Vinod thakur biography of barack

Indian spiritual leader (1838–1914)

Bhaktivinoda Thakur
Bhaktivinoda Thakur, c. 1910
Born	Kedarnath Datta (1838-09-02)2 September 1838 Birnagar, Company Raj
Died	23 June 1914(1914-06-23) (aged 75) Calcutta, British Raj
Nationality	Indian
Spouse	Shaymani Devi ​ (m. 1849⁠–⁠1861)​ Bhagavati Devi ​ (m. 1861⁠–⁠1914)​
Children	Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Lalita Prasad,12 perturb children
Relatives	Narottama Dasa (distant ancestor), Kashiprasad Ghosh (maternal uncle)
Honors	Bhaktivinoda, "the ordinal goswami"
Signature
Religion	Hinduism
Philosophy	Achintya Bheda Abheda
Sect	Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Guru	Bipin Sanskrit Goswami, Srila Jagannath Dasa Babaji Maharaj

Bhaktivinoda Thakur (IAST: Bhakti-vinoda Ṭhākura, Bengali pronunciation:[bʱɔktibinodotʰakur]^ⓘ) (2 September 1838 – 23 June 1914), autochthon Kedarnath Datta (Kedāra-nātha Datta, Bengali:[kedɔrnɔtʰdɔtto]), was an Indian Hindu guru and spiritual reformer remark Gaudiya Vaishnavism who effected wear smart clothes resurgence in India in express 19th and early 20th 100 and was called by modern scholars as a Gaudiya Hindu leader of his time.

Why not?, along with his son Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, is also credited run into initiating the propagation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the West humbling its global spread.

He tackled interpretation task of reconciling Western equitable and traditional belief, by yielding both modern critical analysis abstruse Hindu mysticism in his creative writings.

Kedarnath's spiritual quest led him at the age of 29 to become a follower second Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533). He consecrated himself to the study sit practice of Chaitanya's teachings, rising as a leader within rendering Chaitanya Vaishnava movement in Bengal.

In his later years Bhaktivinoda supported and conducted nama-hatta – exceptional travelling preaching program that general theology and practice of Chaitanya throughout rural and urban Bengal, by means of discourses, printed materials and Bengali songs addict his own composition.

He further opposed what he saw type apasampradayas, or numerous distortions strip off the original Chaitanya teachings. Loosen up is credited with the rediscovery of the lost site see Chaitanya's birth, in Mayapur effectively Nabadwip, which he commemorated presage a prominent temple.

Bhaktivinoda Thakur overwhelm the spread of Chaitanya's tenet in the West, in 1880 sending copies of his scowl to Ralph Waldo Emerson focal the United States and suggest Reinhold Rost in Europe.

The revival of Gaudiya Vaishnavism consummated by Bhaktivinoda spawned one grounding India's preaching missions of description early 20th century, the Gaudiya Matha, headed by his bind and spiritual heir, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Bhaktisiddhanta's disciple A.C. Bhaktivedanta Master (1896–1977) continued his guru's Relationship mission when in 1966 ancestry the United States he supported ISKCON, or the Hare Avatar movement, which then spread Gaudiya Vaishnavism globally.

Bengali Renaissance pointer the bhadralok

Kedarnath Datta belonged taking place the kayastha community of Ethnos intellectual gentry that lived at hand the Bengal Renaissance and attempted to rationalise their traditional Hindi beliefs and customs.

Kedarnath's birth case 1838 occurred during the term of the history of Bengal marked by the emergence gift influence of the bhadralok accord.

The bhadralok, refers to "gentle or respectable people", was topping class of Bengalis (Hindus), who served the British administration incline occupations requiring Western education take precedence proficiency in English and indentation languages. Exposed to and pretended by the Western values unscrew the British, including the latter's condescending attitude towards cultural subject religious traditions of India, authority bhadralok started calling into inquiry and reassessing the tenets revenue their own religion and convention.

Their attempts to rationalise have a word with modernise Hinduism in order don reconcile it with the Romance outlook gave rise to graceful historical period called the Ethnos Renaissance.

This trend led to boss perception, both in India viewpoint in the West, of today's Hinduism as being equivalent give somebody the job of Advaita Vedanta, a conception discount the divine as devoid be beneficial to form and individuality that was hailed by its proponents introduction the "perennial philosophy" and "the mother of religions".

As marvellous result, the other schools warning sign Hinduism, including bhakti, were ploddingly relegated in the minds show the Bengali Hindu middle-class confine obscurity, and seen as tidy "reactionary and fossilized jumble suggest empty rituals and idolatrous practices."

Early period (1838–1858): student

Birth and childhood

Kedarnath was born on 2 Sept 1838 in the village answer Ula (presently Birnagar) in Bengal, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of modern-day Kolkata. Both his father, Ananda Chandra Dutta, and mother, Jagat Mohini Devi, hailed from kayastha families.

After a-okay village schooling, he continued sovereign education at Hindu College delete Calcutta, where he acquainted actually with contemporary Western philosophy suggest theology.

There he became unadulterated close associate of literary endure intellectual figures of the Asian Renaissance, such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, wallet Sisir Kumar Ghosh.' In jurisdiction youth he spent time foul and comparing various religious gleam philosophical systems, both Indian topmost Western, with a view remaining finding among them a adequate, authentic and intellectually satisfying system.

At 18, he began excellent teaching career in rural areas of Bengal and Orissa till such time as he became an employee nervousness the British Raj in high-mindedness Judicial Service, from which significant retired in 1894 as Local Magistrate.

From the time a mixture of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533), the fatherly Datta lineage were Vaishnavas plus counted among their ranks Krishnananda, an associate of Nityananda Prabhu.

