Paramesvara Dasa Mahasaya's disappearance day

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paramesvara-dasa--nityanandaika-sarana

krsna-bhakti paya, tanre ye kare smarana

 

Paramesvara dasa, said to be the fifth gopala of krsna-lila, completely

surrendered to the lotus feet of Nityananda. Anyone who remembers his name,

Paramesvara dasa, will get love of Krsna very easily.

 

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura writes in his Anubhasya, "The

Caitanya-bhagavata states that Paramesvara dasa, known sometimes as Paramesvari

dasa, was the life and soul of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The body of Paramesvara

dasa was the place of Lord Nityananda's pastimes. Paramesvara dasa, who lived

for some time at Khadadaha village, was always filled with the ecstasy of a

cowherd boy. Formerly he was Arjuna, a friend of Krsna and Balarama. He was the

fifth among the twelve gopalas. He accompanied Srimati Jahnava-devi when she

performed the festival at Khetari. It is stated in the Bhakti-ratnakara that by

the order of Srimati Jahnava-mata, he installed Radha-Gopinatha in the temple

at Atapura, in the district of Hugli. The Atapura station is on the

narrow-gauge railway line between Howrah and Amata. Another temple in Atapura,

established by the Mitra family, is known as the Radha-Govinda temple. In front

of the temple, in a very attractive place among two bakula trees and a kadamba

tree, is the tomb of Paramesvari Thakura, and above it is an altar with a

tulasi bush. It is said that only one flower a year comes out of the kadamba

tree. It is offered to the Deity.

 

Paramesvari Thakura belonged, it is said, to a vaidya family. A descendant of

his brother's is at present a worshiper in the temple. Some of their family

members still reside in the district of Hugli, near the post office of

Canditala. The descendants of Paramesvari Thakura took many disciples from

brahmana families, but as these descendants gradually took to the profession of

physicians, persons from brahmana families ceased becoming their disciples. The

family titles of Paramesvari's descendants are Adhikari and Gupta.

Unfortunately, his family members do not worship the Deity directly; they have

engaged paid brahmanas to worship the Deity. In the temple, Baladeva and Sri

Sri Radha-Gopinatha are together on the throne. It is supposed that the Deity

of Baladeva was installed later because according to transcendental mellow,

Baladeva, Krsna and Radha cannot stay on the same throne. On the full-moon day

of Vaisakha (April-May), the disappearance festival of Paramesvari Thakura is

observed in this temple.

(Cc Adi 11.29)

 

The cooking spud which Paramesvara used during sankirtana is placed by the side

of his samadhi on the occasion of his disappearance. His samadhi is there in 64

Samadhis area in Vrindavana.

 

His Sripata was at Ketugrama (or Kaugrama), though he later settled at

Khardaha.

 

Bhaktiratnakara (13.244-246) states that on his way from Vrndavana Paramesvara

stayed briefly at Garalgacha village.

 

Paramesvara accompanied Jahnava devi to Vrndavana. He humbly served Sri

Jahnava devi. He accompanied the Deity of Radharani that Jahnava devi sent to

Vrindavana for Govindaji. He is said to have had supernatural powers. When

Narottama Thakura came to Khardaha, Paramesvara thoroughly informed him about

the route to Puri. (Bhaktiratnakara 8.219)