Category: Vaishnava acharyas

Residence of Lord Nityananda | Kunja Vatika, Khardaha

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 12, 2018

kunja vatika khardaha nityananda The holy dham of Khardaha is located hardly at a distance of 20 kms from kolkata.The land of merciful Nityananda Prabhu is decorated all over with various wish fulfilling trees that readily bestow pure devotion upon all without any discrimination. Various demigods have been waiting and meditating for millions of years desiring to take birth in the transcendental abode of Khardaha, where they shall be able to associate with the Lord’s pure devotees and obtain the dust from their lotus feet.The land of Khardaha is a witness to Lord Nitai’s ecstatic pastimes, merely contemplating upon which ,one easily gains entry into the realm of transcendence. Srimati Jahnava Devi, Vasudha devi, Birchandra Prabhu have all manifested their sweet pastimes here and sanctified this holy tract of land. ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ is exceedingly blessed to have been able to visit Khardaha and take darsana of Kunja Vatika where Lord Nityananda manifests His eternal pastimes.

‘Tabey Aailen Prabhu Khardaha Grame
Purandar Panditer Devalaya Sthane
Khardaha Grame aashi Nityananda Raya
Yatah Nritya Karilen-Kahane Naa Jai ‘

– Then Lord Nityananda arrived at the residence of Purandara Pandit in Khardaha village. Here at Khardaha,He had manifested so many innumerable ecstatic dancing pastimes, that it is impossible for one to recount all of them.
(Sri Caitanya Bhagavata)

Katwa & Srikhanda Vaishnava acharyas

Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami – Life and Pastimes| Sripat Jhamatpur (Near Katwa)

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 12, 2018

jhamatapur Krishna das Kaviraj

Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami is the author of the great bengali classic,Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, the principal work on the life and the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme personality of Godhead.Lord Caitanya had descended about 500 years back, here at Navadvipa in Bengal,in order to propagate the congregational chanting of Krishna’s holy names (refer – ‘YogPeeth, Mayapur, Navadvipa – The birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’). Sri Caitanya Caritamrta helps us relish the most heart rending pastimes of Sri Krishna Caitanya, that defy the investigative and descriptive abilities of modern psychologists and phenomenologists of religious experience. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, one of the most highly revered acharyas of our Gaudiya sampradaya, had once correctly predicted that a day would arrive when the people from different parts of the world would learn Bengali, just to relish the nectar of Caitanya Caritamrta. The prediction has indeed come to pass.The world shall ever be grateful to Srila Krishnadasa for giving us a glimpse of our rich heritage ; for giving to us Sri Gaurahari, the very lord of our lives.

Katwa & Srikhanda Vaishnava acharyas

Lochan das Thakura – Biography | Sripat Baradanga – where he composed Chaitanya Mangala

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

baradanga lochan das

Sri Lochan Das Thakura, the dear disciple of Sri Narahari Sarkara Thakura, is renowned all over the three worlds as the author of the great bengali classic, Sri Caitanya Mangala, the beautiful musical composition of Lord Gaurahari’s manifested pastimes.It has been composed with such ecstasy and poetic rhythm ,that simply reading it is sufficient to evoke within one the emotions of divine love and attachment for Sri Krishna Caitanya, the Supreme personality of Godhead.Sri Lochan das thakura serves as Lochana sakhi in Krishna’s vrindavana pastimes. In Vaishnava acara darpana, it is mentioned that the potency of King Vrishbhanu’s niece , ‘Tara’, has also incarnated as Sri Lochan Das Thakura, in Mahaprabhu’s pastimes.

Lochan das thakura was a contemporary of Sri Vrindavana Das Thakura, the author of Sri Caitanya Bhagavata, another revered biography of Lord Caitanya’s heart melting pastimes. Sri Narahari Sarkar Thakura, who was the incarnation of the sakhi Madhumati, and who was very dear and completely surrendered unto the lotus feet of Sri Gaurasundara, once desired for a book to be composed in bengali, that shall depict the heart melting pastimes of Sri Krishna Caitanya. He desired that the biography would uphold before the world the esoteric treasures of Gaura lila and shall help the readers develop love and attachment unto the Supreme (refer – ‘YogPeeth, Mayapur, Navadvipa – The birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’). It was only to give shape to the desires of Narahari ,that Lochan das thakura had taken birth in this world.Taking shelter of his Guru, he composed the ecstatic ‘Caitanya Mangala’, thereby satisfying the yearnings of his spiritual master. ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ has covered the life and pastimes of Sri Narahari Thakura in a separate article entitled – ‘The Great Vaishnavas of Srikhanda’.

