Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Bhaktivinoda Thakura is responsible for reestablishing Sri Caitanya 
Mahaprabhu's sankirtan movement which had become almost extinct by the 
mid 19th century. Due to sahajiya influence, the mission had 
deteriorated greatly, and later, by the policy of the British Raj, was 
further perverted. Through his tireless efforts, however, the Thakura 
restored the purity, prestige and respect of the Vaisnava creed 
amongst the cultured gentlemen of his day. He also sowed the seeds for 
future propagation of the mission worldwide.

Born Sunday 2 September 1838 of the wealthy Datta family in the 
ancient village of Ulanagar, he is given the name Kedarnath. From 
early childhood he is attracted to hearing about Rama and Krsna. He 
loves to hear the recitation of Ramayan and Mahabharata at festival 
times. The village is very prosperous in these early days.

At seven he excels in reading and reciting, studying Bengali and 
mathematics. That year his elder brother and his maternal uncle both 
pass away. By his eighth year his two younger brothers also meet their 
death. He is obliged to experience the pain of the temporary material 
world. At nine he takes up the study of astrology. The family fortunes 
begin to decline, however, and by age eleven his father dies. The 
youngster begins to question, "What is this world? Who are we?"

His mother arranges his marriage at twelve to a five year old girl. 
She hopes to improve the family fortunes by this arrangement. At 
fourteen his uncle brings him to Calcutta to further his education. In 
his first year at the Hindu Charitable Institution School he takes top 
honors in the examinations and receives a medal. He begins to 
contribute articles to the Literary Gazette and completes an epic poem 
called The Poriade in two volumes at the age of eighteen.

His College years are spent researching the works of western 
philosophers. He takes up the study of world religions reading the 
Bible and the Koran. Giving lectures around Calcutta, he soon becomes 
known as a great debater and logician.

In 1856 he returns to Ula. There has been an outbreak of cholera.The 
village is empty and hundreds of people he knew have died, including 
his sister. His wife had also been ill but recovers. He takes his 
mother and grandmother to live with him in Calcutta. His wife, now 12, 
remains with her father. At nineteen his first job is teaching second 
grade at the Hindu Charitable institution School for fifteen rupees a 
month, but he can't meet expenses. His mother has to sell a gold 
necklace to pay the back rent.

In 1858, a letter arrives with word that his paternal grandfather is 
about to leave this world and wishes to see him before dying. He sets 
out with his wife and mother. The old man appears healthy enough on 
arrival, sitting upon a bed in the courtyard of his house, leaning 
against a bolster pillow, and chanting the holy name continuously. 
Srila Bhaktivinoda describes the incident in his autobiography written 
as a letter in 1896.

"He called for me and said, 'After my death, do not tarry many days in 
this place. Whatever work you do by the age of 27 will be your 
principal occupation. You will become a great Vaisnava. I give you all 
my blessings.' Immediately after saying this, his life left him, 
bursting out from the top of his head. Such an amazing death is rarely 
seen."

Thereafter, he takes his wife and mother to Cuttack and lives 
comfortably on a sixth grade teacher's salary of twenty rupees a 
month. In 1860 he shifts his family to Bhadrak with the position of 
headmaster for 45 rupees a month. A year later he receives another 
position in Midnapur. It is here that he develops a desire to read 
Caitanya Caritamrta.

"I developed a feeling for pure bhakti, but I did not begin to 
practice it. While I was at the school in Midnapur I decided that I 
would obtain and read books on the Vaisnava dharma. There was a jati 
Vaisnava pandit at the school. I learned from talking to him how 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached the Vaisnava dharma in Bengal and that 
the history and teachings of Caitanya were recorded in the book known 
as Caitanya Caritamrta. I began to search, but I could not secure a 
copy of the Caritamrta. I had faith that by reading that book I would 
achieve happiness, but Vaisnava books were not in print then."

