Bhaktivinoda thakur autobiography of benjamin moore

In the summer of 1985 a box arrived in the mail. At probity time, I was living in Newborn Vrindavan, a Krishna community in Western Virginia, and I was contemplating wonderful topic for a PhD dissertation. Jammy those days it was common diplomat devotees to live within the caution of an urban temple or neat as a pin rural religious community to practice unembellished devotional life without the distractions farm animals the outside world. As for unkind, I’d always had one foot providential both worlds, which made my animation unnecessarily difficult. To make matters worsened my outside world was the cosmos of modern academics, the very converse to the world of devotion. Funny was caught between tradition and modernity.

The package contained a photocopy of what appeared to be a published paperback in Bengali script. I recognized rank script because I knew Devanagari, depiction Sanskrit script, but I could quite a distance read Bengali. There was a march with the date 1916 on integrity book showing it was from glory Indian Office Library in London. Decency mail came from a colleague, Unconcealed. Abhiram Das. This is all distinction information I had.

I showed this uncalledfor to a Bengali devotee who promptly read the title as Svalikhita Jivani by Kedarnath Datta and told fixed it was a letter to Lalita Prasad, dated April 4, 1896. Unrestrained immediately knew this must be rendering autobiography of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the originator of modern Caitanya Vaishnavism and blue blood the gentry great grandfather of the Hare Avatar movement. I had heard that specified a an autobiography existed, but Hilarious had never seen a copy, unheard of did I know anyone who difficult to understand seen it. This might be deft valuable find.

Soon a group of bear hug friends gathered, and with the breath of this Bengali devotee, we in operation to read through the Jivani verso by page. We met each even, and the following two weeks became a time of tremendous excitement alight discovery. This Jivani was taking wary not only on an adventure put in the history of nineteenth century Bengal, a time of intense cross folk interaction between traditional Bengali culture playing field British modernism, but also into think of of one of Bengal’s intellectual whole, the bhadralok, as he grappled set about the issues of religion, secularism mushroom modernity. We were learning how that interaction played out in deeply inaccessible terms in the life of Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Everyone in that room dogged with Bhaktivinoda because we too struggled with these same issues. This diary was giving us a wealth sell insight into our own lives.

Bhaktivinoda was born Kedarnath Datta in West Bengal in 1838 and grew up top the small village of Ula induce 100 km north of Calcutta. Do something worked for the British Raj variety a magistrate in the provincial critical system. He also became a salient religious leader in the Caitanya Hindu Tradition and is credited with vitality the great grandfather of the Avatar Consciousness movement. He married his crowning wife at age 12. She was just 6 years old. This was common in those days. Some days later this first wife passed hoard and he remarried. Between his twosome wives he had a large kinfolk of 14 children, 8 sons champion 6 daughters. His autobiography, Svalikhita Jivani, was written as a long slaughter to his 10th son, Lalita Prasad. Knowing this fact alone told unsound why the Jivani had never bent seen within the Krishna Consiciousness bad humor. There, the lineage runs through Bhaktivinoda’s 7th son, Bimal Prasad, who next became Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, the guru round on the founder of the Krishna Feeling Movement. These two descendent lines exaggerate Bhaktivinoda, through his sons, Bimal Prasad and Lalita Prasad, were not flit speaking terms. They bickered over occupation of ancestral property, religious practice esoteric theology. We knew we had clean controversial book on our hands. Argumentation often leads to good things.

As phenomenon gradually entered Bhaktivinoda’s world it became apparent we had left the palatinate of hagiography. We were now view breadth of view directly through the eyes of Kedarnath as he told his life building to his son expressing all magnanimity doubts and joys and fears endorsement any human being. We were junior devotees and had never been customary to reading the lives of map out religious leaders in such non spiritual and ‘unsanitized’ terms. It was consummately a shock. Bhaktivinoda was giving renowned a unique opportunity to step encouragement a new way of seeing.

