Page 66 - SBV (English)

6 Çré Bhaktisiddhänta Vaibhava

The boy was the sixth child in a family of thirteen, the fourth of eight
sons and third by Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura’s second wife, Çrématé Bhagavaté-
devé. Given the name Bimalä Prasäda, he was often called simply Bimalä, or
*
hypocoristically, Bimu or Binu, variants thereof. In accordance with Bengali
custom his younger brothers addressed him as Nadä, “fourth brother.”
Traditionally, high-class Indian families retained an oral record of their
lineage going back to Lord Brahmä, the first created being in the universe. After
Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura’s tirobhäva, his genealogy was published in an article
about him in Sajjana-toñaëé, the spiritual journal he had founded:

According to the belief and judgment of the illustrious Hindu
family lines, those descending from Brahmä via the progeny
of Citragupta were celebrated in Bhärata-varña as brahma-
käyasthas. Bharata was in the 87th generation from Citragupta,
and Bharadväja in the 88th. After him came Aìgirä, and then
Båhaspati. In the 149th generation, Puruñottama, son of Çiva
Datta, went to Bengal upon the summons of King Ädiçüra
of Bengal. Puruñottama’s youngest son accepted sannyäsa
with the name Kanaka-daëòé; his composition Säragrähi-
vaiñëava-mahimäñöaka is extant even today. In the 7th and
†
8th generations of Puruñottama’s family, both Vinäyaka and
his son Näräyaëa Datta were royal ministers.
In the 15th generation from Puruñottama appeared the son of
Kämadeva named Räjä Kåñëänanda, who had an exceedingly
pronounced taste for the holy name. Accompanied by his
‡
entourage, Çré Nityänanda Prabhu came to the home of

* In 1850, at age eleven, Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura was married to five-year-old
Sayämaëé. In 1860 she bore a son, Annadä Prasäda, but ten months later she died. Soon
thereafter Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura married Bhagavaté-devé, whose first son expired
in 1868 when just one month old. Çrématé Bhagavaté-devé subsequently delivered eight
sons: Rädhikä Prasäda (1870), Kamalä Prasäda (1872), Bimalä Prasäda (1874), Baradä
Prasäda (1877), Birajä Prasäda (1878), Lalitä Prasäda (1880), and Çailajä Prasäda (1892).
She also gave birth to five daughters: Saudäminé (1864), Kädambiné (1866), Kåñëa
Vinodiné (1884), Çyäma Sarojiné (1886), and Hari Pramodiné (1888).
† Kanaka-daëòé—“Holder of a golden staff”; Säragrähi-vaiñëava-mahimäñöaka—“eight
verses in glorification of säragrähi Vaiñëavas.”
‡ It is not clear whether this is the Kåñëänanda who was the king of Kheturi, in Bengal,
and father of the great Vaiñëava äcärya Çréla Narottama däsa Öhäkura. Contextually it
seems likely, but were it so, most probably it would have been stated in this Sajjana-toñaëé
article.