Śrī Vaṁsīdāsa Bābājī Mahārāja Disappearance Day

Excerpts from ‘Śrī Vaṁsīdāsa Bābājī’ by Bhakti Vikāsa Swami, Third Edition. Published by Bhakti Vikas Trust, India\

Early life

Śrī Vaṁsīdāsa Bābājī appeared in the world in 1859 in the village of Majidpur –now within the jurisdiction of the Kishorganj district of modern Bangladesh. In the early life he was known as Bhairab Candra. He was the first son of a poor fisherman, Sanatana Mallabrahma and Srimati Sarvasundari, a pious Hindu woman who regularly undertook fasts, austerities, and vows meant to benefit her family.

Bhairab Candra took diksa from his family’s guru, Narottama Dāsa Bābājī of the Narottama-parivara [line of gurus descending from disciples of Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura], who resided at the Nigoya Akhada in the neighboring village of Jamalpur.

Like many of the fishing caste even today in Bengal, Bhairab was raised in severe poverty. His family survived from day to day by selling whatever fish they could catch. Young Bhairab merely had to learn how to catch and sell fish. That was to be his life – nothing more was to be expected or hoped for.

Bhairab would spend his days at the river with his father, and in the evening would hear from his guru about the temporality of material life, the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the glories of the holy name. It is quite probable that at this time he also learned the songs of Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura that would be the succor of his life. Gradually Bhairab began spending most of each night at his guru’s ashram. Seeing his growing indifference to worldly affairs, his parents anxiously arranged for his marriage. But Bhairab’s apathy to material life simply increased, and shortly after marriage he left home, abandoning his wife and six month old son to become a renunciant. He accepted veṣa - āśraya (initiation into Bābājī life) from Narottama Dasa Bābājī who renamed him Vaṁsīdāsa.

Pastimes in Navadvīpa

Arriving unknown in Navadvīpa, Śrīla Vaṁsīdāsa Bābājī Mahārāja gradually became recognized there as a siddha-puruṣa.

A regular visitor repeatedly asked Bābājī Mahārāja, “How can one attain God?”- but never got a rely. Finally, one day Bābājī Mahārāja suddenly looked intensely ay him and asked, “What do you want?” When the man replied, “I want to find God”, Bābājī Mahārāja told him “Cry!”

Once a man suffering from cholera came and laid outside Bābājī Mahārāja’s kuṭī [cottage], moaning that he would rather die than have to endure the severe pain in his belly. He expected that, being a sādhu, Bābājī Mahārāja would heal him. After the man had been there three or four days without taking any food or drink, Bābājī Mahārāja put a tulasī lef on his tongue – which immediately cured him. The man rose and went home.

It was probably in 1903 that Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura brought Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura to Vaṁsīdāsa Bābājī Mahārāja’s ashram. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura informed Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura of Bābājī Mahārāja’s exalted position, and thenceforward Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and Bābājī Mahārāja shared great mutual respect. Bābājī Mahārāja would refer Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura as Jagannāther Bimalā because Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s childhood name had been Bimalā Prasāda, “the son born as the mercy of Bimāla Devī (the deity of Durgā in the Jagannātha Temple at Purī. Many a times, seeing Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura coming, Bābājī Mahārāja would exclaim, “Oh, a manjārī has come! So, won’t Rādhā also come? She will come! She will come!” Sometimes on seeing Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Bābājī Mahārāja would loudly cry, “My Gaura’s own associate has come!”

Gaura-Nitāi were Bābājī Mahārāja’s life. No matter what happened, whether good or bad, he would consider it to have been caused by Them. Once, when two brass cooking pots were stolen from his kuṭī, he scolded Gaura-Nitāi and did not feed The, at all that day. The next day a pot was donated, whereupon Bābājī Mahārāja said, “This small pot is Nitāi’s. today He will get food. If Gaura is to eat, He must bring His own pot.” That day he cooked and fed Nitāi but not Gaura.

Pastimes in Jagannātha Purī

After spending two years in Navadvīpa, on 4th March 1943 Bābājī Mahārāja went to Jagannātha Purī.

At the time of Ratha-yātrā, Lord Jagannātha halted for some hours in the front of vaṁsī-vaṭa where Bābājī Mahārāja was camped. Despite much effort by the attending crowd, Jagannātha’s chariot would not budge. But after Bābājī Mahārāja had an intimate conversation with Lord Jagannātha, His chariot again rolled forward.

One day Bābājī Mahārāja saw an elephant on the main road in Purī. As was typical for elephants in holy places, this one had been trained to upturn the end of its trunk to accept coins from pilgrims. It would pass those coins up to mahout sitting on its back, and then touch its trunk to the head of such donors as a blessing. Seeing this Bābājī Mahārāja remarked, se sambandha nāhi jāra bṛthā janma gel tāra ei paśu boro durācāra. This statement is essentially a quote from Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura’s composition ‘Nitāi pada kamala’ – the only difference being ei rather than sei – the original meaning being: “The life of one who had not relationship with Lord Nityānanda is useless. He is a great rascal, just like an animal.” When Bābājī Mahārāja saw the elephant, instead of saying sei paśu (that animal) he said ei paśu (this animal), as he often did when quoting that song, referring to himself in all humility. He further stated, “That elephant is serving its master but I cannot serve mine.”

Lessons from life of Śrīla Vaṁsīdāsa Bābājī Mahārāja

1. Complete surrender and dependency: Bābājī Mahārāja's deep devotion to Gaura-Nitāi is evident in his complete surrender to them. He considered every aspect of his life, both positive and negative, as directed by their will. This highlights the principle of surrender in Bhakti, where a devotee recognizes that everything is ultimately orchestrated by the divine and submits their will to the will of God. Regardless of the situation, Bābājī Mahārāja's devotion to Gaura-Nitāi remained unwavering. His actions demonstrate that devotion is not dependent on external circumstances. Whether experiencing good or bad events, his focus was on his relationship with his deities, illustrating the constancy of true devotion.

2. Devotion with emotion: Bābājī Mahārāja's scolding and withholding of food from Gaura-Nitāi might seem strict, but it reflects the depth of his emotional connection with them. Devotion is not just a ritual; it's a heartfelt relationship. This incident emphasizes the personal and emotional nature of Bhakti, where a devotee interacts with the divine in a deeply personal way. However, we should not imitate, or misunderstand his wild appearance and eccentric behavior, as this would be an offense.

3. Teaching through actions: Bābājī Mahārāja's actions conveyed spiritual lessons more powerfully than words could. This incident teaches that devotion isn't just theoretical or intellectual; it's a practical and lived experience that shapes a devotee's responses and actions.

4. The relationship of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and Vaṁsīdāsa Bābājī Mahārāja emphasizes the humility, respect, and recognition that should exist among devotees, regardless of their spiritual positions or accomplishments. It also speaks to the deep spiritual connections that exist beyond the physical realm, highlighting the shared spiritual vision and anticipation that true devotees can have.