Appearance day of Srila Rghunandan Thakura and Pundarika Vidyanithi

[Guest guest]

Srila Raghunandan Thakura

 

 

Being called away on medical business,

Mukund Dasa once asked his young son Raghunandan, to

offer Raja bhoga to the family deity of Gopinatha.

Raghunanadan prepared everything timely carefully, and

with great devotion. When he made the offering he

remembered his father’s order, “Make sure the deity

eats.” Ringing the bell the simple boy told the

Gopinatha deity, “Eat, eat!” Raghunandan began crying

when he saw the untouched food remaining on the

deity’s plate. He feared his father’s anger for his

inability to “make the diety eat.” Gopinatha coulddn’t

resist the child’s intense devotion. So the lord ate

everything on the plate, leaving no remnants.

 

Upon returning Mukunda asked for

Gopinatha’s maha prasadam. Raghunandan said the Diety

ate everything. Astonished, Mukunda told his son to

make the offering again. From a hidden place Mukunda

watched in total amazement as Raghunandan offered a

laddhu to Gopinatha. But the lord only took half a

laddhu. Mukunda understood that the deity only took

half because He was still full from eatingthe lunch

offering. Choked with divine emotion in appreciation

of his pure devotee son, Mukunda embraced

Raghunandana.

 

Later in Jaganatha Puri, Lord Gauranga

lovingly asked Mukunda Dasa, ”who is the father and

who is the son?”

 

Mukunda replied, ”Raghunandana is

definitely my father. Because he has given me Krishna

bhakti and showed me pure Krishna conciousness.” In

Krishna lila, Raghunandana is Kandarpa Manjari or

pradyumna (of Catur-vyuha). His samadhi is in the 64

samadhis area.

 

CC 15:TEXTS 128–129

 

raghunandana sevä kare kåñëera mandire

 

dväre puñkariëé, tära ghäöera upare

 

kadambera eka våkñe phuöe bära-mäse

 

nitya dui phula haya kåñëa-avataàse

 

TRANSLATION

 

“Raghunandana is constantly engaged in serving Lord

Kåñëa in the temple. Beside the entrance of the temple

is a lake, and on its banks is a kadamba tree, which

daily delivers two flowers to be used for Kåñëa’s

service.”

 

 

 

CC Madhya: TEXT 76

 

ei-mata saba vaiñëava gauòe calilä

 

vidyänidhi se vatsara nélädri rahilä

 

TRANSLATION

 

Finally all the Vaiñëavas returned to Bengal, but that

year Puëòaréka Vidyänidhi remained at Jagannätha Puré.

 

Madhya 16.77

 

svarüpa-sahita täìra haya sakhya-préti

 

dui-janäya kåñëa-kathäya ekatra-i sthiti

 

 

 

 

TRANSLATION

 

Svarüpa Dämodara Gosvämé and Puëòaréka Vidyänidhi had

a friendly, intimate relationship, and as far as

discussing topics about Kåñëa, they were situated on

the same platform.

 

Madhya 16.78

 

gadädhara-paëòite teìho punaù mantra dila

 

oòana-ñañöhéra dine yäträ ye dekhila

 

TRANSLATION

 

Puëòaréka Vidyänidhi initiated Gadädhara Paëòita for

the second time, and on the day of Oòana-ñañöhé

Puëòaréka Vidyänidhi saw the festival.

 

PURPORT

 

At the beginning of winter, there is a ceremony known

as the Oòana-ñañöhé. This ceremony indicates that from

that day forward, a winter covering should be given to

Lord Jagannätha. That covering is directly purchased

from a weaver. According to the arcana-märga, a cloth

should first be washed to remove all the starch, and

then it can be used to cover the Lord. Puëòaréka

Vidyänidhi saw that the priest neglected to wash the

cloth before covering Lord Jagannätha. Since he wanted

to find some fault in the devotees, he became

indignant.

 

Madhya 16.79

 

TEXT 79

 

jagannätha parena tathä ‘mäòuyä’ vasana

 

dekhiyä saghåëa haila vidyänidhira mana

 

TRANSLATION

 

When Puëòaréka Vidyänidhi saw that Lord Jagannätha was

given a starched garment, he became a little hateful.

In this way his mind was polluted.

 

Madhya 16.80

 

sei rätrye jagannätha-baläi äsiyä

 

dui-bhäi caòä’na täìre häsiyä häsiyä

 

TRANSLATION

 

That night the brothers Lord Jagannätha and Balaräma

came to Puëòaréka Vidyänidhi and, smiling, began to

slap him.

 

Madhya 16.81

 

gäla phulila, äcärya antare ulläsa

 

vistäri’ varëiyächena våndävana-däsa

 

TRANSLATION

 

Although his cheeks were swollen from the slapping,

Puëòaréka Vidyänidhi was very happy within. This

incident has been elaborately described by Öhäkura

Våndävana däsa.

 

yr hs

radhabhava gaur das

 

 

 

 

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