Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s transcendental identity is revealed to the members of his spiritual family who are blessed. He is the best of the followers of Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī, who is dearest to Śrī Lalitā Sakhī, the foremost of Rādhārāṇī’s eight confidants (sakhīs). In various places in his own writings, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has indicated this divine identity:

yugala-sevāya, śrī-rāsa-maṇḍale,
niyukta kara āmāy
lalitā-sakhīra, ayogya-kiṅkarī,
vinoda dhariche pāy

Praying, “Engage me in the service of the Divine Couple in the circle of the divine rāsa-maṇḍala,” Bhaktivinoda, the most unworthy servant of Lalitā Sakhī, holds tight to Your lotus feet. (Kalyāṇa-kalpa-taru)

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also gives his eternal spiritual identity as Kamala-mañjarī, the servant of Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī, in the song Siddhi-lālasā in his Gīta-mālā. Her kuñja is in the bower of Lalitā, Śrī Vraja-svānanda-sukhada-kuñja, where she sets the standard of worship to the Divine Couple.

varaṇe taḍit, vāsa tārāvalī,
kamala-mañjarī nāma
sāḍe bāro varṣa, vayas satata,
svānanda-sukhada dhāma

I am Kamala-mañjarī. My bodily hue is like that of lightning and I wear a sari the colour of a clear night sky sprinkled with stars. I am twelve and a half years old and I live in Svānanda-sukhada-kuñja.

After the disappearance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rāmānanda Rāya, the Six Gosvāmīs, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura and Śyāmānanda Prabhu, a dark age descended on the world of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava-dharma. Those unable to understand the transcendental purity of Mahāprabhu’s teachings of divine love started numerous pseudo sects or apasampradāyas. Totārāma Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja named thirteen such pseudo sects:

āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāiñ
sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñi
atibāḍī, cuḍādhārī, gaurānga-nāgarī
totā kahe ei teror saṅga nāhi kari

Educated upper-class Bengali society, by seeing the odious practices of these pseudo sects, came to identify Mahāprabhu’s religion with the lower classes, the uneducated and immoral. People of the educated classes thus had no understanding or faith in Mahāprabhu’s true religion. The most munificent form Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took pity on the living entities and in order to bring about their greatest welfare sent His personal associate Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura into this world. Possessed of divine prowess, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wrote more than a hundred books in several different languages with the goal of defeating all the unorthodox views opposed to the true doctrines of Mahāprabhu’s religion. The result was that many members of discerning society and others from all over the world came to recognize the unequalled value of Mahāprabhu’s teachings. The founder of the Sree Chaitanya Math and the worldwide Sree Gaudiya Maths, Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, based his mission on Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s books and teachings, and accomplished the fulfilment of Mahāprabhu’s message found in the Caitanya Bhāgavata:

pṛthivī paryanta āche yata deśa-grāma
sarvatra sañcāra haibeka mora nāma

My name will pervade every village and country in the world. (Caitanya Bhāgavata 3.4.126)

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura thus made an unequalled contribution to the ultimate, spiritual welfare of humankind. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda wrote in his preface to the Jaiva-dharma: “Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is an extremely dear associate of Śrī Caitanya Candra. In the course of time, when those who preached the message of Caitanya Deva had left this world to enter the Lord’s eternal pastimes, the sky over Bengal slowly darkened, covered by the thick clouds of sensual enjoyment and false renunciation. The sky was covered and the world was bereft of the rays of light coming from the saṅkīrtana propagated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. One by one, the sun, the moon and the bright stars of that sky faded from view, leaving only the flash of lightning to disrupt the unending darkness of ignorance. Almost 350 years after the appearance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura came to illuminate the Gauḍīya sky in Birnagar village in Nadia district.

“All the great virtues are present in the body of a Vaiṣṇava. All the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa are seen in His devotees. All these transcendental qualities are the characteristics of pure Vaiṣṇavas, and they cannot be fully explained, but I shall try to point out some of the most important. Devotees are always merciful; they are not bellicose. They are truthful, equal to all, faultless, generous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions, and they work for the welfare of all. They are peaceful, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and desireless. They are indifferent, resolute, and completely control the six character flaws of lust, anger, greed and so forth. They eat only as much as required and are prudent, respectful, and free from false prestige. They are grave, compassionate, friendly, poetic, expert and silent. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.22.75-80)

“All of these qualities of the devotees were perfectly displayed in the pure devotional life of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. The ocean of compassion, Śrī Gaurahari, displayed this never-ending merciful nature to the conditioned souls in nine different ways. The same kind of distribution of mercy is seen in the life and work of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.”

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is the root of the daily activities in the Sree Chaitanya Math, Sree Gaudiya Math, the Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, and its sister institutions. The Gaudiya Math institutions cannot be separated from Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. These institutions are entirely indebted to his sublime contributions.

Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda has written, “Devotees in the line of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī do not put faith in their own powers, but rather attribute everything to its original source. We also do everything for the sake of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and our divine spiritual master.” (From Patrāvalī, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s letters, vol. 3, p. 89)

Devotees of Śrī Brahma-Mādhva-Sārasvata-Gauḍīya lineage pay their respects daily to Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura as follows:

śuddha-bhakti-pracārasya
mūlībhūta ihottamaḥ
śrī-bhaktivinodo devas
tat-priyatvena viśrutaḥ

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is the transcendental personality who is the root of the preaching movement of pure devotion. He is renowned as being very dear to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Two of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura’s most prominent disciples, Pūjyapāda Śrīla Bhakti Rakshak Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī Mahārāja and Pūjyapāda Śrīla Bhakti Vichar Yayavara Gosvāmī Mahārāja wrote hymns in praise of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, the former in Sanskrit, the latter in Bengali. These have been given below:

vande bhaktivinodaṁ śrī-
gaura-śakti-svarūpakam
bhakti-śāstra-jña-samrājaṁ
rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhim

I bow to Śrī Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda, Mahāprabhu’s divine energies personified. He is the emperor of Vaiṣṇava scholars and possesses the ambrosial treasure of Śrī Rādhā’s sacred rapture.

bhakativinoda prabhu, dayā koro more
tava kṛpā bale pāī śrī-prabhupādere
bhakati-siddhānta sarasvatī prabhupāda
jagate āniyā dile kariyā prasāda
sarasvatī kṛṣṇa-priyā, kṛṣṇa-bhakti tāṅra hiyā
vinodera sei se vaibhava
ei gītera bhāvārtha, prabhupāda para-artha
ebe morā kari anubhava

O Bhaktivinoda Prabhu, be merciful to me, for by your blessings I can attain Śrīla Prabhupāda, Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Out of compassion for the world, you brought him whose heart is filled with devotion to Kṛṣṇa and who is His dear one. This is the glory of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. The purpose of this song is to find complete dedication to Śrīla Prabhupāda and this is what I now experience.

śrī-caitanya-janma-sthāna śrī-māyāpura
tomāra pracāre ebe jānila saṁsāra
śikṣāmṛta, jaiva-dharma, ādi grantha śata
sajjana-toṣaṇī-patrī sarva-samādṛta
ei saba grantha-patrī kariyā pracāra
lupta-prāya śuddha-bhakti karile uddhāra
jīvere jānāle tumi hao kṛṣṇa-dāsa
kṛṣṇa bhajo kṛṣṇa cinto chāḍi anya āśa
kṛṣṇa-dāsye jīva saba parānanda pāy
sakala vipad ha’te mukta haye jāy

The whole world has come to know the birthplace of Śrī Caitanya in Māyāpura on account of your preaching efforts. Your more than hundred books, such as Śrī-Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, Jaiva-dharma, and your magazine, Sajjana-toṣaṇī, are valued by all. You preached through these books and magazines and by so doing were able to restore the religion of pure devotion, which had almost been lost. You told the fallen souls that they were in truth servants of Kṛṣṇa and you told them to worship Kṛṣṇa, to think of Kṛṣṇa and to give up all other ambition. Through service to Kṛṣṇa, the living being finds full happiness in life and freedom from all danger.

