Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaj
Pranam Mantra
namo gaura-kisoraya sakshad-vairagya-murtaye
vipralambha-rasambhode padambujaya te namah
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja
(the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati), who is renunciation personified.
He is always merged in a feeling of separation and intense love of Krishna.”
Advent and Identity of Srila Babaji Maharaj
The birthplace of Paramahamsa Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaj is Faridpur district of Bangladesh, in a village named Bagyan on the bank of the Padma river near Tepakhola. His advent period is the nineteenth century. His parents’ names are not known. Babaji Maharaj’s father gave his former name Banshi Dasa. His special identity is he is the spiritual master of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada, the founder acharya of Sri Chaitanya Math and the branches of Sri Gaudiya Math worldwide.
According to the society’s custom at that time, Banshi Dasa’s marriage was arranged by his parents at a young age. But Banshi Dasa always stayed in a state of material detachment and separation from God. After the demise of his wife, he took the ‘babaji vesha’(attire of a mendicant) and accepted the renounced order from Srila Bhagavata Dasa Babaji for performing bhajana in seclusion with strict dispassion. His new ascetic name was ‘Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaj.’ Srimad Bhagavata Dasa Babaji Maharaj was the vesha disciple of the senior-most Vaishnava Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji.
After accepting vesha, Srila Babaji Maharaj visited various places in Vraja Mandala for thirty years and performed intense bhajana. Sometimes he used to visit the pilgrimages of Northern India and Gauda mandala. During the pilgrimage, Babaji Maharaj met Sri Svarupa Dasa Babaji at Srikshetra, Sri Bhagavan Dasa Babaji at Kalna and Sri Chaitanya Dasa Babaji at Kuliya.
Renounced life of Babaji Maharaj
In the month of Falgun in 1300 AC, the Yogpitha, the place of appearance of Sriman Mahaprabhu, was established in Sri Mayapur. Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaj came to Gauda Mandala from Vraja mandala as directed by Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaj. Until his departure from this world, he stayed in several places of Mahaprabhu’s dhama. In his transcendental view, every resident of Navadvipa was “dhama vasi.” (resident of the spiritual abode). He used to cook Madhukari alms in discarded earthen pots and somehow managed his livelihood. It is said that sometimes he used to chant Harinama by submerging himself into the Ganga. Sometimes he used to consume the clay of the Ganga and sometimes even without food he continued chanting. He was a perfect example of a Viviktanandi sannyasi as he was totally indifferent to worldly existence. Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakura, an intimate devotee of Lord Gauranga, was impressed by seeing Babaji Maharaj’s extraordinary dispassion, unalloyed devotion and keen attachment to Krishna. Babaji Maharaj would sometimes come and stay at Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakura’s house on Godrum Island and hear the Thakura’s discourse on Srimad Bhagavatam and discuss the topics of the conclusions of Bhakti.
Babaji Maharaj never accepted any service from anyone. He always remained absorbed in chanting Harinama, sometimes holding tulsi beads or sometimes making chanting beads by tying knots from discarded torn pieces of cloth. Srila Narottama Thakura’s books Prarthana and Prema Bhakti Candrika were very dear to his heart. Like Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami’s intense renunciation, Babaji Maharaj also had strong attachments to Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada’s meeting with Srila Babaji Maharaj
In 1898 AD at Gudruma, Srila Prabhupada met with Srila Gaurakishora Dasa Babaji Maharaj for the first time. At that time Srila Babaji Maharaj came to Svananda Sukhada Kunja to discuss the topics related to devotion with Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakura. From then Srila Prabhupada met Srila Babaji Maharaj occasionally. Srila Babaji Maharaj’s renunciation and unadulterated devotion impressed Srila Prabhupada so much. For this reason, Srila Prabhupada showed deep love and respect to Srila Babaji
Maharaj.
Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakura instructed his son Bimala prasada (Srila Prabhupada) to take shelter at the lotus feet of this saint and accept mantra in order to perform Hari bhajana.
Initiation of Srila Prabhupada by Srila Babaji Maharaj
As instructed by Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakura, Srila Prabhupada accepted initiation from Babaji Maharaj in January of 1900 at Svananda Sukhada Kunja, after much prayer and much pleading to him. He became known as Sri Varshabhanavi Dayita Dasa. As Babaji Maharaj was Viviktanandi, he took a vow that he would not initiate anyone, but Sarasvati Thakura’s unique devotion forced him to give up his vow. When mundane people touched his feet, Babaji Maharaj would get angry and say, “You will be destroyed.” This is why out of fear many people would not touch his feet. But Babaji Maharaj took the dust of his own feet and put it all over Srila Sarasvati Thakura’s body. Srila Babaji ascertained that Sarasvati Thakura was empowered to propagate the message of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore he instructed Sarasvati Thakura to spread the movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu throughout the world.
Srila Prabhupada’s Statement about Babaji Maharaj
Śrīla Sarasvati Ṭhākura wanted to show the path of spiritual upliftment to the common people through his humble words. He wrote about Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaj, “I was busy acquiring everything from a mere blade of grass to the position of Lord Brahma (ābrahma-stamva) to fulfil my desires. I thought if I procure mundane objects, my needs would be fulfilled. Sometimes I gained many rare objects, but my desires were not satisfied. I met many exalted personalities, but I also found many of their flaws and could not respect them wholeheartedly. During this time of adversity, the merciful Lord Sri Gaura Sundar allowed two of His most intimate associates to shower their mercy upon me. I was full of worldly pride and self admiration. But I attained the perpetually auspicious Thakura Bhakti Vinoda. My master used to visit his place often. Sometimes he stayed with him. Out of mercy upon me, Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakura showed me my master. As soon as I saw him, my materialistic pride started to decay. I thought that everybody was despicable and vile like me due to their human form. But after observing the divine character of my master, I gradually started to believe that an ideal vaishnava can live in this material world as well.”
He also wrote: “Even after seeing him, many unwise, clever, sensible, younger and elderly people, scholars, fools or those who think themselves to be exalted devotees could not comprehend him properly. This is the miraculous power of a Krishna Bhakta. It is true that hundreds of anya abhilashi (those who desire something else except pure devotion) people would consult him for their petty ambitions and receive remedies. But all of the advice given by him was to deprive them. Numerous people accept the external dress of a saint, perform saintly rituals but remain far from being a saint in actuality. My master was not hypocritical like them. His behaviour expressed how to be free from all kinds of deceitfulness. His pure affection was incomparable. He had neither hatred for the opponents nor any show of admiration for his intimate ones. Once he told one of his rivals or opponents that “In this world I neither discard anyone nor do I favour anyone. Everyone is respectable to me.” Another astonishing fact is that he was always surrounded by deceitful people. They were against suddha bhakti (pure devotion) and engaged in mundane affairs, but they considered themselves as his intimate associates. My master never discarded any of them externally but did not appreciate them at all as well.
Babaji Maharaj was very prudent. He had a great insight. He could observe distant events and understand people easily.”
Disappearance of Srila Babaji Maharaj
On 30th Kartika 1322 Bengal era, at the end of the night, Paramahamsa Srila Gaura Kishor Dasa Babaji Maharaja entered the eternal pastimes of Sri Radha Krishna at Kuliya Dharamshala, Navadvipa. After receiving the news, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada became very sad. He quickly arrived there with a heavy heart. After many obstacles Srila Prabhupada lifted the transcendental body of Srila Babaji Maharaj on his head and shoulders. Then the body was buried at the Nutana chara area at Kuliya Navadvipa on Utthana Ekadasi day, 1st Agrahayana,1322 Bengal era at midday.
He completed the rites with his own hands according to the rules of Vaisnava smriti.
