Srila Narahari Sarkara Thakura Disappearance - 21st Nov

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NARAHARI SARKARA THAKURA:

 

"Before meeting Mahaprabhu Narahari had written many Sanskrit and Bengali songs

about the vraja rasa of Radha-Giridhari. Later, he and Gadadhara Pandit always

stayed with Lord Caitanya. Narahari used to please the Lord by waving a camara

of peacock fan. Thakura Bhaktivinoda's Gaura-aroti son, glorifies this,

narahari adi kori camara dhulaya.

 

Narahari Sarkara's family was the pride of the Vaisnavas. By their influence

all the people in Sri Khanda became Vaisnavas. The entire village turned into a

"branch of the desire tree of love of God." Since the time of Lord Gauracandra,

Sri Khanda has been a preaching center for Gaudiya Vaisnavism. One day Sri

Nityananda Prabhu came to Sri Khanda and asked Narahari, "All right, we know

who you are. So where's the honey?" By his mystic power Narahari turned a pot

of water into supersweet honey for the Lord's pleasure. Narahari serves Lord

Syamasundara in Vraja lila as Madhumati, a prana-sakhi who supplies

mouth-watering honey for Radha-Damodara and Their dear ones.

 

"Sri Narahari Sarakara's very being was saturated with Radha-Krishna prema. No

one can fathom the depth of his devotion and pure love for Radha and Krishna.

In Vraja he is Radha's dear sakhi, Madhumati (a storehoue of sweetness). And in

Gauranga lila he is Narahari, a storehouse of Radha-Krishna prema." (Sri

Caitanya Mangala)

 

Narahari Sarakara books Padakalpataru and Krishna-bhajanamrta include wonderful

intimate songs praising Lord Gauranga and Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Narahari

composed many ambrosial nectarean songs that overflow with the sweetest

devotion."

 

In Sri Krishna Bhajanamrta, Narahari teaches how to worship Sri Krishna and Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu. and the guru.

 

Sri Locana Dasa Thakura and many others were disciples of Narahari Sarakara

Thakura. Though not accessible, his samadhi is in Radha-kunda.

 

Srila Narahari Sarkara Thakura was born in Srikhanda, four miles west of Katwa

in the district of Burdwan. He had two brothers, Sri Mukunda dasa and Sri

Madhava dasa. Sri Raghunandana Thakura was the son of Sri Mukunda dasa.

(CC. 1.10.78)

 

Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami described the devotees of Srikhanda as a big

branch of the tree of Mahaprabhu. Sri Narahari Thakura participated in all the

pastimes of Sri Caitanya. Sri Narahari Cakravarti has praised Narahari Sarkara

in his Bhakti ratnakara (9.513).

 

Locana dasa was Narahari's disciple and has written about his guru in

Caitanyamangala: "I offer my respects to my spiritual master, Narahari dasa

Thakura, who had immense influence upon the Vaidya community. He is always

absorbed in ecstatic love for Krsna, and is constantly preaching the glories

of the Lord......Madhumati, the favorite sakhi of Sri Radha in Vrndavana, took

birth in Kali yuga as Narahari, the associate of Sri Gaurahari."

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura mentioned Narahari in his description of the

sankirtana lila of Sri Gaurasundara, "Narahari fans the Lord with a camara, as

Sanjaya, Mukunda, and Vasu Ghosh sing the glories of the Lord."

 

Sri Narahari Sarkara Thakura was a singer as well as a poet. He composed many

songs about the activities of Sri Gaura and Nityananda. He wrote the Sanskrit

book Sri Bhajanamrta. Many songs dealing with the pangs of separation written

by Narahari can be found in Padakalpataru and other books.

 

The songs about Gauranga's pastimes composed by Sri Narahari Sarkara Thakura

and the songs of Sri Narahari Cakravarti are very similar, thus it is difficult

to distinguish which songs were written by who. Before composing the songs

about Sri Gauranga, Narahari Sarkara wrote many songs about the divine

activities of Lord Krsna.

 

Narahari Sarkara disappeared on the eleventh day of the dark fort-night in the

month of Agrahayana (Nov.-Dec.). He composed the following works:

 

1.Bhakticandrika Patal

2.Sri Krsnabhajanamrta

3.Sri Caitanyasahasranama

4.Sri Sacinandanastaka

5.Sri Radhastaka

 

Padavali's composed by him are uniquely beautiful.

 

Buchanan Hamilton sates in the Purnea Report pg. 272, that the descendants of

Sarkara Thakura had many disciples in the south-east region of Purnea district.