āpani ācari dharma śikhāle sabāre
gṛhe kimvā dhāme thāki bhajaha kṛṣṇere
gadādhara-gaurahari-sevā prakāśile
śrī-rādhā-mādhava-rūpe tāṅdera dekhile
gosvāmi-gaṇera grantha vicāra kariyā
susiddhānta śikhāyeche pramāṇādi diyā
tāhā paḍi śuni loka ākṛṣṭa hailā
jaga-bhari tava nāma gāhite lāgilā
vyāsera abhinna tumi purāṇa prakāśa
śukābhinna prabhupāda śrī-dayita-dāsa

You taught everyone by your own example that they should worship Kṛṣṇa whether they are living as a householder or residing in the dhāma. You consecrated deities of Gadādhara-Gaurāṅga, seeing Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in Them. You studied the scriptures of the Gosvāmīs and preached the pure doctrines with the appropriate evidence. Those who heard and read these doctrines were attracted and began to sing your glories throughout the world. You are like Vyāsdeva, who published the Purāṇas, and Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrī Dayita Dāsa, your son, is like Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

vaiṣṇavera jata guṇa āchaye granthete
sakala prakāśa hailā tomāra dehete
śrī-gauḍa-maṇḍala mājhe śrī-bīranagar
tava āvirbhāva sthāna sarva-śubhaṅkara
vandi āmi nata-śire sei puṇya-kṣetra
mastake dhāraṇa kari se dhūli pavitra
tomāra kṛpāya īśodyāne sthāna pāi
bhāgavata-maṭhe basi tava nāma gāi
tomāra dāsānudāsa yati yāyāvāra
prārthanā karaye dhāma-vāsa nirantara

All the Vaiṣṇava qualities described in the scriptures are manifest in you. You appeared in Gauḍa-maṇḍala in the village of Birnagar, a place that is auspicious for all. I worship that holy spot with my head bowed low, taking its holy dust on my head. By your mercy, I have found a place in Īśodyāna, the divine garden of Māyāpura, and here in the Bhagavat Math, I glorify your name. The servant of your servants, the sannyāsī yāyāvara, prays to you to grant him eternal life in the holy dhāma.

Just as the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa performs topmost activities in a human form, so similarly His eternal associates also act in human-like ways when they descend to the worldly platform for the benefit of the fallen living entities. Even though they appear to be ordinary human beings, they are in fact never touched by the illusory nature and always remain transcendental to it. They may be situated in householder life, but they are never entangled in material sensual desires like an ordinary conditioned soul because of their deep attachment and love for the Lord. They are simply engaged in a pastime whereby they imitate the activities of the rest of mankind for the sake of exchanging with them for the purposes of benefitting them. Those who have surrendered with sincerity to Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas are able to recognize the transcendental character of these personalities.

King Ādisūra invited brāhmaṇas and other upper-class Hindus to Bengal, amongst whom was Śrī Puruṣottama. His seventh and eighth generation descendants were Śrī Vināyaka and Śrī Nārāyaṇa, who became government ministers. The fifteenth generation descendant was Mahāprabhu’s contemporary, Rājā Kṛṣṇānanda Datta, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Nityānanda Prabhu came to stay in his home with His entourage and bestowed profuse blessings on him. Descendants of Kṛṣṇānanda Datta include Govinda Śaraṇa Datta, who founded the village of Govindapur. Kalighat, Sutanuti and Govindapur are the three villages that formed the central core of Kolkata.

Govinda Śaraṇa Datta’s grandson was Rāmacandra. His grandson was Madana Mohana Datta, who donated Kolkata’s Hedua pond to the municipality for public use. Madana Mohana Datta also spent a great deal of his personal wealth to build steps at Gaya’s Pretaśilā Tīrtha and the Candranātha Mountain. His grandson was Rājaballabha Datta, whose son Ānanda Candra Datta was very religious and detached from material life. Ānanda Candra married Jaganmohinī Devī, the daughter of the celebrated zamindar of Ula village in Nadia district, Īśvara Candra Mustaufī.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura accepted Ānanda Candra Datta and Jaganmohinī Devī as his parents and appeared in Ula-Birnagar in the home of his maternal grandfather. It was the 352nd year after the birth of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Sunday, September 2, 1838; the tithi was śuklā trayodaśī of Bhādra. His parents named him Śrī Kedāranātha.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura composed his first poem when he was only two years old. This extraordinary display of talent gave an indication of his future vocation and the transcendental devotional songs he would write later in his life. Songs full of devotion to the Lord and sacred sentiment like his are not the result of any worldly scholarship or creativity but are self-manifested in the eternally perfect associate of the Lord. The words of the residents of Vaikuṇṭha are all not different from the object of their speech, the Supreme Lord. They can in no way be compared to any mundane sound vibration. Every word used by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is divine ambrosia that awakens the mood of love for the Lord and is full of the flavours of devotional sentiment.

At only six, he had learnt all the details of the historical epics, Māhābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa. Is an ordinary six-year-old capable of such a feat? Without divine mercy, it is impossible to understand the purports of all the devotional scriptures, which are non-different from the Lord Himself. They are not accessible to mere scholarship. The meaning of the scriptures was revealed in the heart of the Ṭhākura on its own. Thus, there is a basic difference between his explanations of scripture and those derived from a mundane scholarly analysis.

According to his autobiography, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura began researching astrological texts when he was nine years old, but he left them to inquire into spiritual truth at the age of ten. Though he was naturally fixed in eternal transcendental understanding at every moment, he displayed these pastimes in order to demonstrate the special character of human life. At this time, he began to mix with people in order to find out what preoccupied them and what guided them in life. He won over everyone he encountered with his sweet words and respectful attitude. As a result, no one ever felt angry or disappointed, even when he pointed out flaws in their argument. This was not within the capacity of an ordinary restless boy of ten years.

The following is Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s account of several childhood events from his autobiography: “I would go whenever a festival was held at someone’s house. There were often such religious festivals at the brahmacārī’s residence. There was a nice temple on the outside, and inside a flower garden and an altar for fire-sacrifice. The brahmacārī worshiped according to the tāntrika cult. He kept a human skull in a small, hidden room. Some people said that if you give water and milk to a human skull, it will smile. I took the skull down and gave it water, but I did not see any smile.

“Nearby there was also an astrologer’s house where I would listen to singing performances. One old carpenter was engaged to paint backdrops for the image during the Durga pūjā. I sat near him while he worked and asked him many questions, which he always answered. I asked, ‘When does the spirit of the god enter into the image?’ The carpenter answered, ‘When I paint its eyes, the god will come and take up residence in the image.’ The day that he was actually going to paint the deity’s eyes, I eagerly came but I never saw the god actually appear. I said, ‘Goloka Pāla made this image. He first tied bundles of straw and then covered it with clay. You covered it with chalk and then painted it. There is no god anywhere in this statue at all, is there?’ The old carpenter then said, ‘When the brāhmaṇas consecrate the deity then the god incarnates and enters the form.’ I observed this consecration ceremony carefully, but I was never able to see any divine manifestation. I thought that the carpenter was a fairly wise fellow and so I went to his house and asked him to explain again. He then said to me, ‘I have no faith in this worship of idols. My belief is that the brāhmaṇas simply use this as a means of deception for taking money from gullible people.’ The carpenter’s words brought me great pleasure and I asked him to tell me something about the Supreme Lord. He said, ‘Say what you will, I believe in nothing other than the one Supreme Lord, Parameśvara. The gods and goddesses are all imaginary. I worship that Parameśvara every day.’ These words of the old man gave me faith.

“I became even more inquisitive. The Muslim footman Golāma Khān used to guard the treasury. Once in response to my questions, he said, ‘God’s name is Khodā. At one time he was alone and there was no one and nothing but him. Then he took the dirt from his body and made a pancake out of it, which he threw into the single ocean. The upper part of the pancake became the sky and the lower part became the earth. He then created humankind, starting with Adam and Eve. We are all the descendants of Adam and Eve.’ After hearing this myth, I asked him, ‘Who do you think Rāma is?’ He said, ‘Rāma and Rahim are one. That is Khodā.’ Then I learned from him about a spell that chases ghosts. Golāma Khān said, ‘Ghosts are the descendants of Satan. They are afraid of the name of Rahim.’ These teachings gave me great pleasure.

“My maternal uncle Paraśurāma Mustaufī was studying law at that time. At first, he had some faith in God but later dismissed the idea. While he was a believer, my other uncles Raghu and Naśu were his followers. When he stopped believing in the personal god, he started calling Rāma Mohana Rāya his guru. I was very troubled because, being just an ignorant child, I was uncomfortable having a difference of opinion with him. Uncle Paraśurāma said, ‘Everything in the world is a product of natural forces. There is no such thing as a God outside of nature.’ When I heard this, I went to see some Bhaṭṭācārya in his school and asked him to respond to it. His answers caused me to become more confused. Though I was confused, I never gave up chanting the Name of Rāma.”

From all these stories, we can draw the lesson that in an immature state rather than entering into the confusing business of reasoning out an absolute conclusion about the relation between the divine and creation, one should simply chant the Holy Name with faith. At one point, Mahāprabhu also wrapped up His books in a cloth and told His students to simply chant the Holy Name. Absolute truth will be revealed through the Holy Name and not through mental speculation, which will only give one a mistaken conception of God.

When Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was only eleven years old, his father died. According to the custom prevalent at that time, his mother arranged for her twelve-year-old son to be married to a five-year-old girl from nearby Ranaghat. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has the following to say about his marriage: “It was just like a doll’s play-marriage. Because I would not be able to stay alone at my in-laws’ house, my parents sent my nanny to accompany me.” Though the Ṭhākura had knowledge of human predicament, in order to perceive it directly, he did nothing to protest the marriage, which was arranged according to custom.

At six years of age, he went to study Sanskrit at the home school of Vidyā Vācaspati. Then at the age of seven, his grandfather sent him to study at Krishnanagar College. At that time, Captain D. L. Rachardson was the college principal and Rāmatanu Lāhirī was the principle native professor. The next year, an English-language school was established in Ula in which he was enrolled. While studying at Krishnanagar College, one of his fellow students was the king of Coochbihar, who was still a child at the time.

