Appearance
There is a village called Kheturī about twelve miles from Rāmapura Boyāliyā in the Gaḍerhāṭa subdistrict of Rājaśāhi district. In Prema-Vilāsa it is described that one day, while dancing in kīrtana in the village of Kānāira Nāṭaśālā, Śrīman Mahāprabhu faced the direction of Kheturī and began to repeatedly call out the name “Narottama.” Overwhelmed with emotion, Prabhu’s mind became unsteady. When Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Haridāsa, Vakreśvara and Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s other companions saw his condition, their minds were excited by prema and they thought, “Some vessel of Prabhu’s love named Narottama will manifest in this province and through him Prabhu will accomplish great deeds.” Śrīman Mahāprabhu said the following to Śrī Nityānanda in Prema-Vilāsa:
prabhu kahe—śrīpāda bujhi karaha bhābanā |
āpanāra guṇa tumi nā jāna āpanā ||
nīlācala yāite yata kāndiyācha tumi |
sei premā dine dine bāndhiyāchi āmi ||
se prema rākhiba āmi padmābatī-tīre |
narottama nāme pātra diba āmi tāṅre ||
preme janma habe tāṅra āmā-bidyamāne |
ekhane rākhiyā yāba padmābatī-sthāne ||
Prabhu said, “Śrīpāda, please consider that you do not know your own good qualities. You wept so much as we journeyed to Nīlācala; I captured that prema day after day and will keep it on the bank of the Padmāvatī in a vessel called Narottama. Absorbed in prema, he will take birth while I am still present. Now I will take this prema and go to the region of the Padmāvatī.”
After arriving at Kutubapura, Śrīman Mahāprabhu then bathed in the Padmāvatī and on her sandy bank performed kīrtana with his associates. Filled with prema, he roared loudly and his body began to quake. Then Prabhu called out to the Padmāvatī, saying,
prabhu kahe—padmābatī! dhara prema laha |
narottama nāme pātra, prema tāṅre diha ||
nityānanda-saha prema rākhila tomā-sthāne |
yatna kari ihā tumi rākhibā gopane ||
“Padmāvatī! Take this prema and hold onto it. There is a worthy recipient named Narottama; give this prema to him. It has been kept by Nityānanda and now by you. Take care to keep it here in secrecy.”
Then—
padmābatī bale prabhu karoṅ nibedana |
kemane jāniba kāra nāma narottama ||
“Padmāvatī humbly asked Prabhu how she will know the one whose name is Narottama.” Śrīman Mahāprabhu replied,
yāṅhāra paraśe tumi adhika uchalibā |
sei narottama, prema tāṅre tumi dibā ||
“The one by whose touch you overflow your banks is Narottama; give the prema to him.”
At around the same time as Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu’s disappearance, meaning probably in 1531-32 AD, Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura appeared from the womb of Nārāyaṇī Devī, the pious wife of King Kṛṣṇānanda Datta, in the village of Kheturī during twilight of the full moon day of the month of Māgha (January-February).
Childhood
Day after day, Śrīla Narottama grew like the digits of the moon. King Kṛṣṇānanda Datta began his son’s anna-prāśana (first rice) festival with great pomp and grandeur. When they tried to put some rice into the child’s mouth, he turned his face away. Everyone became concerned, so an astrologer did some calculations and then told them that this child will never eat anything but śrī-kṛṣṇa-prasāda. In King Kṛṣṇānanda Datta’s home they followed their ancient family tradition of worshiping a deity of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When they brought some prasāda from that deity, Narottama ate it with glee. From that day forth, Kṛṣṇānanda forbade anyone to give his son any food other than śrī-kṛṣṇa-prasāda.
Everyone’s heart and mind were attracted to Śrī Narottama’s extraordinary beauty, penetrating intellect and melodious speech. After being tonsured at the age of five, Śrī Narottama began his studies. From childhood, Narottama’s remarkable intelligence was revealed through his study of grammar and all other śāstras related to Sanskrit. In a very short time he gained proficiency in them all. From boyhood the young prince Narottama felt a deep fondness for Śrī Harināma, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Bhagavān’s devotees and deities, while being disinterested in sensual pleasures and luxury. Seeing this, King Kṛṣṇānanda and Mother Nārāyaṇī were filled with parental affection but felt anxious, whereas the bhaktas were amazed and delighted.
