Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi -- Appearance

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PUNDARIKA VIDYANIDHI:

 

Sri Gaurasundara called the respectable Pundarika as father. He was

also known as Premanidhi or Acaryanidhi. Sri Kavi Karnapura referred to him

as King Vrsabhanu (GGD). Pundarika was the disciple Madhavendra Puri. His

father's name was Van

esvara (Suklamvara brahmacari) and his mother's name was Gangadevi.

Suklamvara belonged to the Varendra sect of brahmanas. Ratnavali was the

name of Pundarika's wife. Gadadhara Pandita Gosvami accepted Pundarika as

his spiritual master. His Sripata

was in Mekhala village which is situated under Hat-hazari police station a

few miles north of Chittagong city. The temple of Sri Vidyanidhi is now in

a dilapidated condition. (CC. 1.10.14, Premavilasa 22, CBh. 10.52, 67-187)

 

Now hear the story of Vidyanidhi Prabhu's arrival in Navadvipa.

Pundarika was a very dear associate of Sri Krsna. By the Lord's arrangement

he appeared in the village of Cattagrama in East Bengal, and purified that

land. The Lord Himse

lf appeared in Navadvipa and when He could not find Pundarika Vidyanidhi

there He sighed heavily, feeling separation from him.

One day after ecstatic dancing the Lord sat down and exclaimed,"O My

father Pundarika," and began to cry. "O Pundarika, O My father when will I

be able to see You again." Such was the extent of the Lord's affection for

Pundarika Vidyanidhi. I

n this way Lord Gauracandra revealed His intimate associates by performing

such wonderful pastimes.

 

All the devotees surrounding the Lord were unable to comprehend the

import of the name He continued to repeat and the reason for the tears which

flowed from His eyes. They conjectured that Pundarika naturally implied

Krsna, and Vidyanidhi could

have many different explanations, but no one could understand that this

person was a very confidential associate of the Lord. When the Lord finally

came out of trance the devotees asked Him, "For which associate of Yours

are You weeping my Lord? P

lease reveal to us who he is, when he was born and what he does, tell us

Lord so that we may have the good fortune to know him."

 

The Lord replied, "You are certainly fortunate because you desire to

hear about him. His activities and character are most wonderful, the whole

world can be purified simply by hearing his name. His ecstatic appearance

is almost like an ordi

nary man, therefore no one can recognize Him as a pure devotee of the Lord.

This highly learned scholar brahmana was born in Cakragrama, He strictly

executed the prescribed religious principles and was respected by everyone,

He always floats in th

e ocean of nectar of love of Krsna, and his body constantly displays

various ecstatic symptoms such as crying, horripilation, etc. He never went

for ablutions to the Ganga to cleanse himself of his sins like everyone

else, nor did he enter her wa

ters, he also avoided touching her with his feet. However he came to see

and pay his respects to her everyday in the evening when the teeming crowds

had all gone. He could not bear to see Mother Ganga disrespected and

utilized by people who spat

into her, cleaned their mouth with her waters, and washed their hair and

dirty clothes in her, thus he preferred to come to her in the evenings when

there was no one around.

 

"Another wonderful characteristic of Pundarika Vidyanidhi is that he

always drank Ganga water before worshipping the Lord, then he performed all

his daily prescribed religious duties. This was meant to give a lesson to

all the puffed up schola

rs about the greatness of Mother Ganga.

 

"He is presently in Cakragrama, but he is soon coming to Navadvipa

where he also has a house. None of you will be able to recognize him, as on

first sight one would be inclined to think he was an ordinary materialistic

person. I am very anxi

ous to see him, so all of you must endeavor and pray to bring him here very

quickly."

 

Talking about Pundarika Vidyanidhi threw the Lord into an ecstatic

trance and He began to weep saying, "O My father Pundarika." The Lord

lamented loudly, for only He could understand the extent of the greatness of

such a pure Vaisnava, and thro

ugh His mercy only can that wonderful and unique position of a pure devotee

be revealed.

 

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself attracts a living

entity there is no way that one cannot respond, thus Pundarika Vidyanidhi

suddenly desired to go to Navadvipa. He made arrangements and came to

Navadvipa with many disciples. I

n Navadvipa he remained incognito and all the ordinary men considered him

to be a lavish materialist, attached to a life of comfort and self

enjoyment.

