Topic: Biography

In 1871 a self-styled avatāra was deceiving the people of Orissa — until the Deputy Magistrate of Jagannātha Purī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, brought him to justice. First published in 1897, this account by his associate Śrī Nitya Sakha Mukhopadhyāya is the most detailed telling of that famous episode.

What was it like to keep the company of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura? Śrī Paramānanda Vidyāratna Prabhu — one of the first disciples of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī — recalls his personal association with the Ṭhākura in these remembrances drawn from the 19th and 21st chapters of Sarasvatī Jayaśrī (1935).

A devoted disciple recounts the last time she beheld her spiritual master. First published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī in 1918, this tender article recalls a final darśana of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura at Godrumadvīpa, with reflections on his unique contributions.

From a first meeting to initiation and the blessings of Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī — a direct disciple of the Ṭhākura shares his intimate remembrances of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, drawn from chapters 25 and 26 of Sarasvatī Jayaśrī.

When Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura departed this world, his samādhi ceremony was observed with deep solemnity. Published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 18, Issue 1, this eyewitness account preserves that sacred occasion and the mood of separation among the assembled devotees.

The final hours of a great ācārya's life on earth. Excerpted from Chapter 4 of the biography Param-Gurudeva Prabhupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, this brief and moving account describes the last moments of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura before his departure.

Should one constantly chant or just do service? This eternal question on the lips of every sādhaka is answered by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda in this instructive pastime concerning some errant disciples of Jagannātha Dāsa Bābāji and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. This article is extracted from the hari-kathā of Sarasvatī Ṭhākura originally spoken at Śrī Caitanya Maṭha on the evening of December 21st, 1927.

The life of one of the foremost ācāryas of the modern Gauḍīya line, told in brief. Drawn from the book Śrī Caitanya – His Life and Associates, this concise biography surveys the contribution of Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.