serampore Vaishnava acharyas

Kashishwar Pandita – Biography | Kashishwar pith ,Chatra, Serampore

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

chatra serampore

Sri Kashishwar Pandita was a disciple of Sri Isvara Puri, the spiritual master of Lord Caitanya. Sri Isvara Puri ,in his last days, instructed his disciples Kashishwar Pandita and Govinda to render personal service to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which they accepted with their heart and soul. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu honored Kashishwar and Govinda, as His godbrothers,and hence was reluctant to allow them to serve Him But He finally complied as those were the orders of His spiritual master, Sri Isvara puri. So in Puri, Govinda took up the role of Sri Caitanya’s personal servant, whereas Kashishwar Pandita, being a very strong man, protected the Lord from the crowds while He visited the temple of Lord Jagannatha.

Anga seva govindere dilena ishvara
Jagannatha dekhite chalena aage kashishwar
(Caitanya Caritamrta – 10.141 , Adi)

Srila Prabhupada mentions in his Caitanya Caritamrta commentary, that among the prominent devotees of Lord Caitanya in Jagannatha Puri (Nilachal), Sri Kashishwar and Govinda were the eighteenth and nineteenth branches of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s desire tree of devotional service. According to Gaura Gannodesha Dipika ,the former servants of Sri Krishna, Bhrngara and Bhangura in Vrindavana ,appeared as Kashishwar and Govinda in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.

Mayapur Nabadwip dham Pastimes of Chaitanya Vaishnava acharyas

Srivasa Angan, Mayapur – Part 1: where Lord Chaitanya eternally performs His ecstatic pastimes

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

srivasa angan mayapur

“What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering the transcendental abode of Navadvipa”
– Navadvipa Dham Mahatmya

Panca tattvatmakam krsnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta saktikam

I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, who is non-different from His features as a devotee (Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu), devotional manifestation (Sri Nityananda Prabhu), devotional incarnation (Sri Advaita Acarya), devotional energy (Sri Gadadhara Pandita) and pure devotee (Sri Srivasa Pandita).

According to Sri Gaura Gannoddesha Dipika, Srivasa Pandita is none other than the incarnation of Narada Muni, who had appeared to assist his beloved Lord enact the heart melting pastimes of Navadvipa. Srivasa Angan, or the house of Srivasa Pandita, is a stone’s throw from Lord Caitanya’s birthplace at Yogpeeth (Refer – ‘YogPeeth, Mayapur, Navadvipa – The birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’). Here Lord Caitanya along with His confidential associates, had inaugurated the Harinaam sankirtana movement, 500 years ago. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami reveals in Caitanya Caritamrta that Lord Gaurahari eternally resides and performs His sweet ecstatic pastimes at four holy places, and Srivasa Angan is one of them.Yogpeeth, wherever Lord Nityananda dances (nityananda nartane) and Raghava Bhavan, the house of Raghava pandita, being the other three.

saci-ra mandire ar nityananda nartane
srivasa kirtane, ar raghava bhavane
ei chari thani prabhu-ra sada abirbhava
premakrishta haya, prabhura sahaja swabhava
(Caitanya Caritamrta, Antya – 2.34-35)

Every night the Lord would meet with all His associates at Srivasa Pandita’s house and engage in ecstatic dancing and loud congregational chanting of the holy names. There are innumerable pastimes that our sweet Lord had enacted at Srivasa Angan, just by mere contemplation upon which ,can award one with the highest benediction of Krishna Prema.Though it is not humanly possible for one to recount all of these magnificent pastimes, yet ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ shall try to narrate a few of them below, for our own purification and for the sake of pleasing the devotees.

Lord Nityananda North24Paraganas Vaishnava acharyas

Khardah Shyamsundar temple (Shyam Mandir) | Nityananda prabhu

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 10, 2018

We seek strength at the lotus feet of Lord Nityananada and Sri Birchandra so that we may recite the miraculous and wondrous history of the Khardah Shyamsundar temple !!!

khardah shyamsundar temple

History of Khardah Shyamsundar temple

Sri Birchandra Prabhu, or Birbhadra Goswami , as He was later referred to, was born on the ninth day of the dark fortnight, in the holy month of Kartika (october-november). Birchandra Prabhu was the son of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Vasudha devi. Srimati Jahnava mata was His initiating spiritual master. Sri Birchandra was an expansion of the Supreme Lord Himself, and appeared in this world to assist His father in furthering the mission of Lord Caitanya. Kavi karnapura reveals in his Gaura Ganoddesha Dipika that the expansion of sankarshan, who sleeps on the ocean of milk (Kshirodakashayi Vishnu) and manifests as the supersoul in our heart , had incarnated as Birchandra Prabhu in Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. The holy dham of Khardah is located hardly at a distance of 20 kms from kolkata.