 

With the exception of Mukunda, no one amongst the Vaisnava's knew about

Pundarika Vidyanidhi's arrival in Navadvipa. Sri Mukunda was a ayurvedic,

brahmana doctor who was born in Caktagrama, thus he knew about the wonderful

Vaisnava qualities of

Pundarika Vidyanidhi. When Mukunda found out that he was in Navadvipa, he

was so overwhelmed that it was difficult for him to control himself.

However, Mukunda did not reveal Pundarika Vidyanidhi's identity to anyone

thus Pundarika remained a ma

terialistic self enjoyer, in the eyes of the ordinary folks. Only Mukunda

and his brother Vasudeva Dutta knew about the intensity of Pundarika's love

for God.

 

Gadadhara Pandita and Mukunda were very dear friends and always kept in

each other's company. Mukunda thus told Gadadhara Pandita, "Listen

carefully Gadadhara, a very great devotee has come to Navadvipa. You have

been hankering for the associa

tion of pure vaisnava's and today your desire will be fulfilled. I will

take you to see a wonderful Vaisnava devotee, in return for this I simply

want you to think of me as your dear servant."

 

The excited and happy Gadadhara Pandita called out the name of Krsna as

they proceeded towards the great Vaisnava's residence. Arriving there they

found Pundarika Vidyanidhi sitting comfortably. Gadadhara offered his

obeisances and was respect

fully seated.

 

Vidyanidhi inquired from Mukunda, "What is his name and which village

does he come from? I can see that his body is effulgent due to rendering

devotional service to the Supreme Lord Visnu, both his form and demeanor

are extremely wonderful."

 

"His name is Sri Gadadhara", Mukunda replied, "He is very fortunate

because from early childhood he has been totally detached from family life.

His external, material identity is that he is the son of the brahmana Sri

Madhva Misra. Because he i

s totally absorbed in devotional service he only associates with Vaisnava's,

and he is extremely dear to all the devotees. When he heard about you he

was anxious to meet you."

 

After hearing the wonderful qualities of Gadadhara Pandita, Vidyanidhi

was very pleased to meet him. That great personality, Sri Pundarika

Vidyanidhi, sat like a prince. His beautiful bed was made of metal, covered

with intricate brass inlay wo

rk, from it extended an attached brass lamp stand with three bright lights

hanging down. He was seated on a soft mattress covered with clean expensive

sheets and silk pillows were placed under his back. On either side of him

many small and large wat

er pots sat within his reach, as well as a nice shining brass plate with

betel pan neatly prepared on it. Two large ornate mirrors hung on either

side of him which he continually glanced into while smiling with lips

reddened from chewing pan. He wo

re a sandalwood paste tilaka mark on his forehead and his face was decorated

with dots made from a mixture of sandalwood and perfume. As for his hair,

it was well groomed and shining with delicately perfumed hair oil. Two

persons stood behind him f

anning him gently with long peacock feathers and in front of him was a

nicely prepared hammock. Because he followed a life of pure devotional

service, he looked as charming as Cupid himself. Those who did not know

him would consider him to be a pr

ince as everything about him and around him gave the impression that he was

a man of easy and comfortable life given to pleasure.

 

When Gadadhara Pandita saw these luxurious items and a general

atmosphere of materialistic life he became suspicious. Since Gadadhara was

a fully renounced soul from his early childhood, naturally some doubts

regarding the character of Pundari

ka Vidyanidhi entered his heart. He thought, "What sort of a Vaisnava is

he, surrounded by so much finery and lavish living? Hearing about his

devotional mood I developed great respect for this person, but now on

seeing him it is slowly giving way

to doubt and suspicion."

 

Mukunda understood the mind and heart of Gadadhara Pandita, thus he

took it upon himself to reveal the true nature of Pundarika Vidyanidhi. By

the special mercy of Lord Krsna, Gadadhara Pandita was allowed to perceive

everything, nothing rema

ined unknown to him.

 

In a very sweet voice Mukunda began to sing a verse from the Srimad

Bhagavatam describing the glories of devotional service: "Alas how shall I

take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of a

mother to the she demon Putan

a? Putana was unfaithful and always hankering for the blood of human

children. With that desire in mind she prepared deadly poison to be sucked

from her breasts and came to kill Krsna, but because she offered her breasts

to the Lord she attained the

greatest achievement."

