Ananda Sambada

Sripad Sacinandana Dasa Prabhuji

As a teenager, inspired by his father he would arrange for free distribution of cold drinking water and yogurt for pilgrims during the ‘Ashokastami Ratha-Yatra’ of Lord Lingaraj at Bhubaneswar and would lead actively the movement ‘Prevention of Cruelty Towards Animals’.

He was once invited by his friend to meet a sadhu who was his friend’s school teacher. He was extremely influenced by that sadhu, H.D.G Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja. He learned about the instruction of Iskcon’s founder acarya H.D.G. Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupadji Maharaja to his dear disciple Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja to build the Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir at Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar, to translate his literatures into Odiya language and to preach widely throughout Orissa and around the world. Sacinandana prabhu was intensely involved with Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja during this period and would often carry him on the cycle for kilometers for preaching and collecting funds.

Since his childhood days, Sacinandana prabhu was fixed in the truth that Krishna is the only Guru and was determined to take initiation from the Lord Krishna only and would say the same to Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja when he was asked to take initiation from His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupadji Maharaja during his stay at Bhubaneswar for 17 days long, in January 1977. In 1985 he finally received initiation from His Divine Grace Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja when it was realized by him that Krishna Himself had come in the form of Guru.

For many years, Sacinandana prabhu was actively involved in various services and preaching activities of ISKCON, Bhubaneswar and also travelled both throughout India and abroad with Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja as his personal assistant. In the year 1996 H.D.G. Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja had personally given him the responsibility of ‘Srila Prabhupada Centenary Celebration Coordinator’ where he organized the amazing four days long ‘Hare Krishna Festival’ at Bhubaneswar at which Srila Gour Govinda Swami spoke most amazingly at this, his final public engagement, in front of many thousands of eager listeners.

Srila Gour Govinda Swami also gave the responsibility of establishing an ideal residential Vedic University ‘Sri Jayadeva-Bhaktivedanta Vedic University’ in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar city to accommodate 5000 students from across the world. The State Government gave it’s backing to the project. However after some time, the project was stopped due to differences within the devotee community.

At this point of time Srila Gurudeva predicted to Sacinandana prabhu “don’t be disheartened Sachinandana, an inconceivable and supremely merciful leela-bhumi of Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will come your way to render services… ”

After the divine disappearance pastime of Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja in February 1996 he was extremely broken hearted and in a state of morose had also suffered his first heart attack.

Then in the middle of 1996 an old sadhu Srila Haridas Sen Babaji Maharaja (a ‘naistika brahmachari’ family descendant of Srila Sivananda Sena) revealed to him about the supreme leela-bhumi of Lord Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, ‘Dandabhanga’, at Chandanpur, Jagannatha Puri, and requested him to develop and bring the pastime site to its rightful prominence. This was the direct realization of the earlier prediction of Srila Gour Govinda Swami.

However, unfortunately, due to objections regarding the glorification of Srila Gour Govinda Swami at the beautiful Dandabhanga Ashram, the ISKCON Bureau in 2008 stated that ‘Sri Chaitanya Dandabhanga Leelakunjashrama’ would no longer come under ISKCON, thus upon receipt of such notification etc. the society ‘Sri Chaitanya Dandabhanga Leelakunjashrama’ was legally registered under the Societies Registration Act.

Also in 2008 Sacinandana prabhu initiated long aspiring devotees in the bonafide parampara of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva as per the prompting of the heart. Sacinandana prabhu, was by now a severe diabetic and heart patient and suffered his second heart attack and also a stroke in the year 2009. It was by the causeless mercy of Sri Sri Guru and Krishna that he survived.

With his broken health he has been continuing selfless services towards Dandabhanga and seriously desires his God-brothers and God-sisters, well-wishers or disciples to come forward and take responsibility to push forward the development of this inconceivable leela-bhumi of Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and relieve him for his long cherished personal bhajan.

- Taken from the original biography of Sacinandana prabhu by his disciples, Hemanga Mahaprabhu Das and Krushna Keshav Das.

Edited & shortened by Ananda Sambada.