khardah shyamsundar temple

The land of merciful Nityananda Prabhu is decorated all over with various wish fulfilling trees that readily bestow pure devotion upon all without any discrimination. Various demigods have been waiting and meditating for millions of years desiring to take birth in the transcendental abode of Khardah, where they shall be able to associate with the Lord’s pure devotees and obtain the dust from their lotus feet.The land of Khardah is a witness to Lord Nitai’s ecstatic pastimes, merely contemplating upon which ,one easily gains entry into the realm of transcendence.Srimati Jahnava Devi, Vasudha devi, Birchandra Prabhu have all manifested their sweet pastimes here and sanctified this holy tract of land. ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ is exceedingly blessed to have been able to visit Khardah and take darsana of Radha Syamasundara jiu, who continues to shower His causeless mercy upon us suffering souls. Just a stone’s throw from the Syamasundara temple is the residence of Nityananda prabhu where Birchandra had appeared in this world.This house is renowned all over the three worlds as ‘Kunja Vatika’ and we have covered our visit to this place in a separate article entitled – ‘Kunja Vatika, Khardah’.

Katwa & Srikhanda Vaishnava acharyas

Srinivas Acharya – Biography & teachings | Sripat Jajigram (Near Srikhanda, Katwa)

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 10, 2018

Srinivasa acharya jajigram

Srinivas Acharya was the manifestation of the Love of God and the incarnation of Mani Manjari, who eternally assists Sri Guna Manjari (who had appeared as his spiritual master, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami) , in serving Sri Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan. Sri Srinivas Acharya was born around the year 1442 AD.His father was Sri Caitanya Das and his mother was Srimati Lakshmipriya devi. He was empowered and blessed by the Supreme Lord to widely distribute the love of God to one and all.

Sri Caitanya Das’ original name was Gangadhara Bhattacharya, and he was one of those who had the rare opportunity to witness Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sannyasa initiation at Gauranga bari , in Katwa. It was very heartbreaking for those present, to witness Lord Caitanya , whose beauty surpassed that of a millions of moons, shave off His beautiful hairs and accept the robes of a renunciant. At the same time, those present were immersed in a wave of ecstasy, being able to behold the Lord’s beautiful form, and His captivating intoxicated mood. We have covered Lord Caitanya’s sannyasa initiation pastimes in a separate article entitled ‘Sri Gauranga Bari (katwa) – Where Mahaprabhu accepted Sannyasa’.

Such was the effect of the Lord’s sannyasa on Gangadhara ,that he began chanting Sri Caitanya’s names day and night. He constantly cried “Ha Caitanya! Ha Caitanya! Krishna Caitanya!” . Such was his intoxication in divine love for Mahaprabhu, that people nicknamed him as Caitanya Das. This is how ,being a recipient of Lord Gauranga’s mercy, Sri Gangadhara Bhattacharya came to be subsequently known as Caitanya Das.He and his wife lakshmipriya devi were blessed by Lord Caitanya, and as a result these fortunate souls could subsequently become the proud parents of Sri Srinivas Acharya, the manifestation of Mahaprabhu’s ecstasy.

Mayapur Nabadwip dham Srila Prabhupada

ISKCON Mayapur Temple – Founder, History & Details

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 10, 2018

Mayapur Chandrodaya temple is the headquarters of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the moon who had risen over the lands of Mayapur, a little over 500 years back,and by whose mercy, and empowerment, this awe-inspiring Krishna consciousness movement has now spread its aura over the entire world. Hence it was only befitting that His commander in chief (senapati bhakta) , A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder acharya of ISKCON, had named his headquarter of operations as ‘Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya temple’ (‘chandra’ means ‘moon’ and ‘udaya’ translates to ‘rising’ in bengali). The holy abode of Mayapur might appear to be just a remote village to one who sees things from a mundane perspective. But to the esoteric ,well versed with the conclusions of the revealed scriptures, the land of Mayapur comes across as the very center of the spiritual world, the very highest realm of transcendence. It was at Yogpeeth, situated a few hundred metres from the Mayapur Chandrodaya temple, that Sacinandana Gaurahari had appeared in this world in the year 1486 AD and began mercifully manifesting His ecstatic heart-melting pastimes (refer – ‘YogPeeth, Mayapur, Navadvipa – The birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’). One who dearly worships ‘Nader Nimai’, and intensely hankers for His association, can till this day ,perceive the magnanimous Lord singing and dancing upon the streets of Navadvipa, enchanting one and all by His unique movements and unparalleled expressions.’The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ can only stand back and stare at the very rare fortune of the residents of Navadvipa, to whom the dust of Gaurasundara’s lotus feet are so easily obtainable.Srila Prabhupada gave Mayapur to the entire world, by propagating the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu far and wide (refer –’The birthplace of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Tollygunge’). It is by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, that today his beloved children and grandchildren, can gain entrance into this eternal abode and relish the transcendental pastimes of Vishwambhara (the Lord of the Universe).

