate for I am not rich. I do
not have a beautiful painting of Srila Prabhupada to give you for I am not
a painter. I have one thing I can offer you that is very precious. I can offer
you my heart Srila Gurudeva.

Your servant,
Sri Radha Govindanandini Devi Dasi
(Disciple of HH Rtadhvaja Swami)
Dallas, TX, USA

126
 - Tamala Krsna Dasa -

“As mentioned by HG Mukunda Dutta Prabhu, you are ‘A Prabhupada Man.’ Also,
‘Once Tamal Krishna Goswami enters your heart, then he will stay and live with you.’”

Dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my most humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

O n this auspicious day of your 73rd Vyasa-puja, I would like to

thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me so much inspiration
to organize Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental book distribution in Mauri-
tius.

Every time I listen to your lectures, I get to learn many things. I am very
unfortunate that although, I never had your physical association, by Kr-
ishna’s mercy you are every time with me in the form of your vani. Not
a day has passed without feeling or having your association. I feel your
presence with me whenever am in difficulty, executing my services and as
always you help me and make everything good.

128
Our movement is so blessed to have you. Your achievements in the service
of Srila Prabhupada are extraordinary. I remember watching a drama
which was organized in Pune earlier this year, so many achievements just
to please Srila Prabhupada. You were the perfect example of a disciple, as
mentioned by HG Mukunda Dutta Prabhu, you are “A Prabhupada Man”.

One of the biggest success in the history of book distribution in ISKCON

was your wonderful Radha Damodara Travelling Sankirtana Party which
still inspires me. Three years ago, we started organizing book distribution
and many strategies for preaching Krishna consciousness in Mauritius,
which come from the guidance that you give in your different lectures.
“The Brhad Mrdanga” lecture series is so inspiring that devotees who listen
to them can’t stay idle, they get inspired and go out to distribute Prabhupa-
da books.

Recently when I was in Vrindavan I got the association of HG Mukunda

Dutta Prabhu. He narrated so many wonderful pastimes of you which
energized me and motivated me to become more Krishna conscious. HG
Mukunda Dutta Prabhu told me, “Once Tamal Krishna Goswami enters
your heart, then he will stay and live with you” and that’s true because
that’s how we feel, even if you are not physically here, we feel your associa-
tion all the time.

Maharaja, I am so fallen. Please bless me so that I can always please my

Spiritual Master, please you and Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja Ki Jai!

Your fallen servant,

Tamala Krsna Dasa
Mauritius

129
 - Bhakta Venkatesh -

“You are fully capable of bestowing the mercy of all the previous acaryas as You have
unflinching devotion to Srila Prabhupada.”

Hare Krishna Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada.

K rishna has been very merciful upon me, causelessly, by allow-

ing me to associate with Srila Prabhupada through ISKCON devotees.
By hearing them chanting and glorifying the Lord, my heart has begun a
gradual transition from darkness towards light.

Maharaja, ever since You came in touch with ISKCON, Your life has left
a tremendous positive impact in the lives of so many people of this world,
especially the Vaisnavas all over the creation. You have stood beside the
Senapati Bhakta of Lord Caitanya’s army in this terribly dangerous war to
save the conditioned beings of this world. Please continue to guide us from

130
within our hearts and engage us in the Sankirtana mission. You are fully
capable of bestowing the mercy of all the previous acaryas as You have
unflinching devotion to Srila Prabhupada. I am grateful to You to allow
me to serve You through one of Your servants.

Your bold preaching and skilled writings have inspired me tremendously.

Please bless me that I can continue humbly, eternally in service of Srila
Prabhupada and his followers, for only he was chosen to bestow Ma-
haprabhu’s Prema Sankirtana on the fallen souls of this age.

Your servant of servant,

Venkatesh Bhandary
Pune, India

131
 - Bhaktin Vrinda -

“You care for Your disciples so much that even after leaving this planet, You are interacting
with them so directly. Only a father can do this.”

Hare Krishna Goswami Maharaja,

Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of Your divine lotus
feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Your love for all the fallen
souls in this world!

Dearest Goswami Maharaja,

F irst of all, happy 73rd Vyasa-puja ceremony, Goswami Mahara-

ja. I hope You are doing great in the spiritual world. How grand a welcome it
would have been, when You must have returned to the spiritual world, Srila
Prabhupada must have himself come to receive You, HH Vishnujana Maha-
raja must have led a beautiful kirtana and Krishna must have asked Yashoda
maiyya to prepare a huge feast for His dear devotee! After all, You are the
backbone of ISKCON.

132
Your Guru-nistha and surrender for Srila Prabhupada were so strong and
powerful. And we often say that kids inherit the characteristics of their father.
And Your disciples have also inherited Your qualities without a doubt. Al-
though, I don’t know many of them, I think those some disciples are enough
to represent You and Your disciples. Your love and concern for Your disciples
is beyond everything Maharaja. You care for them so much that even after
leaving this planet, You are interacting with them so directly. Only a father
can do this.

