We know that Kṛṣṇa Dās Bābājī Mahārāj has left this world. We would like to remember his life and activities as much as possible. I first met him in 1926 or so. I found him shortly after I joined Gauḍīya Maṭh. He returned from a preaching tour with Bhāratī Mahārāj at that time. He was young, smart, beautiful, jolly, and very firm in his principles, especially towards Nām-bhajan. He came from a respectable, high family from Dacca, [Munchi Ganga?], which at present is in Bangladesh. At that time it was all part of Bengal in British India. I next saw him when he came back with a preaching party from Naimiṣāraṇya and western parts of India with Bon Mahārāj. Some natural friendship grew between us. Perhaps our similar high social rank, similar education, similar simplicity, and similar earnestness for Kṛṣṇa consciousness brought us together, gradually and intimately. I had closer connection with him in the later part of ’27 in New Delhi. For a few weeks we were allowed to work together there and our intimacy grew. Then, towards ‘29 or so, he was in [Bali Hati?] in Bengal in a village Maṭh going on with his Nām-bhajan. I made a request to Prabhupād, “He is an educated young man. His service may be very useful at present for preaching in New Delhi. If you allow, I will ask him to come and join me in my activities.” I was then Maṭh commander in New Delhi; through me the Maṭh was founded there. Prabhupād gladly gave his consent: “If you can take him and engage him in preaching service for Mahāprabhu, then you will do the work of a great, a real, friend to him.”
Then Kṛṣṇa Dās Bābājī Mahārāj, at that time he was Sādhikānanda Brahmachārī, came to me in New Delhi. For a long time we had a very intimate friendship and worked together. He had much appreciation for me, and I also had appreciation for him in his sincere search after Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
He had mostly a scriptural nature. What he found to be the advice of the scriptures, he tried his best to adhere to that. But about the application of scriptural advices into practical life, as our Guru Mahārāj wanted us to do, there he was a little miserly.
tāra madhye sarva–śreṣṭha nāma-saṅkīrtana
[“Amongst all forms of devotional practice, Nām-saṅkīrtan is the best.”]
This is clear scriptural advice from Mahāprabhu, and he tried his best to stick to that.
Always, to his last day, he maintained his pure, moral, social, educated character. He was a very good man and very strict. He was firm in his practice, very sincere, and very jolly. He tried to be satisfied under any circumstances.
When there were differences amongst the trustees in some way or other, and we could not stay in the Mission, I left and he also did at the same time. I went to Vṛndāvan, and after staying there for a month, I came back here [to Nabadwīp] to live permanently by the grace of Nityānanda Prabhu and Mahāprabhu. He decided to live in Nanda Grām at that very time. We both retired from the missionary life, and I chose this place for the last days of my life, and he chose Nanda Grām. There is a place called Nanda Bagicha a little way from Nanda Grām towards Yāvaṭa and Kadamb Kandi. He wrote a letter to me from there. I found in his language that he was very satisfied, that he had attained full satisfaction in his present life. It was very conspicuous to me that he was now very happy—fully surrendered. What he was searching for, he got that, and he was fully satisfied. I found this in his letter. I was then here in a rented house for two rupees a month and living alone. After a long time, only two or three years ago [after about forty years later], he suddenly told me, “In my whole life, [cut]