In Kheturī village lived a great brāhmaṇa devotee named Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa. Every day, Narottama would listen to stories from that brāhmaṇa about the activities of Śrī Gaurahari and his devoted companions. Overcome by prema, he would cry out, “Hā Gaurāṅga!” One night Narottama saw in a dream that Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu was instructing him to bathe in the Padmāvatī and then take the jewel of prema that Śrīman Mahāprabhu had deposited there. Early in the morning, Śrī Narottama got out of bed and went to the Padmāvatī to bathe. When he stepped into the water, it rose and overflowed. Recognizing that this was Narottama, Padmāvatī gave him the prema entrusted to her by Śrīman Mahāprabhu. After receiving it, Śrī Narottama’s complexion changed and he began to dance wildly, overwhelmed by great love. His mother and father worried that he had gone insane.
A Dream-Vision and His Journey to Vṛndāvana
Śrīla Narottama’s heart was broken because he did not get to witness Śrī Gaurasundara’s manifest pastimes. Filled with great sorrow, he wept day and night. One night, Śrī Gaurasundara gave Narottama darśana in the form of a dream. He said to him with compassion, “O Narottama, go quickly to Vṛndāvana and become a disciple of Śrī Lokanātha.” When Narottama awoke, he found himself unable to see Prabhu and thus fainted. By the Lord’s desire, he fell asleep again and was given in his dream a vision of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s pastimes with his companions in Navadvīpa. Seeing his amazing pastimes of singing and dancing with his bhaktas absorbed in prema, Narottama’s eyes flooded with tears and he fell at Prabhu’s lotus feet. Śrī Gaurasundara placed his foot on Narottama’s head and then with great affection lifted him from the ground and placed him in the hands of Śrī Nityānanda and Śrī Advaita. Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu embraced him with open arms, gave him the great treasure of prema and instructed him to go to Śrī Vṛndāvana. Śrī Advaita Prabhu offered Narottama at Śrī Gaura’s lotus feet and also instructed him to go to Śrī Vṛndāvana. When Narottama awoke, he remembered the mercy of the three Prabhus and began to weep.
The village of Kheturī was governed by a non-Hindu administrator. After hearing about the good qualities of Śrī Kṛṣṇānanda’s son, the administrator wanted to see Narottama. Narottama considered the invitation as Mahāprabhu’s mercy, so he took leave of his mother and father, surrounded by guards, and went to honor the administrator’s request. At one place, when at night the guards all fell asleep, Śrī Narottama began to run on the forest path in the direction of Vraja. After traversing the path for fifteen days, he began to feel a little relieved. He continued walking along the main road and eventually arrived at Viśrāma Ghāṭa in Mathurā.
Darśana of Vraja and the Gosvāmīs
When Śrī Narottama heard from a Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa in Mathurā about the disappearance of Śrī Śrī Rūpa-Sanātana, he cried out “Hā Rūpa! Hā Sanātana!” then fell to the ground and began to wail. Śrī Rūpa-Sanātana consoled Ṭhākura Mahāśaya by giving him darśana in a dream. In the morning, Narottama walked to Śrī Vṛndāvana with an anxious heart. Śrīnivāsācārya was living in Vṛndāvana at that time. In a dream, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda informed Śrī Jīva and Śrīnivāsa of Narottama’s arrival. After entering Śrī Vṛndāvana, Narottama visited the Govinda Mandira and began to gaze at the Lord with transcendental love. Meanwhile, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda and Śrīnivāsācārya appeared there. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī then took Narottama to the humble abode of Śrī Lokanātha Gosvāmī, a highly renounced associate of Śrī Gaura. He introduced Narottama and asked the Gosvāmī to be merciful to him. Śrīman Mahāprabhu had previously appeared to Śrī Lokanātha Gosvāmī in a dream and said, “After a few days, a young prince named Narottama will become your student.” Remembering this, Śrīla Lokanātha Gosvāmī’s heart melted with parental affection and he instructed Narottama to chant the thirty-two-syllable śrī-harināma. Then Śrī Jīva took Narottama for darśana of Śrīla Gopāla-Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Madhu Paṇḍita, Śrī Bhūgarbha Gosvāmī and others.