Toward the end of 1861 his wife becomes ill and dies, leaving him with 
a ten month old son. "I endured this grief like a warrior according to 
the Psalm of Life." His mother tries to raise the child, but she is 
too old and finds it difficult. Two months later he remarries Srimati 
Bhagavati Devi,  a sincere Vaisnavi of noble character, peaceful, and 
accomplished in all she does.

In 1863, he writes two poems that are published in the prestigious 
Calcutta Review, volume  39. He is highly  praised for this work. He 
is now the Head Clerk of the Judge's Court in Chuadanga on a salary of 
150 rupees a month. It is here that he passes a law examination. In 
1866 he  accepts the position of Special Deputy Registrar of 
Assurances with powers of a Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector. He 
is 27 years old!

He takes his first tour of Vrndavan later that year and visits other 
holy places including Mathura, Prayag, and Kasi. In March of 1868 he 
finally obtains a copy of Caitanya Caritamrta at Dinajpur, where he is 
appointed Deputy Magistrate.

"On my first reading of Caitanya Caritamrta I developed some faith in 
Sri Caitanya. On the second reading I understood that there was no 
pandit equal to Sri Caitanya. Then I had a doubt. Being such a learned 
scholar and having manifested the reality of love of Godhead to such 
an extent, how is it that He recommends the worship of the improper 
character of Krsna? I was initially amazed at this, and I thought 
about it deeply. Afterwards, I prayed to the Lord with great humility. 
'O Lord! Please let me understand the mystery of this matter.' The 
mercy of God is without limit. Seeing my eagerness and humbleness, 
within a few days He bestowed his mercy upon me and supplied the 
intelligence by which I could understand. I then understood that the 
truth of Krsna is very deep and confidential and the highest principle 
of the science of Godhead. From this time on, I knew God as Sri 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I made an effort to always speak with renounced 
Vaisnava pundits, and I came to understand many aspects of the 
Vaisnava dharma.  In my very childhood the seed of faith in the 
Vaisnava religion was planted in my heart, and now it had sprouted. 
From the beginning I experienced anuraga, and it was very wonderful. 
Day and night I liked to read about krsna tattva."

Shortly thereafter, Bhaktivinoda writes a short poem out of ecstatic 
feeling for Lord Caitanya called sac-cid-ananda-premalankara. From 
this time on he becomes famous as Sac-cid-ananda, one who embodies 
eternity, knowledge and bliss.

Here we see Lord Caitanya reawakening the feelings of devotion in 
Bhaktivinoda, as they had been kept hidden to allow the Thakura to 
establish himself within the British Raj. Now his spiritual mission 
begins to manifest. Like Arjuna, it is for the benefit of all that 
come behind him.

In 1869 he gives a lecture in Dinajpur to many learned gentlemen of 
religion and culture, who have come from all over India. Some 
interested Englishmen also attend. This speech later takes the form of 
a book: The Bhagavat: Its Philosophy, Its Ethics and Its Theology. In 
this talk he criticizes the sectarianism that characterizes the 
religious strife between men. He also recounts his own history as a 
sectarian thinker who ignored the beauty of the Bhagavatam due to 
early prejudices imbibed from the English. He presents himself as a 
sectarian thinker who has had his eyes opened by Sri Caitanya. Next he 
glorifies the Bhagavatam, and finally he explains the mysterious 
nature of Krsna's dalliances with the gopis, enlightening the listener 
with its profound universal meaning.

What better person could Lord Caitanya choose to preach to the 
intelligentsia of his day than the Thakura? He is fully conversant 
with the burning issues of the times, well studied in the major 
philosophies and religions of the world, and a highly respectable 
figure in both Hindu and English circles. His opinions are seriously 
heard by both camps.

In 1871 he moves to Puri and takes up the study of the Gosvami's 
literature while serving  there as Chief Magistrate. Inspired by the 
holy dham, he composes two English poems. The first On Haridas 
Samadhi, contains one of his most famous verses.

He reasons ill who tells that Vaisnavas die
When thou art living still in sound.
The Vaisnavas die to live, and living try
To spread a holy life around.

