Sri Sāraṅga Thakura (also known as Sāraṅgapāṇi or Sāraṅgadhara) was an exalted associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. His devotional life is famed for its purity, its residence on the banks of the sacred Gaṅgā, and the miraculous nature of his initiation.

The Position in Chaitanya’s Lineage

Sri Sāraṅga Thakura’s importance is recognized by Sri Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Goswāmī.

• In the Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, he is listed as the seventy-seventh branch of the original tree of Sri Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.
• He resided in Modadruma-dvipa, a neighborhood of Navadvīpa, where he regularly worshiped the Supreme Lord in a secluded place on the bank of the Ganga.

The Miraculous Initiation of Murāri

Though generally not inclined to accept disciples, a divine inspiration changed the course of Sri Sāraṅga Thakura’s day and a devotee’s life.

• The Vow: Inspired by the Supreme Lord from within his heart, he resolved one morning, “Whomever I see first today, I shall make my disciple.”
• The Disciple: While going for his morning bath in the Gaṅgā, the first thing he saw was a dead body floating in the water. As soon as he touched it with his feet, the body immediately came back to life.
• The Result: Sri Sāraṅga Thakura then accepted this revived person as his disciple. This disciple was none other than the famous Thakura Murāri, whose name has always been associated with his spiritual master, Sri Sāraṅga Thakura.

His Eternal and Earthly Abodes

The devotional lineage and physical sites associated with Sri Sāraṅga Thakura continue to be important today:

• Disciplic Line: His disciplic line still resides in the village of Śar.
• Temples: In Māmagāchi, there is a temple said to have been established by Sri Sāraṅga Thakura. A new temple has recently been built near a bakula tree there and is now managed by the Gauḍīya Maṭha.

Eternal Identity in Vraja

Sri Sāraṅga Thakura is also connected to Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana:

• Gopi Nāndīmukhī: According to the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (172), Sāraṅga Thakura was formerly the gopi named Nāndīmukhī.
• Alternative View: Although some devotees suggested he was previously Prahlāda Maharaja, Sri Kavi-karṇapūra, the son of Śivānanda Sena, did not accept this view.