When his maternal grandfather died, he and his mother came to live in Kolkata at the family home at the corner of Beadon Street and Hedua. He recommenced his studies at the Hindu Charitable Institution. After four years there, he was admitted to the Hindu School in 1856.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was one of Īśvara Candra Vidyāsāgara’s first students, whom he held in great affection. One day, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura visited the great scholar in his house in Kolkata. Vidyāsāgara Mahāśaya said to him, “Since none of us has ever seen God, it is best that we not talk about him.” Though he was his student, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura did not refrain from speaking the truth to the venerated teacher. He asked, “Paṇḍita Mahāśaya, why then did you write in your [children’s] book Bodhodaya that God is formless having pure consciousness. If you haven’t seen God, then why have you written this about Him? God is omnipotent. Don’t you think that if He can do anything, then He has the power to maintain a form? The Supreme Lord is our eternal master, and we are His eternal servants. The natural affection that we have for the Supreme Lord is called bhakti, brahma-vidyā or para-vidyā in the Vedas. This is real knowledge, the realization of which means that there is no dearth of any knowledge.”

Those who are always engaged in a direct relationship with the absolute truth, the Supreme Lord, are immediately able to recognize any statement that goes contrary to the spiritual truth. There is a complete difference between knowledge that has been garnered from the reading of books and the knowledge that arises from the revelation of the self-effulgent truth.

Kolkata University was founded in 1856 and entrance exams held for the first time. Amongst Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s fellow students were Satyendranātha and Gaṇendranātha Ṭhākura, Tāraka Nātha Pālita and Navagopāla Mitra. Principal Clint, Reverend Duff, George Thompson, and Keśava Candra Sena were attracted by the young man’s mastery of the English language and literature. Toward the end of 1856, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura published an English poem, The Poriade, which was well received in educated circles in Kolkata. All the Ṭhākura’s English poems were published in the paper, Library (Literary) Gazette. He delivered a lecture to the British Indian Society in 1856 on the philosophical truths, which was much applauded.

During this time, the Ṭhākura also studied Brāhmo-dharma, Christianity, the Bible and Quran and many other religious traditions and books. He considered Christianity superior to the Brāhmo religion because of its acceptance of God’s eternal personality. In 1857, the Sepoy Mutiny broke out. He spent some of this time travelling and lecturing.

In 1858, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura started from Bengal for Nīlācala. On the way, he stopped at Chutigram near Jajpur, where his grandfather Śrī Rājavallabha Datta was living. His grandfather prophetically stated that the Ṭhākura would be a great Vaiṣṇava. Immediately upon making this prediction, his life airs passed out through the top of his head. From Cuttack, he moved on to Purī by foot and arrived on time for Lord Jagannātha’s Candana-yātrā. He remained in Purī for a few more days before continuing through Cuttack, Bhadrak, and Midnapore to Kolkata.

On Śrī Īśvaracandra Vidyāsāgara’s recommendation, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur took a job teaching at the Cuttack Government Secondary School and shortly thereafter, the headmaster’s position at a school in Bhadrak. During this time, he wrote a book on the various religious institutions of Odisha, Maths of Odisha, which Sir William Hunter made much use of as a reference in his work Odisha. He also wrote a work named Śrī-Caitanya-Gītā under the pen name Saccidānanda Premālaṇkāra. He was given the title Bhaktivinoda by the Śrī Gauḍīya Gosvāmī Saṅgha on the 400th anniversary of Mahāprabhu’s appearance (1885). From this time on, Śrī Kedāranātha Datta was known as Śrī Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.

The Ṭhākura also taught at a school in Midnapore. One day a follower of the Brāhmo religion, Rājanārāyaṇa Basu, heard him speak at literary society meeting on the truth of religion and was deeply moved. During his time in Midnapore, the Ṭhākura’s first wife died and he married for a second time, to Bhagavatī Devī. From Midnapore, he went to Burdwan to preach. While there, he published an English book, Our Wants. On the request of the local residents, he took part in the arguments between the Brāhmo Samāja and Christians and tried to mediate between the two religions. In two lectures he showed the problems with both groups’ positions. While in Burdwan, he started a group called the Bhrātṛ-samāja. At one of the meetings of this group, he gave a learned speech on the soul, which attracted the attention of a certain Mr. Heiley.

From Burdwan, the Ṭhākura went to Chuadanga and Ranaghat before going to live temporarily in Chapra in Bihar. While living there, he made his first visit to Vṛndāvana, travelling through Kāśī, Mirzapur, Prayāga, Agra, etc. While in Chapra, the Ṭhākura studied Urdu and Persian and mastered these languages. He also gave a speech on Gautama while there.

From Chapra, he went to Purniya and then to Dinajpur where he was engaged as Deputy Magistrate. In Dinajpur, he found that there was a dispute between Hindus and Brahmos in which he intervened, giving a speech on the Bhāgavata: Its Philosophy, Its Ethics and Its Theology.

In June of 1868, he visited Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī’s home in Ramakeli as well as Rajmahal, etc. Thereafter he returned to Kolkata, where he undertook research to find copies of Caitanya Caritāmṛta and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. After much work, he finally found copies at the Bot Tola publishing house. With these valuable editions, he went to Puruṣottama-dhāma. He was engaged as a director of the temple to oversee its management. He lived in Purī continuously for over five years, from 1869-1874.

In Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s life, we find that he personified the description of a Vaiṣṇava as one who is gentler than a rose, yet more terrible than the thunderbolt. Although he was generally kind and gentle, he gave no quarter to dishonesty. One event in his life that took place while he was in Odisha is an indication of this. In 1871, a member of the Khaṇḍāit family lineage and the Atibāḍī sect named Biṣakiṣaṇa who had gained some mystic powers through yogic practices proclaimed himself to be an incarnation of Mahāviṣṇu. He was staying with his followers at the edge of the jungle near the town of Bhubaneshwar. He announced that on the 14th of Caitra, he would reveal a four-armed form and destroy all the mlecchas, restoring the true religion. His announcement was written in Odishan verse:

banere achi biṣakiṣaṇa
guptare achi na jānai āna
tera mīnare ārambhiba raṇa,
caturbhuja hoi nāśiba mleccha-gaṇa !

In the forest am I hiding and no one else knows me, but on the 13th of Mīna I will begin the war. Taking on a four-armed form, I will destroy the mlecchas.

Through his mystic powers, he had been able to cure incurable diseases and these powers had won him a large following. One day he announced that on the full-moon day he would perform the rāsa-līlā and invited the girls of a nearby village to come and join him. The Caudhurīs of the Bhringar clan found that he had polluted their womenfolk and went to complain en masse to the district commissioner, Mr. Ravenshaw. The Commissioner gave the task of investigating the matter to Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, who went personally into the jungle to meet with Biṣakiṣaṇa and told him to refrain from such improper deeds. Biṣakiṣaṇa told Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura that he was the living Mahāviṣṇu and that Jagannātha Deva was nothing but a lifeless wooden statue. He tried in various ways to flatter the Ṭhākura and to win him over. When he saw that Biṣakiṣaṇa had no intention of stopping his efforts to deceive the people, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had him arrested and brought him to Purī.

The Ṭhākura proceeded to investigate the background of Biṣakiṣaṇa by going to many villages and Buddhist vihāras in the Khandagiri area of Purī district. After accumulating a mass of evidence showing the extent to which this yogī was cheating people, he had him brought to court. While the case was being heard, the yogī used his mystic power to cause Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and his family to be attacked by various illnesses, in an effort to intimidate him, but without success. The Ṭhākura overcame all oppressions and gave him a sentence of one and a half years. Biṣakiṣaṇa went for 21 days without food or drink and then left his body.

In the months that followed, another rascal in Jajpur proclaimed himself to be the incarnation of Brahmā, while someone else in Khorda said that he was a manifestation of Balarāma. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quickly thwarted their efforts to cheat the populace.

While living in Purī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura took the opportunity to study the Bhāgavata, the Six Sandarbhas of Jīva Gosvāmī, the Govinda-bhāṣya, Siddhānta-ratnam, Prameya-ratnāvalī of Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa. He also studied Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu in great detail. By making a display of intense study, he demonstrated the necessity of cultivating an understanding of the scriptures in order to learn the truths about pure devotion contained therein. Mahāprabhu indicated that one of the five principle limbs of devotional service is hearing the Bhāgavata. Jīva Gosvāmī indicated that this is the best of all devotional activities. In order to proclaim this same truth, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura founded a regular group for discussion of the Bhāgavata, Bhāgavata-saṁsat, which was held in the Jagannātha-vallabha gardens in Purī.

Many of the leading Vaiṣṇavas in Purī such as Nityānanda and Paramānanda, Mahānta Nārāyaṇa Dāsa, and Harihara Dāsa of Uttara Pārśva were attracted to hearing the Bhāgavata from his lips. Just as Mahāprabhu performed the pastime of hearing Bhāgavata from Śrīla Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also listened to Śrī Gopīnātha Paṇḍita’s discourses.

