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Svarupa Damodara Goswami

Mahaprabhu’s Alter Ego

The Lord accepted Shikhi Mahiti’s sister as one of Radha’s friends. In the entire world, there were only three and a half Devotees who were so worthy. They were Svarupa Damodar Goswami, Ramananda Raya and Shikhi Mahiti. His sister was the half person. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.2.105-6)

In His lila as the golden avatar, Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself enveloped by the desire and bodily luster of Shrimati Radharani. Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami was his alter ego. Because of his intimate connection to the Lord, he was able to know all the most confidential reasons for His incarnation as well as the most secret aspects of His lila. He later divulged these understandings to a larger audience of Devotees. In Vraja-lila, he was also Radharani’s alter-ego, Lalita Sakhi. In the Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika, Kavi Karnapura identifies Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami as Radha’s other companion, Vishakha Devi. (In the wallpaper: from left to right and to backside Shri Gaurachandra, Shrimati Vishakha Devi, Shri Shri Radha Gopinath, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai).

Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami was one of Mahaprabhu’s three and a half most intimate associates. Elsewhere Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami has called him the most important of the Lord’s companions. Two persons knew the Lord best: Paramananda Puri and Svarupa Damodar. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.10.124-5)

I have already shown that preaching the sankirtan movement was the external cause for the Lord’s descent. There is another, primary purpose for the Lord’s incarnation. This is the personal work of Krishna, the foremost enjoyer of loving exchanges. This very confidential cause is three-fold, as has been revealed by Svarupa Damodar Goswami. Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami was extremely close to the Lord and thus was able to know all these matters. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.4.103-5)

kalam ashikshayad radham ya vishakha vraje pura

sadya Svarupa-gosvami tat-tad-bhava-vilasavan

That same Vishakha who previously taught Radha the arts in Vraja is today Svarupa Goswami, who rejoices in the moods of Radha and Krishna.

In the last twelve years of the his pastimes in Puri, the Lord remained constantly absorbed in the mood of Radharani. During this time, only Svarupa Damodar and Ramananda Raya were able to experience the depths of His emotion through relishing topics known only to them.

candidasa vidyapati rayera nataka giti

karnamrita shri gita-govinda

svarupa ramananda sane mahaprabhu ratri-dine

gaya, shune parama ananda

Day and night, Mahaprabhu ecstatically relished the songs of Chandi Das, Vidyapati and Ramananda Raya’s plays, as well as Krishna-Karnamrita and Gita-Govinda in the company of Svarupa and Ramananda. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.2.77)

Paramananda Puri had parental affection for Mahaprabhu; Ramananda Raya had love for Him in pure friendship; Govinda Das’s love for Him was as a servant. Gadadhara, Jagadananda and Svarupa Damodar worshiped Him in the ecstasy of the chief rasa. Mahaprabhu heart was won by these four different loving attitudes. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.2.78)

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has explained these verses in his Anubhashya as follows: Shri Paramananda Puri, who was Uddhava in Krishna-lila, loved Mahaprabhu with parental affection; Ramananda, who was either Vishakha or Arjuna, had the pure sentiment of a close friend; Govinda and others were devoted to their service to the Lord, and possessed a pure mood of service (shuddha-dasya). Gadadhara, Jagadananda and Svarupa Damodar served the Lord in the primary sentiment, i.e., that of erotic love (madhura-rasa). The Lord became obliged to these Devotees, accepting their worship, their association, their service and their joy.

Svarupa Damodar’s Kariacha

Murari Gupta explained all of the Lord’s early pastimes in the form of an outline. Svarupa Damodar did the same for the Lord’s later pastimes. The Devotees describe the Lord’s activities by following the order given in these two outlines. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.13.15-17)

Chaitanya-lila is like the finest of jewels which were held in Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami’s storehouse and then placed by him around Raghunath Das’s neck. I have written down here whatever I heard from him as extensively as I was able, making a gift of it to the Devotees. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.2.85) (In the wallpaper: from left to right and backside Shrila Raghunatha Das Goswami Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada, Pancha Tattva members on the book).

Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur has written his commentary on these verses: Murari Gupta’s outline of the Lord’s early pastimes are still extant, so Devotees were able to expand on the Lord’s pastimes after looking at his written text. The Vaishnavas only heard Svarupa Damodar’s kariacha through Raghunath Das Goswami.

Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur comments on this verse in his Amrita-pravaha-bhashya as follows: Svarupa Damodar described the Lord’s latter pastimes in summary Sanskrit verses known as a kariacha. He made Raghunath Das memorize these verses, and later Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami spread these accounts of the Lord’s activities throughout the world. As a result, Svarupa Damodar’s kariacha was never published in book form. The Chaitanya Charitamrita is itself the essence of Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami’s kariacha.

Svarupa Damodar’s Kirtan

Shri Svarupa Damodar used to used to make Mahaprabhu very happy by singing the songs of Vidyapati, Chandi Das and Gita Govinda. He was as expert a musician as the Gandharvas, and in knowledge of the scripure he was just like Brihaspati. No personality was his equal. Shri Svarupa Damodar was also very dear to Advaita acharya and Nityananda Prabhu, and he was the life and soul of all the Devotees, headed by Shrivasa Thakur. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.10.115-7)

Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami has described the extent to which Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami and Ramananda Raya were dear to Mahaprabhu in the 15th chapter of the Antya-lila:

After saying these things, the Lord took Svarupa Damodar and Ramananda Raya by the shoulders and said, “Listen, Svarupa and Rama Raya! Tell Me what I should do, where should I go in order to find Krishna. You can tell Me the best thing to do.” In this way, Gauranga would tell His tale of woe to Svarupa and Ramananda and they would console Him in His grief. Svarupa would sing and Ramananda would recite Sanskrit verses, giving joy to the Lord with Karnamrita, Vidyapati and Gita-Govinda. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.15.24-7)

A similar passage is found in the 20th chapter of the Antya-lila.

Mahaprabhu remained in Nilachala in this way, passing the days and nights absorbed in the anxiety of separation from Krishna. Svarupa and Ramananda were always with Him, bringing Him ecstasy with their recitation of songs and verses appropriate to His mood. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.20.3-4)

Vrindavan Das Thakur has also named Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami as one of Mahaprabhu’s principal associates in his Chaitanya Bhagavat. He describes there how the Lord would lose external consciousness when hearing Svarupa’s kirtan:

Whenever Svarupa Damodar would sing aloud, the Lord would lose all awareness of His surroundings and fall to the ground. Of all the sannyasis who were members of the Lord’s entourage, none was the equal of Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami. The Lord had a great deal of affection for Paramananda Puri, and an equal amount for Svarupa Damodar. Svarupa Damodar was full of the nectar of devotional songs, which would make the Lord dance as soon as He heard them. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.10.40-3)

When Shrila Gadadhara Pandit Goswami was living at Tota Gopinath’s Temple, he would give discourses on the Bhagavat while in an ecstatic trance. He primarily spoke on the sections dealing with the lives of Prahlad and Dhruva. Mahaprabhu was overcome by the eight ecstatic symptoms upon hearing Gadadhara’s Bhagavat readings and Svarupa Damodar’s kirtan.

Gadadhar Pandit was the main expert in the Bhagavat and Svarupa Damodar in kirtan. Svarupa Damodar would sing alone and Mahaprabhu would lose Himself in dance. Mahaprabhu would reveal all the symptoms of ecstatic love such as tears, trembling, laughing, fainting, horripilation and roaring. They all manifested on His body as He danced with the Devotees. When He heard Svarupa Damodar singing the kirtan aloud, the Lord would lose external consciousness and would fall down on the spot. There was no equal to Svarupa amongst all of the Lord’s sannyasi associates. Svarupa was as dear to Him as Paramananda Puri. Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami was the incarnation of the delight of song, which would make Mahaprabhu dance. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.10.36-43)

Early Life and Sannyas

We have the following information about Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami in terms of his bodily identity. Before taking sannyas, he was known as Purushottam Acharya or Purushottam Bhattacharya. Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana gives the following account of his antecedents: His father’s name was Padmagarbhacharya, the son of Jayarama Chakravarti. His residence was in the village of Bhitadiya on the banks of the Brahmaputra River in Bangla Desh. Jayarama Chakravarti made his home in Navadwip. After his marriage to Jayarama’s daughter, Padmagarbha also came to live there. At the birth of Purushottam, Padmagarbha left his wife and child at his father-in-law’s house and left for Mithila and Kashi in order to study the scriptures. Thus Purushottam Acharya was raised in his maternal grandparents’ home in Navadwip.

Later, when Mahaprabhu took sannyas, he was unable to remain in Navadwip due to the feelings of separation from the Lord and he departed for Benares where he also took the renounced order of life. This is described as follows in the Prema-vilasa:

Purushottam became a resident of Navadwip, staying with his mother’s parents. Filled with all virtues, he became Mahaprabhu’s dear Devotee. When the Lord took sannyas, he went mad with separation and left for Benares where he also took sannyas. Svarupa Damodar was given to him as his sannyas name. He was an intimate Devotee of the Lord, an ocean of rasa.

Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami has also pointed out some of the special characteristics of Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami’s sannyas:

On another day, Svarupa Damodar arrived; he was a very intimate friend of the Lord and an ocean of transcendental mellows. Before taking sannyas, he had resided at Navadwip in Mahaprabhu’s association and was known as Purushottam Acharya. When he saw Mahaprabhu accept the renounced order, he became like a madman and immediately went to Varanasi to take sannyas. His sannyas guru, Chaitanyananda Bharati, ordered him to study the Vedanta-sutra and to teach it to others. Svarupa Damodar was a great renunciate as well as a great learned scholar. With heart and soul he took shelter of Krishna’s pastimes.

Due to his enthusiasm to worship Shri Krishna without any disturbance, he accepted the sannyas order almost in madness. When taking sannyas, Purushottam Acharya followed the regulative principles by giving up his tuft of hair and sacred thread, but he did not accept the saffron colored dress. Nor did he take a sannyasi title but rather kept the brahmachari name Svarupa.

Svarupa Damodar then took permission from his sannyas-guru and went to Nilachala where day and night he enjoyed the ecstacies of love for Krishna. Though he had attained the peak of learning, he spoke to no one but remained incognito and in seclusion. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.10.102-114)

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has made the following comments on this section of the Chaitanya Charitamrita: In the Dashanami sect founded by Sankaracharya, the lines which take the sannyas names of Tirtha and Ashrama follow the custom of giving the title Brahmachari to anyone who desires to be initiated in the renounced order. The aspirant is then required to vow to remain celibate for the rest of his life. He is also given a brahmachari title, which in Purushottam Acharya’s case was Svarupa Damodara. Upon taking the saffron cloth known as yoga-patta, any brahmachari who has the title Svarupa takes the sannyas name of Tirtha. (Anubhashya, 2.10.102)

In the Dashanami sect, certain regulative principles must be followed before taking sannyas: one must perform eight kinds of shraddha, offering oblations to one's forefathers, the Viraja sacrifice. Then one cuts off the tuft of hair called a shikha and gives up the sacred thread. Svarupa Damodar accepted these preliminary processes in the acceptance of sannyas, but not accept the gurvahvana, saffron cloth, a sannyas title or a danda, and for this reason he retained his brahmachari name.

It may be pointed out here that for those who follow the formalities of tridandi sannyas, the keeping of the shikha, the sacred thread and saffron cloth are approved by the Skanda Purana, which states:

shikhi yajïopaviti syat tridandi sa-kamandaluh

sa pavitrash ca kashayi gayatrim ca japet sada

Wearing the shikha, sacred thread and saffron cloth and carrying the kamandalu water pot, a tridandi sannyasi should constantly chant the gayatri mantra while remaining pure in his habits. Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur has also commented in his Amrita-pravaha-bhashya: Purushottam Acharya took Mahaprabhu’s example and took sannyas simply by renouncing his shikha and sutra. His sannyas name was Svarupa Damodar. He did not accept the formality of the yoga-patta because he wished to avoid any danger of becoming falsely proud of his status which would come with taking sannyas. He only wished to worship Krishna without any worries. (to 2.10.108)

In the Anubhashya commentary to Adi-lila (4.105) of Chaitanya Charitamrita, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur writes, Purushottam Bhattacharya was a resident of Navadwip. Even prior to Mahaprabhu’s taking sannyas, he desired to renounce the world. He left home and went to Benares, where he accepted the position of brahmacarya in a group of Dashanami sannyasis. When he became a brahmachari, he was given the name Damodar Svarupa. He did not bother completing the sannyas rituals and came to Nilachala, Jagannath Puri, where spent the rest of his life at the Lord’s lotus feet. He became Mahaprabhu’s constant companion, enhancing the Lord’s pleasure by singing the songs requested by the Lord. Svarupa Damodar could understand Mahaprabhu’s secret mission and it was by his grace alone that all the Lord’s Devotees could know His deepest purpose.

Svarupa Arrives in Puri

Mahaprabhu took sannyas on the full moon day of the month of Magh and left for Nilachala in the following month of Phalguna. After delivering Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, He left for His pilgrimage to South India in the month of Vaishakh. Nityananda Prabhu gave Him a Brahmin named Kala Krishna Das as His servant to accompany Him on this trip. When Mahaprabhu returned from this journey, after having brought good fortune to the inhabitants of the South by bringing them Krishna-prema, Nityananda sent Krishna Das back to Navadwip to inform the Devotees that the Lord had arrived in Puri. The news brought great joy to Sachi Mata, Advaita Acharya, Shrivasa Pandit and the other Devotees. They immediately started making preparations to visit the Lord in Puri. Paramananda Puri had been staying at Sachi Mata’s house and he decided to leave ahead of the others with a Brahmin named Kamala Kanta. They were thus the first to come from Bengal to meet the Lord. Not long afterward, Purushottam Acharya, who had already been to Benares and taken sannyas from Chaitanyananda Bharati and received the name Svarupa Damodar, arrived and joyously entered the Lord’s entourage. When he first saw the Lord, Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami recited the following prayer:

heloddhulita-khedaya vishadaya pronmilad-amodaya

shamyac-chastra-vivadaya rasa-daya cittarpitonmadaya

shashvad-bhakti-vinodaya sa-madaya madhurya-maryadaya

shri-caitanya daya-nidhe tava daya bhuyad amandodaya

O ocean of mercy, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu!

May Your auspicious mercy arise like the dawn

driving away all kinds of material lamentation,

making everything pure and awakening transcendental bliss,

ending all quarrels and disagreements among different scriptures,

giving the taste of spiritual life

and maddening the minds of those surrendered to you,

constantly giving the intoxicating joy of devotional service,

and revealing the extent of the conjugal mood’s sweetness.

(Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.10.119, Chaitanya-candrodaya nataka 10.8)

O ocean of mercy, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu! May Your auspicious mercy arise like the dawn driving away all kinds of material lamentation, making everything pure and awakening transcendental bliss, ending all quarrels and disagreements among different scriptures, giving the taste of spiritual life and maddening the minds of those surrendered to you, constantly giving the intoxicating joy of devotional service, and revealing the extent of the conjugal mood’s sweetness. (In the wallpaper: Sankirtan party in Europe, Lord Shri Gaurachandra, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai).

Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami first received the mercy of the Lord in the form of a heartfelt embrace. Then he paid his obeisances to Nityananda Prabhu and Paramananda Puri and then was introduced to Jagadananda and the other Devotees. He first met Raya Ramananda when the latter came to Puri with King Prataparudra and met Mahaprabhu there for the first time with the intention of persuading the Lord to meet with the king.

Friendship with Pundarika Vidyanidhi

In Puri, Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami participated in the water sports in Narendra Sarovara at the time of the Chandana yatra and in the Indradyumna Sarovara after the cleaning of the Gundicha Temple. He and Pundarika Vidyanidhi enjoyed splashing each other.

The two friends, Vidyanidhi and Svarupa Damodar, joyously splashed each other and laughed. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.8.124)

Jagannath has an an annual festival in Puri named Oriana Shashthi. On this occasion, Jagannath’s pujaris dress the Deity in cloth which still has the tapioca-based starch (mari) in it. Shri Pundarika Vidyanidhi did not like this behavior of the pujaris, as he considered such cloth to be unclean. He went to Svarupa Damodar and asked him for his opinion on the matter. Svarupa Damodar said to him, the Lord is completely independent. He is not dependent on the rules regulating Deity worship found in the smritis.

Vidyanidhi immediately answered him, “I accept that Jagannath is completely independent. That does not mean that the pujaris are completely independent of the rules and regulations of scripture. They are not brahma, that they dress the Lord in unwashed cloth. Didn’t you know that if you even touch cloth that has mari in it, you are supposed to wash your hands?”

