Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj vividly describes the events surrounding the disappearance of Śrīla Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj.
At the time when Śrīla Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj left his body, Sakhī Bābu and Kuñja Bābu, later Śrīpād Bhakti Vilās Tīrtha Mahārāj, were coming to see him. They were very old devotees, but at that time they had not taken initiation from Prabhupād Saraswatī Ṭhākur yet, though they had much regard and respect for him. Śrīla Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj left his body, and about fifty bābājīs came and wanted to take his body to their ashram. They wanted to make a samādhi mandir there and take so much praṇāmī. They were quarrelling, and in the meantime, the police came to ensure that the quarrelling did not turn into fighting.
Kuñja Bābu, Bhakti Vilās Tīrtha Mahārāj, immediately went to Prabhupād Saraswatī Ṭhākur in Mayapur, Vraja Pattan, to give the news to him. Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur had also felt in his heart, “My lord left his body.” He was coming from Mayapur to Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj. Every day he came at that time. Early in the morning, he was coming, and in the middle he met Kuñja Bābu. Kuñja Bābu told Saraswatī Ṭhākur, “Bābājī Mahārāj has disappeared”, and Saraswatī Ṭhākur said, “In my heart I felt it, so I was going to him.”
Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur explained his feelings later, “I saw Bābājī Mahārāj take the form of Kuñja Bābu and come to me to give this news: ‘Arrange my body now and make proper arrangements’.” I heard this from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj, and it is the truth, one hundred per cent. Then Saraswatī Ṭhākur came to Kuliyā and saw all the bābājīs quarrelling over Bābājī Mahārāj’s body. He made a sound. His voice was not so big, but at that time, he made a very great sound someone said.
The policemen knew Saraswatī Ṭhākur as a deputy magistrate’s son and respected him as a sannyāsī sādhu. A police officer came and told Saraswatī Ṭhākur, “They are quarrelling, and you are the disciple of Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj. You give your decision, and we will follow that.” Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur saw that all the bābājīs were nonsense—materialists making a nuisance with no spiritual feelings.
Then Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur declared, “You all know I am the disciple of Bābājī Mahārāj, but I am not claiming his body because I am a brahmachārī, and he was a bābājī. You can take this body. I am declaring to the group of bābājīs present here that you can take the body of Bābājī Mahārāj. But only someone who was not polluted by a woman in the last month can touch my Gurudev’s body, otherwise he will be destroyed.” And so many bābājīs left. Then Saraswatī Ṭhākur very strongly said, “One who has not mixed with a woman in fifteen days, that bābājī can touch my Guru’s body.” Then many left. Then he told, “Seven days.” Then he told, “Someone who did not mix with a woman last night can touch.” And they all left.
The police officer was surprised to see that and said, “If they tell a lie, then what will happen? They can say ‘Yes, I am a clean man.’ Then what will you do?” “If anyone tells a lie, he must be destroyed, and they know it.” Then the police officer said, “Now what will you do?” Prabhupād Saraswatī Ṭhākur said, “I shall give him samādhi.” And like Mahāprabhu gave samādhi to Haridās Ṭhākur, he dug a samādhi with the help of Sakhī Bābu, Kuñja Bābu, and others. Some of his followers were there.
We observe this Ekādaśī day.
dāmodarotthana-dine pradhāne
kṣetre pavitre kuliyābhidhāne
prapañcha-līlā-parihāravantaṁ
vande prabhuṁ gaura-kiśora-sañjñam
“Following Utthan Ekādaśī day, in the holy abode of Kuliyā, Koladwīp Dhām, Bābājī Mahārāj left his body and joined Mahāprabhu and Rādhā-Govinda’s Pastimes.”
Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj’s disappearance day passed here in Nabadwīp. After one or two years, the Ganges flooded and took away that original samādhi mandir. From there, Saraswatī Ṭhākur took some ingredients to Mayapur and with them he made the samādhi mandir there.