Sri Vakresvara Pandita tirobhava tithi (disappearance day)
Monday, July 8, 2019 [Mayapura, West Bengal, Bharata Bhumi time]
compiled by Yasoda nandana das
Srila Prabhupada explains the Glories to Sri Vakresvara Pandita,compiled
by Yasoda nandana dasa
śrīvāsa, haridāsa, rāmadāsa, gadādharamurāri, mukunda, candraśekhara,
vakreśvarae-saba paṇḍita-loka parama-mahattvacaitanyera dāsye sabāya karaye unmattaSYNONYMSśrīvāsa—Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura;
haridāsa—Haridāsa Ṭhākura;
rāmadāsa—Rāmadāsa;
gadādhara—Gadādhara;
murāri—Murāri;
mukunda—Mukunda;
candraśekhara—Candraśekhara;
vakreśvara—Vakreśvara;
e-saba—all of them;
paṇḍita-loka—very learned scholars;
parama-mahattva—very much glorified;
caitanyera—of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu;
dāsye—the servitude;
sabāya—all of them;
karaye
unmatta—makes mad.
TRANSLATION
Śrīvāsa, Haridāsa, Rāmadāsa, Gadādhara, Murāri, Mukunda, Candraśekhara and
Vakreśvara
are all glorious and are all learned scholars, but the sentiment of servitude to Lord Caitanya makes them mad in ecstasy.Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 6: The Glories of Sri Advaita Acarya : Adi 6.49-50
vakreśvara
paṇḍita--prabhura baḍa priya bhṛtya
eka-bhāve cabbiśa prahara yāṅra nṛtya
SYNONYMS
vakreśvara
paṇḍita—of the name
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita;
prabhura—of the Lord;
baḍa—very;
priya—dear;
bhṛtya—servant;
eka-bhāve—continuously in the same ecstasy;
cabbiśa—twenty-four;
prahara—a duration of time comprising three hours;
yāṅra—whose;
nṛtya—dancing.
TRANSLATION
Vakreśvara
Paṇḍita, the fifth branch of the tree, was a very dear servant of Lord
Caitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.
PURPORT
In the
Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 71, it is stated that
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was an incarnation of Aniruddha, one of the
quadruple expansions of Viṣṇu (Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha and
Pradyumna). He could dance wonderfully for seventy-two continuous hours.
When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu played in dramatic
performances in the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita,
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was one of the chief dancers, and he danced continuously for that length of time.
Śrī Govinda dāsa, an Oriyā devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, has described the life of
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita in his book
Gaura-kṛṣṇodaya. There are many disciples of
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita in Orissa, and they are known as Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavas although they are Oriyās. Among these disciples are Śrī
Gopālaguru and his disciple Śrī Dhyānacandra Gosvāmī
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 10: The
Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree : Adi 10.17 :
āpane mahāprabhu gāya yāṅra nṛtya-kāleprabhura caraṇa dhari’
vakreśvara bale
SYNONYMS
āpane—personally;
mahāprabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu;
gāya—sang;
yāṅra—whose;
nṛtya-kāle—at the time of dancing;
prabhura—of the Lord;
caraṇa—lotus feet;
dhari‘-embracing;
vakreśvara—Vakreśvara
Paṇḍita;
bale—said.
TRANSLATION
Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally sang while
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita danced, and thus
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita fell at the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as follows.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree : Adi 10.18
“daśa-sahasra gandharva more deha’ candramukhatārā gāya, muñi nācoṅ–tabe mora sukha”
SYNONYMS
daśa-sahasra—ten thousand;
gandharva—residents of Gandharvaloka;
more—unto me;
deha‘-please deliver;
candra-mukha—O moon-faced one;
tārā
gāya—let them sing;
muñi nācoṅ—let me dance;
tabe—then;
mora—my;
sukha—happiness.
TRANSLATION
“O Candramukha! Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas. Let them sing as I dance, and then I will be greatly happy.”
PURPORT
The Gandharvas, who are residents of Gandharvaloka, are celebrated as
celestial singers. Whenever singing is needed in the celestial planets,
the Gandharvas are invited to sing. The Gandharvas can sing continuously
for days, and therefore
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita wanted to dance as they sang.
1975 Edition The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree : Adi 10.19
bhāgavatī devānanda
vakreśvara-kṛpātebhāgavatera bhakti-artha pāila prabhu haite
SYNONYMS
bhāgavatī devānanda—Devānanda, who used to recite
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam;
vakreśvara-kṛpāte—by the mercy of
Vakreśvara;
bhāgavatera—of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam;
bhakti-artha—the
bhakti interpretation;
pāila—got;
prabhu
haite—from the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Devānanda Paṇḍita was a professional reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
but by the mercy of Vakreśvara
Paṇḍita and the grace of the Lord he understood the devotional interpretation of the Bhāgavatam.