That night Jagannath and Balaram appeared to Shri Pundarika Vidyanidhi in a dream and slapped him on his cheeks for having criticized their sevayatas. By so doing, Jagannath showed that one is not to criticize His servants for apparent lapses in behavior. The smartas are especially subject to criticizing Vaishnava behavior for failing to adhere to the obscure standards of the smriti. Shri Pundarika Vidyanidhi, though his cheeks were swollen from the slaps, was overjoyed to have been touched by their Lordships. Svarupa Damodar also congratulated Vidyanidhi for his good fortune:

“Listen, brother. I have never seen or heard of a punishment like this one. The Lord came personally to chastise you in a dream. I never heard of such a thing, but now I see that it has happened to you!” The two friends floated in a feeling of satisfaction. They spent day and night talking of nothing but Krishna conscious topics. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.10.173-177) (In the wallpaper: Lord Shri Jagannath, laughing kids).

As he looked Pundarika Vidyanidhi over, Svarupa Damodar felt an affection arising in him. Indeed he started to float in an ocean of ecstasy. A friend always feels joy at the good fortune of a friend. The two of them began to laugh spiritedly and Svarupa Damodar said, “Listen, brother. I have never seen or heard of a punishment like this one. The Lord came personally to chastise you in a dream. I never heard of such a thing, but now I see that it has happened to you!” The two friends floated in a feeling of satisfaction. They spent day and night talking of nothing but Krishna conscious topics. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.10.173-177)

Gundicha and Rathayatra Pastimes

Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami was one of the chief participants in the cleaning of the Gundicha Temple on the eve of the Rathayatra. “Other than Nityananda, Advaita, Svarupa, Brahmananda Bharati and Paramananda Puri, everyone carried buckets of water.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.12.109)

During the washing of the Gundicha Temple, a simple but intelligent Brahmin who was not aware of the nature of the Vaishnavas’ devotional etiquette, took some water, suddenly poured it over the Lord’s feet and drank it. In view of Mahaprabhu’s identity as the incarnation of Krishna, it was certainly no offense to drink the water which had washed Mahaprabhu’s feet even though it was done inside the Temple of the Lord, but here Mahaprabhu acted as an exemplar for the world and showed dissatisfaction at the Brahmin’s behavior in order that no other person imitate Him and become an offender to the feet of the Supreme Lord. He let His anger be known to Svarupa Damodar who caught the Bengali Brahmin and pushed him out of the Temple. The next instant, however, he returned to the Lord’s side and asked Him to forgive the Brahmin. Though a Vaishnava may externally appear to be hard-hearted, internally he or she is always filled with compassion and thinks of the welfare of every living being.

Every year during Balaram, Jagannath and Subhadra’s ratha festival, the Lord would make four kirtan groups with His Devotees. Svarupa Damodar would sing in the first of these, with Advaita participating as the principal dancer. With other kirtan groups from Shantipur, Shri Khanda and Kulina Grama, there were seven sampradayas altogether. In each group, there were two drummers, meaning that there were 14sadya Svarupa-gosvami tat-tad-bhava-vilasavannbsp; altogether. When the kirtan started in each nbsp; of the seven groups, Mahaprabhu demonstrated His divine powers by appearing simultaneously in the midst of each one of them. Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur writes, “Just as the Lord expands into numerous forms during the rasa dance and to marry the queens in Dvaraka, Lord Chaitanya expanded in order to be present in the midst of each sampradayas’ kirtan. The members of each group were convinced that the Lord was in his group alone and in none of the others.”

When Mahaprabhu wished to dance madly, He would have the seven groups come together and would dance in their midst, appointing nine singers and making Svarupa Damodar the principal singer. As the Devotees became progressively intoxicated by the kirtan, Mahaprabhu danced frenziedly for many moments. After this, Mahaprabhu’s mood changed. Svarupa Damodar was able to understand the Lord’s intention and began to sing,

sei to parananatha painu

jaha lagi madana-dahane jhuri genu

”I have finally found my life’s lord, for whom I had so long burned in the flames of desire.”

Bhaktivinoda Thakur writes, “As the Lord’s frenzied dancing came to an end, He became absorbed in the mood of Radharani at Kurukshetra. This song about meeting the beloved after a long separation came naturally to Svarupa Damodar’s lips.” As He felt the mood of union strengthening, the Lord began to loudly recite the following verse:

yah kaumaraharah sa eva hi varas ta eva caitra-kshapas

te conmilita-malati-surabhayah praudhah kadambanilah

sa caivasmi tathapi tatra surata-vyapara-lila-vidhau

reva-rodhasi vetasi-taru-tale cetah samutkanthate

(Kavya-prakasha 1)

My husband (vara) is the same who took my maidenhead

and these the moondrenched nights we knew;

the very breeze is blowing from the Vindhya hills,

heavy with the scent of newly blossomed jasmine.

I too am still the same;

and yet with all my heart I yearn for the reedbeds by the stream

which knew our happy, graceful,

unending bouts of love.

This verse was written about a mundane lover and his mistress, but Mahaprabhu recited it with great respectful feeling. No one could understand what was His hidden intention other than Svarupa Damodar.

The Lord repeated this verse again and again. No one but Svarupa Damodar could understand His intention. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.13.122)

When Rupa Goswami heard the Lord recite this verse, he himself composed a verse which revealed the deeper meaning which the Lord had envisioned. He wrote it down on a palm leaf and hid it in the roof of his cottage. The Lord somehow or other found this palm leaf and when He read it was overcome by prema.

When Mahaprabhu went to the residence of Shrila Rupa Goswami, He accidentally saw the palm leaf on the roof, and thus He read the verse composed by him. After reading the verse, He went into a ecstatic mood. While He was in that state, Shrila Rupa Goswami came and immediately fell down on the floor like a stick.

The Lord got up and gave him a slap. Then, He embraced him and began to speak as follows: “No one knows the purport of My verse. How could you understand My intention?” Saying this, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu bestowed various blessings upon Rupa Goswami, and taking the verse, He later showed it to Svarupa Goswami. With great wonder, the Lord asked him how Rupa Goswami could have understood the intentions of His mind. Shrila Svarupa Damodar Goswami replied, “If Rupa Goswami can understand Your mind, I believe it must be the result of Your special benediction.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.13.66-72)

Rupa Goswami’s verse was the following:

priyah so’yam krishnah sahacari kurukshetra-militas

tathaham sa radha tad idam ubhayoh sangama-sukham

tathapy antah-khelan-madhura-murali-païcama-jushe

mano me kalindi-pulina-vipinaya sprihayati

(Padyavali, 383)

O companion! This is my beloved Krishna

meeting me here in Kurukshetra;

and I am the same Radha,

and both of us are feeling the joy of union.

Even so, my mind wishes for the forest

by the banks of the Yamuna

where the fifth note of His flute

plays sweetly within my heart.

O companion! This is my beloved Krishna meeting me here in Kurukshetra; and I am the same Radha, and both of us are feeling the joy of union. Even so, my mind wishes for the forest by the banks of the Yamuna where the fifth note of His flute plays sweetly within my heart. (In the wallpaper: Jagannatha Ratha Yatra, Woodstock, Shri Shri Radha Krishna).

Mahaprabhu’s vision was that the Jagannath Temple was Kurukshetra and the Gundicha Temple Vrindavan. In the mood of a gopi, He began to pull on Jagannath’s chariot, pulling Him back to Vrindavan. Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami was able to understand all of these various moods that Mahaprabhu experienced during the Rathayatra.

The Lord had relished these topics in His room with Svarupa Damodar for days and nights. When He was overcome with this mood while dancing before the Lord’s chariot, He would repeat this verse while gazing upon Jagannath’s face. No one can describe Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami’s good fortune, for he was completely absorbed, body, mind and soul, in the Lord. His senses are the Lord’s senses, and he would sing so that the Lord could more deeply relish the sentiments of love. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.13.161-4)

Jagannath Deva lives in Dvaraka and desires to go once a year to Vrindavan. This is symbolized by the Rathayatra festival when He travels from the Jagannath Temple (Dvaraka) to Gundicha (Vrindavana). When He goes to Vrindavan, Jagannath does not take Lakshmi with Him, because Lakshmi is not qualified to participate in the Vrindavan lila. Only the gopis have such qualifications, and Radha is the best of the gopis.

Shvarupa said, “Listen, my Lord, to the reason for this. Lakshmi does not have the right to participate in the games of Vrindavan. Krishna’s companions in the Vrindavan lila are the gopis, and there are none but they who can enchant His mind.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.14.122-3)

Amongst the gopis, Radha is the best. She is a treasure chest of jewels of love in the bright and spotless sentiment of conjugal love. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.14.160)

Jagannath mounted His chariot after telling Lakshmi that He would be back on the very next day. When Lakshmi saw that the Lord was late in returning, she became angry and gathering up her forces, sallied forth to attack her beloved. Her servants captured the servants of Lord Jagannath and brought them to her. Such lovers’ quarrels are not heard of anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, the mana (loving jealousy) of the gopis is superior to that of Lakshmi, and of all the gopis, that of Radha is the purest. When Mahaprabhu wished to hear about the gopis’ mana from Svarupa Damodar, Svarupa gave him great satisfaction by answering extensively. He was always able to please the Lord because he knew His wishes so intimately.

Bhagavan Acharya and His Brother

Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami had a close friendship with the lame Bhagavan Acharya of Halisahar.

Bhagavan Acharya was a great Devotee, a scholar and and a man of refined habits. He came to Purushottam to be with the Lord. He was an incarnation of a cowherd who served Krishna in the mood of friendship. His dealings with Svarupa Damodar were also those of a close friend. He was completely surrendered to the Lord’s lotus feet, and he occasionally invited him to eat at his residence. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.2.84-6)

Bhagavan Acharya was a generous and unpretentious Vaishnava. Even so, his father Shatananda Khan was a very materialistic person and his younger brother Gopal Bhattacharya was a mayavadi. When Gopal Bhattacharya came to Puri, the simple, straightforward Bhagavan Acharya asked Svarupa Damodar to listen to his brother speak on Shankara’s Vedanta-bhashya: “Gopal, my younger brother, has come here after finishing his study of Vedanta philosophy. Come everyone and hear the commentary upon Vedanta from him.”

Svarupa Damodar Goswami, however, somewhat angry out of love for Bhagavan Acharya, answered as follows: “You have lost your intelligence in the association of Gopal, and now you are eager to hear the Mayavada philosophy. When a Vaishnava listens to the Shariraka-bhashya, the Mayavada commentary upon Vedanta-sutra, he gives up the attitude that the Lord is the master and the living entity is His servant. Instead, he considers himself to be the Supreme Lord. The Mayavada philosophy is so dangerous that even a highly elevated Devotee who has accepted Krishna as his life and soul changes his attitude when he reads the Mayavada philosophy.”

Bhagavan Acharya continued, “We are all fixed at the lotus feet of Krishna with our hearts and souls. Therefore the Shariraka-bhashya cannot change our minds.”

Svarupa Damodar replied, “Nevertheless, when we hear the Mayavada philosophy, we hear that Brahman is the only spiritual reality and that the universe of maya is false, but we gain no spiritual understanding. When a Devotee hears the Mayavadi say that the living entity is only imaginary and that the Supreme Lord is a manifestation of ignorance, it breaks his heart and life.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.2.92-99)

Svarupa Watches for Rasabhasa

Shvarupa Damodar was the personification of ecstatic love, fully cognizant of the transcendental mellows in relationship with Krishna. He was like a second manifestation of Mahaprabhu. If someone wrote a book or composed verses and songs and wanted to recite them before Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarupa Damodar would have to first examine them before the Lord would agree to listen. Mahaprabhu was never pleased to hear books or verses opposed to siddhanta, nor did He like hearing rasabhasa, an improper mixture of devotional sentiments. It was the practice of Svarupa Damodar Goswami to examine all works of literature to find out whether their conclusions were correct. Only then would he allow them to be heard by the Lord. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.10.110-114)

One day a poet came from eastern Bengal who wrote according to his own whim. He had written a play and had read it to Bhagavan Acharya who then asked Svarupa Damodar to give an opinion on it. If Svarupa Damodar approved then it could be presented to Mahaprabhu for His enjoyment. Many of the Vaishnavas had praised the literary qualities of the play, and Svarupa Damodar finally agreed to read it after repeated requests from his friend. But after hearing only the invocation verse, Svarupa Damodar pointed out numerous faults in it, demonstrating how it contradicted Vaishnava dogma. When he saw the poet’s distress at being criticized, Svarupa Damodar became compassionate and said,

jaho bhagavata pario vaishnavera sthane

ekanta ashraya karo caitanya-carane

caitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya karo sanga

tabe to janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga

(Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.5.131-2)

Go and study the Bhagavat from a Vaishnava. Take exclusive shelter of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet. Associate constantly with the Devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Only then will you be able to understand all the waves of the ocean of Vaishnava philosophy.

It was in Bhagavan Acharya’s house that Chota Hari Das came to beg for fine rice from Madhavi Devi and engaged in conversation with her. As a result of his conversing with a woman, Mahaprabhu ostracized Chota Hari Das. The Lord was as hard as a thunderbolt towards Hari Das, and Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami made an attempt to intercede, persuading Hari Das to eat after he had undertaken a fast. However, Mahaprabhu remained untouched by Svarupa Damodar’s efforts and a year later, Hari Das went to Prayag and gave up his life.

Svarupa and the Goswamis

When Sanatan Goswami came alone to Puri from Mathura, he caught scabies in the Jharikhanda jungle. In Puri, he stayed in Hari Das Thakur’s cottage where Mahaprabhu came to seem him daily, embracing him despite the pus-filled sores which covered his body. Ashamed at his condition, Sanatan decided to commit suicide, but was prevented from doing so by the all-knowing Lord. During his stay in Puri, Sanatan was introduced to all the Devotees of the Lord including Svarupa Damodar.

Govardhana Majumdar’s son, Raghunath Das tricked his guru and family priest Yadunandana Acharya into giving him permission to leave his home. He walked to Puri in only twelve days where he met Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu was extremely merciful to Raghunath and turned him over to Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami for tutelage. From that day on he was known as Svarupa’s Raghu.

When He saw Raghunath’s thin and dirty body, the Lord felt sympathy for him. He turned to Svarupa Damodar and said, “I am turning this Raghunath over to you. I want you to take care of him as though he were your own son and personal servant. I have three Raghunaths in My entourage. From now on, we will call this one Svarupa’s Raghu.” After He had said these words, the Lord took Raghunath’s hand and placed it in that of Svarupa Damodar. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.3.201-4)

Raghunath Das never spoke directly to Mahaprabhu. If he wished to make a submission to the Lord, he made it through either Svarupa Damodar or Govinda. He told Svarupa Damodar repeatedly that he wished to hear Mahaprabhu’s personal instructions on how to practice the spiritual life. After Svarupa passed this request on to the Lord, Mahaprabhu smiled and told Raghunath Das, “I have appointed Svarupa Damodar to be your instructor. You may learn from him about the spiritual practices and their goal. I myself do not know as much as he. Nevertheless, if you have faith in My orders, you may fix your direction from the following words: Do not listen to gossip. Don’t engage in gossip. You should not eat very palatable food, nor should you dress very nicely. Always chant the Holy Name of Lord Krishna without any expectation of honor, and offering all respect to others. Mentally render service to Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan. I have briefly given you My instructions, you will learn about them in detail from Svarupa Damodar. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.6.233-8)

Do not listen to gossip. Don’t engage in gossip. You should not eat very palatable food, nor should you dress very nicely. Always chant the Holy Name of Lord Krishna without any expectation of honor, and offering all respect to others. Mentally render service to Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan. (In the wallpaper: Shri Shri Radha Gopinath, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai, a Devotee).

On the occasion of Hari Das Thakur’s disappearance, the Lord initiated the performance of sankirtan. The Devotees surrounded Hari Das Thakur’s body and Svarupa Damodar sang the Holy Names with the Devotees while Vakresvara Pandit danced. Svarupa Damodar then went to the Jagannath Temple to seek prasad for the feast which followed the burial of Hari Das and he joined Jagadananda Pandit and others to serve the Devotees.

Raghunath Bhatta, the son of Tapana Mishra, left his home in Benares to come to Puri via Bengal. When he met Mahaprabhu, the Lord embraced him and introduced him to Svarupa Damodar and the other Devotees.

Mahaprabhu’s Intense Austerities

At a certain time, Mahaprabhu went through a period of intense austerity. Constantly crying the names of Krishna, He lost a great deal of weight due to His feelings of separation. He slept on a bed of plantain bark, taking no notice of the pain which resulted when His bones rubbed against the bark. The Devotees, however, were greatly distressed to see His suffering. Jagadananda Pandit in particular was affected and he decided to do something about it. He obtained some fine cloth and dyed it saffron, and then filled it with cotton from the silk cotton tree. In this way he made both a mattress and a pillow for the Lord’s comfort. Jagadananda then asked Govinda Das to give the mattress and pillow to the Lord and Svarupa Damodar to convince Him to use them. When it was time for the Lord to go to bed, He saw the nice bed and asked angrily, “Who has made this bed?” When He heard from Govinda that Jagadananda Pandit had given it, He hesitated because Jagadananda was Satyabhama’s incarnation and given to fits of jealous anger. Even so, he had Govinda remove Jagadananda’s bedding and went to sleep on the plantain bark bed. When Svarupa Damodar reminded the Lord that Jagadananda would be distressed if he did not use his bedding, He answered,”A mattress and pillow? Why don’t you just go and get Me a bed? A sannyasi is supposed to sleep on the ground. Jagadananda wants Me to become a sense enjoyer. This is shameful.”

