by Sundar Gopal das
Yesterday we lost one of our dear friend and devotee Bindu Madhav Prabhu. He is no more, he left his body yesterday. He is from France. He has so much love and affection for Srila Gurudev (Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj). He took harinam from HDG Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj. After the disappearance of Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, he had no association.He could not get a nice company of his liking where he could progress, slowly he came in contact with HDG Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj and got his Diksha initiation from Him and after the disappearance of Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj. He came in contact with HDG Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj and our Gurudev HDG Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj. He said several times when he saw Puri Goswami Maharaj he felt very much assured that there is some guardian left to take care of him. He met Srila Puri Maharaj in the temple of Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj in Nabadwip.
He felt very much satisfied and continued to stay in the association of Srila Puri Maharaj and whenever he came to India he would visit Srila Puri Maharaj and that is when he also met our Srila Gurudev HDG Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj. He said several times that Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj is a magnet with His own extraordinary qualities He attracted everyone and Bindu Madhav Prabhu was not an exception to these. He also got attracted to our Srila Gurudev and soon he started coming to Him frequently because of the love, the care, the attention he got so much that attracted him to Srila Gurudev all the time. Particularly when Srila Gurudev went to the Europe for preaching specifically Bindu Madhav Prabhu’s contribution in taking to various places, organizing different programs, transitory stays, the food, the expenses, finances, bringing the people and keeping contact with them, driving Gurudev to various places. He has done so many things. He helped the preaching of Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math or the mission of our Param Gurudev HDG Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj so much that Gurudev felt him very very close.
Whenever Gurudev went there he would drive Gurudev for several hours. For 2 months he would give up all his material duties and other responsibilities and he used to take Gurudev around to various places. He offered 2 cars in the service of Srila Gurudev and for 2 months all the time he would stay with Srila Gurudev and all the other devotees who were accompanying Srila Gurudev. There was no restriction or narrow-mindedness in him. If you see the photos of him with Srila Gurudev or in the videos, whenever there is kirtan Bindu Madhav Prabhu would play the kartals so intensely for long long hours. He would not get tired at all, like that he had helped. His enthusiasm to propagate Krishna Bhakti to engage personally in Krishna Bhajan is so exemplary. In the year 2011 when Bindu Madhav Prabhu came to India with a book which he translated into French Language. He brought it and gave it to Srila Gurudev even before Srila Gurudev saw that book as soon as He saw Bindu Madhav Prabhu, He immediately embraced him and caressed his back.
That’s why Bindu Madhav Prabhu would always say that “I am not ordinarily blessed by ordinary person. I got the love of Srila Gurudev Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj”. Bindu Madhav Prabhu used to carry these things so preciously, he understood what is Vaisnavas mercy. While his stay in Kolkata Math we would see he would wake up very early in the morning (4am) and he would come up to the balcony of Srila Gurudev and would sit there for a long time and chant Harinam. Srila Gurudev was also very close to Bindu Madhav Prabhu they both used to cut jokes and laugh. One time Srila Gurudev asked Bindu Madhav Prabhu after speaking harikatha. Was the harikatha ok?. Then Bindu Madhav Prabhu always very witty and funny he replied: “No Maharaj that was not perfect”. Then Gurumaharaj with a question mark on His face would ask “What was wrong? What was the problem?” Bindu Madhav Prabhu would reply “It was not perfect but perfectly perfect”. Then Gurudev had so much laughter on His face and He laughed so much that time. So that was the kind of love they both exchanged. Srila Gurudev showered so much mercy, love, affection towards Bindu Madha Prabhu.
So it is the misfortune to loose the company of such a devotee. When the devotees are present we don’t realize or understand their importance. But after they leave then suddenly and slowly we realize what we have missed. Bindu Madhav has a treasure of Srila Gurudev’s pastimes. Those days which we have not seen he has seen. The way in which we have not intimately or closely moved with Srila Gurudev he had done that. He had traveled, driven, he gave Prasad, he ate Gurudev’s Prasad, he sat next to Him, he danced along with Him, he played the Kartals when Srila Gurudev was singing kirtan. So many service opportunities he had got and all of them he had utilized.
After celebrating the Ramanavami Festival and also appearance day of Srila Gurudev this year he left for France. Briefly after that, he got a heart attack and he felt something wrong that he is probably not going to stay for long in this world. He immediately wrote a will where he mentioned that if I were to die my body will be shifted to Goverdhan, my body should be taken to Vrindavan and the final rites should be performed there. If there shall be any problem from the government to transport my body to India then at least my ashes should be offered there. Just see what kind of love and attachment he has got to the holy dham, to the Vaisnavas, very very rare. He has always said that he sees his own Guru inside our Srila Gurudev Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj.
From todays evening Harikatha by
Prahlad Prabhu at Sree Caitanya Gaudiya Math Kolkata