A certain renounced Vaiṣṇava, Raghunātha Dāsa Bābājī of Hati Akhra, objected to the Ṭhākura’s speaking on Bhāgavata and was attacked by disease. After Jagannātha Deva appeared to him in a dream and ordered him, he went and begged Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura for forgiveness, after which he was cured.

When the Ṭhākura went to the Jagannātha Temple, he did not sit in the Mukti Maṇḍapa, where māyāvādī scholars discussed their philosophy. He would sit by the Lakṣmī Temple and the place where Mahāprabhu’s footprints are enshrined and discuss devotional doctrines. Many of the māyāvādīs also attended and were attracted by his discourses. Soon the place became known as the Bhakti Maṇḍapa or the Bhakti Prāṇgaṇa.

During this time, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura studied Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Narahari Cakravartī’s Bhakti-ratnākara, but he did not accept Jayānanda’s Caitanya-maṅgala as being authoritative. He associated with a perfected Vaiṣṇava named Svarūpa Dāsa Bābājī, discussing scripture with him. While at Purī, he also wrote the Sanskrit work, Datta-kaustubha, and composed many Sanskrit verses of Śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā.

A wealthy family in Purī had leased land along the Grand Road from the Dakṣiṇa Pārśva Math and built a house on it. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and his family resided in this building, which is next to the Nārāyaṇa Chātā and not far from the Jagannātha Temple. This house was reclaimed by Parama-pūjyapāda Śrīmad Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja Viṣṇupāda and now houses a Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math with a beautiful temple building, where a deity of Srila Prabhupāda is worshipped.

After 3:30 pm on Friday, February 6, 1874, on the kṛṣṇa-pañcamī of Māgha month, an effulgent and beautiful child was born to Bhagavatī Devī in this home, while the Ṭhākura and other family members sang the Names of the Lord. Everyone was amazed to see natural marks of sacred thread around the child’s body. He was named after the divine energy of Jagannātha Deva, Vimalā Devī, as Bimalā Prasād. His first solid food was Lord Jagannātha’s maha-prasāda. When he grew up, this child became the founder of the Chaitanya Math and the worldwide Gaudiya Maths, Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was Jagannātha Deva’s own man. It was by Lord Jagannātha’s arrangement that he was brought to Purī to see to the smooth management of His service. After the appearance of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura, the preaching of Mahāprabhu’s message spread over the entire planet. This gave meaning to the words written by Vyāsadeva in the Padma-purāṇa, hy utkale puruṣottamāt, “out of Puruṣottama in Odisha.”

Ten months after Bimalā Prasād’s birth, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was reposted to Ranaghat, so he and his family returned to Bengal, travelling over land by palanquin.

Vedavyāsa and the scriptures he wrote are the foundation of all those who follow the sanātana-dharma. He himself practised and preached the means by which humankind can attain the supreme peace. He compiled and divided the Vedas, wrote the eighteen purāṇas and the Mahābhārata including the Bhagavad-gītā, but remained unsatisfied. Finally, while at Badrikashram, Nārada Muni instructed him to glorify the activities of Śrī Kṛṣṇa for His pleasure. After writing the twelve cantos of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Vedavyāsa finally found the peace he had been looking for.

Mahāprabhu Śrī Caitanya preached the Bhāgavata religion found in this text. After the disappearance of Mahāprabhu and His associates, however, the path of pure devotion became covered with thorns until Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura appeared to write many books and to preach the pure doctrine of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Through his tireless efforts, all the heretical doctrines were shown to be empty, and the path of supreme auspiciousness and compassion was again revealed to the world. These efforts can only be said to constitute an unequalled and certainly unsurpassed mercy towards all living beings. No one can spread the message of pure devotion without being empowered by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Were Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura not a direct associate of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, such a display of divine power would not have been possible.

Externally Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a householder with family obligations, a government servant engaged in administrative service, but despite these responsibilities, he was still able to write over a hundred books in several different languages and to preach extensively. One cannot fail to be impressed by this monumental achievement. Every word he wrote is scripture; every word awakens the spirit of devotion to Lord Adhokṣaja (He Who reserves the right of not being exposed to human senses). Mundane scholars could not have achieved a fraction of his literary accomplishments. None of his writings are a product of an imaginative brain but are spontaneous and self-manifest. His writings are a permanent display of compassion to the fallen souls. Most revered Śrīla Gurudeva Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja used to say to his disciples, “You need do nothing else other than translate Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s books into the world’s various languages. By doing so, you will perform the greatest act of welfare for the people of the world.” Whatever the Gaudiya Math and its numerous branches throughout the world have achieved is built on the foundation established by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.

After the appearance of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura returned to Bengal. From then on he engaged in preaching the doctrine of pure devotional service as well as going on pilgrimage, travelling throughout India. We will give a brief summary here of all the places he visited between 1877 and 1910, whether for the sake of pilgrimage or for preaching. He went to Amta in the Uluberiya subdivision, to Abhirāma Ṭhākura’s Sripat in Khanakul Krishnanagar, Shyampur, Bhadrak in Odisha, Narail in Jessore district, Kolkata, Prayāga, Vṛndāvana (where he met Śrī Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja for the first time), Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śrī Govardhana (where he broke up the Kanjhara dacoit gang that was harassing pilgrims coming to the dhāma), Mathura, Lucknow, Faiyejabad, Goptar Ghat, Ayodhya and Benares.

He then returned to Kolkata where in 1882 he started construction of Bhakti Bhavana at 181 Maniktala Street. While digging the foundations for the building, a deity of Kūrma-deva was found. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gave this deity to Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura and taught him how to worship it. He also visited Barasat and Māyāpura.

The Ṭhākura was then engaged as Deputy Collector in the Barasat subdivision. After some time he was transferred to Sriramapur, Vaidyanatha, Bakipur, and Gaya, where he saw the steps on Pretaśilā constructed by his great-grandfather, Madana Mohana Datta. He returned to Naral, Barasat, Memari, Kulingram, Bandel, and Saptagram. In Kulinagram he lectured on the Holy Name, distinguishing between the pure name, nāmābhāsa and nāmāparādha. There he also gave Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura initiation in the Holy Name and the Nṛsiṁha mantra.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura established the Caitanya Yantra printing press. The Viśva Vaiṣṇava Rāja Sabhā was established under his guidance at the Durgā Maṇḍapa of Rāma Gopāla Basu in Krishna Singha Gali off Bethun Row Road. There he gave lectures on Caitanya Caritāmṛta and Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. At this time he also had a meeting with the famous Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa, during which he countered his impersonal philosophy and explained the truth of pure devotion.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura visited Tarakeshwar, where Lord Śiva appeared to him in a dream and said, “You want to go to Vṛndāvana, but there is much work left to do in Navadvīpa-dhāma, which is nearby. What have you done there?”

The Ṭhākura then visited Kuliya, where the modern city of Navadvīpa stands. He went on the roof of his place of stay to take a view of the dhāma’s beauty. At about ten o’clock at night, when the thick clouds darkened the sky, he saw an illuminated building on the other side of the river. His son Kamalā Prasād was accompanying him and also saw this light, much to his surprise. On inquiry the next day, they learnt that the light was coming from a place known as Ballāla Dighī. On going later to Ballāla Dighī, they learnt from the elderly residents of the village that this was Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s birthplace. Intrigued, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura began to research old maps and documents and was able to establish conclusively that Mahāprabhu’s birthplace was indeed at Ballāla Dighī.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura continued to maintain his Kolkata home where he installed the Giridhārī Śilā given to him by Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. In 1888 he purchased a property in Godrumadvīpa, which he named Surabhi Kuñja. While stationed at Krishnanagar, he was also able to visit his birthplace at Ula.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura later visited Netrakona subdivision in Mymansingh District, Nārāyaṇa Ganj, Mymansingh city, the Garo Hills where he blessed the people of the Hajong tribe, and Gowalanda. Upon his return to Kolkata, he visited Tangail, Burdwan, Śāntipura, Kalna, Baghna Para, Koigram, and Denur, the site of Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura’s Sripat.

He then visited Kuliya again where he met Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja at his bhajana-kuṭīra. He rendered service to Bābājī Mahārāja by arranging for a concrete veranda to be built for him. While in Burdwan, he also performed kīrtana with the devotees of Amlajora village and visited Gopalpur, Raniganj, Barakar, Durgapur, and Dinajpur.

When in Kolkata, he met the famous newspaper publisher, Śiśira Ghosh, who considered him a guru, even calling him “the seventh Gosvāmī”. Śiśira Ghosh would come regularly to visit him at Bhakti Bhavana and at the Ṭhākura’s direction, started chanting japa on tulasī beads. He was not able to accept the principles of Vaiṣṇava behaviour in their entirety, however.