Śrī Guru-Sevā and Dīkṣā
To obtain Śrī Lokanātha’s special mercy, Śrī Narottama began to regularly perform a particular service at the end of night. He would clean with a broom the place outside the village where Śrī Lokanātha Prabhu would go to relieve himself. Holding the broom to his chest, he would cry out with love, “O Lokanātha, my master, please give me your mercy!” Before Śrī Lokanātha would arrive there, Narottama would finish cleaning the area and then hide the broom. Lokanātha Prabhu wondered who was doing this secret service at the end of night. He thought that accepting such menial service from a resident of Vṛndāvana would be a great offense, so one morning he went out a little earlier than usual and from a distance saw Narottama cleaning the toilet area with a broom. Lokanātha stood quietly behind Narottama and watched as he held the broom to his chest and burst out in tears. Then Narottama noticed Lokanātha Prabhu and fell down in obeisance before him. Seeing Narottama engaged in such menial service caused Lokanātha’s heart to melt. He told Narottama to go bathe in the Yamunā and then come to him. Following his gurudeva’s order, Narottama bathed in the Yamunā, and when he came back, Śrī Lokanātha Prabhu took him inside a grove. On the full-moon day in the month of Śrāvaṇa (July-August), he initiated Narottama with the śrī-kiśora-gopāla-mantra and told him to inform Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda of the news, which he then did. Lokanātha Prabhu gradually taught Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya the method of rāgānugā-bhajana.
Success in Bhajana, Study of the Śāstras and Obtaining His Mañjarī Name
One day, in one of Vṛndāvana’s bowers, Narottama was absorbed in the bhajana practice he had learned from his guru. At that time, Śrī Vṛṣabhānunandinī Śrī Rādhā personally appeared and said, “Narottama! Your regular duty will be to churn milk for my sweetheart’s midday sevā in my bower. My dear friend Campakalatā also has that service, so your name will be Campaka Mañjarī.”
After being assigned his sevā, Śrī Narottama returned to external consciousness and went to see Śrī Lokanātha Prabhu. With his mind overwhelmed with prema and his voice choked with emotion, he then told Prabhu the story. Hearing of Śrī Narottama’s good fortune, Śrīla Gosvāmipāda became joyful, and with deep love and affection he gave him his blessings to perform the sevā. One day he was churning milk in his mind and viewing the līlā with rapt attention. In his meditation, Śrī Narottama accidentally burned his hand with some boiling milk and externally his physical hand was also burned.
When Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda saw Narottama’s success in bhajana, he became very happy. Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and the other Gosvāmīs showered Narottama with great kindness. Sometimes Narottama studied Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with his gurudeva, and with Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda he studied the Ṣaṭ-Sandarbhas, Śrī Rūpa’s Nāṭakas, Śrī Sanātana’s Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam and other books about siddhānta and rasa. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda was overjoyed to see how easily Narottama could understand difficult passages of scripture. After consulting with the other Vaiṣṇavas, he bestowed the title “Ṭhākura Mahāśaya” on Narottama, the direct recipient of the mercy of Śrī Vṛṣabhānunandinī and Śrīman Mahāprabhu.
Vraja-Parikrama, Going to Bengal, Theft and Return of Books
Following Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda’s order, Śrīnivāsācārya and Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya circumambulated the Vraja area with Śrī Gaura’s associate Rāghava Paṇḍita, who lived in a cave in Śrī Govardhana. This has been described extensively in the fifth wave of the book Bhakti-Ratnākara. A few days later, Duḥkhī-Kṛṣṇadāsa arrived in Vṛndāvana. He was initiated by Śrīla Hṛdaya-Caitanya Ṭhākura, a disciple of Śrī Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita. He became a great scholar by studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda. One day, as he was cleaning a Vṛndāvana bower, he found Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s jeweled anklet. By Śrī Lalitā’s mercy, he was allowed to place the anklet directly on Śrī Vṛṣabhānunandinī’s lotus foot. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda gave him the name “Śyāmānanda.” Śrīnivāsācārya, Śrī Narottama and Śrī Śyāmānanda became dear friends while living in Vṛndāvana as the students of Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda. They were of one heart and one mind. All three became well-educated in vraja-rasa, expert in vaiṣṇava-siddhānta and proficient in music.