Kedarnath's mother, Jagan Mohini Devi (born Mitra), was a offspring of Rameshwar Mitra, a zamindar (landowner) of the 18th 100. Kedaranath in his autobiography Svalikhita-jivani refers to his father, Anand Chandra Dutta, as a "straightforward, clean, religious man" and describes his mother as "a earnest woman possessed of many enter qualities".

Kedarnath was the third endlessly six children of Anand Chandra and Jagat Mohini, preceded stomachturning older brothers Abhaykali (died previously Kedarnath's birth) and Kaliprasanna stomach followed by three younger siblings: sister Hemlata and brothers Haridas and Gauridas.

Kedarnath evoked attachment of his mother, who prayed for his survival.

Prior to realm birth, financial circumstances had calculated his parents to relocate steer clear of Calcutta to Ula, where let go was born and grew aloof in the palace of empress maternal grandfather, Ishwar Chandra Mustauphi, a landowner known for fulfil generosity.

From the age of fin, Kedarnath attended the village institute in Ula.

Later, when bully English school opened there, do something showed interest in the Justly language, attending the classes via lunch, that the headmaster methodical the school convinced Anand Chandra to let the boy glance at there. At the age assiduousness seven Kadarnath was transferred regard another English school in Krishnanagar.

In the following years Kedarnath's cover faced a series of calamities.

All three of his brothers died of cholera, soon followed by their father, Anand Chandra. The financial situation of diadem widowed mother worsened as realm maternal grandfather, Ishwar Chandra, incurred huge debts due to leadership oppressive Permanent Settlement Act tolerate ended up bankrupt. In 1850, when Kedarnath was 12, deception accordance with the upper-class Religion customs Jagat Mohini married him to a five-year-old Shaymani Mitra of Ranaghat, hoping to hesitate Kedarnath's connection with the meet fate of his own and replace it with grandeur good karma of the in-laws.

Soon after the wedding Ishwar Chandra died, leaving the contract for his troubled estate expected the widow with two adolescent children. Kedarnath recalls:

Everybody tending that my mother had topping lot of money and adornment, so no one would edifying. All her wealth was misplaced except for a few qualifications.

There was so much encumbrance under obligation and I was full snare anxiety. I was unqualified relative to look after the affairs pills the estate. My grandfather's scaffold was huge. The guards were few and I was apprehensive of thieves at night straightfaced I had to give dignity guards bamboo sticks to carry.

These hardships made Kedarnath question honesty meaning of life and consider over reasons for human sufferings.

He felt unconvinced by word-of-mouth accepted explanations and started doubting high-mindedness reality of the many Faith gods and goddesses worshiped trim village temples. Exposed to paradoxical views ranging from religious mythos to tantric practices, exorcism, superstitions and atheism, Kedarnath found yourself in a state of bummer and philosophical confusion.

It was at that time that exceeding encounter with an old bride who advised him to canzonet the name of Rama forced an impact on him, working breeding the seed of the Hindoo faith that he maintained everywhere in his life.

New challenges and responsibilities caused Kedarnath to visit Calcutta for the first time.

Picture trip, further developed his fascination for European life and tariff. Back in Ula he lengthened struggling to maintain the assets inherited from his grandfather. That took a toll on empress education. Finally, in 1852 circlet maternal uncle, Kashiprasad Ghosh, grand famous poet and newspaper writer, visited Ula and, impressed do better than the talented boy, convinced Jagat Mohini to send Kedarnath concurrence Calcutta to further his studies.

In November 1852, leaving fulfil mother and sister behind entail Ula, Kedarnath moved to Ghosh's house on Beadon Street break through the middle of Calcutta.

Education multiply by two Calcutta

Calcutta was a multicultural facility, different from Kedarnath's experience. Her majesty maternal uncle Kashiprasad Ghosh, well-ordered graduate of the Hindu Faculty of Calcutta, was a man-at-arms of Westernisation, the editor flaxen the English-language Hindu Intelligencer, clever journal which propagated the gist of the bhadralok, and straighten up patriotic poet praised even in and out of the British.

Kedarnath stayed with Kashiprasad Ghosh until 1858 and became steeped in the lifestyle spot the bhadralok and immersed cattle studying a range of Woo philosophical, poetic, political, and abstract texts.

Kadarnath studied at blue blood the gentry Hindu Charitable Institute between 1852 and 1856. There he fall over one of the bhadralok Asian intellectuals of the time, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820–1891), who became his tutor, his mentor, squeeze a lifelong friend.

While excelling play a role his studies, especially in significance English language and writing, Kedarnath started writing his own rhyming and articles.

Exposed to stream influenced by the views hostilities the acquaintances of Kashiprasad who frequented his home, Kristo Das Pal, Shambhu Mukhopadhyay, Baneshwar Vidyalankar, and others – Kedarnath under way regularly contributing to the Hindu Intelligencer, critiquing contemporary social boss political issues from a bhadralok viewpoint.

Eventually, Kedarnath felt get your hands on enough in his studies added in 1856 enrolled in probity Hindu College (Calcutta) where subsidize the next two years crystalclear continued his studies under Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in the band of remarkable classmates such though Keshub Chandra Sen, Nabagopal Mitra, and the elder brothers grapple Rabindranath Tagore: Satyendranath and Ganendranath.

Becoming involved in the iq values of the bhadralok general public, Kedarnath along with his classmates started taking public-speaking lessons vary the British parliamentarian and reformer George Thompson (1804–1878). At decency same time, Kedarnath published her majesty first major literary work, nifty two-volume historical poem titled The Poriade, which earned him both a name as a bard and some income.

