Gaudiya Vaishnavism in late 19th century and early 20th century

[Guest guest]

Sanjay wrote:

 

>>> It is a FACT that some babajis were not pure representatives of Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, hence serious criticism was meted out and the school as a whole

suffered a bad reputation. <

 

It is certainly a fact that not every babaji is up to standard. However,

historically speaking, I am uncertain about the statement on the school as a

whole suffering of a bad reputation. Anyone who has read of the history of the

Gaudiya tradition in the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century

will inevitably know that the tradition was nowhere close to being extinct, as

is often presented, but rather was in a very vibrant, lively state, with

various mahatmas present who instructed others, some of them traveling around

to preach as well.

 

 

 

>>> I would also like to say that, regarding the inner desires of Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, it was Srila Bhaktivinoda who was the pioneer of the program to

preach Gaudiya Vaishnavism overseas, going so far as to be the first Gaudiya

acharya to write in English. <

 

I don't think he was the first one to write in English. However, he was

certainly a pioneer in this regard, one among the first. Around these years,

the idea of preaching to the Western world was growing among the Gaudiya

samaja, and indeed some, such as Premananda Bharati, a follower of Jagadbandhu,

traveled to the United States as early as 1902, establishing a Radha Krishna

temple there in 1907. Baba Premananda gathered quite a following over the

years, according to some estimates up to thousands of disciples. However, after

his disappearance, under the current religious oppression from the Christian

society, the movement withered. Some further notes on Premananda Bharati in the

end of the post.

 

 

Regards,

 

Madhava

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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"Encyclopaedia. of American Religions, 3rd Ed. 1989 Gale Research ISBN

0-8103-2841-0", Baba Premanand Bharati

 

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Surendranath Mukerji (died 1914) better known by his religious name -Baba

Premanand Bharati- was among the first Hindu teachers to come to America,

arriving around 1902 from Bengal. He was a student of Swami Brahmanand Bharati

and a follower of the Krishna Consciousness Movement (ultimately more well

known thanks to 'Hare Krishna' movement of the '70's) and founded the "Krishna

Samaj" (now defunct).

 

Bharati, the nephew of a prominent Bengali judge, formed the Krishna Samaj in

N.Y.C. and lectured to popular audiences in other eastern cities. He eventually

moved to L.A. where a temple was constructed and he had his greatest following.

In 1909 he returned to India where, with a few of his American disciples, he

opened a mission in Calcutta. The mission failed for lack of financial support

and he &; his followers returned to America. He died in Calcutta in 1914. The

temple dissolved in America soon after Bharati's death.

 

In the years immediately after his death, Bharati was attacked by people opposed

to the growth of Hinduism in America, such as Elizabeth A. Reed, whose study of

Bharati and the other early gurus was a significant factor in building public

support for the Asian Exclusion Act passed in 1917. The strength and devotion

of Bharati's disciples, however, kept his memory alive over the years.

 

In the 30's, members of the Order of Loving Service (a California mystical

group) dedicated the book "Square" as follows: " To Baba Premanand Bharati, who

by his love, patience, and continued watchfulness has led me out of darkness

into Light, out of out of weariness into Rest, out of confusion into

Understanding, out of continuous striving into Perfect Peace."

 

In the 70's, members of AUM Temple of Universal Truth (founded in the 20's) were

reprinting Bharati's writings in their periodical and selling pictures of "Our

Beloved Baba Bharati".

 

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sources: Baba Premanand Bharati, Krishan. New York: Krishna Samaj, 1904Baba

Premanand Bharati, American Lectures. Calcutta: Indo-American Press, no date

[1910?]J. N. Farquhar, Modern Religious Movements in India. New York:Macmillan,

1915 Elizabeth A. Reed, Hinduism in Europe and America. New York: G.P. Putnam's

Sons 1914Lalita {Maude Lalita Johnson}, Square. Laguna Beach, CA: Order of

Loving Service, 1934

 

 

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Multiple recipients of list RISA-LRequest for Help with

Information"Gerald Carney"Thu, 6 Sep 2001 17:56:41 -0700

(PDT)risa-l (AT) lists (DOT) sandiego.eduSender: risa-l (AT) lists (DOT) sandiego.edu

 

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Colleagues,

 

For several years I have been doing research and publishing articles about the

career of Baba Premananda Bharati (1868-1914), a Bengali Vaishnava teacher who

came to the United States in 1902, founded the Krishna Samaj in New York City,

published a well-received devotional book "Sree Krishna, the Lord of Love," and

established the first temple to Krishna in the United States at Los Angeles in

1907. I have done extensive research in the United States, England, and India

about his life, activities, religious teachings, and his anti-colonial

political vision of India. While I certainly have enough material to complete

the biography that I am now working on, there are three potentially-important

items of information that I have been unable to locate. I am taking the liberty

of contacting the members of several listserves in which I participate, with

profound apologies for cross-posting, to see if any of you have any suggestions

about where I might locate leads to this informatio!n. Please reply to me

off-list if you have any suggestions. Please understand that I have searched

the Library of Congress, the British Library, the Indian National Library, and

various on-line library and antiquarian book services to no avail.

 

1) Baba Bharati's novel "Jim," which was written to answer Kipling's "Kim." The

full novel was (self-)published by 1910-11 but does not appear in library

holdings.2) The book "Baba Bharati in Madras," which was published in Madras in

1911-12 by G.C. Loganatham.3) Information about the life and activities of Rose

Reinhardt Anthon, Baba Bharati's closest American disciple, who returned to

Chicago in 1914 following Baba Bharati's death. She lived in Chicago at least

until 1940.

 

Please reply off-list if you have any information or suggestions. Thank you for

your time and consideration.

 

Jerry Carney

 

--Jerry CarneyProfessor of ReligionHampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney VA

23943434-223-6268 (W)434-386-5592

(H)gcarney (AT) email (DOT) hsc.eduhttp://people.hsc.edu/faculty-staff/geraldc--

 

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