namo gaura-kisoraya saksad vairagya-murtaye |
vipralambha-rasambhodhe padambujaya te namah ||
I bow to your lotus feet, Srila Gaura Kisora Das Babaji, the embodiment of renunciation and the ocean of sacred rapture in separation.
He was the guru of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, the founder of the Caitanya Mathas and Gaudiya Mathas.
The next in the parampara, after and is an associate of Bhaktivinoda Thakura - a great paramahamsa babaji by the name of Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja.
In 1897 Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja came to Mayapur Navadwipa Dhama from Sri Vrndavana Dhama, where he was accredited the exalted title "Bhajananandi".
Srila Bhaktivinoda (Kedarnath Datt), seeing the transcendental behaviour of Babaji Maharaja, would use him as an example of nirapeksa (indifference), as his level of renunciation was beyond belief.
This Vaisnava saint's life was an example of utter humility and poverty, the true attributes of a Vaisnava. Gaurakisora never accepted any material object from anyone. For his clothing he used the discarded loin cloths from corpses left on the bank of the Ganges. For food, he would collect rice by begging, soak it in river water, and garnish it with salt and chilly. He never asked favors from anyone and lived a fully detached life, devoid of all possessions. Srila Gaurakisora lived on madhukari, begging and slept beneath a tree.
He would lie prostrate, offering his humble obeisances to the residents of Vraja, considering them as embodiments of Lord Krsna. He even offered his obeisances to the flowers, trees, and land around him. He spent about thirty years at Vraja mandala serving the deities there. Afterwards, perhaps by the direction of the Supreme Lord, he left for Navadvipa.
During his stay at Navadvipa, Gaurakisora underwent various transformations of spiritual moods. Sometimes he danced on the bank of the Ganges chanting, "Gaura, Gaura", while at other times he would lie on the ground in an unconscious state. He joyfully moved throughout the groves located on the bank of the Ganges, considering them sites of the divine sports of Sri Sri Radha Govinda.
Babaji Maharaja would often visit Bhaktivinoda. During his last days in retirement, absorbed in Krsna katha, he would hear Srimad Bhagavatam at Bhaktivinoda's house and they would discuss together. Though Babaji Maharaja could neither read nor write he was regarded as vastly learned and self-realized. His only possessions were the Tulasi beads around his neck and the japa mala he kept in his hand. Sometimes he wore no Tulasi mala on his neck and would chant on knotted cloth as beads - such was his renunciation.
Sometimes he would live under an old broken overturned boat, and other times he would scatter fish bones around a place he occasionally used as his bhajan kutir to make materialists think he was a fish-eater, and thus they would not disturb him.
But by his pure bhajan he purified the three worlds. In 1898 when Bhaktivinoda's son, first came in contact with the person who was to be his spiritual master, Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, the crest jewel of avadhutas was wearing a tigerskin hat and carrying a basket with puja paraphernalia inside.
Bhaktivinoda later told his son, "You must take initiation from Babaji Maharaja, and don't return to this house if you don't."
Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji used to walk across a bridge at the same time daily, so on one occasion Bhaktivinoda's son, Siddhanta Saraswati, blocked his path and in all humility said, "If you don't give me initiation then I will finish my life by throwing this useless body off this bridge."
Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja didn't want any disciples - he himself had taken siksa from Bhaktivinoda, and this was Bhaktivinoda's dear son! Siddhanta Saraswati told him how his father had instructed him to become Babaji Maharaja's disciple or not return home, so in 1900 Babaji Maharaja gave him the name Varsabhanavi-devi-dayita dasa.
In 1908 Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja lost his external eye sight, so he then stopped travelling and just chanted and performed worship of Krsna and he would sit in his bhajan kutir internally absorbed in Krsna's pastimes and in a very deep voice be heard calling the names of the gopis of Vrndavana
Once Srila Varsabhanavi-devi-dayita dasa, Siddhanta Saraswati, offered to take Babaji Maharaja to Calcutta to see an eye specialist, but he refused saying,
"Never! I will never go to the material world."
His disciple protested,
"But in Calcutta I could serve you nicely. You wouldn't have to undergo any inconvenience."
But Babaji Maharaja was adamant declaring,
"I will never accept this service. Better I throw myself in the Saraswati (Jalanghi) and drown."
One day Srila Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja wrapped his body and two feet with a cloth. Sitting covered like this he said,
"Many persons, after being informed by others, come here to collect the dust from my feet. I tell them I am not a Vaisnava. If you go to the vicinity where there are Vaisnavas with their feet pretentiously decorated and extended to touch, you can have unlimited dust. How can I bless you? I don't have barfi or sandesh or rasagulla, or even sweet words. How can I bless you? Nowadays people are interested in spiritual masters who can give these things - wealth, good wife, sweet words - these cheating things are now taken as anakula (favourable)."
Giribabu and his wife once ardently requested Gaurakisora to stay in their house at Navadvipa. Gaurakisora was moved by their sincere devotion and finally agreed to oblige them on the condition that he would live only in their toilet room where he would perform Hari bhajan. Giribabu tried to persuade him to change his mind but Gaurakisora remained firm. Giribabu reluctantly arranged to have the toilet thorougly cleaned and Gaurakisora used it for Haribhajan. A realized soul can practice Haribhajan anywhere in an unconcerned manner, and wherever he resides, that place becomes Vaikuntha.
On 22nd June, 1914 Bhaktivinoda Thakura passed from this world into his samadhi, deep meditation, on Lord Krsna in Bhakti Bhavan, and then on November 17th, 1915 Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, on the auspicious Utthana Ekadasi, also left this world.
Jay Jay Shri Gaur Kishore Daas Babaji Maharaj 🙇♀️
Jay Jay Shrila BhaktiVinoda Thakur Ji Maharaj 🌺
Jay Jay Srila BhaktiSiddhanta Saraswati Ji Maharaj 🙌
Jay Jay Srila Prabhupada 🙏
Jay Jay Gaur 💛 Nitai 💙
Hare Krishna
Festival Schedule
- 10:30 AM - Kirtan
- 11:00 AM - Katha
- 12:00 PM - Pushpanjali🌸
- 12:45 PM - Arati🪔
- 01:15 PM - Prasadam feast🥗
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