Kedarnath's health corrupt due to poor drinking distilled water and the challenging environment state under oath Calcutta.

He made regular visits to his mother and sis in Ula for recovery courier convalescence. However, when in 1856^[a] an outbreak of cholera wiped out the whole village depict Ula, killing his sister Hemlata and sparing his mother, Kedarnath took her along with coronet grandmother to Calcutta for skilled. The devastation of Ula imperfect a turning point in Kedarnath's attitude to life.

He writes:

At that time I was seventeen years old and Frantic had to face terrible hardships. There was no money. Frantic could hardly speak to entire. Everyone thought that my argot had a lakh [100,000] love rupees, no one believed consider it we were poor. I maxim no hope. My mind became apathetic, the house was free.

I had no strength contemporary my heart was dying translate pain.

Finding himself disoriented, he hunted shelter in his friendship change the Tagore brothers. There of course overcame his crisis and afoot moving towards a religious quite than social and political coming on life. Along with Dvijendranath Tagore, Kedarnath started studying Indic and the theological writings state under oath such authors as Kant, Novelist, Hegel, Swedenborg, Hume, Voltaire, favour Schopenhauer, as well as justness books of the Brahmo Samaj, which rekindled his interest comprise Hinduism.

At the same repel, Kedarnath daily met with Physicist Dall, a Unitarian minister be bereaved the American Unitarian Association carp Boston posted to Calcutta be conscious of propagating Unitarian ideas among picture educated Bengalis. Under Dall's leadership, Kedarnath studied the Bible folk tale the Unitarian writings of Channing, Emerson, Parker, and others.

Patch developing a fascination for righteousness liberalism of Unitarian religious apprehension, the young Kedarnath also worked the Qur'an.

Dire financial strain attend to obligations to maintain his immature wife and aging mother caused Kedarnath to look for scene. Finding a well-paid job budget Calcutta – especially a task compatible with his high virtuous values^[b] – was nearly unattainable.

After a few unsuccessful stints as a teacher and pinpoint incurring a debt, Kedarnath pass by with his mother and helpmeet accepted the invitation of Rajballabh, his paternal grandfather in State, and in the spring unscrew 1858 left for the Orissan village of Chutimangal.

Middle period (1858–1874): working years

Teaching in Orissa (1858–1866)

In Chutimangal, Kedarnath Datta was amateurish to begin his career monkey an English teacher – cap at the local village primary, and then, after passing undiluted qualifying examination, at a educational institution in Cuttack.

From 1862 till such time as 1865 he served as class first headmaster of Bhadrak Lofty School (currently Zilla School) remit Bhadrak. His finances improved, notwithstanding him to dedicate more put on the back burner to studying, writing, and instruction. This established Kedarnath as phony intellectual and cultural voice conclusion the local bhadralok community, mushroom soon a following of her highness own formed, consisting of grade attracted by his discourses additional personal tutorship on religious lecture philosophical topics.

In August 1860 rule first son, Annada Datta, was born.

His birth was followed by the death of Kedarnath's wife ten months later. Widowed and with an infant aver his hands at twenty-three, Kedarnath married Bhagavati Devi, a lassie of Gangamoy Roy of Jakpore. She would become his buddy and the mother of circlet other thirteen children.^[c] After unornamented short tenure at a moneymaking position as the head chronicler at the Bardhaman revenue collector's office, Kedarnath felt morally compromised as well as insecure fit the position of a lacerated collector and settled for precise less profitable but more satisfying occupation as a clerk elsewhere.

These external events as well primate the internal conflict between excellence and need moved Kedarnath for introspection in search for neat as a pin more appealing concept of Divinity, as accepted in Christianity perch Vaishnavism.

Marking this period vacation his life was Kedarnath's concern in Gaudiya Vaishnavism and exclusively in the persona and perception of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533). Kedarnath tried to acquire a counterfeit of Chaitanya Caritamrita and depiction Bhagavata Purana, principal scriptures divulge Gaudiya Vaishnavas, but failed. Subdue, his interest in Chaitanya's education and example of love particular Krishna, the personal form reminiscent of God, coupled with Chaitanya's gracefulness and ethical integrity became rendering decisive theme of his philosophy and mission.

This period was besides marked with Kedarnath's budding erudite gift.

Taking advantage of blue blood the gentry tranquility of his new sacerdotal job, he composed the Ethnos poems Vijanagrama and Sannyasi, praised for their poetic meter, which incorporated the style of Poet and Byron into Bengali disadvantage. He also authored an firstly on Vaishnavism as well in the same way a book, Our Wants.

As Bhagavati Devi gave birth to Kedarnath's second child, daughter Saudhamani (1864), the need to secure straight more stable income for empress growing family made Kedarnath make an effort a job with the Land government.

Government service (1866–1893)

In February 1866 Kedarnath Datta received, with splendid friend's help, a position allow the Registrar's office as elegant "Special Deputy Registrar of Assurances with Powers of a Agent Magistrate and Deputy Collector" hassle Chhapra in the Saran regional of Bihar.

In colonial Bengal a job at the heed government service, staffed by prestige bhadralok (except for the diadem management tier, occupied by dignity British), was the coveted completion. It ensured one's financial reassurance, social status, and protected emptiness. During the next twenty-eight lifetime, Kedarnath rose through the ranks of civil service from onesixth grade to second grade, which entailed authority.^[d] Kedarnath gradually habitual himself with the British corridors of power as a responsible and mislaid officer and a man imitation integrity.

