29. Bhaktivinoda

1800s–1960s

Bhaktivinoda Thakura appeared in 1838, in Birnagar, West Bengal, as Kedaranatha Datta. After his spiritual initiation, he received spiritual instructions from Jagannatha Dasa Babaji. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada writes: “He had a responsible government position as the District Magistrate (high court judge), maintained a Krishna conscious family, and wrote almost one hundred books on Krishna consciousness. At the same time, he served the Supreme Lord in so many ways. That is the beauty of his life.” Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote many books of poetry and philosophy, such as Sharanagati and Jaiva Dharma, and commentaries on Bhagavad-gita and Chaitanya-charitamrita. In 1896 he sent his book Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts to universities around the world. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered Lord Chaitanya’s birthsite in Mayapur in 1888. He left this world in 1914.