Jagadananda was indeed upset when he heard from Svarupa Damodar that Mahaprabhu had refused the bedding. Svarupa Damodar cleverly made a mattress and pillow out of dried banana leaves torn into small pieces and stuffed into pieces of the Lord’s used clothes. Despite his reluctance, the Lord accepted this new bedding. This satisfied all the Devotees with the exception of Jagadananda, who asked the Lord permission to leave for Vrindavan. Mahaprabhu said, “Jagadananda is angry with Me, that is why he wants to go to Vrindavan.” This story gives a brilliant example of Svarupa Damodar’s expertise in serving the Lord.

Mahaprabhu’s Ecstasies

As Mahaprabhu’s feelings of separation intensified to the point of seeming insanity, He was kept at night in the Gambhira, behind three locked doors. One day, Svarupa and Govinda noticed that even though the doors were still bolted, Mahaprabhu was missing. In great anxiety, the two of them started to look for the Lord everywhere. Finally they found Him near the Lion’s Gate of the Jagannath Temple, lying unconscious on the ground with all His joints loosened, His entire form lengthened. Svarupa Damodar started to sing the names of Krishna into the Lord’s ear until suddenly He jumped up, His body returning to its normal condition, and shouted, “Haribol!” When the Lord returned to normal consciousness, Svarupa Damodar led Him back to the Gambhira.

“I was at Govardhana. I saw Krishna herding the cows and playing the flute. When they heard the flute, the gopis came running toward Him. Shrimati Radharani was there and Krishna took here into a grotto. Then suddenly you all started to call Me back here. Why did you do that? Just to bring Me pain?” (In the wallpaper: Shri Shri Radha Gopinath, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai, Lord Chaitanya in the left in Govardhan).

One day, the Lord saw the sand dunes and took them to be Govardhana. He ran towards them, while Svarupa Damodar and Jagadananda ran behind Him. His body was overwhelmed by the ecstatic transformations and He fell to the ground in a faint. When the Devotee’s saw the Lord in this state, they began to cry. He partially regained consciousness when the Devotees started to chant the Holy Name aloud. In this state, He started to prattle, “I was at Govardhana. I saw Krishna herding the cows and playing the flute. When they heard the flute, the gopis came running toward Him. Shrimati Radharani was there and Krishna took here into a grotto. Then suddenly you all started to call Me back here. Why did you do that? Just to bring Me pain?” The Lord began to cry and the Devotees, affected by His great distress at losing His vision, and they joined Him in shedding tears.

A few days later, Mahaprabhu was in the Gambhira in the divyonmada state, the madness of separation. Svarupa Damodar and Ramananda Raya stayed up until the middle of the night with the Lord enjoying discussions of Krishna’s pastimes. Finally, after a great deal of effort, they managed to persuade the Lord to lie down and take some rest, after which they each returned to their own quarters. Govinda also slept in the Gambhira. As he chanted the names of Krishna, Mahaprabhu suddenly heard the sound of Krishna’s flute and in the ecstasy which overcame Him, He ran out of the Gambhira, even though there were three doors bolted from the outside. This time He fell down amongst a herd of Tailangi cows to the south of the Lion’s Gate. When Govinda heard no answer from the Lord, despite calling for Him, he informed Svarupa Damodar of the situation.

Svarupa Damodar organized a search party of Devotees with torches until finally they found Him lying unconscious in the midst of the cows. This time, His limbs were retracted into His body giving it the appearance of a tortoise; His mouth was covered with foam, there were eruptions on His body and His eyes were filled with tears. He looked like a pumpkin, without any limbs. Externally suffering as though poisoned, internally He was experiencing divine ecstasies. The cows had surrounded the Lord and were sniffing His body, and even when the Devotees shooed them away, they would come back, attracted by the Lord. After many attempts to arouse the Lord, when the Devotees failed to bring Him back to consciousness, they picked Him up and carried Him to the Gambhira. There they started singing the Holy Names aloud in kirtan. This continued for some time until finally the Lord returned to an external state of consciousness and His body also took on its normal appearance.

Still in a trance-like state, Mahaprabhu asked Svarupa Damodar, “Where have you brought Me? I had heard the sound of Krishna’s flute and I went to Vrindavan. I saw Krishna with the cattle, playing His flute. Radha and the gopis understood His signal and came to the bower cottage trysting place. I followed them there and felt ecstasy when hearing the sound of their tinkling ornaments and their voices and laughter. You forced Me to come back here and I can no longer hear their humorous conversations, nor the sound of their ornaments and musical instruments.”

Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami recognized the Lord’s state and sang a verse from the Bhagavat in his sweet voice:

ka stry-anga te kala-padayata-venu-gita-

sammohitarya-caritan na calet trilokyam

trailokya-saubhagam idam ca nirikshya rupam

yad go-dvija-druma-mrigah pulakany abibhrat

O dear one!

What woman within these three worlds

would not be captivated by the sweet rhythms

of your wonderful flute-song?

What woman would not abandon

her vows of chastity as a result?

For upon beholding your beauty,

the most sublime in this universe

even cows, birds, trees and animals

horripilate in jubilation.

(BhP 10.29.40)

O dear one! What woman within these three worlds would not be captivated by the sweet rhythms of your wonderful flute-song? What woman would not abandon her vows of chastity as a result? For upon beholding your beauty, the most sublime in this universe even cows, birds, trees and animals horripilate in jubilation. (BhP 10.29.40) (In the wallpaper: Shri Gopinath, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai).

As soon as the Lord heard this verse, He once again merged into the mood of the gopis and began to sing all the statements which the gopis made in separation from Krishna, known as chitra-jalpa.

The Lord Jumps into the Sea

Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami has described another extraordinary event of this type. Once, during a full-moon evening in autumn, the Lord was inspired to remember Krishna’s rasa-lila. Accompanied by His Devotees, He wandered through the Ai Tota garden next to the Gundicha Temple, relishing songs about the rasa dance. As they approached the seashore, Mahaprabhu took the sea to be the Yamuna River and jumped into it. His body floated south toward Konarka until a fisherman caught Him in his nets, thinking Him to be a large fish. When he dragged the Lord on board his boat, he saw that all His limbs were distended, transformed into a giant human form. Upon touching Him, the fisherman was immediately infused with prema and started crying and calling the name of Krishna.

Meanwhile, Svarupa Damodar and the other Devotees were desperately seeking the Lord. Finally they saw the fisherman standing on the shore with the Lord on his shoulders. When Svarupa saw the fisherman in a state of ecstatic transformation, he came and explained who Mahaprabhu was, but still had to slap him several times before he calmed down. Then the Devotees began to sing the Holy Names aloud until the Lord jumped up with a roar. Once again, while in a state of half-absorption in trance, Mahaprabhu recounted everything that He had experienced. Mahaprabhu had been in the world of Krishna’s rasa-lila and water sports. When they heard all His ecstatic utterances, the Devotees trembled in awareness of the Lord’s divine loving madness. Then they led Him back to the Gambhira.

The Lord’s Final Days

When Advaita Acharya sent the riddle message back from Bengal with Jagadananda Pandit, indicating that the Lord’s pastimes would soon come to an end, Svarupa Damodar became distracted, while the Lord’s divine madness became more and more intense. In His final instructions to Svarupa Damodar and Ramananda Raya, the Lord made it very clear that Harinama sankirtan is the supreme method for attaining love for Krishna.

The Lord, in a wave of jubilation say, “Listen Svarupa Damodar and Ramananda Raya! In the age of Kali, Harinama sankirtan is the supreme means of deliverance. In the age of Kali, Krishna is to be worshiped by the congregational chanting of His Holy Names. This is the way that an intelligent person attains the lotus feet of Krishna. Through the chanting of the Holy Name, all of one’s sinful reactions are extinguished and all auspiciousness arises until finally one experiences the joys of love for Krishna.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.20.8-11)

After saying this, the Lord recited His own eight verses known as the Shikshashtaka. As He relished them, He felt more and more humble in feelings of separation from Krishna. Taking on the mood of Shrimati Radharani, He became totally absorbed in love for Krishna.

Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami and Ramananda Raya remained constantly by the Lord’s side throughout His ecstasies in divyonmada, calming Him and enriching His feelings of love. Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami left the world on the day of Lord Jagannath’s Rathayatra, not long after the Lord’s disappearance.

[Excerpted from “Shri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Shrila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

Sita Thakurani – Biography 2

According to Gaura-Ganodesha-Dipika, Shri Sita Thakurani is Yogamaya. The Gaura-Parshada-Charitvali says that in Krishna Lila, she was Purnamasi, the mother of Sandipani Muni, grandmother of Madhumangal and Nandimukhi and a disciple of Narada Muni. (Gaura-Ganodesha-Dipika, however, says that Paurnamasi in Krishna-lila became Shri Govinda Acharya in Chaitanya lila.) (In the image: Deity of Shrimati Purnamasi, Shri Vrindavan Dham).

Advaita Acharya’s wife was a respectable and noble woman name Sita Thakurani. Taking permission from her husband, she went to Navadwip bearing gifts to see the crown jewel of infants. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.13.112)

Shri Sita Thakurani is to be worshiped just as much as Sachi Devi herself, as the mother of the universe. She is the eternal wife of Shri Advaita Acharya. She was the daughter of Shri Nrishinga Baduri. She was married to Shri Advaita Acharya in Phuliya Nagara. After their wedding, Advaita Acharya went to Nadiya, to live in Shantipura. Sita Thakurani was always absorbed in vatsalya prema for Shri Gaurasundara Prabhu, and, out of parental concern used to instruct Jagannatha Mishra on how to care for the boy.

Shri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Goswami has described the birth celebration at the house of Jagannatha Mishra upon the advent of the Lord, giving special attention to the position of Shri Sita Thakurani. Advaita Acharya's wife, worshipable by all the three worlds was Sita Thakurani. Taking the Acharya's orders on her head, she had come to take a look at this new child, this jewel of jewels, and to offer Him presents.

On the eve of his son's advent Shri Jagannatha Mishra, seeing the imminent signs of his child's arrival, sent word to Advaita Acharya in Shantipura that the long-awaited child was being born. Hearing news of the advent of this unprecedented child, Advaita Acharya floated in the waves of ecstasy. With Shri Haridasa Thakura, he went to bathe in the river, and, after much dancing and song, he sent his wife to go quickly to Mayapura in Navadwipa.

In Dvapara-yuga, during the celebration of Krishna's birth ceremony, she was present in the house of Nanda, and at that time gave Nanda and Yashoda many instructions on how to care for the child. The Chaitanya-Charitamrita gives the following account of Sita Thakurani's visit to the house of Jagannatha Mishra after the birth of the Lord:

"One day, shortly after Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born, Advaita Acharya's wife, Sita Devi, who is worshipable by the whole world, taking permission of her husband, went to see that topmost child with all kinds of gifts and presents. She brought different kinds of golden ornaments, including bangles for the hand, armlets, neclaces, and anklets. There were also tiger nails set in gold, waist decorations of silk and lace, ornaments for the hands and legs, nicely printed silken saris and a child's garment, also made of silk. Many other riches, including gold and silver coins, were also presented for the child.

Riding in a palanquin covered with cloth and accompanied by maidservants, Sita Thakurani came to the house of Jagannatha Mishra, bringing with her many auspicious articles such as fresh grass, paddy, gorochana, turmeric, kunkuma, and sandalwood. All these presentations filled a big basket. When Sita Thakurani came to the house of Sachi Devi, bringing with her many kinds of eatables, dresses, and other gifts, she was astonished to see the newly born child, for she appreciated that except for a difference in color, the child was directly Krishna of Gokula Himself.

When Sita Thakurani came to the house of Sachi Devi, bringing with her many kinds of eatables, dresses, and other gifts, she was astonished to see the newly born child, for she appreciated that except for a difference in color, the child was directly Krishna of Gokula Himself. (In the wallpaper: in the left Shri Gopinath, ISKCON Chowpatty, Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu in the right, ISKCON Chennai, gifts).

Seeing the transcendental bodily effulgence of the child, each of His nicely constructed limbs full of auspicious signs and resembling a form of gold, Sita Thakurani was very much pleased, and because of her maternal affection, she felt as if her heart were melting. She blessed the newly born child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, "May You be blessed with a long duration of life." But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimai. On the day that the mother and son took bath and left the maternity room, Sita Thakurani gave them all kinds of ornaments and garments, and then also honored Jagannatha Mishra. Then Sita Thakurani, being honored by mother Sachi Devi and Jagannatha Mishra, was greatly happy within her mind, and thus she returned home."

From that day on, Sita Thakurani would often come to Mayapura from Shantipura, in order to teach Sachi mata how to care for the new baby. She would give her many different instructions on how to raise children. And after helping with the child in this way, she would return to Shantipura. When it came time for the child's birthday ceremony, Jagannatha Mishra and Sachi Devi let the worshipable Sita Thakurani be the first to offer the child his new clothes.

Advaita Acharya Prabhu also had a house in Navadwipa. There he would live from time to time and discuss Krishna-katha with the Devotees headed by Shrivasa, diving and surfacing in the waves of joy until the break of dawn. After Shri Gaurasundara's appearance, all the Devotees prayed together with Shri Advaita Acharya and Sita Thakurani that the child might live long in Mayapura and have good fortune.

Sita Thakurani and Sachi Devi were of one mind; the baby Nimai was their life and soul. Every day Sita Thakurani would go to the house of Sachi Devi and help her with the care and nurturing of the boy. In the house of Jagannatha Mishra, the divine child increased the pleasure of the eyes and minds of all the Devotees, just as the waxing moon gradually grows more brilliant with each passing day.

After several years, when Jagannatha Mishra's son Vishvarupa – Nimai's older brother – had grown up, he suddenly took sannyasa. The grief and agony of Jagannatha Mishra and Sachi Devi upon their son's leaving was great. Gaurasundara was also dismayed and unhappy at his brother's separation. At that time Advaita Acharya and Sita Thakurani consoled Jagannatha Mishra and Sachi Devi, and helped take care of Nimai.

Shrivasa Pandit's wife Malini Devi also was always very affectionate towards the child, nurturing Him and caring for Him. She and Sachi Devi were of one mind in doing this.

After exhibiting His childhood pastimes, Nimai gradually progressed into His Kishora-lila, or pastimes of youth. After some time, He went to Gaya and revealed His true form and real purpose. Having returned from Gaya He gathered all the Devotees at the house of Shrivasa Angan for the purpose of beginning kirtan. At that time, Advaita Acharya brought Sita Thakurani from Shantipura to Mayapura, and, having arrived there was the first to worship the lotus feet of Shri Chaitanya.

After exhibiting His childhood pastimes, Nimai gradually progressed into His Kishora-lila, or pastimes of youth. After some time, He went to Gaya and revealed His true form and real purpose. Having returned from Gaya He gathered all the Devotees at the house of Shrivasa Angan for the purpose of beginning kirtan. (In the wallpaper: Shri Gaura Chandra, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai, Devotees in Kirtan Mela 2012, Shri Mayapur Dham, Shrivas Angan, Navadwipa).

Gradually Shri Gaurasundara began, in Navadwipa, to unfold His kirtan pastimes, wishing to deliver the fallen souls. As time went by He took sannyasa and turned His face towards Vrindavana, and ran off, half mad into the jungle in search for Shri Krishna. Upon hearing this, Shri Sita Thakurani spent four days with Sachi Devi, who, plunged in the darkness of separation as if the sun had left the sky forever, lay fallen on the ground like one near death.

Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, being bound by the ropes of love, was unable to go to Vrindavana, but was drawn to return to Shantipura. When He arrived in Shantipura, Advaita Acharya and Sita Thakurani felt as if their life has returned. After having fasted for four days, Shri Gaurasundara accepted Prasada cooked by the hand of Sita Thakurani.

Previous to taking sannyasa also, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu along with Nityananda Prabhu would, from time to time go to the house of Advaita in Shantipura, where they would have a festival and perform Krishna-nama-lila-kirtan all day and all night. The beautiful nature of this subject has been described by Shri Parameshvari Dasa Thakura in his Shri Pada Kalpataru as follows:

One day the Lord laughed, having arrived in the Temple of Shri Advaita and thus the son of Sachi took His seat. Along with Nityananda, Advaita sat down, and the two of them began playfully assessing the idea of having a festival. Hearing all this, Sita Thakurani entered smiling. At that time, in sweet words which made the minds of those who heard them blissful, the son of Sachi ruled that there must be a great festival. He said, "Listen Sita Thakurani: we shall extend invitations to all the different Vaishnavas who live nearby. Let whoever hears the sound of our song, resounding through the air, come and join us. We shall invite one and all."

