Page 68 - SBV (English)

8 Çré Bhaktisiddhänta Vaibhava

festival for the pleasure of Lord Jagannätha. Taking advantage of the auspicious
opportunity, he directed his wife to bring her baby to the cart. Upon being placed
at the lotus feet of Jagannätha, the infant reached out his tiny arms to touch
the feet of the deity. Lord Jagannätha immediately reciprocated by offering His
own garland, which fell from His body and encircled the child. That same day
Bimalä Prasäda’s anna-präçana (function of eating grains for the first time) was
conducted with Jagannätha mahä-prasäda. Also performed was the traditional
ceremony of placing the baby amid various objects such as rice paddy, money, and
scriptures to see which one he will clasp as indicative of his future vocational
propensity. The child’s spontaneous grasping of Çrémad-Bhägavatam further
intimated his devotional inclination.
From the wonderful happening on Lord Jagannätha’s cart, Çréla
Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura realized that this child was Lord Caitanya’s answer to
his prayer for an empowered soul to help in his mission. He thus resolved to
specially care for this son, and from the beginning trained him in pure devotional
service.
When Bimalä Prasäda was ten months old his mother brought him by
palanquin to Ranaghat, in Nadia District, Bengal, where he spent his early
years.
Bimalä was not more than four years old when an incident occurred that
foretold the character of this future äcärya. He took a mango before it had been
offered to the family Govardhana-çilä, for which Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura
rebuked him: “All food is to be enjoyed by the Lord. Nothing should be taken
unless first offered to Kåñëa. You have committed a serious offense.” The child
became greatly contrite and immediately vowed to never again eat mangos. In
later years, after he had become an acknowledged spiritual leader, he was often
offered mangos, but he always refused, saying, “I am an offender,” and quoted:

éçäväsyam idaà sarvaà yat kiïca jagatyäà jagat
tena tyaktena bhuïjéthä mä gådhaù kasya svid dhanam

Everything within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord.
Therefore one should accept only those things necessary for himself,
which are set aside as his quota, and should not accept other things,
knowing well to whom they belong.” 4

Even in Bimalä’s childhood, Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura made chanting
compulsory for him. In 1881 Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura had tulasé beads brought
5
from Puré for Bimalä and instructed him in chanting the Hare Kåñëa mantra