Srila Bilvamangala Thakura

Śrīla Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura's story is one of the most striking examples of change in Vaiṣṇava history. He was a wealthy young brāhmaṇa who became deeply attached to a courtesan named Cintāmaṇi. Because of his strong lust for her, he lost everything. Then, in a single moment, her strong words broke his attachment completely. He immediately left his old life behind. On his way to Vṛndāvana, he put out his own eyes so that they could never again distract him from Kṛṣṇa. During the rest of his life, he composed Śrī Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, a collection of beautiful verses about Kṛṣṇa. Later, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu brought a copy of this work from South India and took great pleasure in hearing its verses again and again.

No one knows exactly when Bilvamangala lived. Some scholars place the text of Krishna-karnamrita as early as the ninth century, others as late as the fifteenth. Even Śrīla Prabhupāda, while telling this story to a visitor in 1969, first said that the poet had lived "seven hundred years" earlier. He then corrected himself and said that Bilvamaṅgala lived "some time before" the fourteenth century. But whatever the exact date, no one has ever doubted the devotion in his verses, or the love that the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition has always shown them.

A Brahmana Undone by Cintamani #

Bilvamangala was born into a respected, well-off brahmana family in South India and grew up learned and devout. But as a young man, he became deeply attached to a courtesan named Cintāmaṇi. Because of this attachment, he neglected his studies and family duties. According to some accounts, he also left behind his wife and household. Night after night he went to see her, spending his family's wealth to do it, until he cared so little for anything else that even his own father's death barely touched him. The night that changed his life is described in detail on Early Life and Attachment to Cintāmaṇi. He crossed a flooded river by holding on to what he later discovered was a floating dead body. He then climbed a wall by grabbing what he thought was a rope, but it was actually a live snake. Soaked and exhausted, the brāhmaṇa finally reached Cintāmaṇi's door in the middle of the night.

The Rebuke, the Blinding, and a Blind Man's Guide #

It was Cintamani herself who ended it. She saw how low he had fallen for her sake. She pointed to his desperate longing and said that if he felt even a small part of this longing for Krishna, his life would truly mean something. Srila Prabhupada told it simply: "immediately he came to his senses." What Bilvamangala did next is remarkable even among the great acts of Vaishnava renunciation. On the road to Vrindavana, he caught himself being drawn to another woman's beauty. He asked her for a hairpin and put out his own eyes. He would not allow his sight to mislead him again. The full story, including the different ways it is told in various sources, is given in The Rebuke That Changed His Life and Renunciation and the Gouged Eyes. Though blind and travelling alone, he was never truly alone. Krishna Himself came to him in the form of an ordinary cowherd boy. He walked beside him, fed him, and gave him the personal company that Bilvamangala's eyes could no longer see. This pastime is told on Krishna as His Guide.

Sri Krishna-karnamrita #

In these years he composed Sri Krishna-karnamrita, "nectar for the ears about Krishna," a collection of Sanskrit verses praising Krishna's beauty and His boyhood pastimes. Gaudiya Vaishnavas have treasured this work ever since. Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami, who himself wrote Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, composed a commentary on it called Sarangarangada, and another commentary was written by Chaitanya Dasa Goswami. Its two differing versions, and some of its best-loved verses, are covered on Sri Krishna-karnamrita.

Cherished by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu #

Gaudiya Vaishnavas remember Bilvamangala above all because of one recorded fact. While touring South India, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came across a manuscript of Krishna-karnamrita. Out of great joy, He had it copied at once so He could carry it with Him. On His way back, at Vidyanagara on the Godavari, He gave it to Ramananda Raya. At Puri, He was long remembered for how much He loved to hear its verses recited. Srila Prabhupada quoted verses from it often in his own lectures and purports. The fuller story is told on Legacy and Influence on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

One Bilvamangala, or Two? #

Scholars are divided on whether "Bilvamangala" and "Lilasuka" are the names of one person or two. Some hold that Lilasuka Bilvamangala was a single person. They say his teacher Somagiri gave him the name Lilasuka for his skill in describing Krishna's madhurya-lila. Others say there were two different people. One was an earlier philosopher named Bilvamangala, writing perhaps as early as the ninth century. The other was a later Kerala-born poet of the twelfth or thirteenth century who took the name Lilasuka. In this view, the Krishna-karnamrita read today may be the later poet's work, or a blend of both. Scholars have not settled this question, and it remains open.

Songs in the Vaishnava Song Book #

The Vaishnava Song Book carries 3 songs attributed to Srila Bilvamangala Thakura. See the full author page here.