Saying this, Shri Gaurachandra gave orders to the Devotees saying,

"You, invite the Vaishnavas."

"You, ready the mridanga and karatalas."

"You, prepare sandalwood and aguru for distribution."

"Have everything ready at the ghat."

"Carrying out these assignments expertly, and after garlanding the Devotees with flower garlands, the Devotees shall gather together in a circle for an uproarious kirtan."

Hearing the words of Mahaprabhu, the Devotees followed His orders with great affection, collecting garlands, sandalwood, betel, ghee, honey, and milk, and everything else essential for worhsiping the Lord. The different gifts and fragrant articles for the Devotees and the Lord were then distributed in the proper ways. The kirtan began at midday. At that time everyone chanted "Hari! Hari!" and the mridanga made the whole kirtan auspicious. Thus swims Parameshavara Dasa in the rasik pastimes of the Lord.

After Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa and went to live in Jagannatha Puri, Shri Advaita Acharya and Sita Thakurani used to go and visit Him each year, bringing their son Achyutananda with them. On one such occasion, Sita Thakurani prepared some of the Lord's favorite preparations for Him and invited Him to their home to take lunch. Simply to increase their ecstasy, the Lord, who was always absorbed in Krishna Nama, honored their invitation and took lunch in the home of Advaita and Sita.

When Sachi and the people of Navadwip heard that Gaurahari was at Advaita’s they all came there to visit Him. Seeing Him in His dress as a sannyasi, they were felt joy mixed with separation. Sita Thakurani prepared an immense meal and served it on whole leaves from seed-banana trees. As Mahaprabhu and Nityananda ate, Advaita Prabhu talked and joked with them. This has been extensively described in the Chaitanya Charitamrita’s Madhya-lila, chapter 3. Mahaprabhu afterwards also ate foodstuffs prepared by Sachi Devi in order to ease the suffering He had imposed on her by His departure. The reunion of Devotees turned into a great festival, and Advaita’s house in the town of Shantipur was transformed into the city of Vaikuntha.

Sita Thakurani, being always overwhelmed with vatsalya-prema treated Him as affectionately as if He were her own son. The Lord Himself also treated her with the same kind of regard and affection that He had for Sachi Devi herself. Shri Sita Thakurani bore three sons, Achyutananda, Krishna Mishra and Gopala Mishra, who were followers of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

According to Bhakti-Ratnakara, Shri Sita Thakurani's father was Shri Nrishimha Baduri. Sita Thakurani also had a sister, Shri. According to the Gaura-Ganoddesha-Dipika, Sita Thakurani, the wife of Shri Advaita Acharya, is Yogamaya, and her sister Shri is the prakasha, or manifestation, of Yogamaya. (yogamaya bhagavati, grihini tasya sampratam, sita rupenavatirna, "Shri" namni tat prakashatah)

[Excerpted from the Vrinda website and “Shri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Shrila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaja]

Baladeva Vidyabhushana – Biography

Baladeva Vidyabhusana.

The exact time and place of Sri Baladeva Vidyabhushana’s birth are unknown. Perhaps one day historians will be able to establish these facts beyond any doubt. From the little information that we do have about his life, we can conjecture that he was born in the 17th century of the modern era. Though we do not know the name of the exact village where he took birth, it was likely in the Balesore (Baleshvara) district of Orissa, somewhere near Remuna. From the date given in his commentary on Rupa Goswami’s Stavamala, it is clear that Baladeva was still living after the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

We know that Baladeva studied in one of the villages of the Chilka Lake area in southern Orissa. There he learned grammar, poetics and logic, achieving expertise in all these subjects. He began his studies of Vedanta there, but in order to study the commentaries in greater depth, he went to Mysore. He was there particularly impressed by the logical consistency of the Madhva shuddha-dvaita commentary on the Vedanta sutras and became a disciple of that school and began living in a Tattvavadi monastery. After taking sannyas, he moved to Purushottam Kshetra where he engaged many of the local scholars in debate, demonstrating the depth of his scholarship. His fame soon spread throughout the area.

Later, however, he met Radha Damodar Goswami, a scholar from Kanyakubja, under whose direction he studied Jiva Goswami’s Nat-sandarbha in great detail. When he was convinced of the supremacy of the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, he took initiation from Radha Damodar Goswami. He was thus initiated in Nityananda Prabhu’s line. The following is his disciplic succession: (1) Gauri Das Pandit, (2) Hriday Chaitanya Prabhu, (3) Shyamananda Prabhu, (4) Rasikananda Deva Goswami, (5) Nayanananda Goswami, (6) Radha Damodar Goswami, (7) Baladeva Vidyabhushana.

Baladeva then continued his studies of the Gaudiya literature under Pitambara Das and later studied the Bhagavata Purana under Vishvanath Chakravarti. He also took the Vaishnava vairagi’s dress, at which time he was given the name Ekanti Govinda Das.

He was ordered by Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur to go to Jaipur where he prayed to Rupa Goswami’s Govindaji murti for the authorization to write a commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. He then composed the Govinda-bhashya and took it to Galta where he defeated the other sampradayas in debate, preserving the reputation of the Gaudiya school. After this episode, he was given the title Vidyabhushana. This story has been told in greater detail in this volume in the chapter on Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur.

Baladeva Vidyabhusana was ordered by Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur to go to Jaipur where he prayed to Rupa Goswami’s Govindaji murti for the authorization to write a commentary on the Vedanta-sutra.

The following is a list of Baladeva Vidyabhushana’s written works:

(1) A commentary on the Brahma Sutras, Govinda-bhashya;
(2) Siddhanta-ratnam,
(3) Vedanta-syamantaka,
(4) Prameya-ratnavali,
(5) Siddhanta-darpana,
(6) Sahitya-kaumudi,
(7) Kavya-kaustubha,
(8) Vyakarana-kaumudi (which appears to have been lost);
(9) Pada-kaustubha,
(10) Vaishnava-nandini, a commentary on the Tenth Canto,
(11) A commentary on Gopal-tapani Upanishad;
(12) Commentaries on the Isha and nine other upanishads;
(13) Gitabhushana-bhashya, a commentary on Bhagavad-gita;
(14) Namarthasudha, a commentary on the Vishnusahasranama;
(15) Saranga-rangada, a commentary on the Laghubhagavatamrita;
(16) Stavamala-vibhushana, a commentary on Stavamala;
(17) a commentary on Rupa Goswami’s Natika-candrika;
(18) Chandah-kaustubha-bhashya;
(20) A commentary on Rasikananda’s Shyamananda-shataka;
(21) A commentary on Candraloka (which appears to have been lost);
(22) Krishnanandini, a commentary on Sahitya-kaumudi;
(23) Govindabhashya-tika, a commentary on his own Govinda-bhashya;
(24) Sukshma, a further clarification of his own Siddhanta-ratnam;

Other than these, it is claimed that Baladeva also wrote an Aishvarya-kadambini which is different from that written by Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur. In the Aishvarya-kadambini by Vishvanath, there is a discussion of the dvaita and advaita doctrines, which is missing from Baladeva’s work of that name.

It is said that Baladeva established the worship of the Vijaya Gopal Deity in Galta. His two most prominent disciples were Uddhava Das and Sri Nanda Mishra.

In the succession of bona-fide gurus which make up the Madhva-Gaudiya-Sarasvata-Vaishnava sampradaya, Baladeva Vidyabhushana is to be remembered regularly. Simply demonstrating a connection through initiation to a family succession of initiating spiritual masters does not make one a bona-fide guru. One must demonstrate complete dedication to the supreme truth, brahma-nishtha. Only a pure Devotee can be called a bona-fide guru.

[Excerpted from “Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

Vamsivadananda Thakura – Biography

vamshi krishna-priya yasit sa vamshi-dasa-thakkurah

Vamshivadanananda Thakur was Krishna’s flute in Vraja.

(Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 179)

The gopis praised the good fortune of Krishna’s flute, for he was able to constantly drink the nectar of Krishna’s lips. Everything in Vraja is spiritual, i.e., conscious, and so the flute could take human form as Sri Vamshivadanananda Thakur. His life story has been recounted by his grandson, Shrivallabha Das, in the book Vamshi-vilasa. Other books which contain details of his life are Shripata-paryatana and Bhakti- ratnakara, and the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana also gives a brief biography.

Vamshivadanananda Thakur was known by five names in Gaudiya Vaishnava society: Vamshivadana, Vamshidas, Vamshi, Vadana, and Vadanananda. He was a well-known writer of devotional songs. His appearance took place on the day of the spring full moon (in the month of Chaitra) in either 1416 (according to Vamshi-shiksha) or 1427 of the Shaka era (1495 or 1506 AD.).

Vamshivadanananda’s Home in Nabadwip

In the Shripata-paryatana, the following information is given:

The two villages known as Kuliya and Pahariapura were side by side. Vamshivadana, Kavidatta and Saranga Thakur lived there. As the town grew, it was known as Kuliya Pahariapura.

Vamshivadanananda Thakur’s home was in Koladvipa, i.e., the present-day town of Nabadwip which was formerly known as Kuliya Pahariapura. Kuliya had four neighborhoods known as Teghari, Bneciyaria, Bedariaparia and Cinedanga. Shrikara Cattopadhyaya came from Bilvagrama to live in Bneciyaria. Amongst the descendants of Shrikara Cattopadhyaya was Yudhishthira Cattopadhyaya who had three sons: Madhava Das (nicknamed Chakarii), Hari Das (Tinakarii) and Krishnasampatti (Dukarii) Cattopadhyaya. Chakarii Cattopadhyaya was Vamshivadana’s father. His mother’s name was Candrakala Devi. When Mahaprabhu passed through Kuliya on his trip through Bengal which ultimately ended at Kanair Natashala, he stayed at Chakarii Cattopadhyaya’s house for seven days. During this time he gave his blessings to all the residents of Nabadwip and in particular to Devananda Pandit. This information comes from Kavi Karnapura’s Chaitanya-candrodaya Nataka.

It is said that both Mahaprabhu and Advaita Acharya were present when Vamshivadanananda was born. After Mahaprabhu took sannyas, Vamshivadanananda was engaged as Sachi Mata and Vishnupriya’s servant and protector. When Srinivas Acharya came to Nabadwip to see the Lord’s family, Vamshi embraced him emotionally. This is described in the Bhakti-ratnakara:

Though he had not been introduced, Vamshivadanananda guessed that this must be Srinivas. He approached him and asked him who he was. Srinivas told him everything about himself. Vamshivadanananda embraced him and washed his body with his tears. Srinivas wanted to fall to the ground and pay obeisances to Vamshi Thakur, but Vamshi would not let him. He then went and told Vishnupriya Ishvari and Sachi Ma that Srinivas had come. (Bhakti-ratnakara 4.20-24)

Vamshivadanananda Thakur lived as a householder. He had two sons, Chaitanya Das and Nityananda Das. His deity’s name was Pranavallabha. Later, at Vishnupriya Devi’s request, he established the worship of the Mahaprabhu deity. He also worshiped the Gopinath deity of his forefathers. He spent the last part of life in his ancestral village of Bilvagrama. The Bhattacharyas of that village are said to be his descendants.

Ramai Thakur

Vamshivadanananda Thakur’s grandson, the son of Chaitanya Das, was named Sri Ramachandra or Ramai Thakur. He found deities of Rama and Krishna deities at Praskandana Tirtha in Vrindavan [FN: Praskandana Tirtha is the Yamuna ghata which is not far from Dvadashaditya Öila. It is said that when Krishna fought with Kaliya in the middle of the Yamuna, he caught cold in the water. When he came out, all the twelve Adityas appeared simultaneously and warmed him up. Krishna became so hot that he started to sweat. His sweat flowed down and merged with the water of the Yamuna at the place known as Praskandana Tirtha.] and then brought them to Baghna Paria in Burdwan district. They are known ar Sri-Rama-Kanai.

Vamshivadanananda Thakur’s family received the mercy of Jahnava Thakurani. The following comment is found in the Gaudiya magazine (22.30-37):

A Song by Vamshivadanananda

The following is a song written by Vamshivadanananda Thakur:

ara na heriba prasara kapale alaka tilaka kaca

ara na heriba sonara kamale nayana khaïjana naca

ara na nacibe shrivasa mandire bhakata cataka laiya

ara na nacibe apanara ghare amara dekhiba caiya

ara ki du’ bhai nimai nitai nacibe ek thaïi

nimai kariya phukari sadai nimai kothao nai

nidaya keshava bharati asiya mathaya pariila baja

gauranga sundara na dekhi kemane rahiba nadiya maja

keba hena jana anibe ekhana amara gauranga raya

shashurii vadhura rodana shuniya vamshi gariagarii jaya

No more will I see his broad forehead, decorated with tilaka and sandalwood dots; no more will I see his eyes dance like hummingbirds in the golden lotus of his face. No longer will he dance in Srivasa’s house with his sparrow-like devotees; no more will he dance in his own home, while looking upon me.

Will Nimai and Nitai, those two divine brothers ever dance together again? I call out Nimai’s name, but Nimai is nowhere to be seen.

The heartless Keshava Bharati came and threw a thunderbolt on all of our heads. How can we now stay in Nabadwip, now that we cannot see Gauranga here?

Who is there here who can now bring my Gauranga back?

When Vamshi hears his young wife and her mother-in-law crying, he rolls on the ground in his pain.

[Excerpted from "Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates" by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

Vamshi das Babaji – Biography

The Paramahamsa Avadhuta

This article has been written on the basis of ones which previously appeared in the old Gaudiya magazine and various statements made by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur and his disciples who knew Vamshi Das Babaji personally.

Srila Vamshi Das Babaji appeared in the village of Majidpur in the Jamalpur district of Bangla Desh, near the city of Jamalpur. Before the partition of India, this city was formerly in the district of Mymensingh. According to Hari Das Das, his father’s name was Sanatana Malobrahma and he was previously known as Bhairava. Babaji Maharaj came to Nabadwip from East Bengal. He was a paramahamsa Vaishnava who acted in the manner of an avadhuta. The word avadhuta refers to one who has shaken off from himself all worldly feeling and obligation. He does not care for social conventions, particularly the varnashrama-dharma, i.e., he is quite eccentric in his behavior. Nityananda Prabhu is often characterized as an avadhuta.

He lived there under a tree on the banks of the Ganges, demonstrating a very high standard of renunciation. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur was attracted by his Vaishnava behavior and his disregard for the rules and regulations of society at large, in the fashion of a paramahamsa avadhuta. He himself paid his obeisances to Babaji Maharaj from a distance, but did not allow his disciples to associate with him. For even though Babaji Maharaj was a paramahamsa Vaishnava, an ordinary beginner in devotional practice would likely misunderstand his indifference to the rules and regulations and end up committing offenses at his feet.

The primary purpose of the rules and regulations is to bring pleasure to Sri Sri Radha and Govinda. A practitioner who has not yet overcome his mundane conditioning may very well judge an advanced Vaishnava according to rules and regulations which were designed to help him advance to the next level of spiritual realization. If he measures a perfected soul by the standards which have been set for the beginner, there is a possibility of committing offenses which could result in falldown from the devotional path. It is said that Babaji Maharaj had two cloth bags. He kept his Nitai-Gaura deities in one, Radha-Govinda in the other. He regularly worshiped them, taking them out of the bags and serving them mentally with mantras. Then, when he had finished, he would place the deities back in their bags. On occasion he would leave them outside the bags so that people could look at them. Once in a while, he would put tobacco in a hookah and offer it to Radha and Govinda from a distance, but not to Nitai-Gauranga. People would come with offerings of rice, fruits, vegetables, flour, bananas, etc., but Babaji Maharaj would ignore them. When he noticed an accumulation of these offerings, he would mentally give them to his deities and then distribute them to whomever happened to be present. What person could understand this kind of behavior?

Babaji Maharaj only wore a kaupina, a strip of cloth covering his private parts. He left his hair and beard uncut and unkept. Yet he was tall enought to be able to pick fruits for his puja from high branches in a tree without making use of ladders or other paraphernalia. On one occasion, he fell from a tree and from that time on he took on the guise of a lame person.

Babaji Maharaj’s Voyage to Vraja

Babaji Maharaj did not stay exclusively in the Nabadwip area, but travelled to many holy places where he also practiced the spiritual disciplines of bhakti-yoga. He embodied the verse Krishna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita-matih, and wherever he went he always remained immersed in the ocean of Krishna-rasa. Therefore, everything reminded him of Krishna-lila, but especially the peepal tree, or bata. Whenever he saw a peepal tree, he would sit under it, taking it to be the Vamshi-bata under which Krishna played his flute to attract the gopis. Once he had installed himself there, it would be difficult to get him to move. On the 12th of Phalguna, 1347 (Monday, Feb. 24, 1941), Vamshi Dasji left Nabadwip city and headed for Vrindavan. He sometimes walked, sometimes he travelled by ox-cart and sometimes by rail. He first went to Katwa where he stayed for two days under a bata tree near the train station. Then he took the train to Bhagalpur where he stayed for one day under a bata tree near the station and for four days by the Ganges. Then he travelled on to Gaya where he remained on the banks of the Phalgu River for three days.

