Divine Madness

The Life of Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja

by Satyarāja Dāsa

namo gaura-kiśorāya sākṣād-vairāgya-mūrtaye vipralambha-rasāmbhode pādāmbujāya te namaḥ

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, who is renunciation personified. He is always merged in a feeling of separation and intense love of Kṛṣṅa.”

HIS DIVINE GRACE A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the founder-ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, comes in a long line of spiritual teachers. While all of these masters lived extraordinary lives, the most unconventional is probably that of Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, the spiritual master of Prabhupāda's teacher, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.

Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī appeared in the early 1830s in the village of Vagyana, Faridapura district, East Bengal (currently Bangladesh).* The son of a merchant, young Vaṁśidāsa (later Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja) married early and lived a conventional life for more than twenty years, working as a grain broker. But as time passed he found himself looking for something more in life, and his passion for spiritual truth increased each year.

After his wife passed away, Vaṁśidāsa left his business and went to Vṛndāvana, the land of Lord Kṛṣṅa. Here he hoped to find spiritual fulfillment under the tutelage of great religious masters. He soon found himself studying under various selfrealized souls and developing a deep appreciation for Gauḍīya Vaiṣṅava siddhānta, or Kṛṣṅa conscious philosophical truths as presented by Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He gradually became known as a prominent practitioner, for he uncompromisingly lived according to Vaiṣṅava teachings.

After some years of intense practice, Vaṁśidāsa approached Śrīla Bhāgavata Dāsa Bābājī, one of the foremost disciples of Śrīla Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja—the leading Kṛṣṅa conscious teacher of his time—and accepted from him the exalted initiation of Vaiṣṅava Bābājī. This initiation demanded total commitment to high standards of renunciation and austerity, with the singular goal of developing love of God.

Excelling in this practice, Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja became completely renounced, residing under trees in diverse parts of the Vṛndāvana landscape and depending on God alone for his sustenance.

Living in Vṛndāvana for some thirty years as a wandering ascetic, he left only to travel periodically to other holy places in northern and western India. He also regularly made pilgrimage to Gaura-maṅḍala (the area of Navadvipa, West Bengal), where Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the dual incarnation of Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa, exhibited His earthly manifestation some five hundred years ago. When visiting Jagannatha Puri, in Orissa, Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī associated with Śrīla Svarūpa Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, a renowned devotee who exhibited symptoms of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṅa. Śrīla Svarūpa Dāsa Bābājī’s activities were recounted in the autobiography of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, whom Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī also met during his travels to east India. He developed a deep and abiding relationship with Bhaktivinoda, whom he saw as his guru.

Spiritual Perfection

Śrīla Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī became famous among the great devotees of Vṛndāvana and was awarded the exalted title Bhajanānandī, which refers to one who has achieved ultimate bliss and accomplishment in solitary meditation.

While Śrīla Gaura-kiśora clearly deserved such an honor, others at that time engaged in solitary “meditation” merely to avoid being identified as the frauds they were. To check such deception and insincerity, great teachers recommended the path of the Goṣṭhyānandī: congregational chanting and preaching, or sharing one’s spiritual life with others.

Śrīla Gaura-kiśora spoke out strongly against pseudo-renunciants, or less qualified “Bhajanānandīs.” He was entirely removed from cheating inclinations and performed his pure devotional practices alone, in a profound mood of devotional ecstasy. His integrity was unassailable.

In 1897, when he was in his sixties, Śrīla Gaura-kiśora moved to Navadvipa, relishing its spiritual identity with Kṛṣṅa's holy land. In Navadvipa as in Vṛndāvana, he lived by begging alms from householders. For cooking, he collected dry wood from the roadside, and for drinking and washing, he used earthen pots discarded by villagers near the river Ganges. To clothe himself he went to the shore of the holy river to collect and wash discarded cloth that had been used to cover corpses at the burning ghat. As his biographer Haridāsa Dāsa says, “It was him and God. And little else.”

