‘His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada, the founder of the Gaudiya Math, had a magnetic personality, which attracted everybody. Even people engrossed in business were attracted to Srila Prabhupada. Sri Sakhi Charan Ray (later known as Srila Sakhi Charan Das Babaji) was one such businessman who became very much attracted to Srila Prabhupada. Sakhi Charan Ray was born in present-day Bangladesh in the Kashiyani village located in the Faridpur District in the year 1881 (Bengali year 1288).
During that time, Faridpur was located in India. In order to engage himself in business, he came to Kolkata and eventually, expanded his business in Navadwip town. In the year 1915, Sakhi Charan Ray met his gurudeva, Sri Bimala Prasad (who would later be known as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada). At this time, Bimala Prasad was in the midst of his vow to chant 1 billion holy names. Bimala Prasad’s pure character and powerful discourses on the Bhagavatam attracted Sakhi Charan Ray towards the vaishnava lineage.
He understood that without taking shelter of a pure vaishnava, it would be impossible to become delivered from this miserable world and achieve eternal peace and bliss. He realized that his business and wealth are not the keys to getting an eternally peaceful and blissful life. Eventually, Sakhi Charan Ray kept all of his business association behind him and took shelter of his gurudeva, receiving harinam and diksha on the same day. After initiation, Sakhi Charan Ray maintained his life according to the direction of his gurudeva,which was to simultaneously maintain his business alongside serving Krishna.
In India, his business was called Sakhi Charan Ray and sons, Pvt. Ltd. His gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada, seeing his service attitude for Mahaprabhu’s mission, gave him the title Bhakti Vijay (one who has conquered devotion). Bhaktivinode Thakur had a vision where he saw that a most wonderful temple (adbhuta-mandira) would appear on Lord Caitanya’s birthplace. Furthermore, at Caitanya Math, Srila Prabhupada used to stay at Bhakti Vijay Bhavan which was his bhajan kutir. Both the temple at Lord Caitanya’s birthplace (adbhuta-mandira) and Srila Prabhupada’s bhajan kutir at Caitanya Math (Bhakti Vijay Bhavan) were sponsored by Sakhi Charan Ray. He also sponsored to print so many books like Caitanya Charitamrta, Caitanya Bhagavat and other publications.
In order to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s desire to spread the loving mission of Lord Caitanya in the Western World, Sakhi Charan Ray gave financial support to Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj, Bhakti Pradip Tirtha Goswami Maharaj and Bhakti Hrdoy Bon Goswami Maharaj when they went to the western countries to preach. In this way, he used to assist in expanding Srila Prabhupada’s and Mahaprabhu’s mission. On Friday, 25th August 1953(9th Bhadra 1360) on Baladeva’s appearance day, Sakhi Charan Ray took babaji vesh from Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj and was given the name Srimad Sakhi Charan Das Babaji Maharaj. For about eight to nine years, he did intense chanting of the holy names and meditation on Sri Sri Radha Krishna at Bhakti Saranga Goswami’s temple located at Imli-tala, Vrindavan. On 1st November 1961 (15th day of Kartik 1368), he disappeared from this world. Srila Sakhi Charan Das Babaji Maharaj’s service attitude towards his gurudeva inspires all of us to dedicate our very existence to the service of guru, vaishnava and bhagavan.