He also stayed on a boat in the Ganges near Dashashvamedha Ghat in Benares for three days, spent another three days in Ayodhya by the Sarayu including three hours under a bata tree, at the Triveni confluence at Prayag for ten days, two days at the Vishrama Ghat in Mathura, eight days at the Vamshi Bata in Vrindavan, nine days at the Madhya-curia on the banks of the Yamuna, one day at the Govindaji temple, two days at Kaliya-daha, eight days under a tamala tree on the east bank of Surya Kund at Nandagrama, two days at Pavana-sarovara, four days at the foot of a Pilu tree, and then another nine days at Vamshi Bata Ghat in Vrindavan. Everywhere that he went, he remained absorbed in chanting the Holy Names and meditating on Krishna’s form and pastimes. After three months, he returned to Nabadwip Dhama, in the month of Jyestha.

Those who travelled with him recounted that when wandering through Vraja Mandala, he would sometimes sing songs about Krishna’s lila, sometimes glorify Nabadwip Dhama, sometimes laugh madly. Sometimes, he would babble incoherently, and oftentimes he would remain completely silent. When visiting a temple, he was often seen muttering confidentially to the deities, disclosing some personal sentiment to them. All in all, his companions were charmed by his devotional absorption.

In the old Gaudiya weekly magazine, further accounts of Babaji Maharaj’s travels given. It is stated there in the four years from March 1943, he travelled to Ambika Kalna, Khariagpura, Baleshvara, Soro, Bhadrak, Khurda Road and Purushottam. Afterwards, he again visited Gaya, Kashi, Saidpur, Patna, Munger, etc. After travelling to all these places, some devotees from his birthplace in Majidpur invited him to come for a visit. He acquiesced to their enthusiasm, but found little pleasure in going. He said that it was a place which the Pandavas had neglected.

H. H. Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja’s Reminiscences

My shiksha-guru, H. H. Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja has told a few anecdotes about Vamshi Das Babaji based on his eyewitness account: “At Babaji Maharaj’s cottage by the Ganges, a pile of fruit intended for the service of the deities had accumulated once and Baba would not let anyone lay a finger on it. One day, however, a cow entered the cottage and ate all the fruits. Babaji Maharaj watched and laughed, clapping his hands. I can’t remember now whether Baba’s disciple’s name was Purna or Punya. Anyhow, I asked him out of curiosity why Baba was laughing. He said, Last night a thief stole all the deity’s pots and pans, dishes and utensils. Now a cow has come and eaten all the fruit. So he is beside himself with joy and is laughing and saying, ‘One thief gives and another thief takes away!’ No one was able to drive the cow away. The supreme thief is Krishna. [FN. According to Haridas Das, Vamshi Das Babaji never locked his doors, even though he was asked to do so by his well-wishers. Thus he was regularly robbed. When asked why he didn’t lock his doors, he only said that it was Gaura-Nitai’s responsibility. It was their house and their possessions that were stolen. Sometimes he would chastise the deities for not stopping the thieves when he found that the pots or foodstuffs had been stolen.

Gaudiya Vaishnava Jivana, Vol 2, 327.]

“Babaji Maharaj never allowed anyone to touch his feet, but on the day after one Phalguni Purnima, when everyone remembered Jagannath Mishra’s celebration of Gauranga’s birth. Babaji Maharaj was so ecstatic that he forgot his rule and became as generous as a desire tree. So on that day I was fortunate enough to get the dust of his lotus feet. I also had the good fortune to get his prasadi leftovers one day.

“Babaji Maharaj enjoyed hearing devotional songs. One day, he heard Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s couplet, tyajiya shayana sukha, vicitra palanka, kabe vrajer dhulaya dhusara habe anga — ‘When will I give up the pleasure of sleeping in a comfortable bed and roll in the dust of Vrindavan?’ Babaji Maharaj said, ‘You are only singing a song. For someone who has exploded, it has exploded.’ In other words, we only sing the songs of the Mahajanas, but we feel no emotion. When the dust of the Holy Places covers our bodies, we only think of brushing it off. We have no real idea of its value.

“We have heard that Vamshi Das took vesha from our Parama Gurudeva, Srila Gaura Kishora Das Babaji Maharaj.

“One day, someone started singing one of these new-fangled, invented mantras that contradicts siddhanta and divine sentiment. Babaji Maharaj said, ‘That Name is not allowed here.’

“One gentleman often came to visit Babaji Maharaj and kept asking him for his mercy. One day, Baba finally became impatient and took off his kaupina and handed it to the gentleman and said, ‘You want mercy, here it is, take it.’ The visitor was frightened by the manner in which Baba challenged him. We have heard that all perfections come from the grace of the Vaishnavas, but we have not got the sincerity necessary to really take their blessings when they are given. What is the use of repeatedly saying, ‘Be merciful, be merciful.’

“We had an elderly Godbrother named Gokula Das Babaji. His family home was not far from that of Babaji Maharaj. Gokula Das Baba went frequently to see Vamshi Das Baba, and when they got together, they would joyfully converse about Krishna in their Mymensingh dialect.”

Vamshi Das’s Teachings

Babaji Maharaj was normally occupied with his devotional activities; he minded his own business and spoke little. Many people would come to him; often they would ask him questions. If he took notice at all, he would sometimes answer indirectly, but mostly he remained silent. He would be observed talking to the deities, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying desperately. If he did give spiritual instruction, he would rarely cite scripture, but always spoke from his personal realization. In two or three short phrases, he was often able to make a deep impression on the listener.

Once, he had a regular visitor who kept asking him, “How can we attain God?” Babaji Maharaj just remained silent, giving no answer to the questioner. One day, he suddenly looked at this visitor and asked him, “What do you want?” The fellow replied, “I want to find God.” Babaji Maharaj answered in one word, “Cry.”

Those who visited him reported the short answers that he gave to their questions. Some of these were noted and are given here.

Q: Baba, what should we do?

A: If you worship Nitai, you will get Gaura. All your unhappiness will disappear and you will experience the beginnings of real joy.

Q: How can one become free from the demands of the senses?

A: shuniya govinda-rab, apani palabe sab, simha-rabe yatha kari-gan (Narottama Das). “They will all flee at the sound of Govinda’s name just as the deer flee at the sound of the lion’s roar.”

Q: Baba, you find no happiness in this world, then?

A: There is no joy here, unless you worship Gaura-Nitai. That is our eternal world, while this illusion is your world. Your happiness in this world is like the laughing or crying of a dreaming baby.

Q: How can we recognize the blessings of Krishna or the Vaishnavas?

A: je kare tomara asha, tare koro sarva-nasha — “You ruin everything for someone who aspires to attain you.” kahake-o taka dey, kaharo taka nei — “To some he gives wealth, while others are penniless.” Toma sthane aparadhe nahi paritrana — “There is no pardon for an offense at your (Vaishnava Thakur’s) feet.” How can you stop it? Who will deliver you? Who will understand me if I try to explain? I haven’t got the slightest bit of attachment to the Vaishnavas.

Q: How will I attain Krishna’s mercy?

A: If you cry, you will get his mercy. Who cries? If you cry with tears of love, you will get the Lord’s mercy. Mukhe bali hari, kaje anya kari, prema-vari cokhe elo na — “I recite the names of Hari, but I act otherwise. So the tears of love do not well up in my eyes.”

Q: How can we be happy? In renunciation or in enjoyment?

A: There are saintly persons on the Sarayu who chant the names of Sita Rama. They are happy, they know no distress. Those who stay with King Duryodhana know no joy. Those who are with Yudhishthira are happy. Happiness and distress are brothers. Enjoyment and renunciation. Some people enjoy and some renounce.

Babaji Maharaj’s disappearance day was on the Shukla Caturthi of Shravan.

[Excerpted from "Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates" by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

Uddharana Datta Thakura – Biography

Uddharana Datta was the best of the Bhagavatas, who served Nityananda's lotus feet in every way possible.

Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.11.41

Whenever the Supreme Divinity, Nandanandan Sri Krishna, adopts the devotional mood and bodily luster of Srimati Radharani in order to become Sri Krishna Chaitanya, He is always accompanied by His eternal associates, who join Him in order to enrich His pastimes. Thus, Krishna's primary expansion or prakasa, Baladev, accepts the attitude of a devotee as Sri Nityananda Prabhu, appearing in Ekachakra village in order to embellish Mahaprabhu's lila. He too has his entourage of personal confidantes who descend to this earth to assist him in playing his role. Nityananda is Baladeva Tattva: he is none other than Lord Sesa, the source of three purusavataras, Maha Sankarshan's causal form or mula Sankarshan. His chief companions are known as the Dvadasa-gopalas or twelve cowherds. Thus it is stated in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (129):

Subahur yo vraje gopo data uddharanakhyakah

The Cowherd Named Subahu Became Uddharan

Uddharana Datta Thakur is thus one of the Twelve Gopals. In order to assist Nityananda in his incarnation, he took birth in the town of Saptagram in the year 1481 AD. Saptagram is in Hooghly district, near the Trishbigha railway station. His parents were named Srikara nd Bhadravati and they belonged to the gold merchant class. Any caste in which a Vaishnava appears is to be considered holy – the earth itself is blessed by the appearance of a Vaishnava – and his or her mother has achieved the perfection of motherhood. Vrindavan Das has thus written:

Nityananda remained a few days in Khardaha and then went on to Saptagram with his troupe of associates. They stayed at the home of the fortunate Uddharana Datta on the banks of the Triveni. Completely surrendered to the feet of Nityananda Prabhu, Uddharana Datta worshipped him without any false pretense… The entire caste of gold merchants was purified by the presence of Uddharana Datta in its midst, of this there can be no doubt. Chaitanya Bhagavata 3.5.443,449-50, 453

Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur has particularly given extensive glorifications of Nityananda Prabhu. The sinful and offensive living beings of this world have no alternative but the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu if they want to be delivered. Even though Nityananda is Bhagavat-tattva, he behaves as a devotee. All of his associates are expansions of his mercy. Nityananda Prabhu is said to be the deliverer of the most fallen; his companions seek out even more fallen souls to deliver. In fact, Nityananda distributes his mercy to the conditioned souls through his devotees.

As one of Nityananda's closest confidantes, Uddharan Datta Thakur is called parama-parama-patita-pavana, "the deliverer of the most fallen amongst the most fallen." Thus any jiva who takes shelter of Uddharan Datta Thakur is quickly delivered from his material entanglements and attains the service of Nityananda Prabhu and Gauranga Prabhu's lotus feet. Therefore Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami describes him as the best of the maha-bhagavatas and Vrindavan Das Thakur writes in the Chaitanya Bhagavata: " Uddharan Datta is a great and magnanimous Vaishnava, who has a title to the service of Nityananda Prabhu."

From a superficial point of view, Uddharan Datta worked as the manager of a big zamindar (Nairaja) of Naihati, about one and a half miles north of Katwa. The relics of this wealthy family are still visible not far from the Dain Hat station. The village where Uddharan Datta Tahkur lived while acting as the manager of the estate was named Uddharanpur.

Though he possessed a vast fortune, Uddharan Datta renounced all sense gratifications, dedicating his sense activities to the service of Nityananda Prabhu. Being controlled by the love of his devotee, Nityananda enjoyed the foodstuffs that Uddharan had cooked.

bhaktera dravya prabhu kari kari khaya

abhaktera dravya-pane ulati na caya

The Lord grabs the offerings given him by his devotee. That which is given him by a non-devotee is of no interest to him.

Saptagram stands on the banks of the Saraswati River. At Uddharan Datta's Sripat, one can still see the six-armed figure of Mahaprabhu that he personally worshipped. On the right side of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a deity of Sri Nityananda. On another altar are the figures of Radha Govinda and a Shalagram Shila, and below the throne is a picture of Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur. After Uddharan Datta disappeared, Jahnava Devi made an auspicious visit to his home.

Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami writes in the Chaitanya Charitamrita that his brother did not have as much faith in Nityananda Prabhu as he had in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This was the cause of an argument between his brother and Nityananda's follower Minaketana Rama Das. Krishna Das took Rama Das' side in this argument and rebuked his brother. Nityananda Prabhu was pleased with Krishna Das for having supported his devotee, even though this was a fairly ordinary qualification. Nityananda gave Krishna Das a vision of himself, the right to live in Vrindavana and service to the lotus feet of Radha and Krishna. The conclusion is that if we worship Uddharan Datta Thakur, serve him and try to please him, we will quickly be able to get the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, through which we will become eligible to attain love for Krishna and thus perfect our lives. In order to attract people to Uddharan Datta's Sripat it is necessary to make repairs to the buildings on the site. Through this, people will become aware of his glories and will seek his mercy and become blessed. If one makes an effort to serve the devotee, then he will give the commensurate power to serve.

In front of the Saptagram temple, a large hall has been constructed, in front of which is a shady, cool terrace covered by a madhavi creeper.

Srinivas Datta Thakur was Uddharan Datta's only son. Their descendants have spread into many branches and today live in Calcutta, Hooghly and many other places. Those who have taken birth in this family are doubtlessly very fortunate individuals. We pray that they abandon the superficial illusory family connection and establish their transcendental relation with him."

Uddharan Datta Thakur left this world in the Shaka year 1463 (1552), on the Krsna trayodasi of the month of Paush.

The following comments are added in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's commentary on Chaitanya-Charitamrta 1.11.41: "When we returned from America in 1967, the executive committee members of this temple invited us to visit it, and thus we had the opportunity to visit this temple with some American students. Formerly, in our childhood, we visited this temple with our parents because all the members of the suvarna-vanik community enthusiastically take interest in this temple of Uddharan Datta Thakur. In the Bengali year 1283 (AD 1876) a babji named Nitai Das arranged for a donation of twelve bighas of land for this temple. The management of the temple later deteriorated, but then in 1306 (AD 1899), through the cooperation of the famous Balaram Mullik of Hooghly, who was an assistant magistrate, and many rich suvarna-vanik (gold merchant) community members, the management of the temple improved greatly. Not more than fifty years ago, one of the family members of Uddharan Datta Thakur named Jagamohana Datta established a wooden murti (statue) of Uddharan Datta Thakur in the temple, but that murti is no longer there; at present, a picture of Uddharan Datta Thakur is worshiped. It is understood, however, that the wooden murti of Uddharan Datta was taken away by Sri Madana-mohana Datta and is now being worshiped with a Shalagram Shila by Srinath Datta."

[Excerpted from "Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates" by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

Subuddhi Raya – Biography 2

Nothing is known about Subuddi Raya’s birthplace or his parents. His life is memorable because he received Mahaprabhu’s association and special blessings. In the first part of his life, he became the king of Gaudadesha. According to Ashutosha Deva’s Bengali dictionary, Gauda was the name of the ancient capital of Bengal in Malda district, from which the entire Bengali kingdom took its name. On the other hand, Hari Das writes in his Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana that, according to the Skanda Purana, there were five Gaudas, by which were meant the kingdoms of Sarasvata, Kanyakubja, Utkala (Orissa), Maithila, and Bengal, but that the name was primarily used for the region lying between East Bengal (Banga) and Mithila. Vijaya Sena of Karnataka came and became the king of Gauda and his descendants were known as Gaudeshvara. Vijaya Sena’s son Ballala Sena established the city of Gauda on the banks of the Ganges. The course of the Ganges has since moved. Previously, all Bengalis were known as Gaudiyas, but the name has become synonymous with Vaishnavas who follow Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Subuddhi Raya was born in a Brahmin family and was well-known for his scholarship. While he was king of Gauda, Hussein Shah was his protégé. Previously, Subuddhi was the master of Bengal and Hussein Khan Sayyid worked for him. (Chaitanya-charitamrita 2.25.180).

Subuddhi put Hussein Khan in charge of digging a big tank, but because of mistakes made by the latter, punished him by having him whipped. Subsequently, Hussein Khan himself became the king of Gauda. Nevertheless, because of the help which Subuddhi had given him in the past, continued to treat him with a great deal of respect. The scars of the flogging he had received from Subuddhi remained on his body, however, and one day Hussein Shah’s queen asked where they came from. When the King told his wife the story, she became angry and incited her husband to punish Subuddhi by putting him to death. Hussein Shah refused to go to such extremes, and so his wife suggested that he punish him by bringing about his caste falldown. The King refused to do this because he knew that doing so would be tantamount to killing him. His wife insisted, however, even threatening to kill herself if he did not do something. Finally, he was obliged to give in to his wife and he gave water to Subuddhi to drink, which according to the Hindu rules of the time meant that he lost his caste status.