 

As soon as these words concerning devotional service entered his ears,

Pundarika Vidyanidhi began to weep, tears of ecstatic love filled his eyes,

rolling down his face profusely like streams of the Ganga. Simultaneously

all the symptoms of ec

stasy manifested on his person. He wept, trembled, rolled, roared and

finally fell into an unconscious state of ecstasy. Then suddenly regaining

consciousness he said in a loud voice, "Speak, speak," and again fell down

to the ground. Agitated wi

th spiritual emotions he kicked everything that was near him and all the

luxurious paraphernalia went crashing to the ground. The shining brass pots

of water, the container of betel pan, pillows, bed sheets, everything became

a confused mass. He be

gan tearing his fine clothes, and his well groomed hair went haywire as he

wept and rolled in the dust. He cried out, "O Krsna, My Lord, My soul, My

very life, You have made me hard- hearted like a stone." He lamented

loudly, piteously crying out,

"I have been deprived of the Lord's association in His most merciful

incarnation." He rolled around and crashed down to the ground. Everyone was

afraid he might break his bones. He to trembled so violently that three

persons could not hold him down

.. He kicked everything that was in his way, as his disciples stood by

helplessly, unable to control him. In this way the storm of ecstatic love

continued until it finally abated and he fell into an unconscious state of

bliss. He lay down without

breathing, totally submerged in an ocean of spiritual ecstasy.

 

Amazed at what he witnessed Gadadhara Pandita began to worry thinking,

"What inauspiciousness overcame me to make me think in such an offensive

manner about this great personality." He embraced Mukunda, being extremely

pleased with him. Drench

ing him with tears of love he said, "Mukunda you have acted like a true

friend, you have shown me a pure and unalloyed devotee of the Lord. It

would be difficult to find another pure Vaisnava like him anywhere in this

entire creation. One can becom

e totally purified simply by observing his devotional attitude. Today,

because you are right next to me I have been able to avoid a great

catastrophe. When I saw all the luxurious paraphernalia surrounding

Pundarika Vidyanidhi I was convinced that h

e was a materialistic Vaisnava given to the pleasures of life. You could

read my mind and being a great magnanimous soul you revealed to me the

unlimited extent of Pundarika Vidyanidhi's love of for God, yet today I have

been offensive and the exte

nt of my offense can only be mitigated by your mercy. You must be merciful

to me and purify my heart. All these devotees who have taken to the process

of surrender through devotional service to the Lord have all accepted the

shelter of a guide under

whose instructions they act. Yet I do not have such an instructor, so I

have decided to take shelter of Pundarika Vidyanidhi and execute devotional

service under his guidance. I know that I can counteract all my offenses to

him by becoming his d

isciple." Thus Gadadhara Pandita revealed to Mukunda his desire to become a

disciple of Pundarika Vidyanidhi. Mukunda was extremely pleased with the

decision and patted him on the back saying, "very good, very good."

 

Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi was in a state of ecstatic coma for six

hours, gradually he returned to his normal state and sat down quietly. It

was impossible for Gadadhara Pandita to control the tears of joy which

rolled profusely down his face. we

tting his entire body. When Sri Vidyanidhi saw this he embraced Gadadhara

Pandita, holding him to his heart. Overwhelmed by Pundarika Vidyanidhi's

ecstatic devotion, Gadadhara was unable to sleep.(?)

 

Mukunda spoke up, revealing Gadadhara Pandita's mind, "Doubt arose in

Gadadhara's mind when he first saw your extravagant appearance and

surroundings, but now he is repentant and wants to accept initiation from

you. He is a renounced devotee of

the Lord. Although he is young he is mature in spiritual realization, and

comes from the very good family of Madhva Misra. From early childhood he

has always been very attached to the Supreme Lord. I think it is a wonderful

good match an extremel

y elevated spiritual master like Pundarika Vidyanidhi having an equally able

disciple like Gadadhara Pandita. Please consider these points and choose

an auspicious day to initiate him with your diksa mantra."

 

Pundarika Vidyanidhi smiled and said, "Be assured that I will do as

you say, for by the Lord's mercy I have had the great fortune to meet a

person who is like a precious gem. The result of many lifetimes of pious

activities is that one may find

a disciple such as him. The forthcoming twelfth day of the waxing moon is

very auspicious, come here to meet me and your plan will become

successful." Overjoyed, Gadadhara Pandita offered his obeisances and took

leave of Pundarika Vidyanidhi.

 

Mukunda and Gadadhara went straight to meet Lord Gauracandra, who

happily received the news of Pundarika Vidyanidhi's arrival.

