SRI VAKRESHWAR PANDITA

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SRI VAKRESHWAR PANDITA

 

 

 

Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was present with Sriman Mahaprabhu during His pastimes

in Navadwipa and after his acceptance of Sannyasa he also accompanied Him to

Jagannath Puri. During the time of the Lord's residence in Puri he continued

to live with Him there as well. Sri Vakreshwar Pandit took birth in the

village of Guptipara near Triveni. He was an especially proficient dancer

and kirtaniya and could dance continuously for 72 hours.

 

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His pastimes of congregational chanting

of the Holy Name of Sri Hari in Navadwip, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was an

important singer and dancer in that assembly. It was by His mercy that

Devananda Pandit was delivered from the wrath of Mahaprabhu. He was also

present during the Lord's journey to Ramakeli. Devananda Pandit was, at one

time, known as the foremost lecturer on the Bhagavat. One day Srivas Pandit

went to hear his discourse, and being moved in ecstatic love by hearing the

Bhagavatam, he began to cry. A few of the ignorant students of Devananda

Pandit, thinking that this was creating a disturbance, removed Srivas Pandit

from the assembly and left him outside. Though this was done in front of

Devananda he didn't restrain his students from this act of disregard to the

devotee - Bhagavat.

 

There are two types of Bhagavat - the book bhagavat and the devotee

bhagavat. For this reason, Devananda Pandit became implicated in an offense

to a great devotee (maha-bhagavat). When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to

hear how his dear devotee, Srivas Pandit, had been disrespected, he gave

many instructions concerning the Bhagavat. He told that those who read the

book Bhagavat but don't offer respects to the devotee-Bhagavat, are simply

offenders, though they may read the Bhagavat for eons, still they will never

attain love of Godhead. The devotee bhagavata and the book bhagavata are

non-different. In order to understand the book bhagavat one must first

sincerely serve the devotee-bhagavata. Therefore Mahaprabhu neglected

Devananda and didn't bestow His mercy on him. One evening Vakreshwar Pandit

came to perform dancing and chanting of the Holy Name at the house of one

devotee from Kulia, across the bank of the Ganga from Nadia. Receiving this

auspicious news Devananda proceeded there, and upon seeing the appearance of

the symptoms of divine love in the person of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit he became

charmed. Gradually a great crowd gathered at that place, and Devananda

Pandit, taking a cane in his hand, kept the crowd in order so as not to

obstruct the ecstatic dancing of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit.

 

In this way, Vakreshwar Pandit performed chanting, and dancing for two

praharas (six hours), on into the night. When he finished dancing and sat

down, Devananda came and offered dandavats at the lotus feet of Sri

Vakreshwar Pandit, who became pleased with this service and blessed

Devananda with the words "Krsna-bhakti hauk" - "May you attain devotion to

Sri Lord Krsna." From that day devotion was awakened in the heart of

Devananda by the mercy of Vakreshwar Pandit. Thereafter when Mahaprabhu came

to Nadia to have darshan of his mother and mother Ganges, he bestowed His

mercy on Devananda at Kulia. "Because you have served Vakreshwar I have

noticed you. Vakreshwar is fully imbued with the Lord's transcendental

energy, and whoever becomes devoted to him, attains to the lotus feet of Sri

Krsna. His heart is the personal abode of Sri Krsna and as Sri Krsna dances,

so Vakreshwar also dances. Wherever one can get the association of

Vakreshwar, that place is the sum total of all Holy places and is as good as

Sri Vaikuntha."

 

Sri Vakreshwar Pandit's disciple was Gopal Guru Goswami and Gopal Guru

Goswami's disciple was Sri Dhyanchananda Goswami. In his Dhyan Chandra

Paddhati - Dhyan Chandra Goswami has written - "that person who was

previously very expert in the arts of singing and dancing, the gopi,

Tungavidya, is presently renowned in the world as Vakreshwar Pandit. He has

appeared on the fifth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Asar

(Ashadha - June-July - Vaman mase) and he closed his pastimes in this world

on the sixth day of the bright fortnight of the month Asar. While Vakreshwar

danced, Mahaprabhu Himself would sing and Vakreshwar would catch hold of His

lotus feet, saying; "O moonRfaced one, give me 10,000 gandharvas, and let

them sing while I dance. Then I will be happy." Mahaprabhu answered, "You

are one of my wings. If I had another (like you) I could fly in the sky."

 

[C. C. Adi 10.17]. Vakreshwar Pandit's worshippable deity is Sri Sri

Radha-kanta, whom he worshipped in Kasi Misra's house, which was also the

residence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Gambhira). These Deities are still

being worshipped there to this day.

 

 

 

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Sri Gopala Guru Goswami

Sri Gopala Guru Goswami as mentioned above was a disciple of Sri Vakreshwar

Pandit. He was a brahmana from Utkala. From early childhood, he stayed with

Vakreshwar Pandit and remained under his care and guidance. Sriman

Mahaprabhu was always very affectionate towards him and played many jokes on

him. Out of affection, the lord would jokingly call him "guru" and so he

became known as Gopal Guru Goswami.

 

Under the authority of Sri Svarupa Damodara and Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, he

was instructed in the system of rasa and attained expertise in the rasik

principles. At the place where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at the house

of Kashi Mishra, Vakreshwar Pandita later stayed. After Sri Vakreshwar

Pandit passed away, Gopal Guru Goswami stayed at that place, where he

installed the deities Sri Sri Radha-Kanta.

 

Sri Gopal Guru Goswami composed a book called Smarana-paddhati, or "The

System for Remembering the Lord". This book has twenty-six chapters. Sri

Dhayanachandra Goswami was a disciple of Sri Gopal Guru Goswami and an

important acharya in the Gaudiya Sampradaya. He wrote a book called the

Dhyana Chandra Paddhati.

 

Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura visited the house of Kashi Mishra when he went

to Jagannatha Puri. There he met Gopal Guru Goswami. (B.R.8.382) According

to some, Gopal Guru Goswami was the gopi known as Tungavidya Sakhi.

On the ninth day of the full moon in the month of Karttika he entered into

the unmanifest pastimes of the Lord.

 

This is not the same Gopala Guru (Prabodhananda Sarasvati) who wrote

Chaitanya Chandamritam

 

 

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