Play/Pause

Gaudiya Acharyas

Sri Kaliya Krishna Das (Kala Krishna Das)

Kala Krishna Das took birth in Rarhadesa. He was a great servant of Lord Nityananda and was the best of the Vaiṣṇavas. He knew nothing other than Nityananda Prabhu’s lotus feet.
kālaḥ śrī-kṛṣṇadāsaḥ sa yo lavaṅgaḥ sakhā vrajeIn Vraja, Kālā Krishna Das was Krishna’s cowherd friend named Lavanga. 
(Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā 132)

Kāliyā Krishna Das was known throughout the three worlds. One can attain Gauracandra through remembrance of him. 
(Chaitanya Bhagavata 3.5.740)

The Sripat of Kāliyā Krishna Das is in the town of Akai Hat, within the jurisdiction of Katwa just off the road that leads to Nabadvīpa. It is about two miles south of the Katwa train station and one mile north of Dain Hat station. Near the Sripat is a pond called Nupur Kund. It is said that the ankle bell of Raghunandan Ṭhākura, the son of the Khaṇḍavāsī Mukunda, fell here. Others say that was Nityananda Prabhu’s ankle bell. Even today one can get to see the Sripat’s homestead and brick and bank of the pond.

In his Anubhāṣya commentary to the Chaitanya Charitamrita, Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura has written: “In the opinion of the Goswamis of the Sonatala village on the north bank of the Icchamati River about three miles west of Bera Bandar in Pabna district, Kala Krishna Das was a Brahmin of the Varendera group, of the Bharadwaj gotra in the village Bhadara. Kala Krishna Das went to Pabna from Akai Hat to preach the chanting of the Holy Names. There are still the ruins of the buildings where he built his ashram. Later, members of his family came to live there. Since there were no other Brahmins of the Vārendra group in Akai Hat he came there to marry. Afterwards he returned to Akai Hat and also went to Vrindavan.”

He had two sons named Śrī Mohana Das and Śrī Gauranga Das or Vrindavan Das. Their descendants still live in the Sonatala village. There they celebrate Kala Krishna Das’s disappearance day on the twelfth day of the waning moon in the month of Agrahayan. The deity which he worshiped was named Kala Chand.

Kala Krishna Das took birth in Rarhadesa. He was a great servant of Lord Nityananda and was the best of the Vaiṣṇavas. He knew nothing other than Nityananda Prabhu’s lotus feet.
(Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.11.36-7)

When Jahnava Devi came to Katwa, Kala Krishna Das was in her entourage.

They all arrived in Kaṇṭaka Nagara (Katwa) with company of many devotees, including Kala Krishna Das from Akai Hat. 
(Bhakti-ratnākara 10.409)

The Kala Krishna Das who accompanied Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu to Southern India was not the same personality. (Cf. Anubhāṣya, 2.7.39)

Excerpt from “Sri Chaitanya: His Life and Associates” by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj