More than 500 years ago during 1486-1533, Sri Chaitanya popularly known as Gourango Mahaprabhu had started

a spiritual revolution in India through his "sankirtana" bhakti movement (congregational chanting of the holy names of god) for liberation of humanity. This bhakti movement, that was founded on vedic ideals, had attracted one and all, from great scholars to common man and children, irrespective of their caste, creed, race, religion or sex.

Lord Chaitanya preached the message of love and devotion and gave the holy Nama "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare". He was widely believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, one of the Hindu Trinity, the preserver.

When adopting "sannyasa" (complete renunciation of family life and material obligations for spiritual upliftment) Sri Chaitanya assured his grief-stricken maternal uncle Sri Bishnu Das Thakur that He would be re-born as His nephew in the 13th generation of maternal uncle s lineage. See genealogical chart.

Famous poet Sri Gopinath Kanthavaran, son-in-law of Sri Bishnu Das Thakur in his book "Nagarjun", narrated this dialogue between Sri Chaitanya and His maternal uncle. Excerpts from the writings of Sri Gopinath is given below :

DIALOGUE BETWEEN SRI CHAITANYA AND HIS UNCLE SRI BISHNU DAS THAKUR

This prophecy of Sri Chaitanya was passed on from generation to generation, and the family of Sri Bishnu Das Thakur eagerly awaited re-incarnation of the Sri Sri Chaitanya as the New Messiah.

When birth of the child took place in 13th generation of the family lineage of Sri Bishnu Das Thakur on auspicious day of Deepawali (festival of lights) on Tuesday 9th November 1920 (corresponding to Bengali Year 23 Kartik 1327 BS) at 10.20 PM at Medinimondal Village, in the district of Vikrampur, Dacca in Bangladesh to Sri Balak Brahmachari's parents, Sri Surendra Chandra Chakroborty and Smt. Charushila Devi, it was recognized by the family and relatives that the child (who later came to be known as Thakur Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari) was indeed that promised appearance of reincarnated Sri Chaitanya as many miraculous incidents had occurred before and after the advent of the child.

Sri Balak Brahmachari (in short, Sri Sri Thakur) was born as a Janmasidha Mahapurush (one who is born with all the eight spiritual faculties known as "astha-sidhi" (eight super sensory powers). Sri Sri Thakur s real name was Birendra Chandra Chakraborty. His mother Sm. Charushila Devi (1899-1985) and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mother Sm. Sachi Devi came from the same family lineage of Sri Nilamber Chakroborty (Smt. Sachi Devi s father, who was a renowned astrologer and Vedic scholar of his time).

Who would know better about Sri Sri Thakur s childhood days than His school Headmaster, Sri Krishnadhan Saha, Retired Joint Headmaster, Ujanchar K.N.H.E. School, Comilla, Bangladesh, who subsequently became an ardent disciple of his own pupil. He said, "Born with divine power, Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari has been preaching from his very infancy" - at an age of five years - unprecedented tattwas, i.e. the laws of the universe bearing no reference to the current mandates of Shastras or religious practices adhered to by people from time immemorial. The tattwas are absolutely His own, convincing and easily comprehensible, based solely on scientific truth and the principles of original Vedas."

Sri Krishnadhan Saha said that, "Astonishing sermons on religion from the lips of a boy of five, manifestation of Anima i.e. transformation into atomic state to vanish His body in the presence of hundreds of people, his physical presence at different places at the same instant to cause bewilderment to many, correctly telling the past and predicting the future of individual persons and strange fulfillment thereof, to cure incurable diseases without applying medicine and such other countless miraculous incidents were everyday affairs of his boyhood days .... I have known Thakur in and out from His very childhood and had the profound privilege of witnessing with my own eyes innumerable instances of His supernatural powers in his boyhood days."

Pandit Hrishikesh Shastri, Shankhyaditirtha Sardarshanacharya and Professor - Vedanta Chatuspathi, a disciple of Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari had examined Sri Sri Thakur s palm and said, "According to palmistry there are signs of conch, discus and lotus in Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari's holy hands. Superman and incarnation of ages have all these signs in their hands. Anyone who will come in contact with Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari will be infected with his spiritualism. All the thirty two signs of superman are being observed in Him."

Yogavtar Baba Lokenath of Barodi (in Dacca) (who lived during 1730-1890) had given his close disciple Sri Ashwini Chatterjee a mantra that was half and incomplete and told him that he would meet a

supreme power fifty years from then who would give him (Ashwini) his balance half mantra to complete his Sadhana. This prophecy was made sometime in 1881 even before Sri Sri Thakur s parents were born. Baba Lokenath sent Ashwini Chatterjee back home to live a householder s life. He also advised Ashvini to go and spend some time with Mahayogi Trailanga Swamy at Benaras (Kashi). Ashwini immediately followed Baba Lokenath s advice and met Trailanga Swamy.