During this period Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also visited Ramjivanpur in Midnapore district, where he engaged in discussions with Sītānatha Mahāpātra and also preached the glories of Holy Name at a nearby place. He then visited Ghatal in Midnapore district and Kayapat Badna Ganj in Hooghly district. From there he returned to Krishnanagar, staying once again in Surabhi Kuñja. He arranged for some large assemblies in Krishnanagar at which he spoke. A number of Englishmen, including Messrs. Mulrow, Wallace and Butler, were regular attendants at these meetings.

At Amaljora on March 9, 1892, he participated in an ekādaśī program at which Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāj was present. From there he travelled to Vṛndāvana, stopping at Buxar (Bihar) and Prayāga. He was in Vraja from March 21 to 29, during which time he managed to visit Bilvavana, Bhāṇḍīravana, Māṭhavana, Māna Sarovara, Mathura, Gokula, Madhuvana, Tālavana, Kumudavana, Bahulāvana, Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Govardhana, etc. He then returned to Kolkata via Kanpur and Allahabad.

In Kolkata, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was engaged in preaching the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Bhakti Bhavana, as well as continuing to hold assemblies at Krishnanagar. In February 1893, he held a kīrtana festival at Godrumadvīpa under the guidance of Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. During this time, Bābājī Mahārāja indicated the exact spot where Mahāprabhu first appeared in this world.

At this time, the Ṭhākura had an argument with a certain member of a Gosvāmī family who held that one of Mahāprabhu’s closest associates was a śūdra. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was very displeased when he heard this and warned him and those who carry such opinion with the words:

vaiṣṇava-caritra, sarvadā pavitra,
jei ninde hiṁsā kari
bhakativinoda, na sambhāṣe tāre,
thāke sadā mauna dhari

A Vaiṣṇava’s character is always spotless. I, Bhaktivinoda, always remain silent and never speak to those who criticize Vaiṣṇavas out of spite.

Also at about this time, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wrote down his guru-paramparā and hung it on the outside of Bhakti Bhavana. He also did some preaching of Mahāprabhu’s doctrines of love in Bihar, in the towns of Sasaram, Nasirganj and Dihiri.

In January of 1894, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura held another large meeting at the A.V. School in Krishnanagar. At this meeting, it was decided that deities should be installed at Mahāprabhu’s birthplace. At the same time, the Navadvīpa Pracāriṇī Sabhā was formed to preach the newly discovered birthsite. Naphara Candra Pāla Bhakti Bhūṣaṇa, the zamindar of Natudaha in Nadia district, was elected executive secretary of the Sai Sabhā. Dvarikā Bābu, Naphara Bābu, and other members of the Sabhā decided that a thatched cottage would be constructed on the site and would house deities of Gaurāṅga and Viṣṇupriyā. These deities were consecrated on Friday, March 21, 1894 (Caitra 9, 1300 Bengali), on the Phālgunī Pūrṇimā, in the midst of a rousing kīrtana during a lunar eclipse. For the maintenance of the deities, a committee was formed (Śrī Māyāpura Sevā Samiti) which had many distinguished Vaiṣṇavas as its members, including Śyāmalāl Gosvāmī, Śaśībhūṣaṇa Gosvāmī, Rādhikānātha Gosvāmī, Bipina Bihārī Gosvāmī, Mahāmahopādhyāya Paṇḍita Ajitanātha Nyāyaratna, Mahendranātha Bhaṭṭācārya Vidyāraṇya, Satyajīvana Lāhirī, Vanamālī Rāya Bāhādura of Taras in Pabna district, Śiśira Kumāra Ghosh, Matilāl Ghosh, Yatīndranātha Rāya Caudhurī, the engineer Dvārikānatha Sarakāra, Surendranātha Pāl Caudhurī of Ranaghat, Mahendranāth Majumadāra, the advocate Kiśorīlāl Sarakāra, Nalinākṣa Datta, Kānāilāl Dey Bāhādura, Deputy Magistrate Navīna Candra Sena, and Jagaccandra Rāya.

On October 4, 1894, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura retired from government service and came to Surabhi Kuñja in Godrumadvīpa where he gave discourses on Vaiṣṇava scriptures for one month. Sometime after the disappearance of Jagannātha Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja in February of 1895, he accepted the invitation of the independent king of Tripura, Vīracandra Devavarmaṇa Mānikya Bāhādura, to go to Agartala. He went there with Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in July 1895 and enchanted the king with his discourses on pure devotional service. Later in 1896, he took Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura to Karshiyang, in the Himalayan foothills. In 1898, he revealed Godruma Svānanda Sukhada Kuñja and later took Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura to Benares and Prayāga.

In 1899, when the building was finished in Svānanda Sukhada Kuñja, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura came to perform his bhajana there. Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja was a regular visitor, coming to hear the Ṭhākura’s Bhāgavata lectures and it was here that Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura first met his guru.

In 1900, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura travelled with Sarasvatī Gosvāmī through Balasore, Remuna, Bhubaneshwar, and Sākṣi Gopāla to Purī. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura displayed a deep desire to engage in bhajana near Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s samādhi on the beach and his father arranged with Purī’s sub-registrar, Jagabandhu Paṭṭanāyaka, for him to be given the service of the Giridhārī Āsana at the Sātāsana Math. In March of 1901, they came to Purī again and in 1902 they began the construction of Bhakti Kuṭīra. At this time the king of Kashimbazar, Manindra Chandra Nandi, took instruction in devotional service from the Ṭhākura.

In 1903, Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī would regularly read and give discourses at Bhakti Kuṭīra on Caitanya Caritāmṛta in the presence of the Ṭhākura. The famous Rādhāramaṇa Caraṇa Dāsa Bābājī came to visit Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura during this time and they discussed devotional doctrines. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura disproved Caraṇa Dāsa’s anti-devotional activities and teachings through reference to the scriptures. Later, after Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had returned to Navadvīpa, Caraṇa Dāsa opined to the Ṭhākura that Sarasvatī Gosvāmī would be the only shelter for pure devotional doctrines going forward. Caraṇa Dāsa also indicated his desire to participate in the Navadvīpa parikramā inaugurated by the Ṭhākura, but unfortunately left his body before he was able to do so. During this time the Ṭhākura also met Śrī Vaṁśīdāsa Bābājī Mahārāja.

In 1906, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gave a lengthy discourse on Mahāprabhu’s teachings at the house of zamindar Yatīndranātha Rāya Caudhurī in Taki, 50 kms east of Kolkata. On February 26, 1906, the Ṭhākura came to Kolkata again and from there to Swarup Ganj in Godrumadvīpa where he engaged in his devotional activities at Svānanda Sukhada Kuñja. While there, a certain Tāraka Brahma Gosvāmī of the village Harinadi in Jessore came to him and asked him to accept his Rādhā-Mādhava deities, which the Ṭhākura installed in Māyāpura. Tāraka Brahma Gosvāmī moved close to this temple with his wife and family, but after a short time, it became clear that his behaviour was at odds with the standards expected of them and they were obliged to leave. On April 29, 1906, however, the Śrī Dhāma Pracāriṇī Sabhā decided to award an annual stipend of 500 rupees to the temple for the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava.

In 1908, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura took the dress of a renounced Vaiṣṇava, a bhāgavata-paramahaṁsa, in order to dedicate his life to deeply relishing the sacred nectar of Rādhā-Govinda’s intimate pastimes.

On March 25, 1910, which was Phālgunī pūrṇimā (the appearance day of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu), Jagadīśa Bhakti Pradip, at that time still a householder, visited Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura at Māyāpura and five days later received initiation from him at Godrumadvīpa. Another disciple, Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī Mahāśaya, was also living with the Ṭhākura at Svānanda Sukhada Kuñja at that time.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura preached that the rules of the daiva-varṇāśrama dharma should always be followed. Thus, he upheld the directives of the sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā in giving the sacred thread to Jagadīśa Bhakti Pradip (who after taking sannyāsa from Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura became Śrīmad Bhakti Pradip Tīrtha Mahārāja), Sītānātha Mahāpātra, Vasanta Kumār Ghosh, and Manmathanātha Rāya.

In this connection, it is worth examining the following words written by the Ṭhākura: “The varṇāśrama-dharma current in today’s society is quite distinct from the transcendental dharma of exclusive devotion to Kṛṣṇa. The practice of varṇāśrama-dharma on its own does not result in full surrender to the Lord. The ultimate instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā is to discard all the principles related to the varṇas and āśramas, in short, all activities based on bodily identification, and to engage in cultivation of devotional activities based on the natural constitution of the soul, which is pure love and without an ulterior motive. The standard of this transcendental Vaiṣṇava-dharma is supremely high. The pure and causeless devotional doctrines of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava-dharma cannot be comprehended even by scholars dedicated to nyāya philosophy such as Rāghavācārī.”

In 1910, while still at Svānanda Sukhada Kuñja, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was engaged in writing his Sva-niyama-dvādaśaka when suddenly he displayed the pastimes of falling extremely ill. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura and other dear disciples and followers gathered around him, afraid that he was about to enter the nitya-līlā. Even in this state of extreme physical discomfort, however, the Ṭhākura’s enthusiasm for preaching Lord Caitanya’s message was unabated. Though unable to walk, he indicated that he wished to be taken from place to place on horseback so that he could continue to spread Mahāprabhu’s teachings.

