History of Bijoy Krishna Goswami

Almost five centuries ago a love incarnate god head Prabhu Adwaityacharya of Shantipur, traveled far and wide on foot with a burning desire to bring forth god Himself for the salvation of the mankind. He succeeded in his almost impossible task with the advent of Lord Krishna in the form of Sri Krishna Chaitanya who drenched India in the nectar of chanting god’s NAME. About three hundred years later a great devotee of Lord Krishna in the lineage of Prabhu Adwaityacharya took a dangerous vow to travel on DANDEE *1 from the same Shantipur to Jagannath Puri with a burning desire to get Lord Jagannath as his son. After a year’s penance when he reached the Lord’s temple at Puri in an emaciated and bleeding body, he heard Jagannath in a tranced state saying that he is coming to him as his son. A beacon of light came from Jagannath and entered into his bosom. He fainted in rapture. He was none but Bhagawat Acharya Ananda Kishore Goswami a great exponent of Bhagawan (God Sri Krishna). He would go into trance quite often while listening to any discourses on Bhagawan) and God Sri Krishna’s ‘Leela’ descriptions. While listening to these descriptions sometimes blood oozed out of his eyes along with tears. One day he went into deep rapture during one of his discourse on Bhagawan (God Sri Krishna) from which he did not return to outer sense and relinquished his mortal frame on the very spot.

1. Dandee is a kind of penance in which a pilgrim traverses a distance by prostrating on the ground with stretched forward arms and stands up again at the point where his palm’s touched the ground and prostrate again from that point, thus proceeding towards the temple two yards at a time.

Gosaiji’s Birth and Early Life:

Lord Jagannath’s promise was fulfilled when a son was born to Ananda Kishore and Swarnamoyee in 2nd August 1841, whom they named Bijoy Krishna (Lord Krishna won by love). Alike other messiahs who are born in peculiar situations Bijoy Krishna was born in a wild thicket of arum plants where his mother hid herself when a gang raided their house. Bijoy Krishna, the second son of Ananda Kishore and Swarnamoyee was quite different from others in his childhood. He would talk to the tutelary deity Shyam Sundar (Krishna), play ball game with Him and feed Him the milk meant for him. One day Bijoy refrained from taking food because Shyam Sundar did not return the ball thrown to Him. When every body failed to force him to take his dinner, his food was kept in the dining room. The mother also remained without food and slept. At the dead night Swarnamoyee heard a dialogue from the dining room. She woke up to find Bijoy was not in his bed. She heard Bijoy saying (to Shyam Sundar);”I was angry and vowed not to take food until you return my ball but why did you not take your dinner?”…. after a minute silence Bijoy replied,”Oh! You love me so much. Alright let us share the food, we both are hungry.” After some time when silence prevailed the mother entered the room to see that Bijoy was asleep on the floor and the dishes empty. She fainted.

Gosai ji’s deeds of Kindness and compassion for others:

One day Bijoy’s friends told him that the landlord was beating a man for not paying the annual revenue. Bijoy rushed to the spot while his friends fled away and shouted furiously to the landlord “You are not a human being, you are a rogue. Had you been a human being you could not have treated another human being like a beast. “The landlord was known to be a notorious goon and everybody was scared of him. The man threw off his hunter and stared at the little boy with a burning eye and enquired from his body guards as to whom the boy was. Knowing that he was in the lineage of Prabhu Adwaityacharya he controlled his anger and asked the boy to come to his house. He said that he was stunned to see a little boy as he was dare to utter such strong words to him. Later when they met the landlord the landlord asked Bijoy,” How did you dare to scold me, didn’t you ever think of the dire consequences?” Bijoy said he knew nothing, someone spoke from within. It is said that the tyrant became softer to his subject henceforth.

His mother was a kindhearted lady. Her financial state dropped to low ebb after Ananda Kishore died. One day while she was coming home after a bath in the river Ganga she came across a sick prostitute begging for food and clothes. The mother asked to wait. She went home and packed up the only sari (garment) along with the meal she had kept for herself and sent it through Bijoy to the woman. Bijoy came to tears to see the kind- heartedness of her mother. Bijoy would henceforth often secretly give away his clothes and meager food to the needy and remain in worn out clothes without food. Bijoy’s mother in tears would praise him for his deeds and say, “Our well wishers will give us new clothes if they find us wearing torn ones, but there is nobody to help these wretched people. Shayam Sundar bless you my child!” Both would hug each other and weep.

