The Biography of HDG Srila Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, Part 10

BY: SUN STAFF - 6.5 2025

Sri Srimad Paramahamsa 108 Srila Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji
Aurangzeb's Idgah at Mathura, built on the site of
Keshava Deva temple, on the banks of the Yamuna Sita Ram, c. 1815

A serial presentation of the life and pastimes of our illustrious Sampradaya Acaraya.

The Offenses for Imitating a Vaisnava

Those who engaged in any type of deceptive activity in the presence of Srila Gaurakisora, or who were attached to the sense objects or others engaged in illicit sex, became degraded due to their offenses. Offenses committed to the holy name and the Vaisnavas often devastates the practitioner.

Srila Gaurakisora and Manindra Candra

Once the renowned and aristocratic Sri Manindra Candra Nandi, who was a great landholder, invited Srila Gaurakisora and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura to join in an assembly of Vaisnavas at his palace in Kasim Bazaar. He knew that Srila Gaurakisora and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta were highly elevated devotees of the Supreme Lord.

Upon hearing the request of Mr. Nandi, Srila Gaurakisora tender heartedly said, "If you want my association, then you must put all of your wealth in the hands of the rent collector and come and live with me. You should build a bhajana kutira here on the banks of the Ganges and we shall live together. There is no need for you to worry about what foodstuffs you will eat. I will daily collect whatever you need when I bed and feed you myself. Then, I will always be impelled to visit your place of solitary worship. But if I agree to accept your invitation and leave the transcendental abode of the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and come to your castle, which is as good as Lord Indra's, then after some time, I will begin to think that I should also amass a great amount of land. The result of all this will be that the desire for sense gratification will enter my heart and replace my worship to Lord Krsna. After amassing large amounts of land, I will become an object of your envy. If you want to become very dear to me, and really bestow your mercy upon me, like a Vaisnava friend, come here to the spiritual world of Visvambara, Lord Caitanya, and maintain yourself by the activity of begging so you can always perform solitary adoration to Lord Hari."

Secretly Enjoying

Srila Gaurakisora, totally disgusted with the background character of one highly renounced and learned renunciate that lived in Kuliya, Navadvipa, cast aside his simple loincloth one day, and shaving his beard in a fashionable style, dressed himself in the most elegant dhoti and shawl money could buy. Wrapping the fine chaddar around his shoulders, he went to garden svananda-sukhada-kunja, the place where Bhaktivinoda Thakura resided. When he arrived before Srila Bhaktivinoda, he asked Srila Gaurakisora why he was wearing such opulent clothing. In answer, Srila Gaurakisora said, 'We have accepted the renounced dress as followers of Lord Caitanya so there is no restriction to secretly enjoying connection with others' wives. Therefore the renounced dress is actually in our favor for engaging in illicit sex. But if I accept the dress like that of sensuous women's husband, I can eventually become freed from the hands of insincerity." In this way Srila Gaurakisora cleverly took the role of a hypocrite, in order to criticize the disciplic successions of show bottle religionists who are devoid of all moral principles in their behavior.

Offenses Unto The Spiritual Master

There was once a devotee named Parvat who spent some time in Mayapura. He would often come from Sri Mayapura to visit Srila Gaurakisora in Kuliya. Once when collecting alone, he came to Srila Gaurakisora. Babaji Maharaja asked him about the news of Sri Mayapura Dhama. Parvat replied, "I will never return to Mayapura because Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and others like him, are all residents of Vaikuntha. Their prevailing attitude of worship is in opulence. We are strict worshipers of Lord Krsna in the mood of Vrndavana. We have no need to associate with them." Hearing this, Srila Gaurakisora became very much disturbed, and said, "If a parrot tries to cross over the expansive ocean, he becomes an object of laughter. If you actually want to live, then offenselessly with humility and tolerance at hand always chant the pure name of Krsna day and night. First of all give up all of your offenses to the devotees of the Lord. How is it possible for you to understand the message of Vraja-dhama, while you are living in hell? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati resides in Vaikuntha, as well as Vrndavana. The witch of maya is harnessed and riding upon your shoulders. How is it that someone like you can understand the activities of person like Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, and his pastimes of residing in Vrndavana dhama?'

