In the following tribute,  I will try to collect a few drops of nectar from the ocean of Srila Janardan Goswami Maharaja’s sublime qualities, that I experienced personally. In this way, it is our hope that we may all be blessed and inspired by the remembrance of such a divine personality by this offering to his lotus feet.

Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami Maharaja appeared in this world in the year 1917, in the month of Agrahayana, Shukla-Ashtami, Friday (corresponding to 21 December 1917).

He appeared in a village near the town Bhanjanagar, Ganjam District, in the state of Orissa, Bharata Varsha (now known as Odisha, India).

After joining the math and accepting initiation, he continually engaged in various loving devotional services to the math and the mission of his Gurudev. He was always careful to never waste a moment. He would always be favorably engaged in hearing Hari-katha, joining kirtan, studying shastra, going out for preaching, collecting donations for the maintenance of the math, and other varieties of devotional service, executed with faith and humility.

 Similarly, he was never seen to be attached to anything for his own personal comfort, opulence, service, or recognition. His Gurudev, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada, was very pleased with his service attitude, sincerity and commitment, and always gave special attention to him.

From his childhood, he was always very detached from material enjoyment. He was always a very conscientious, intelligent student who consistently received top marks. Among his classmates, family, and relatives, he always showed proper respect and was a most beloved member of his family, even as a child.

After hearing the disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur preach, he was immediately drawn to their teachings. As a youth, he traveled to Sridham Mayapur, West Bengal, and surrendered his life to the service of his Gurudev, while residing in Sri Chaitanya Math. 

While staying in Chaitanya Math, he was always respectful to all Vaishnavas and elder godbrothers. In his early life, while living in the math, Srila Janardan Maharaja was an ideal sadhaka, never missing arati or kirtan, and always showed special attraction and interest for hearing Hari-katha and Bhagavat classes from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada.

After receiving initiation from his Gurudeva, and the spiritual name Sripad Ananta Ram das Brahmachari, he quickly became proficient in scriptural knowledge. He joined the preaching mission along with his other godbrothers, who had great affection and respect for him, on account of his ideal devotional qualities.

Seeing his enthusiasm and ability, Srila Saraswati Thakur sent him to Orissa, also known as Odisha, to preach.  He sometimes stayed at the Gaudiya Math in Cuttack and later in Puri at Chataka Parvat, Purushottama Gaudiya Math where he offered service for some time. Later, Srila Janardana Maharaja also served at the Bhag Bazaar Gaudiya Math in Kolkata.

He was preshtanushilanam, advanced among the assembly of devotees.

In 1937, on the first of January, when the Acharya of the Gaudiya Math, Jagad Guru Sri Srimad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada enacted his disappearance lila the Math was overtaken by disagreements and quarrels between godbrothers on how to cooperatively manage the institution. Many sannyasis and brahmacharies then left Sri Chaitanya Math to preach and establish their own independent centres and temples. At that time there was great suffering on account of disunity and misunderstanding between devotees.

Then, Sripad Ananta Ram das brahmachary, along with other brahmacharies and sannyasis rented a house in Medinipur at Shiva Bazaar, eventually establishing the Sri Samanda Gaudiya Math. At that Math the President was Srila Bhakti Vichar Jajavar Goswami Maharaja. Under his guidance other godbrothers joined him and started preaching from there.

In this way they happily spent their time absorbed in Krishna bhakti. In Medinipur there was also library maintained by the King where devotees would go for doing research.

Sripad Ananta Ram das brahmachary with great enthusiasm, along with his godbrothers went to his elder respected godbrother Nitya-lila Pravishta Srila Bhakti Gaurava Vaikhanasa Maharaja and accepted tridanda sannyasa ashram from him, according to the principals of Sattvata Samhita. At that time he received the name, Tridandi Swami Bhakti Jivana Janardana Goswami Maharaja.

After serving for some time in the Sri Samanda Gaudiya Math Srila Bhakti Jivana Janardana Maharaja left to preach the message of  Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and establish his own temple in Subasapali, Karagapur, naming it Gauravani Vinoda Ashram Gaudiya Math. He installed beautiful deities of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, and Sri Sri Radha-Vinodjiu there, making this temple his home base for preaching all over Orissa and West Bengal. Every day he was worshiping these deities, along with the deity of his Guru Maharaja.

By seeing his ideal Vaishnava character and determined vow of sannyasa and service mood at the feet of his guru, his devotion to Radha-Govinda, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and by hearing his sweet Hari katha, embellished with all relevant examples and rasa siddhanta, many wealthy, highly literate persons came to Karagpur to hear him and eventually take shelter of him by initiation.

He always saw by realization the presence of the supreme Lord within every creature, even plants, trees, animals, birds, and human beings. Thus, he always related to any creature he came in touch with in a friendly compassionate way. That was his nature, to always feel for the suffering of living beings in this material world. For their benefit he continually presented the conclusions of shastra to whomever would hear, in order to show the path of liberation from samsara, repeated birth and death.

He was always busy serving cows and seeing to their comfort, well-being, and happiness. His temples all have a gaushala, cow shelter, and he personally spent time every day feeding, bathing and brushing them with full enthusiasm and devotion in the mood of the gopas and gopis of the sacred land of Vrndavan. But personally, for his own benefit, convenience or comfort he would not accept anyone’s service but rather was always enthusiastic to always take an opportunity to respectfully serve other Vaishnavas, even those that were his juniors.

