Paramahansa Srila Gour Kishore Das Babaji was born in the 18th century as Vamsi däsa in the village of Bagayana on the banks of the Padma River near Tepakhola in Faridpur District. The name of his parents are unknown.
Srila Gour Kishore Das Babaji was married at an early age according to the custom of that time, but he always remained detached from household life and in the mood of separation from the Lord. He earned his livelihood through the grain business. He carried on household live for twenty-nine years, and after the death of his wife, he went to Våndävana-dhäma to worship Kåñëa in solitary bhajana, living the life of an ascetic. There he took paramahaàsa-veça from Çréla Bhägavata Däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja and was given the name Srila Gour kishore Das Babaji. Çréla Bhägavata Däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja was a disciple of Vaiñëava Särvabhauma Çréla Jagannätha Däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja.
After being initiated into paramahaàsa-veça, Srila Gour Kishore Das Babaji spent thirty years in various places in Vraja-maëòala and performed intense bhajana. Sometimes he also visited holy places in Northern India and different lélä-sthänas of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu in Gaura-maëòala. While on pilgrimage, he met many of the leading Vaiñëavas of Bengal and Orissa, such as Svarüpa Däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja of Puré, and Bhagavän Däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja of Kalna. Apart from them, he was familiar with all the mahätmäs of Vraja-maëòala. By renouncing material association he lived a life of solitary worship.
In the Bengali year 1300, when the birthplace of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu was inaugurated at Mäyäpura Yogapéöha, Jagannätha Däsa Bäbäjé ordered him to stay in Navadvépa, where he remained for the rest of his life. He saw all the residents of Navadvépa with transcendental eyes, considering them to be divine beings. He thus accepted madhukäré from them, cooking everything in a rejected clay bowl. Sometimes he would subsist on nothing but Ganges water and mud. Sometimes he would go for long periods without eating, chanting the holy names constantly. He set the standard for those in the renounced order who live the life of solitary worship, remaining completely independent of others.
In 1887 AD, Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura built his bhajana-kuïja, Svänanda-sukhada-kuïja, on the bank of the Sarasvaté, a sanctifying river in Godrumadvépa (Svarüpa Ganj). There Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura used to recite and explain Çrémad–Bhägavatam daily. At that time Bäbäjé Mahäräja would often visit and listen to Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura’s recitations with great affection. Bäbäjé Mahäräja would also discuss Vaiñëava theology with Öhäkuraji. He performed his bhajana in a hut adjacent to the boundary wall of Svänanda-sukhada-kuïja.
In 1898 AD, Çréla Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvaté Öhäkura met Çréla Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja for the first time. On that day, Bäbäjé Mahäräja entered the gates of Svänanda-sukhada-kuïja singing a heartfelt bhajana as an offering to Çré Värñabhänavé-devé. The devotees were grateful to learn this bhajana and Çréla Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvaté Öhäkura wrote it down.
Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé, the crest jewel of avadhutas, wore a tiger skin hat and carried a bag containing püjä paraphernalia. He gave Sarasvaté Öhäkura beads for chanting, a stamp of the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, his tiger-skin hat, and the püjä paraphernalia. The hat and bag had been given to Bäbäjé Mahäräja by Çréla Bhagavän Mahäräja of Kalna.
In 1900, Çréla Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvaté Öhäkura took initiation from Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé on the instruction of Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura. His initiated name was Värñabhänavé-dayitä Däsa. A similarity is seen between his initiation that of Narottama däsa Thakura by Lokanätha Gosvämé. Çréla Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvaté Öhäkura was Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé’s only disciple.
Tepakhola is in Faridpur district on the map of Bangladesh but there is no village named ‘Bagayana’. This place may have been washed away by the tides of the Padma River.
How to Go There
Buses are available from Dhaka to Faridpur town. Tepakhola can be reached by auto-rickshaw.
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