Then Parvat said, "I would like to remain with you in Navadvipa Dhama." Srila Gaurakisora said, "You cannot remain here in Navadvipa Dhama, because of your offenses to the lotus feet of the Vaisnavas. It is impossible for anyone who offends the Lord's devotees to remain in Navadvipa Dhama. You have offended the lotus feet of Yoga Pitha (the birthplace of Lord Caitanya) in Sri Mayapura Dhama. It is inevitable that you will take the lowest kind of birth. I am also in Mayapura, and simultaneously in Navadvipa. Whoever shows any form of dislike towards Sri Mayapura Dhama will never be able to reside in Navadvipa. Sri Mayapura Dhama is where the son of Sacidevi has taken birth. It is completely transcendental in nature. It is very wonderful how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura set the exemplary standard of bhajana to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Mayapura Dhama! Yet you have not obtained the spiritual vision to see that. You have offended one devotee of the Lord, and yet you deceitfully come to another devotee praying for causeless mercy."

Following this, Parvat fell into association with loose women and irreligious persons. In the guise of a beggar, he would have illicit sex with the wives of others. This is the clear result of an offense to the lotus feet of the pure devotee.

A Lusty Person's Vision

One dear associate of Srila Gaurakisora named Mr. Pari came to see Srila Gaurakisora to complain about a great devotee. He said, "That person who you accept as an exalted devotee and who you address as "Prabhu" is exhibiting symptoms of attachment to sense gratification. Most probably he will become deeply absorbed and entangled in wordly sense enjoyment." Hearing this, Srila Gaurakisora remained silent, couched in deep gravity. Mr. Pari who was sitting before him, became very afraid to see his condition. Immediately they drove Mr. Pari away from Srila Gaurakisora place of bhajana. On that day Srila Gaurakisora showed by his practical example the instruction of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura which states, Vaisnava caritra, sarvada pavitrta, yei ninde himsa kari, bhativinoda na sambhase tare thake sada mauna dhari.

After that person had left, Srila Gaurakisora still shaking from anger said, "That atheistic person is under the dictations of his own sense gratification. Therefore, he is saddling his own impediments upon the shoulders of the exalted devotees. Devotees of the Lord are never lusty to obtain anything which is unrelated to Lord Krsna. Even if someone is only slightly attached to material sense gratification, it is impossible for pure love of God to manifest in his heart. When a person is deeply attached to everything in relation to Lord Krsna he can purely understand the nature of love of God. Only a devotee deeply attached to Srimati Radharani and Lord Krsna in pure love will naturally manifest symptoms of profound attachment in favorable service towards the Lord and His devotees. The actual devotees of the Lord only serve in a favorable way and never become overly attached to their own sense gratification or that of their relatives. Renunciationists and exploitationists think that the exalted devotees are more attached than the materialists when they see them engaging favorable articles in the Lord's service. Someone who claims to be renounced, but has no attachment to engaging things which can be used in Krsna's service, is simply an imposter. One should give up contact with anyone who offends the devotees of the Lord, even if the offender is a very dear associate. Therefore, I shall never again look upon the face of that atheistic person who has commited this great offense."

Attachment of the Pure Devotee

Once, a householder came to Srila Gaurakisora and offered him a very expensive shawl. Srila Babaji Maharaja accepted the shawl, and very carefully placed it to his side. After accepting it, he began to praise the person who had given it. Then another householder devotee came and offered Srila Gaurakisora some money. Babaji Maharaja very carefully opened his hand and accepted the money placing it next to him. He then carefully wrapped the money in string, tying the string securely, four or five times. After setting the money aside, Srila Gaurakisora would periodically place his hand to his side to see if the money was properly situated there. At this time there was one very wealthy materialist from Calcutta who noticed this. Upon seeing this, he lost whatever faith he had in Srila Gaurakisora.

Srila Gaurakisora, after some time gave the shawl and money to some other Vaisnavas for their service. Later when that materialistic person visited Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in Calcutta, he said, "I went to see Srila Gaurakisora, but I saw that he was very much attached when a person gave him a shawl and some money. He also highly praised the persons who presented these things. What is his level of advancement? I cannot understand this." Upon hearing this from such a materialistic person, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said, "You have deceived yourself. What you have seen is simply a pastime. Actually the devotees are never attached to anything which cannot be used in the service of the Lord. They may show great attachment to different things, but only for service to the Lord. Just consider how we view attachment to our material sense pleasure. One who is greatly attached to amassing wealth, and extremely foolish, will think that Srila Gaurakisora is attached to wealth. Srila Gaurakisora shows his favor toward persons who enable favorable service to the devotees to be carried out. However we praise persons those who regularly supply our physical pleasure. Those who are extremely lusty, always see the material world through their perverted vision. Similarly exploitationists and renunciationists think that the attachment shown by the Lord's devotees for those things they require for their service to the Supreme Lord Krsna, is on the same platform as ordinary worldly attachment."