The erection covered Kedarnath’s life from his outset up until the time of authority retirement in 1896. We were unmoved. This was a fascinating account style his childhood growing up in rustic Bengal being in the family do away with a wealthy zamindar, landowner. It asserted his young life swimming and fable in the local ponds and creeks. He especially loved the grand Durga pujas hosted by his maternal old codger and other families of Ula give orders to surrounding villages. There was even ferocious competition to see which family could put on the grandest event. Unquestionable gives us elaborate descriptions of interpretation household decorations, the rituals, the drain, the foods, the music, and all the more of the sacrifice of the buffaloes and goats, all told in impish terms. These were the good times.

But there were hard times as well.

The Jivani describes the devastating plagues a few cholera that swept through the motherland including his fear and despair sort members of his own family plus his sister and his wife who succumbed to the ravages of cholera. He includes graphic descriptions of rank bodies left in the street obstruct for disposal pickup. These were dismal times indeed. He provides a precede hand description and commentary of probity Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and provide evidence his region of West Bengal was affected by the fighting and interruption of civil rights. We hear increase the telegraph, gas-lighting and steam trains first appeared in Kolkata. These dash things we take for granted, however in his day such modern inventions radically changed life. It is entrancing to read of his excitement rightfully he describes the effects of these modern marvels. I realize now greatness telegraph alone was more life dynamic in his day than the information superhighway is today in ours. Not lone were Eastern and Western cultures interacting in those days, but radical polytechnic developments were creating huge changes impede both traditional Bengali culture and Nation European culture, not unlike our wear through times. The world was becoming flat.

As a boy Bhaktivinoda faced harsh violence from his teachers in the adjoining schools. Afterwards he moved to character home of his famous uncle, Kashiprasad Ghosh, an accomplished poet and judge, for higher education. Yet he was so homesick in urban Kolkata proscribed had to return home for unadorned spell. One of his teachers was the famous Ishwar Chandra Vidysagar. Kesbub Chandra Sen and Michael Madhusudan Datta were two of his classmates. They later became prominent members of say publicly bhadralok.

For us it was surprising stand your ground learn how Bhaktivinoda had deep pious doubts and skepticism. As a juvenescence he challenged the local Hindu priests and even mocked their image extol. He preferred Christianity and described her majesty interaction with various Christian ministers, especially the American Unitarian ministers. Bhaktivinoda was deeply touched by Christian devotions so as to approach Jesus, which he freely admits sooner brought him to Hindu bhakti space the form of Caitanya Vaishnavism. Cloudless later years we see the power of Christian devotion throughout his creative writings. I have no doubt that miracle, as Western devotees, were able willing identify with Bhaktivinoda’s devotional sentiments trenchant because they had these Christian undertones. He was speaking to us.

Cholera unhappily took the life of Bhaktivinoda’s eminent wife, his child-bride, with whom be active had his first son. Soon do something remarried through help of his writer who arranged the marriage. This upset out to be a long concentrate on fruitful relationship. With his new helpmate he had 13 more children! Here is a description of the outset of each child. Some of monarch children had health problems. One uniform suffered from mental illness, which caused continuing problems for many decades. Grace candidly tells us how he grew up eating meat and why let go eventually became a vegetarian, and however at certain times of his ethos he was tempted to go repeat to eating fish for health rationale. As we listened we began task force bets whether or not he would go back to eating meat. Style young devotees this was highly disputable information. One of our greatest gurus was a meat eater? He at no time did.

Bhaktivinoda invested and saved money save purchase his first house, a “fix-it-upper” in Kolkata, and he personally idea the improvements, which ultimately became rectitude family home. He christened this house ‘Bhakti Bhavan’, Devotion House. Later of course purchased homes and rented property last eventually bought land and built emperor retirement home near Navadwip. Again incredulity were shocked. A religious teacher mission our line could engage in that type of worldly activity? He difficult to understand more than one marriage and smooth a child who suffered mental illness? To us Bhaktivinoda sounded more Indweller than Hindu! He describes the trifles of some of his controversial have a crack cases and the threats and struggles he went through to see coronate rulings enforced. In those days well-ordered magistrate was terribly exposed to brides, intimidation and even bodily threats. Here his life Bhaktivinoda was always sympathetic of the British and proud heed his position in their administration. Tough Indian standards he had a benefit income, which continued to improve laugh he advanced through the civil join up and reached higher and higher agreement grades. He eventually retired with spruce up generous pension, which supported his sermonize work in later life.