Even prior to these events Subuddhi had become completely detached from material life. He took this opportunity to leave his home and family and go to live in Varanasi. There he inquired from the Smarta Brahmanas how to go about atoning for the loss of caste status. They told him that he should commit suicide by drinking boiling ghee. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana, it is said that it was common to be told to atone by jumping into a fire of chaff, i.e., a fire which is not easily extinguished. Others, however, objected that such a heavy punishment did not fit the minor nature of the offense. As a result of this difference of opinion amongst the Brahmins, Subuddhi Raya hesitated.

Subuddhi Raya gathered dry wood and sold it in Mathura, receiving five or six paisa for each load. He spent only one paisa for food, eating dried chick peas. The rest of the money was kept with a businessman. Whenever he saw Vaishnavas in distress, he would feed them and when Gaudiya Vaishnavas arrived in town, he would provide them with rice, yogurt and mustard oil for rubbing on the body. (Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 25.197-9) (In the wallpaper: wood and dry chickpeas).

When Mahaprabhu came to Varanasi, Subuddhi came to see Him and recounted the whole story from beginning to end. The Lord recommended to him that he go to Vrindavan and chant the names of Krishna. The Lord said, Leave here and go to Vrindavan. Chant the Holy Names of Krishna constantly. The shadow of the Name will destroy any sins you may have committed. If you go on chanting, you will attain Krishna’s lotus feet. (Chaitanya-charitamrita 2.25.191-3)

On the Lord’s order, Subuddhi Raya set off for Vrindavan, stopping in Prayag, Ayodhya and Naimisharanya, where he stayed for some time. When he finally arrived in Mathura, he learned that the Lord had already left for Prayag and that he had thus missed Him. In distress and separation, Subuddhi became very renounced. He made his living by gather dry wood from the jungle and selling it in Mathura. He subsisted on the little money that he made from this work, eating only dried chick peas to keep body and soul together. Even so, he was able to put some money aside which he used for serving the Bengali Vaishnavas, feeding them with rice and yogurt.

Rupa Goswami was extremely happy when he saw Subuddhi Raya’s renunciation and service to the Vaishnavas. Subuddhi took Rupa with him to visit all the holy sites in Vraja-mandala. (Chaitanya-charitamrita 2.25.200) It is clear from this that service to the Vaishnavas is not restricted to the very rich. Even a poor person will find the means to serve Vishnu and the Vaishnavas if he has a sincere desire to do so. By the will of the Lord, he will never have any shortage. This is the example set by Subuddhi Raya’s holy life.

When Sanatana Goswami was walking from Varanasi to Mathura, he took the main road from Prayag on the Lord’s order. In the meantime, Rupa and Anupama had taken the road along the banks of the Ganges in order to meet Mahaprabhu in Prayag. When Sanatana met Subuddhi in Mathura, he learned from him that he had missed Rupa and Anupama. Subuddhi showed a great deal of affection for Sanatana as he had known him in his previous life as a government minister. He wanted to serve him, but Sanatana did not wish to accept his service.

Subuddhi Raya spent the rest of his life in Vrindavan worshiping the Lord by chanting the Holy Names in great renunciation. In this way he followed the order of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The date of his death is unknown.

[Excerpted from “Shri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Shrila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

Shivananda Sena – Biography 2

pura vrindavane vira duti sarvash ca gopikah

ninaya krishna-nikatam sedanim janako mama

(Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 176)

The go-between Vira, who previously brought all the gopis to Krishna, is my father.

Shivananda’s Home and Family

Shivananda Sena’s son, Paramananda Sena, also known as Kavi Karnapura, wrote this verse in his Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika. Just as Vira Duti acted to enrich the pastimes of Krishna and the gopis, Shivananda Sena appeared to enrich Gaura Hari’s lila. Shivananda Sena’s home was in the present day city of Halisahar, in Kumarahatta near Kanchariaparia. This is the same town in which Ishvara Puri, Mahaprabhu’s guru, was born. Mahaprabhu took the earth from Ishvara Puri’s birthplace. Ever since, Devotees have been taking earth from that spot, leaving a hole in the ground big enough to form a pool that has taken the name of Shri Chaitanya Toba.

After Mahaprabhu took sannyas, Shrivasa Pandit and his family found it impossible painful to remain in Navadwip and so moved to Kumarahatta. Other notable residents of the town were Vasudeva Datta Thakur, Khanja Bhagavan Das and others. The Gaura Gopal Deity installed by Shivananda Sena is still being worshiped in the Krishnaraya Temple in Kanchra Para.

Shivananda Sena was present when Mahaprabhu came to visit Shrivasa Pandit’s house in Kumaahatta:

Vasudeva Datta came immediately, as did Shivananda Sena and his family members. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.5.18)

A Vaishnava may take birth in any family. Shivananda Sena manifested his lila of being born in the Vaidya or physician caste for its glory.

Shri Shivananda Sena had three sons: Shri Chaitanya Das, Shri Rama Das and Shri Paramananda Kavi Karnapur.

All the Devotees went to Puri at the time of the Rathayatra in order to see Mahaprabhu. Shivananda Sena managed these trip, taking responsibility for the route the Devotees took, the costs of both coming and going, their lodgings, etc. (In the wallpaper: Lord Jagannath, Jagannath Temple in Puri).

On the Lord’s orders, every single year all the Devotees came to see the Rathayatra…. Amongst them were Krishna’s own singer, Mukunda Datta and Shivananda Sena and others who were accompanied by their family members. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.8.5, 15)

Shivananda’s Service

Shivananda Sena took care of the paying the customs duties and ferry fees for the group. He took personal care of everyone in the pilgrimage. He care of all the Devotees’ necessities, especially making lodging arrangements. He knew the roads through Orissa and would show the way. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.16.19-20)

In the third year, when Mahaprabhu’s associates took their wives with them, Shivananda Sena also took his wife and son, Shri Chaitanya Das. The Chaitanya Charitamrita’s description of that trip is as follows:

Malini accompanied Shrivasa Pandit, Shivananda Sena’s wife travelled with him. Shivananda’s little boy named Chaitanya Das also jubilantly came along with them to see the Lord… Shivananda Sena dealt with customs officials and made eating and lodging arrangements, ecstatically going on the road to see Mahaprabhu. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.16.22-3, 26-7)

One of Mahaprabhu’s dear Devotees was Vasudeva Datta from Chittagong. He was very generous and somewhat prodigal in his spending. Mahaprabhu told Shivananda Sena to take charge of his affairs to help him cut back on his expenses, giving practical instructions on the necessity of earning money to run a household.

He respectfully said to Shivananda Sena, “Please take Vasudeva Datta to hand. He is too generous. He spends whatever he earns on the very same day. He is a householder, he has to save some money; if he doesn’t do so, he will not be able to maintain his wife and family. I want you to supervise his income and expenditures; be his manager and resolve his difficulties." (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.15.93-96)

Shivananda Sena and the Dog

In the Chaitanya Charitamrita, Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami has told an anecdote about the amazing relationship between Shivananda Sena and a dog.

One year, as the pilgrimage party was on its way to Puri, a dog began to tag along with it. When they had to cross a certain river, the ferryman refused to allow the dog to get on board the ferry. Shivananda Sena finally paid him 10 panas of cowry shells to get it across. One day, Shivananda’s servant forgot to feed the dog and it disappeared. He sent ten men to find the animal, but they had no success. Shivananda was so upset that he did not eat his meal that evening. In great anxiety, the Devotees reached Puri and met Mahaprabhu and then went to the Temple to see Jagannath. Mahaprabhu ate with the Devotees and at the end of the meal sent them all to their lodgings. The next day, the Devotees came to see Mahaprabhu and were amazed to see the dog there. Mahaprabhu was laughing and giving coconut Prasad to the animal and was saying, “Chant Hare Krishna, Hare Rama!” The dog was clearly barking out the names and eating the Prasad given him by the Lord. Everyone was completely astonished to see this extraordinary happening. Shivananda Sena prostrated himself on the ground in obeisances to the dog and begged him for forgiveness with all humility. After this, the dog disappeared and was never seen again. By Mahaprabhu’s mercy, the dog had received a spiritual body and gone to Vaikuntha.

Shivananda Sena prostrated himself on the ground in obeisances to the dog and begged him for forgiveness with all humility. After this, the dog disappeared and was never seen again. By Mahaprabhu’s mercy, the dog had received a spiritual body and gone to Vaikuntha. (In the wallpaper: Shri Vijaya Gauranga in the right, ISKCON Hungary, Budapesht, spiritual body in the left, a dog).

The next day, no one saw the dog anywhere for it had obtained a spiritual body and gone to Vaikuntha. These are the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sachinandana: he made a dog say the names of Krishna and then he sent him to the spiritual world.

(Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.1.32-3)

Shivananda Sena and Nakula Brahmachari

During the period of Muslim rule, the county courthouse in the town of Kalna in the district of Burdwan was in the neighborhood named Ambika. This neighborhood was known then as Ambua Muluk, today as Pyari Ganj. A great Vaishnava named Nakula Brahmachari lived there. Mahaprabhu entered into Nakula’s heart out of his desire to deliver the people of Bengal, The brahmachari began to behave just like someone who was possessed by the planets and would dance, sing and shout in a deep mood of divine love. Both his inner attitude and his physical appearance took on Mahaprabhu’s nature.

When people heard about the miraculous occurrences surrounding Nakula Brahmachari, they flocked to see him. In his presence everyone would be influenced by his absorption in Mahaprabhu’s mood; they would sing Krishna’s names and begin to experience the taste of Krishna-prema.

When he heard about all this, Shivananda Sena could not at first believe that it was true and he decided to test Nakula Brahmachari to eradicate his doubts. He came to Ambika, but kept himself at some distance from the brahmachari. His idea was that if Nakula were truly possessed by Mahaprabhu, he would call out to him and tell him what his own secret mantra was. In spite of the fact that Shivananda was invisible in the great crowd of countless Devotees, Nakula called out his name and sent people to look for him. When he heard his name being called, Shivananda came forth and paid his obeisances to Nakula. The brahmachari said, “You doubted me, so listen carefully and I will put an end to your doubts. Your worshipable mantra is the four-syllable Gaura-Gopal mantra. Give up the uncertainty which you kept in your heart.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.2.30-31)

When he heard this, Shivananda became convinced that Nakula Brahmachari was indeed filled with the presence of Mahaprabhu. He paid his prostrated obeisances to him and acknowledged his faith and devotion to him. This is just one example of Mahaprabhu’s inconceivable potencies.

Shivananda Sena and Nrisimhananda Brahmachari

Shivananda Sena had a nephew, Shrikanta Sena, who was so eager to see the Lord that one year he went to Puri alone. Mahaprabhu treated him warmly and kept him for two months before instructing him to return to Bengal. He told him to convey the message to the Bengali Devotees that there was no need for them to come to Puri that year, for He Himself would be visiting Bengal in the month of Paush. He would then meet with them all and eat at Jagadananda’s house. When Shrikanta returned with the news, everyone was jubilant in expectation of the Lord’s visit. But when the time of Mahaprabhu’s expected arrival approached, Shivananda, Jagadananda and the others who had been waiting anxiously were distressed to see that He did not come.

At that time, Pradyumna Brahmachari (who had been given the name Nrisinghananda by Mahaprabhu) happened by and asked them why everyone was so unhappy. When he heard about their disappointment over Mahaprabhu’s non-arrival, he assured them that he would bring Mahaprabhu there within three days. Everyone knew of Pradyumna’s spiritual powers and so they believed him.

Pradyumna sat down in meditation. After two days, he said, “Mahaprabhu has arrived in Panihati. By midday tomorrow He will be at Shivananda’s house.” Without showing the slightest doubt, he ordered Shivananda Sena to start making preparations for a feast in honor of Mahaprabhu’s arrival. Nrisinghananda personally started cooking early in the morning, and made a large variety of preparations, which he distributed onto three plates to make offerings to Jagannath, Nrisinghadeva and to Mahaprabhu. As soon as he sat down in meditation for the offerings, Mahaprabhu personally appeared and ate all three offerings, without leaving any remnants.

...though he well knew that on a higher level there is no distinction between Mahaprabhu, Nrisingha and Jagannath, in order to demonstrate the principle of devotion to one’s own personal worshipable Deity, he said, “Nrisinghadeva has not eaten anything today.” Shivananda asked why this was so and Pradyumna Brahmachari answered, “Mahaprabhu ate the offerings intended for all three Deities. Therefore Nrisingha and Jagannath have gone hungry.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.2.71) (In the image: Lord Chaitanya eating the food offered to the Deity of Lord Narasimhadeva, Nrisimhananda Brahmachari).

Pradyumna was overjoyed to see the Lord accept his offerings. Nevertheless, though he well knew that on a higher level there is no distinction between Mahaprabhu, Nrisingha and Jagannath, in order to demonstrate the principle of devotion to one’s own personal worshipable Deity, he said, “Nrisinghadeva has not eaten anything today.” Shivananda asked why this was so and Pradyumna Brahmachari answered, “Mahaprabhu ate the offerings intended for all three Deities. Therefore Nrisingha and Jagannath have gone hungry.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.2.71)

When he heard this, Shivananda felt a twinge of doubt. Nevertheless, he furnished Pradyumna with more raw foodstuffs so that he could prepare another offering for Nrisinghadeva. The next year, when Shivananda came to Nilachala, Mahaprabhu one day started to glorify Nrisinghananda’s virtues to all the Devotees.

“Last year in the month of Paush, he gave Me such a nice meal. I have never tasted such delicious rice and vegetables!” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.2.77)

All the Devotees were struck with wonder at hearing this, and Shivananda himself became confident that the incident was true. This is another example of Mahaprabhu’s mercy to Shivananda.

Nityananda Prabhu’s Punishment of Shivananda

Shivananda Sena also received much mercy from Nityananda Prabhu. One day Nityananda kicked Shivananda who thus received the touch of his lotus feet, a rare attainment for even Brahma and the demigods. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami has described this incident in the 12th chapter of the Chaitanya Charitamrita’s Antya-lila. After the disappearance of Hari Das Thakur, Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic transformations increased day by day. That year, the Devotees gathered in Navadwip as usual in preparation for the journey to Puri. Nityananda also joined the party, even though Mahaprabhu had expressly forbidden him to come. Shivananda was accompanied by his wife and three sons. Since he knew the roads of Orissa, he was in charge of the party and would take care of the customs agents, toll collectors, etc., along the way.

Normally, Shivananda would cross the tollgate last, after first insuring that all members of the party had gone through. On one occasion, the procedure took longer than usual and since Shivananda had not arranged for lodgings for the company in the nearby village, the Devotees were obliged to stand and sit about under a tree until quite late at night. While waiting for Shivananda to come through the tollgate, Nityananda Prabhu appeared to take on the mood of a cowherd boy from Vraja overcome by hunger. He made a pretense of being angry at Shivananda, complaining, “Shiva has still not come and arranged for a place for us to stay and I am dying of hunger. I curse his three sons to die.”

On hearing Nityananda make such a curse, Shivananda’s wife started to cry. When Shivananda finally returned from paying the toll collector, he had to calm his wife. He said, “Foolish woman! Why are you needlessly crying? Let our sons die for the inconvenience we have caused Nityananda Prabhu.”

He then went to speak to Nityananda, who kicked him in the head as he paid his obeisances. Shivananda was overjoyed to receive the merciful touch of the Lord’s foot and immediately went to arrange quarters for the night in the house of a milkman. When Shivananda had brought Nityananda Prabhu to his lodgings, he glorified him and prayed to receive the touch of his feet again and again. He said, “Today you have accepted me as your servant, for you have punished me appropriately as you would your own servant. You are so compassionate that even your punishments are a sign of your causeless mercy. Who in the three worlds can understand your personality? The dust of your feet is unattainable by even Brahma, yet it has fallen on my wretched body. My life, my family and my service have all become perfected today. Today I have attained devotion to Krishna, as well as all the other goals of human life.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.12.27-30)

...“Foolish woman! Why are you needlessly crying? Let our sons die for the inconvenience we have caused Nityananda Prabhu.”...“Today you have accepted me as your servant, for you have punished me appropriately as you would your own servant. You are so compassionate that even your punishments are a sign of your causeless mercy. Who in the three worlds can understand your personality? The dust of your feet is unattainable by even Brahma, yet it has fallen on my wretched body. My life, my family and my service have all become perfected today. Today I have attained devotion to Krishna, as well as all the other goals of human life.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.12.27-30) (In the wallpaper: Lord Nityananda kicking Shivananda Sena, a man).