Gosai Ji’s devotion and love as a Child:

One day a roaming monk on his way to Gangasagar for holy ablution took a day’s halt at Bijoy’s residence. The monk took out his ‘Shalgram’ (round stone as a symbol of Lord Narayana) and worshipped Him. Bijoy a small boy then, wanted to worship the way the guest was doing. To quiet down the boy the monk gave him a piece of stone and subsequently proceeded toward Gangasagar. On his return from the journey he came to Bijoy and asked him casually how his worship was going on. Bijoy fetched the piece of stone and worshipped it in front of the monk. The monk was surprised to see that bright aura of light started emitting out of the stone! Bijoy was in his meditation the monk called his mother and said, “This boy is going to be a great man in the years to come. In symbol worship, what took me long years to behold god’s luminous aura, this little child did the miracle within a few days and that too over a piece of stay stone!” He saluted Bijoy and went away.

In the local school he learnt his lessons within a short period of time as compared to other boys. However he was very mischievous in his boyhood. One day he wanted to ride a horse. He chose to ride the local Magistrate’s black horse. At night he along with his friend stole the horse from the stable and kept it tied to a tree near the bank of the river. In the early morning the caretaker reported the magistrate that the horse was missing. In the meantime Bijoy rode the horse from a horizontal branch of tree and started enjoying the ride on the sands. The police caught the horse along with Bijoy and brought before the Magistrate. The magistrate was amused to see that the handsome boy who did the mischief belonged to the Adwaityacharya family. "Why didn’t you tell me that you wanted to ride the horse?" he asked. The boy’s straight forward answer was, “You would not give me permission to ride.” The magistrate laughed loudly and said,” Alright henceforth whenever you want a ride, tell me, I shall ask my men to put the harness and bridle and let you have a joy ride. Without these riding is dangerous".

A pirate in guise of a fisherman lived in the outskirts of Shantipur. He was charmed at the personality of the little boy Bijoy who would often acted "BalKrishna Leela" (Lord Krishna’s childhood actions) along with other youngsters. One day when Bijoy along with her mother and other family members were coming home from a remote place on a boat, it took longer time than usual due to tides in the water and as the boat was sailing slowly it became dark. Suddenly a gang of pirates raided their boat. The young ladies were scared, the bodyguards took position. Suddenly Bijoy heard a known voice and came out of the shelter to find the leader who was none but the aforesaid man. Seeing his beloved Bijoy the leader fell down at his feet and cried,” Oh dadabhai pardon me! You saved me from committing a great blunder.” The pirate fled away with his gang immediately to be never seen henceforth. One day his elders were out of station. Bijoy a teenager then had joined Sanskrit College under the Calcutta University. An old lady came from a distant place and not finding any elder person in the house fell down at the feet of Bijoy and prayed for a Mantra that would free her from the bondage of recurring birth. Bijoy was shocked to see the blind faith of the lady and said,” I myself am not liberated mother. How can a blind show path to another blind.” The lady did not believe that anyone in the lineage of Prabhu Adwaityacharya couldn’t be a liberated soul. They only come down to earth to liberate others. She fell into tears that Bijoy deprived her. For Bijoy the lady represented the prevailing blind faith of the society and he himself was the representative of the hypocrisy. His heart revolted against the system. The whole night he couldn’t sleep.

Gosai ji’s Career as a Medical Student:

He decided to forego the easy going path of deceitful earning and earn his livelihood by taking the profession of a medical practitioner. He joined the Calcutta Medical College. One day he heard Professor, Dr Cheebers scolding a student with an allegation of theft which was not true. But what aroused Bijoy’s anger was that he took the name of all the Indians as a whole. He protested against the misbehavior of the professor and called for a hunger strike. Under his leadership the other students also joined. Ultimately a settlement was reached after the professor accepted his mistake. This may be recorded as the first organized student’s movement in Indian history.

Bijoy left Medical college without completing his graduation but was given a practicing license on homeopathy. He came back to Shantipur and opened a chamber to earn his livelihood practicing as a homeopath. He would charge a nominal fee from those who could afford but provided free treatment to the economically underprivileged. His heart cried to see the wretched condition of these people. An instance is stated here under to throw light on his career as a practitioner. A seriously ill patient unable to pay fees came from the other side of Ganges. He gave him medicines for the day and asked his guardian to report after that. It may be stated here that Dr Bijoy Krishna used to get instructions and tips on treatment from a spirit (soul) of a renowned homeopath, late Dr Durgadas Banerjee.