Three years before the Ṭhākura’s disappearance, he was extremely anxious as to who would take up the task of defeating all the heterodox doctrines that go against pure devotional service thereby bringing about the ultimate welfare of the living entities. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura indicated to him that though he felt himself to be an unworthy servant, he would take up this work. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was greatly delighted to hear his son’s determination and when Gopiballabhpur’s Śrī Viśvambharānanda Deva Gosvāmī invited him to participate in a conference in Balighai-Uddhavpur, Midnapore, he sent Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura and Sureśa Candra Mukhopādhyāya in his place. The conference took place from September 8-11, 1911. Many respected and well-reputed scholars of the sampradāya were present, including Madhusūdana Gosvāmī Sārvabhauma of the Rādhā-Ramaṇa Gherā in Vṛndāvana.

Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gave a talk on the distinctions between a Vaiṣṇava and a brāhmaṇa, clearly demonstrating a great amount of research, and left the assembly of scholars enchanted and speechless. A year later, when Madhusūdana Gosvāmī visited Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura at the Bhakti Bhavana, he enthusiastically proclaimed that Śrīla Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura to be Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s worthy successor in his work of protecting the Gauḍīya sampradāya and carrying his mission forward.

In 1913, Sarasvatī Gosvāmī wrote a commentary on the Caitanya Caritāmṛta, which was meant to accompany Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya. He read several passages of this Anubhāṣya to the Ṭhākura, giving him an indescribable pleasure.

A few days before his disappearance, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura left Godrumadvīpa to come to Bhakti Bhavana. On June 23, 1914, on the disappearance day of Gaura-Śakti, Śrīla Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī, in his Kolkata Bhakti Bhavana, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura entered the midday pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda at Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Six years later, his wife Śrī Bhagavatī Devī, the worshipable Mātā Ṭhākurāṇī, left her body at Bhakti Bhavana.

(Ten verses describing the feelings of separation from Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura written for the occasion of his disappearance day by Śrīmad Bhakti Rakshak Śrīdhara Gosvāmī Mahārāja)

hā hā bhaktivinoda ṭhakkura guro dvāviṁśatis te samā
dīrghād-duḥkha-bharād aśeṣa-virahād duḥsthīkṛtā bhūr iyam
jīvānāṁ bahu-janma-puṇya-nivahākṛṣṭo mahīmaṇḍale
āvirbhāva-kṛpāṁ cakāra ca bhavān śrī-gaura-śaktiḥ svayam

Alas! Alas! My guru Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura! It is now twenty-two long years that the world has been burdened with the grief of your separation. You are the personification of Śrī Gaurāṅga’s energy and you mercifully appeared in this world after being attracted by the living beings’ many lifetimes of pious activities.

dīno ’haṁ cira-duṣkṛtir na hi bhavat-pādābja-dhūli-kaṇā-
snānānanda-nidhiṁ prapanna-śubhadaṁ labdhuṁ samartho ’bhavam
kintv audārya-guṇāt tavāti-yaśasaḥ kāruṇya-śaktiḥ svayaṁ
śrī-śrī-gaura-mahāprabhoḥ prakaṭitā viśvaṁ samanvagrahīt

Being most fallen and possessing nothing but sinful activity in my past, I have not been able to attain the joyful treasure of being bathed in the dust of your lotus feet, which brings all auspiciousness to the surrendered. Even so, you are deservedly renowned for your magnanimity. You are the personification of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s compassionate powers who have appeared in this world in order to bestow your divine blessings upon it.

he deva! stavane tavākhila-guṇānāṁ te viriñcādayo
devā vyartha-manorathāḥ kimu vayaṁ martyādhamāḥ kurmahe
etan no vibudhaiḥ kadāpy atiśayālaṅkāra ity ucyatāṁ
śāstreṣv eva ‘na pāraye ’ham’ iti yad gītaṁ mukundena tat

O Lord! The gods led by Brahmā are frustrated for their inability to glorify your unlimited virtues. What then can low-born humans such as we accomplish? This is no rhetorical exaggeration, as some scholars may claim, for even Mukunda Himself has said the same.

dharmaś carmma-gato ’jñataiva satatā yogaś ca bhogātmako
jñāne śūnya-gatir japena tapasā khyāti-jighāṁsaiva ca
dāne dāmbhikatā ‘nurāga-bhajane duṣṭāpacāro yadā
buddhiṁ buddhimatāṁ bibheda hi tadā dhātrā bhavān preṣitaḥ

You were sent by the Lord when even the most intelligent people’s wisdom had been ruined through religious activities that seek only bodily pleasures, by constant ignorance, by yoga that has sense enjoyment as its goal, by the idea that the goal of knowledge is the void, by the desire to destroy individual consciousness through prayer and austerity, by arrogant pride in giving charity, and by immoral practices spread in the name of rāgānuga-bhajana.

viśve ’smin kiraṇair yathā himakaraḥ sañjīvayann auṣadhīr
nakṣatrāṇi ca rañjayan nija-sudhāṁ vistārayan rājate
sac-chāstrāṇi ca toṣayan budha-gaṇaṁ sammodayaṁs te tathā
nūnaṁ bhūmi-tale śubhodaya iti hlādo bahūḥ sātvatām

Just as the moon gives life to the world’s vegetation, revitalizes the constellations and spreads its own nectar with its rays, so too, your auspicious appearance on Earth brings fulfilment to the holy scriptures, joy to the intelligent and abundant ecstasy to the Vaiṣṇavas.

lokānāṁ hita-kāmyayā bhagavato bhakti-pracāras tvayā
granthānāṁ racanaiḥ satām abhimatair nānāvidhair darśitaḥ
ācāryaiḥ kṛta-pūrvam eva kila tad rāmānujādyair budhaiḥ
premāmbhonidhi-vigrahasya bhavato māhātmya-sīmā na tat

Wishing to bless everyone in the world, you demonstrated how to preach devotion to the Supreme Lord through writing a multitude of books, all appreciated by the saintly. Śrī Rāmānuja and several other ācāryas have done that before. But your glorious achievements are unlimited, for you are the embodiment of the ocean of prema.

yad-dhāmnaḥ khalu dhāma caiva nigame brahmeti saṁjṣāyate
yasyāṁśasya kalaiva duḥkha-nikarair yogeśvarair mṛgyate
vaikuṇṭhe para-mukta-bhṛṅga-caraṇo nārāyaṇo yaḥ svayaṁ
tasyāṁśī bhagavān svayaṁ rasa-vapuḥ kṛṣṇo bhavān tat-pradaḥ

You came to give the Supreme Person Kṛṣṇa Himself, Whose body is the form of sacred rapture, the effulgence of Whose abode is known in the Vedas as Brahman, Whose mere partial expansion is the goal of the great yogis’ austere practices, Who is the source of Nārāyaṇa Himself, Whose lotus feet are surrounded by the most advanced, bee-like liberated souls in Vaikuṇṭha.

sarvācintya-maye parātpara-pure goloka-vṛndāvane
cil-līlā-rasa-raṅginī parivṛtā sā rādhikā śrī-hareḥ
vātsalyādi rasaiś ca sevita-tanor mādhurya-sevā-sukhaṁ
nityaṁ yatra madā tanoti hi bhavān tad-dhāma-sevā-pradaḥ

You bestowed service to the completely inconceivable divine abode of Goloka Vṛndāvana, which lies beyond the other spiritual worlds, where Śrīmatī Rādhikā, surrounded by Her sakhīs, whose pleasure is in the transcendental nectar of the spiritual pastimes, constantly and joyfully serves in the conjugal loving mood, Śrī Hari, Who is also worshiped in other moods like parenthood.

śrī-gaurānumataṁ svarūpa-viditaṁ rūpāgrajenādṛtaṁ
rūpādyaiḥ pariveśitaṁ raghu-gaṇair āsvāditaṁ sevitam
jīvādyair abhirakṣitaṁ śuka-śiva-brahmādi-sammānitaṁ
śrī-rādhā-pada-sevanāmṛtam aho tad dātum īśo bhavān

You are perfectly competent to give the nectar of service to Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s feet, which was approved by Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, which was understood by Svarūpa Dāmodara, adored by Sanātana Gosvāmī, distributed by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, relished by Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī and the rest of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s followers, and which is held aloft by Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā.

kvāhaṁ manda-matis tv atīva patitaḥ kva tvaṁ jagat-pāvanaḥ
bho svāmin kṛpayāparādha-nicayo nūnaṁ tvayā kṣamyatām
yāce ’haṁ karuṇā-nidhe varam imaṁ pādābja-mūle bhavat-
sarvasvāvadhi-rādhikā-dayita-dāsānāṁ gaṇe gaṇyatām

I am a wicked-minded fallen soul, so far from you who purify the entire universe. O Master! Please forgive all my offences out of your great compassion. I beg you, O ocean of mercy, to grant me this boon that I be included amongst the followers of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura, for whom your lotus feet are everything.

