Kholaveca Sridhara Krishnaite saint Date of Birth: .

1. Kholabecha Sridhara: A Devotee of Lord Chaitanya
2. Poverty and Devotion
3. Relationship with Lord Chaitanya
4. Participation in Civil Disobedience
5. Association with Krishna
6. Legacy

Kholabecha Sridhara: A Devotee of Lord Chaitanya

Kholabecha Sridhara, a revered saint in the Krishnaite tradition, lived in Bengal during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was a member of the group of twelve Krishnaite saints known as the Dvadasha-gopala.

Poverty and Devotion

Sridhara was an impoverished Brahmin who lived in a dilapidated hut with a leaky roof. He had no utensils, so he drank water from an old, cracked iron pot. Neighbors often assumed that his late-night chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra was due to hunger pangs.

Despite his poverty, Sridhara earned a living by gathering banana leaves, bark, and sap from his banana grove and selling them in the market. Half of his income went to the worship of the Ganges, and the other half to his own meager needs.

Relationship with Lord Chaitanya

Sridhara was a devoted follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was deeply attached to him. As a young man, Chaitanya would visit Sridhara's market stall daily and purchase pumpkins, bananas, roots, stems, and flowers. Their interactions often involved playful quarrels as Chaitanya refused to pay the full price. Annoyed, Sridhara would argue with Chaitanya and demand that he go elsewhere. However, Chaitanya would simply take whatever he wanted without paying, leaving Sridhara bewildered. Sridhara would grab Chaitanya, exclaiming, "I am but a poor Brahmin. I use the little I earn to worship Mother Ganges." Eventually, Sridhara agreed to give Chaitanya a few bananas each day for free.

Participation in Civil Disobedience

When Chaitanya initiated a civil disobedience movement against the Muslim ruler of Navadvipa, Sridhara joined thousands of other Vaishnavas in performing joyous street kirtanas. Chaitanya is also said to have often drunk water from Sridhara's cracked pot.

Association with Krishna

According to Kavikarnapura, Sridhara had a previous role in Krishna's pastimes in Vrindavana as a cowherd boy named Kusumasava. The Gaurabda-ganoddesa-dipika states: "The cowherd boy Kusumasava, who participated in Krishna's lila, later became Kholabecha Sridhara in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's lila in Navadvipa."

Legacy

Kholabecha Sridhara's samadhi (tomb) is located in the 64 Samadhis area of Vrindavana. In his commentary on the Bhagavata Purana, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada praised Sridhara as an example of how even the poorest of individuals can attain the highest level of devotion to God. He emphasized that material wealth is irrelevant in achieving shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; only pure devotional service can lead to such liberation.