In this case also he had instructed one unusual medicine to the aforesaid ailing person. The next day it started raining incessantly and the river swelled up. No one came from the other side to report the patient’s condition. After closing his chamber Bijoy decided to go to the patient’s home to give the required medicine. He found the ferry (boat) service was closed due to inclement weather. Dr Bijoy K. Goswami, a good swimmer decided to swim across. He tied the glass ampoule of medicine on a head gear and plunged into the turbulent river and reached the patient’s house. It was dark by that time. The patient’s father heard a thump on the door. He opened the door to be surprised beyond imagination that an angel was standing with a smile with a life saving nectar in his hand. The helpless parents were in a traumatic state as the condition of the patient had deteriorated. The old man was almost fainted to see an unbelievable miracle happening before him. He was spellbound. Bijoy attended the patient till he recovered.

The history of mankind has rarely come across such a doctor. One may guess how successful this doctor might have been as a bread earner for the family.

Gosai Ji’s exposure to Brahma Samaj: The new wave:

In the meantime his knowledge in Sanskrit College opened the door of the vast treasure of Upanishads and the doctrines of Monotheism as professed in his own way by Shankaracharya. It says that the only truth is the omnipresent, all pervading formless attribute less “Brahma” and the manifest of the universe is an illusion and hence false.

‘Brahmo-Samaj’ along with Christian and Muslim school of thoughts accepted the monotheism of Upanishad and Shankaracharya. It was an era of renaissance in India. The younger generation educated in the western system was eager to come out of the stagnated medieval thoughts. Brahmo Samaj came to them as a fresh tide. Erasing their caste barrier they started joining the new religion. During his stay in Calcutta, Bijoy Krishna Goswami came in touch with the Adi Brahmo Samaj. It was like coming out of cage and flying in the vast open sky. He came closer to revered Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, the head of the institution and got initiated by him. He joined as propagandist of the doctrines of the Brahmo religion. Bijoy Krishna traveled far and wide often on foot, sometimes without food and shelter and confronted tigers, snakes and malaria while preaching in deep interiors. The only burning desire that propelled him was, infusing the heart of ignorant masses the message of the ultimate truth that he had realized within. Bijoy was outcast and also ousted from the ancestral residence for joining a different religion. His family came to Calcutta to stay with him. They smilingly faced extreme poverty. Gosai Ji’s perfect spouse: Yogmaya Devi

Yogmaya, the teenage wife of Bijoy was a partner in its true sense. Days after days she had to remain without proper meals. One day when she was just about to have her meal when a monk came to the door step and asked for some food. The young lady took her dish and gave it to the monk. All others including her mother had finished their lunch by then. The old lady came to tears and exclaimed.” You gave away even the last bit of your share! Now what about you. ” Teenager Yogmaya answered with a smile,” what can I do mom, if HE who had given by one hand asks it back by the other hand.”

Gosai ji’s work for Brahma Samaj:

More than 20 years had lapsed in this struggle. The Brahmo Samaj grew into a large family all over Bengal and outside. BijoyKrishna Goswami by now was the revered head priest of Brahmo Samaj. He along with his family stayed in the Samaj temple complex. An honorarium provided the maintenance of the family and thus Bijoy Krishna devoted full time in meditation, organized mass prayer, went to open different centers of worship and delivered lectures as well as wrote book and sent articles in religion journals. He introduced devotional songs as a part of prayer and invited spiritual leaders from different sects. Thus Brahmo Samaj under his guidance became a truth seeker’s paradise.

One midnight when he was in deep meditation he heard a thump on the entrance door. He came back to external sense and opened the door. He found three persons with luminous aura around them. An old person in white robe and white long hair with long beards introduced himself as Adwaityacharya, his tenth forefather and other two as Mahaprabhu SriKrishna Chaitanya and Prabhu Nityananda respectively.

