the five spiritual mates

Om
namah Shri Achyuta
namah Shri SishuAnanta
namah Shri Jasobanta
namah Shri Jagannâtha
namah Shri Balarâma

Om Akhanda Mandalâkâram Anantakoti Dhâranam, Brahmâ Vishnu Maheswaram pranamâmi Yogeswaram
Vandee bodhamayam nityam Gurum Shankara Roopinam, Yamashri tohi vakropi Chandrah sarvatra vachyate

In the holy land of Kalinga (Orissa) many saints, mystics, and devotional souls have taken birth,  from time to time, and have fortified the culture and the spiritualism. The land is witness to most of the important Hindu traditions and spiritual movements. Jeweled by sacred Buddhist monuments to temples of Shakti (the supreme female power), Shiva (the supreme male power), and Jagannâth Vishnu (Lord of the Universe), the state is unique in itself. Most important spiritual rituals have been extensively practised here by several seers - including Buddhist ceremonies, Devi "Tantra" (tanric rituals involving worship of Shakti), Shaiva Marg (the path followed by devotees of Shiva), and Vaishnava Marg (the path followed by devotees of Vishnu). Hardly there is any "Sadhak"  who would not pay a visit to the Shri Jagannâth temple once.

Among the various great souls, the most prominent (in the domain of the known History) are the Panchasakhaa (=Five friends) who have deeply influenced both the Oriya Spiritualism & the Literature. These five friends lived between 1450 to 1550 AD and enrichened the spiritualism in a way that normal man can also understand and benefit out of that. These great souls are: Achyutânanda Das, Ananta Das, Jasovanta Das, Jagannâtha Das, and Balarâma Das. They popularily were called as Panchasakhaa (=Five friends).

Pancha means five and sakhaa means friends -The great spiritual leader and naamayogi avataar Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu has referred to these five of his disciples as Panchasakhaa and stated that the panchasakhaa are like his pancha-atma, i.e., five souls (atmaa-tatva) and are in no way lesser than some of the avataars of Vishnu. Shri Chaitanya was the first to establish the Bhaaba-Mishrita Naama Marga (the path of chanting the holy name with proper feelings and faith); before him this method was not so popular or well-known even if the path is partly described in the ancient Vedas. He first introduced this method for all the simple-minded people and made many realize that God-realization can also be achieved by simpler method of pure devotion without undergoing difficult method of austerities. It is he who first disclosed the importance of the HareKrusna MahaaMantra.

The Panchasakha  converted ancient Hindu texts into prose (of simple language) easily understood by the people of Udra desha (Orissa). Shri Achyutananda Das was the most prolific writer of the Panchasakhas and has written numerous books (called as pothi's), believed not in one life but in many successive lives. He is known as the Mahapurusha, which means - a great man. Mahapurusha Achyutânanda was a shunya sadhak and had acquired immense knowledge about almost every aspect, i.e. spiritualism, ayurveda (Indian healing medical science that uses only natural resources & herbs), various other sciences, and social regulations. For details please look at the "Literature Pancha-Sakha" topic.

There is an interesting belief (school-of-thought) about the origin of Panchasakhâ which relates them to the Mahabhârat era (Dwapara-yuga), and is also stated in Shunya Samhitâ written by Mahapurusha Achyutânanda :  Here, Mahapurusha describes, Panchasakhâ literally means "five mates or friends". Towards the end of Mahabhârat era when Lord Krushna was leaving the mortal body, Nilakantheswara Mahadeva (another name of Lord Shiva, residing in Puri, with a blue-colored neck caused by intake of poison to save the world) appeared and had a conversation with Lord Krushna. He revealed that the Lord's companions Dâmâ, Sudâmâ, Srivatsa, Subala, and Subâhu would reincarnate in the Kali-yuga and will be known as Ananta, Acyutânanda, Jagannâtha, Balarâma, and Yasovanta respectively. Thus the believers of the Panchasakhâ consider  that these five saints were the most intimate friends of Lord Krushna in Dwapara-yuga who came again in Kali-yuga to serve Him. They are also instrumental to perform the crucial and much-awaited Yuga-Karma of destroying the sinners and saving the saints, according to the Hindu beliefs.

To describe briefly the individual ways and specialities of the Panchasakhaa, it is told that :

"Mahapurusha Achyutânanda", is belived to have been born with special mercy or divine intervention from "" which is symbolic for Lord Jagannâth himself ("Vibhuti Yoga, Shrimad Bhagavat Geeta"). Hence the name of Mahapurusa is Achyuta ("A + chyuta": A= Shri Visnu; Chyuta = created from). Occasionally, "Mahapurusha Achyutânanda" is also referred to as "Achyuti", which literally means "who has no fall ("chyuti nahin jâhâra" in Oriya language)". Sri Achyuta Das was born to Dinabandhu Khuntia and Padma devi in a village called Tilakona in Orissa in about 1510 AD on a "Magha Sukla Ekadasi" (a specific time described in Oriya calender). His parents were childless for a long time and were praying to Lord Jagannâth for a child. One night his father had a vision that Garuda (the bird of Vishnu, an Eagle) gave him a child. Next morning he rushed to the temple and prayed at the "Garuda Khamba" (a pillar in front of the Jagannâth temple) thanking the Lord for his mercy. At this point there are two different biliefs: some are of the opinion that he (Dinabandhu Khuntia) found a newborn divine child there and he is Achyuta ("A + chyuta"). Some others believe that, soon after this incident (vision), Padma devi was booned with a divine child.

Mahapurusha Achyutânanda had established various spiritual energetic centers called 'Gâdi's distributed throughout east India (former states known as Anga, Banga, Kalinga, Magadha) and some in Nepal. These 'Gâdi's were host to most of the spiritual actions, discourses, penance, and provided various services to the seekers. Examples are, Nemal, Kakatpur, Garoi, Jobra Ghât (a river bank in Cuttack) etc. During this brilliant era of Panchasakhâ, another seer His holiness Arakhsita Das (the presiding seer of Olasuni near Paradweep) who was not among the Panchasakha but was a revered saint, once found a divine child and handed over the newborn child to Mahapurusha Achyutananada. This child was known as Ram Das who is the disciple of Mahapurusha Achyutananda and the Panchasakhaa together as well. Subsequently the Pancha Sakhaa and Arakhsita Das, in Samaadhi, could know that in the 13^th birth (also the last birth) of this child (Ram Das), all their souls (atmaa-tatva) will remain in Ram Das and he will perform Yuga Karma on behalf of his Gurus during the transaction from Kaliyuga to Satyayuga. The devotees/followers believe that His holiness Baba Shri Buddhanâth Das is the last incarnation of Yogi Ram Das and is enlightened by the conscious of his six Gurus.