Śrīla Gurudeva was reared in an extended household including numerous relatives such as the families of two fraternal uncles and their cousin, Nandalāla, Kamalākānta, and Śyāmalāla Tiwārī, as well as Gurudeva’s grandparents, Dhyānacandra Tiwārī and Dulāri-devī, and his grand-uncle Gorakanātha. They cheerfully lived together in a substantial compound of simple rooms built with clay walls and straw-thatched roofs. In time, Paṇḍita Bāleśvaranātha and Lakṣmī-devī had six more children—two boys and four girls. Gurudeva’s brothers were named Viśvanātha and Siddhanātha, and his four sisters were named Motirānī, Sarasvatī, Phulakeśarī, and Anapi.
Śrīla Gurudeva’s mother, Lakṣmī-devī, a formidable matriarch, maintained the clan with devotion. Amongst her various religious activities, she was jubilant when singing kīrtana. She taught Gurudeva how to sing at an early age, and he flourished with a natural talent and proclivity for kīrtana.
Śrīla Gurudeva’s father was known to be a scholar on one hand and a powerful wrestler and skilled sportsman on the other. His scriptural knowledge was inherited from his father, Dhyānacandra, and his strength from his uncle, Gorakanātha.
The Tiwārīs owned nearly one hundred acres of farmland. They harvested abundant produce, including vegetables, fruits, rice, barley, wheat, dāl, and spices such as mustard. Gurudeva’s father remained busy throughout the day, working the fields, threshing grain, and attending to other household responsibilities. In the evening he presided over the spiritual functions at their home. Paṇḍita Tiwārī drank seven liters of milk daily to maintain his strength and energy in such an active lifestyle. Gurudeva acquired a tenacious work ethic from his father; he helped him in the fields, caring for the crops, and planting trees such as jamun, jackfruit, and bamboo.
Gorakanātha was famous throughout Bihar as an indisputable wrestler. He was so powerful he could intervene admist a violent bullfight and, indeed, put a bull to the ground. Gorakanātha worked on the land and also maintained cows, horses, and buffaloes. Two kilometers from Tiwārīpura is the village of Kulhadiya, home to droves of buffaloes. The Tiwārīs had a good relation with the Yādavas of Kulhadiya and Gorakanātha would go there on occasion. There was a wild buffalo in Kulhadiya that was notorious for being an abnormally large and aggressive beast. Gorakanātha took it in his mind to humble this wild buffalo and hence went to Kulhadiya with a she-buffalo to be bred in tow.
When the villagers heard of his intention, they warned him in dismay, “No! No, Mr. Tiwārījī, you have made a mistake. That buffalo is a ferocious beast. If angered, he won’t let anyone escape with his life; and once he gets a she-buffalo, he’ll never let her go!”
“Don’t worry,” Gorakanātha laughed. “Just sit quietly and observe the pastime.”
Gorakanātha left his she-buffalo in the open pasture without incident and returned in a few hours to retrieve her. When he came, the villagers pleaded with him, “You don’t understand Mr. Tiwārījī, if you try to separate them, he will kill you!” Not heeding the anxious words of the villagers, Gorakanātha strode confidently into the field. As he went forward, a crowd gathered at the field’s edge to watch from a safe distance.
The wild buffalo noticed him from afar and began to snort and stomp his hooves. When Gorakanātha continued walking forward without hesitation, the beast bellowed and began to fiercely charge with its head lowered. As it neared, the beast swung its head upward to gore Gorakanātha, but Gorakanātha grabbed its horns and, with a roar and mighty shove, he slowly forced the beast’s head down to the ground, forcing its muzzle into the dirt. The buffalo tried to gore Gorakanātha again and again, but it remained powerless to his superior might. Finally, Gorakanātha released the buffalo and hit it on the head with an iron bar kept in his belt. Sorely beaten for the first time, the buffalo turned and walked away, head down, without another glance towards his opponent.
When Gorakanātha returned home, he proudly related the story to the household. He was especially fond of his young grandnephew, Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, and told him afterwards with affection, “You should try to become as strong as me. Then no one in the world will be able to challenge you.”
Gurudeva gently replied, “Lions and elephants are so powerful. They control all other animals. Does this please Bhagavān? That person is most powerful who is detached and who, controlling all his senses, engages his body and mind in the service of Bhagavān. By physical power one generally becomes arrogant and attached to the body. Rāvaṇa was also very powerful, but Rāma destroyed him. If you become powerful in devotion to Bhagavān, then you’ll be remembered forever.”