PURPORT
In the
Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Twenty-one, it is stated
that Devānanda Paṇḍita and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s father, Viśārada,
lived in the same village. Devānanda Paṇḍita was a professional reciter
of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not like his
interpretation of it. In the present town of Navadvīpa, which was
formerly known as Kuliyā, Lord Caitanya showed such mercy to him that he
gave up the Māyāvādī interpretation of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and learned how to explain
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in terms of
bhakti. Formerly, when Devānanda was expounding the Māyāvādī
interpretation, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura was once present in his meeting, and
when he began to cry, Devānanda’s students drove him away. Some days
later, Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed that way, and when He
met Devānanda He chastised him severely because of his Māyāvāda
interpretation of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. At that time Devānanda had little faith in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa,
but one night some time later
Vakreśvara
Paṇḍita was a guest in his house, and when he explained the science of
Kṛṣṇa, Devānanda was convinced about the identity of Lord Caitanya
Mahāprabhu.
Thus he was induced to explain
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam according to the Vaiṣṇava understanding In the
Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 106, it is described that he was formerly Bhāguri Muni, who was the
sabhā-paṇḍita who recited Vedic literature in the house of Nanda Mahārāja.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree : Adi 10.77
The three brothers Govinda, Mādhava and Vāsudeva Ghoṣa all belonged to a
kāyastha family. Govinda established the Gopīnātha temple in Agradvīpa, where he resided. Mādhava Ghoṣa was expert in performing
kīrtana. No one within this world could compete with him. He was
known as the singer of Vṛndāvana and was very dear to Śrī Nityānanda
Prabhu. It is said that when the three brothers performed
saṅkīrtana, immediately Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda would dance in ecstasy. According to the
Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (188), the three brothers were formerly
Kalāvatī, Rasollāsā and Guṇatuṅgā, who recited the songs composed by Śrī
Viśākhā-gopī. The three brothers were among one of the seven parties
that performed
kīrtana when Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu attended the Ratha-yātrā festival at Jagannātha Purī.
Vakreśvara
Paṇḍita was the chief dancer in their party. This is vividly described in the
Madhya-līlā,
Chapter Thirteen, verses 42 and 43.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree : Adi 10.115 : PURPORT :
kāśī-miśra,
pradyumna-miśra, rāya bhavānandayāṅhāra milane prabhu pāilā ānanda
SYNONYMS
kāśī-miśra—of the name Kāśī Miśra;
pradyumna-miśra—of the name Pradyumna Miśra;
rāya
bhavānanda—of the name Bhavānanda Rāya;
yāṅhāra—of whom;
milane—meeting;
prabhu—the Lord;
pāilā—got;
ānanda—great pleasure.
TRANSLATION
In
the list of devotees at Jagannātha Purī [which begins with Paramānanda
Purī, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Gopīnātha
Ācārya], Kāśī Miśra was the fifth, Pradyumna Miśra the sixth and
Bhavānanda Rāya the seventh. Lord Caitanya took great pleasure in
meeting with them.
PURPORT
In Jagannātha Purī Lord Caitanya lived at the house of Kāśī Miśra, who was the priest of the king.
Later this house was inherited by
Vakreśvara
Paṇḍita and then by his disciple Gopālaguru Gosvāmī, who established there a Deity of Rādhākānta. The
Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (193) states that Kāśī Miśra was formerly
Kubjā in Mathurā.. Pradyumna Miśra, an inhabitant of Orissa, was a great
devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Pradyumna Miśra was born of a
brāhmaṇa family and Rāmānanda Rāya of a non-brāhmaṇa family, yet Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised Pradyumna Miśra to take instruction
from Rāmānanda Rāya. This incident is described in the
Antya-līlā, Chapter Five.
Bhavānanda Rāya was the father of Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya. His residence was
in Ālālanātha (Brahmagiri), which is about twelve miles west of
Jagannātha Purī. By caste he belonged to the
karaṇa community of Orissa, whose members were sometimes known as
kāyasthas and sometimes as
śūdras, but he was the governor of Madras under the control of King Pratāparudra of Jagannātha Purī.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree : Adi 10.131
cakravartī śivānanda sadā vrajavāsīmahāśākhā-madhye teṅho sudṛḍha viśvāsī
SYNONYMS
cakravartī śivānanda—of the name Śivānanda Cakravartī;
sadā—always;
vraja-vāsī—resident of Vṛndāvana;
mahā-śākhā-madhye—amongst the great branches;
teṅho—he is;
sudṛḍha viśvāsī—possessing firm faith.
