Radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau
caitan yakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam
radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam
“The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani although He is Krsna Himself.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.5)
Gaudiya Gosthi Patih Sri Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada told that Krsna is the all predominating Absolute, and Srimati Radharani is the predominated Absolute. Actually, as per shastra siddhanta, Radha and Krishna are the same. Also, as per Bhagavat Mahima of the Skanda Purana, we find it documented that “sa eva sa.”
When Radha and Krishna are together in combined form, then we can see Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appearing in this material world.
Somebody might ask if Radha and Krishna are combined and appear in the form of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then inside Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Radha and Govinda are both present. If Gadadhar Pandit is Radharani, where does he fit into this equation?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada in his Sri Guru Parampara explained:
“mahaprabhu sri chaitanya radha Krsna nahi anya”
We also know that Shankar Bhagavan said to Parvati Devi, “yam eva radhika krishna sa eva gaura vigraha.” When Shankar Bhagavan said, ‘yam eva radhika’ that meant that when Radha and Govinda combined then that is when they become the form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Then from where does Gadadhar Pandit come? For that we have to first understand for what reason Mahaprabhu came to this world. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came with the desire to taste Radha Prema Vikar.
sri-radhaya pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva-
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad-bhavadhya samajani saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
“Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Srimati Saci-devi, as the moon appeared from the ocean.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.6)
Actually, Mahaprabhu came in the form of a devotee to experience the Lila of how to get the taste of manjari bhava, raganuga bhajan, Radha bhava. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is actually stealing Radha bhava and is also stealing Her body complexion. How can we understand this? If Radha’s bhava is gone, and Her golden complexion is also gone, then somebody can ask how Radharani can be inside Gauranga Mahaprabhu. If He can be Radha and Govinda combined, then where does Gadadhar Pandit fit in? Also, if the bhava of Radharani is taken away by Krishna, and the body complexion is also taken, what remains there after that? Actually in the transcendental world we cannot apply such logic in this way because everything is purna vastu. Everything that is taken from purna vastu is still purna itself.
oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ
pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya
pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Invocation)
“The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.”
So even if Her bhava is gone as well as Her bodily complexion, Radharani is still there.
Gadadhar Pandit always desires to assist in nourishing the sprout of maha rasa in the heart of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Gadadhar Pandit is Radharani herself to help in Gaura Lila. In the Gaura-ganodesa-dipika it has been explained by Kavi Karnapura that Sri Gadadhar Pandit is ‘Sri Radha Prem Rupa,’ the total form of Prema. In Vraja-lila, Sri Gadadhar Pandita was the daughter of Vrsabhanu Maharaja – Srimati Radharani. This is confirmed in the notebooks of Svarupa Damodara as well as in the songs of Sri Vasudeva Ghosa Thakura. Also, in Chaitanya Caritamrta it is written that Gadadhar Pandit Prabhu is Shakti Avatar. Gadadhar Pandit is a Shakti Avatar of Prabhu.
Some days ago, when I was speaking Hari Katha before going to Vrindavana, I was discussing one sloka.
vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān
īśam īśāvatārakān
tat-prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktīḥ
kṛṣṇa-caitanya-saṁjñakam
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the devotees of the Lord, the Lord’s incarnations, His plenary portions, His energies and the primeval Lord Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.”
(Caitanya Caritamritam Adi. 1.1)
panca-tattvatmakam krsnam
bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam
namami bhakta-saktikam
“Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is one and single Tattva but coming in five different forms, one is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, then Iso Prakash, actually Nityananda Prabhu, Iso Avatar actually Advaita Gosai, Iso Shakti, Iso Bhakto, Iso Bhakto means?, Srivasadi and Iso Shakti means actually Gadadhar Pandit.”
Right from the beginning when He was a boy, Gadadhar Pandit was always in the association of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Gadadhar Pandit’s father’s name was Sri Madhava Misra; his mother’s name was Sri Ratnavati Devi. They lived close to the house of Jagannatha Misra in Mayapura. Sri Ratnavati Devi looked upon Sacidevi as if Sacidevi were her big sister. The two of them were always spending time with each other. Gaurahari always used to play with Gadadhar Pandit. They both went to the village school and studied together. Gadadhar Pandit was a year younger than Gaurahari and had so much affection for Gaurahari that he could not leave his company even for a moment.