Bijoy Krishna hurriedly took them inside and gave them mat (Asan) to sit on and prostrated at their feet. Adwaityacharya said, “Bijoy you take a bath. Mahaprabhu appeared here to initiate you.” Bijoy hurriedly took bath wore fresh clothes and came back as if in a hypnotic state. The room was flooded with celestial light. Mahaprabhu gave him a Mantra (name of god to repeat constantly). Bijoy prostrate at the feet of Mahaprabhu and fainted. In the dawn he came back to external sense to find himself on a prostrated state on the ground. He remembered all the sequences of the dream (he took it to be a dream). Then he found that the three mats were there and he wore different clothes.

He ran towards the well to find wet clothes on the floor. Mother Yogmaya was by that time near the well. He narrated the whole sequence to her. Mother Yogmaya replied that she often had the good luck to see Adwaityacharya in the said robe when they stayed at Shantipur. She enquired,” Didn’t you see him earlier?” Bijoy replied that he had turned into a monotheist and did not believe in manifest forms, that was why his forefather did not appear before him.

The Incident that changed the direction of his Life:

His firm footing on monotheism took a somersault as the incident reinforced by evidence could not be disregarded. Henceforth his ancestral deity Shyam Sundar (Krishna) also started playing. One evening when he was meditating on Brahma (the formless attribute of god) Shyam Sundar (God Sri Krishna) appeared before him and asked to adorn him with gold ornaments. Bijoy replied,” I do not believe in manifest form”.

Shyam Sundar said,” Well you need not believe in my manifest form but where is the harm in making ornaments for me?” Bijoy again said,” I neither possess gold nor rich enough to procure.” Syam Sundar dwelt on like an insistent child and Bijoy negated time and again. Ultimately Shyam gave the clue that his aunt had gold coins in her custody and specified the spot where the coins were hidden. Now Bijoy Krishna became curious to verify the clue given by Shyam Sundar. He went to Shantipur and asked his aunt that Shyam wanted ornaments from her. Aunt ridiculed Bijoy and said,” Oh! Shyam did not get a better person than a nonbeliever like you to convey it to me.” Now Bijoy declared the secret place where the aunt kept the gold coins as indicated by Shyam. The aunt was taken aback and started weeping. She now believed, agreed to make the ornaments for Shyam. Bijoy came back to Calcutta.

After some days Shyam appeared again in jovial mood and said," Bijoy come to Shantipur and see how beautiful I look in new ornaments!” Bijoy again protested that he does not believe in dualism, but Shyam insisted again and said, "You need not believe in me as god’s manifest but what is the harm in appreciating the ornamental outfit". Shyam disappeared. Bijoy tried to concentrate on the blank but every time Shyam appeared instead. Ultimately he started for Shantipur but the last train had departed. He went to Ranaghat station by train and traversed on foot the rest of the distance to reach Shantipur at dead end night. He wanted to see Shyam Sunder. This time nobody objected and opened the temple door. Bijoy saw his onetime play mate Shyam Sundar smiling at him in new ornaments. The monotheist’s heart melted. In tears he said." If you had this in mind then why did you turn me astray?

"Shyam Sundar replied". Well, that’s what I wished. Nothing is wasted. Don’t you know how it glitters when an old ornament is remodeled? "saying so Shyam Sundar disappeared in the stone idol. Bijoy Krishna went into rapture. The next day he came back to Calcutta to resume his duty.

Gosai Ji’s Return to Devotional path and retiring from Brahma Samaj:

He was conducting a mass prayer. While he was quoting from Upanishad suddenly Adwaityacharya appeared and said, "Your work in Brahmo Samaj is over, now take shelter under Mahaprabhu". Leave Brahmo Gnyan (a path of pure knowledge) and utter Krishna Naam (repeat the name of Krishna, the incarnation of god) to return back to the devotional paths.

Bijoy Krishna fell unconscious and remained in trance for a long time. The mass gathering waited spellbound till he recovered and resumed his speech. But Bijoy Krishna came down the pulpit and said that he can no more conduct the prayer in the line of pure monotheism (absolute). Every time I speak of only the absolute Brahma, His manifest forms (gods, goddesses) appear before me. I now believe that Brahma, the formless, attribute less God and manifest gods both are true. Monotheism and duality both are true. Only difference is that Brahma is the absolute truth and His manifestation is a transient truth. Bijoy Krishna from his childhood was fond of going to saints and religious persons. He did not stop this habit even after holding the high post of Acharya (preacher) in Brahmo Samaj.

