Sivananda Sena
Every year one month before caturmasya (four month period of the rainy season) Sivananda Sena would lead a party of two hundred devotees from Bengal to Jagannatha Puri to attend the annual Ratha-Yatra festival. He would pay for everyone's food, tolls, ferries, and lodging. He personally arranged for their comfort.
Sivananda Sena showed Vaisnava compassion for all living entities, be they man or beast. When a stray dog joined the party Sivananda Sena fed the dog and even paid his boat fare. When the dog disappeared one day Sivananda sent 200 men to search for him. Upon arriving in Puri, they saw Lord Caitanya throwing coconut pulp to the dog. The dog became purified of all material contamination by eating the maha-prasadam remnants of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Not seeing the dog the next day, Sivananda Sena understood that the dog had attained liberation by the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
Observing caturmasya in Puri, Sivananda and the devotees would regularly bathe in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's blissful association. Sivananda used all his possessions in the service of Krishna and the Vaisnavas. His entire family and servants were ardent followers of Lord Gauranga.
Kavi Karnapura, the son of Sivananda Sena, says in Gaura-gan-nodesh-dipika: "Sivananda Sena is the embodiment of love of Sri Caitanya Deva. And in Krishna lila he is Vira gopi, Srimati Radharani's messenger." In one bhajana Devakinandana Dasa glorifies him, "I bow down to Sivananda Sena, who is full of divine love. His caste, life, and wealth are the two lotus feet of Sri Gaura Raya." His samadhi is in the 64 Samadhis Area.
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