According to Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta: No one can describe the characteristics and ecstatic love of Gadadhar Pandit. Therefore, another name for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Gadadhar Prananatha, the life and soul of Gadadhar Pandita. No one can say how merciful the Lord is to Gadadhar Pandita but people know the Lord as Gadaira Gauranga, the Lord Gauranga of Gadadhar Pandit.
Srila Visvanath Chakravartipada also describes how in Nitya Navadvip Lila, the Asta Kaliya Lila of Gauranga, Gadadhar Pandit is always there with Gauranga. We have a Yogapit in Vrindavan, and we also have a Yogapit here in Navadvip Dhama. In this way, different kinds of lilas go on.
When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was manifesting this lila, what kind of lila was it? After coming back from Gaya and offering funeral cake at the Lotus Feet of Vishnu Padapadma in the name of His father, Jagannatha Misra, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was expressing a different kind of exclusive lila which was not possible before. So in this way, day by day, Mahaprabhu was manifesting this Vipralambha bhava. Some could realize this fully and others could not. Gadadhar Pandit and Srivas Pandit could realize that Mahaprabhu was now going to express the actual reason why He came.
After taking sannyasa in Katwa, Mahaprabhu left home without speaking to the other devotees. Srivas and Nityananda Prabhu knew about this lila but Mahaprabhu did not say anything about this lila to anyone else.
After going to Katwa Mahaprabhu took sannyas and headed towards Vrindavan Dhama but I am not giving those details here. After that, Mahaprabhu ultimately had to go to Advaita Bhavan and then from there He went to Nilachal Dhama.
When Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, Gadadhar Pandit also decided to leave home. Mahaprabhu would now perform his lila in Purushottam Dhama. In order to always be with Mahaprabhu, Gadadhar took kshetra sannyasa which means that he made a vow not to leave a particular place. Once the vow was taken, Gadadhar had committed to spend the rest of his life in the Dhama without ever exiting.
In this way, Gadadhar Pandit took kshetra sannyasa and remained there in Purushottam Dhama with Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave Gadadhar Pandit the exclusive responsibility of seva to Tota-Gopinatha.
Tota-Gopinatha was discovered buried in some sand in Itota. By the order of Sriman Mahaprabhu, Sri Gadadhar Pandit was engaged in the service of that Sri Gopinatha Deity. At that time, the Lord would regularly go and visit His dear associate Gadadhar to float in the waves of rasa by hearing and discussing Krsna-katha.
When Sriman Mahaprabhu wanted to go to Vrndavana, Sri Gadadhar Pandit wanted to go with Him. But at that time, Mahaprabhu was not willing to take him with Him. Gadadhar was feeling strong and unbearable seperation from Sriman Mahaprabhu so he made the decision to break the kshetra sannyas vrat he had taken. That, in turn, was unbearable for Sriman Mahaprabhu who tried to pacify Gadadhar with the argument that Gadadhar should not leave the seva of Tota-Gopinath and nor should he forget his ksetra sannyas resolution.
But Srila Gadadhar Pandit was not at all ready to leave the association of his Pranantha Sri Gaura Hari. And when Mahaprabhu made the harsh decision to leave Gadadhar with his seva, Gadadhar Pandit fell down on the ground in complete unconsciousness.
But now I want to go back to the previous lila in Navadvipa Dham. I want to point out one thing. We know that Gadadhar Pandit was with Sriman Mahaprabhu during His whole Navadvip Dhama Lila. A fraction of a second of detachment was unbearable both for Gaura Hari as well as for Gadadhar Pandit. From the Vedanta Sutra we know very well that “Shakti Shakti matayor abheda.” Since Gadadhar Pandit is the shakti of the Supreme Lord Gaura Hari, there can be no question of Them being separated from each other. But to get the taste of Vipralambha Bhava, this kind of lila is a must.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur in his song “Ha ha mora Gaura Kishore” is writing about how Gadadhar Pandit is always present with Gauranga Mahaprabhu during his lilas in Svananda-sukada-kunja.
ananda-sukhada,kunjer bhitore,
gadadhare bame kori’
kancana-barana,cancara cikura,
natana suvesa dhori’ (Kalyana Kalpataru)
“Within the grove of Ananda-sukhada-kunja, You stand with Sri Gadadhar on Your left side, radiating the effulgence of pure gold. With beautiful curling hair,You are wearing the fine dress of a dramatic actor.”