(This poem, also by Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Gosvāmī Mahārāja, was published in the Gauḍīya magazine, July 1939, 7.47)

amanda-kāruṇya-guṇākara śrī-
caitanya-devasya dayāvatāraḥ
sa gaura-śaktir bhavitā punaḥ kiṁ
padaṁ dṛśor bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

You are an embodiment of the most magnanimous Caitanya Deva’s mercy. You are the energy of Gaurāṅga. O Lord Bhaktivinoda, when will you again be visible to me?

śrīmaj-jagannātha-prabhu-priyo ya
ekātmako gaura-kiśorakena
śrī-gaura-kāruṇya-mayo bhavet kiṁ
nityaṁ smṛtau bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

When will Bhaktivinoda Prabhu, the embodiment of Mahāprabhu’s blessings, remain fixed in my memory? He is dear to Jagannāth Prabhu and is not different from Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja.

śrī-nāma-cintāmaṇi-sampracārair
ādarśam ācāra-vidhau dadhau yaḥ
sa jāgarūkaḥ smṛti-mandire kiṁ
nityaṁ bhaved bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

When will Bhaktivinoda Prabhu, who gave us the example how to act by preaching the jewel of the Holy Name, remain alive in the temple of my memory?

nāmāparādhai rahitasya nāmno
māhātmya-jātaṁ prakaṭaṁ vidhāya
jīve dayālur bhavitā smṛtau kiṁ
kṛtāsano bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

When will Bhaktivinoda Prabhu, who displayed his utmost mercy to all living beings by revealing the glories of the Holy Name, void of any offences, take his place in the throne of my mind?

gaurasya gūḍha-prakaṭālayasya
sato ’sato harṣa-kunāṭyayoś ca
prakāśako gaurajano bhavet kiṁ
smṛtyāspadaṁ bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

When will I remember Bhaktivinoda Prabhu, the member of Gaurāṅga’s entourage who revealed His hidden birthplace, to the joy of the saintly and the envious reaction of the wicked?

nirasya vighnān iha bhakti-gaṅgā-
pravāhanenoddhṛta-sarvalokaḥ
bhagīratho nitya-dhiyāṁ padaṁ kiṁ
bhaved asau bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

Like King Bhāgīrathī, he saved the entire world by destroying all impediments and allowing the Gaṅgā of pure devotion to flow. When will Bhaktivinoda Prabhu be the permanent object of my meditation?

viśveṣu caitanya-kathā-pracārī
māhātmya-śaṁsī guru-vaiṣṇavānām
nāma-grahādarśa iha smṛtaḥ kiṁ
citte bhaved bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

When will I remember Bhaktivinoda Prabhu, who preached the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu throughout the world, who glorified the guru and the Vaiṣṇavas and who set the example for chanting the Holy Name?

prayojanaṁ sann abhidheya-bhakti-
siddhānta-vāṇyā samam atra gaura-
kiśora-sambandha-yuto bhavet kiṁ
cittaṁ gato bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

When will Bhaktivinoda Prabhu, himself the representative of the proyojana-tattva, appear in my mind, accompanied by Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī, the personification of the sambandha-tattva, and by Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī, the manifestation of the abhidheya-tattva.

śikṣāmṛtaṁ sajjana-toṣaṇīṁ ca
cintāmaṇiṁ cātra sajaiva-dharmam
prakāśya caitanya-prado bhavet kiṁ
citte dhṛto bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

When will Bhaktivinoda Prabhu, who made people conscious of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu through his publications Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, Sajjana-toṣaṇī, Harināma-cintāmaṇi, and Jaiva-dharma, be held constantly in my mind?

āṣāḍha-darśe ’hani gaura-śakti-
gadādharābhinna-tanur-jahau yaḥ
prapañca-līlām iha no bhavet kiṁ
dṛśyaḥ punar bhakti-vinoda-devaḥ

When will Bhaktivinoda Prabhu appear to us again? Being non-different from Gaura-Śakti Gadādhara Paṇḍita, he left the material world on the same day as he, the dark-moon-day of Āṣāḍhamonth.

(“Instructions to worship the Moon of Godruma”. These verses written by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura were published posthumously for the first time in 1950 in Gauḍīya magazine, 18.47-8, pp. 757-8)

yadi te hari-pāda-saroja-sudhā-
rasa-pāna-paraṁ hṛdayaṁ satatam
parihṛtya gṛhaṁ kali-bhāra-mayaṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

If your heart wishes to always drink the nectar of Hari’s lotus feet, then abandon your household life, which is oppressed with the spirit of Kali, and worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

dhana-yauvana-jīvana-rājya-sukhaṁ
nahi nityam anukṣaṇa-nāśa-param
tyaja grāmya-kathā-sakalaṁ viphalaṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

All the joys you get from wealth, youth, life and power are temporary and susceptible to destruction at any moment. Give up all your useless mundane conversations and worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

ramaṇī-jana-saṅga-sukhaṁ ca sakhe
carame bhayadaṁ puruṣārtha-haram
hari-nāma-sudhā-rasa-matta-matir
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

O friend! The joys of your association with beautiful women are ultimately a source of fear, for they prevent the achievement of life’s real goal of life. Become intoxicated with the nectar of the Holy Names and worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

jaḍa-kāvya-raso nahi kāvya-rasaḥ
kali-pāvana-gaura-raso hi rasaḥ
alam any-kathādy-anuśīlanayā
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

The taste of mundane poetry does not afford the sweet taste of actual poetry. The sweet mellows of true poetry are found in the descriptions of the purifier of the age of Kali, Gaura. Give up the study of all other subjects and worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

vṛṣabhānu-sutānvita-vāma-tanuṁ
yamunā-taṭa-nāgara-nanda-sutam
muralī-kala-gīta-vinoda-paraṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers, the son of Nanda, the transcendental playboy Who sports on the Yamunā’s banks with the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu at His left side, joyfully playing wonderful songs on His flute.

hari-kīrtana-madhyagataṁ svajanaiḥ
pariveṣṭita-jāmbunadābha-hariṁ
nija-gauḍa-janaika-kṛpā-jaladhiṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers, the ocean of mercy for His own companions from the land of Gauḍa; He dances in the midst of hari-kīrtana, surrounded by these associates, His effulgent form appearing to be of refined gold.

girirāja-sutā-parivīta-gṛhaṁ
nava-khaṇḍa-patiṁ yati-citta-haram
sura-saṅgha-nutaṁ priyayā sahitaṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers—Lord Caitanya, who along with His beloved wife Viṣṇupriyā is glorified by all demigods and saintly persons. His home, Navadvīpa, is surrounded by the River Gaṅgā, the daughter of the Himalayas. He is the Lord of Navadvīpa and the stealer of the hearts of all sannyāsīs.

kali-kukkura-mudgara-bhāva-dharaṁ
hari-nāma-mahauṣadha-dāna-param
patitārta-dayārdra-sumūrti-dharaṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers, Who has taken the mood of the hammer-wielding chastiser of the Kali-dog, who distributes the great panacea of the Holy Name, and Whose form is soaked in tearful compassion for the fallen.

ripu-bāndhava-bheda-vihīna-dayā
yad abhīkṣṇam udeti mukhābja-tatau
tam akṛṣṇam iha vraja-rāja-sutaṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

His mercy makes no distinction between friend and foe. Though His bodily hue is not black, He is the son of the King of Vraja. Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

iha copaniṣat-parigīta-vibhur
dvija-rāja-sutaḥ puraṭābha-hariḥ
nija-dhāmani khelati bandhu-yuto
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers—He whose glories are sung in the Upaniṣads and is now a son of the best of brāhmaṇas with a golden bodily hue, playing in His own dhāma with His eternal associates.

avatara-varaṁ paripūrṇa-phalaṁ
para-tattvam ihātma-vilāsa-mayam
vraja-dhāma-rasāmbudhi-gupta-rasaṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers, Who is the best of the incarnations of the Supreme, Who brings the ultimate fruit of spiritual life, Who is the Supreme Truth come into this world out of His own pleasure and Who relish a taste hidden in the ocean of rapture that is Vraja-dhāma.

