Narahari Sarakara

 

About four miles west of Katwa, within the Barddhaman district is  Shri Khanda, the birthplace of Narahari Sarakara Thakura. Shri Mukunda Dasa, shri Madhava Dasa and Shri Narahari Dasa were brothers. Shri Mukunda's son was Shri Raghunandana Thakura.

     Shri Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami mentions the devotees of Shri Khanda as a major branch of the Chaitanya tree of Krishna-prema (CC Adi 10:78-79): "The residents of Shri Khanda include Mukunda Dasa, Shri Raghunandana, Narahari Dasa, Chiranjiva, and Sulochana. All of them together form a major branch of the Shri Chaitanya tree.  As such they were an abode of the Lord's mercy. This branch produced the fruits and flowers of bhakti in profusion."

     Shri Narahari Thakura was connected with many of Mahaprabhu's pastimes. Narahari Chakravarti Thakura writes in Bhakti Ratnakara: "Shri Narahari Thakura's glories are wonderful. In Vrindavana he was Madhumati, and his excellences are boundless."  In his former existence in Vrindavana he was known as Madhumati,  a dear gopi friend of Shri Radha who was a storehouse of sweetness. That very sakhi friend of Shri Radha appeared in the pastimes of Shri Gauranga during the age of Kali as Narahari. He was a stores house of Radha-Krishna prema."