Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

1. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur By : Shivani Kulkarni

2. His Childhood • Born on September 2, 1838 in Bengal, India. • Parents were Jagat Mohini Devi and Anandachandra Datta. • His name before initiation was Kedarnath. • He lived with his family in Bhirnagar. • His horoscope showed that he would be a great devotee of the Lord.

3. The Power of Lord Rama’s Name • When Bhaktivinoda was a small boy, he loved to pick juicy fruits from the trees. • But he was afraid though because someone had told him about the ghosts in the trees. • One day, he went and told his mother’s friend his problem. • She told him that if he chants the Holy Name of Rama the ghost will run away • From that day on he was never scared.

4. The Ghost in the Tree • After finishing education, while India was under British rule, he was appointed as a magistrate. • He was working in Champaran, Bihar when he found out about a ghost that lived in a Banyan tree. • People went to Bhaktivinoda for help to get rid of the ghost. • Bhaktivinoda suggested they go under the tree and read the Shrimad Bhagavatam loudly. • One month later, when the last words were being read…there was a thunder like sound and the tree split open. • The ghost had been purified and released from its ghostly existence.

5. Discovering the Birthplace of Lord Chaitanya • Bhaktivinoda Thakur went to Navadwip every weekend. • It was said that Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born there. • Bhaktivinoda did not believe this though. • The scriptures had stated that Lord Chaitanya was born on the east bank of the Ganges , wereas Navadwip was on the west. • One night, Bhaktivinoda, his son Kamalprashad, and a clerk were sitting on the roof of the guesthouse. • Suddenly on the other side of Ganges there was an exquisite shining temple. • Both father and son could see it but the clerk could not.

6. Prediction of Lord Chaitanya’s appearance Vaivasvatāntare brahman gangā-tire su punya-de Hari-nāma tadā dattvā cāndālān hadikāms tathā Brāhmanān ksatriyān vaisyān śataşo ‘tha sahasraśah Uddharişyāmy aham tatra tapta svarņa kalevarah Sannyāsaś ca karişyāmi kāncana grāmam āsthitah (Urdhvāmnāya Samhita ) Bhagavan Krishna Himself said, “O brahmana, I shall appear in the Vaivasvata manvantara, on the shore of the holy Gangā river. I will accept the color of molten gold. Distributing the holy name of Lord Hari to persons from the families of dog-eaters and sweepers, and shall deliver countless brahmanas, ksatrias, and vaisyas. I shall accept sannyasa in Kāncana-grāma.”

7. Discovering the Birthplace of Lord Chaitanya • Bhaktivinoda took the ferry across the Ganges to find the place. • He found there was no temple but saw many tulasi trees growing. • He found out the village was called Mayapur but also previously known as Navadwipa. • There he found many other sites of Lord Chaitanya’s pastimes • At that time, JagannathDasaBabaji was the best of all Vaishnavas. • As he was old, he was carried in a basket. • Arriving at the site Babajilept out of his basket and started dancing and jumping in ecstasy.

8. Jaya Radha Madhava by Bhaktivinoda Thakura (jaya) radha-madhava (jaya) kunja-bihari (jaya) gopi-jana-vallabha (jaya) giri-vara-dhari Yasoda-nandana, braja-jana-ranjana, Yamuna-tira-vana-cari

9. Final Pastimes • Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura left his body in Calcutta in 1914. • His samadhi is by his house in Godrum. • He wrote volumes of Vaishnava literatures and mesmerizing songs such as Jaya Radha Madhava and Gaura-Arati song. • In Krishna-lila, Bhaktivinoda Thakura is Kamala-Manjari.

10. Vancha Kalpa Tarubhyas Ca… I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

11. References • http://www.harekrsna.com/philosophy/bmgs/acaryas/bhaktivinoda/bhaktivinoda.htm • Google Images • Vaishnava Saints by Ananta Shakti Das and Vishaka Devi Dasi Hare Krishna