Banavantey is actually His title. It means the monk of the forest. His original name is Sadhanananda Mahathero. Formerly, when He was not a monk, His ordinary name was Rathindra Chakma. He was born at 1920 ad, at the Mouroghona of Magban Mouja, near to the Kaptai town of Rangamati Hill District, Bangladesh.
When Rathindra was at the age of five, at that time too, He was calm and steady. He was not used to spend His time in playing games, rather He used to think silently sitting somewhere lonely. Sometimes He was baffled by the scenes of sacrificing the animals by the river or lake, on the peak of the hills or at the root of a big tree.
During His childhood time, a chicken was sacrificed for the god of marriage and then it’s legs and beak were presented for the worship. People and children were very happy at that moment. After marriage, the couple spent a few days with enjoy and happiness, and then most often it was seen that they began quarrel and fight for various inter-family reasons. Rathindra, the boy, observed these problems of a man’s life in His early childhood time.
Bangladesh was then not existed, it was just a colony of British Empire. He studied till class four at that time and could easily read Ramayana and Mahavarata the two great epics of Hindu religion. He also read lots of books on history, literature and science.
It was heard from olders that when He was young, He used to meditate deeply. He was so simple, pious, thinker and apathetic.
At the age of 26, once He was going down the river with a boat. At that time an old man called Him to take him to the other side of the river. Note that this old man used to make fun and jokes with others and was not serious. So Rathindra pretended as if He had not heard anything. Later He thought, if I helped him, I would surely get lots of religious merits. So He took him in His boat. The old man then told Him a far away place in the upside of the river and asked to take him there. Rathindra replied- But you have asked me just to take you to the other side of the river, not to the upside! The old man laughed and said- You hadn’t come when I had called you. So if I had asked you to take me there, you would never allow me in your boat. Rathindra smiled hearing at these words and rowed upward to the river. After a bend of the river, the old man whispered and gestured Him to look at a beautiful girl by the river bank. Rathindra didn’t give any attention to Him and continued rowing. After a while, He saw the old man looking at the girl with a steadfast look. Banavantey later explained about this fact- The old man was staring at the girl just like the jackals staring at the buffaloes. Well, a jackal cannot catch a buffalo. Like this is the old man. Staring at girls is not a naughtiness but it is the desire for pleasure. It defiles your mind. The mind becomes agitated and polluted.
He once noticed that an eleven years old girl had died. He went to the house of that girl with others to see the dead body of her. The dead body of the girl was kept lying at one side of the yard. Her parents were sometimes crying out loudly, sometimes hitting themselves in trees or sometimes they became fit and unconscious. The people took care of them and made efforts to make them calm and give some consolations. The young Rathindra thought that one day He would have to grieve like these parents for losing a daughter. He then decided not to go for marriage in this life and look for a spiritual life- a monkhood- free from all worldly tangles. (Life of Banavantey part-1)
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