In Memoriam—Śrīla Bhakti Pramod Purī Mahārāja

Śrīla Bhakti Pramod Purī Mahārāja passed away in Jagannātha Purī last November 22. Purī Mahārāja had been the oldest living disciple of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.

Born in 1898 in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), in his youth he encountered the teachings of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura (Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s father) and took up Kṛṣṅa consciousness in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He met Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī in 1915 and received initiation from him in 1923, receiving the name Praṅavānanda Brahmacārī.

A college graduate, Praṅavānanda Brahmacārī worked at the Port Commission in Calcutta while living in the ashram of his spiritual master’s temple on Ultadanga Junction Road. In 1925 he gave up his job to dedicate himself to his spiritual master’s mission. A year later, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī made him co-editor of the Kṛṣṅa conscious daily paper Nadiya Prakash. After four years he became an editor of Gauḍiya magazine. Recognizing his literary talent and knowledge of scriptures, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī awarded him the title Pratna Vidyālaṅkāra (“decorated with traditional knowledge”). Praṅavānanda Brahmacārī edited many books published by his spiritual master, including Śrīmad-Bhagavatam, Śrī Caitanya Bhāgavata, Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā, and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. His service allowed him close and regular association with Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī for a number of years. Praṅavānanda Brahmacārī was known for his diligent note-taking, and in later years wrote many articles from the notes he had taken during his spiritual master’s lectures.

From 1941 to 1947, Praṅavānanda Brahmacārī spread Kṛṣṅa consciousness throughout Bengal and other parts of India. In 1947 he accepted sannyāsa, the renounced order of life, and received the name Bhakti Pramod Purī Goswami.

In 1954 the royal family of Burdwan (Bengal) gave the temple of Ananta Vāsudeva (a form of Kṛṣṅa) in Kalna to Purī Mahārāja, who installed his own Deities, Rādhā-Gopīnātha, alongside Ananta Vāsudeva. Purī Mahārāja was well known among his godbrothers for his dedication and expertise in Deity worship and would often be called upon to install Deities in his godbrothers’ temples.

Purī Mahārāja took seriously Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s instruction that he never “give up the service of the pen.” For most of his life he wrote, edited, and published Kṛṣṅa conscious literature. His disciples have published more than a dozen of his books (written in Bengali), two of which have been translated into English.

Purī Mahārāja opened temples in Māyāpur, Calcutta, Medinipur (Bengal), and Puri. He was given an old temple of Dauji (Lord Balarāma) in Vṛndāvana. His institution is known as Śrī Gopīnāth Gauḍīya Maṭh. In recent years, branches have opened in Holland, Panama, Costa Rica, and the United States.

Purī Mahārāja visited His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda shortly before Śrīla Prabhupāda's passing in 1977. When Prabhupāda asked Purī Mahārāja to sing, he sang Jaya Rādhe, Jaya Kṛṣṅa, Jaya Vṛndāvana for Prabhupāda's pleasure. Puri Mahārāja greatly appreciated Śrīla Prabhupāda service. “His preaching in the West is simply amazing,” he once said. When he saw a photo of the Deities at ISKCON’s Los Angeles temple, in great emotion he said, “How happy Śrīla Prabhupāda [Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī] must be!”

In 1998 the king of Orissa attended Śrīla Purī Mahārāja’s Vyāsa Pūjā (appearance-day celebrations), commemorating Mahārāja’s one-hundredth birthday. India’s prime minister, Śrī Atal Bihari Vajpayee, sent a letter of praise and congratulations.

Śrīla Purī Mahārāja dedicated his life to Lord Kṛṣṅa's service. He passed away in the holy land of Jagannātha Purī, surrounded by devotees chanting the holy names of the Lord. His purified body was placed in samādhi (entombed) in Śrīdhām Māyāpur.