The Vṛndāvana gosvāmīs headed by Śrī Jīva wanted the vast library of gemlike books composed by Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Sanātana and Śrī Jīva to be propagated in Bengal by Śrī Jīva’s qualified students Śrīnivāsa, Narottama and Śyāmānanda. Following everyone’s desire, Śrī Jīva had four bullock carts loaded with large boxes of the books and then he dispatched Śrīnivāsa, Narottama, Śyāmānanda and ten well-armed foot-soldiers to Bengal. The books arrived safely in Bengal, but when they finally reached the Viṣṇupura Forest, they were stolen by some followers of the local king named Vīrahāmbīra. A thief by nature, he thought perhaps the boxes were filled with jewels, so he ordered his men to steal them in the dead of night. When Śrīnivāsa, Narottama and Śyāmānanda awoke and discovered the books were missing, they fell to the ground and began to cry. Finally, a divine voice said, “You will get the books from the king of Viṣṇupura.” Meanwhile, when King Vīrahāmbīra saw the boxes of books, his mind and heart became purified. After opening the box in solitude, he was filled with remorse simply by seeing the contents, and he longed to meet someone who could teach him about these books. Śrī Gaurasundara consoled the king in a dream. Śrīnivāsācārya Prabhu gave his blessings to Śrī Kṛṣṇavallabha of the Viṣṇupura Forest and arrived with him at the king’s court. When King Vīrahāmbīra heard Śrīla Ācārya Prabhu’s wonderful explanation of the Bhramara-Gītā (Song of the Bee), he was captivated and offered himself at Prabhu’s lotus feet. Śrī Ācārya Prabhu accepted the king as his student, then took the precious books on to Yājigrāma. All the news about what had happened was sent to Śrī Vṛndāvana.
After Seeing Bengal and Orissa, Narottama Arrives in Kheturī
Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya circumambulated and took darśana of the Navadvīpa area, which was the site of many of Śrī Gaura’s pastimes with his companions. He also visited those companions of Śrī Gaura who were still present there at the time. After visiting Śrī Nīlācala Jagannātha Purī and seeing the places of Śrī Gaurāṅga’s pastimes with his companions there, Narottama then continued on to Kheturī.
At the return of Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, an embodiment of prema, Śrīpāṭha Kheturī resounded with the sweet and exalted sounds of saṅkīrtana accompanied by mṛdaṅgas and karatālas. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya introduced the rāga named garāṇahāṭī. He composed new songs for saṅkīrtana, with new rāgas and rāgiṇīs expressing the new mood called unmādana. A flood of one amazingly sweet rasa flowed through the waves of notes in his mellifluous voice, more beautiful than a Gandharva’s. It was as though he had become the embodiment of śrī-śrī-gaura-kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana-rasa. The poet Śrīla Govindadāsa Kavirāja Mahāśaya, a contemporary of Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, sang the following:
jaya re jaya re jaya, ṭhākura narottama, prema-bhakati-mahārāja |
yākara mantrī, abhinna kalebara, rāmacandra kabirāja ||
prema-mukuṭa-maṇi, bhūṣaṇa bhābābali, aṅgahi aṅga birāja |
nṛpa-āsana, kheturī māha baiṭhata, saṅgahi bhakata samāja ||
sanātana-rūpa-kṛta, grantha bhāgabata, anudina karata bicāra |
rādhā-mādhaba, yugala-ujjvala-rasa, paramānanda sukha-sāra ||
“Victory, victory to Ṭhākura Narottama, the great king of prema-bhakti, whose minister was his dear friend Rāmacandra Kavirāja. His crown jewel was prema; his ornaments, the ecstatic symptoms appearing on his limbs. His throne was Kheturī, where he held court with the community of bhaktas. Every day, they would discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the books composed by Śrī Sanātana and Śrī Rūpa. They would discuss Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and their yugala-ujjvala-rasa, the essence of transcendental joy and happiness.”