He had introduced prayer songs and loud chanting of god’s name (Naam Keertan) along with drum and accompanying instruments. He had to face stiff resistance who thought it as disturbing the somber environment of meditation, but ultimately was able to prove the merits, i.e. the ecstasy of devotion and love that could be aroused among thousands so easily by chanting was not to be achieved through deliverance and lecture.

One day an unknown saint on request attended the prayer conducted by revered Bijoy Krishna. At the end Bijoy met him and asked as to how the occult visions and tranquil state of mind could be made to stay longer. The saint replied,” Ask your Guru (God head). He is the best person to reply.

Gosai Ji’ quest for finding his SADGURU:

Bijoy Krishna said that he did not believe in the need of a God head. We learn from all spiritually advanced persons through their discourses.

The saint was shocked to know that. He affirmed that no spiritual advancement was possible without coming in direct contact with a SADGURU. Bijoy Krishna prayed to him to be his Guru but the saint said that every person no matter however enlightened cannot be a Sadguru unless authorized by God and His representative God head. The saint said that his Guru would appear before him when the time is ripe for him.

This revelation was another great jolt for Bijoy Krishna. He till this time knew of the sterile KULGURU cult in which he himself was born.

Bijoy Krishna took leave for sometime and started roaming in search of Sadguru. Whenever he saw a revered saint he fell at his feet and requested him for his initiation (Deeksha). Everybody said the same thing - Your Sadguru is waiting for you.

Bijoy Krishna traveled all along the foothills of Himalayas, remote forests, river coasts of Ganges, Narmada. He joined the sittings of Ramaits, Baul, Kabir, Lamas, Yogis, Tantric, Aghori cults in search of Guru. Sometimes he had to flee to see the ghastly practices.

He went to Kashi and met Trailanga Swami, “the roaming Shiva” as he was called. Swamiji gave him Mantra on the insistence of Lord Shiva which Bijoy took unwillingly. Unwillingly because he saw Swamiji sprinkling his own urine on the goddess Kali saying”Ganga-Ganga”. Although the urine and revered Ganga water was same for Trailanga Swami but it was not acceptable to Bijoy who was born and brought up in a sanctified environment.

Gosai Ji finding his SADGURU :

Then he went to Gaya hills and stayed at the foot of Akaash Ganga hill in the ashram of a Ramait saint Raghuwardas Baba. One morning a boy informed that a powerful saint is seen on the hilltop. Bijoy Krishna climbed up the hill where he found his long cherished Sadguru revered Brahmananda Paramhamsa.

Sadguru embraced Bijoy Krishna and uttered a power impregnated Mantra. On hearing the Mantra, Bijoy Krishna lost his consciousness.

Gosaiji’s Sahaj Samadhi State: Goswami prabhu remained seated day and night in a sleepless state, sometimes in deep trance or grazing within the Leela of Vrindavan and other in finer body leaving behind the gross body on his seat, at other times reading or listening scriptures, to retain his outwardly senses as he called it to do away the routine work to give Deeksha and give suggestions to solve the spiritual as well as gross problems of the devotees and disciples while retaining his natural commune with God. The great roaming Shiva of Kashi, revered Tailanga Swami once said," Bijoy Krishna Goswami remains in the highest state of Sahaj Samadhi Yoga (incessant commune with God) beyond which it is impossible to retain the mortal body".

Gosaiji’s Daughter: Kutu (Prem Sakhi): The months after the Prayag Kumbha mela, the youngest daughter Kutu (Prem sakhi) was married in March 1894. Only a year after she fell ill and Gosaiji brought her to Calcutta where he was staying then. The beloved youngest daughter died after the renowned doctor failed. Even when she was gasping, Gosaiji remained seated in his room calm and composed talking to visitors. The old grand mother of Kutu came to Gosaiji hastily. Broken in grief the lady slammed harshly at Gosaiji-Don’t you have a heart. How can you sit like a stone statue while your daughter is gasping her last? Hearing this, the amazed visitors fled away. Gosaiji stood up saying calmly- mother I know everything but waiting for the right moment. Unless I give permission, no power can take out her soul in advance. Her mother along with other Sakhees has come to receive her. We all are waiting for my Guru’s signal. My presence earlier could divert her attention from the beautiful scene she is looking at. She is also a Sakhee. Gosaiji came near Kutu and put his right feet on her forehead and Kutu’s soul left the human cage to join the company of Sakhees. Gosaiji came back to his seat and shut his eyes. A serene effulgence radiated from his face.