That is why Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur established the seva of Gaur Gadadhar at Svananda Sukhada kunje in Godrum. Based on which Deities a Mahajan installs we can understand the secrecy of his rasa bhajan. Srila Sachidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakur has clearly shown his seva bhava in this kirtan. There we see that with Gadadhar on His left, Sri Gaura Hari wanted to demonstrate the significance of His own lila. Gaur Gadadhar give us a direct feeling of Sri Sri Radha Govinda Lila at Sri Vrindavan Dhama where likewise Radha stands to Krishna’s left.
One day, Sri Krsna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was crying out the name of Pundarik Vidyanidhi but nobody understood anything about the significance of Pundarik Vidyanidhi. Momentarily, the devotees began to realize for whom Mahaprabhu was shouting. Within a short period of time, Srila Pundarik Vidyanidhi, who is Vrisabhanu Maharaja in Krishna Lila, came to join Gaur Lila but nobody knew his glories.
One day, Mukunda was singing the glories of Pundarik Vidyanidi in front of Gadadhar Pandit. Mukunda and Pundarik Vidyanidi were from the same town, namely Sri Hatta. They already know each other very well. On hearing the glories of Pundarik Vidyanidhi, Srila Gadadhar Pandit was very much interested in taking the darshan of his lotus feet. So Mukunda was obligated to take Gadadhar Pandit to see Pundarik Vidyanidhi. But the external appearance of Pundarik Vidyanidhi was just like that of a king. Srila Gadadhar Pandit was thinking to himself, “We have heard that a Krishna-bhakta is usually niskincana, but what is this!?”
Vidyanidhi looked just like a king! He was sitting on a luxurious bed with a beautiful design engraved on it. There was a nice scent emanating from his body. A costly oil was applied to his head and he was adorned with very expensive ornaments. His bed had milky white pillows strewn all over it and a fancy velvet overhead canopy. He was also chewing betel leaf like royalty. Such kings are usually habituated to lead their lives in a majestic way. Srila Gadadhar Pandit was astounded to see so many luxuries that he started experiencing doubt as to the alleged high adhikara of Srila Pundarik Vidyanidhi. Gadadhar Pandit was wondering, “What kind of devotion is this!?” Mukunda understood the mind of Gadadhar Pandit and he wanted to unveil to Gadadhar Pandit the mystery of Srila Pundarik Vidyanidhi’s high level as a Krsna Bhakta. These are all a special kind of lila shown by Gadadhar Pandit. It isn’t that he was actually unaware of the great glory of Srila Pundarik Vidyanidhi. This past time took place under the influence of Yogamaya to express the taste of aprakrita lila. Mukunda sang a sloka from the 10th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam (10.21.5):
barhapidam nata-vara-vapuh karnayoh karnikaram
bibhrad vasah kanaka-kapisam vaijayantim ca malam
randhran venor adhara-sudhayapurayan gopa-vrndair
vrndaranyam sva-pada-ramanam pravisad gita-kirtih
“Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head, blue karnikara flowers on His ears, a yellow garment as brilliant as gold, and the Vaijayanti garland, Lord Krsna exhibited His transcendental form as the greatest of dancers as He entered the forest of Vrndavana, beautifying it with the marks of His footprints. He filled the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips, and the cowherd boys sang His glories.”
As soon as Mukunda started singing this sloka, Pundarik Vidyanidhi started shouting the name of Krsna and fell off of the bed to the ground tearing at his own chest and clothes until he became quite dirty. Then Gadadhar Pandit realized very easily that, “A pure devotee can never be understood by external appearance. Really it is not possible to understand a pure devotee.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada used to say, “Guru-Vaishnava-Bhagavan can reserve the right of not being exposed to our sense organs.”
Though Gadadhar Pandit is Radharani and Pundarik Vidyanidi is the father of Radharani, this kind of lila is nonetheless manifested for our benefit in order to unveil the mysteries and lessons of Gaura Lila. In this case, Gadadhar Pandit started thinking, “I have done a great aparadha. I shouldn’t have thought that way.” If such an aparadha is there then what should one do? Srila Gadadhar Pandit decided to take Diksa from Pundarik Vidyanidhi. In this way, Pundarik Vidyanidhi became the guru of Gadadhar Pandit.
