Sri Abhirama Thakura
Sri Abhirama Gopala Thakura was also known as Sri Rama Das. He was a great
devotee of Lord Nityananda. On the order of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he became
a great acharya and preacher of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

He was a very influential personality, and atheists and blasphemers were very
much afraid of him. Empowered by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he was always in
ecstasy and was kind to all fallen souls. It is siad that if he offered obeisances to
any stone other than a salagram-sila, it would immediately burst into pieces.

According to Gaura-Ganodesha-Dipika (12) in Krishna-lila he was Sridama, one
of the 12 prominent boy cowherd friends of Sri Krishna. He was Nityananda's
dearmost devotee. Abhirama Gopala's wife's name was Sri Malini devi.

Abhirama Gopala Thakura lived in Khanakula Krishnanagara. Khanakula
Krishnanagar may be visited by taking the narrow gauge train from Howrah
Station in Calcutta to Amta. It is located in the present Hooghly District of West
Bengal. There, in Khanakula Krishnanagara, near the bank of the Khana river, is
the temple of Abhirama Thakura. Because it is a town (nagara) with a Krishna
temple, the town is called Krishna-nagara, and because the temple is on the kula
(banks) of the Khana, it is called Khanakula Krishnanagara. Just outside the
temple is a bakula tree. This place is known as Siddha-bakula-kunja. It is said
that Abhirama Thakura used to like sitting beneath this tree.

The story of how the Gopinatha deity of Khanakula Krishnanagara was
established is as follows.

One day, the deity of Gopinatha appeared to Abhirama Gopala in a dream, and
informed him that he wanted to manifest himself in Khanakula Krishnanagara. It
is said that he was buried in the earth, and that in the dream he ordered
Abhirama Gopala to excavate him and inaugurate his worship. Abhirama Gopala
went to the place where the Lord had indicated he would be found, and began
excavation.

There, after digging for some time, he found the mind-enchanting deity of Sri
Gopinatha. The place where this discovery was made is now called Rama kunda,
and there is a small lake there.

The Bhakti Ratnakara says, "After having excavated the Gopinatha deity, all the
devotees headed by Rama Dasa (Abhirama Gopala) bathed in the sacred waters
of the kunda near the spot where the deity had been found. From that day on
the kunda became famous as Rama Kunda. Whoever bathes there becomes free
from repeated birth and death."

One day Sri Abhirama Gopala was overwhelmed with the ecstasy of sakhya
rasa, and had a desire to play the flute of a cowherd boy. Intoxicated by the bliss
of Krishna-prema, he began searching the four directions for a suitable flute. As
he searched through the forest for a suitable instrument all at once he saw
before him a big log. The log was so huge that sixteen men could not move it.
Grabbing hold of that log, he turned it into a flute and began to play upon it.

The Caitanya Caritamrita says, "Rama dasa was one of the principle branches of
the Nityananda branch of the Caitanya tree of bhakti. He was full of
sakhya-prema - love of Krishna saturated with the mellow of friendship. He once
picked up a log that sixteen men couldn't lift and used it as a flute."

Sri Abhirama Thakura had a bullwhip that was imbued with divine power. Its
name was "Jayamangal". Whoever was struck with this whip became filled with
Krishna prema. One day Srinivasa Acharya went to take darshan of Abhiram
Gopala. At that time, Abhirama Gopala touched him three times with
Jayamangal.

The Thakur's good wife, Malini, cried out, "My Lord! Do not touch him again.
Calm yourself. Srinivas is only a boy. If you touch him again he will lose
consciousness."

As a result of coming in contact with the whip of Abhirama Thakura, Srinivasa
Acharya became filled with Sri Krishna prema.

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Nityananda Prabhu to preach in Bengal,
he sent Abhirama Gopala and Gadadhara Das along with him. Simply upon seeing
Abhirama Gopala, atheists and blasphemers would flee in terror. He was a
remarkable scholar, well-versed in all the scriptures. He married his wife, Malini,
upon the order of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. His disappearance day is on the
seventh day of the dark moon in the month of Chaitra, and on that day a great
festival attended by thousands of devotees is held every year in Khanakula
Krishnanagara.