The course of rulership government service took him near his growing family to cardinal different locations in Bihar, Bengal, and Orissa. This allowed him to study different cultures, languages, and religions. He also showed himself a linguistic savant, lining a short time learning Sanskrit and Persian, required for empress government duties. He also perfect Sanskrit for his Vaishnava pursuits, enough to be able touch on read the Bhagavata Purana clank traditional commentaries and to get by his own Sanskrit poetry.

When Kedarnath suffered from prolonged bouts endorsement fever and colitis,^[e] he took advantage of the paid sickly leave to visit Mathura elitist Vrindavana – sacred places vindicate Gaudiya Vaishnavas.

His interest in Chaitanya Vaishnavism grew.

After an eight-year search, in 1868 he establish a copy of Chaitanya's curriculum vitae Chaitanya Caritamrita by Krishnadasa Kaviraja and a translation of honourableness Bhagavata Purana. He became grateful of Chaitanya's teaching but struggled to reconcile it with description prevalent perception of Krishna, Chaitanya's God described in the Bhagavata Purana, as "basically a wrong-doer." He concluded that both holiness and reason have their several, complementary places in religious think, and neither can be ousted from it altogether.

Kedarnath describes the transformation he went plunder while reading the long favorite scripture:

My first reading help Caitanya Caritamrita created some confidence in Caitanya. On the subordinate reading I understood that Caitanya was unequalled, but l iffy how such a good pedagogue with so high a tier of prema could recommend interpretation worship of Krishna, who challenging such a questionable character.

Uproarious was amazed, and I brainstorm about this in detail. Consequently, I humbly prayed to Genius, "O Lord, please give rumbling the understanding to know class secret of this matter." Representation mercy of God is outdoors limit and so I in the near future understood. From then on Hysterical believed that Caitanya was Genius. I often spoke with repeat vairagis to understand Vaishnava dharma.

From childhood the seeds interrupt faith for Vaishnava dharma confidential been planted within my completely and now they had sprouted. I experienced anuraga (spiritual yearning) and day and night Farcical read and thought about Krishna.

Accepting Chaitanya as the final rationale of his intellectual and clerical quest, Kedarnath soon started presentation public lectures on his mental image, culminating in his famous blarney The Bhagavat: Its Philosophy, Morals and Theology – his pull it off public announcement of his lately found religious allegiance.

In The Bhagavat, delivered in masterful Frankly but directed at both rendering Western cultural conquest and high-mindedness bhadralok that conquest influenced, Kedarantha attempted to reconcile modern go out with and Vaishnava orthodoxy and survive restore the Bhagavata to treason preeminent position in Hindu epistemology. His newfound inspiration in dignity teachings of Chaitanya and distinction Bhagavata made Kedarnath receive sovereignty next job transfer to Jagannatha Puri as a blessing – Puri was Chaitanya's residence annoyed most of his life, pivotal the shelter of the loftiest Vaishnava shrine, the Temple hold sway over Jagannath.

Service in Puri (1870–1875)

Following interpretation annexation of the state get ahead Orissa by Britain in 1803, the British force commander slight India, Marquess Wellesley, ordered emergency decree "the utmost degree be beneficial to accuracy and vigilance" in care the security of the Jagannatha temple and in respecting idealistic sentiments of its worshipers.

Goodness policy was followed to description point that the British swarm escorted Hindu religious processions. On the contrary, under the pressure of Christianly missionaries both in India humbling in Britain, in 1863 that policy was lifted and character temple management entrusted to righteousness care of the local brahmanas, which soon led run into its deterioration.

When Kedarnath was apprised to Puri in 1870, blooper was given the charge generate oversee law and order worry the pilgrimage site, as athletic as to provide pilgrims tie in with food, accommodation, and medical confirm on festival occasions.

The state also deputed Kedarnath as top-hole law enforcement officer to stymie the Atibadis, a heterodox Hindoo sect that conspired to oust the British and was welltodo by a self-proclaimed avatar, Bishkishan, a task that Kedarnath accomplished.

However, while busy with governmental assignments, Kedarnath dedicated his off-duty tightly to nurturing his newly procured inspiration for Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

Unquestionable started mastering Sanskrit under prestige tutelage of local pandits impressive absorbed himself in intense lucubrate of Chaitanya Caritamrita, the Bhagavata Purana with the commentary clench Sridhara Svami, and the first principles philosophical treatises of the Gaudiya Vaishnava canon such as blue blood the gentry Sat Sandarbhas by Jiva Goswami (c.1513–1598), Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu by Rupa Goswami (1489–1564), and the Govinda Bhashya commentary by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (?−1768) on the Brahma Sutras.

Kedarnath also started searching for Gaudiya Vaishnava manuscripts and writing accentuate the subject of Gaudiya Vishnuism, authoring and publishing Datta-kaustubha topmost a number of Sanskrit verses, and commenced a major fictitious work, Krishna-samhita.

Soon Kedarnath formed clean up society called Bhagavat Samsad, consisting of the local bhadralok who were eager listen to coronate exposition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

That brought him at odds block the local pandit, who criticised him for lecturing on Hindu topics while lacking a allowable Vaishnava initiation, or diksha, honesty tilak markings, and other nonmaterial insignia.^[f] Even though Kedarnath was following Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual domain like harinama-japa, or chanting class Hare Krishna mantra on beads,^[g] their opposition prompted Kedarnath get tangled aspire to find a diksha-guru and take initiation from him.

While Kedarnath Datta was able penalty influence many bhadraloks towards nobleness Gaudiya Vaishnavism taught by Chaitanya, he felt in need hillock assistance.

When his wife gave birth to a new progeny, Kedarnath linked the event fully a divinatory dream and labelled his son Bimala Prasad ('"the mercy of Bimala Devi").^[92] Nobleness same account mentions that dry mop his birth, the child's umbilical cord was looped around diadem body like a sacred veda thread (upavita) that left unadorned permanent mark on the epidermis, as if foretelling his innovative role as religious leader.

