HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj is the current president and acarya of the Gopinath Gaudiya Math, where he succeeded his own spiritual master, HDG Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Thakur. He was given the birth name Asim Das on August 21, 1964 in the village of Kanpur, West Bengal. His grandfather, Sripad Madan Mohan Das Adhikary, was a direct disciple of HDG Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupad, who led his entire family to the path of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
In his childhood, HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj was accustomed to seeing holy men from the Gaudiya Math come regularly to his home to visit his grandfather. One of these saintly guests was his eventual spiritual master, HDG Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Thakur. Every year HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj accompanied his entire family to Sri Mayapur for the annual festivals honoring Srila Prabhupada and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. These visits to Mayapur instilled in him a deep desire to lead a holy life, though his parents insisted that he first complete his education.
While writing his final high school exams, HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj received the Nrisingha mantra from his guru and began chanting it regularly. He received Harinam initiation in 1986, and was given the brahmachari name Achyutananda Das.
HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj joined HDG Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Thakur’s new institution (the Gopinath Gaudiya Math) in 1990, where he took on much of the responsibility for managing its affairs. Over the years he helped open branch maths at Chakra Tirtha in Jagannath Puri and in Vrindavan, as well as publish the organization’s monthly journal Bhagavata-dharma, to which he also contributed regularly. Pleased with the services of his student, HDG Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Thakur asked him to take sannyas in 1993, on Gaura Purnima. He gave him the new name Tridandi Bhikshu Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan.
HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj continued to serve his spiritual master, taking on increased responsibility with his new status. Then, on Gaura Purnima, 1997, HDG Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Thakur, who was 98 years old, suddenly announced that he was officially making HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj his successor at the helm of the Gopinath Gaudiya Math, designating him president and acharya after his departure. Two years later, when HDG Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Thakur departed from this world, HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Maharaj took over those functions. Since then he has applied himself energetically to teaching the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, following in the footsteps of his spiritual master and HDG Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupad. His speaking engagements have taken him around the world.
