My Dear Diksa Guru

Sripad BV Vana Maharaja
Biography
Sripad BV Vana Maharaja was born in the Midnapura district of West Bengal in January, 1959, near the pada tirtha of Caitanya Mahaprabhu called Pichalda mentioned in the Caitanya caritamritam.
Since his boyhood, Maharaja was very attached to Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda prabhu and worshipped Their lotus feet.
He received his Bachelor degree in Economics from Calcutta University in 1980. His uncle, Bhaktivedanta Madhusudhana Maharaja, who is to this day, temple commander of the Devananda Gaudiya Math inspired him to dedicate his life to the service of Radha and Krishna.
In 1981, Maharaja joined the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti, and would regularly hear hari katha from Param pujyapada Nitya lila pravistha astotara sri 108 Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Gosvami Maharaja.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja blessed him, and asked maharaja to stay in his temple, but Maharaja was very attached to Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja.
Srila Narayana Maharaja instructed Sripad Vana Maharaja how to enter in vaisnava philosophy,and he would daily give a special class on Jaiva Dharma, Brahma Samita, Bhagavad-gita, the sandharbhas, as well as other vaisnava literature.
Srila Narayana Maharaja gave Sripad Vana Maharaja harinam and after six months, he received diksa from Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja, who is currently the President and Acarya of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti.
Sripad Vana Maharaja has served Srila B.V. Narayana Maharaja in Mathura since 1982. At the Gaura Purnima festival in the year 2000, Sripad Vana Maharaja was given sannyassa, and is now preaching around the world under the shelter and instructions of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.