śrī-saṅkīrtana-biṣaya-rase unamata, dharmādharma nāhi jāna |
yoga-dāna-brata, -ādi bhaye bhāgata, royata karama geyāna ||
bhāgabata śāstra-gaṇa, yo dei bhakati dhana, tāka gauraba karu āpa |
sāṅkhya-mīmāṁsaka, tarkādika yata, kampita dekhi paratāpa ||
abhakata caura, dūrahiṅ bhāgi raha, niyaḍe nāhi parakāśa |
dīna hīna jane, deyala bhakati dhane, bañcita gobinda dāsa ||
“Intoxicated by the nectar of saṅkīrtana, he could not distinguish dharma from adharma. Yoga, charity, vows and so on would flee in fear; karma and jñāna would weep. He honored Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other śāstras that bestow the treasure of bhakti. Sāṅkhya, mīmāṁsā and logic trembled upon seeing his power. The thief-like non-devotees stayed far away from him. To the poor and lowly he gave the great fortune of bhakti; only Govinda Dāsa has been deprived.”
The Kheturī Festival and Installation of Six Deities
Before Narottama left Vṛndāvana, Śrī Lokanātha Gosvāmipāda instructed him to propagate Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana in Bengal, establish śrī-vigraha-sevā (deity worship) and serve the Vaiṣṇavas. Following his gurudeva’s instructions, Narottama arrived in Kheturī and began to think of how he could inaugurate the deity sevā. Śrī Gaurasundara appeared in Narottama’s dream and said, “I previously assumed a metal deity form and have been waiting in the rice granary of a gṛhastha named Śrī Vipra Dāsa, always looking in the direction of your path. Due to the fear of snakes, no one can go there, so take me somewhere else and perform the sevā.” After saying this, he ordered Narottama to have five more deities made and to establish their sevās. Then he embraced Ṭhākura Mahāśaya and disappeared.
Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya awoke and spent the rest of the night chanting harināma in joyful love. At daybreak, he performed his morning duties and then led everyone to the rice granary. When Ṭhākura Mahāśaya arrived, all the snakes disappeared. He opened the door of the granary and, seeing Śrī Prabhu, he extended his hands. The deities of Śrī Gaurasundara and his beloved Viṣṇupriyā rushed to Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s chest with the speed of lightning. After arriving at his home, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya sat Śrī Gaurasundara and his Priyājī on their throne. He began to sing the beautiful new songs he had composed about Śrī Gaura’s qualities. In accord with Śrī Gaurasundara’s order, the day of installation for the six deities and their consorts was set for the full moon day of Phālguna. This event, known as the great festival of Kheturī, is famous, unprecedented and unique in history. From the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Phālguna (February-March), the four directions resounded with congregational singing to invoke auspiciousness for the festival. With the cordial invitation from Śrīnivāsācārya and Śrīla Narottama, the companions of Śrī Gaura, Śrī Nityānanda and Śrī Advaita who were in Bengal at the time participated in the great festival along with all the other Vaiṣṇavas. This is known from the books Śrī-Bhakti-Ratnākara and Śrī-Narottama-Vilāsa.
On the adhivāsa day of the festival, meaning the day before the full moon, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu’s consort Śrī Jāhnavā Mātā Ṭhākurāṇī made her auspicious arrival in Kheturī. The devotees performed śrī-khola-maṅgala and a wonderful kīrtana in allegiance to her. Following the order of Śrī Jāhnavā Mātā and the injunctions in the Gosvāmīs’ śāstras, Śrīnivāsācārya Prabhu completed the great abhiṣeka of the six deities on the full-moon day of Phālguna. Śrīman Mahāprabhu had informed him in a dream of each deity’s name, made known to all at the time of abhiṣeka: Śrī Gaurāṅga, Śrī Vallabhī-Kānta, Śrī Vraja-Mohana, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Rādhā-Kānta and Śrī Rādhā-Ramaṇa.
