Srila Nayananda das Babaji Maharaja Leaves Body

July 12, 2003

Posted Image

Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Nayananda das Babaji Maharaja. All Glories to Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

It is sad news that I have to report to the Vaishnavas around the world, about the entering in samadhi of a great Vaishnava.

His Divine Grace Srila Nayananda Das Babaji Maharaja left this world on January 21, 2003 in Sri Dham Mayapur at Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math, and today [January 23] the ceremony for His Divine Grace’s entering samadhi was held at 11:00 am.

His Divine Grace was 95 years old and is a direct disciple of His Divine Grace Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Maharaja. He was personally doing a very important seva as appointed by His Guru Maharaja— to be the head pujari for almost 74 years of the original Deities of Sri Sri Gaura Gadadhara (500-year-old Deities) in Chapahati, (Gaura Mandal) in the house of Sri Dwijabaninath Prabhu, brother of Sri Gadadhara Pandit.

His Divine Grace was a little sick in his last days, and I had the great fortune to have his association five days ago, while I was in Mayapur. I visited him in Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math, founded by HDG Srila Bhakti Promod Puri Maharaja, who awarded the babaji order to His Divine Grace.

Babaji is a very respected Vaishnava and very dear to all the devotees in the whole area of Gaura Mandal. We use to visit the temple of Sri Sri Gaura Gadadhara in Chapahati during the Ganga Safari and have the association of Babaji, who was always inspiring devotees to serve Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu more and more and telling stories about his Guru Maharaj and about his Godbrothers, especially His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Once he even told us that if he were to travel around the world some day, it would be to visit all the places where Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has founded temples of Sri Sri Radha Krsna.

Babaji was always respectful to everyone, and we feel a great separation from him, who is now serving the lotus feet of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai in the spiritual world.

We seek his blessings every day, and we hope that we can follow in his footsteps in serving the Supreme Lord with full surrender and devotion, as he always used to do.

We are attaching a picture that we took a year ago of Babaji during the meeting of the Sri Gaudiya Vaishnava Association in Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, beside the murti of his Guru Maharaj Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura.

Your servant,

Tusti Mohan Krsna das