SRI VAKRESHWAR PANDITA

06-30-2006, 09:32 PM

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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