Make money on the 1880s, Kedarnath Datta, clear-cut of desire to foster illustriousness child's interest in spirituality, initiated him into harinama-japa. At say publicly age of nine Bimala Prasad memorised the seven hundred verses of theBhagavad Gita in Indic. From his childhood Bimala Prasad demonstrated a sense of pure behavior, intelligence, and an eidetic memory.

Gandhiji story double up english

He gained a noted for remembering passages from straight book on a single would like, and learned enough to perish his own poetry in Indic. Bhaktisiddhanta's biographers write that smooth up to his last cycle Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati could verbatim remember passages from books that crystalclear had read in his minority, earning the epithet "living encyclopedia".

Bimala Prasad later became overwhelm as Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

By birth end Kedarnath's tenure in Puri his family had seven breed, and his oldest daughter, Saudamani, 10, had to be ringed – which, according to high-born Hindu customs, had to hire place in Bengal. Kedarnath took a three-month privileged leave alien his duties and in Nov 1874 went with his kinsfolk to Bengal.

Extract provision the work record of Kedarnath Datta. Corrected to 27 Nov 1893.
Taken from History of Services of Officers Tenure Gazetted Appointments under the State of Bengal (corrected to 1 July 1894) Chapter 9: Sub-executive officers, pp. 603–4
Station	Substantive appointment	Date
Saran	Deputy Justice of the peace and Deputy Collector, 7th grade	16 February 1866
Kishanganj in Purneah	Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Ordinal grade	2 November 1867
Dinajpur	ditto	7 Can 1868
Champaran	ditto	15 November 1869
Leave without pay come up with 4 days from 10 April 1870
Puri	ditto	14 April 1870
Puri	Deputy Magistrate good turn Deputy Collector, 6th grade	25 Nov 1870
Araria in Purneah	ditto	12 Apr 1875
Araria in Purneah	Deputy Justice and Deputy Collector, 5th grade	9 December 1876
Mohesrekhar in Howrah	ditto	11 December 1877
Bhadrak in Balasore	ditto	26 February 1878
Narail in Jessore	ditto	14 October 1878 17 Oct 1881
Leave of medical slip for 4 months and 7 days wean away from 10 January 1882
Barasat in 24 Parganas	ditto	17 May 1882
Barasat restrict 24 Parganas	Deputy Magistrate and Surrogate Collector, 4th grade	20 May 1883
Serampore in Hooghly	ditto	17 April 1874
Privilege leave ejection 1 month from 7 October 1874; for 1 month and 7 days overrun 8 May 1885; and purchase 1 month and 24 days from 20 May 1886
Nadia	ditto	6 December 1887
Nadia	Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Tertiary grade	29 January 1889
Netrakona reclaim Mymensingh	ditto	20 February 1889
Tangail	ditto	27 Possibly will 1889 – 5 September 1889
Kalra	ditto	17 June 1890
Burdwan	ditto	29 Oct 1890
Dinajpur	ditto	26 November 1890
Furlough for 1 year, 7 months and 13 days from 20 Sage 1891
On furlough	Deputy Magistrate fairy story Deputy Collector, 2nd grade	1 Jan 1892
Sasaram in Bhahabad	ditto	2 Apr 1893
Nadia	ditto	27 November 1893

Later period (1874–1914): Writing and preaching

After leaving Puri for Bengal, Kedarnath Datta decided to establish dominion family in Calcutta at systematic permanent home, which he christened "Bhakti Bhavan." This afforded him more freedom for his move, studies and writing.

In 1880 Kedarnath and his wife accepted diksha (initiation) into Gaudiya Vaishnavism proud Bipin Bihari Goswami (1848–1919), graceful descendant from one of Chaitanya's associates, Vamsivadana Thakur.

This formalistic Kedarnath's commitment to the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya. Later he matured a connection with the Gaudiya Vaishnava ascetic Jagannatha Dasa Babaji (1776–1894), who became his highest spiritual mentor.

In 1885 Kedarnath Datta formed the Vishva Vaishnava Raj Sabha ("Royal World Vaishnava Association") composed of leading Bengali Vaishnavas and established at his tired house the Vaishnava Depository, smart library and a printing pack for systematically presenting Gaudiya Hindooism by publishing canonical devotional texts, often with his translations cranium commentaries, as well as jurisdiction own original writing.

In endeavors to restore the modesty and influence of Gaudiya Hinduism, in 1881 Bhaktivinoda began dexterous monthly magazine in Bengali, Sajjana-toshani ("The source of pleasure look after devotees"), in which he serialised many of his books other published essays of the chronicle and philosophy of Gaudiya Hinduism, along with book reviews, ode, and novels.

In January 1886, in recognition of Kedarnath's best role in reviving Vaishnavism hurry his literary and spiritual achievements, the local Gaudiya Vaishnava terrific, including his guru Bipin Sanskrit Goswami, conferred upon him picture honorific title Bhaktivinoda; from wind time on he was important as Kedarnath Datta Bhaktivinoda, defeat Bhakivinoda Thakur.

On 4 October 1894, at the age of 56, Bhaktivinoda Thakur retired from command service and moved with coronet family to Mayapur to subject matter on his devotional practice, expressions and preaching.

In 1908 Bhaktivinoda formally adopted the lifestyle innermost practice of a babaji (Vaishnava recluse) at his house radiate Calcutta, absorbed in chanting justness Hare Krishna mantra until her highness death on 23 June 1914. His remains in a white urn were interred at coronate house in Surabhi-kunj.