Śrīla Gaura-kiśora exhibited the highest standard of devotion to God, Kṛṣṅa, and because of his exemplary character he was recognized as the greatest among the greatest devotees. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, his only disciple, has written:

Many learned and educated persons came into contact with Śrīla Gaura-kiśora Prabhu, yet they could not realize his true identity. This is indeed the mystic opulence of the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṅa. Only they can recognize true devotion. Many people came to consult with Śrīla Gaura-kiśora Prabhu about their insignificant, worldly desires. He would always try to help them, but his suggestions were usually the cause of their disappointment, for he was relentless in his attempt to get them to go further, to transcend their attached and compromised level of existence. Many, too, accepted the Bābājī dress and acted as devotees of the Lord, but actually they were imposters, far away from being real sadhus. Śrīla Gaura-kiśora never accepted such a false way of life; his sincerity was apparent in itself. His loving attitude was such that even when he obtained a very opulent offering, his renunciation predominated. He preferred a simple life in connection with God. Śrīla Gaura-kiśora was equal to all. He never displayed any distaste for those persons who were inimical to him, nor did he manifest any special affection for those very dear to him. He often said, “In this material world I am all alone in my service to Lord Kṛṣṅa. Still, I offer all respects to others—everyone is worshipable by me.”

In 1908, Śrīla Gaura-kiśora lost his physical vision. When his eyesight started deteriorating, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī requested him to go to Calcutta for treatment. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, too, for the same reason, repeatedly asked him to go there. But he was uninterested. “As long as I can see Kṛṣṅa in my heart of hearts, I do not need an eye doctor.”

The Joy Of Raw Eggplant

Bābājī Mahārāja became renowned as the brightest gem among spiritual practitioners, but it was not always easy to understand his actions. He sometimes wore his begging bowl as a hat, worshiped in an outhouse, and beat with an umbrella those who wanted initiation from him. (In his humility, he could not entertain requests to be anyone’s spiritual authority.) He often roamed about naked or with his loincloth half tied.

His behavior was considered especially unusual in Navadvipa, where many conservative priests and intellectuals resided at the time. His state of love of God bordered on divine madness, and yet his ecstatic symptoms could be corroborated by Vaiṣṅava scriptures. Learned authorities were able to ascertain that his seemingly eccentric behavior was in fact symptoms of the highest stage of love of God.

Sometimes, while in these exalted states, Bābājī Mahārāja found distasteful foods to be just like nectar. Oblivious to the external world, he would offer such food to Kṛṣṅa and then relish the remnants. For example, he would eat raw rice or other grains lightly soaked in water or in Ganges mud.

One day he picked up an unripe eggplant from the market and sat down at the base of a jhao tree at Baganbari. He cut the eggplant into pieces and dipped them into Ganges water and put a tulasī leaf on them. He offered them to his īṣadevata [personal deity] and sang a song of offering: Bhaja Patita Uddharaṅa, Śrī Gaura Hari—“O Lord Caitanya, please accept the worship of this fallen soul.” He then said to his Deity, “I don’t know the right method of cooking this, but please eat a little of this food.” As soon as he said this, his voice became choked, and his body turned bright red and began to swell, while tears flowed from his eyes in streams, soaking his face and chest. Seeing these signs of love, Lalitā-dīdī [a close friend] was amazed. When the transcendental emotions subsided nearly an hour later, he again sang a song. Putting his deity to sleep, he ate the unripe eggplant. His face showed expressions of great pleasure and happiness, more intense than one would make if tasting pañcāmṛta [a sweet drink, considered a delicacy].”

—From Śrī Śrī Gauḍīya Vaiṣṅava Jīvana, by Haridāsa Dāsa

Śrīla Gaura-kiśora would dance along the roadside, calling out, “Jaya Rādhe!” (“All glories to Rādhā, Kṛṣṅa's beloved.”), and the local people would think he was mad. The religious experts knew better, though. Little boys would run along behind him, and he would play with them. When he saw a boy who had a dark complexion, he would think of him as Kṛṣṅa, and a light-skinned boy would become Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

He often fell into trances, madly calling out the names of Kṛṣṅa with great love. Once, he shouted, “Ha Kṛṣṅa Caitanya! Ha Kṛṣṅa Caitanya!” over and over. Vaiṣṅavas in the vicinity heard him screaming these words hour after hour. They thought that unless they could change his mood, or otherwise stop him from shouting these divine names, he would hurt himself—his throat would become torn and bloody. Several of the assembled devotees shouted names of God that reflected other aspects of His divine nature. This distracted Śrīla Gaura-kiśora, changing his spiritual mood, and his screaming subsided.

At times Bābājī Mahārāja would worship with Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura at the birthplace of Lord Caitanya, which had recently been discovered by Bhaktivinoda and restored with images of Lord Caitanya and his wife Viṣṅupriyā. The two unparalleled devotees would sing and dance before these deities, and their bodies would undergo the eight sāttvika bhāvas, or the ecstatic symptoms outlined in scripture that appear only in the most accomplished devotees.