The Thakura's heart is overflowing with deep spiritual emotions as he 
visits the holy sites of Mahaprabhu's pastimes. His second poem, the 
22 verse Saragrahi Vaisnava, describes the futility of material  
aspirations for sensory pleasures, and the soul's journey to the 
eternal spiritual realm.

There rests my Soul from matter free
Upon my Lover's arms,
Eternal peace and Spirit's love
Are all my chanting charms!

The same year he writes an essay To Love God wherein he gives a deep 
purport to the great commandment of Jesus the Christ; "Love the Lord 
thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and 
with all thy strength, and love thy neighbor as thy self." He compares 
this commandment to the teachings of Vaisnavism, demonstrating how Sri 
Caitanya further promulgated the teachings of Lord Jesus.

Within the first year of the Thakura's stay in Puri, the British ask 
him to watch over the affairs of the Jagannath Temple on behalf of the 
government. Due to his untiring work many bad practices at the temple 
are curbed, and the offerings to the Lord are regulated to 
punctuality.

As the magistrate for Puri he arrests the scoundrel yogi Bisakisen, 
possessed of mystic powers, who had proclaimed himself the incarnation 
of Maha Visnu. The foolish people of the locality had indulged him, 
being fearful of his mystic prowess. Other villages are up in arms 
about the yogi's affairs with married women and anxious that this 
fever might spread to the women of their own villages resulting in 
scandal and humiliation.

Bhaktivinoda apprehends the yogi and holds him over in jail for trial. 
Fasting from food and drink, the yogi increases his mystic potency to 
inflict hardships on the Thakura's family.

"All over Puri there were disturbances. At that time the Puri School 
had a fire, and all of the people suspected him. Also at this time 
Kadur [a pet name for his daughter Kadambini] came down with fever. 
Bisakisen, by his practice of yoga, had by some means attained yogic 
powers, and I obtained a lot of evidence against him. For twenty-one 
days he did not eat or drink even a drop of water, but he did not show 
any weakness and gave unfailing cures to many people."

At last he is brought to trial and sentenced. Thousands of the yogi's 
followers are outside the courtroom chanting  "Injustice".  A young 
British officer, who had been reading about the mystic powers of 
yogis, rushes up behind the yogi as he is being transported from the 
courtroom and cuts off his matted locks with a huge pair of scissors. 
The yogi immediately falls down on the floor unable to walk. When his 
followers see that he has been overcome simply by having his hair 
removed, they desert him. The Thakura continues to prosecute other 
self proclaimed incarnations and thwarts their attempts to exploit the 
innocent public.

During this period Srila Bhaktivinoda carefully studies the twelve 
cantos of Bhagavatam, and begins the Krsna-samhita, one of his most 
famous works. In great happiness he tours the holy places of Puri and 
constantly associates with the most elevated Vaisnavas in the area.

"While in Puri I made much advancement in devotional service. I became 
more detached from worldly life. [The idea] that worldly progress 
produces anything of lasting value was gone forever. Almost every 
evening I would go to the temple to see the Lord, to hear and chant 
the Holy Name and associate with the devotees...Just as the Jagannath 
Temple is very lofty and beautiful, so also the service to the Deity 
was wonderful. To see it was charming to the mind. Daily, from five to 
seven hundred people, were present to see the routine festivals like 
the evening arati, etc. What bliss! Many kinds of pilgrims came from 
all over India to attend the religious festivals. Seeing that, one's 
eyes are soothed."

On a Friday afternoon at Jagannath Puri, February 6, 1874, Srimati 
Bhagavati devi, and Thakura Bhaktivinoda are delighted with the 
appearance of a son. He is born with the umbilical cord wrapped around 
his neck resembling the sacred thread. Everyone is astonished. They 
take it as an auspicious sign. As Sri Bimala Devi represents the para 
sakti  of Lord Jagannath, he is given the name Bimala Prasada. Srila 
Bhaktivinoda had prayed for a ray of Visnu to help him with his 
preaching, and this son will fulfill that mission as Srila 
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada.