Maharaja on Your disappearance day this year in Pune, everyone had so

much to say about You: HH BB Govinda Maharaja, HH Indradyumna Ma-
haraja Srila Gurudeva, HG Mukunda Dutt Prabhuji and many more. And
while hearing all that, I was thinking that I wish even I could get Your per-
sonal association. I have often heard that You only appeared to be strict, but
actually You were so humble and gentle that everyone loved You. You were
so dear to Srila Prabhupada, Your godbrothers and all Your disciples. I wish
even I could experience Your fatherly love.

Although, I have never seen You face-to-face, I know that Your smile was so
beautiful that it was enough to brighten up one’s day, Your eyes so merciful
that whoever You glanced upon became fortunate, Your face so effulgent as if
it reflected the rays of the sun, and Your influence so strong that just by hear-
ing about You people become inspired. Please bless me Maharaja, that when I
return to the spiritual world, I get Your wonderful association.

I am extremely fortunate that I got to know about You. And You are so merci-
ful that You reciprocated with me directly. Please bless me that I can serve the
whole Guru Parampara in the best way possible. I miss You Maharaja.

Your servant,
Vrinda
Surat, India
133
 - Bhakta Yoodish -

“You are one of the main pioneer in the Sankirtana movement of all time.”

Hare Krishna,

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Srila Tamal Krishna Goswa-
mi Maharaja!

Dear Maharaja,

Y ou may not be here physically, but you are here in your teach-
ings and your inspirational quotes. I always appreciate you, the way you
are always by Srila Prabhupada, not only as his disciple or secretary, but
also as his son.

The pastime of Radha-Damodara Sankirtana Bus Party was something to

be inspired by, especially if someone is a Sankirtana devotee. You are one
of the main pioneer in the Sankirtana movement of all time. Well to say,
there is a lot to say, as there are no exact words to express you.

134
All I can say is, please give me your blessings to continue more and more
in serving Srila Prabhupada and the devotees and please do forgive me as
I’m still learning and growing up.

Your servant,
Yoodish Goorah
Long Mountain, Mauritius

135
 - Anonymous -

“What a deep and boundless ocean of love you must have been, soaking wet your disciples’
hearts, that they continue to serve you so vigorously and lovingly long after your disappearance;
and also embracing every newcomer and soaking him with the same love.”

Dear Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I never met you, but have had the good fortune of having spent
my infant years in Krishna consciousness under the loving shade, guidance
and protection of your stalwart disciples in Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji dham,
Dallas (USA).

The fruits of the tree speak of the tree itself, hence on the occasion of your
holy appearance day, it would be appropriate to speak of the glories of your
Dallas disciples, which in turn speaks of your own glories. It never stops to
amaze me, as to how a community can continue to not only grow but surge
ahead with so much fervor, in spite of your physical absence. What a deep

136
and boundless ocean of love you must have been, soaking wet your disciples’
hearts, that they continue to serve you so vigorously and lovingly long after
your disappearance; and also embracing every newcomer and soaking him
with the same love.

All of your disciples are characterized by unflinching determination, dedica-

tion, astute intelligence, flair for perfection, steadiness, and superhuman pow-
ers as far as the amount of services they perform despite their growing ages. I
often wonder, what a rock solid training must have gone behind making them
what they are. Rarely would you find a community where almost everybody
is an expert leader, expert pujari, expert cook, expert preacher and what not.
I am very painstakingly refraining from speaking of each individual here, of
the unique qualities they exemplify, and of the unique aspects of training they
have absorbed from you, for the fear of making this offering voluminous and
also of inadvertently forgetting to mention someone.

It is also incredible as well as heartening to see what a deep and everlasting

impact you have had on the children of the Dallas community who have now
turned into empowered youth, ready to take up the responsibility to carry
forward your legacy. Srila Gurudeva, you are an epitome of service to Srila
Prabhupada and following in your footsteps, your Dallas disciples are an epit-
ome of serving their spiritual master in separation.

On your holy appearance day, I pray at your lotus feet and beg for your bless-
ings that I may be able to imbibe a drop of the mood and qualities of your Sri
Sri Radha Kalachandji community of disciples.

Gratefully,
Your servant,
Anonymous

137
 Çré-Guru-Vandanä
By Çréla Narottama däsa Öhäkura

(1)
çré-guru-carana-padma, kevala bhakati-sadma,
bando mui sävadhäna mate
jähära prasäde bhäi, e bha va toriyä jäi,
krñëa-präpti hoy jähä hate

The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can
attain pure devotional service.
I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one
can cross the ocean of material
suffering and obtain the mercy of Kåñëa.

