His mother was a disciple of the founder-acarya of the world-wide Gaudiya Matha, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada. His father, Sri Satis Ghosa obtained harinama and diksa from worshipful Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and was an ideal grhastha-bhakta. His name became Sri Sarvesvar Dasadhikari after diksa.

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Maharaja's childhood name was Santosa, and he was the second amongst four brothers. During his childhood he was educated in the local primary school. He was a very patient, peaceful, intelligent and religious boy from infancy. He was always first in his class. He had a remarkable memory and did not forget any verse or any particular subject he had heard only once.

While he was still at school, it just so happened that the head teacher left the school for another post. Coming into the classroom for the first time, the new head teacher told Srila Vamana Maharaja, who was the leading pupil, to read from a certain portion of the text book they were studying. However, Srila Vamana Maharaja simply remained silent. Becoming angry, the head teacher demanded to know why Srila Vamana Maharaja was not picking up the book as he had been ordered.

Then one of the other pupils explained to the new teacher that Srila Vamana Maharaja had already memorized the whole book, and therefore did not need to consult it. Incredulous, the teacher asked Srila Vamana Maharaja if this were true. Srila Vamana Maharaja humbly replied that he knew by heart any book which he had ever read. Picking up a book which the class had studied previously, the teacher opened it at random, and instructed Srila Vamana Maharaja to recite what was written on that page. To his astonishment, Srila Vamana Maharaja was able to repeat it flawlessly.

On March 2nd, 1931, Srimati Bhagavati Devi brought her son Santosa with her to take part in Sri Navadvipa dhama parikrama. After dhama parikrama she entrusted her dear son Santosa to the hands of the manager of the matha, Sri Vinodabihari Brahmacari. From then on he lived in the matha under Sri Vinodabihari's care.

In those early days, the modern sewage system hardly existed in India, and the toilets in the Math consisted simply of a hole in the earth with large clay pots inside. Srila Vamana Maharaja would daily take those pots on his head and carry them away, to empty them somewhere outside of the Math.

In a short time Srila Prabhupada established the Sri Bhaktivinoda Institute in Mayapura. Sri Srimad Bhakti-pradipa Tirtha Maharaja was the headmaster and Sri Vinodabihari Brahmacari its manager. Sri Vinodabihari enrolled Santosa in this school. Daily Sri Vinodabihari gave him some verses from Sri Gaudiya Kanthahara, Gita and Bhagavatam to memorise.

When he memorised one verse he got one piece of chocolate. Every day he would repeat four or five verses that he had memorised. After a short time he memorised all the verses of Sri Gaudiya Kanthahara and many in Gita and Bhagavatam. He is considered an encyclopaedia of verses in the Gaudiya Vaisnava society.

When while lecturing Gurudeva would sometimes forget a Sloka, Vamana Maharaja would always supply it from memory. Once, when we went to Assam for preaching, Gurudeva boldly declared that the mouths of the people there who eat meat and fish were like the drains of sewers. One of the sects there, who were virtually prepared to stone us, challenged us by saying, "You say that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Bhagavan Himself, but what evidence is there of this" Guru Maharaja turned to Vamana Maharaja and said, "Speak." Then Vamana Maharaja recited fifty slokas one after the other from different scriptures as evidence, and those people were silenced.

In 1936, Jagadguru Srila Prabhupada gave Santosa harinama. His name now became Sajjansevaka Brahmacari. He studied at school and also daily swept the temple and the bhajana-kutiras of the Vaisnavas and brought them water. Before prasada he put out the seats, plates etc. for prasada-seva and afterwards cleaned that area. He was busy bringing fruit, flowers, leaves, vegetables and so forth from the garden of the matha and in many other services.

When Srila Prabhupada disappeared from this world a dark period for Sri Gaudiya Matha descended. It became pided over who the next acarya would be. Ananta Vasudeva was nominated, but in time it was seen that he was not qualified. Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja immediately advised that this person should be rejected, and all the senior vaisnavas followed this advice. When this happened, those who were opposed to Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja and those godbrothers of his who had sided with him, formed a conspiracy against them accusing them of a murder.

The devotees who had been accused, numbering some twenty in all, were seized and thrown into jail. Moreover, the rest of Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja's godbrothers sympathetic to him now became fearful and left, thus leaving the imprisoned devotees with no-one to plead their case. However, when the police came to arrest all the devotees in the temple they left Srila Vamana Maharaja, seeing that he was a mere fifteen year old boy.

Thus he was left to take care of the whole temple by himself. Besides this, he had to engage lawyers on behalf of the devotees in prison, and provided the lawyers with all the information they needed. He was also obliged to attend lengthy court sessions to answer the questions of the prosecuting lawyers as well. In addition to this, the responsibility to provide prasada for all the devotees now fell squarely on his head. However, in order to cook it was necessary that he have diksa, so Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja gave him the mantras through the prison bars, although he had not given diksa-mantras to anyone before that.