Six months later in July the annual Rathayatra festival is in 
progress. Inexplicably, the three carts stop at the gate in front of 
Bhaktivinoda Thakura's residence and remain there for three days. 
Mother Bhagavati Devi decides to take advantage of the situation in 
order to benefit her six month old son. She is allowed to ascend the 
ratha cart since her husband is manager of the Puri Temple. As she 
approaches Lord Jagannath, the child extends his arms to touch the 
feet of Sri Jagannath Deva, and is blessed with a garland from the 
Lord. His annaprasana, first feeding of rice, is celebrated with the 
Mahaprasada of Lord Jagannath on the ratha cart.

In the temple Bhaktivinoda begins regular lectures on Srimad 
Bhagavatam. Due to his association many mayavadi brahmanas become 
devout Vaisnavas. One day, the Raja of Puri bursts noisily into the 
temple disturbing the Thakura's discourse. Unable to tolerate this 
disrespectful behavior, the Thakura voices his displeasure.

"You have the right to hold the position of kingship over your small 
kingdom, but the Supreme Lord, Jagannatha Purusottama, is the King of 
all kings. Therefore it is mandatory that you show respect to His 
Bhakti Mandap, where His glories are daily sung."

The king, immediately realizing his offense, bows before the assembled 
Vaisnavas begging for their forgiveness. Later in 1874, eighty 
thousand rupees are misappropriated from the Jagannath Temple by the 
Raja. Subsequently Bhaktivinoda punishes the king by obliging him to 
make fifty two offerings daily to Lord Jagannath.

Seeing his treasury depleting rapidly, the Raja seeks revenge and an 
attempt is made on the Thakura's life. A secret yajna is performed 
within the confines of the palace with fifty pandits chanting mantras 
in order to harm the Thakura by mystic power. At the end of the thirty 
day yajna when he is supposed to die, the only son of the Raja leaves 
his body instead.

"The king and other persons connected with the temple used to commit 
many illegal acts. I would go there to prevent all such things, and 
thus I made enemies of the king and the king's men. Because I was 
helped by Lord Jagannath no one was able to harm me in any way."

After five years of service in Puri, Thakura Bhaktivinoda is posted at 
different areas of Bengal, finally settling in Narail in August 1878. 
While residing in Narail he publishes his Krsna-samhita in 1880. 
Immediately he receives high critical acclaim for this work. The 
following year he publishes Kalyana-kalpataru, a collection of songs 
describing the various stages of spiritual life from the earliest to 
the highest stage of prema bhakti. It is also highly acclaimed and 
accepted as an immortal work equal to the songs of Narottama das 
Thakura. The Vaisnava journal Sajjana-tosani is also begun in Narail 
as a monthly. Its aim is to educate influential and learned gentlemen 
about the divine mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The Thakura now feels a great need to accept Vaisnava initiation.

"I had been searching for a suitable guru for a long time, but I did 
not obtain one. I was very unhappy...I was feeling very anxious, and 
in a dream Mahaprabhu diminished my unhappiness. In that dream I 
received a little hint. That very day I became happy. One or two days 
later Gurudeva wrote a letter to me saying, 'I will soon come and give 
you diksa'."

Subsequently he receives Bipin Bihari Goswami as his guest and becomes 
his disciple. In his commentary to Sri Caitanya Caritamrta written 
fourteen years later he concludes with this prayer.

"The eminent Bipin Bihari Prabhu, who is the manifestation of the 
transcendental energy of Lord Hari, who sports in the forests of 
Vraja, has descended in the form of the spiritual preceptor. Seeing me 
in the dark well of worldly existence, he has delivered this humble 
servant of his."

Towards the end of 1881 he again desires to visit Vrndavan after an 
absence of fifteen years. He sets out with his wife, his youngest son, 
and two servants. Upon arrival he comes down with fever, and prays to 
the Lord to relieve him for the duration of his pilgrimage. After, if 
Krsna so desires, He can again purify him with fever. The illness 
disappears. While in Vrndavan he meets the exalted Vaisnava, Jagannath 
Das Babaji Maharaja, coming in disciplic succession from Baladeva 
Vidyabhusana. Babaji Maharaja is a constant source of inspiration and 
guidance for the Thakura, who becomes increasingly absorbed in the 
mission of Lord Caitanya.