Nityananda was so pleased by Shivananda’s prayers that he embraced him. However, Shrikanta, Shivananda’s nephew, had been upset by Nityananda’s behavior. He thought, “Shivananda is Mahaprabhu’s dear associate and respected by all the Devotees, and yet Nityananda has kicked him in the head.” He left the party and went ahead to Puri on his own. Upon his arrival, he went to Mahaprabhu and paid his prostrated obeisances. Mahaprabhu first told His servant Govinda to instruct Shrikanta to take off his upper garments when paying obeisances. Then, knowing his thoughts, he said to His associates, “Shrikanta has come on his own because of some great mental distress. Don’t say anything to him; let him do as he wishes.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.12.38)

From these words, Shrikanta could understand that Mahaprabhu is all-knowing and so said nothing about the incident to anyone. The Lord is so affectionate to His Devotees that even their friends and relations are also dear to Him.

aham bhaktaparadhino hy asvatantra iva dvija

sadhubhir grasta-hridayo bhaktair bhakta-janapriyah

I am under the control of My Devotees, O Brahmin, as though I were completely lacking any independence. The saintly Devotees have taken possession of My heart, for I am dear to them and they to Me. (Shrimad Bhagavatam 9.4.63)

Mahaprabhu’s Mercy on Shivananda’s Family

Due to their relation to Shivananda, his wife and three sons also received the Lord’s unlimited mercy. He named his youngest son Paramananda Das in accordance with Mahaprabhu’s instruction. Mahaprabhu would jokingly call him Puri Das. When Shivananda presented the little child to Him, the Lord affectionately allowed him to suck on His toe.

Who can find the limits of the ocean of Shivananda’s good fortune? The Lord accepted his entire family as His own. Then He sat down and ate with all the Devotees. As He washed His mouth and hands after the meal, He said to Govinda: “As long as Shivananda Sena, his wife and child remain in Puri, you should give them My remnants.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.12.51-3)

Mahaprabhu’s unlimited mercy on Shivananda’s youngest son, Puri Das, is described in the sixteenth chapter of the Antya-lila. One year, when Shivananda and his wife were in Puri for the Rathayatra, Mahaprabhu said to the little boy, “Say Krishna, say Krishna!” Though the Lord asked him to chant repeatedly, the boy refused to utter the Holy Name. His embarrassed father also tried to get him to chant, but the child was steadfast in his refusal. Mahaprabhu said that He had induced everyone in the universe, even including the lower forms of life, to chant the names of Krishna, but was unable to make this little child do so. What could be the reason? Svarupa Damodar realized what it was: “You have instructed him in the mantra consisting of Krishna’s name. Now that he has received the mantra, he will not reveal it publicly but only chants it mentally. That is my guess.”

In his Anubhashya, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has written: “The mantra which one has received from the guru is not to be revealed to anyone else, otherwise it will lose its potency. We have seen this previously from the story about Gadadhara Pandit.”

Another day, Mahaprabhu asked Puri Das to recite a verse. Puri Das broke his silence and recited a verse of his own composition that astonished all those who heard it. Even Brahma and the gods cannot understand the glories of Mahaprabhu’s mercy. Puri Das, or Kavi Karnapura’s verse:

shravasoh kuvalayam akshnor

aïjanam uraso mahendramanidama

vrindavana-ramaninam

mandanam akhilam harir jayati

All glories to Hari,

the ornament for all the beauties of Vrindavan,

who is a blue lotus for their ears,

black collyrium for their eyes,

and a necklace of blue sapphires

to decorate their breast.

(Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.16.74)

Shivananda and Raghunatha Das Goswami

When Raghunatha Das Goswami left home, using a service to his guru Yadunandana Acharya as a pretext, his father Govardhana Majumdar, sent ten men to Shivananda, who was already on his way to Puri, asking him to send Raghunatha Das back. They did not find Raghunatha Das, however, and so returned empty-handed. At the end of the rainy season, when Shivananda and the other Devotees returned from Puri, Govardhana Majumdar heard from some of them that Raghunatha Das was engaged in strict austere practices and begging near the Singha Dvara of the Jagannath Temple. His father and mother were greatly distressed by his departure and the next time that the Devotees went to Puri, Govardhana gave 400 rupees to Shivananda for his son. Raghunatha refused to accept this money for himself. Shivananda Sena’s son Kavi Karnapura glorified Raghunatha Das extensively in his play, Chaitanya Chandrodaya.

The dates of Shivananda Sena’s appearance and disappearance are not known, nor the names of his parents or wife.

[Excerpted from “Shri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Shrila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

All glories to Hari, the ornament for all the beauties of Vrindavan, who is a blue lotus for their ears, black collyrium for their eyes, and a necklace of blue sapphires to decorate their breast. (In the wallpaper: Shri Gopinath, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai).

Raghava Pandit- Biography

dhanishtha bhakshya-samagrim krishnayadad vraje’mitam

saiva sampratam gauranga-priyo raghava-panditah

gunamala vraje yasid damayanti tu tat-svasa

The gopi Dhanishtha who brought unlimited amounts of food to Krishna in Vraja has now become Gauranga’s dear servant, Raghava Pandit. His sister Damayanti was Gunamala in Krishna-lila. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 166-7)

In Krishna-lila, Dhanishtha Devi would take Krishna’s Prasad to Radharani on Yashoda Mata’s order. Radharani would then lovingly take the Prasad. (In the wallpaper: Shrimati Radharani, ISKCON Hungary, Krishna Valley).

In Krishna-lila, Dhanishtha Devi would take Krishna’s Prasad to Radharani on Yashoda Mata’s order. Radharani would then lovingly take the Prasad. Bhaktivinoda sings in his bhoga arati:

yashomati ajïa peye dhanishtha anita

shri-krishna-prasad radha bhuïje haye prita

Mahaprabhu, who was none other than Krishna in the mood of Radharani, similarly accepted the food offerings made by Dhanishtha’s incarnation, Raghava Pandit.

Mahaprabhu Resides Permanently in Raghava’s House

Raghava Pandit’s home was in the town of Panihati. Panihati is on the eastern bank of the Ganges, one mile from the Sodhpur station on the Eastern Railway line out of Sealdah. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami has written that Mahaprabhu remained permanently in the house of Raghava Pandit.

The Lord’s manifestations took place in the home of Sachi, during Nityananda’s dancing, in Shrivasa’s kirtan, and in the house of Raghava Pandit. It is the Lord’s nature to be attracted by His Devotee’s love. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.2.34-5)

Vrindavan Das Thakur’s biography of the Lord indicates clearly how dear Raghava Pandit was to Mahaprabhu. When he saw the Lord of his life coming toward his home in Panihati from Shrivasa’s house in Kumarahatta, Raghava Pandit fell down at His feet, overcome by love.

When the Lord of Vaikuntha saw Raghava Pandit’s devotion, He blessed him with a look of favor. The Lord said, “I have come to Raghava’s house and forgotten all My distress simply by seeing him. I feel the same pleasure by coming here as I do when I take a refreshing bath in the Ganges.” (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.5.81-3)

The Lord often told Raghava Pandit to cook for Him because He enjoyed accepting his devotion-soaked preparations. Raghava Pandit cooked and fed the Lord with great enthusiasm. Balaram’s other form, Nityananda Prabhu, would also come to eat at Raghava’s house with his companions and all would praise his cooking. Mahaprabhu especially enjoyed his spinach platters. (In the wallpaper: Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, ISKCON Chennai, spinach Prasadam).

While He was there, Gadadhara Das, Purandara Pandit, Parameshvari Das, Raghunatha Vaidya and other great Vaishnavas came to Raghava’s house in Panihati by Mahaprabhu’s desire. The Lord took Raghava aside in order to explain to him His identity with Nityananda Prabhu. He also told Makaradhvaja Kara that service to Raghava Pandit was the same as service to Himself.

Raghavera Jhali

Makaradhvaja Kara, a kayastha who also lived in Panihati, was Raghava Pandit’s initiated disciple. It was he who annually carried the bags of food that his spiritual master prepared for the Lord in Puri. He was named the munsib or superintendent of these bags (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.10.40). Raghavera jhali or “Raghava’s bags” were a filled with various preparations that his sister Damayanti made throughout the year for Mahaprabhu. They have been mentioned in Abhirama Das Thakur’s Pata-paryatana and in the Chaitanya Charitamrita.

Raghava and Damayanti lived in Panihati. They were famous for the bags of food known as Raghavera jhali. (Pata-paryatana)

Raghava Pandit, Mahaprabhu’s primary follower, is the Lord’s seventh branch. An important sub-branch, Makaradhvaja Kara, proceeded from him. His sister Damayanti was the Lord’s dear maidservant, who throughout the year gathered various ingredients for the Lord’s bhoga. Raghava filled bags with the foods Damayanti prepared and secretly carried them to Puri for the Lord. The Lord then ate these gifts of food for an entire year. Those bags are still celebrated as Raghavera jhali [“the bags of Raghava Pandit”]. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.10.24-27)

The generous Raghava Pandit also went with them. Mahaprabhu secretly stayed in his house. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.8.32)

Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami writes a complete description of these bags in his Chaitanya Charitamrita (3.10). Krishna’s Devotees in Vraja have no sense of majesty in their attitude to the Lord. Damayanti would prepare shukta for the Lord because she worried that He might have problems with his digestion. Mahaprabhu was overjoyed to receive these preparations that were offered with such affection.

Raghava Pandit came with bags full of condiments prepared very nicely by his sister, Damayanti. Damayanti made varieties of unparalleled food suitable for the Lord. The Lord would then enjoy them for the entire year that followed. These are the names of some of the pickles and condiments in the bags of Raghava Pandit: mango mustard pickle, ginger mustard pickle, hot spicy mustard, lime and mango pickle, amra-koli, dried ground mango, sliced dried mango, mangoes preserved in oil and dried mango. With great attention, Damayanti also made a powdered dried bitter vegetable preparation (shukta). Do not disregard shukta because it is a bitter preparation; the Lord derived more happiness from eating this shukta than from drinking panchamrita [a combination of milk, sugar, ghee, honey and curd]. Since Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Lord, He takes the spirit in which things are done; accepting the love in which a gift is given. He therefore derived great pleasure even from the dried bitter leaves of shukta and from kashandi (mustard sauce). Because of her natural love for Mahaprabhu, Damayanti considered Him to be an ordinary human being and therefore worried that He might become sick from overeating and get dysentery. She prepared shukta for Him, since it diminishes the mucous that accumulates in the digestive system, causing dysentery. Damayanti’s affectionate attitude brought great pleasure to the Lord. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.10.13-20)

Because of her natural love for Mahaprabhu, Damayanti considered Him to be an ordinary human being and therefore worried that He might become sick from overeating and get dysentery. She prepared shukta for Him, since it diminishes the mucous that accumulates in the digestive system, causing dysentery. Damayanti’s affectionate attitude brought great pleasure to the Lord. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.10.13-20) (In the wallpaper: Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, ISKCON Vrindavan).

Raghava Pandit’s Strict Cleanliness

Mahaprabhu joyfully praised the extent of Raghava Pandit’s devotion to His entourage in Puri, especially talking about his coconut offerings. Though Raghava Pandit possessed hundreds of coconut trees in his own garden, he would have more expensive nuts brought from a far in order to offer coconut water and pulp as offerings that Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu happily accepted.

Raghava Pandit never offered anything to the Lord that was not pure and of the highest quality. Paying high prices for the best possible produce, he had mangoes, jackfruit, bananas and other fruit brought from distant villages to be offered to his Mahaprabhu Deity. One day a servant touched the coconut offering after his hand had brushed against the doorframe. Raghava worried that dust from people’s feet had surely touched the foodstuffs. Thus, he rejected them as unsuitable for the Deity and threw them away.

Should anyone criticize Raghava Pandit for throwing fruit away, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has warned, “Raghava Pandit was an eternally perfected servant of Krishna and not some person with an obsessive-compulsive neurosis about cleaning. Nor was he a low-level Devotee who artificially projected transcendental qualities on matter. He served the object of his worship without the slightest hint of any materialistic attitude, completely absorbed in a transcendental mood of service.” (Anubhashya, 2.14.83)

Nityananda Visits Panihati

Mahaprabhu ordered Nityananda Prabhu to take his associates and leave Puri to preach pure devotion in Bengal. While wandering through the Ganges valley, Nitai was attracted by Raghava Pandit’s pure devotional attitude and came to his house in Panihati. Along with him came the three Ghosh brothers, Govinda, Madhava and Vasudeva, who were known for their abilities as kirtaniyas. When they began singing, Nityananda became absorbed in a trance-like state and started to dance. When he had finished dancing, he sat on the Deities’ altar and Raghava Pandit and Nityananda Prabhu’s entourage performed an elaborate abhishek ceremony to honor him. After the bathing ceremony, they dressed and garlanded him, whereupon Nityananda sat down again on the Deities’ throne while Raghava Pandit held the parasol.

At this moment, a miraculous event occurred. Nityananda Prabhu, still in a trance-like state, ordered Raghava Pandit to quickly bring him a garland of kadamba flowers. Raghava answered that kadamba trees were not yet in flower. Nityananda Prabhu told him to look around the grounds of his house and he would find the flowers. As Raghava searched, he was amazed to find kadamba flowers blossoming on a lime tree. He quickly picked the flowers and made a garland, which he placed around Nityananda’s neck.

A few moments later, the house was filled with the fragrance of damanaka flowers. Nityananda Prabhu said that Mahaprabhu Himself had come from Puri wearing a damanaka garland to hear the kirtan. Narahari Chakravarti Thakur mentions this dance and kirtan in his Bhakti-ratnakara:

First Nityananda Prabhu came to Panihati with his associates. Raghava Pandit, Makaradhvaja Kara and the other Devotees of the village were overjoyed to see them. Who can describe the wonderful dancing and kirtan that took place in Raghava Pandit’s house? (Bhakti-ratnakara 12.3645-7)

Nityananda Prabhu came to Panihati along with Rama Das and Gadadhara Das, where he first visited Raghava Pandit’s house. The kirtan that they began there filled the entire universe with transcendental joy. Panihati is the birthplace of the great Devotee, Raghava Pandit. There is no limit to the glories of a great Devotee’s birthplace. (Bhakti-ratnakara 8.156-8)

Chidha-dadhi Mahotsava

Later, Nityananda ordered Raghunatha Das Goswami to put on a feast of chipped rice and yogurt for his entourage. Raghava Pandit came there also with various foods that had not been contaminated by the touch of cooked rice. He thus witnessed Nityananda’s lila of picnicking by the riverbank in great astonishment. After resting the afternoon by the Ganges, Nityananda went and spent the evening at Raghava Pandit’s house in kirtan and dance. Mahaprabhu Himself manifested there, being attracted by Nityananda’s dancing. In order to reveal the extent of Raghava Pandit’s good fortune, Mahaprabhu and Nityananda sat down together and accepted his offerings of fine rice and various vegetable preparations, as well as cakes and sweet rice, all of which was like the nectar of the gods. Overcome with affection for Raghunatha Das, Raghava Pandit gave Mahaprabhu’s remnants to him.

Mahaprabhu Himself manifested there, being attracted by Nityananda’s dancing. In order to reveal the extent of Raghava Pandit’s good fortune, Mahaprabhu and Nityananda sat down together and accepted his offerings of fine rice and various vegetable preparations, as well as cakes and sweet rice, all of which was like the nectar of the gods. Overcome with affection for Raghunatha Das, Raghava Pandit gave Mahaprabhu’s remnants to him. (In the image: Chipped rice festival, Panihati).

Raghava Pandit visited Puri on occasion where he participated with Mahaprabhu in the cleaning of the Gundicha Temple, the Rathayatra festival, water sports in the Indradyumna Sarovara, etc. He sang in the chorus with the first group of singers who were led by Svarupa Damodar and in which Advaita Acharya was the principal dancer.

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has written a few words about Raghava Pandit’s samadhi tomb: “A high platform was built over Raghava Pandit’s tomb and it is now overgrown with vines. To the north of the samadhi is a broken down building in which his Madana Mohana Deities are present, but much neglected. The service is managed by the principal landlord of Panihati, named Shivachandra Raya Chaudhuri.” (Anubhashya, 1.10.24). Shrila Prabhupada wrote these lines in 1932. Sixty years later, it appears that the situation has changed. A new Temple and residential building have now been constructed on the site of Raghava Pandit’s home.

[Excerpted from “Shri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Shrila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

Prabodhananda Saraswati – Biography

The gopi Tungavidya, who was most learned in all the scriptures, has today become the sannyasi Prabodhananda, whose words are all used in the glorification of Lord Gauranga. (In the image: Tungavidya Gopi, ISKCON Mayapur).

tungavidya vraje yasit sarva-shastra-visharada

sa prabodhananda-yatir gaurodgana-sarasvati

The gopi Tungavidya, who was most learned in all the scriptures, has today become the sannyasi Prabodhananda, whose words are all used in the glorification of Lord Gauranga.

Venkata Bhatta lived in South India. He held a special position amongst the Brahmins as he was very learned in all the scriptures.

There was a Vaishnava of the Shri-sampradaya named Venkata Bhatta who respectfully invited the Lord to his house. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.9.82)

In his commentary to this verse of the Chaitanya-charitamrita, Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur has written: “Venkata Bhatta, Trimalla Bhatta and Prabodhananda Saraswati were previously acharyas of the Shri-sampradaya. Gopal Bhatta Goswami was the son of Venkata Bhatta.”

