YASOBANTA DASA

Yasobanta Dasa was one of the five associates of the panchasakhas. According to Udaya Kahani, Yasobanta was born in the village Arabanga, near Jagatsinghpur in the district of Cuttack in 1487 A.D. His father's name was Jagu Mallik and mother was Rekha Devi. Some scholars are of the opinion that he was a Ksatriya or Mahanayaka. He came in contact with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he went to Orissa. It is said that Yasobanta was initiated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Puri. After his initiation he returned home and began to lead a life of religious meditation and wrote books on the science of bhakti as taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The following is a popular story about Yasobanta:

When Yasobanta was in his teens, he was watching over the cornfield to keep out deer and wild boars when the Lord suddenly appeared before him and said, "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is My incarnation, thus you should accept initiation from Him and serve His feet. Thereafter you shall preach the message of Mahaprabhu and save the fallen souls from their sinful lives." The Lord vanished and Yasobanta set out to find his master. After some time he saw Lord Gauranga, the son of Saci, and fell prostrate at His feet. Mahaprabhu embraced Yasobanta and addressed him as Svarupa Tirtha. He initiated Yasobanta into the name of Hari, and named him Suvaher (Isvara Dasa's Sri Caitanya Bhagavata, compiled by A.B. Mohanty, Utkal University, Chapter XLVI).

It is also mentioned in Sri Caitanya Bhagavata (by Isvara Dasa) that Yasobanta was a constant singer in the sankirtana party. In Cuttack he joined the sankirtana party which was engaged in a Mahautsava organized by King Prataparudradeva. In Chourasi Ajna it is mentioned that he was present at the time of the demonstration and took a major role. During the demonstration Sri Caitanya, King Prataparudradeva and Sarvabhauma were present (Sudarsana Dasa's Chourasi Ajna manuscript preserved in Utkal University Library, Chapter XLIII).

Taking initiation from Sri Caitanya had a great impact on him and thus he wrote a number of books revealing the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Among these works, Premabhakti Brahmagita elucidates the path of prema-bhakti in great detail. Previously he had been a follower of jnanamisrabhakti.