Bhaktivedanta Narayana

Infobox ReligiousBio
background = #FFA07A
name = Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja


religion = Gaudiya Vaishnavism
location = Vrindavan, India
Title = Acharya Vaisnava spiritual leader
Period = 1952 - Present
Predecessor = Prajnana Kesava
initiation = Diksa–1947, Sannyasa–1952
date of birth = Birth date|1921|2|16
place of birth = Bihar, India
website = [http://www.purebhakti.com/ Pure Bhakti International]

Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, born 16 February 1921, is a Vaisnava spiritual leader. [The Hare Krishna Movement: Forty Years of Chant and Change. Graham Dwyer, Richard J. Cole, 2007. Page 37]

Biography

Narayana was born on February 16, 1921, in the village of Tewaripur in Bihar, India. His family were Trivedi brahmanas and were very religious. As a child he would often accompany his father to kirtana gatherings.

After meeting Srila Narottamananda Brahmacari, a disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura who had visited his village, Narayana travelled to Sri Navadvipa Dhama in West Bengal. It was there that he first met his spiritual master, Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Goswami Maharaja. On Gaura Purnima, Narayana was given both harinama initiation and Brahmana initiation by Kesava Maharaja, and he received the name Sri Gaura Narayana.

Over the next five years, Narayana Maharaja travelled extensively with Kesava Maharaja throught India, preaching the message of Lord Chaitanya. In 1952, on Gaura Purnima, Kesava Maharaja initiated Narayana Maharaja into "sannyasa", the renounced order of life. Kesava Maharaja put him in charge of the newly opened Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Math temple in Mathura. Kesava Maharaja also appointed him vice president of his organization, Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti, and made Narayana Maharaja editor-in-chief of the organization's Hindi publications, as well as the monthly magazine Sri Bhagavad Patrika. Kesava Maharaja passed away in 1968, and Narayana Maharaja performed the funeral rites for his spirtual master.

To this day, Narayana Maharaja continues to run the Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. He has also translated several Gaudiya Vaishnava books, including those of the great Vaishnava leader Bhaktivinoda Thakur, from Bengali to his native Hindi.

His Lineage

Narayana Maharaja is initiated into the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya guru parampara. The science of Suddha-bhakti has been transmitted from guru to disciple all the way from Lord Krishna himself, who gave the knowledge to Lord Brahma. Brahma transmitted it to Narada Muni, Narada gave it to Vyasadeva, and Vyasadeva passed the knowledge on to Madhavacarya. From Madhava, the knowledge was passed on through various gurus until it reached Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was initiated by Iswara Puri. Through the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, Jagannath Das Babaji, Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Sri Gaurikisora Das Babaji, the knowledge was passed to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Goswami Maharaja. Kesava Maharaja took initiation from Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, and Narayana Maharaja took initiation from Kesava Maharaja.

Relationship with Bhaktivedanta Swami

In 1947 Bhaktivedanta Narayana was introduced to Abhaya Caranarvinda when he moved into the Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha where Bhaktivedanta Narayana was president. For the next two decades they became friends, traveled, preached, discussed philosophy, ate meals and generally spent a lot of time together. [The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant,'Edwin Bryant, Maria Ekstrand', 2004. 446p. 'Page 220' [http://www.google.com/books?id=mBMxPdgrBhoC&pg=PA220&vq=Narayana+Maharaja&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U0yhuTpQT3mpuCjac-vA3EJCREzkA] ]

In 1959 after urging by Narayana Maharaja, Abhaya Caranarvinda accepted the sannyasa order from Prajnana Kesava, Bhaktivedanta Narayana's guru and was awarded the name Bhaktivedanta Swami. The service was organized and officiated by Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. [The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant,'Edwin Bryant, Maria Ekstrand', 2004. 446p. 'Page 220' [http://www.google.com/books?id=mBMxPdgrBhoC&pg=PA220&vq=Narayana+Maharaja&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U0yhuTpQT3mpuCjac-vA3EJCREzkA] ]

In 1965 A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami went to the United States to preach Caitanya Mahaprabhu's| Mission. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami founded International Society for Krsna Consciousness in 1966, and later became affectionately known to his disciples as Srila Prabhupada. Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja assisted A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami by sending him drums and kartels from India, as well as taking care of his apartment in India. [Letters From America, 'Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja', http://www.purebhakti.com/library/lfa/LettersFromAmerica.pdf]

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami requested that his disciples contact Narayana Maharaja for advice in performing the proper funeral rites for a Vaishnava.

Published Works

* "The Nectar of Govinda-lila" ISBN 81-86737-03-0
* "Going Beyond Vaikuntha" ISBN 8186737049
* "Bhakti-rasayana" ISBN 81-86737-05-7
* "Sri Siksastaka" ISBN 81-86737-06-5
* "Venu-gita" ISBN 81-86737-15-4
* "Arcana-dipika" ISBN 81-86-737-08-1
* "Sri Prabandhavali" ISBN 81-86737-00-6
* "Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu" ISBN 01-86737-01-4
* "Bhakti-tattva-viveka" ISBN 81-86737-07-3
* "Sri Upadesamrta" ISBN 81-86737-09-X
* "Sri Gaudiya Giti-guccha" ISBN 81-86737-12-X
* "Srimad Bhagavad-gita" ISBN 81-8678716-2
* "Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami – His Life and Teachings" ISBN 81-86737-14-6
* "Jaiva-dharma" ISBN 81-86737-39-1
* "Sri Vraja-mandala Parikrama" ISBN 81-86737-20-0
* "Sri Bhajana-rahasya" ISBN 81-86737-11-1
* "Sri Brahma-samhita" ISBN 81-86737-10-3
* "Shiva Tattva" ISBN 81-86737-74-X
* "The Origin of Ratha-yatra" ISBN 81-86737-13-8
* "Sri Camatkara-candrika: A Moonbeam of Complete Astonishment" ISBN 81-86737-33-2
* "Sri Manah-Siksa" ISBN 81-86737-02-2

ee also

* Gaudiya Vaishnava
* Hare Krishna

References