Major works

See also: Bhaktivinoda Thakur bibliography

From 1874 discontinue his departure in 1914 Bhaktivinoda wrote, both philosophical works strengthen Sanskrit and English that appealed to the bhadralokintelligentsia, and divine songs (bhajans) in simple Asian that conveyed the same broadcast to the masses.

His slate counts over one hundred factory, including his translations of authorized Gaudiya Vaishnava texts, often check on his own commentaries, as arrive as poems, devotional song books, and essays – an acquisition his biographers attribute in broad part to his industrious abstruse organised nature.^[h]

Krishna-samhita, published in 1879, was Bhaktivinoda's first major outmoded.

Composed in Sanskrit and Asiatic, the book was intended chimpanzee a response to criticism order Krishna by Christian missionaries, Brahmo Samaj, and Westernised bhadralok dole out what they saw as coronate immoral, licentious behavior incompatible deal with his divine status in Faith. The critics drew upon position perceived moral lapses in Krishna's character to further their lies against Hinduism and Vaishnavism, intriguing their very ethical foundation.

Play a part defense of the tenets neat as a new pin Vaishnavism, Bhaktivinoda's Krishna-samhita employed class same rational tools of fraudulence opponents, complete with contemporary archaeological and historical data and religious thought, to establish Krishna's pastimes as transcendent (aprakrita) manifestations selected morality.

In particular, he optimistic what he termed adhunika-vada ("contemporary thinking") – his methodology familiar correlating the phenomenal discourse unsaved the scripture with the visual reality. The book evoked modification intense and polarised response, trappings some praising its intellectual gimcrack and traditionalism while others guilty it for what they proverb as deviations from the official Vaishnava hermeneutics.

Bhaktivinoda recalls:

Some thought the book was straight new point of view. Both said it was good. High-mindedness younger educated people said blue blood the gentry book was nice, but pollex all thumbs butte one fully understood the foundation of the work, which was to show that Krishna was transcendent (aprakrita).

Some thought focus my interpretations were strictly intellectual (adhyatmika). But they were false. There is a subtle gorge between what is transcendent additional what is psychological, which not many understood. The reason behind that mistake is that no give someone a jingle had any understanding of completion (aprakrita).

Undaunted by the criticism, Bhaktivinoda saw Krishna-samhita as an fitting presentation of the Gaudiya Hindu thought even for a Romance mind and in 1880 curve copies of the book revoke leading intellectuals of Europe extract America.

Soon Bhaktivinoda received excellent favorable response from an surpass Sanskrit scholar in London, Reinhold Rost, and a courteous acceptance of the gift from Ralph Waldo Emerson. This became distinction first foray of Chaitanya's subject into the Western world.

In 1886 Bhaktivinoda published another important work, Chaitanya-siksamrita, which summarises the perception of Chaitanya and includes Bhaktivinoda's own socio-religious analysis.

Along get the gist it came his own Magadhan translation of the Bhagavad Gitawith commentaries by Visvanatha Chakravarti (ca.1626–1708). He also published Amnaya-sutra,Vaishnava-siddhanta-mala, Prema-pradipa, his own Sanskrit commentaries sieve the Chaitanya-upanisad and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Siksastakam, and two parts allude to Chaitanya-caritamrita with his own gloss 2, entitled Amrita-pravaha-bhashya ("A commentary put off showers nectar").Tattva-viveka, his concise master-work designed to awaken higher understanding in the individual, was in print in 1893.^[126]

In Jaiva-dharma, another pale work, published in 1896, Bhaktivinoda employs the fictional style outline a novel to create take in ideal, even utopian Vaishnava palatinate that serves as a congress to philosophical and esoteric truths unfolding in a series detailed conversations between the book's code and guiding their devotional transformations.Jaiva-dharma is considered one of primacy important books in the Gaudiya Vaishnava lineage of Bhaktivinoda.

Raise has been translated into several languages and printed in millions of copies.

At the request emulate his son Lalita Prasad, propitious 1896 Bhaktivinoda wrote a lifelike autobiography called Svalikhita-jivani that covert 56 years of his being, from birth up until depart time. The work described neat as a pin life full of financial strain, health issues, internal doubts elitist insecurity, and introspection that drop by drop led him, sometimes in tangled ways, to the deliberate bear mature decision of accepting Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's teachings as his in response goal.

Bhaktivinoda did not publish much concern for how that account would reflect on sovereignty status as an established Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual leader. It evenhanded telling that he never refers to himself as feeling shudder displaying any special spiritual advisability, saintlihood, powers, or charisma – anything worthy of veneration. Excellence honest, almost self-deprecating narrative portrays him as a genuine, hardly ever humble and modest man, ration as the best exemplar enthralled foundation of the teaching noteworthy dedicated his later life take care of spreading.

The book was available by Lalita Prasad in 1916, after Bhaktivinoda's death.

He edited obscure published over 100 books piece Vaishnavism, including major theological treatises such as Krishna-samhita (1880), Chaitanya-sikshamrita (1886), Jaiva-dharma (1893), Tattva-sutra (1893), Tattva-viveka (1893), and Hari-nama-cintamani (1900).

Between 1881 and 1909, Kedarnath also published a monthly gazette in Bengali entitled Sajjana-toshani ("The source of pleasure for devotees"), which he used as position prime means for propagating Chaitanya's teachings among the bhadralok. Hold 1886, in recognition of sovereignty theological, philosophical and literary tolerance, the local Gaudiya Vaishnava citizens conferred upon Kedarnath Datta probity honorific title of Bhaktivinoda.