Mahayogi Trailanga Swami (1601-1881) was a great saint and was virtually worshipped as a god by local people. He also made the same prophecy to Ashwini Chatterjee that he would meet a purna Brahman (supreme being) in about 50 years time.

Ashwini's prophesied guru was none other than Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari. Ashwini met Sri Sri Thakur in strange circumstances at a place called Kathakkali in Bangladesh when Sri Sri Thakur halted there for a while during his boat journey one day, and received his much-awaited balance half mantra from Sri Sri Thakur without asking. Sri Sri Thakur was then a young boy of only about 10/11 years old.

Renowned saint Manai Fakir, at age of 178 years, received divine instruction in his meditation to seek the blessing of a "child god" for liberation. The child god was none other than Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari who at once recognized Manai Fakir when the latter met Him.

The predictions of great saints like Baba Lokenath and Trailanga Swamy 50 years before the birth of Sri Sri Thakur are amazing and pointed to the same purna-brahman incarnation (i.e. rebirth of a supreme universal power or being on earth). However, it is believed that several great saints of India, such as Prabhu Jagabandhu, Bijoy Krishna Goswami, Bama Khepa, etc. had knowledge and indication of the advent of a universal supreme power on earth at the time of birth of Sri Sri Thakur.

Ustad Allauddin Khan, the famous musician who came in contact with Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari when he was a young boy, said, "In Sri Sri Thakur I have got my Rama back. All my endeavour on music is thus fruitful." His family members were close disciples of Sri Sri Thakur.

Sri Sri Thakur's birth had accompanying miracles. His mother Smt. Charushila Devi (1899-1985) delivered the child without any labour pain. She was in the process of walking to the family temple at Medinimondal, Vikrampur, Dacca to celebrate Kalipuja Day, also called Diwali Day, and as she was walking, she thought that she fell, and when she was on the ground, she found that a beautiful baby had been born. The child was Sri Sri Thakur.

The child grew up, and one day when He was about five months old, He fell down from the cot but He

took over five minutes to reach the ground, His uncle was amazed and said "How strange is the son of Sri Surendra Chakraborty (Sri Sri Thakur's father-1890-1955). He reminds me of a parachute as if He is descending down from above."

Incidentally, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's life as a child was also full of miracles, and very much reminiscent of that of Sri Krishna himself. It is said that the beaming beauty of the infant Sri Chaitanya was so attractive that those who came to see Him fondled Him and passed Him from hand to hand, leaving little time for His mother Sachi Devi to attend to Him. One day Sri Chaitanya as a boy walked into the street with jewellery adorning His body and got into the hands of a thief who tried to take Him to his den. The thief lost his way as he walked and found himself at Chaitanya's house. Several such miraculous incidents were witnessed in the Sri Chaitanya's life.

While all the other babies cried, as babies do, Sri Sri Thakur never cried. He never passed urine in His bed. When He was about one and half years old, when all the family members slept, this child would remain sitting silently. It was incredible how a small child could remain sitting for such a long time at a stretch with eyes closed. When Sri Sri Thakur was about three years old, He was playing hide and seek with his friends. His friends would fall from the tree and would take only a moment to reach the ground. But Sri Sri Thakur would be so slow that He would take ten to fifteen minutes to reach the ground. One day, when Sri Sri Thakur as a child, went to take his bath with His family members in Titash River (a tributary of river Brahmaputra), to the amazement of all, they saw the child running across the river as if he was running on land. They noticed very clearly that the child did not feel any difference between water and land during the run.

Sri Sri Thakur was brought up in a normal village home. From the age of five years, he was initiating people with holy mantras and giving his blessings. He was popularly known as "Balak Gosain" (Child God), or "Balak Thakur" (Child Master) by his followers and local people. He migrated to India in 1947 immediately after the partition of Bengal and came to be popularly known as Balak Brahmachari.

The name "Balak" has a real significance in the life of Sri Sri Thakur. He always said He was a child. For that matter everyone in the world has been a child, and everyone has that child inside him or her even when they are grown up. However, the pure character and qualities of a child do not remain intact in most adults when they grow up. Sri Sri Thakur was always like a beautiful young child, who just by being Himself, made everyone else feel wonderful.