Another important point is who is Gadadhar das? He is Gaura shakti, but he is also the kanti shakti (the bodily effulgence) who has appeared in the form of Gadadhar das. His Sripat is at Adiadaha, Calcutta, near Daksineswara Ganga.
Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakur wanted to explain these facts in the following way:
diparcir eva hi dasantaram abhyupetya
dipayate vivrta-hetu-samana-dharma
yas tadrg eva hi ca visnutaya vibhati
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami(Brahma Samhita Vers46)
I worship the original personality, Govinda. Just as when the flame of one lamp is transmitted to another lamp, the second lamp illuminates in the same manner as the originalflam, although it exists separately, so does Govinda accept the form of Maha-Visnu reclining on the Causal Ocean. That Maha Visnu is the source of all the VIsnu expansions and incarnations in this world.
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Brahma Samhita Vers 1)
“Krsna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.”
Srila Prabhupada wanted to give a very clear answer to a devotee who wrote a letter of inquiry to him about the very same issue. Srila Prabhupada wrote in his reply, “Originally Krishna is there, and from there all Vishnu Tattva is coming just like one lamp is already glowing originally and from that lamp so many other lamps get their power. In that case, externally they might all look the same but the original lamp must have some speciality.”
This way Srila Prabhupada wanted to say that when the Supreme Lord comes in the form of Bala Dauji Maharaja (Mula Sankarasan inside Vrindavan Lila) then after that coming the first catur Buhya around Goloka Dham, again still after that coming the second Catur Buhya expansion all around the Vaikuntha plane and from within that Catur Buhya we can get Maha-Vishnu as Karnarnavashayi –the original cause of all creation, all infinity Brahmandas coming out of his exhalation.That Maha Vishnu is again going to enter into each and every Brahmanda as Garbhodakshayi Vishnu and that Garbhodakshayi Vishnu is going to sleep in the Kirsagar (Causal Ocean) as Ksirodakashayi Vishnu who is known as Ksirodakashayi Anirudha Vishnu who also sits inside the hearts of infinite Jivatamas as Paramattma. The only difference between these Vishnus is regarding their Lila Vilas. Srila Rupa Gosvami has written in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu and in Sri Chaitanya Caritamrita Madhya-lila 9.1117 we can find same Vers:
siddhantatas tv abhede ´pi srisa-krsna-svarupayoh
rasenotkrsyate krsna-rupam esa rasa-sthitih
From the perspective of conclusive truths, there is no diffrence between the forms of Narayan and Krsna. Yet from the viewpoint of rasa, or the capacity to engage in profound loving relationships with His devotees, Krsna surpasses Narayan. This is the unique characteristic of rasa.
All Vishnu Tattva is one and the same. Similarly, from Radha Kripa Kataksa Stotram we read:
ananta-koṭi-viṣṇu-loka-namra-padmajārcite
himādrijā-pulomajā-viriñcajā-vara-prade
apāra-siddhi-ṛddhi-digdha-sat-padāṅgulī-nakhe
kadā kariṣyasīha māṁ kṛpā-kaṭākṣa-bhājanam
“O goddess worshiped by Brahma, O goddess to whom countless millions of Vaishnavas bow down, O goddess who gives blessings to Parvati, Saci, and Sarasvati, O goddess whose toenails are anointed with limitless opulences and mystic perfections, when will You cast Your merciful sidelong glance upon me?”
Actually Srimati Radharani and Sri Krsna are also one and the same. There is no difference at all between them. That is why it is written in Skanda Purana Bhagavat Mahima (Glory) “Sa eva sa.” It means “He is She.” Also, as per Vedanta Sutra, we have some supporting siddhanta that “Shakti matayor abheda.” Shakti and Shaktiman are non-different from each other. The Supreme Lord Nandanandan Sri Krsna is the Predominating Absolute and Srimati Radharani is the Predominated Absolute. This is the only difference. From Krishna different kinds of Avatars come and similarly from Radharani’s Lotus Feet infinite Shakti tattva comes. Of course the original Shakti tattva is Radharani herself. In infinite Brahmandas infinite Vishnu Avatars appear and according to their respective Lila Vilas the matching Shakti tattva also comes. Just like when Varaha Deva comes then we get Laksmi- Varaha; when Kurma Deva appears we get Laksmi–Kurma; when Nrishinga Deva shows up we can get Laksmi-Nrishinga; when Sri Ramachandra arrives we get Sita-Rama as the Divine Couple. In Gauranga Lila Srimati Radharani comes in the form of Gadadhar Pandit. If Radharani comes in the form of Gadadhar Pandit, then how is it possible that Sri Gaura Avatar is the combined form of Radha and Krsna? We already have information from Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita that Sri Krsna has stolen the bodily complexion and bhava of Srimati Radharani. Sri Gaura avatar is certainly the combined form of Radha and Govinda. Also, in aprakrita jagat there can’t be any deficiency ascertainable from this material world. Although Srimati Radharani comes in the form of Gadadhar Pandit, it is not incorrect siddhanta to say that Gaura Avatar is the combined form of Radha-Govinda.
