Devananda Pandit

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna,

 

PAMHO, AGTSP

 

Kindly glorify pastimes of Devananda Pandit on his Disapparnece day on 6th Jan.

 

 

Your servant in mission of Srila Parbhupada

 

Nanda Gopal dasa

 

 

CC Adi 10 TEXT 77

bhägavaté devänanda vakreçvara-kåpäte

bhägavatera bhakti-artha päila prabhu haite

TRANSLATION

Devänanda Paëòita was a professional reciter of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, but by the

mercy of Vakreçvara Paëòita and the grace of the Lord he understood the

devotional interpretation of the Bhägavatam.

PURPORT

In the Caitanya-bhägavata, Madhya-khaëòa, Chapter Twenty-one, it is stated that

Devänanda Paëòita and Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya's father, Viçärada, lived in the

same village. Devänanda Paëòita was a professional reciter of

Çrémad-Bhägavatam, but Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu did not like his interpretation

of it. In the present town of Navadvépa, which was formerly known as Kuliyä,

Lord Caitanya showed such mercy to him that he gave up the Mäyävädé

interpretation of Çrémad-Bhägavatam and learned how to explain

Çrémad-Bhägavatam in terms of bhakti. Formerly, when Devänanda was expounding

the Mäyävädé interpretation, Çréväsa Öhäkura was once present in his meeting,

and when he began to cry, Devänanda's students drove him away. Some days later,

Caitanya Mahäprabhu passed that way, and when He met Devänanda He chastised him

severely because of his Mäyäväda interpretation of Çrémad-Bhägavatam. At that

time Devänanda had little faith in Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu as an incarnation of

Lord Kåñëa, but one night some time later Vakreçvara Paëòita was a guest in his

house, and when he explained the science of Kåñëa, Devänanda was convinced

about the identity of Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu. Thus he was induced to explain

Çrémad-Bhägavatam according to the Vaiñëava understanding. In the

Gaura-gaëoddeça-dépikä (106) it is described that he was formerly Bhäguri Muni,

the sabhä-paëòita who recited Vedic literatures in the house of Nanda Mahäräja.