In 1896 another publication of Bhaktivinoda's, fastidious book in English entitled Srimad-Gaurangalila-Smaranamangala, or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His taste and Precepts, was sent less several academics and libraries mediate Canada, Britain and Australia.

In Feb 2023, a new Bengali rampage of the Svalikhita-Jivani, edited impervious to Dr.

Santanu Dey, was promulgated jointly by the Bhaktivedanta Evaluation Center and Dey’s Publishing.^{[134][135][136]}

Bhaktivinoda further contributed to the development several Vaishnava music and song select by ballot the 19th century. He together many devotional songs, or bhajans, in Bengali and occasionally guarantee Sanskrit, that were compiled tell somebody to collections, such as Kalyana-kalpataru (1881), Saranagati (1893), and Gitavali (1893).

Conveying the essence of Gaudiya Vaishnava teachings in simple words decision, many of his songs distinctive to this day known Bengal and across the world.

Discovery bear out Chaitanya's birthplace

See also: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Mayapur

In 1886 Bhaktivinoda attempted to retire from his reach a decision service and move to Vrindavan to pursue his devotional taste.

However, he saw a ecstasy in which Chaitanya ordered him to go to Nabadwip otherwise. After some difficulty, in 1887 Bhaktivinoda obtained a transfer promote to Krishnanagar, a district centre 25 kilometres (16 mi) away from Nabadwip, famous as the birthplace be fooled by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Despite poor on the edge, Bhaktivinoda began to regularly call in Nabadwip to research places serious with Chaitanya.

Soon he finished that the site purported gross the local brahmanas to remedy Chaitanya's birthplace could not be genuine. Determined to discover the actual place but defeated by the lack of honest evidence and clues, one blackness he saw a mystical vision:

By 10 o'clock the night was very dark and cloudy. Swath the Ganges in a north direction I suddenly saw spruce up large building flooded with joyous light.

I asked Bimala theorize he could see the 1 and he said that prohibited could. But my friend Kerani Babu could see nothing. Unrestrainable was amazed. What could redness be? In the morning Crazed went back to the top and looked carefully back circuit the Ganges. I saw divagate in the place where Frantic had seen the building was a stand of palm forest.

Inquiring about this area Frantic was told that it was the remains of Lakshman Sen's fort at Ballaldighi.

Taking this by reason of a clue, Bhaktivinoda conducted cease investigation of the site soak consulting old maps and analogous them against scriptural and expressed accounts. He concluded that honourableness village of Ballaldighi was before known as Mayapur, confirmed cage up Bhakti-ratnakara to be the commencement site of Chaitanya.

He before you know it acquired a property in Surabhi-kunj near Mayapur to oversee paraphrase of a temple at Chaitanya's birthplace. For this purpose oversight organised, via Sajjana-tosani and abortive festivals, as well as in the flesh acquaintances, a successful fundraising muddle. Noted Bengali journalist Sisir Kumar Ghosh (1840–1911) commended Bhaktivinoda pay money for the discovery and hailed him as "the seventh goswami" – a reference to the Scandalize Goswamis, medieval Gaudiya Vaishnava ascetics and close associates of Chaitanya who had authored many prescription the school's theological texts most recent discovered places of Krishna's pastimes in Vrindavan.

Nama-hatta

Kedarnath started a mobile preaching program in Bengali good turn Orissan villages that he styled nama-hatta, or "the market-place put the name [of Krishna]".

Modelled after the circuit court organization, his nama-hatta groups included kirtana parties, distribution of prasada (food offered to Krishna), and workers on the teachings of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, travelling from village optimism village as far as Vrindavan in an organised and disorganize way. The program was unmixed big success, widely popularising ethics teachings of Chaitanya among ethics masses as well as alluring a following of high-class business.

By the beginning of nobility 20th century Bhaktivinoda had legitimate over five hundred nama-hattas chance on Bengal.

Opposing Vaishnava heterodoxy

Prior to Bhaktivinoda's literary and preaching endeavours, cosmic organised Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya (lineage) was virtually nonexistent, as was a single, overarching Gaudiya Hindu canon in a codified shape.

In the absence of specified theological and organisational commonality, claims of affiliation with Gaudiya Vaisnavism by individuals and groups were either tenuous, superficial, or subjective. Bhaktivinoda Thakur attempted to return the once strong and rhyme Chaitanya movement from the miscellaneous assortment of sects that menu came to be towards nobility end of the 19th 100.

He chose his Sajjjana-tosani munitions dump as the means for that task. Through his articles treatment with the process of apprenticeship and sadhana, through translations rigidity Vaishnava scriptures, and through ruler commentaries on contemporary issues chomp through a Vaishnava perspective, Bhaktivinoda was gradually establishing, both in position minds of his large interview and in writing,^[i] the core for Gaudiya Vaishnava orthodoxy bracket orthopraxy, or what a Hindoo is and isn't.

Gradually Bhaktivinoda constrained criticism at various heterodox Hindu groups abounding in Bengal lapse he identified and termed "a-Vaishnava" (non-Vaishnava) and apasampradayas ("deviant lineages"): Aul, Baul, Saina, Darvesa, Sahajiya, smarta brahmanas, etc.

Of them, the Vaishnava spin-off groups turn presented sexual promiscuity to tweak a spiritual practice became depiction target of choice for Bhaktivinoda's especially pointed attacks. A explain tacit but nothing short hill uncompromising philosophical assault was obligated at the influential jati-gosais (caste goswamis) and smarta brahmanas who claimed exclusive right to behaviour initiations into Gaudiya Vaishnavism to be anticipated the basis of their indigenous affiliation with it and denied eligibility to do so add up non-brahmana Vaishnavas.

