In 1949, Ācāryadeva planned to spend Kārtika in Ayodhyā. He delegated the task of preparing all necessities to Śrīla Gurudeva. Gurudeva arrived in Ayodhyā ahead of the rest of the congregation to arrange kerosene oil, accommodations, rice, ingredients for cooking, and other essentials. Ācārya Kesarī had instructed him to apply for charity at the government ration shop. When Gurudeva went there and applied for help, the rations were depleted because other parties had previously done so. Gurudeva did not have enough money to buy all the supplies and did not want to disturb Ācārya Kesarī by waiting until the last moment. Ācāryadeva was arriving soon with hundreds of pilgrims—all of whom were being sponsored by Devānanda Gauḍīya Maṭha.
Śrīla Gurudeva searched for a place where the devotees could stay. He spoke the glories of Śrī Rāma and attracted everyone’s hearts with his love, but could not find suitable arrangements—options were diminishing. One day he went to a large āśrama where Lord Rāma was worshiped. The ācārya and his followers in this āśrama were mukti-vādīs—praying for impersonal liberation.
Śrīla Gurudeva became absorbed in conversation about Lord Rāma with the ācārya. He spoke such sweet and powerful rāma-kathā that all present were astonished. The ācārya of the temple was inspired by Gurudeva’s kathā. He asked questions about the Rāmāyaṇa and Gurudeva wonderfully answered all his inquires. Śrīla Gurudeva explained the deeper meaning of the temple prayer:
siyā rāma māyā sab jagaḥ jāni karo praṇām jhoḍa juga pāṇi
Knowing Sītā-Rāma to be present everywhere, offer obeisance to everyone with folded hands.
Śrīla Gurudeva said, “Rāma is present within all souls as the Supreme Soul. The living entities can never become one with brahma. This is the false doctrine of the Māyāvādīs. All beings are eternal servants of Bhagavān. Service to Rāma is eternal. Real spiritual pursuit and practice is only to attain His loving service. Hanumān would never desire to merge with Sītā-Rāma. Even suggesting such an idea to Hanumān would infuriate him. Hanumān has said:sevya sevaka bhāva vinuna bhāva tariyā iha urugara bhajiye rāma pāda paṅkaja saba kāja bisara
Put all work aside and solely worship Śrī Rāmacandra. He is the eternal object of worship, and I am His eternal servant.
Śrīla Gurudeva recited multiple verses from Tulasī Dāsa’s Rāma-carita-mānasa in favor of the eternal personality of God and the individuality of the soul as His eternal servant. Afterward, the ācārya inquired, “I am overjoyed to meet someone who has such love for Rāma. Where are you coming from? What are your plans in Ayodhyā?” “My divine master is a great saint of the Gauḍīya-sampradāya,” Gurudeva replied. “Anything I know is only by his causeless mercy. He has sent me to Ayodhyā to arrange facilities for a few hundred pilgrims who are coming here with him to observe the month of Kārtika. I came early to request rations from the government, but their stock of provisions had already been depleted.” “Why do you stay in the Gauḍīya Maṭha?” the ācārya asked. “We see that you have a love for Rāma and are a scholar of the Rāmāyaṇa. Why do you continue to follow Caitanya Mahāprabhu and neglect Lord Rāma?” “We respect and worship Lord Rāma on His appearance day, as well as throughout the year,” Gurudeva said. “After all, we are coming here to Ayodhyā to perform pilgrimage of Lord Rāma’s holy abode. Anyhow, Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa are not separate from Rāma.” Gurudeva then quoted verses giving evidence that all incarnations of God spring from Kṛṣṇa, the cause of all causes. He then said, “No one would respect Lord Rāma if Mahāprabhu had not come in Kali-yuga. Moreover, eventually, they would have forgotten Him completely. Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave all living entities caitanya—pure consciousness. Only then were they able to understand Lord Rāma, the holy places, bhakti, and devotees. Before Mahāprabhu appeared, all spiritual subject matters were gradually disappearing. Even the birthplaces of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rāma had been lost, ravaged by foreigners. Only after the appearance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu did people begin to realize the true goal of life.” Śrīla Gurudeva glorified Mahāprabhu and the Gauḍīya lineage. The ācārya was pleased to hear his conceptions and said, “I am glad to discover your sampradāya reveres Lord Rāma. I look forward to meeting your Gurudeva. When he arrives with the pilgrims, please invite him to stay at my āśrama during the month of Kārtika and bless us with his discourses. We shall arrange all facilities and also help guide you around Ayodhyā, if you wish.” Śrīla Gurudeva accepted the generous proposal. When Ācārya Kesarī arrived at the station in Ayodhyā, the sādhus of the Rāma temple were there to greet his party. Ācārya Kesarī was surprised and said, “Gaura Nārāyaṇa! How have you come with so many devotees to receive us?” Smiling, Śrīla Gurudeva offered a flower garland around the neck of his master. As they walked to the temple, Gurudeva told Ācārya Kesarī what had occurred. Reaching the āśrama, Ācārya Kesarī was greeted by the ācārya. They offered each other respect and spoke affectionately. In the mornings and evenings, the devotees performed harināma-saṅkīrtana. Ācārya Kesarī gave in-depth lectures on the pastime of Kṛṣṇa being bound to the grinding mortar by Mother Yaśodā in the month of Kārtika. He also spoke on the pastimes of Lord Rāma. After class, the sādhus would ask Gurudeva to explain any tattva they did not fully comprehend. During the month in Ayodhyā, Ācārya Kesarī led the pilgrims to Lord Rāma’s birthplace, the palace of Daśaratha, the residence of Hanumān, and many other holy sites. The ācārya of the āśrama was pleased to accommodate the Gauḍīya bhaktas. When Ācārya Kesarī and his party were leaving, the sādhus were despondent at their impending departure and requested them to return again soon. They accepted the advice of Ācārya Kesarī and began to follow bhakti in their āśrama. Over the years, many devotees from Ayodhyā came and met with Gurudeva. They accepted him as an instructing teacher and began worshiping Mahāprabhu and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. [Excerpted from the Bhakta Bandhav Publication “Śrī Guru Darśana“] [CC-by-NDNC Bhakta Bandhav]