Srila Madhavendra Puri's Disapperance Day

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Srila Madhavendra Puri's Disapperance Day

 

Before Lord Caitanya appeared He sent His eternal associates like Sri

Advaita Acarya, Sri Jagannatha Misra, Saci Mata, Madhavendra Puri, Isvari

Puri to earth. Sri Madhavendra Puri took initiation from Sri Laksmipati

Tirhta in the Madhvacarya sampradaya. He had many but Sri Advaita Acarya and

Sri Isvara Puri were the chief disciples of Madhavendra Puri. In one way or

another, all the Vaisnavas in Bengal and Ksetra mandala (Jagannatha Puri)

were connected with Sri Madhavendra Puri. After Lord Caitanya came many of

his disciples joined Mahaprabhu's sankirtana movement.

 

''Madhavendra Puri's body was completely full of divine love; so were his

followers. He displayed uncommon love of God. Seeing a dark blue raincloud,

he would fall down unconscious. Day and night he was intoxicated from

drinking the ambrosia of Krishna prema.'' (Vrndavana Dasa Thakura)

 

After making an extensive pilgrimage of Bharata-bhumi (India) he passed his

life in Vrndavana and Orissa. He began the restoration work of Vrndavana

that Sri Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis continued later. Wandering from grove to

grove, remembering Radha-Krishna's sweet Vrndavana pastimes, Madhavendra

Puri would faint in ecstasy.

 

In a dream, Sri Gopala ordered Madhavendra Puri to uncover a buried Gopala

Deity and install Him atop Govardhana Hill. Madhavendra Puri celebrated

Gopala's installation with an annakuta (grand festival offering a mountain

of foodstuffs to Krishna). This Annakuta festival, also called Govardhana

Puja, is one of the most important Vaisnava festivals in Vrndavana, in

India, and around the world. The original Gopala Deity, known as Sri

Nathaji, is now worshiped in Nathadvara, Rajasthan.

 

Madhavendra Puri introduced the conception of madhurya bhava (conjugal love)

in the Madhvacarya sampradaya. Madhavendra Puri sowed the seed of prema

bhakti. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became the towering tree dropping honey

sweet fruits of prema upon everyone. He also revealed viraha bhava, the mood

of love relished in separation from God. His branch of the Madhva sect

distinguished itself by this ecstatic love of God. It is known as the

Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya.

 

In Jagannatha Puri, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed an intense mood of viraha

bhava. This increased unlimited when the Lord heard verses from Srimad

Bhagavatam tenth canto, Krishna Karnataka, Gita Govinda, Padyavali, and the

love poems of Candidasa and Vidyapati. Mahaprabhu's viraha begins with a

single verse spoken by Madhavendra Puri, His param guru (grand preceptor):

 

ayi dina dayadra natha he

mathura natha kadavalokyase

hrdayam tvad aloka kataram

dayita bhramyati kim karoty aham

 

''O compassionate Lord of the poor and humble! O lord of Mathura! When shall

I see You again? Without seeing You, My heart has become very much

afflicted. Oh My beloved, I am overwhelmed. What shall I do now?''

(Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 4.197)

 

Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja says that as the diamond kausthubha jewel is the

most precious amongst all rare valuable jewels, this sloka is the rasa kavya

(the best verse in the entire treasury of rasa poetry). Actually, this verse

was spoken by Srimati Radharani Herself. It was Radha's pathetic cry to

Syamasundara, who had gone to Mathura leaving Her alone, desperate in

Vrndavana. Radharani's mercy brought this same verse from the mouth of

Madhavendrra Puri.

 

Reciting even a few words of this sloka would tear open the door of

Mahaprabhu's ecstatic love, making Him swoon in ecstasy falling unconscious.

Feeling intense separation from Krishna, Madhavendra Puri constantly chanted

this verse when departing this world.

 

Krishna Dasa Kaviraja says that with this verse Madhavendra Puri teaches

devotees how to achieve Krishna prema by cultivating intense feelings of

separation from Sri Krishna. Gaudiya Vaisnavas accept that this verse

expresses the essence of the mood of separation.

 

The Gaudiya sampradaya teaches that worship of Radha and Krishna in

separation represents the highest level of devotional service. At this stage

of realization the devotee feels completely ''vacant in the world in the

absence of Krishna.'' A moment without Madhava feels like a millenium. Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu always swam in the ocean of divyanmada mahabhava, the

maddened ecstatic emotions shown by Sri Radha in Brahmar Gita (Srimad

Bhagavatam 10.47) In this verse Madhavendra Puri discloses similar emotions.

The Gaudiya Vaisnavas conclude that the monsoon shower of ecstatic love

exhibited by Lord Gauranga during His manifest pastimes began with

Madhavendra Puri. It then came through Isvara Puri, who played the role of

Lord Caitanya's spiritual master. Madhavendra Puri's samadhi is in Remuna,

Orissa near the temple of Ksira-cora Gopinatha.

 

(From Mahanidhi Swami's book, Samadhis)

 

>From Gaura Gannodesa Dipika by Srila Kavi Karnapura, verse 22:

 

[...] Purusottama's disciple was Vyasatirtha, who wrote the famous book Sri

Visnu-samhita. Vyasatirtha's disciple was Sriman Laksmipati, who was like a

great reservoir of the nectar of devotional service. Laksmipati's disciple

was Madhavendra Puri, a great preacher of devotional service. Madhavendra

Puri was the incarnation of a *KALPA-VRKSHA* tree in the abode of Vraja.

This tree bears as its fruits the mellows of servitude to Lord Krsna,

friendship with Lord Krsna, parental love for Lord Krsna, and conjugal love

for Lord Krsna.

 

Your servant,

Nayana-ranjana das