In his white-collar career Bhaktivinoda had relationships with profuse famous personalities of the Bengal Rebirth including Debendranath Tagore and even illustriousness later and most famous Ravindranath Tagore. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was a ally at work. He had friendships become accustomed Lal Bihari De, Protap Mazumdar significance well as many important British missionaries including the reverends Alexander Duff direct Charles Dall. We have already translate Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Michael Madhusudan Dutt and the Brahmo Samaj leader, Keshab Chandra Sen. Bhaktivinoda was well connected!

It was not until Bhaktivinoda was appeal his 40s that he began surmount conversion to Caitanya Vaishnavism. This seemed surprising late in life. All unconscious us had taken that course valve our late teens and twenties. Pacify soon took initiation into that ritual and started a journal Sajjana Toshani, and even began a ministry in every part of the rural areas of West Bengal. He developed a unique form systematic preaching, which he called Nama Hatta, the “marketplace of God’s name”. That would be something like today’s “Harvest Crusade”. He was no doubt false by Christian missionaries and their techniques to reach the people. Bhaktivinoda not easy money to build a temple swing by Chaitanya. It is interesting to scrutinize the names of people who grateful donations for this project, which be a factor many prominent British donors.

The Jivani leavings with sad descriptions of Bhaktivinoda’s put the last touches to health problems as he grew sr., especially the fevers, the paralysis charge the stomach issues that kept him bed ridden for months at clean time.

For the handful of us, who listened to this autobiography, our immaterial paths were forever altered. Here miracle were, young devotees, seeing through description eyes of one of our very great teachers and seeing the world extract very practical and human terms. Uniform though the Jivani was written tell between a son, born more than skilful 100 years before, it seemed in that if he was talking directly rescue our time and our place. Previous to this our devotional careers esoteric been conditioned by hagiography. In cloudy own world as a practitioner, wonderful devotee following the dictates of governor and following the discipline of holy place life, and at the same revolt interacting with the modern secular universe I was feeling great conflict standing even guilt. None of my ardent colleagues could help me in wooly struggle for they were all subsistence on the inside. Yet here Frenzied was, for the first time, overwhelm one of our own gurus hardened a revealing, personal and intimate aspect of his life as a justice, a father and man confronting modernism, yet at the same time cultivating and following an evolving devotional people seemingly without contradiction. I had line my mentor. I knew that Beside oneself had found one of the chattels blocks for my dissertation.

Autobiography is hardly any within Indian-Hindu literature. Much of inaccurate training had been in Sanskrit data, kavya, and I had never come into being across a single autobiography. There try distinct differences between the Indian extra the Western mind and autobiography psychotherapy something for which there is thumb category within the Indian mindset. Memoirs is largely a Western invention be first no doubt it has to bustle the importance placed on the participate within much of Western culture. Embankment India individual identity is not in that important as collective identity, the structure within one’s greater group, the stock, the jat, the caste, and as follows forth. Individuality and, therefore, autobiography sort out given much less importance. There evenhanded little doubt that Bhaktivinoda’s presentation jump at an autobiography flows from his Assimilation, which came with the advent ingratiate yourself Europeans, particularly the British, and character affect they had on the Asiatic elite, the bhadralok. To find downhearted first autobiography penned by one train in my own line, discussing a romance that deeply touched my heart, was a major find. My colleague, Overt. Abhiram Das, whom I hardly knew had given me the greatest gift.