Hearing these words, Gurudeva’s family members felt he would surely become a sādhu and leave home. Gorakanātha became more attached to his nephew and his inclination to serve Bhagavān increased. Much later, he used to come and ask Gurudeva about advancing in spiritual life.
The majority of people in Tiwārīpura are literate and erudite in the Vedic scriptures. They live a simple and pure lifestyle and refrain from consuming impure foodstuffs such as meat, fish, eggs, onions, garlic, and intoxicants. They practice devotional activities, such as hearing and chanting God’s names and glories, out of a sense of family tradition.
One day, after Gurudeva’s eighth birthday, he asked his father, “Every morning you rise early and serve the Deities. All the villagers come with various gifts for service, after which you speak hari-kathā. But please tell me why you are doing all this. Why do all the villagers come and ask for your blessings? What is the goal of all these activities?”
“My child,” Paṇḍitajī replied, “by worshiping Bhagavān, people will receive blessings and be successful in their various trades. Farmers will have plentiful crops of grain, fruits, and vegetables. People will thrive in their work, and their family members will remain healthy and free from disturbance.”
“But how does this benefit the soul?” Gurudeva asked.
“Listen, my son,” Paṇḍitajī said, “this world is full of strife. People hope that by worshiping God they will remain healthy and happy. They follow dharma for material prosperity, fulfillment of worldly desires, and ultimate liberation from the cycle of birth and death.”
“If people worship Bhagavān to fulfill their own desires,” Gurudeva asserted, “are they not trying to make Him their servant? They worship Him so that He will provide food and shelter for their families, and at the same time publicize their worship for personal prestige in society. So, for whose pleasure are they worshiping?”
“This is a critical question,” Paṇḍitajī replied. “When you are older, you will understand. Do not worry about these subject matters now.”
“Father,” Gurudeva said, “I listen to you speak hari-kathā on the Rāmāyaṇa, Bhagavad-gītā, and Bhāgavatam. You say that we have all taken birth according to our past karma. Then you say that a person’s real duty is to serve Bhagavān; only through this service can one become fully satisfied. Is this advice for the benefit of the body or the soul? How can we be related to Bhagavān, and give up this illusory material life?”
“You can ask our family guru when he comes. Now go and play.”
The family guru, Paṇḍita Miśra, was a renowned householder guru with a silvery voice. When he recited the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam many gathered to hear his melodious recitation and wise explanations. When he arrived after a few days, Paṇḍita Bāleśvaranātha offered him respects and then told him, “My boy, Nārāyaṇa, has been waiting for your arrival. He is quite inquisitive and likes to argue. His curiosity is boundless.”
“Let us study his birth chart,” Paṇḍita Miśra said.
After examining Gurudeva’s horoscope Paṇḍita Miśra concluded, “Your son is a serious boy. He has exalted devotion and will not have any inclination towards worldly life. Whoever takes his association will likewise become detached and renounced. He will always serve Bhagavān and His devotees and he will change the mundane nature of whoever comes near him. Their attachment to material life will be diminished and they will also be inclined to serve God with pure devotion.”
Upon hearing this news the Tiwārī family was both pleased and perturbed. Though pleased that Śrīman Nārāyaṇa was a great devotee, they desired him to be a dutiful family man who would maintain the household. In hopes of averting his future renunciation, they donated more than usual to charity and propitiated the Lord with Vedic mantras while praying that their boy would have a change of heart. When their endeavors did not appear effective, they prepared a Vedic peace ceremony, or śānti-yajña, to change the nature of their son.
Many distinguished brāhmaṇas, Vaiṣṇavas, and sādhus were invited to attend the fire ceremony. Amongst the guests was a renounced and cultured Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa from Vārāṇasī who was visiting the holy sites in and around Tiwārīpura. When all the guests arrived, Śrīman Dhyānacandra and Paṇḍita Bāleśvaranātha washed their feet and made sure they were comfortably situated. Gurudeva served the sādhus respectfully by offering them food, washing their clothes, and massaging their feet.
When the ceremony was prepared, Paṇḍitajī requested his son, “Nārāyaṇa, please come sit and offer oblations of ghee and grains into the fire.”
“First, I will ask the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas some questions,” Gurudeva replied. “If I am satisfied with their answers, I will sit and take part in the yajña.” He approached the gathering and bowed down with humility. “I offer obeisance to all the respected brāhmaṇas and sādhus. Please give me your blessings.”
