Ananta Das Babaji
Ananta Das Babaji (Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaja) is a leading religious figure in the contemporary Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Based at Radha-kunda, he is a respected lecturer and the author of dozens of volumes of literature.
Biography
Sri Ananta Dasji was born in the district of Jharikhanda in 1927. During the earlier years of his life he held the occupation of a teacher, living with his wife and children. Having heard of the fame of Sri Kunjabihari Das Babaji Maharaja, a renowned bhajananandi saint at Radha-kunda who was influential in the area of Jharikhanda during his householder life, in 1950 Sri Ananta Dasji decided to leave for a pilgrimage to meet the saint.
Having arrived at Radha-kunda, he met with the mahatma and received initiation into a disciplic succession descending from Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Srimati Jahnava Thakurani through the descendants of Sri Dhananjaya Pandit. During the following two months, Sri Kunjabihari Das Babaji taught him the mysteries of the philosophy, worship and meditation practiced in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.
At the end of this visit, despite his desire to stay at Radha-kunda, Sri Kunjabihari Das Babaji ordered him to return to his village to preach the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, initiating people into the practice of spiritual life. On the order of his guru, Sri Ananta Dasji returned to his family, teaching the local people and initiating some two hundred disciples over the ten following years.
Eventually he decided to renounce the world, departing for a journey to Radha-kunda, this time to stay for good. Having arrived at this holiest of all the holy places, he received the cloth of an ascetic from Sri Kunjabihari Das Babaji. Over the decades to come, he engaged himself in a deep study of the Gaudiya canon of sacred texts, at the same time becoming more and more deeply absorbed in bhajana, both in the external and the esoteric internal methods of worship.
Though often ascetics would wear nothing but one or two pieces of ragged cloth, Sri Kunjabihari Das Babaji requested his disciple to dress in orderly clothes, as he was to instruct the mankind at large, and should therefore look respectable in the eyes of everyone. Over the years to come, Sri Ananta Das Babaji traveled around the holy land of Vraja, lecturing extensively on the scriptures, instructing saints and laymen alike.
In accordance with the request of his guru, Sri Ananta Das Babaji began to write extensive commentaries elucidating the concepts presented in the foundational writings of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan and in the writings of the later great teachers following in their footsteps. In his old age, he has retired to Radha-kunda, focusing on his inner worship and on his writing work.
He has initiated some 3.500 disciples into the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, including people from Vraja, from Bengal, and from dozens of Western countries. He has been elected as the Mahanta of Radha-kunda, thus being the 34th representative of the seat of Sri Raghunatha Das Goswami. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost teachers of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition on account of his voluminous and comprehensive writings as well as due to his humility and purity of heart.
Writings
The following is a list of Babaji Maharaja's Bengali works. Texts marked with an asterisk have also been translated into English.
Commentaries
- Gaura-Govinda-Lilamrita-Gutika - 290 Pages
- Krishna-Karnamritam - 820 Pages
- Madhurya-Kadambini - 150 Pages *
- Prarthana - 110 Pages
- Prema-Bhakti-Candrika - 320 Pages *
- Radha-Rasa-Sudhanidhi - 750 Pages *
- Utkalika-Vallari - 220 Pages *
- Vilapa-Kusumanjali - 404 Pages *
- Stavavali * - Containing the following titles:
- Sri Caitanyastakam - 24 pages
- Sri Gauranga Stava Kalpataru - 38 pages
- Sri Manah Siksa - 52 pages
- Raghunatha Dasa Gosvaminah Prarthana - 14 pages
- Sri Govardhanasraya Dasakam - 34 pages
- Sri Govardhana Vasa Prarthana Dasakam - 26 pages
- Sri Radhakundastakam - 26 pages
- Prema Purabhidha Stotram - 22 pages
- Granthakartuh Prarthana - 7 pages
- Sva Niyama Dasakam - 32 pages
- Vraja-vilasa-stava - 252 pages - ca. 500 pages
- Sri Radhikastottara-sata-nama-stotram - 66 pages
- Sri Radhikastakam - 16 pages
- Premambhoja Maranda - 18 pages
- Sva Sankalpa Prakasa Stotram - 38 pages
- Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna Ujjvala Kusuma Keli - 34 pages
- Sri Prarthanamritam - 30 pages
- Navastakam - 22 pages
- Sri Gopala Raja Stotram - 26 pages
- Sri Madana-gopala Stotram - 36 pages
- Sri-Sri Visakhanandada Stotram - 70 pages
- Mukundastakam - 12 pages
- Utkantha Dasakam - 28 pages
- Nava Yuva Dvandva Didriksastakam - 16 pages
- Abhista Prarthanastakam - 18 pages
- Sri Dana-nirvartana Kundastakam - 10 pages
- Sri-sri Prarthanasraya Caturdasakam - 21 pages
- Abhista Sucanam - 18 pages
Original Works
- Bhaktirasa-Prasanga
- Brihad-Bhagavatamriter Marmanuvada
- Nityananda-Mahima
- Radha-Kunder Mahima O Aitihya *
- Rasa-Darsana - 200 Pages *
- Sankalpa-Kalpadruma
- Tina-Vancha - 210 Pages
- Tattva-vijnana series:
- Guru-tattva-vijnana - 28 pages *
- Bhakta-tattva-vijnana - 38 pages *
- Bhagavat-tattva-vijnana - 30 pages *
- Krishna-tattva-vijnana - 50 pages
- Radha-tattva-vijnana - 35 pages
- Bhakti-tattva-vijnana - 100 pages
- Nama-tattva-vijnana - 65 pages
- Raganuga-bhakti-vijnana - 45 pages
- Prema-tattva-vijnana - 60 pages
- Rasa-tattva-vijnana - 50 pages
- Para-tattva-vijnana
Headquarters
Babaji Maharaja is based at Radha-kunda, district of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. His ashram, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir, named after the instructing guru of his own guru, is located at Brajananda Ghera on the opposite side of the road from Gopinath Mandir and Raghunath Das Goswami's samadhi-tomb on the bank of Radha-kunda.
External links
- Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir Publisher of Sri Ananta Das Babaji's literature.
- Jaya Sri Radhe Archives Translations of Bengali discourses with Babaji Maharaja.
- Lake of Flowers Productions Video footage of Babaji Maharaja's teachings for download.
- Loi Bazaar Babaji Maharaja's books for sale.
References
Sources used (with permission) for the above:
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