Sree Sree Thakur
(14^th September 1888- 27^th January 1969)

      "As long as you feel pain in your body and mind, keep trying to remove the pain of even an ant. If you don’t do this, who is there more deficient than you?”

       This was a call by a man, then 22 years old, named Anukulchandra Chakravarty (later called by his associates "Sree Sree Thakur" which means "the most exalted spiritual teacher"), who was born on 14th September 1888 in a small village called Himaitpur in the Pabna district of the eastern zone of Bengal, which is now Bangladesh.  On 2nd September 1946, he moved to Deoghar which is now in the state of Jharkhand in India, where he continued to live. He left his mortal frame on the 27th January, 1969.

      This was the man who in his teens gave up his only opportunity to graduate from high-school to one of his fellow classmates, who needed that financial help for his graduation; the man who cared for the safety of a friend, who was a thief, risking his own safety; the man who cared for his attempted killer’s protection and safety more than his own life; the man who, when asked by a Philadelphian recovered alcoholic what he should bring from America, told him “If I can only feel that George is healthy in body and mind, I will feel I am the richest man of the world.”; the man who never supported evil, but often sheltered those who have done evil. His all fulfilling love transformed the lives of many. This selfless unconditional love made his associates call him “Param Premamay”— the embodiment of supreme love.

      He gave up his opportunity to graduate from high school to help a fellow classmate. Yet he was able to get admitted into the National Medical School of Calcutta in a very unconventional way of being interviewed by the medical school authorities. His deep love and compassion during his time of study in medical school found him in the world of coolies, porters, handymen, thieves, alcoholics and prostitutes and serving them with their medical needs. His magnetic personality pulled people towards him in such a way that people sought advice on personal problems or simply wished to hear him speak or to be in his presence.  He turned prostitutes and alcoholics into saintly personalities with his deep love and compassionate service.

      After finishing his medical studies, he returned to his village Himaitpur. Soon he found himself serving the villagers in an unconventional way- “Love and Care for the Patient” was his way whether the patient had money or not. Along with this unconventional method of practicing medicine came his extraordinary ability to cure disease. Soon people found that it was not the medicine that cured them- just seeing this young Doctor Anukul cured them. With this miraculous curing ability mixed with deep love and compassion for all patients, news soon spread in the nearby villages and towns. His patients declared, “Doctor Anukul is a saint”. He was fondly called “Sree Sree Thakur” by a friend, who subsequently became a close disciple.

      He introduced kirtans (enchanting, rhythmic, vigorous dancing and singing devotional songs in a group) as his pastime.  He wrote beautiful devotional songs which he used in kirtans that pulled a lot of people both good and bad into it, just as pastime, enjoyment for some and devotional activity for others. He introduced this beautiful singing and dancing to a terrorist gang that lead to later miracle stories. He turned Beru Roy, the most hated local terrorist of Kashipur, adjacent to Himaitpur, into a saintly person. He went out of his way to befriend rural hoodlums- determined to move their energy to more creative activities.

      This exciting dancing and singing over time led him to another stage of life where he used to go into something called ‘trance’. At the height of these kirtans, he would suddenly collapse on the ground, apparently unconscious. A doctor would come and check his pulse and declare him dead. Later with surprising rapidity, his body would move through many yogic postures which he never knew before. Sometimes his body would become cold as ice, breathing would stop and his heart would not beat for hours. But utterances would come from the lifeless body. The atmosphere would be so highly charged with unusual power, so unworldly! The messages given from 1915 to 1919 in trance were recorded on only 71 days. They are compiled in a book call Punya Puthi (The Holy Book). For almost four years, there were so many miracles and inexplicable happenings around him that anyone who witnessed them felt that God had come to the earth again. The blind would see and the lame would walk- these things became common occurrences. He would only touch someone and their disease would leave them. Like the Bible describing Christ raising Lazarus from the dead, it seemed that the same power came into the body of Anukulchandra Chakravarty- he raised at least 20 people from the dead.

      Some got attracted towards him for his active loving and caring activity, some by experiencing his miracles, some by his magnetic personality, others just to take shelter with him feeling that he is their last straw of life. Like the way the Philadelphian named George confided, “I only know I now have one place in the world where I will find shelter even if I have nothing….and he will take me in, not as a pious act of philanthropy, but as a personal necessity”. Whether someone is outcast in the society, or an alcoholic, a prostitute, a thief or a businessman, a politician, a scientist or a literary personality or a seeker of truth, a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim or a mystic— all found that they were getting their needs fulfilled by associating with him. People came swarming towards him and a community called “SATSANG” built around him, with people living around him. They all started living their lives on their own way with the guidance of this Living Master. Their lives started getting a fulfilling experience with his divine guidance. These associates regarded him as “Yug Purushottam”- meaning the Fulfiller the Best of the Age- his life a divine manifestation.

      At that time one of the important leaders of India’s struggle for independence, Deshbandhu C.R. Das, found a refuge of all his troubles in Sree Sree Thakur, and accepted him as the “Living Ideal” to be followed. In a letter to Mahatma Gandhi he wrote: “I have learnt from my Guru the value of truth in all dealings. I want you to stay with him for a few days at least. Your need is not the same as mine, but he has given me strength I did not possess before. I see things clearly which I saw dimly before.”

      Reverend Fred Hawkyard, director of the British Christian Mission at Pabna, after meeting Sree Sree Thakur for the first time was amazed and strangely affected to hear this dhoti-clad Indian speak of Christ as the Son of God with a depth and feeling seldom encountered among Christians and with a conviction, he was forced to admit, that was often lacking in his own carefully prepared sermons.

      Krishna Prasanna Bhattacharya, a noted physicist who was associated with noble laureate Prof. C.V. Raman, gave a vivid account of his first encounter with Sree Sree Thakur in an introduction to the first volume of “The Message”. After the first meeting, the bond grew so much that Mr. Bhattacharya stayed with him in the Satsang community at Himaitpur. Mr. Bhattacharya wrote:

      “……We grew in number. Many came to catch a glimpse of the unique state of trance of our young Thakur. Rumors spread far and wide, seekers after truth poured in numbers—scientists, philosophers, educators, reformers, the poor and the rich, young and old flowed into his village homestead and were impressed with the manifold genius of this unusual personality. The village homestead of the young physician soon turned into a colony of friends and followers…..”

      “…..Visitors pour in everyday in numbers- Indians and Europeans- to see him and his peaceful silent active home. With no funds he began and still aspires to develop and spread newer and newer activities for the being and becoming of humanity at large. His is the slogan of love, life and service. When the late Deshbandhu C.R. Das approached him at Calcutta and accepted him as his spiritual guide, Thakur said, “I know of no other politics. If service to the necessities of man is politics, then I am a politician to my backbone. I understand love, I can appreciate what service is, and I love life……”

      On 2nd September 1946, Sree Sree Thakur moved to Deoghar where many people from Himaitpur Satsang followed him to Deoghar and others remained there. From a very humble beginning with a rented Bungalow, in a very similar way a community of people bigger than that of Himaitpur grew around him rapidly.  In the new environment with new language, the SATSANG community in Deoghar blossomed as Sree Sree Thakur’s language of love overcame the barrier of all language, culture, race, religion and national origin.