 

During the night, without being seen by anyone, Pundarika left all his

associates behind and came to the place of Lord Gauracandra. As soon as he

saw the Lord he fell down like a rod, offering his obeisances. Overwhelmed

with ecstatic trance he

lay on the ground experiencing waves of joy. Shortly afterwards he

regained external consciousness and roared loudly, then despising(?) himself

he began to weep saying, "O my dear Krsna, You are my Lord and father. I am

a great offender, please pun

ish this wretch. O Lord You have liberated everyone in the world, only I

have been deprived of such goof fortune."

 

Hearing his lamentation all the assembled Vaisnavas, who knew Pundarika

Vidyanidhi to be a great and elevated Vaisnava, felt pained and began to

cry.

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya, is especially

inclined to His pure devotees, therefore upon seeing His beloved devotee, He

got up and embraced him. Crying the Lord said, "O My father Pundarika,

finally I am able to see you to

day." The Vaisnavas were overjoyed to have the association of such an

elevated devotee as Pundarika Vidyanidhi and their eyes filled with tears.

So wonderful was this scene that no pen could possibly describe it.

 

Lord Gaurasundara held Pundarika Vidyanidhi in a loving embrace,

wetting him with His tears. Understanding how dear Pundarika was to the

Lord, the devotees immediately felt affection, respect and a sense of

closeness with him. The Lord continu

ed to hold Pundarika Vidyanidhi closely as if He wanted to merge His body

into his. For sometime the Lord was unable to move. Remaining like a statue

He held Vidyanidhi in His close embrace. When the Lord came out of trance

He began to chant the na

me of Hari, and said, "Today Lord Krsna has been very merciful to me, He has

fulfilled all My desires. I have met a person of My heart's desire."

 

Pundarika Vidyanidhi greeted all the Vaisnavas fondly and they began to

chant the holy name together. The Lord then introduced Pundarika saying,

"His name is Pundarika Vidyanidhi, the Lord has specially created him to

distribute love of Godhead

.."

 

Hearing this the devotees happily responded by lifting their arms and

chanting "Hari, Hari." The Lord said, "Today is a special day, a wonderful

thing has happened, I woke up from sleep and my eyes beheld the ocean of

love of Godhead directly

in person."

 

All this went on while Pundarika Vidyanidhi was absorbed within himself

in an ecstatic trance, totally unaware of his immediate external

surroundings. Suddenly he became aware of the devotees around him and he

immediately offered obeisances to

the Lord, properly recognizing Him for the first time since their meeting.

Then he offered his obeisances to Advaita Acarya Prabhu and exchanged

obeisances with all the other Vaisnavas. It was a glorious scene, as all

the devotees floated on waves

of ecstasy, thrilled to have met Pundarika Vidyanidhi who himself is an

ocean of love of Godhead. Only an extremely pious and fortunate person is

able to describe this marvelous scene.

 

Gadadhara Pandita took Lord Visvambhara's permission to accept

initiation from Pundarika Vidyanidhi. Gadadhara said, "I could not

understand the uncommon behavior of this great personality and so I became

disrespectful. Therefore in order to cl

eanse myself of this sin I want to become his disciple, for certainly as my

spiritual master he will exonerate me."

 

Appreciating Gadadhara Pandita's mood, the Lord said, "Yes, perform it

quickly." Thus Gadadhara Pandita formerly accepted initiation from

Pundarika Vidyanidhi,the ocean of ecstatic loving devotion. (CBh. Madhya)

 

Pundarika Vidyanidhi was present to see Mahaprabhu liberate the

great sinners Jagai and Madhai and enjoyed sporting in the water with the

Lord and the other devotees thereafter. Vidyanidhi was one of the chief

companions of Mahaprabhu in Nadi

a, as well as Puridhama. During Mahaprabhu's candan festival at Puri when

He played in Narendra lake, Vidyanidhi also sported in the water with

Svarupa Damodara

 

One day at Puri, Sri Gadadhara Pandita told Mahaprabhu, "I cannot

pronounce my mantra properly....(?)". Mahaprabhu said, "Your spiritual

master, Vidyanidhi, will come here soon, at that time you can discuss this

with him." Just at that time

, Sri Vidyanidhi arrived in Puri and the devotees were overjoyed to have him

in their midst again. Thus Sri Gadadhara Pandita's wish was fulfilled.