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has also commented on the same verse: “Shri Venkata Bhatta was a Brahmin of the Shri-sampradaya who lived in Shrirangam. [FN: Shrirangam is situated on the Kaveri River near Trichinopoly. It is about ten miles from Kumbhakonam in the Tanjor district of Tamil Nadu. The Temple of Shri Ranganatha is the largest Temple in India.] Because Shrirangam is situated in Tamil Nadu, people no longer use the names Venkata and Tirumalai (Trimalla). This family had possibly moved to Shrirangam not long before Mahaprabhu’s visit there. Venkata Bhatta belonged to the Variagalai branch of the Ramanuja sampradaya. One of his brothers was the tridandi sannyasi, Prabodhananda, who acted as an acharya of the school. Venkata Bhatta’s son was Gopal Bhatta Goswami.”

Previously, these three brothers were worshipers of Lakshmi Narayan, but they were converted to the worship of Radha and Krishna by the grace of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami has described this conversion in his Chaitanya Charitamrita.

Shrila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s disciple was his own nephew, Gopal Bhatta, one of the six Goswamis.

bhakter vilasamsh cinute prabodha-

nandasya shishyo bhagavat-priyasya

gopala-bhatto raghunatha-dasam

santoshayan rupa-sanatanau ca

Gopal Bhatta, the disciple of Prabodhananda who is dear to the Lord, has compiled these devotional activities to satisfy Raghunath Das, Rupa and Sanatan Goswamis. (Hbv 1.2)

Shrila Prabodhananda Saraswati wrote a number of books, including Vrindavan-shataka, Navadwip-shataka, Radha-rasa-sudhanidhi, Chaitanya-chandramrita, which are especially loved by rasika Devotees. Some of his other titles are Sangita-Madhava, Ashcharya-rasa-prabandha, Shruti-stuti-vyakhya, Gitagovinda-vyakhyana and Kama-bija-kama-gayatri-vyakhyana.

Is Prabodhananda Prakashananda?

In the third chapter of the Madhya-khanda of the Chaitanya Bhagavat, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur comments as follows: “Prakashananda was a teacher of the mayavada doctrine and a sannyasi. While discoursing on the Veda, he cuts up my divine and transcendental body into pieces. Some inexperienced people say that this Prakashananda is the same person as the Prabodhananda, the younger brother of Venkata Bhatta who lived on the banks of the Kaveri. This error has entered into the sahajiya book named Bhaktamal, and the same erroneous belief has entered into the writings of many modern scholars also.” (Gaudiya-bhashya, Madhya-khanda, 3.37.)

That which Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has indicated in this commentary is quite true. Ashutosh Deb has written in his dictionary under the rubric, Prabodhananda Saraswati, “A Vaishnava philosopher whose real name was Prakashananda Saraswati. Chaitanya Deva gave him the name Prabodhananda.”

Hari Das Das has also written in his Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana: “Some people hold that Prabodhananda is the Vaishnava name given to Prakashananda… It is clear from the last verse of the Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi that Prabodhananda had at one time been a mayavadi sannyasi.”

We would argue that the words mayavadarka-tapa-santapta which Hari Das Das quotes as proof of Prabodhananda’s former adherence to the impersonalist philosophy are not acceptable as proof. Mahaprabhu and all of His followers argued against the impersonalist doctrines as much as they could because of its extreme opposition to devotion. The Lord’s deliverance of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and Prakashananda Saraswati are greater feats of mercy than even the salvation of Jagai and Madhai. This statement in the Rasa-sudha-nidhi is simply an effort to show the extent of Mahaprabhu’s mercy and His quality as the deliverer of the most fallen.

Saraswati Thakur’s Introduction to Chaitanya-chandramrita

In 1510 AD, Shri Krishna Chaitanya went to Southern India in order to show His mercy to His Devotees, though His ostensible purpose was to perform a pilgrimage. Starting from Puri in Orissa, He traveled southward to the Godavari and then continued through various other holy places. On the Ekadashi of the waxing fortnight of the month of Asharih, Mahaprabhu found Himself in Shrirangam. The monks of the Dashanami order to which Mahaprabhu belonged normally follow the Chaturmasya vows, and so the Lord decided to spend the four-month period in Shrirangam. This town is the residence of many Vaishnavas of the Shri-sampradaya. (In the image: Shrirangam basi-resident, Tamil Nadu).

In his introduction to the edition of Chaitanya-chandramrita, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur, the founder of the worldwide Chaitanya Maths has written an account of Prabodhananda Saraswati’s life. The rest of this chapter is a quotation in full of this account:

The Vaishnavas of this school are strongly fixed in their practice. Throughout southern India, Smarta Brahmins find it difficult to live in villages where the Shri Vaishnavas are strong. In that period, Shrirangam was a holy place exclusively inhabited by the Shri Vaishnavas. Mahaprabhu considered this a favorable environment for the execution of His four-month vow and so He spent the period in visiting the Temple of Ranganatha and preaching about Krishna.

Three brothers, Tirumalaya, Venkata and Gopalguru had recently come from Mysore to live in Shrirangam. They were not Tamils but Andhras or from Uttarapradesha. The Lord was particularly merciful to this Brahmin family and spent the four months of the rainy season in their house. The middle brother, Venkata, had a son of five years who later became Gopal Bhatta Goswami, one of the six Goswamis.

The Vaishnavas of the Shri-sampradaya are devoted to the worship of Lakshmi Narayan. By Mahaprabhu’s blessings, this Bhatta family developed a taste for Krishna rasa. Although we know nothing more about Tirumalaya, we can surmise that he was totally devoted to Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord’s conversation with Venkata Bhatta is described in the ninth chapter of the Chaitanya Charitamrita’s Madhya-lila.

Prabodhananda was unequalled in his attachment to Shri Chaitanya. Through his pure teachings, Venkata’s son Gopal Bhatta became a great acharya of the Gaudiya Vaishnava school. Prabodhananda himself has a particularly elevated position amongst the followers of Shri Chaitanya. Kavi Karnapura has identified him as Tungavidya in his Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika. In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, he is identified as Gopal Bhatta Goswami’s guru and as extremely dear to Lord Chaitanya. In the Bhakti-ratnakara, the following passages about him are found: Some people glorified Prabodhananda’s virtues and thus he was given the title Saraswati by which he was known everywhere. Shri Krishna Chaitanya is the Supreme Lord and Supreme Absolute Truth. He was so dear to Prabodhananda that even in his dreams he knew nothing else. Prabodhananda was greatly renounced; he was affection incarnate and handsome, as well as being a great poet and expert in singing, playing musical instruments and dance. Everyone’s joy increased on hearing him speak. These are some of the unlimited glories of Prabodhananda Saraswati. (Bhakti-ratnakara 1.149-153)

Prabodhananda Comes to Live in Vraja

A few years after Mahaprabhu had returned to Puri, Prabodhananda entered into a deep understanding of the most intimate teachings given by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He left Shrirangam and went to live in Kamyavana in the Mathura region. Gopal Bhatta also gradually developed an intense desire to come and live in Vraja and so he followed the path taken by his uncle and guru.

Many people ask the question, “If Prabodhananda was so dear to Chaitanya, why is his name not mentioned anywhere in the Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami’s Chaitanya Charitamrita? Would he not have included the pastimes of such a great personality for the pleasure of the Vaishnavas?” We can find an adequate response to this question in the Bhakti-ratnakara. Narahari Chakravarti writes:

Some people have described these activities of Gopal Bhatta, others have not. Those who cannot understand the reason for this engage in useless argument, with the result that an offensive attitude takes root in them. Previously, great rasika Devotee poets who were quite capable of describing these events did not do so in order that others would be able to do so in the future. Gopal Bhatta enthusiastically gave his approval to the writing of [Chaitanya-caritamrita] but would not allow [Krishnadas] to write anything about him. Who knows why he did this; likely it was his great humility. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami was not able to ignore his command. (Bhakti-ratnakara 1.209…223)

Prabodhananda and svakiya-rasa

Some people say that Prabodhananda’s writing show a tendency to the svakiya doctrine. For this reason, Gaudiya Vaishnavas who consider the parakiya-vada superior do not show a great enthusiasm for studying his books. Anyone who is devoted to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is blessed. We simply follow Narahari Chakravarti, a neutral commentator, and avoid useless argument. We relish the writings of Prabodhananda which are filled with the sweetness of servitude to Krishna in the parakiya mood.

Prabodhananda’s mood is very clear. In his language, both gravity and sweetness are found equally. Mahaprabhu’s Devotees take great pleasure in reading his Vrindavan-shataka. His Navadwip-shataka resembles the Vrindavan-shataka. His Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi is truly unequalled in the entire world. This book, Chaitanya-charitamrita, does not bring quite the same degree of pleasure from the poetic point of view, but is nevertheless extremely dear to the Devotees who have an attachment to the sacred rapture of devotion. According to one’s taste, one experiences a work as being superior or inferior. Thus for the transcendental moods of Vraja-bhakti to take effect on a reader, there is a certain dependence on his pious activities from previous lives. Another book, Viveka-shataka, attested by Aufrecht in his notices of manuscripts, is attributed to Prabodhananda Saraswati. The late Rama Das Sena of Berhampore saw this manuscript.

The Chaitanya-charitamrita was widely distributed in Bengal. Even those inimical to Chaitanya became purified upon reading it and experienced a change of heart. It thus goes without saying that Devotees of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be immersed in an ocean of indescribable ecstasy. When the Lord of Goloka comes and stays for four months in someone’s house and accepts service from that household, it is not surprising that He bestows upon that household the most rare forms of love of God. The insignificant living entities can hope to gain some crumbs from the storehouse of priceless love which these blessed persons possess.

Prakashananda Saraswati

Some people attempt to identify Prabodhananda with the Mayavadi sannyasi Prakashananda Saraswati who lived in Varanasi. We are not able to accept their arguments in any way whatsoever for the following reasons: The following account of Prakashananda Saraswati is given in the third chapter of the Madhya-khanda in the Chaitanya Bhagavat:

"Thus the Lord constantly floated in the joys of devotion along with His followers in Navadwip. One day, He heard a verse glorifying the Varaha avatar. He began to roar and went to Murari Gupta’s house. Being satisfied by the praises of Murari, He began to speak in anger against the Vedas: “The Vedas say that I have no hands, feet, face or eyes. This is the way that they make a mockery of Me. In Kashi there is a rascal named Prakashananda who teaches people, cutting My body up into little pieces. He states that the Veda does not accept that I have a body. His entire body has become infected with leprosy and yet he still does not accept My transcendental form. My body is pure and the condensed form of all the sacrifices. Brahma, Shiva and the other gods all glorify My form and activities. What audacity this rascal has to say that My body is false when one accumulates merit and becomes purified by coming into contact with it." (Chaitanya Bhagavat 2.3.35-40)

“The Vedas say that I have no hands, feet, face or eyes. This is the way that they make a mockery of Me. In Kashi there is a rascal named Prakashananda who teaches people, cutting My body up into little pieces. He states that the Veda does not accept that I have a body. His entire body has become infected with leprosy and yet he still does not accept My transcendental form. My body is pure and the condensed form of all the sacrifices. Brahma, Shiva and the other gods all glorify My form and activities. What audacity this rascal has to say that My body is false when one accumulates merit and becomes purified by coming into contact with it." (Chaitanya Bhagavat 2.3.35-40) (In the image: Shri Vrindavana Natabara, ISKCON Columbus, Ohio).

This event took place sometime between 1425 and 1430 of the Shaka era (1504 and 1509 AD). Mahaprabhu came to Shrirangam in 1433 (1512 AD) which is the first time that He met Prabodhananda and his brothers. The three brothers were Vaishnavas in the Shri sampradaya following Ramanuja and thus believers in the eternal form of Narayan. Prakashananda was a Mayavadi sannyasi during this time, a prominent follower of Shankara’s doctrine. It is sheer madness to say that that these two persons are one and the same. Again, in the Chaitanya Bhagavat, Madhya-khanda, the following mention is made of Prakashananda Saraswati:

As he spoke, the Lord was suddenly possessed by the spirit of the Divinity. Grinding His teeth, He angrily spoke the following words: The sannyasi Prakashananda is preaching in Kashi in a way that cuts My body into pieces. The rascal teaches Vedanta but does not accept My transcendental form. I have infected his body with leprosy, but still he does not understand. How can this rascal say that My body, which is filled with unlimited universes, is false? I tell you truthfully, Murari, for you are My servant, that anyone who denies My transcendental form is destined for destruction. My lila and My works are all true; My abode is true. Anyone who denies them will be struck down. The glories of the Lord will destroy one’s ignorance if one hears them, but this sinful professor calls it all false. Anyone who has so little affection for My holy fame will never be able to understand My incarnation. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 2.10.31…44)

At that time, Prakashananda Saraswati was the leader of the ekadandi sannyasi followers of Shankara, whereas Prabodhananda was a tridandi sannyasi in the line of Ramanuja, who had moved to Shrirangam from Mysore. Prakashananda was a Mayavadi living in Kashi, whereas Prabodhananda was a Vaishnava living in Kamyavana. One was a northerner, the other a southerner. One was an impersonalist and monist, the other a Devotee who first followed Ramanuja’s vishishtadvaita-vada and then converted to Mahaprabhu’s achintya-bhedabheda-vada. One was an enemy of Vishnu and the Vaishnavas and only after conversion became a Devotee, the other was the guru of Gopal Bhatta Goswami, an eternal associate of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and acharya of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya. Anyone who calls Gopal Bhatta Goswami’s worshipable guru and uncle a mayavadi and enemy of Vishnu and the Vaishnavas, a conditioned soul, rather than an eternally perfect Devotee of the highest order, is engaging in insults which are offensive and sure to lead him who makes them to a hellish destination.

In two places in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, an extensive description of the conversion of Prakashananda Saraswati is given. It is impossible to understand how someone who had been a mayavadi from 1504 to 1509, then a qualified dualist Vaishnava in South India in 1512, should again become the leader of the Mayavadis in Kashi in 1514. Therefore, any attempt to identify Prakashananda with Prabodhananda is evidence of extreme ignorance. It is no small cause of distress to see the tradition being uprooted in this way. As proof of his humility, Prabodhananda asked through Gopal Bhatta that his own activities not be described in the Chaitanya-charitamrita. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami was not able to disobey this order and so today we have this problem. If Prabodhananda had known that as a result of this silence people would later fall into confusion and identify him with someone who preached against Vishnu and the Vaishnavas he would surely not have commanded Gopal Bhatta and Krishnadas Kaviraj in this way. Anyone who reads the Bhakti-ratnakara will understand. The author of that book writes:

Gaurachandra was the wealth of Tirumalaya, Venkata and Prabodhananda’s lives. The three of them were worshipers of Lakshmi Narayan whose preferences changed to Radha and Krishna as a result of the Lord’s mercy...(In the wallpaper: from left to right Shri Shri Lakshmi Narayana Pirumala, Shri Shri Radha Gopinatha, Radhadesh, ISKCON Belgium).

Gaurachandra was the wealth of Tirumalaya, Venkata and Prabodhananda’s lives. The three of them were worshipers of Lakshmi Narayan whose preferences changed to Radha and Krishna as a result of the Lord’s mercy… The three of them wondered how they could continue living in the Lord’s absence; they wondered who would joke with them and who would accompany them to the Kaveri to bathe in the morning… After four months, when the Lord left, the three brothers began to cry. Mahaprabhu embraced the three brothers and tried to console them. Some people glorified Prabodhananda’s virtues and thus he was given the title Saraswati by which he was known everywhere. Shri Krishna Chaitanya is the Supreme Lord and Supreme Absolute Truth. He was so dear to Prabodhananda that even in his dreams he knew nothing else. (Bhakti-ratnakara 1.83-4, 128-9, 133, 135, 149, 150)

Professor Aufrecht has listed Sangita-Madhava as Prabodhananda’s work. We managed to trace this work and published it in the 18th volume of Sajjana-toshani, in issues 5-12.

Shri Vaishnavas who renounce family life never take the single staff (ekadanda), which is the mark of the Shankarites. Their custom is to take the triple staff (tridanda) and the title Ramanujaryaswami. Some people claim upon reading the Chaitanya-charitamrita that Prabodhananda had been a worshiper of Brahman, but if we accept this without any supplementary evidence we fall into difficulty.

[Excerpted from “Shri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Shrila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

The sannyasi Prakashananda is preaching in Kashi in a way that cuts My body into pieces. The rascal teaches Vedanta but does not accept My transcendental form. I have infected his body with leprosy, but still he does not understand. How can this rascal say that My body, which is filled with unlimited universes, is false? I tell you truthfully, Murari, for you are My servant, that anyone who denies My transcendental form is destined for destruction. My lila and My works are all true; My abode is true. Anyone who denies them will be struck down. The glories of the Lord will destroy one’s ignorance if one hears them, but this sinful professor calls it all false. Anyone who has so little affection for My holy fame will never be able to understand My incarnation. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 2.10.31...44) (In the wallpaper: Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna).