Sri Saranga Murari Sripata

 

Sri Sarangadeva performed his bhajana in Mamgachi. He is also known as Sarngapani, Sarngadhara and Saranga Thakura. He used to worship the Supreme Lord in a secluded place on the bank of the Ganga. There is a temple here that is said to have been established by Saranga Thakura, in front of which is a large Bakula tree. This tree was present during the time of Sarangadeva, it has bark on the outside and is hollow inside. It is said that one day Lord Caitanya noticed that this Bakula tree was dying, so He embraced the tree and it came back to life completely, with green leaves and fragrant flowers. 

Sri Saranga Murari Sripata

Saranga Thakura did not want to accept any disciples, but he was repeatedly inspired from within by the Supreme Lord to do so. One morning he decided that he would accept the first person that he saw as a disciple. When he went to take bath in the Ganga, a dead boy’s body was floating by and he touched it with his feet. This dead body immediately came back to life and Saranga Thakura accepted him as his disciple. The parents of the boy wanted their son to come back home, but the boy wanted to stay and serve his guru, Sri Saranga Thakura. This boy’s name was Murari and this sripata is known as Saranga Murari Sripata. The deity of Sri Gopinatha who was worshiped by Saranga Thakura is still worshiped here. The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika describes that the identity of Saranga Thakura in krishna-lila is the gopi named Nandimukhi.

Directions: Return to the road, turn right and walk for a couple of minutes. There will be a pathway on one side of the road and a lake on the opposite side. The pathway is the entrance for the temple and the lake is what was left behind by the Ganga River which used to flow here during Lord Caitanya’s time.