sri-radhaya pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva-
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad-bhavadhya samajani saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.6)
“Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Srimati Saci-devi, as the moon appeared from the ocean.”
What is the reason that Sriman Mahaprabhu (who is the combined form of Radha and Govinda) has come to this particular earth planet in this Kali Kal? The answer can be realized from the following sloka of Caitanya Caritamrita Adi-lila 1.5
radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau
caitan yakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam
radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam
“The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani although He is Krsna Himself.”
Somebody posed this question to Srila Prabhupada: Is Vishnupriya Tattva Radharani or is She not?
In Gaura Narayan Lila in Navadvip there are three different kinds of Shakti assisting Gaura Lila: Nila Shakti, Bhu Shakti, and Sri Shakti. Nila shakti is sometimes known as Lila Shakti; Bhu Shakti is Prithibi Devi who comes in the form of Vishnupriya Devi to give total nourishment to Vipralambha bhava; Sri Shakti is Laksmi Priya Devi who is Laksmi Devi Herself. Srila Prabhupada also explained that Narahari Sakar Thakur is Madhumati Sakhi in Krsna Lila and Sivananda Sena is Campakalata. Also, Vakesvara Pandit is Tungavidya Gopi in Krsna Lila. Gadadhar Pandit is non different from Radharani Herself. Yet, She has some specialty in Gaur Lila. In Vraja Lila, Radharani sometimes expresses different kinds of maan. But in Gadadhar Lila there is no such expression of the complicated maan pastimes. Prema is always complicated like a zig-zag snake movement. Those who have no practical experience about aprakrita prema cannot understand that mood of love. We are not discussing material love which is always contaminated. On the material platform there might be a unique example of love which demonstrates some apparent excellency but we still cannot accept such a romance as ideal. The love affair of Jim and Della or the love affair of Layla and Manju or even the love affair of Nala and Damayanti cannot be our standard because all such relationships are contaminated by personal interest. But an aprakrita love affair between a devotee and the Supreme Lord can never be contaminated by even the scent of self-interest because that love affair is situated on the transcendental level.
Also, in Navadvip Lila, we have the chance to discuss the unique love affair between Jagadananda Pandit and Mahaprabhu. For details, we can consult the book Prem Vivarta written by Jagadananda Pandit. Their connection was unique in the expression of maan prasanga. We can also explore the unique maan prasanga of Sri Vishnupriya Devi. And in Nilachala Lila, we discover the singular maan prasanga of Jagadananda Pandit. And so we are repeatedly exposed to the different lilas expressed by Mahaprabhu.
Even with Gadadhar Pandit, Sriman Mahaprabhu used to do different kinds of lilas were he enjoyed the maan prasanga of Gadadhar Pandit. But since the bhava of Radharani had already been stolen by Krsna, in the form of Gadadhar Pandit, we do not find the complication of maan. Gadadhar Pandit, like Rukmini Devi, is quite simple.
Rukmini’s bhava is uncomplicated to the point that when Krishna is playing some trick on her she just starts to cry thinking that Krishna is going to leave Her. One time, Krishna was joking with Rukmini in Dwarka. He said, “Rukmini, you are the daughter of a famous king so why did you take the trouble to marry Me when you know very well that I am Niskincan (penniless)? Also, I belong to the Yadu-Dynasty where there is no ability for Me to ascend to the throne (simhasana). You should not have made this mistake. It will be better for you if you go and choose for yourself a more suitable partner according to your wishes.”
