Overview

This article, ‘Topics about Vaiṣṇava Sārvabhauma Śrīla Jagannātha’ was written by Śrī Yadunandana Dāsa Adhikārī, a disciple of Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, and was published in ‘The Gauḍīya’ (Vol.6, Issue 40) in 1928. The author relates his experience with Vihārī Dāsa, the disciple of Śrīla Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī, who narrates some of the pastimes of Śrīla Bābājī Mahārāja.

After completing the second annual mahotsava of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Maṭha in Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana, the servants of the maṭha set out to Delhi to preach bhagavata-kathā. The maṭha felt very empty. My mind was restless. During the festival, I fell ill, so it took a couple of extra days for me to leave the place. It was around 10 o’clock. I was sitting in the upper room of the maṭha, absentmindedly looking at the front door. At that moment, Vraja-vāsī Śrī Vihārī Dāsa Bābājī Mahāśaya, entered the courtyard in front of the maṭha building, carefully leaning on his staff, and gradually made his way upstairs. He was limping a little as he had a slight injury on his foot. I got up and offered him respects. He sat down on a rug which was spread out in front of me. It seems that he had some pain in his hip. After walking a little distance, he appeared to have become somewhat breathless. Many people would be able to recognise Bābājī Mahāśaya from the way that he introduced himself.

We had known him from before. After a few words were exchanged, he began to speak — “For forty years I served Bābājī Mahārāja (Vaiṣṇava Sārvabhauma Śrīla Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja). Now I have become old. I am 86 years old, and can no longer move around so well. But at that time, I was very physically strong. I carried Bābājī Mahārāja on my back and took him 8 to 10 miles. I saw many things, bābu. I no longer wish to remain in Vṛndāvana. All the time he used to tell me, ‘Look, Vihārī, never go with those ‘monkeys,’*(1) and do not associate with them.’ I do not mix with anyone here unless it is absolutely necessary. I only come here when you call me. Bābājī Mahāśaya had great affection for Bhaktivinoda Prabhu. I respect your Gurudeva (Sarasvatī Ṭhākura) so much! I have seen him since his childhood. I have gone to the Bhakti Bhavan in Māṇiktala with Bābājī Mahārāja many times, and I have seen him since then.*(2) He has great niṣṭhā, he is very forceful, well-read, does not care about anyone’s opinion when speaking the truth, and he has strong affection for the Holy Name. In childhood, he looked even thinner and taller. He wore a shirt all the time. Bābājī Mahārāja (Śrī Jagannātha) loved him very much.”

Vraja-vāsī Mahāśaya spoke on many topics. He also spoke about his own life. It seems that this elderly Vaiṣṇava felt somewhat irritated by the conduct of many local Vaiṣṇavas who were wearing Vaiṣṇava dress. Seeing this long-time stalwart servant of that emperor amongst Vaiṣṇavas, my curiosity gave rise to some questions. I was thinking of asking many things, but from the very beginning, he himself started speaking about everything.

Vihārī Dāsa Bābājī Mahāśaya was a resident of the western region and took birth in the home of some cowherds. He did not learn to read and write very well. He spoke in broken Bengali. He had been in Bengal for a long time, however, a certain natural simplicity was evident in everything he said. Sitting there in Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana, many things were said about Vaiṣṇava Sārvabhauma Śrīla Jagannātha by such a person. From the perspective of tradition, those words certainly hold significant value today.

Bābājī began to speak, “That was a long time ago. I cannot say how many days have passed. After coming from Śrī Vṛndāvana, Bābājī Mahārāja spent some time in Navadvīpa. One day, a bābu from Kolkata suddenly arrived and, sitting in front of Bābājī Mahārāja, he insisted that he should come to his residence in Calcutta. His desire was to accept the Holy Name from him. Bābājī Mahārāja was always reluctant to go to Calcutta. Initially, he did not want to go. However, the said gentleman began to pray and sit in front of his tent for 15 days. Finally, it was settled that he would stay at his Kashipur garden residence, but he would not accept anything to eat there. We had to go by boat on the waterway. I also accompanied Bābājī Mahārāja. After arriving at the garden residence that gentleman was given the Holy Name. While Bābājī Mahārāja stayed at the residence, he made many efforts to feed him, but Mahārāja would not accept the food of a materialist in any way. How could he let him go without feeding him anything? It was an awkward problem. Finally, Bābājī Mahārāja himself said, ‘Take me to Bhaktivinoda Mahāśaya’s place. I will go there!’ He himself gave me the address of the street in Māṇiktala. I took him there by vehicle, and it was almost noon when we arrived. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was upstairs. When the news of our arrival was given to him, he came down. He was tall, with a bright golden complexion, a radiant personality with a beautifully structured nose and face — that was when I first saw him. Yes! He himself knew how to serve Vaiṣṇavas! After that, when Bābājī Mahārāja came to Calcutta, he would often stay at that residence. He personally attended to all of Bābājī Mahārāja’s needs, seating him on the roof of that residence. A photograph was taken. I have seen that image of Bābājī at your Gauḍīya Maṭha. After that, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura would often visit Bābājī Mahārāja, and Bābājī Mahārāja would also occasionally go there.

