srila prabhupada on SRI UDDHARANA DATTA THAKURA

[Guest guest]

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami appeared on this earth

in the family lineage descending from Uddharan Dhatta

 

Disappearance day of Sri Uddharana Datta Thakura

29-Dec-05.

 

SRI UDDHARANA DATTA THAKURA

 

Uddharan Dhatta, is described in Sri Caitanya Caritamrta (Adi 11.41) as

follows:

 

TEXT 41

 

maha-bhagavata-srestha data uddharana

sarva bhave seve nityanandera carana

 

 

"Uddharana Datta Thakura, the eleventh among the twelve cowherd boys, was an

exalted devotee of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. He worshiped the lotus feet of

Lord Nityananda in all respects."

 

PURPORT

 

"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura writes in his Anubhasya, 'The

Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (129) states that Uddharana Datta Thakura was

formerly the cowherd boy of Vrndavana named Subahu. Uddharana Datta Thakura,

previously known as Sri Uddharana Datta, was a resident of Saptagrama, which

is situated on the bank of the Sarasvati River near the Trisabigha railway

station in the district of Hugli. At the time of Uddharana Thakura,

Saptagrama was a very big town, encompassing many other places such as

Vasudeva-pura, Bansabediya, Krsnapura, Nityananda-pura, Sivapura,

Sankhanagara and Saptagrama.'

 

It is also said in the Gaura ganoddessa-dipika (14) "The associates of Lord

Nityananda were all cowherd boys during Lord Krsna's advent"

 

"Calcutta was developed under British rule by the influential mercantile

community, and especially by the suvarna-vanik community who came down from

Saptagrama to establish their businesses and homes all over Calcutta. They

were known as the Saptagrami mercantile community of Calcutta, and most of

them belonged to the Mullik and Sil families. More than half of Calcutta

belonged to this community, as did Srila Uddharana Thakura. Our paternal

family also came from this district and belonged to the same community. The

Mulliks of Calcutta are divided into two families, namely the Sil family and

De family. All the Mulliks of the De family originally belong to the same

family and gotra. We also formerly belonged to the branch of the De family

whose members, intimately connected with the Muslim rulers, received the

title Mullik.

 

"In the Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-khanda, Chapter Five, it is said that

Uddharana Datta was an extremely elevated and liberal Vaisnava. He was born

with the right to worship Nityananda Prabhu. It is also stated that

Nityananda Prabhu, after staying for some time in Khadadaha, came to

Saptagrama and stayed in the house of Uddharana Datta. The suvarna-vanik

community to which Uddharana Datta belonged was actually a Vaisnava

community. Its members were bankers and gold merchants (suvarna means

'gold,' and vanik means 'merchant'). Long ago there was a misunderstanding

between Ballal Sena and the suvarna-vanik community because of the great

banker Gauri Sena. Ballal Sena was taking loans from Gauri Sena and spending

money extravagantly, and therefore Gauri Sena stopped supplying money.

Ballal Sena took revenge by instigating a social conspiracy to make the

suvarna-vaniks outcastes, and since then they have been ostracized from the

higher castes, namely the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas. But by the grace

of Srila Nityananda Prabhu, the suvarna-vanik community was again elevated.

It is said in the Caitanya-bhagavata, yateka vanik-kula uddharana haite

pavitra ha-ila dvidha nahika ihate: there is no doubt that all the community

members of the suvarna-vanik society were again purified by Sri Nityananda

Prabhu.

 

"In Saptagrama there is still a temple with a six-armed Deity of Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu that was personally worshiped by Srila Uddharana Datta

Thakura. On the right side of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a Deity of Sri

Nityananda Prabhu, and on the left side is Gadadhara Prabhu. There are also

a Radha-Govinda murti and a salagrama-sila, and below the throne is a

picture of Sri Uddharana Datta Thakura. In front of the temple there is now

a big hall, and in front of the hall is a Madhavi-lata plant. The temple is

in a very shady, cool and nicely situated location. When we returned from

America in 1967, the executive committee members of this temple invited us

to visit it, and thus we had the opportunity to visit this temple with some

American students. Formerly, in our childhood, we visited this temple with

our parents because all the members of the suvarna-vanik community

enthusiastically take interest in this temple of Uddharana Datta Thakura.

 

"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura adds in his Anubhasya: 'In the

Bengali year 1283 [A.D. 1876] a babaji of the name Nitai dasa arranged for a

donation of twelve bighas of land (about four acres) for the temple where

Uddharana Datta Thakura worshiped. The management of the temple later

deteriorated, but then in 1306 (A.D. 1899), through the cooperation of the

famous Balarama Mullik of Hugli, who was a subjudge, and many rich

suvarna-vanik community members, the management of the temple improved

greatly. Not more than fifty years ago, one of the family members of

Uddharana Datta Thakura named Jagamohana Datta established a wooden murti

[statue] of Uddharana Datta Thakura in the temple, but that murti is no

longer there; at present, a picture of Uddharana Datta Thakura is worshiped.

It is understood, however, that the wooden murti of Uddharana Thakura was

taken away by Sri Madana-mohana Datta and is now being worshiped with a

salagrama-sila by Srinatha Datta.

 

" 'Uddharana Datta Thakura was the manager of the estate of a big zamindar

in Naihati, about one and a half miles north of Katwa. The relics of this

royal family are still visible near the Dainhata station. Since Uddharana

Datta Thakura was the manager of the estate, it was also known as

Uddharana-pura. Uddharana Datta Thakura installed Nitai-Gaura Deities that

were later brought to the house of the zamindar, which was known as

Vanaoyaribada. Srila Uddharana Datta Thakura remained a householder

throughout his life. His father's name was Srikara Datta, his mother's name

was Bhadravati, and his son's name was Srinivasa Datta.' " [Adi 11.41]

 

There is also an interesting tree that is said to have grown from a cooking

spoon that Nityananda Prabhu planted in the ground.