When Krishna made this joke, Rukmini Devi took it as serious. Fearing Krishna would actually leave her, she fainted. Then Krishna caught her, gave her some water to drink and attempted to revive her with a hand fan. Rukmini Devi suddenly came back to her consciousness. By comparison we can see that Radharani’s mood is very complicated but Rukmini’s mood is much more simple.
There is no doubt that Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambabhati and all of the other Laksmis, whatever their mood, come from the Lotus feet of Srimati Radharani. So we should have no problem understanding that Gadadhar Pandit’s mood is very simple and uncomplicated.
One day, the prasadam was ready to be served when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu reached the Tota-Gopinatah Temple and forcefully requested His share of the prasadam from Gadadhar Pandit. Mahaprabhu jokingly demanded, “I’ll have my share of this prasadam!” It is likely that Nityananda Prabhu was also present at that time so they wanted to divide the prasadam into three plates which they were all very happy to take.
Sriman Mahaprabhu used His pastimes to give us guidance and examples as to how to follow the exact path of Raganuga bhajan. He never demonstrated or approved of any shortcut procedures. Our first goal should be to get stability in our bhajan from which we can proceed. Mahaprabhu also indicated that we must try to understand the siksa given by Prahlad Maharaja and Druva Maharaja. All the time he frequently asked Gadadhar Pandit to explain Druva Caritra and Prahlad Caritra, etc.
Whenever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to the Jagannatha Mandir or to the Gundicha Temple or even when He was dancing in front of the chariot at the time of Ratha Yatra, Gadadhar Pandit would always stay near to Sriman Mahaprabhu.
Here I will add some special Lila from Sri Chaitanya Caritamrita Antya 7.113-118). Sri Vallabhacarya very boastingly wanted to discourse in front of Mahaprabhu and said, “In my commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam I was bound to ignore all the siddhanta vicars of Srila Sridhar Svamipada because I cannot accept his commentary.”
On hearing such remarks against the great Acharya Srila Sridhar Svamipada, Sriman Mahāprabhu became very angry and heavily replied, “One who is not going to obey her husband must be nothing more than a prostitute.” He then quoted—“svami na mane yei jana, vesyara bhitare tare kariye ganana.” To ignore a previous Acharya who is totally in shrouta pantha is deadly prohibited, and will be considered as a great offense.
After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very grave. All the devotees present derived great satisfaction from hearing His statement. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu descended as an incarnation for the total benefit of all the jivas of this universe so it was naturally impossible for Him to allow Vallabhacarya to speak so erringly from his false ego without correcting him. Through various procedures of treatment and refutations, Lord Chaitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, rectified Vallabhacharya exactly same as Kṛṣṇa had cut down the false pride of Indra.
Day by day, Vallabhacharya wanted to establish his own siddhanta and position in front of Gaura parishads. He repeatedly challenged Advaita Gosai and Sarvabhauma Battacharya in multiple attempts to put some issue up for debate but they consistently avoided him. One day, he wrote about the glories of Krishna Nama and wanted to explain his treatise to Sriman Mahaprabhu. But Sriman Mahaprabhu rejected his offer saying, “Actually, I am murka (illiterate). I don’t understand much of the meaning of Krishna Nama. I only know that He is Nandanandana, Yashodanandan Krishna.” Vallabhacarya felt very insulted and he tried his best to get someone to hear his siddhanta vicar. No one would listen to him so he decided to take shelter of Gadadhar Pandit who had an especially soft nature. When Vallabhacarya requested Srila Gadadhara Pandit to hear his dissertation on the glories of Krishna Nama, Gadadhar Pandit found Himself in a great dilemma. He was trying to figure out how to avoid Vallabhacarya while at the same time not insulting an honorable person. He knew he should not hear from Vallabhacarya since Sriman Mahaprabhu had already refused him. Srila Pandit found no respite from his quandary.
Vallabhacarya had created this unwanted situation and Gadadhar Pandit could not decide whether to rebuff his request for an audience or to risk offending the Lord. Since Sriman Mahaprabhu is Antaryami, he could understand the mood of Gadadhar Pandit. But still He wanted to play a game with Gadadhar Pandit. When Pandiji came in front of Prabhu, Prabhu started teasing him about the situation. Gadadhara simply burst into tears hoping that his crying would elicit forgiveness from Sriman Mahaprabhu. He didn’t even try to explain himself or make an argument as to his own innocence.