Upon his return to Calcutta, he is transferred to Jessore where he 
succumbs to a heavy fever in accordance with his prayer in Vrndavan. 
Receiving medical leave, he returns to Calcutta, purchases a house, 
the Bhakti Bhavan, and holds many meetings there to discuss spiritual 
topics. He expresses his realizations in an article for Sajjana 
Tosani.

"Lord Caitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men of 
India. Rather, His main objective was to emancipate all living 
entities of all countries throughout the entire universe and preach 
the Eternal Religion. Lord Caitanya says in the Caitanya Bhagavat: 'In 
every town, country and village, My name will be sung.' There is no 
doubt that this unquestionable order will come to pass. Very soon the 
unparalleled path of Hari-nama-sankirtan will be propagated all over 
the world...Oh for that day when the fortunate English, French, 
Russian, German and American people will take up banners, mrdangas and 
karatals, and raise kirtan through their streets and towns. When will 
that day come? Oh for that day when the fair-skinned men from their 
side will raise up the chanting of Jai Sacinandana, Jai Sacinandana ki 
Jai, and join with the Bengali devotees." (Sajjana Tosani 1885, p. 
4-5)

The article is a powerful prayer for bringing the people of the world 
together under the banner of the Holy Name. Next he makes a bold 
prophecy.

"A personality will soon appear to preach the teachings of Lord 
Caitanya and move unrestrictedly over the whole world with His 
message."

As Advaita Acarya invoked the descent of Lord Caitanya through his 
prayer, so Thakura Bhaktivinoda invokes the descent of the person who 
will fulfill the ancient prophecy.

In 1887, at age forty nine, he discovers the Sri Caitanyopanisad, 
found only in very old manuscripts of the Atharva Veda. He writes a 
sanskrit commentary on the work. In 1886 and 1887 he produces ten 
books and is awarded the title Bhaktivinoda for his outstanding work 
of preaching and writing. He is now known as Sac-cit-ananda 
Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

At this point in his life he considers retiring from government duties 
to concentrate on his bhajan. One night Lord Caitanya appears to him 
in a dream: "You will certainly go to Vrndavan, but first there is 
some service you must perform in Navadvipa. What will you do about 
that?"

He requests a transfer to Navadvipa and on November 15, 1887 his 
transfer to nearby Krishnanagar is granted. He is jubilant on 
receiving the news, but experiences high fevers at that time.

"How shall I speak of my misfortune? Returning home in joy, I became 
anxious because a horrible fever came on. It did not subside. 
Collector Toynbee arrived and expressed a desire to postpone my 
substitution. But then I thought, 'I'll live or I'll die, but I will 
go to Krishnanagar'."

Every Saturday he journeys to Navadvipa to search out the holy birth 
site of Lord Caitanya. Most of the locals have no interest in the 
project and he becomes a little discouraged. They believe, that due to 
the shifting course of the Ganga, the actual site has been lost. 
Others claim the site is on the opposite bank of the river. The 
Thakura is neither satisfied nor convinced by these assertions. He 
continues his research and discovers that the present town of 
Navadvipa is less than a hundred years old. On an old map he finds the 
town Sri Mayapur on the opposite bank, situated at the same site as 
the current village of Ballaldighi. Some elderly locals of the village 
point out a mound covered with Tulasi as the actual place of Lord 
Caitanya's birth.

One day he finds this verse in Sri Bhakti Ratnakara 12.83:

"In the center of Navadvipa there is a special place called Mayapur. 
At this place the Supreme Lord, Sri Gauracandra, took His birth."

To confirm his discovery, the Thakura requests the elderly Srila 
Jagannath das Babaji to come. When he is brought to the site, Babaji 
Maharaj becomes overwhelmed with ecstasy and jumps up exclaiming, 
"This is indeed the birth place of Nimai." The discovery leads to 
further research and the publication of Sri Navadvipa Dham Mahatmyam 
in 1890 describing the holy places of Lord Caitanya's pastimes.