For the satisfaction of Lord Krishna he was continually absorbed in ecstatic devotion by body, mind and words, in remembrance of his Gurudev, Srila Rupa Goswami, Raghunath das Goswami, and the associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Radha-Govinda, Their sakhis, manjaris, and always uttering their names, and praying to them in the mood of pure bhava bhakti.

He was always calling out, “Vrishabhanu-nandini,

Srimati Radharani, Swamini!”

If, someday, you are able to have realised knowledge of these highest truths, and your mind is fixed in this way, then this will guarantee that Krishna will never leave you. There may be times when Krishna may leave his devotees. But his devotees, and the compassionate sakhis and manjaris of Srimati Radharani, as well as our Guru Vargas, will never abandon us. So we always follow Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s followers, the Vaisnavas. We take shelter of our Gaudiya bhajan, and Gaudiya Vaisnava association. We will not be able to find such single-minded devotion of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Radha-Krishna anywhere else.

He was always teaching his disciples. He was always chanting harinama everyday. And everyday he would speak bhagavata katha and do kirtan. Whenever he would begin speaking lila katha, tears would flow from his eyes. Sometimes he would say ‘’Ha Radhe, Ha Radhe, Ha Vrsabhandu Nandini, Ha Lalita, Ha Visakha, Ha Gaura Hari!” Sometimes he would utter these words with such anxiousness. He would cry while chanting these names. He would pray ‘’When will I get your mercy?’’ And sometimes he would be weeping and loudly calling while praying.

In this way, we were able to personally witness Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami engaged in his innermost spiritual practices. We were able to see practically that this was not a fiction. There was no doubt that this was real. 

He would not wait for a social gathering or for anyone else to sometimes sing and dance. He would call out by himself “ Ha Radhe , Ha Krishna, Ha Gaura, Ha Nitai , Ha Prabhupada”. And sometimes he would fall to the ground. Internally, he was always absorbed in the pastimes of Vrindavan. And in particular, he was immersed in the Nikunja Seva of Srimati Radharani and her associates.  

He would also perform Sri Dhama Vrindavan Vraja Mandala Prikrama. As well as Sri Kshetra Mandala parikrama, in Puri, where Mahaprabhu’s pastimes took place. He would dance and do kirtan with the devotees. He was always following the devotees in preaching and practicing bhakti. This made him very happy. In this way, he would do parikrama at Vraja mandala, Gaudiya Mandala and Kshetra Mandala every year. We would make the time to go there, spend time there and speak harikatha at these places.

He never had any enemies. If, sometimes, something undesirable would happen, he would tolerate and pray. So he had no enemies in this world. He had a beautiful garden with very aromatic flowers like jooey, … malati…golab…and gandapool, and the champa pool. He would always grow flowers in his garden and offer garlancs made from these flowers, to to radha Govinda and  gauranga. Mahaprabhu. He also had a beautiful tulso garden and performed cow seva.

These were his daily services at the temple. His most cherished service , however, was his bhajan practice and his attachment to gauranga radha govinda. This seva was beyond this material world and social life. By his transcendental mercy and compassion, those fortunate souls who were able to hear from him, and chant with him, became qualified to know the science and philosophy of Radha and Krishna and Gauranga Mahaprabhu, as taught by  Rupa Goswamis and Ragunatha Goswami.

Nityalila Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Maharaj his godbrother Nityalila …puri goswami founded the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission, a worldwide preaching organisation, also known as the International Krishna Chaitanya Mission [IKCM]. Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami was the Vice President of this organisation. He constructed 2 temples. One is in Subashpali , in Khragpur, named Sri Gaura Vani Vinod Ashram, Sri gaudiya Math. The deities worshipped there are Sri Gauranga Radha Nayana Vinode Bihari Jiu.

The second temple is near Khragpur. It is called Sri Bhaktisiddhanta saraswati gaudiya Math. The name of the deities are Sri Sri Gaura Rdaha Kunja Biharu Jiu. … Both are in Kharagpur. There is a cow goshala there. As well as a garden.  

Every morning, in the presence of his disciples,  Srila Janardan Goswami would utter and pray the Radha Vilapa @52min. Kusumanjali, Prema Moda Stava Radha , Radha rasa Suddha Nidhi, all Rdaharani’s … stavas stutis which were written by Srila Krishna Kavaraja Goswami and Raghunatha Goswami. Everyday, he would serve with tears in his eyes. He would pray ‘’When I can get service?  Will I get this service in this life?”  He always crying to his Gurudeva and chanting “Ha Radha, Ha Krishna, Ha Prabhupada.’ He would pray like this loudly and clearly.

On the Monday morning of 5 December 1994, between 6 – 6:15am, during the Sri Sukla Tritiya Tithi,  Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami was seated in a chair at his Math in Subashpalli, Kharagpur. He had been praying with folded hands. Unbeknown to anyone, Srila Maharaj left this world at that time. When his servants and other brahmacharis came to see him, they asked him “Why are you sitting today? It is already late. Come.” But they realised that he had already left his body. He had entered into Nityalila, the eternal pastimes of the Lord. Srila Bhakti Jivan Janardan Goswami Maharaj was 76 years old.

Srila Janardan Goswami’s disciple are also taking care of the two temples. And devotees from other branches of the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission also come to these temples and participate. Srila Janardan Goswami had registered a managing trust for the future management of his temples. Thus, everything is perfect. Everything is going on.

This is his biography briefly. More can be shared at a later stage.

Transcription and first edit by Sarva-drik Prabhu

Second edit by Syamala Sakhi dasi