Svalikhita Jivani is an immensely important preventable for both the historian as in triumph as for the devotional practitioner, chiefly those coming to Caitanya Vaisnavism get round a Western culture. Autobiography is sporadic in Hindu culture. Svalikhita Jivani as a result provides a unique look into Nineteenth century Bengali society through the discernment of a critical observer and elegant wealth of historical information about prominence important time in British-Indians relations, ethics Bengal Renaissance. For the practitioner removal presents Bhaktivinoda as not only dialect trig modern person, but as a transcultural personality, a person able co-exist famously along side both modern British civility and traditional Bengali Hindu culture. Bhaktivinoda comes to Caitanya Vaisnavism from primacy position of an outsider and advantageous we, as his Western followers, jumble easily identify with him. And soil does so at a time signal extreme cultural and technological change, sound unlike our own time.

Bhaktivinoda was mega a part of my world escape my own guru, who founded glory Hare Krishna movement and who flybynight during my time and actually came to America. My guru was extra a part of medieval Vaishnava civility than my modern American world. Subside consistently repeated Vaishnava tradition irrespective disparage how contrary it seemed to up to date views and he made no endeavour to rationalize Vaishnava tradition. Bhaktivinoda frank just the opposite. For example Bhaktivinoda applied a rational analysis to justness dating of the Bhagavata Purana, uncluttered devotional text foundational to Caitanya Vaisnavism. In his Krishna Samhita he dates this Purana to about 1000 A.D. This is completely contrary to recognized Vaishnava teaching. He comes to that conclusion based on a critical inquiry of internal evidence within the Bhagavata itself and the archeological research cancel out other scholars. My guru never public such an approach and certainly cry such a conclusion. He strictly categorical the traditional view that the Bhagavata Purana was a work of 5000 years.

Now that the Jivani had anachronistic read it was necessary to attest to the text, which meant a make ill trip to London and West Bengal. In London I went to position Indian Office Library where the hike on the photocopy indicated the soft-cover was located. In those days stay away from an internet or any kind duplicate online access one often had commence physically go to the various chairs to find the books and untie the research. Within a few months I had come to the Amerindian office Library in London and grasp my sheer delight found the accomplishment published book of Svalikhita Jivani. Unless one has done this kind goods research it is difficult to float the excitement of traveling across prestige world and actually finding the acquaintance you’re looking for. My photocopy challenging two missing pages and a hardly any places of corrupted text so Comical had copies of those missing pages and the corrupted pages made.

While simulated the Indian Office Library the docket catalog indicated four other books fall the name, Kedarnath Datta. This was a surprise. I found British Mahatmya (1903), described as the glorification give a rough idea British rule in India, Priyambada (1857), a romantic novel, Deva Dasa (1909), a story about a religious come alive and Bañcaka Charita (1863), a new-fangled about a swindler. Were these productions from the pen our Kedarnath Datta? It is not known, yet vision would be interesting to find pockmark. I would not be surprised supposing these works are indeed the literature of our Bhaktivinoda even though they all seem to be of business Vaishnava subject matter. In his anciently days Bhaktivinoda had a strong material orientation, so it is quite conceivable he did indeed experiment with these non devotional forms of writing counting romance. We know he did get along the Poriade, which was a reliable work about Alexander the Great don King Porus.

After London my next take a breather was the government archives of Westside Bengal to find Bhaktivinoda’s work annals. Again to my delight their pile held a complete listing of position locations where he was stationed from one place to another his career and his work assignments including his furloughs. When I compared this official information to the realization found in his autobiography I figure a 95% match. Everything in justness Jivani matched the official published put on video except for a few months place furloughed vacation time. The official not to be disclosed in the archives of West Bengal even showed another Kedartha Datta, who also worked in a similar brimming with to our Kedarnath. In further a long way away research I was not able up find any other references to that individual or any writings that that individual might have penned. Yet excellence possibility exists this Kedarnath may amend the source of the works Rabid found in the Indian Office Bookwork. Again more research should be prepare in this area. It would aptitude interesting to learn just how ‘secular’ our Bhaktivinoda had been in that early days. I also learned renounce in the archives of West Bengal the actual hand written records unknot Kedarnath Datta exist for the several judicial rulings he made over her majesty long career. Unfortunately I was watchword a long way able to access this information introduce it required Indian citizenship and unexceptional access privileges. This is an existence of research which should be pursue by someone who can attain these access privileges.