The guests thought, “They said he is a strange and serious boy, but he seems rather sweet and humble.”
“If you are pleased with me,” Gurudeva said, “then I have a small request.”
“Yes, we will grant your wish,” the distinguished guests replied.
“Kindly answer my questions. What is the ultimate goal of life? For which purpose does one perform so many religious activities? I am anxious to hear the truth and don’t want to be misled with mundane advice.”
The learned Vaiṣṇava from Vārāṇasī said, “I will answer your questions.”
Śrīla Gurudeva asked, “If a man serves his relatives for his entire life, will he attain liberation from material existence? Will he be able to dissipate the fire of mundane attraction and illusion, realizing the nature of his soul and God? For what purpose do people follow dharma and worship Bhagavān?”
The gathering was silent, waiting for an answer. The Vaiṣṇava replied, “I will now speak the uncompromising truth. Do not enter into a business relationship with Bhagavān. Most people worship God by offering Him food, cloth, wealth, and other material objects, waiting for Him to reward them with the fruits of their actions. If Bhagavān does not supply material benefits, then they will give up their worship. Fruitive workers, attached to karmic life, have this kind of business mentality with God. They worship mundane people and demigods for worldly prosperity but do not consider the well-being of their souls. Externally, they appear to worship Lord Nārāyaṇa along with His spiritual potency, Śrī Lakṣmī-devī, the abode of all opulence, but they do not want to actually serve Lakṣmī-devī. Rather, they attempt to steal Lakṣmī-devī from Lord Nārāyaṇa and use Her opulence to further enhance their sense gratification.”
Gurudeva smiled, “Yes, you are speaking the truth, but how can I realize the eternal nature of my soul in relation to Bhagavān? How shall I attain His service? He graciously gives us these human bodies as a facility to liberate ourselves from material bondage. How can I make my life successful and attain God realization?”
“I am pleased by your desire for the truth,” the Vaiṣṇava said. “Relationships in this world are temporary. Family members live together like visitors in a guesthouse. We are all refugees, having turned away from Bhagavān. Our highest goal in life is to develop an eternal loving relation with Bhagavān. This is possible by executing serious sādhana (spiritual practice) under the guidance of a pure devotee. All attachment to this world will dissipate and love of God will awaken when the pure devotee sees our honest endeavor and bestows his mercy upon us.”
“Yes, this is the truth,” Gurudeva agreed.
After answering Gurudeva’s bold and intelligent questions, the Vaiṣṇava sādhu approached Paṇḍita Bāleśvaranātha. “I have contemplated the nature of your son. He is not an ordinary youth with a routine future. He will not stay at home; rather, the whole world will be his home. He will save many lost souls by acquainting them with their eternal nature and uniting them with God.”
Hearing this, Paṇḍitajī became simultaneously elated and downcast. “Should we continue the yajña?”
“Yes, it shall be done for the pleasure of Lord Viṣṇu.” The Vaiṣṇava returned to where the priests were waiting to start the ceremony.
Gurudeva asked him, “What is the purpose of this fire yajña?”
“It is for the happiness of Lord Viṣṇu. He is the enjoyer of all religious activities.”
Gurudeva then participated in the yajña along with his father and grandfather, offering oblations of grains as the priests poured ghee into the flames of the sacred fire. When the sacrifice was complete, Paṇḍitajī and Śrīman Dhyānacandra distributed charity to all the guests and fed them mahā-prasāda.
The Vaiṣṇava from Vārāṇasī was impressed with the character of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa and, before he left, selected prominent verses from the Rāmāyaṇa, Gītā, and Bhāgavatam that describe how to develop one’s relation with God, giving them to Śrīman Nārāyaṇa to memorize. They sat together and discussed spiritual topics.
“If one is entangled in family life,” Gurudeva asked, “is it possible for him to detach himself from this world and develop a relationship with Bhagavān?”
“It is very rare. Those who are in family life are attached to sense enjoyment. Their association influences one to become similarly attached. In contrast, if one associates with devotees who are renounced, then he can attain self-realization.
“Listen to a Vedic story that demonstrates this. Once, there was a young boy named Nārada who lived with his mother in the forest. During the monsoon months of Cāturmāsya (a four-month season in which strict vows are observed), many sages came to reside in that place to meditate and perform austerities. Nārada and his mother served the sages by collecting wood for their yajñas, picking flowers for worship, and feeding them in the evenings. The sages performed fire ceremonies, sang hari-kīrtana, discussed spiritual topics, and meditated on the Supreme Lord. Nārada’s heart was simple and he once obtained the mercy of the sages by honoring their food remnants with permission. At the end of four months the sādhus prepared to leave the hermitage.