Then Māyāpura was revealed. One day, Bhaktivinoda Mahāśaya, accompanied by a saṅkīrtana party, came to where Bābājī Mahārāja was staying. He quickly proceeded towards Māyāpura with the saṅkīrtana party, and meanwhile, a kīrtana group arrived from Vāmana Pukura and joined them. In the midst of the kīrtana, Bābājī Mahārāja arrived at the birthplace of Mahaprabhu and revealed that place. After that, he also revealed a well, inside which there was the shell of a broken mṛdaṅga. I was with Bābājī Mahārāja. I still remember how he showed the place by striking the ground with his stick.”

Saying this, Śrī Vihārī Dāsa Vrajavāsī Mahāśaya struck the floor of the room with his stick. Vrajavāsī Mahāśaya described all these historical episodes with particular enthusiasm. The old man’s reverence for the truth made such events seem as if though they were matters of the very recent past. From time to time, Bābājī Mahāśaya would shake his stick and chastise those detractors who were against Śrīdhāma Māyāpura which Śrīla Jagannātha Dāsa had revealed, and he began to describe everything in a very intense, yet simple manner – as if the events had only occurred just 24 months ago.

He spoke with great enthusiasm about the life of that personality whom he had physically served for 40 years – “Going to Navadvīpa, I took a spade and with my own hands, dug the ground for Bābājī Mahārāja’s kuṭīra. I also built a fence around all four sides of it. Various persons would come to visit and donate a lot of money to Bābājī Mahārāja. All of it was collected in a pot. After a month or fifteen days, I would count and keep track of it, and it was frequently spent. If I ever took 10-15 rupees and set it aside for something without his knowledge, he would immediately say in a serious tone, ‘Where did that 15 rupees go?’ Yet from our perspective, his eyes were always closed. His eyelids drooped at the corners – he could only see by pulling them up and peering through the gap. He never kept track of who gave what. I would take the money with fear. Whatever money came, he would spend it as he pleased. Once he said, ‘Bring rasgullas! I will feed all the cows in the dhāma!’ Two hundred rupees’ worth of rasgullas were fed to the cows. However, he did not want to spend a single paisa on imposter bābājīs. He would say, ‘Don’t let them come here!’

“He would sit down to take prasāda on a very large plate. Once, there were five puppies in his tent. When Bābājī Mahārāja sat down to take prasāda, the puppies would come from all sides and start eating from the four corners of his plate. He would place his hand on each of them to check if all of them had arrived. If I became annoyed and removed one or two of them, he would say in a firm and serious voice, ‘Take the food away – I will not eat!’ What could I do? I would again bring them from outside to his plate. He would say, ‘The dogs of the dhāma!’

“Many people desired to obtain his kaupīna. One Gaurahari Dāsa desired to get Bābājī’s kaupīna and was persistent. Bābājī would not give anything away. He prostrated in front of the tent for three days, and finally, Bābājī instructed me to give him his kaupīna.

“If he saw any misrepresentation, he would become extremely angry. Once Caraṇa Dāsa Bābājī and his party were coming towards his kuṭīra singing this ‘Nitāi-Gaura Rādhe-Śyāma’ rhyme. He heard them coming in the distance and angrily said, ‘Stop them from coming this side! Send them all away!’ After that, none of them dared come in front of him.

“I never saw such an effulgent personality again. In his old age (at that time, about 130 or 135 years old), he had become very bent over. He would go everywhere carried on my shoulders. However, when there was kīrtana, he would leap 8 to 9 feet in the air, and his body seemed to stretch to about 6 feet in length.

“A few days before his disappearance, he told me, ‘Vihārī, in your life, you will never have to suffer hunger, nor will you have to worry about that. You won’t! And look – never mix with any monkey-renunicate so-called ‘Vaiṣṇavas!’

“And Bābu, I don’t wish to stay much longer. Now, if I can just continue remembering him while I maintain my body, I will be able to depart in bliss.”

Śrī Yadunandana Adhikārī B.A.
(Headmaster of Shatrujitpur High School)

*******

Translator’s Notes:

*(1) The original Bengali used here is markaṭa (monkey) referring to those renunciates who behave like monkeys. Externally, a monkey may seem to be renounced, wearing nothing and eating only fruits and berries in the jungle, but he lusts after the she-monkeys.

*(2) Bhakti Bhavan was the home of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in Kolkata.

(Translated by Swami Bhaktivijñāna Giri)

About the Author: Guest Author

This section features writings from various vaishnava authors, including one-off articles and essays that explore topics related to Gauḍīya Siddhānta and history.