Who is Ramananda Raya ?

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118. Sri Paramananda Puri had formerly been Uddhava. Maharaja

Prataparudra,

who was as powerful as Lord Indra, had formerly been Maharaja

Indradyumna,

who began the worship of Lord Jagannatha.

 

119. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya had formerly been Brhaspati, the foremost

scholar in the heavenly planets.

 

120. The cowherd boy Arjuna who was a close friend of the Lord in

Vrndavana,

and the Pandava Arjuna, both joined to become Ramananda Raya, who was

very

dear to Lord Gauranga.

 

121. This exalted personality, Ramanda Raya, for many days described to

Lord

Gauranga the true nature of pure love for Sri Sri Radha-Krsna.

 

122-124 Some say that Ramananda Raya is the incarnation of Lalita-gopi,

and

others say that because Lord Gauranga directly told Ramananda Raya's

father,

Bhavananda Raya, that he was the incarnation of Maharaja Pandu, Arjuna's

 

father, therefore Ramananda Raya must be the incarnation of Pandava

Arjuna.

The most learned devotees say that Ramananda Raya is the incarnation of

both

the Pandava Arjuna, and a gopi named Arjuniya. This explanation is also

supported by the statements of the Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda. From all

this

we may conclude that Ramananda Raya is the incarnation of Lalita-gopi,

Arjuniya-gopi, and Pandava Arjuna.

 

125. Now, as far as I am able, I shall describe the devotees who had

previously

appeared with the Lord in His Vraja-pastimes.

 

126. The cowherd boy named Sridama appeared in Lord Gauranga's pastimes

as

Ramadasa Abhirama dasa, who carried a flute made of a bamboo stick with

sixteen knots.

 

127. Lord Krsna's cowherd friend Sudama appeared in Lord Gauranga's

pastimes

as Sundara Thakura. Lord Krsna's cowherd friend Vasudama appeared in

Lord

Gauranga's pastimes as Sri Dhananjaya Pandita.

 

128. Lord Krsna's dearest friend Subala appeared in Lord Gauranga's

pastimes as

Gauridasa Pandita. The cowherd boy Mahabala appeared in Lord Gauranga's

pastimes as Kamalakara Pippalai.

 

129. The devotee who had been the cowherd boy Subahu in Vrajabhumi

appeared in Lord Gauranga's pastimes as Uddharana Datta. Lord Krsna's

cowherd

friend Mahabahu appeared in Lord Gauranga's pastimes as Sriman Mahesa

Pandita.

 

130. Lord Krsna's cowherd friend Stokakrsna appeared in Lord Gauranga's

 

pastimes as Sri Purusottama das.

 

131. Dama-gopa, who had been Lord Krsna's cowherd friend in Vraja,

appeared

in Lord Gauranga's pastimes as Nagara Purusottama. Nagara Purusottama

was

born in a family of phyisicians, and his father's name was Sadasiva.

 

132. Lord Krsna's cowherd friend Arjuna appeared as Sri Paramesvara dasa

in

Lord Gauranga's pastimes. Lavanga, who had been Lord Krsna's cowherd

friend

in Vrajabhumi, appeared in Lord Gauranga's pastimes as Sri Kalakrsna

dasa.

 

133. The cowherd boy named Kusumasava, who joked with Lord Krsna and

made Him laugh in Vrajabhumi, appeared in Lord Gauranga's pastimes as

the

learned brahmana named Kholaveca Sridhara.

 

134. The cowherd boy Prabala, who was a close friend of Lord Balarama in

 

Vrajabhumi, appeared in Lord Gauranga's pastimes as Halayudha Thakura.

 

135. The cowherd boy Varuthapa who was close friend of Lord Krsnacandra

in

Vrajabhumi, appeared as Rudra Pandita, who was very dear to Lord

Gauranga.

 

136. The devotee who had been the cowherd boy Gandharva in Vrajabhumi

appeared in Lord Gauranga's pastimes as Kumudananda Pandita.

 

137. Bhrngara and Bhangura, who had been Lord Krsna's servants in

Vrndavana, later appeared as Sri Kasisvara and Sri Govinda, the servants

of

Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu.

 

138. Raktaka and Patraka, who had been Lord Krsna's servants in

Vrndavana,

later appeared as Haridasa and Brhacchisu, two servants of Lord

Gauranga.

 

139. The two cowherdboys Payoda and Varida, who had formerly performed

the

nira-samskara ceremnoy for Lord Krsna, later appeared as Ramai and

Nandai,

two famous servants of Lord Gauranga.

 

140. Madhukantha and Madhuvrata, who were singers in Vrajabhumi, later

appeared as Mukunda Datta and Vasudeva Datta, two famous singers in Lord

 

Gauranga's kirtana party.

 

141. Candramukha, the famous dancer in Vrndavana, appeared in Lord

Gauranga's pastimes as Makaradhvajakara.

 

( Shrila Kavi Karnapura's Gaura Gannodesha Dipika)