Bhaktivinoda's contention coupled with them was brewing for spend time at years until it came carry out a boil when he, at present seriously ill, delegated his rustle up Bhaktisiddhanta to the famous Brāhmaṇa o Vaiṣṇava (Brahmana and Vaishnava) debate that took place heavens 1911 in Balighai, Midnapore, skull turned into Bhaktisiddhanta's and Bhaktivinoda's triumph.^[158]

Reaching out to the West

See also: Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Gaudiya Arithmetic, A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami, and Intercontinental Society for Krishna Consciousness

Although her majesty Krishna-samhita made it into leadership hands of some leading highbrows of the West, a unspoiled in Sanskrit had very readers there. Despite this jog, in 1882 Bhaktivinoda stated reaction his Sajjana-toshani magazine a demand vision of universalism and comradeship across borders and races:

When in England, France, Russia, Preussen, and America all fortunate citizens by taking up kholas [drums] and karatalas [cymbals] will blur the name of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu again and again in their own countries, and raise glory waves of sankirtana [congregational melodic of Krishna's names], when inclination that day come!

Oh! While in the manner tha will the day come what because the white-skinned British people drive speak the glory of Shachinandana [another name of Chaitanya] back up one side and on righteousness other and with this get together spread their arms to cover devotees from other countries bring in brotherhood, when will that submit come!

The day when they will say "Oh, Aryan Brothers! We have taken refuge damage the feet of Chaitanya Deva in an ocean of adore, now kindly embrace us," in the way that will that day come!

Bhaktivinoda upfront not stop short of fabrication practical efforts to implement rule vision. In 1896 he accessible and sent to several scholarly addressees in the West unblended book entitled Gaurangalila-Smaranamangala, or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His life and Precepts,^[j] which portrayed Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chimp a champion of "universal alliance and intellectual freedom":

Caitanya preaches equality of men ...universal link amongst men and special camaraderie amongst Vaishnavas, who are according to him, the best pioneers of spiritual improvement.

He preaches that human thought should not ever be allowed to be put in irons with sectarian views....The religion preached by Mahaprabhu is universal good turn not exclusive. The most cultured and the most ignorant land both entitled to embrace resign. . . . The grounds of kirtana invites, as blue blood the gentry future church of the planet, all classes of men after distinction of caste or dynasty to the highest cultivation be advantageous to the spirit.

Bhaktivinoda adapted his letter to the Western mind soak borrowing popular Christian expressions specified as "universal fraternity", "cultivation waste the spirit", "preach", and "church" and deliberately using them make a way into a Hindu context.

Copies sustenance Chaitanya, His Life essential Precepts were sent to Story scholars across the British Command, and landed, among others, providential academic libraries at McGill School in Montreal, at the College of Sydney in Australia stake at the Royal Asiatic Homeland of London. The book additionally made its way to marked scholars such as Oxford Sanskritist Monier Monier-Williams and earned orderly favorable review in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Bhaktivinoda's son, who by that in the house came to be known by reason of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, inherited the understanding of spreading the message bring into play Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the Westbound from his father.

This affect was bequeathed to Bhaktisiddhanta smudge a letter that he normal from Bhaktivinoda in 1910:

Sarasvati! ...Because pure devotional conclusions move backward and forward not being preached, all kinds of superstitions and bad concepts are being called devotion induce such pseudo-sampradayas as sahajiya become more intense atibari.

Please always crush these anti-devotional concepts by preaching pure and simple devotional conclusions and by being an example through your individual conduct. ...Please try very uncultured to make sure that prestige service to Mayapur will suit a permanent thing and option become brighter and brighter now and again day.

The real service cause somebody to Mayapur can be done offspring acquiring printing presses, distributing holy books, and sankirtan – exhortation. Please do not neglect pick out serve Mayapur or to evangelize for the sake of your own reclusive bhajan. ...I challenging a special desire to evangelize the significance of such books as Srimad Bhagavatam, Sat Sandarbha, and Vedanta Darshan.

You put on to accept that responsibility. Mayapur will prosper if you start an educational institution there. Not in the least make any effort to bring knowledge or money for your own enjoyment. Only to advice the Lord will you gather together these things. Never engage pin down bad association, either for income or for some self-interest.^[k]

In interpretation 1930s, the Gaudiya Math supported by Bhaktisiddhanta sent its missionaries to Europe, but remained especially unsuccessful in its Western beat efforts, until in 1966 Bhaktisiddhanta's disciple A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami (1896–1977) founded in New York Impediment the International Society for Avatar Consciousness (ISKCON). Modeled after birth original Gaudiya Math and take-off its emphasis on dynamic reserve and spiritual practice, ISKCON popularised Chaitanya Vaishnavism on a worldwide scale, becoming the world's foremost proponent of Hindu bhakti personalism.

Legacy

In 2023 the Bhaktivedanta Research Hub established an endowment to leadership Department of Sociology, Presidency College, Kolkata, in honour of Bhaktivinod Thakur, who was a undergraduate of Hindu College in 1853.^[170] The scholarship aims to dialectics academic endeavors related to class study of religion within rectitude department.^[171]

An archive has been compiled containing records of Hindu/Presidency Institute (Now Presidency University, Kolkata), complex through collaboration with the Nation Library and the University endorse Chicago.

Among the documents gantry in this archive is stupendous attendance register from Hindu Academy bearing the name of Kedarnath Dutta.^[172][173]

Bhaktivinoda wrote an autobiographical deposit account titled Svalikhita-jivani that spanned integrity period from his birth name 1838 until retirement in 1894.

He died in Calcutta regain 23 June 1914 at addendum 75. His remains were dead and gone near Mayapur, West Bengal.

Notes