A king-maker

We have also seen the influence of Sri Nityananda Prabhu in the life of our Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Without Nityananda Prabhu’s blessings upon him we would not have received the mercy of Srila Guru Maharaj. After Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur there was quarrel in the Gaudiya Math. Srila Guru Maharaj tried to cooperate with his good friend Vasudev Prabhu, who became the head of the Mission, and Kunja Babu, the secretary of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, who he respected so much.

Finally many of the leading devotees of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur withdrew from the missionary activities of the Gaudiya Math, and Srila Guru Maharaj was the last to leave. But Srila Guru Maharaj did not want to take any disciples. He had two reasons. One was that Vasudev Prabhu was his very close friend. And second, he preached very widely and successfully in the time of his Guru Maharaj, Srila Saraswati Thakur, and he wanted to spend the last portion of his life practising Krishna consciousness, reading Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta and Srimad Bhagavatam. He wanted to stay alone. He had no enthusiasm to make disciples for himself. Srila Guru Maharaj lived in a rented room near the banks of the Ganges. He would spend his days bathing in the Ganges, doing Tulasi-seva, maintaining a garden for the worship of his Govardhan-sila, reading, writing, and chanting.

All of his godbrothers were searching for him for maybe one or two years until finally someone saw him bathing in the Ganges. They all came and forcefully requested Srila Guru Maharaj, «We need your association. We will make another institution, and you will be the head.» Srila Guru Maharaj said, «No, I won’t take disciples. If I take disciples others will think I am very enthusiastic to take disciples. I came away from the Gaudiya Math, and I do not want to preach again. I want to spend my last life alone.»

Srila Guru Maharaj had resolved not to take disciples, like Lokanath Das Goswami. He simply wanted to practise for the rest of his life. They pressured Srila Guru Maharaj so much, and finally he told them, «I do not want to be a king in society. I will not be a king, but I can make a king. I can serve in the capacity of a ‘king-maker’.» He gave sannyas to many of his godbrothers, and they accepted disciples and started Missions under his guidance. But Srila Guru Maharaj lived with a few brahmacharis and from time to time would visit the auspicious birthplaces of the eternal associates of Sriman Mahaprabhu.