After the abhiṣeka, the six deities and their consorts were decorated with various kinds of clothing and ornaments and then placed upon a throne. After that, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya adorned the assembled companions of Śrī Gaura with prasādī garlands, sandalwood paste and so on. With unanimous approval, he then began a great saṅkīrtana of the songs he had composed. He rained down a shower of saṅkīrtana nectar by singing beautiful rāgas and rāgiṇīs along with Devīdāsa, Gokula, Gaurāṅga, Govinda and others. Everyone’s heart and mind were bathed in that flood of rasa. Śrī Gaurāṅga Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa, Gadādhara and their companions all manifested before the devotees’ eyes and began to dance. Everyone’s heart and mind were submerged in the ocean of prema-rasa. Then, when Śrīman Mahāprabhu and his associates disappeared, all the devotees fell to the ground crying and began to swoon. After regaining consciousness, Śrīnivāsācārya Prabhu, Śrī Narottama and Śrī Śyāmānanda spent the day singing holī-līlā songs and throwing red powders with everyone. In the evening, they performed the abhiṣeka ceremony to celebrate Śrī Gaurāṅga’s advent. After passing the night in ecstatic saṅkīrtana, the next day Śrī Jāhnavā Mātā personally cooked a wonderful feast, offered it to the deities and then distributed the prasāda to all the Vaiṣṇavas. The following day, they celebrated the great festival at the home of every mahānta and distributed prasāda to all, high and low. All the expenses for the festival were covered by Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s cousin and disciple, the prince Śrīla Santoṣa Datta Mahāśaya. When the festival was over, all the mahāntas bade farewell. Mātā Śrī Jāhnavā Ṭhākurāṇī consoled Śrīnivāsa, Narottama and the others and then left for Śrī Vṛndāvana. Śrīla Rāmacandra Kavirāja, a disciple of Śrīnivāsācārya, was one at heart with Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya. When Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya felt anxious due to separation from the great devotees, Rāmacandra helped him to remain calm.
Propagating Bhakti and Feeling Separation
Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya rescued many atheists and heretics. After seeing his uncommon scholarship and the physical expressions of his extraordinary prema-bhakti, and after hearing his sweet love-inspiring kīrtanas, many princes, kings, brāhmaṇas and paṇḍitas abandoned their egotism regarding wealth, followers, aristocracy and so on and became Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s disciples.
One day, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya and Śrī Rāmacandra Kavirāja went to bathe, and during that time, two brothers named Śrī Harirāma Ācārya and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Ācārya arrived there. The two brāhmaṇas were captivated by their conversation with Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya and Śrī Rāmacandra Kavirāja and offered themselves at their lotus feet. Considering the brothers to be eligible for śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana, they finished their baths and went home, where Śrī Rāmacandra Kavirāja initiated Harirāma Ācārya and Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya initiated Rāmakṛṣṇa Ācārya. They were both then taught the doctrines of bhakti.
When Śrī Gāmbhīlā resident Paṇḍita Śrī Gaṅgānārāyaṇa Cakravartī witnessed the scholarship and extraordinary divine power of Śrī Harirāma and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, he offered himself at Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s lotus feet. After Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, an embodiment of prema, gave initiation to Śrī Gaṅgānārāyaṇa and imparted divine power to him, he offered him at the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. By obtaining Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s mercy, he became rich with the treasure of bhakti, and by studying the books of the Gosvāmīs, he became a great scholar.
Because Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya had accepted brāhmaṇa disciples, Śākta King Narasiṁha Rāya of Pakvapallī (Pāikapāḍā), Rūpacānda and many other brāhmaṇa-paṇḍitas came to argue against it, but were defeated by Śrī Rāmacandra Kavirāja and Śrī Gaṅgānārāyaṇa Cakravartī. Meanwhile, Devī Bhagavatī appeared to the offender King Narasiṁha in a dream, threatened him with sword in hand and ordered him to take shelter of Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura’s lotus feet. The king and the brāhmaṇa-paṇḍitas did so and were blessed with initiation, instructions and so on.
