Bijoy Krishna Goswami

Bijoy Krishna Goswami (Bengali: বিজয় কৃষ্ণ গোস্বামী) (2 August 1841 – 1899) was a prominent Hindu social reformer and religious figure in India during the British period.

Brahmo Samaj was started at Calcutta on 20 August 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Debendranath Tagore as a reformation of the prevailing Brahmanism of the time (specifically Kulin practices). From the Brahmo Samaj springs Brahmoism, the most recent of legally recognised religions in India and Bangladesh, reflecting its foundation on reformed spiritual Hinduism with vital elements of Judeo-Islamic faith and practice. Gosaiji's disillusionment from Brahmo Samaj led him to study the Chaitanya Charitamrita, a biography detailing the life and teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534), a Vaisnava saint and founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya.

Bijoy Krishna Goswami belonged to the "Advaita Family" and was the 10th descendant of Advaita Acharya, personal teacher and associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

The prophecy of the appearance of Prabhupad Sri Bijoy Krishna Goswami can be found in the text, Chaitanya Mangalawritten by Lochana Dasa. During his Leela at Nabadwip, Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was travelling towards Sri Vrindavan in divine ecstasy, Srila Nitai, however, diverted the lord from Sri Vrindavan and took him to Sripad Advaita Acharya's residence, in Shantipur. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed in Shantipur for ten days and then ignoring the tearful eyes of Shantipur's residents and grief-stricken requests from his mother, Sachi Devi; He left Shantipur for Jagannath Temple, Puri. Advaita Acharya could not bear the pangs of separation from Mahaprabhu, and in anticipation of parting, Adwaitya Acharya in a fit of grief cursed Mahaprabhu saying - "You have stayed here for ten days, but in this incarnation, your work will remain incomplete, you have to re-incarnate in my family as my tenth generation."

Gosaiji appeared in Shantipur as a tenth generation successor of Sripad Adwaitya Acharya.

Prabhupad Sri Bijoy Krishna Goswami (Gosaiji) was born on 2nd August 1841 Shikarpur (Nadia), to Ananda Kishore Goswami and Swarnamoyee Devi. Desirous of a child, Ananda Kishore Goswami Prabhu travelled from Shantipur to Jagannath Temple, Puri, performing dandavat prostration all along the way. This method of travelling took him one and a half year to reach Puri. The night he arrived at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, he dreamt of Jagannath Swami, who promised him that he would take birth as his son. Thus, assured Ananda Kishore Goswami returned home to Shantipur. It is a typical pattern for saints to be born outside the confines of homes. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born under a neem tree, Lord Jesus Christ was born in a manger, and Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini garden likewise Gosaiji too was born in a colocasia thicket at Shikarpur (Nadia).

The family deity worshipped in the Goswami household was Sri Shyamsundar. Shyamsundar would appear before Gosaiji and became a playmate of the infant Gosaiji. This sakhyabhāva (the attitude of a friend) with Shyamsundar would remain with Gosaiji throughout in his life.

Ananda Kishore Goswami passed away on 1844 AD, entering into maha bhava samadhi while reciting the Srimad Bhagavatam; Gosaiji was then only three years old. Goswamiji started his academic life in 1850 AD, enrolling in the Bhagwan Sarkar's Sanskrit school at Shikarpur. He also studied Vedanta under the tutelage of Acharya Krishna Gopal Goswami. He later joined the Calcutta Sanskrit College, during this time he married Ramchandra Bhaduri's eldest daughter Yogmaya Devi. It was a tradition in the Goswami family of becoming hereditary spiritual preceptor of devoted families. In keeping with the culture, Gosaiji once visited the family of a disciple, who begged him for redemption. Gosaiji was shocked; he thought - "How can I provide salvation when I am myself bound to Saṃsāra?" ; Gosaiji consequently, left the ancestral tradition of spiritual mentorship, and in the year 1860 AD joined the Calcutta Medical College to pursue a career in medicine. During those times, white supremacy was very much prevalent in British India. Infuriated by the racist comments made by a British professor, Gosaiji organised the first student strike in British India. The mediation of Sri Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar brought the situation under control, but a disillusioned Gosaiji left his studies at the medical college and instead became a homoeopathy medicine practitioner. During his wanderings as a homoeopathy doctor, Gosaiji's religion fervour grew and under the influence of Acharya Devendra Nath Tagore, he renounced his Hindu heritage and joined the Brahmo Samaj.

Gosaiji was an Acharya of the Adi Brahmo Samaj by the year 1864. As the Brahmo movement began to spread, there was a clash between the elderly conservative Adi Brahmo Samaj members led by Acharya Devendranath Tagore and the fresh members of the samaj led by Keshub Chandra Sen. As a result, Gosaiji resigned the position of acharya of the Adi Brahmo Samaj and joined Keshub Chandra Sen's new samaj called the Brahmo Samaj of India. As a member of the new Brahmo Samaj, Gosaiji took upon the duties of education of women and the abolition of child marriage. During this time he worked with Iswarchandra Vidyasagar to achieve the prohibition of child marriage. Aiming to educate the women of India, he started contributing to Bengali magazines like Bamabodhini -edited by Umesh Chandra Dutta, Tattwabodhini, Dharmatattwa etc. His writings in Bamabodhini magazine, under the pseudonym "Ashabati", received widespread attention and adoration; these writings were compiled later in a book called "Asahabatir Upakhan".

The year 1874 saw the emergence of the sankirtan movement in Brahmo Samaj premises, due to the efforts of Gosaiji. Gosaiji composed numerous Brahmo songs during this period. In this period Gosaiji started preaching the Brahmo way of worship throughout India, he visited interior parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Punjab with the sermon of Brahmoism.

The years between 1874-1878 was the most trying time in Gosaiji's life. As a preacher, he walked through the length and breadth of India, sometimes sustaining himself by only drinking water and eating the mud from river banks. There was a second schism in the Brahmo Samaj in May 1878, when Keshub Chandra Sen married his underage daughter to the prince of Cooch Bihar who was also a minor. Gosaiji, who had spent his life as a Brahmo preacher advocating against child marriage staunchly opposed this act. Subsequently, Brahmo Samaj of India split into Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj led by Keshub Chandra Sen and Sadharan Brahmo Samaj which included Sivnath Shastri,Ananda Mohan Bose, Gosaiji and others. This split in Brahmo Samaj caused deep anguish to Gosaiji. He soon realised that the Brahmo method of approach towards God-realisation through logic and reasoning was insufficient. Once while sermonizing in a province of Punjab, he was deeply disturbed by lust; disgusted with himself, he decided to commit suicide by drowning himself in the waters of the Ravi. The fateful night when Gosaiji was about to end his life, a mahatma miraculously appeared before him. The mahatma consoled him by saying that philosophical speculations, logic and reasoning cannot bring about God realisation. One can only realise God by the grace of a God-realised Guru. The mahatma also reassured Gosaiji by saying that his Guru is preordained and will reveal himself when the time comes. Thus encouraged, Gosaiji started searching for his divine preordained Guru.