“Nārada cried to them, ‘By your exalted association I have forgotten where and who I am. Having been fully absorbed in service to Bhagavān while in your company, I am afraid that when you leave my mother will again engage me in worldly activities and I will lose valuable opportunities for devotional service; then, regretfully, the desire to chant God’s holy names will eventually dissipate. Please help me.’
“Hearing Nārada’s plea, the sages gave him a mantra to chant. When they left he sorely missed their company. He chanted the mantra with deep absorption, but, from time to time, his mother would call him to eat, rest, or help with household chores and he would lose his concentration. Seeing his eagerness for spiritual life, his mother worried, ‘Soon he will run away and leave me.’
“Nārada prayed to God, ‘When will I be freed from illusory attachments?’
“A while later, a snake came and bit his mother. Nārada saw that she had left her body and, understanding that all bodies are destined for death but the soul is eternal, he left without regret and began pilgrimage of the world’s holy places. He chanted the mantra given to him by the sages with rapt attention, always praying to God.
One day, Nārada had a vision of God in the sky. The Lord said, ‘Chanting My mantra silently is not enough to satisfy Me. You must loudly chant My names all over the world. If you worship Me without cessation, while enlightening others, then I will understand you have love for Me and desire My company.’
“The vision disappeared after Nārada heard these words, and he wept out of longing to see the Lord again. Observing Bhagavān’s order, Nārada traveled throughout the world, singing the names of God and advising those he met to worship Him. In time, he became renowned as a great ṛṣi (sage) and pure devotee.
“Once he met a King and implored him, ‘Please chant the holy names!’
“The King said, ‘I have so many responsibilities. I don’t have time to worship God. I have to care for the citizens of my country. If you take all my responsibilities away, then I will chant. Where is your sense of duty? You tell others to worship and give up their obligations, but who would maintain society if everyone obeyed your advice?’
“Nārada Ṛṣi replied, ‘Your worldly responsibilities will only bind you further to this world and cause you to forget the true purpose of life. On the other hand, if you take responsibility to serve Bhagavān and His devotees, He will bestow His mercy upon you. By His grace you will be made blissful, along with everyone who comes in contact with you.
Most people identify with temporary duties that have nothing to do with their souls; however, O respected King, this world is only a place meant to teach us how to love and serve God. This is the nature and real duty of all souls.’
“By the association of Nārada Ṛṣi, the King’s mentality changed and he began sādhana and bhajana (devotional rapture). The King and his citizens felt satisfaction at heart by sincerely worshiping God with faith. This is the result of saintly company. Only by serving Bhagavān without selfish motives can one be pleased and fulfill the purpose of human life.”
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6
The topmost dharma of human life is devotion to the transcendental Lord. This devotion should be consistent, uninterrupted, and without selfish desires. By the practice of bhakti one feels contentment, and perceives the blissful form of Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Gurudeva contemplated this advice for some time and then asked, “How can I properly follow Cāturmāsya?”
The Vaiṣṇava sādhu was pleased with the sincerity of the young Śrīman Nārāyaṇa and described the process of Cāturmāsya. “The most important thing is to always remember God and never forget Him,” he said. “All other instructions of the scriptures are subordinate to this axiom, and are only meant to help one always think of God.
smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ
Padma-Purāṇa
Viṣṇu should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the scriptures are the servants of these two principles.
The Vaiṣṇava sādhu continued, “The mind and senses are more restless than usual during the rainy season and certain foods aggravate them and make it difficult to remember God. Many living beings in subtle forms fall to the earth in drops of rain to gain new bodies in the cycle of karma. Certain foodstuffs grown at that time are embodied by passionate entities that enter the body and agitate the mind. Vaiṣṇavas avoid such items during Cāturmāsya. For the first month, Vaiṣṇavas abstain from leafy vegetables; the second month, yogurt; the third, milk; and the fourth, sesame and mustard. For all four months, they shun foods that increase passion, such as tomatoes, and that are heavy in protein, such as urad-dāl.”
Gurudeva took the Vaiṣṇava’s advice to heart and bid him farewell before he left. He strictly observed Cāturmāsya throughout his youth and spent much of his time in spiritual practices, intelligently and promptly finishing his schoolwork and duties to allow himself more freedom to do so.
[Excerpted from the Bhakta Bandhav Publications “Śrī Guru Darśana“]