Planet ISKCON

Vamsi Das Babaji was born in Majitpura in the subdivision of Kisoraganja in the district of Mayamanasimha. His father’s name was Sanatana Malovrahma. His former name was Bhairavacandra. According to usual custom, he married at an early age but he had no attraction for married life. 

He was initiated into the family of Narottama Thakura and accepted the garb of an ascetic. At that time the influence of the Kalacanda doctrine was very prominent throughout the country. He first began worshipping following that particular doctrine, but later entered into the realm of pure Gaudiya Vaisnavism.

While in Navadvipa, Vamsidasa Baba lived in a hermitage and begged alms. Later when the charge of serving Sri Gaura fell on him, he became totally dependent on begging. He built a simply hut near the house of the elder Gosvami in Caumuhani and lived there with his Gaurahari. When he went out begging, he would sometimes carry Gaurahari with him.

Vamsidasa never shut the door of his hut, though occasionally his belongings would be stolen by thieves. When his devotees requested him to lock the door he replied, “If He neglects His own house, what Vamsidasa will do?” 

Once a devotee gave a golden chain for Gaurahari and a thief stole it. When Vamsidasa came back from begging he said to his Deity, “To whom have you given Your chain?” In the evening he got some clue and went to the house of the thief. When he requested the thief to give back the chain the thief pushed him from the verandah to the ground. 

He did not speak a word, but since then he lost one of his legs. Eventually that thief lost everyone in his family. Being harassed by the municipality, Vamsidasa left his hut and began to live near the social center house of Jhautala. 

Once in the rainy season, he covered his Gaurahari with a ragged blanket and from time to time wiped His face which was wet with drops of rain. Srimati Lalita Sakhi dasi could not drag him to live in the Nathmandir or to build a roof over his head.

Vamsidasa’s Deity used to speak to him. Babaji never went anywhere except once to Kenduvilva and once to Kheturi. At the end of his life he stayed for a long time in a room north of the Badala ghat. There he served Sri Nitai-Gaura and Gadadhara, Sri Radha-Govinda and Sri Gopala. He engaged in their service constantly without wasting a minute.

On March 17th 1944 Vamsidasa returned to his home town of Majitpur. He did not actually enter the town as it is traditional for renunciants not to return to their former family. He lived there for some time and finally on Caturthi, July 23, 1944, Srila Vamsidasa Babaji Maharaja concluded his earthly pastimes and resumed his service to Lord Krsna in Goloka.

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Sri Krishna Janmastami will be celebrated at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple on Tuesday 25th August 2024

Krishna Mela on Sunday 25th August 2024 from 11am to 4pm

Sri Balaram Jayanti on Tuesday 20th August 2024

In the month of June, among the Large Temples, Moscow had the highest increase at 220% for 6,029 book points. To avoid being drafted into the army, many sankirtan devotees have left Russia, but some heroes have stayed, to fight the greater battle against maya. Among the Medium Temples, Buenos Aires had the highest increase at 330% for 13,524 book points. Buenos Aires was also the only temple reporting in Argentina, raising their country to #4 in the world for June. We haven't seen them this high in the transcendental competition in a long time. Keep it up, Prabhus! Continue reading "WSN June 2024 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
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Shri Mukunda Dasa, Shri Madhava Dasa and Shri Narahari Sarakara Thakura were three brothers who lived in Shri Khanda. Shri Mukunda Dasa Thakura’s son was Shri Raghunandan Thakura. Mukunda Dasa Thakura was the doctor in the court of the muslim king. He was always absorbed in Krishna, whatever work he did.

Every year Mukunda Dasa, Madhava Dasa and Narahari Sarakara would go to Jagannatha Puri to take darshan of the holy feet of Shri Chaitanya and to dance and chant in Rathayatra kirtan.  One day, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu affectionately asked Mukunda Dasa, “Mukunda! between you and Raghunandan, who is the father and who is the son?” 

Mukunda said, “Raghunandana is my father. Through him I have found  Krishna consciousness, so he is really my father.” The Lord said, “Your judgement is correct. Whoever gives us Krishna-bhakti is our guru and our father.” The Lord ordered Raghunandana to serve the deity, without thinking of anything else. 

When he was a boy, Raghunandan used to make the deity eat laddu.

According to certain authorities, Shri Raghunandana Thakura was Kandarpa Manjari. According to others, he was one of Krishna’s sons in Dvaraka whose name was Kandarpa. This is on the basis of Kavi Karnapura’s Gaura-Ganodesha-dipika.

 Raghunandana Thakura had a son named Kanai Thakura.  The descendants of Raghunandan Thakura’s line live today in Shri Khanda.  One of the most famous of them is a person by the name of Panchanana Kaviraja, who was born in the line of Shri Raghunandana.  Raghunandana Thakura was born in the Saka year 1432.

Raghunandan Thakur bequeathed the service of his Gaura-Gopal deity to his son Kanai Thakur and then left this world on the fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Shravan. Kanai Thakur gave a feast as a part of his father’s last rites:

Raghunandan slowly became hidden to mortal eyes while repeating again and again the names of Sri Krishna Chaitanya. 

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