Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji (1838–1915) was a renowned acharya of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition in Hinduism. He is considered a Mahatma or saint by his followers. Born in a modest family in Vagyana village, near Tepakhola in present-day Bangladesh, he embraced the life of a Babaji after his wife's passing. Under the guidance of Jagannatha Dasa Babaji and Bhagavat Dasa Babaji, he became a mendicant, residing in Vrindavan and Navadwip. Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji was known for his teachings on Bhakti Yoga and his unconventional behavior as a sadhu or babaji in Vrindavan. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in the early 1900s, claimed to have received initiation from Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji in a dream and was given the name 'Varsabhanavi devi daitya dasa.' Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvata later took an unorthodox form of initiation into the sannyasa order, investing himself with the order before a picture of Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji. This particular initiation has been a subject of debate.
Life span: 1838 – 1915