“What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering the transcendental abode of Navadvipa”
– Navadvipa Dham Mahatmya

SantipurnPhulia Vaishnava acharyas

Advaita Acharya – Life and Pastimes | Sripat Shantipur

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 10, 2018

santipur advaita acharya

Panca tattvatmakam krsnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta saktikam

In his prayers unto the Spiritual masters, Sri Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami has mentioned that Sri Advaita Acharya is the Lord’s partial incarnation (advaita acharya prabhura amsa-avatara.. – Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi 1.39). In Sri Gaura Gannodesha dipika, Kavi Karnapur has further clarified that Sada shiva, who had previously appeared as an avesa incarnation (one empowered by the Lord) ,has now descended as Sri Advaita Acharya. Sri Advaita was thus the combined incarnation of the potencies of Sada shiva and Lord Mahavishnu. Kavi Karnapura further writes that Kuvera pandita, the father of Advaita Acharya was an incarnation of the demigod Kuvera, the friend of Lord Shiva. The Supreme Lord’s Yogamaya potency appeared in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes as Sita Thakurani, the wife of Advaita Acharya.His second wife, Sri devi, was also an expansion of Yogamaya devi.

santipur advaita

Sri Acyutananda, the elder son of Advaita Gosai, was the combined form of the potencies of Kartikkeya and Achyuta Gopi. Sri Advaita Acharya was one of the primary trunks of Lord Caitanya’s desire tree of devotional service, from whom originated innumerable smaller branches and sub-branches of devotees. ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ considers itself exceedingly fortunate to have been able to visit and pray at Sri Advaita Acharya’s sripat at Shantipur, wherein such great personalities have exhibited their exalted heart melting pastimes.

Mayapur Nabadwip dham Vaishnava acharyas

Gadadhara Pandita – Biography & Teachings | Gaur Gadadhara Gaudiya Math, Champahati, Mayapur Nabadwip dham

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 9, 2018

gaur gadadhara math gtb

“What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering the transcendental abode of Navadvipa” –
Navadvipa Dham Mahatmya

Panca tattvatmakam krsnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta saktikam

Kavi Karnapura has mentioned in his Gaura Ganoddesha Dipika, that Radharani, the daughter of King Vrishabhanu, had appeared as Sri Gadadhara Pandita in Gaura Lila. Kavi Karnapura further adds that Lalita devi, who is also known as anuradha (as she always follows Srimati Radharani) had also entered the body of Gadadhara pandita.Thus Gadadhara Pandita was the combined incarnation of both Radharani and Lalita sakhi.Gadadhara Pandita was born of Sri Madhava Mishra and Srimati Ratnavati Devi who lived very close to the house of Jagannatha Mishra in Mayapur. According to Gaura Gannodesha dipika, Maharaja Vrishabhanu incarnated as Sri Madhava Mishra in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya.Sri Gadadhara Pandita was a year younger to Lord Gaurahari and they were very intimate friends since their childhood.

From His very childhood, Srila Gadadhara Pandita manifested the qualities of patience, serenity and renunciation. He and Nimai pandita, when they were very young, used to play together here at Champahati ,where this Gaur Gadadhara Temple is situated today. Both of them studied in the same tola (school).Dvija Vaninatha, the younger brother of Gadadhara Pandita, had later established the worship of Gaura Gadadhara deities over here. These are the first Gaura Gadadhara deities to be ever worshipped and this place is atleast 500 years old. At the time when these deities were installed, Sri Gauranga and Gadadhara Pandita were still manifesting their pastimes in this world.Later Sri Paramananda Brahmacari (a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura) , in the year 1921 AD, had renovated and revived the service of the Deity and established the Gaura Gadadhara Gaudiya Math here at Champahati.