A Word Of Caution

Like Kṛṣṅa's gopīs (cowherd girlfriends) and other supremely advanced devotees, Śrīla Gaura-kiśora had inborn devotional love, and its spontaneous nature was shown in his aśāstriya behavior—behavior that goes beyond scriptures or ordinary conventions. In his own life, he disregarded many Vaiṣṅava rules about purity and proper worship techniques. And yet he strongly recommended pure behavior and standard techniques for others. How might this be understood?

Śrīla Gaura-kiśora was clearly not ordinary. For most people, standard religious rules and regulations serve a purpose, gradually bringing one to transcendence and heartfelt spontaneity. At this point, one can rise beyond conventions and the constrictions of neophyte practice. But unless one is totally absorbed in the Absolute—and this is exceedingly rare—one must assume that one’s own spiritual level is still wanting, only to be enhanced by the instructions of a self-realized soul and by constant practice.

Śrīla Gaura-kiśora constantly meditated on Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa in the mood of divine love, and this of course is what distinguished him from ordinary souls. Consequently, while Śrīla Gaura-kiśora should most definitely be appreciated, he should not be emulated. Unless one is on a spiritually advanced platform, one should not attempt to act like Bābājī Mahārāja. Unless one reaches his level of spiritual absorption, one should not reach for an unripe eggplant. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 7.29): “There are many instances of devotional service rendered by pervious ācāryas who did not care about social behavior when intensely absorbed in love for Kṛṣṅa. Unfortunately, as long as we are within this material world, we must observe social customs to avoid criticism by the general populace. This is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s desire.”

Vaiṣṅava tradition asserts that practitioners should follow the example of Śrīla Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī’s essential Kṛṣṅa consciousness and not the particulars of his approach. In other words, he should be followed but not imitated. The distinction between following and imitating is brought out by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, who uses the Sanskrit terms anukārinī (“one who imitates”) and anusārinī (“one who follows”). In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.294–296) he asks practitioners to follow the essential example of the great souls and not imitate their external behavior. This instruction certainly applies to how we should respond to the behavior of Bābājī Mahārāja.

The Final Instruction

One day at sunrise, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta left Navadvipa for the nearby mud hut where Śrīla Gaura-kiśora was staying. He knew that his master would soon depart. That day, November 16, 1915, Śrīla Gaura-kiśora entered the eternal pastimes of the Lord.

The head priests of Navadvipa’s temples and ashrams argued among themselves about where Śrīla Gaura-kiśora’s remains would be interred. There was an ulterior motive behind the dispute: the contending parties felt that establishing Śrīla Gaura-kiśora’s tomb at their particular ashram or temple would popularize it and thus put them in a position to earn considerable money from tourists. But Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta, Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Bābājī’s only disciple, opposed their illegitimate attempts, and in his outspoken way exposed their materialistic intentions.

Still, they challenged him in a public debate, claiming that they were advanced sannyāsīs while Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī was still only a young man. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta replied in a voice like thunder:

I am the sole disciple of Paramahaṁsa Bābājī Mahārāja. Even though I have not yet accepted sannyāsa, I am a celibate brahmacārī, and by the grace of Bābājī Mahārāja I am not a hypocritical renunciant secretly addicted to abominable habits, as most of you are. If there is someone here who is a renunciant of truly stainless character, then he can come forward and arrange for the much desired tomb. I have no objection to that. Anyone who within the last one year, or six months, three months, one month, or even three days has not indulged in illicit association with the opposite sex will be able to touch this spiritually blissful body. If anyone else touches it, he will be cursed forever.

—From Bābājī Mahārāja, by Karṅāmṛta Dāsa Adhikārī

The police commissioner had come to the debate expecting a riot. When he heard Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta’s words, he asked, “How will the evidence for this be produced?”

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta replied, “I will take them at their word.”

Sensing Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s seriousness and strength of purpose, the pseudo spiritualists backed off. One by one they slowly turned and walked away in defeat. The police commissioner was dumbfounded.

On the following day, November 17, 1915, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī laid the body of his guru to rest on a newly formed sandbar of the Ganges at Kuliya-gram. The spot was near a place where Śrīla Gaura-kiśora loved to chant the names of Kṛṣṅa. Śrīla Gaura-kiśora had reached the highest levels of love of God, and his disciple, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, vowed to give his disciples that same love. One disciple in particular, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, imbibed this love with full enthusiasm and continues to distribute it throughout the world through his International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Satyarāja Dāsa is a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda and a regular contributor to Back to Godhead. He has written several books on Kṛṣṅa consciousness, the latest of which is Gita on the Green: The Mystical Tradition Behind Bagger Vance. He and his wife live near New York City.