TRANSLATION
Śivānanda Cakravartī, the thirty-third branch, who always lived in
Vṛndāvana with firm conviction, is considered an important branch of
Gadādhara Paṇḍita.
PURPORT
The
Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 183, mentions that Śivānanda Cakravartī was formerly Lavaṅga-mañjarī.
The
Śākhā-nirṇaya, written by Yadunandana dāsa, also names other branches of Gadādhara Paṇḍita, as follows:
(1) Mādhava Ācārya, (2) Gopāla dāsa, (3) Hṛdayānanda, (4) Vallabha
Bhaṭṭa (the Vallabha-sampradāya, or Puṣṭimārga-sampradāya, is very
famous),
(5) Madhu Paṇḍita (this famous devotee lived near Khaḍadaha in the
village known as Sāṅibonā-grāma, about two miles east of the Khaḍadaha
station, and constructed the temple of Gopīnāthajī in Vṛndāvana), (6)
Acyutānanda, (7) Candraśekhara, (8)
Vakreśvara
Paṇḍita, (9) Dāmodara, (10) Bhagavān Ācārya, (11) Ananta
Ācāryavarya, (12) Kṛṣṇadāsa, (13) Paramānanda Bhaṭṭācārya, (14)
Bhavānanda Gosvāmī, (15) Caitanya dāsa, (16) Lokanātha Bhaṭṭa (this
devotee, who lived in the village of Tālakhaḍi in the
district of Yaśohara and constructed the temple of Rādhāvinoda, was the
spiritual master of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and a great friend of
Bhūgarbha Gosvāmī), (17) Govinda Ācārya, (18) Akrūra Ṭhākura, (19)
Saṅketa Ācārya, (20) Pratāpāditya, (21) Kamalākānta
Ācārya, (22) Yādava Ācārya and (23) Nārāyaṇa Paḍihārī (a resident of
Jagannātha Purī).
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition The Expansions of Advaita Acarya and Gadadhara Pandita : Adi 12.88 :
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gambhira is situated south east of the Jagannatha temple in Bali Sahi, on the way to Svargadvara.
This place is also known as Kashi Mishra’s house or Radha Kanta Matha.
When Mahaprabhu came to Jagannatha Puri after taking Sannyasa, He
stayed at Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya’s House.But After he toured South
India,
on His return to Puri he then stayed at Kashi Mishra’s House. Kashi Mishra was Rajguru of King Prataparudra,
and King had gifted him a house with a large garden near the temple.
King Prataparudra was a great Devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; He
suggested
to Sarvabhauma that Mahaprabhu can stay in Kashi Mishra’s house. Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed in Kashi Mishra’s house in a very small room
called Gambhira. He stayed in Gambhira constantly for the last twelve
year of His manifested pastime. Inside the room
there is a box which holds the Kamandalu, Paduka and quilt of
Mahaprabhu.
Sri Radha Kanta is worshipped in Kashi Mishra’s house. King
Prataparudra’s father, Sri Purusottama Deva, conquered the king of
kanchipura in battle and returned with three deities: Radha kanta,
Sakshi Gopala, and bhada Ganesha. Bhada Ganesha is still worshiped
in an inner courtyard just behind Jagannatha temple. It is said Radha
Kanta was also worshipped inside the Jagannatha Mandir for some time.
But in dream Lord Jagannatha informed the King Prataparudra to remove
Radha Kanta deity Because He is taking all nice
items from his bhoga plate and so king requested to his Gurudev Kashi
Mishra to take the Radha Kanta to his house.
During the Kashi Mishra’s time only Sri Radha Kanta was worshipped here.
Later, when Gopala Guru became the Mahanta of the Matha, he installed a
deity of Srimati Radharani on the left side of Sri Radha Kanta and a
deity of Sri Lalita Devi on the right side.
He also established the deities of dancing Gauranga and Nityananda on
the left and right side of Radha Kanta.
Gopala
Guru, the disciple of the Vakreshvara Pandita, served Mahaprabhu from early childhood at Gambhira.
After
the disappearance of Vakresvara Pandita, Gopala Guru received the
charge of the
seva of Sri Sri Radha Kanta and Gambhira. You can find deity of Gopala
Guru at the entrance of Sri Radha kanta mandir, facing east.