Accommodations for Sri Vidyanidhi were arranged by the sea-side at

Yamesvara. He and Svarupa Damoda

ra were very close friends, they constantly enjoyed talking about topics

related to the Lord together and going for darsana of Jagannatha.

 

Around this time, the festival of Odana Sasthi began at Puri and

Lord Jagannatha was dressed in new clothes--all starched. Although starched

cloth is considered improper and impure, the purjaris nevertheless dressed

Him in this way. On this

day the ceremony of `wearing new starched clothes' was being celebrated

with pomp and grandeur. Sri Gaurasundara watched the ceremony along with

the devotees. Lord Jagannatha was dressed in various bright colored

starched clothes (white, pink and

green), and was decorated with garlands and flowers. Varieties of festive

music played and Mahaprabhu enjoyed the festival with great pleasure until

late in the evening. He then returned to His residence along with His

devotees. On the way home the

two friends, Svarupa Damodara and Sri Vidyanidhi, raised a discussion

regarding the Lord's starched clothes. Vidyanidhi said, "In this part of

the country there is considerable discussion regarding Sruti and Smrti, yet

how is it that the Lord is dr

essed in un-holy starched clothing?

 

Svarupa Damodara replied, "Perhaps it is the custom of this place.

If it is the custom, then where is the fault? Had it not been the wish of

the Lord, the King would have forbidden it."

 

Vidyanidhi replied, "God can do whatever He likes, but why should

His priest attendants put starched clothes on Him.? Starched cloth is so

un-holy that the hand which has touched it has to be washed. These things

are not decided by the estat

e officers. I see that the King also wore starched cloth on his head

today."

 

Svarupa Damodara said, "Brother, perhaps there is nothing wrong in

using this cloth on the day of Odana Sasthi. Because the Lord Himself has

appeared on this earth in the form of Jagannatha Deva, rules and regulations

are not applicable to H

im."

 

Vidyanidhi protested, "Jagannatha Deva is the Lord, He is

omniscient. But can these people be like Him? Are they beyond all rules

and regulations?" In this way the two friends discussed in a jovial mood

until reaching their residence, then

took rest.

 

That night Vidyanidhi dreamed that Jagannatha and Balarama were very

annoyed with him. They slapped Vidyanidhi on his two cheeks and said, "I

have no caste, and neither do my attendants. It is I who have made the

rules which you think there

is deviation from." Weeping, Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi put his head on the

feet of Jagannatha and said, "Oh Lord, I have been rightly served according

to my offence. Today is very auspicious for me, Your good hand has touched

my forehead. I do not

now what good deed I performed in my previous birth to have such a

benediction." The Lord then disappeared. When Vidyanidhi awoke in the

morning, he found that his two cheeks were swollen as a result of the

slapping by Sri Jagannatha and Balarama.

 

Every morning Svarupa Damodara came to Vidyanidhi's place and they

went to the Jagannatha Mandira for darsana together. That morning Svarupa

Damodara arrived as usual, but found Vidyanidhi still lying in bed. When he

inquired as to why he wa

s still in bed, Vidyanidhi called him to his side and explained his

extraordinary dream. Hearing this and seeing Vidyanidhi's swollen cheeks,

Svarupa Damodara was overwhelmed with joy. He said, "I don't know of any

other such instance where the Lor

d has punished a man in his dream, but today I have seen this with my own

eyes. Is there any man so fortunate as you in the three worlds?" Svarupa

Damodara joyfully praised Sri Vidyanidhi. As a friend feels delighted at

the well-being of his frien

d, so Svarupa Damodara thought himself extremely lucky because of Pundarika

Vidyanidhi's fortune.

 

Sri Vrndavana dasa wrote: "He who hears about the character of

Pundarika Vidyanidhi is certain to attain devotion to Krsna. (CBh. Antya)

 

The Deities of Laksmi Govinda installed by Pundarika still exist

today. In his birth place one still finds an earthen pitcher bearing

Pundarika's handwriting. On the upper part of the temple there are two

plaques containing sanskrit slokas.

Though damaged severely by fire, the text can still be read with some

effort. In the archives of the Chittagong Collectorate names of Baneswar

Brahmacari and Pundarika Vidyanidhi are found in Tanji no.s 17697, 26837,

17781. There road-cess(?) is s

till collected in those names. The thirteenth generation descendants of

Pundarika Vidyanidhi's family live in Mekhala.