On top of all his other duties, Srila Vamana Maharaja cooked for all the devotees twice a day, carrying prasada and water to them all by himself. Eventually it was discovered that the so-called "murder" victim had in fact died by accident when falling from a tree. All of the vaisnavas were immediately released from jail, and an official apology made to them by the judge.

He was a naisthika brahmacari, therefore he got upanayana (sacred thread) from the hands of the last sannyasi of Srila Prabhupada, Sri Srimad Bhaktivicara Yayavara Maharaja. Thereafter he went together with Pujyapad Bhaktidayita Madhava Maharaja and Pujyapad Bhaktibudeva Srauti Maharaja to preach in different places of Bengal.

In 1940, after the establishment of Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti and Devananda Gaudiya Matha, Srila Gurudeva again kept him with him. After that he stayed with Guruji and served him as his secretary everywhere, inside and outside Bengal. He traveled to all the major places of pilgrimage in India together with Guruji. In 1948, when the publishing of Sri Gaudiya Patrika started, the whole responsibility for the publication was given to him. Even though the names of the editor, printer and publisher are others', he accomplished all the tasks.

One time his hand was severely injured when caught in a printing press. His fingers were badly crushed, and nearly all of the top phalange of his longest finger was cut off. When Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja saw what had happened he began to weep, and he immediately arranged for a car to take them both to a hospital in Calcutta. They did not return until four or five days after. However, despite the seriousness of the injury Srila Vamana Maharaja's hand completely healed, so much so that without knowing, one would never be able to guess what had happened to it. Miraculously, even the missing part of his finger completely grew back.

Srila Vamana Maharaja would also cook for the vaisnavas every day. Having done this, he would clean the whole area of the kitchen as well as where the vaisnavas would respect prasada. He would sprinkle it with water, sweep it, lay out banana leaves along with pieces of lemon, salt and cups of water. He would then serve prasada to all the devotees, and, when they had finished, he would clean the whole area again and wash all the pots.

Srila Vamana Maharaja used to be very shy. When Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja would tell him to give class Srila Vamana Maharaja would tell him that he did not want to. He did not like to go out with the other brahmacaris for begging or outside preaching engagements. He did not like to speak to outsiders, except for children. But to them he would tell so many stories, and they would flock to hear him speak. He would also give them sweets, and was so loved by them. Even now, it is also the case.

At Sri Gaura Purnima, 1952, in Sridhama Navadvipa, he was given sannyasa by the mercy of Srila Gurudeva. From then on he became known as Sri Sri Bhaktivedanta Vamana Maharaja. In between, Srila Guru Maharaja sent him to preach suddha-bhakti in many places of Bengal.

By the instruction of Guruji and under his guidance with great labour he again published Srimad Bhagavad-gita (with Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana's commentary), Jaiva Dharma, Premapradipa, Prabandhavali, Saranagati, Navadvipa Bhava Taranga, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu - His life and precepts, Sri Caitanya Siksamrta, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki Siksa, Sri Damodarastakam and other literature by the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti.

In 1968, after Srila Guru Maharaja entered aprakata-lila, he was placed in post as president and acarya. He is devoted to transcendental knowledge, expert in bhakti-siddhanta, remarkably tolerant, engrossed in bhajana and endowed with other qualities fitting a Vaisnava.

Since Srila Gurudeva's aprakata-lila, he has edited many books on bhakti. He established new preaching-centres of the Samiti in Sridhama Puri, Tura (Meghalaya), Dhubadi (Assam), Gauhati (Assam), Silcar (Assam) and in other places.

Vamana Maharaja is very grave and quiet, and there is another special quality which he possesses: I have seen many people, myself included, who give explanations from the scriptures and enjoy taking praise from others for it. But having known Vamana Maharaja for almost fifty years, I have never seen him do this, not even by accident. He is also very tolerant. As if taking poison and digesting it, he may see the faults in others, but he never speaks about them. He has so much eagerness to preach the instructions of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he has preached in all the villages of West Bengal and Assam.

Bhagavan has especially empowered this great personality with many transcendental qualities. Today I pray to Srila Vamana Maharaja that he will mercifully allow me to always remain as his shadow, thereby enabling me to always follow him. I consider him to be my siksa-guru, because since the day I joined the mission he has given me whatever I required with great affection.  

(Excerpts from the Acarya Kesari, Srila Narayana Maharaja's Sri Prabandhavali, and from a lecture by Srila Narayana Maharaja on December 12th, 1998, the appearance day of Srila Vamana Maharaja)