From the beginning, the residents of Śrī Caitanya Maṭha had great difficulty maintaining themselves and performing guru-sevā, bhagavat-sevā and all the other services required in the maṭha. Now and then they were subsisting only on sāg-sabjī, wild greens. In those days it was common to sleep on the ground and to honour prasāda on leaves instead of metal plates. Sometimes they did not even have leaves and had to perform prasāda-sevā with great faith right on the cement floor. Still, in the face of these difficulties, the maṭha residents remained content in their devotion to bhajana and sevā.
One day at noon, in Jyeṣṭhā (May–June), the hottest month of the year, two guests, Atula-candra Bandopādhyāya and Atula-kṛṣṇa Datta, came to have darśana of Māyāpura-dhāma. Both were highly placed officials in the Indian Railway. As they walked in, Vinoda-bihārī Brahmacārī, the maṭha manager, was sitting under a jackfruit tree, overseeing the affairs of the maṭha property. Seeing the guests’ dry lips, he understood their condition and sent them to a nearby pond to bathe. The maṭha residents had already finished their prasāda-sevā, but, by the time the two guests returned from their bath, delicious varieties of mahā-prasāda were ready and waiting for them. With faith they honoured the mahā-prasāda. Being greatly satisfied, they lavishly praised the service mood of the maṭha residents.
Śrī Vinoda-bihārī Brahmacārī then took the guests to have darśana of Śrīla Prabhupāda. They were deeply impressed by Prabhupāda’s powerful hari-kathā and expressed a desire to contribute five rupees a month for maṭha-sevā. When they returned home, they did not forget their promise and proceeded to send five rupees every month. Gradually, they developed such a desire to hear hari-kathā that they began to come to the maṭha more and more. After some time, Atula-candra Bandopādhyāya surrendered to Śrīla Prabhupāda, completely renouncing home, wife, sons, family and all else. This, however, troubled the maṭha residents because his monthly donation of five rupees covered most of the maṭha expenses. Their budget was that tight. How would they manage now? Atula-candra told them not to worry.
After harināma-dīkṣā, Atula-candra became Atula-candra Bandopādhyāya Bhakti Sāraṅga. He began to raise funds among pious, wealthy merchants in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and other major cities. Upon hearing his hari-kathā, these people would send truckloads of rice, dāl, vegetables and so forth for maṭha-sevā. In addition, he established preaching centres and āśramas in those cities and was also the editor of the weekly magazine Gauḍīya. After Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disappearance, he accepted sannyāsa and his name became Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Sāraṅga Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Until he disappeared from this world, he had great faith in our most worshipful Gurupāda-padma and considered him his close friend. It was Śrīla Bhakti Sāraṅga Gosvāmī Mahārāja who decorated Śrīla Prabhupāda’s intimate, most beloved Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja with the title pāṣaṇḍa-gajaika-siṁha. This title compares paramārādhya Gurupāda-padma with a lion that tears to pieces the elephant-like false doctrines of māyāvāda, smārta, sahajiyā and other atheistic schools of thought, which are opposed to bhakti. He used scriptural proof and irrefutable arguments to destroy the view of anyone who said anything against Śrīla Prabhupāda’s presentation of bhakti.
The other guest, Atula-kṛṣṇa Dattajī, also gave up his government service and came with his family to Caitanya Maṭha. After receiving harināma-dīkṣā from Śrīla Prabhupāda, he began to perform ekāntīka bhajana (exclusive worship of the Lord). He compiled Śrī Gauḍīya-kaṇṭhahāra (The Necklace of the Gauḍīya Devotees). This book contains a collection of verses from the Vedas, Upaniṣads and other śāstras, which establish the philosophical conclusions of śuddha-bhakti.
[Excerpted from the Gaudiya Vedanta Publication “Ācārya Kesarī: Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī“]