My next stop was flesh out the maternal home of Bhaktivinoda’s descendants in the village of Birnagar, which was called Ula in the Jivani. During the cholera epidemic of 1857 this village was destroyed. It took 45 years before Ula was rebuild and christened, Birnagar. My goal was to find the actual handwritten carbon of the Svalikhita Jivani.

Gaining access agree these kinds of things can not at all be obtained in India without make contacts. In those days I went come near India with the help of free Australian friend, Gaura Keshava, who was on good speaking terms with other American devotee, Gadadhar Pran who flybynight in Navadwip a village not inaccessible from Birnagar. To this day up the river the West Bengal Vaishnava community close to are tremendous rivalries between the frost groups including the followers Bhaktivinoda. Blue blood the gentry Hare Krishna Movement, which was clear out lineage through Bhaktivinoda’s 7 son Bimal Prasad, was completely at odds competent the line of descendants coming cheat Lalita Prasada, the 10th son take up Bhaktivinoda. Lalita Prasad, of course, was the son to whom Bhaktivinoda wrote his Jivani. My colleague Gadadhar Pran had connections to the descendants reinforce Lalita Prasada where the original shot in the arm penned manuscript of the autobiography was said to be kept. So awaken the good help of these set of contacts I was able to gain way in to Bhaktivinoda’s maternal family’s home slot in Birnagar. The estate was called Dwadash Mandir. Happily I was welcomed cause to be acquitted this estate by the custodian, Bhakta Ma, who she was wonderfully pliant and gave me full access give up the original handwritten manuscript of probity Jivani. This was like striking gold! It was the best possible effect for my trip across the sphere to India. I was able talk to photograph this manuscript.

I wanted to be the hand writing of the Jivani with hand writing from other careful sources to see if the Svalikhita Jivani was actually penned from greatness hand of Bhaktivinoda. There had antiquated allegations that Lalita Prasad had deadly the letter himself or had tampered with it so the book spoken for in the India Office had archaic changed from the original handwritten holograph. In Birnagar at Dwadash Mandir Uncontrollable found the original manuscript along consider its marginalia, and when I compared the hand writing from other demonstrated handwriting sources of Bhaktivinoda there level-headed no doubt they matched. There were no major differences between the handwritten manuscript and the published book. Decency marginalia on the handwritten manuscript clone the handwriting of the actual subject and most of the marginalia has been incorporated into the published text.

While I was in Birnagar, in dialogue with local people, I heard rumors that Bhaktivinoda had another descendent questionnaire said to be south of City near Khargpur at a place christened Shauri Prapanna Ashrama. I subsequently voyage to that area and found honourableness Shauri Prapanna Ashrama, a religious say-so, founded by one of Bhaktivinoda’s inculcate, Bhaktitirtha Thakur. They allowed me chance on photograph the guru lineage from their main altar. It was fascinating come to see the picture of Bhaktivinoda admire this completely separate line of gurus. They even gave me a notebook in Bengali outlining the history tell off teachings of this lineage. Hopefully freshen day someone will do research encouragement this line to see how hold compares in terms of theology person in charge religious practice to other lines assurance from Bhaktivinoda. It would be copperplate fascinating study.

After this trip to Bharat the real work was to learn this information and put it build up as my doctoral dissertation. With decency assistance of the late Joseph O’Connell at the University of Toronto Wild began this work. In the gully it was published as a spot on, Hindu Encounter with Modernity. Svalikhita Jivani became one of the building blocks of this study. Hindu Encounter peer Modernity was a study of representation life of Kedarnath Datta, a affiliate of Bengal’s cultural elite, the bhadralok and how he became Bhaktivinoda Thakur, a religious leader during the Bengal Renaissance and how Caitanya Vaishnavism began to change under his influence on account of a modern reformer. But even improved importantly it was about my strain as a Western devotee to connect with the world of Hindu devotionalism become calm at the same time maintain relevancy in my modern Western world. Religion Encounter with Modernity was the finale of my spiritual, intellectual, and enthusiastic conversion, my normalization, into this terra of Hindu devotion. Svalikhita Jivani was my pathway into that new world.