Siddha Jagannatha dasa Baba was one of the most revered bhaktas of the Vrndavana Vaisnava community . Many honoured him as ''the crown-jewel of the 84 krosa land of Vraja ''(caurasi kos vraja-mandalera mukuta-mani ).Jagannatha lived to be almost one and a half centuries old , most of which was spent in Vraja . Toward the end of his life , however , he requested his disciples to bring him to Navadvipa dhama so he could take shelter there . This proposal sounded strange to his followers who all implored him , ''Baba , why do you want to leave your Vrndavana when you are almost ready to leave your body ? ''
babaji kahena kahi ihara uttara
navadvipera tattva tomara na haya gocara
sri krsna caitanya gosai paratattva sima
sarva dhama haite tara dhamera mahima
prabhura mahattva haite dhamera mahattva
parama nigurha lila ki bujhibo tattva
navadvipera prananatha akarsile cite
turite caliba ara na pari rahite
ekhane prasada mui na bhunjibo ara
sisyagana kahe mora utthaho satvara
prananatha kache jete pariteche badha
ekhane rahite tila adha nahi sadha
''I'll tell the reason,'' said Jagannatha Baba .'' Sri Krsna Caitanya is the paratattva sima , the highest limit of transcedence . Hence the glories of His dhama surpass all others . Yet more confidential than Mahaprabhu's tattva or His dhama's tattva is his nigudha lila tattva which you cannot understand . Navadvipa's prananatha is stealing my heart now . So quickly let me go , for I can remain here no longer . I shall not take prasada here again . '' Then he requested his disciples to lift him . '' Oh please , don't make any impediments,'' he implored them . '' I shall go to see my prananatha . I cannot remain here for even another half second.''
In his ripe old age , after becoming manjari bhava siddha , Jagannatha dasa Baba's impatience to relish the mellows of Gauranga's rasaraja feature siddenly awakened . Thus he raced to embrace his prananath , Sri Navadvipa Candra . Sri Jagannatha's addresing Him as prananatha reveals his keenness to reciprocate with Gauranga in madhura rasa . Proof of this can also be found in Jagannatha dasa Baba's sucaka kirtana which is meant for singing on his disappearance day . There it is stated , jara prana dhana gauranga nagara - ''Gauranga nagara was jagannatha Baba's life and soul '' ; and , kanta bhava jara upasana - ''his relationship with Gauranga was in kanta bhava , the mood of consort . ''
When bhaktas approached Jagannatha dasa baba for diksa , he would often tell them :
sri khanda nivasi iha siddha vamsa haya
era sthane diksa laibare se juwaya
narahari thakurera sambandhe je dhare
rasamaya gaura-pati milaye tahare
The residents of Srikhanda belong to a siddha parampara , so to take diksa from them is very befitting . Those who maintain a relationship with Thakura Narahari will be privileged to attain rasamaya Gaura as their prema pati or paramour .*
Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji was the siksa guru of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura , so it should not be surprising that the latter shares the same opinion .Let us now look into the matter.
From ''Sri Sri Rasaraja Gauranga '' by Gadadhara Prana dasa
* This source for this account is Visvambhara dasa Babaji , disciple of Sri Rmahari dasa Baba , who took vesa from Jagannatha dasa Babaji.