Excerpt from the book Ācārya Kesarī Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī – His Life and Teachings, 2nd Edition by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja

Once, when Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Mahārāja was sitting with one of his godbrothers, Śrī Gaura-nārāyaṇa was also sitting nearby. He looked in Śrī Gaura-nārāyaṇa’s direction and said, “I want to give you saffron cloth and sannyāsa. I have seen many non-Bengali Indians; they are not able to understand the profound depth of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s elevated bhakti-siddhānta, especially prema-tattva. But you have taken these moods very easily in your heart. Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Sanātana and our many Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas remained in Vraja for a long time, but they could not find any North Indian devotee who could take to heart Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s inner moods. You are very fortunate.” Weeping, Śrī Gaura-nārāyaṇa fell at his guru’s lotus feet and with great humility said, “I devote myself fully to your lotus feet. I am removing everything – any attachment to my mother, the affection of my father, the love of my wife and the friendship of my friends and relatives – and I am offering it at your lotus feet. You can keep me naked, dressed in a loincloth, in white, in saffron, or you can give me sannyāsa. Keep me in the way that is auspicious for me. Now I solely belong to you.” Hearing his words, Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Mahārāja’s eyes also brimmed with tears. He looked at Śrīpāda Sanātana Prabhu, who had also heard Śrī Gaura-nārāyaṇa’s words and was stunned. What Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Mahārāja decided after this was known only to him. He was quiet for some time, and then he continued with his hari-kathā. Sometime later, on Gaura-pūrṇimā in 1952, Śrīpāda Gaura-nārāyaṇa dāsa Adhikārī was given tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa together with Śrīpāda Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacārī and Śrīpāda Rādhānātha dāsa Adhikārī, and became known as Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja.
Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Mahārāja appointed Śrī Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja as manager of Śrī Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha in Mathurā. From there, on his order and under his guidance, Śrī Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja published Śrī Bhāgavata-patrikā (a monthly journal in Hindi) and (a Hindi translation of) Jaiva-dharma, Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, Śrīman Mahāprabhu kī Śikṣā, Bhakti-tattva-viveka, Upadeśāmṛta, Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka, Śrī Manaḥ-śikṣā, Sindhu-Bindu-Kaṇā, Śrī Gauḍīya-kaṇṭhahāra, Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā (with Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s commentary) and many other books. Śrī Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja preached śuddha-bhakti throughout India and also internationally, in the United States, England, France, Holland, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Australia, Malaysia, Fiji, Japan, Hawaii and other big and small countries of the world. His books have been translated into English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Turkish, Oriya, Kannada, etc. Thus, throughout his entire life he was enthusiastically devoted to the serving the innermost desire of Śrī Hari, Guru and Vaiṣṇavas.
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja departed this world on 29 December 2010, in Śrī Jagannātha Purī, on the appearance day of his beloved godbrother, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja. He had continued travelling and spreading the message of our rūpānuga guru-varga up until the time of his departure, travelling to places such as America, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Mauritius, South Africa and Brazil. He was widely acclaimed throughout Vraja-maṇḍala and Gauramaṇḍala as the unquestionable upholder of Gauḍīya siddhānta. Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas recognize him as an empowered representative of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and glorify his invaluable contribution in promoting sanātana-dharma around the world.

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