Bio - Our Gurudeva

On 2nd January 1959, Sripad BV Vana Gosvami Maharaja was born as Subala Sakha in the district of Midnapur, West Bengal, near the pada-tirtha (pilgrimage site of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet) of Pichalda mentioned in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta. He was the second youngest son of four brothers.

Gurudeva was born into a dharmic (pious) and prosperous family, who owned farmland and leased it for their livelihood. In his household, there was always an atmosphere of bhakti (devotion), as his mother was a devout follower of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Under her guidance, Gurudeva worshipped Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, becoming deeply attached to Their lotus feet.

When Gurudeva was just five years old, his father passed away, leaving all family responsibilities to his mother. Despite these circumstances, from a young age, Gurudeva harboured a strong desire to enter monastic life. However, his mother instructed him first to complete his studies.

In school, Gurudeva excelled academically and had the opportunity to study at Kolkata University, where he graduated at the age of twenty-one in the discipline of Economics. Understanding the transient nature of material life, he decided to enter into the matha, initially taking the shelter of his paternal uncle, Krishna Kripa Brahmachari, who was later known as Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhusudhana Gosvami Maharaja, at Devananda Gaudiya Matha. At that time, both Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja and Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, two prominent acharyas (teachers)  of the Gaudiya matha alongside Srila Bhaktivedanta Trivikrama Gosvami Maharaja, were away on preaching tours. 

Sometime later, Gurudeva first met Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja at Devananda Gaudiya Matha, who gave him harinama and eventually the name Subala Sakha das. Subsequently, in 1982, he met Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja, who gave him diksha (formal initiation).

Gurudeva was instructed to serve under Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, his shiksha guru (instructing spiritual master),  at Sri Keshavaji Gaudiya Matha in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. His main seva while in the matha was to collect bhiksha (alms) from the mathura-vasis (residents of Mathura). He would go on his bike door to door collecting money for the matha, which he would then give all to Srila BV Narayana Gosvami Maharaja.

Over many years, Gurudeva was instructed by Maharaja ji on how to enter deeply into his bhajana and sadhana through hearing daily classes on Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Jaiva Dharma, and many other works of literature within the Gaudiya Vaishnava canon. In this way, after a long period of rigorous training, he received sannyasa from Srila BV Narayana Maharaja on Gaura Purnima in 2000, whereupon he was named Srila Bhaktivedanta Vana Gosvami Maharaja.

At present, since 1997, Gurudeva has been tirelessly preaching around the whole world, under the instruction of his shiksa and sannyasa guru.