Then Mahaprabhu spoke. “I just wanted to check your mood. I wanted to make you go against me but I failed because you are so simple and plain hearted.” Like this Gauranga Mahaprabhu wanted to play with Gadadhar Pandit.
Once, by the association of Gadadhar Pandit, Vallabhacarya expressed an interest in doing Kishore Krishna bhajan. He wanted to express this mood to Gadadhar Pandit in the hopes of getting mantra diksa from him. But Srila Gadadhar Pandit strictly refused him saying, “I am not independent. I am totally controlled by my Prabhu. Excuse me but I cannot do anything without His permission.”
Ultimately, Vallabhacarya was given diksa mantra by the permission of Sriman Mahaprabhu. The Vallabha Sampradaya refuses to admit the fact that they have a hundred percent link with the Gaudiya Sampradaya. Later, when they decided to officially ignore this point, they started identifying themselves as pusthi-marg.
Gradually, Srila Vallabhacarya started realizing his own faults and wanted to rectify himself with a more humble mood. He began to wonder what the actual reason was that Mahaprabhu repeatedly attempted to avoid him. He recalled how in the past Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to his house at Arailgram (Allahabad Triveni sangam) and was very favorable to him. At that time, Mahaprabhu was bestowing so much kripa on him. But why had he stopped? Vallabhacarya decided to throw out his false ego and go take shelter at Sriman Maharabhu’s lotus feet. With this change of mood he returned to the lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu. There he received the genuine solution for his previous aparadhas. Mahaprabhu spoke to him in a soft and sweet manner. Mahaprabhu advised him, “You are a big Pandit. You come from a high family heritage. Plus, you like to do Krsna Bhajan. How is it possible that you have such a strong false ego!? It seems improper!”
Mahaprabhu continued advising Vallabhacarya that we should always be humbly inclined to the Lotus feet of our previous Acharya varga. He asked him, “How dare you ignore Srila Sridhar Svamipada and his commentary on Bhagavatam!? Srila Sridhar Svamipada is Jagad Guru. By the special mercy of Sri Nrishinga Deva he came to know the total meaning of the Srimad Bhagavatam Mahapurana. So we should not insult him! Rather, you should make your commentary on the Bhagavatam favorable to his commentary. If you use Sridhar Swami’s commentary as the center point of your commentary then everybody will accept yours as bonafide. Otherwise, you will never be successful and all of your efforts will surely go in vain.”
So after some days, Gadadhar Pandit came in front of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and said, “I don’t know how I forget my mantra! Maybe I have done some aparadha so can you please give the mantra to me again?” Mahaprabhu told Gadadhara Pandit, “Your Guru is Pundarik Vidyanidhi. How can I give the mantra to you? You should approach him again to get the mantra. There is no other option.”
Later, when Sriman Mahaprabhu made a decision to go to Bengal on the way to Vrindavan, Gadadhar expressed his desire to go with him. But Sriman Mahaprabhu was not at all ready to take Gadadhar with him because Gadadhar had already been given the special seva of Tota Gopinatha. Plus, he had also already taken Kshetra sannyas and committed not to leave Purushottama Kshetra. Still Gadadhar Pandit was not at all in a position to leave the association of Sriman Mahaprabhu not even for a fraction of a second. He wanted to follow Sriman Mahaprabhu. When Mahaprabhu departed, Gadadhar Pandit started to follow him. Mahaprabhu repeatedly requested of him, “Please don’t leave because otherwise you are going to break your Ksetra Sannyasa.” Gadadhar declined to accept His proposal due to his strong feeling of seperation. He said, “Let my sannyas go to hell. I cannot leave You. I must go with You. All of my sannyas vrata, all of my seva, everything I do is dedicated to Your Lotus feet. Then how will I live alone without You?”
Sriman Mahaprabhu was bound to check him and started running like a lion leaving Gadadhar Pandit behind. Right then and there Gadadhar Pandit fainted unconscious. By this pasttime we can see just how strong Srila Gadadhar Pandit’s love was for his Prabhu Gaura Hari. Perhaps this is why we have to sing “Gadadhara Prananatha” so loudly.
Gaura Hari Haribol ... Joy Joy Sripat Bharatpur .
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