śruti-varṇa-dhanādi na yasya kṛpā-
janane balavad-bhajanena vinā
tam ahaituka-bhāva-pathā hi sakhe
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Learning, high birth and wealth are useless in attaining His mercy without intense bhajana. O friend, worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers without any material motivation.

api nakra-gatau hrada-madhya-gataṁ
kam amocayad ārta-janaṁ tam ajam
avicintya-balaṁ śiva-kalpa-taruṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

This same Lord also once liberated a distressed elephant (Gajendra) from a crocodile within a lake. He is the unborn one, possessing inconceivable power, and is truly a desire tree of pure auspiciousness. Just worship the beautiful moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

surabhīndra-tapaḥ-parituṣṭa-mano
vara-varṇa-dharo harir āvirabhūt
tam ajasra-sukhaṁ muni-dhairya-haraṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

When His mind was pleased by the austerities of Indra and Surabhī, He appeared in a golden form before them. Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers, Who brings unlimited pleasure and Who disturbs the calm minds of the silent sages.

abhilāṣa-cayaṁ tad abheda-dhiyam
aśubhaṁ ca śubhaṁ tyaja sarvam idam
anukūlatayā priya-sevanayā
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Give up all your desires for sense enjoyment. Give up the idea that you are identical with the Lord. Abandon both auspicious and inauspicious works. Only worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers with acts compatible with His pleasure and by serving those dear to Him.

hari-sevaka-sevana-dharma-paro
hari-nāma-rasāmṛta-pāna-rataḥ
nati-dainya-dayā-paramāna-yuto
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Become fixed in the religion of serving the servants of Hari. Be fixed in drinking the nectar of the Holy Names. Always be fixed in demonstrating respect, humility and compassion. Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

vada yādava mādhava kṛṣṇa hare
vada rāma janārdana keśava he
vṛṣabhānu-sutā-priyanātha sadā
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Sing the Names of Yādava, Mādhava, Kṛṣṇa and Hari. Sing the names of Rāma, Janārdana and Keśava. Always sing the name of the dearest lord of the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu. Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

vada yāmuna-tīra-vanādri-pate
vada gokula-kānana-puñja-rave
vada rāsa-rasāyana gaura-hare
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Sing the Name of the Lord of the forests by the Yamunā banks. Sing the Name of the sun that lights up the gardens of Gokula. Sing the Name of Gaurahari, the knower of sacred rapture. Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

cala gaura-vanaṁ nava-khaṇḍamayaṁ
paṭha gaurahareś caritāṇi mudā
luṭha gaura-padāṅkita-gāṅga-taṭaṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Go live in Gaurāṅga’s forest with its nine divisions. Joyfully study Gaurahari’s life. Roll about in the dust by the banks of the Ganges marked with Gaurāṅga’s footprints. And worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

smara gaura-gadādhara-keli-kalāṁ
bhava gaura-gadādhara-pakṣa-caraḥ
śrṇu gaura-gadādhara-cāru-kathāṁ
bhaja godruma-kānana-kuñja-vidhum

Remember always the enchanting pastimes of Gaura-Gadādhara. Become a follower of Gaura-Gadādhara. Always listen to the enchanting topics of Gaura-Gadādhara. Worship the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

Other than the titles already mentioned, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wrote numerous works from 1866 to 1907, which are listed here as far as possible.

(1) Balid-e-registry (Urdu), 1866.
(2) Speech on Gautam (English), 1856.
(3) Speech on the Bhāgavatam (English), 1869.
(4) Garbha-stotra-vyākhyā (Bengali), 1870.
(5) Reflections (English), 1871.
(6) Slokas of Haridas Thākur’s Samādhi” (English), 1871.
(7) Jagannātha Mandir of Purī (English), 1871.
(8) Akhras of Purī (English), 1871.
(9) Vedāntādhikaraṇa-mālā (Sanskrit), 1872.
(10) Datta-kaustubham (Sanskrit), 1874.
(11) Datta-vaṁśa-mālā (Sanskrit), 1876.
(12) Bauddha-vijaya-kāvyam (Sanskrit), 1878.
(13) Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā (Sanskrit with Bengali translation), 1880.
(14) Kalyāṇa-kalpa-taru (Bengali songs), 1881.
(15) Śrī-sajjana-toṣaṇī (Bengali monthly magazine) from 1881-1898.
(16) Review of Nitya-rūpa-saṁsthāpana (English), 1883.
(17) Śrimad-Bhagavad-gītā, with Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda’s commentary, and Rasika-rañjana translation (Bengali), 1886.
(18) Śrī-Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta (Bengali), 1886.
(19) Sammodana commentary to Śikṣāṣṭaka (Sanskrit), 1886.
(20) Manaḥ-śikṣā padyānuvāda (Bengali), 1886.
(21) Daśopaniṣad-chūrṇikā (Sanskrit), 1886.
(22) Bhāvāvalī, verses and commentary (Sanskrit), 1886.
(23) Prema-pradīpa (Bengali novel), 1886. (24) Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma with Baladeva’s commentary (Sanskrit), 1886.
(25) Published Satyarāja Khān’s Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-vijaya, 1886.
(26) Chaitanyopaniṣat with Caitanya-caraṇāmṛta commentary (Sanskrit), 1887.
(27) Vaiṣṇava-siddhānta-mālā (Bengali), 1888.
(28) Śrī-Āmnāya-sūtram (Sanskrit sūtras, Bengali explanation), 1890.
(29) Śrī-Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya (Bengali), 1890.
(30) Siddhānta-darpaṇa translation (Bengali), 1890.
(31) Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā, Bengali translation (Vidvad-rañjana-bhāṣya) and Baladeva’s Sanskrit commentary (Bengali), 1891.
(32) Śrī-Harināma (Bengali), 1892.
(33) Śrī-Nāma (Bengali), 1892.
(34) Śrī-Nāma-tattva (Bengali), 1892.
(35) Śrī-Nāma-mahimā (Bengali), 1892.
(36) Śrī-Nāma-pracāra (Bengali), 1892.
(37) Śrīman-Mahāprabhura Śikṣā (Bengali), 1892.
(38) Tatta-viveka (Sanskrit verses and Bengali commentary), 1893.
(39) Śaraṇāgati (Bengali songs), 1893.
(40) Śoka-śātana (Bengali song), 1893.
(41) Jaiva-dharma (Bengali), 1893.
(42) Tattva-sūtra (Sanskrit and Bengali commentary), 1894.
(43) Īśopaniṣat Vedārka-dīdhiti-vyākhyā (Bengali), 1894.
(44) Tattva-muktāvalī or Mayavāda-śata-dūṣaṇī (Bengali commentary), 1894.
(45) Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya on Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Bengali), 1895.
(46) Śrī Gaurāṅga-smaraṇa-maṅgala-stotram (Sanskrit), 1896.
(47) Life and Precepts of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (English), 1896.
(48) Śrī-Rāmānuja-Upedeśa (Bengali), 1896.
(49) Artha-pañcaka (Bengali), 1896.
(50) Bengali translation of Brahma-saṁhitā, 1897.
(51) Kalyāṇa-kalpa-taru (Revised), 1897.
(52) Translation and commentary on Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛtam (Bengali), 1898.
(53) Translation and Pīyūṣa-vaṣiṇī commentary on Upadeśāmṛta (Bengali), 1898.
(54) Bhagavad-gītā with Mādhva’s commentary (Bengali), 1898.
(55-56) Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī Prabhu’s Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta in two volumes (Bengali translation), 1898.
(57) Narahari Ṭhākura’s Bhajanāmṛtam (Bengali commentary), 1899.
(58) Nabadvīpa-bhāva-taraṅginī (Bengali verse), 1899.
(59) Śrī-Harināma-cintāmaṇi (Bengali verse), 1900.
(60) Tattva-vaṁśa-mālā (Bengali), 1900.
(61) Bhāgavatārka-marīci-mālā (compilation and Bengali translation), 1901.
(62) Śrī-saṅkalpa-kalpadruma (Bengali commentary), 1901.
(63) Padma-purāṇa (edited in Bengali), 1901.
(64) Bhajana-rahasya (collection of verses and Bengali verse translation), 1902.
(65) Vijana-grāma o sannyāsai (Bengali verse, revised edition), 1902.
(66) Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā (Sanskrit and Bengali, revised), 1903.
(67) Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā (Bengali, edited), 1903.
(68) Śrī-Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta (Bengali, revised and expanded), 1905.
(69) Prema-vivarta (Bengali, edited), 1906.
(70) Sva-niyama-dvādaśakam (Sanskrit verse), 1907.
(71) Śrī-Nimbārka-daśa-ślokī (Bengali trans. and comment), 1907.
(72) Śrī-Gītamālā (Bengali songs), 1907.
(73) Śrī-Gītāvalī (Bengail songs), 1907.
(74) Harikathā (Bengali verse), 1850.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wrote Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā and Kalyāṇa-kalpataru and started publishing the monthly magazine, Sajjana-toṣaṇī, while living at Naral in Jessore district, from 1878 to 1881. He published an English edition of Sajjana-toṣaṇī in 1883 while in Barasat. Then in 1886, when in Serampore, he published his translation-commentary to the Bhagavad-gītā, Rasika-rañjana marmānuvāda with Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s commentary Sārārtha-varśinī. While in Serampore, he also wrote Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, the Sanmodana-bhāṣya commentary to Mahāprabhu’s Siksastaka, and a book named Bhaktivinoda. In 1887, while in Sambalpur, he published Caitanyopaniṣat after receiving a unique hand-written manuscript from a disciple named Madhusūdana Dāsa. Later in the same year, while living in Krishnanagar, he started work on Āmnāya-sūtra and published his Nabadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya. In 1896, after returning to Kolkata from Tripura he wrote and published his English book, Life and Precepts of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the Sanskrit Gaurāṅga-smaraṇa-maṅgala-stotra.