(2)
guru-mukha-padma-väkya, cittete koriyä aikya,
är nä koriho mane äçä
çré-guru-caraëe rati, ei se uttama gati,
je prasäde pure sarva äçä

My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words ema-

nating from his lotus mouth.
Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills all desires.

(3)
cakhu-dän dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei,
divya jïän håde prokäçito
prema-bhakti jähä hoite, avidyä vinäça jäte,
vede gäy jähära carito

He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental

knowledge. He is my Lord birth after birth.
From him ecstatic prema emanates; by him ignorance is destroyed.
The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.

138
 (4)
çré-guru karuëä-sindhu, adhama janära bandbu,
lokanäth lokera jévana
hä hä prabhu koro doyä, deho more pada-chäyä,
ebe jaça ghuñuk tribhuvana

Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and
the lord and master of the devotees.
O master! Be merciful unto me. Give us the shade of your lotus feet.
Your fame is spread all
over the three worlds. We take shelter of your lotus feet.

139
 A bout
His Holiness
Tamal Krishna Goswami

H is Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami served as ISKCON
Governing Body Commissioner from 1970-2002, and ISKCON Initiat-
ing Spiritual Master from 1977-2002. In January 1972, he accepted the
renounced order of life, sannyasa, in Jaipur. He served as India’s GBC
Secretary from 1970–74 and as trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust,
overseeing sales in the USA from 1977-2002. He is fondly called “Srila
Gurudeva” by his many disciples and “Goswami” by his godbrothers and
members of the academe.

141
Born in Harlem, New York, he began associating with the Krishna Con-
sciousness movement in 1968 and was accepted as a disciple by A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in San Francisco, the same year. Im-
mediately he emerged as a leader and assumed various positions of lead-
ership. From 1975 until 1979, HH Tamal Krishna Goswami headed the
“Radha-Damodara Party”. The party consisted of hundreds of Swami
Prabhupada’s disciples, who traveled around America on buses, distribut-
ing Prabhupada’s books. He also spearheaded the establishment of ISK-
CON temples and centers in India, France, Great Britain and the United
States. He worked closely with Srila Prabhupada as his secretary and as
Governing Body Commissioner for India, developing major ISKCON pro-
jects in Vrindavan, Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and Mayapur.

In 1972, he was awarded sannyasa, the renounced order of life, in Jaipur,

India and assumed the title of Goswami, meaning controller of the senses.

In 1974, HH Tamal Krishna Goswami returned to the United States to

work on large-scale preaching programs, organizing and leading book
distribution and the unparalleled Radha-Damodara Sankirtana/ Book
Distribution Party.

In 1977, as one of Srila Prabhupada’s most trusted disciples, HH Ta-

mal Krishna Goswami served as his personal secretary, during the seven
months before Srila Prabhupada’s passing in the same year.

In 1995, HH Tamal Krishna Goswami enrolled at Southern Methodist

University in Dallas, Texas, graduating in 1998 with a BA in Religious
Studies. He then moved to England to pursue a PhD at the University of
Cambridge, where under the supervision of Dr. Julius Lipner, he wrote his
dissertation on the theological teachings of Srila Prabhupada.

142
In 2002, March 15th, HH Tamal Krishna Goswami passed away in a
vehicular accident in the sacred place of Phuliya in West Bengal, India. He
left his life the same way he had lived it, completely absorbed in service to
his spiritual master and Krishna. His Samadhi is placed besides Srila Prab-
hupada’s Samadhi in ISKCON Sri Mayapur Dham, West Bengal, India.
HH Tamal Krishna Goswami was a respected figure in the academic
world and a regular and popular presenter at the American Academy of
Religion annual conference. He was the author of several books on various
religious subjects, including two collections of essays, two memoirs, a novel
and two classical Vedic dramas. He was also doctoral student at Clare
Hall, Cambridge, under Dr. Julius J. Lipner where his thesis was on the
theology of ISKCON’s founder, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

At the time of his passing, he had completed all but the conclusion. The
dissertation “A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti”, HH Tamal Krishna
Goswami’s posthumously released PhD thesis (with help from a professor
of religious studies, Garuda Dasa (Graham M. Schweig of Christopher
Newport University) is now a book published by Oxford University Press
in New York. His lectures are widely distributed and help listeners under-
stand Vedic culture and philosophy from a practical present-day perspec-
tive.

Though no longer physically present among us, HH Tamal Krishna

Goswami lives forever through his instructions, books, academic work and
in the hearts of all those whose lives he touched.

143
 Social Media Presence

@tkgnectar

Websites
Official website: www.goswami.com
Tape Ministry: www.tkgtm.com

Contact us
Email address: tkgnectar@gmail.com

To receive daily nectar,

WhatsApp ‘TKG Nectar’ on +91 93004 36000

To join TKG Seva Sanga

(to serve the legacy of HH Tamal Krishna Goswami),
WhatsApp ‘TKGSS’ on +91 93004 36000