Sri Sri Thakur had a large family of 4 brothers, a sister and many cousins all living together. Sri Sri Thakur's life has been full of miraculous events. But he never gave any importance to such events. He said, "If I show miracles to all the people of Bengal, rest of India will still have their doubts. If I convince the people of India with my miracles, people of China or America will say they do not believe it. So it is no use trying to convince people with stories of my miracles. My tattwas (truths) are my miracles. Spread

my teachings to all rather than dwell upon my miracles."

Although Sri Sri Thakur was born in an orthodox vedic Hindu Brahmin family, he declared that "I am neither a Hindu or a Muslim, nor am I a Christian. I do not belong to any sect or belief. I am a son of this mother earth and a carrier of its tune and truth. My mission is to establish true religion and expose false religion for the emancipation and upliftment of the exploited mankind. My religion is based on the ideals of ancient Vedas. Remember that the term "Vedas" do not refer to any book or scripture. It means knowledge. The vedic ideals and philosophy are not only for the human beings but for all the living beings of this planet."

A marvelous incident occurred in 1960 when Sri Sri Thakur went on an indefinite Samadhi (Complete Trance) for over 21 days in Calcutta. The then leading daily of Calcutta, Jugantar reported in their issue of 30 December 1960 that "Janmasidhha Sri Sri Balak Brahmachari's state of Nirbikalpa Samadhi, lasting for more than three weeks ended at 6.40 PM on Sunday, the Christmas Day, 1960. Despite a congregation of thousands of people, the holy ceremony of breaking the samadhi-trance was carried out in a peaceful manner. Thousands of disciples and devotees of Balak Brahmachari had been passing through a period of grave anxiety and fear for the last twenty-one days. When twenty-one days of his deep meditation-trance was over on Sunday, signs of respiration were first noticed in His physical self, according to the physicians. Several examinations carried out previously did not show any sign of respiration and pulse beat."

Sri Sri Thakur was a carrier and propagator of the Universal Tune or Truth that pervades the creation and on which all knowledge is based. He declared from His very childhood that true religion is not just the story of gods and goddesses. It is a science; knowledge based on nature's tune and reason. It has no boundaries, no divisions, no beginning and no end. It has always existed and will always continue to exist as long as this creation lasts.

Sri Sri Thakur declared that religion is not devoid of reality or materialism and that the pursuit of true religion does not require any renunciation or escapism from real life. On the contrary, He said that according to Vedas it is the foremost duty of everybody to live and let live, to fight against social evils and evil-doers, to work for one's daily needs & wants and to work for the development and growth of one's nation.

According to Sri Sri Thakur, "This creation springs out on its own rhythm from the womb of the cosmic void. This "void" is full of consciousness, great consciousness. From consciousness emerges the supreme spirit. We could achieve our goal if we follow the laws of creation. The tune or the music of this Universal Void or Great Consciousness is recorded in our body. Investigate your own body machine and follow your conscience. This vast universe is constantly moving in the direction of the boundless Void at an incredible speed. No one has created this great void. Who can ever create a void- it has no beginning and no end. There goes on a play of motion incessantly in this Infinite Void. "

Sri Sri Thakur preached and unfolded the Tattwas, i.e. the ideals and essence of the original Vedas. He said, "What I refer to is not the Primeval Vedas but the one beyond the Primeval. Like the creation of the universe, those very Vedas were also created from the enormous space. It enables living beings and the universe to maintain their existence in accordance with the Laws of Nature. The great space is the repository of knowledge that is the Vedas. Therefore the Vedas are the great space. Again the great space is the Vedas. The ancient saints and sages of India were able to understand and realize a bit by investigation and research of that knowledge of the great space."

Both Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Sri Thakur emphasized the importance of Naam Kirtan (Group Chanting of Spiritual Words). Sri Chaitanya composed "Hare Krishna Hare Ram" Naam, and Sri Sri Thakur gave us "Ram Narayan Ram". According to Sri Sri Thakur, these names do not represent God Rama or God Krishna. These names or words are Primordial Vedic Words having special spiritual significance. They describe the characteristics of the Eternal Void or Space and the Infinite Truth or Tune. Their meaning is deep-rooted and broad-based. Hence these special names or words are applied for chanting and spiritual effect.

Sri Sri Thakur said, "I have been trying to liberate everyone from the shackles of superstition and dogma through scientific analysis and interpretation, from my very childhood. From the beginning till end, I am telling everyone the same thing. I don't care what people call me, be it a saint, avatar, god or devil. I am the bearer, carrier and propagator of the Veda, the embodiment of Truth."

Like in the case of several other great holy masters, Sri Sri Thakur also had to face constant harassment caused by vested groups. He was falsely implicated in several cases and proceedings. Attempts were also made on His life right from His childhood days.

Sri Sri Thakur entered into samadhi (a super conscious state) on Wednesday, 5 May1993 in Kolkata