He now establishes his own place of bhajan, Surabhi-kunja. From here 
he can look out across the Jalangi river towards Mayapur. One day he 
has a fantastic vision, seeing a large golden city rising above the 
Ganges plane at the place of Sri Mayapur. He understands he is getting 
a glimpse of the fulfillment of Lord Caitanya's prophecy.

In August 1891 Thakura Bhaktivinoda receives a two year furlough from 
Government service and begins preaching from Godruma-dvip, which he 
dubs Nama Hatta, the market place of the Holy Name. He travels with 
three other close friends chanting and lecturing in many places. 
Altogether the Thakura establishes over five hundred Nama Hatta 
sangas. In this period he also writes prodigiously producing eighteen 
books!

"We performed nama-sankirtan everywhere. After coming to my house in 
Calcutta, I proceeded to Surabhi-kunja and we performed a great deal 
of sankirtan there too."

Government service has now become a hindrance to his real work of 
sankirtan, preaching the glories of the holy name. He retires to 
Surabhi-kunja at age fifty-six. Determined to build a temple in 
Mayapur, he goes door to door in Calcutta begging donations. As the 
foundation for the temple is being dug, a Deity of Adhoksaja Visnu is 
found. Referring to the Vaisnava scriptures, the Thakura discovers 
that this is the family Deity worshiped by Jagannath Misra, 
Mahaprabhu's father. The archeological evidence further confirms the 
authenticity of the birth site of the Lord.

On Gaura Purnima, March 21 1895, the temple is opened with an enormous 
installation ceremony and sankirtan festival. The occasion is compared 
to the Kheturi festival organized by Narottama Das Thakura 450 years 
ago to unite the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila 
Bhaktivinoda Thakura installs deities of Lord Caitanya and His eternal 
consort Visnupriya Devi, as thousands of Vaisnavas attend the 
celebration to chant, dance and feast.

The following year, 1896, is certainly one of the momentous moments in 
Vaisnava history. A small book entitled Caitanya Mahaprabhu - His Life 
and Precepts is penned  by the Thakura in English and sent to major 
university libraries around the world. In Calcutta on September 1st of 
that year a son is born to Gaura Mohan De and his wife. He is destined 
to fulfill the Thakura's prediction. With natural humility, he gives 
the credit to his Guru Maharaja.

Srila Prabhupada: Thakura Bhaktivinoda also wanted to beget a son who 
could preach the philosophy and teachings of Lord Caitanya to the 
fullest extent. By his prayers to the Lord he had as his child 
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, who at the present moment 
is preaching the philosophy of Lord Caitanya throughout the entire 
world through his bona fide disciples. (SB 3.22.19)

The prediction also applies to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati 
Thakura, but the personality moving "unrestrictedly over the whole 
world with the message of Mahaprabhu," certainly is Srila Prabhupada. 
Therefore we can say that both of these great personalities fulfilled 
Lord Caitanya's prophecy because the sincere disciple is never 
separate from the instructions of his Guru Maharaja.

Returning to Puri in 1900 the Thakura establishes a place for his 
bhajan near the samadhi of Srila Haridas Thakura which he names the 
Bhakti Kuti. In the same year one of his most important books, Sri 
Harinama Cintamani, is published.

In 1908 he gives up his household life and accepts initiation into the 
babaji order of life from Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaja, a renowned 
paramahamsa saint. He puts on the the outer cloth and kaupin 
previously worn by Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaja, which he has 
saved since the Babaji's maha samadhi. After a brilliant life in which 
he has single handedly reestablished the Vaisnava dharma according to 
the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Thakura Bhaktivinode retires 
from public life and spends his final years in solitude ecstatically 
tasting the nectar of pure Krsna Prema.

On June 23rd, 1914, on the disappearance day of Sri Gadadhara Pandit, 
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura mourns the passing of his 
father, Srila Sat-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Immediately, he 
begins printing the various books that the Thakura has left 
unpublished, and also takes up the republishing of Sajjana Tosani.

