Thakura
at Sri Jagannatha Puri Dhama
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was a foremost scholar and Lord Krishna’s devotee of his day. Born on 6 Feb 1874 at Jagannatha Puri, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is the child that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura prayed to Lord Jagannatha for, wanting an able assistant to preach Krishna Consciousness. His divinity was evident from birth. When he was born, his umbilical cord was wrapped around his body like a brahmana thread. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave his son the Harinama Maha-mantra and Nrsimha mantra at five years of age. He entered the Sanskrit University in 1892 and received the honorific title of “Siddhanta Sarasvati” in recognition of his vast knowledge of astrology and Bhakti. He was extremely intelligent and excelled in math, astronomy, Sanskrit, and other languages. The University of Calcutta offered him a chair, but he declined so that he could dedicate his life to continuing the spiritual work of his father, Bhaktivinoda Thakura. In 1900 he took initiation from Srila Gaura-Kisora Dasa Babaji and received the name Sri Varsabhanavi-Devi [meaning the servant of the daughter of King Vrsabhanu, Srimati Radharani.]
Five years later, he took a vow to chant one billion Holy Names of Lord to prepare himself for Krishna consciousness preaching. It took him 10 years to fulfil his vow, during which time he lived in a small bamboo hut chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare |
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ||
in front of his deity, Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu which is in the Rudradvipa island of Navadvipa Dhama. He then began to preach Krishna Consciousness all over India, establishing Lord Caitanya’s mission with such vigour no one had seen before. He established 64 mathas, initiated over 60,000 disciples, and re-established Vraja-mandala and Navadvipa-mandala Parikramas. He also established printing press in Mayapur, Delhi, Chennai and other major cities. He asked his disciple A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to go to the West to teach Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada went to New York in 1965 and carried on his spiritual master's mission on a grand scale. On 31 Dec 1936, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura left his body in Kolkata surrounded by his disciples singing bhajans. His life-size murti is worshiped at Sri Caitanya Math in Mayapur.
Birthplace of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura took birth in Jagannatha Puri Dhama. His father, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had a house in Puri on Grand Road, close to Jagannatha Mandir, next to Narayana Chara Matha. At that time, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had been appointed by the British government as the Jagannatha temple administrator. He had prayed to Lord Jagannatha to give him one son who could preach Krishna Consciousness. When his wife, Bhagavati Devi, gave birth to a son, Bhaktivinoda Thakura named him Bimala Prasada, meaning the mercy of Bimala Devi, the para-sakti of Lord Sri Jagannatha.
The care of the house where Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born was later taken on by the Gaudiya Matha. Now the entire house has been developed nicely, with a beautiful temple, devotee quarters, etc. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s murti is worshipped in the same spot where he took birth. When devotees were digging the soil to construct this temple, a nice smell of candana manifested from the place where he took birth. Six months after Bimala Prasada’s appearance was the event of Lord Jagannatha’s Rathayatra. As the procession moved towards Gundica temple, by the desire of the Lord the chariots stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house. At that time Srimati Bhagavati Devi took the child and placed him at the lotus feet of Lord Jagannatha. Immediately one flower garland fell from Lord’s neck, encircling the child’s body. Thus Bimala Prasada was blessed by the Lord.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura established 64 Gaudiya Matha’s around India. He asked one disciple, Sri Abhaya Caranaravinda Dasa Adhikari to spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world. That disciple later became Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He took his spiritual master’s instruction as his life and soul and spread Krishna Consciousness worldwide through his International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) which was created specifically to fulfil that instruction.
Birthplace of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura located at Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Math in Sri Jagannatha Puri Dhama. This is on the Grand road (big street) leading to Jagannatha Mandir (Shree Mandir).
Birthplace of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was a foremost scholar and Lord Krishna’s devotee of his day. Born on 6 Feb 1874 at Jagannatha Puri, he is the child that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura prayed to Lord Jagannatha for, wanting an able assistant to preach Krishna Consciousness.
