Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj
Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Goswami Maharaj was born in the village of
Fulta, adjacent to the city of
Berhampur in the state of
Orissa,
India in the year 1913. His given name at birth was Nrusimgha. The name of his father is Sri Damodar and the name of his mother is Srimati Devi. He attended
Khallikote Autonomous College in the city of
Berhampur, where he received a
B.A. degree.
In the
1930s, Srila Puri Maharaj completed his studies in
Ayurveda, and also became active in the freedom fighter movement led by
Mahatma Gandhi. According to his biography, he was a regional president of the freedom movement during that time.
Srila Puri Maharaj's Ayurvedic Instructor, Kaviraja Sripad Madhusudan Sharma, was also an initiated disciple of Gaudiya Vaishnava
Acharya Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Through the intervention of his Ayurvedic Instructor, Srila Puri Maharaj was brought to see Bhaktisiddhanta, and on August 3rd, 1936, took initiation from him in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Thus began a long lifetime of spiritual service in the monastic tradition of
Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
In 1966, after almost three decades as an initiated Gaudiya Vaishnava, he accepted the sacred renounced order of
Sanyasa from Srila Bhakti Swarupa Giri Maharaj. In June of 1966, Srila Puri Maharaj formed the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Ashram in
Andhra Pradesh. At the present day, Maharaj's organization the
Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission has approximately eighteen (18) ashrams in
India. The mission has also published several books in multiple languages (
English,
Oriya, etc.) including "A Brief Life History of Sri Srimad Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Goswami Maharaj" and translations of "Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat".
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had many disciples, the most notable of whom being Srila
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the world's foremost preacher of
Gaudiya Vaishnavism outside of India (sometimes called the "
Hare Krishna" movement by some). Srila Prabhupada's relationship with Srila
Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj is best epitomized in this letter written by
Prabhupada on
December 2,
1970; "My Dear Puri Maharaj, Perhaps you are my only Godbrother who has appreciated my humble service to the cause of Guru Gauranga. All my other Godbrothers are very much envious, as I can understand from their behavior." In 1971, Srila Puri Maharaj invited Srila
Prabhupada to inaugurate a new temple at
Rajahmundry on the banks of the
Godavari river.
In the late
1990s, following the footsteps and tradition of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada, Srila Puri Maharaj began his tours of communicating
Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology to the Western World. 1997 marked the beginning of annual European tours which continue to the time of this article's creation. 2001 marked his first tour around the world, at the advanced age of 89. In that year, Maharaj traveled to the
European Union, the
United States of America,
Mexico,
Australia, and
Thailand.
One of the most memorable events of the 2001 World Tour occurred on Saturday
August 25,
2001. On that day, Srila Puri Maharaj and over a dozen devotees visited the top floor of
World Trade Center Tower 2, and conducted a short naga-
sankirtana event. His most recent tour of the European Union in 2005 at the advanced age of 92 recognizes Srila Puri Maharaj as the eldest known travelling Gaudiya Vaishnav
Acharya, having followers all over
India, as well as
Europe,
Thailand,
North America, and
Australia.
*
Website about Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj as written by European followers
*
Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir in
Vienna,
Austria*
Electronic Compilation of books by Srila BV Puri Maharaj originally published by Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission*
Website for Srila BV Puri Maharaj in Italian and Spanish*
Audio lectures by Srila BV Puri Maharaj