After this, when Śrīnivāsācārya Prabhu took his disciple Rāmacandra Kavirāja to Vṛndāvana, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s viraha (pain of separation) increased. Falling to the ground, he wept day and night in his place of bhajana, known as Prema-Sthalī. A few days later, he went with his disciples to the home of Śrī Gaṅgānārāyaṇa in Gāmbhīlā, intending to bathe in the Gaṅgā. Suddenly, a fever developed in his body. After directing his disciples to construct a funeral pyre, he entered samādhi. His disciples became greatly distressed. Following Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s order, after three days in that condition, they decorated him with flowers offered to Bhagavān and placed him on the pyre. Seeing this, some brāhmaṇa-paṇḍitas said, “Because of his sin of accepting brāhmaṇa disciples though being himself a śūdra, Narottama has lost his speech and died.” They also began to criticize Gaṅgānārāyaṇa in various ways. In order to wash away the mud of the brāhmaṇas’ great offense and deliver them, the most compassionate Gaṅgānārāyaṇa Cakravartī Mahāśaya pleaded with folded hands at Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s lotus feet. “O Master! Please show your compassion to these wicked people and rescue them; otherwise they will fall into a horrible hell.” Hearing the plaintive prayer of his bhakta, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya began to utter the names śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya and śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa. A divine luster as bright as the sun arose from him and he got up from the pyre. After seeing this astonishing incident, everyone began to call out hari hari and the gods showered flowers. The offending brāhmaṇas began to tremble in fear because of their offenses. Striking their heads repeatedly with their hands, they fell at Śrī Gaṅgānārāyaṇa’s feet. In response to Gaṅgānārāyaṇa’s request, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya embraced the brāhmaṇas and gave them the precious gem of bhakti. He instructed them to learn the bhakti-śāstras from Gaṅgānārāyaṇa and then returned to Kheturī.
After arriving in Kheturī, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s fire of separation from Śrī Gaurāṅga and Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa was blazing. He continuously discussed topics about Kṛṣṇa in the association of rasika-bhaktas and would frequently cry out “O Kṛṣṇa Caitanya! O Rādhe Kṛṣṇa!” and roll on the ground wailing. Within his songs and poems he revealed the emotions of his heart, the crying, the intense humility and longing. These exist in the world as the songbooks Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Prārthanā. Such heartfelt words are so sweet and touching because they are born of a great soul’s sorrow in separation from Bhagavān.
His Entrance into Eternal Līlā
Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s viraha-bhāva began to gradually increase. The bhaktas became anxious, fearing he would soon end his manifest pastimes. After visiting Śrī Gaurāṅga’s courtyard, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya and the bhaktas led by Śrī Govinda then traveled anxiously to Budharī Grāma. There, he passed his days and nights engaged in śrī-nāma-saṅkīrtana and teaching everyone about bhakti. Then he went to the bank of the Gaṅgā at Gāmbhīlā. After bathing in the Gaṅgā, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya sat in the water near the shore and directed Rāmakṛṣṇa Ācārya and Gaṅgānārāyaṇa Cakravartī to rub his limbs. When both merely touched Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s prema-filled body, it merged like milk with the Gaṅgā water born of Śrī Viṣṇu’s lotus feet. Everyone was astonished to see Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya end his manifest pastimes in such an unimaginable way. Even the stones melted when he disappeared. A cry of hari hari resounded in all directions. The gods began to shower flowers from the heavens.
mūrtaiva bhaktiḥ kim ayaṁ kim eṣa
vairāgya-sāras-tanumān nṛloke |
sambhāvyate yaḥ kṛtibhiḥ sadaiva
tasmai namaḥ śrīla narottamāya ||
“I bow to Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura. The learned always ponder whether he is an embodiment of devotion or an embodiment of renunciation in this world.”*
*From Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda’s Narottama Prabhor Aṣṭakam
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