Vrindavan Das Thakur:
A Life of Chastity

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
speaking online to Colombia
18 May 2015

Question: We would like to ask you about Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur, whose disappearance day was recently...

Vrindavan Das Thakur wrote Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata. At first it was called Chaitanya-mangal, then it was renamed Chaitanya-bhagavata. Vrindavan Das Thakur is a disciple of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and is the main servitor of Nityananda Prabhu. He has so much chastity for Him.

Vrindavan Das Thakur's mother was Narayani. The name of Vrindavan Das Thakur's father is not mentioned, he was not a devotee. When Narayani was a little girl, three-four years old, she got mercy from Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu would always go to Srivas Pandit's house, and when He would take prasadam there, Narayani would come to Him and stretch our her hand, asking, "Give something to me!" And Mahaprabhu would give her His prasadam. She got that kind of blessings from the Lord. When she later got married, on the strength of that mercy from Mahaprabhu, she got a good child. Her child's name was Vrindavan Das Thakur, and he became a great devotee of Nityananda Prabhu.

You must also remember how one time Nityananda Prabhu and Sivananda Sen were walking to Puri... Now there are many vehicles—trains, airplanes, etc.—but in those days the only way to get somewhere was to go on foot, so the devotees would start many days before and walk every day. For Ratha Yatra, they would all come to Nabadwip and start from there with Nityananda Prabhu half a month or a month before the festival.

Once, having set off from Nabadwip to Puri, they were passing Denur. Denur is a village near Bamunpara, Gurudev's birthplace. There was a devotee, a brahmin and a disciple of Nityananda Prabhu, named Ramahari Chakravarti in that village. When Ramahari Chakravarti saw so many devotees sitting under the trees in the mango garden and came closer, he saw his Guru, Nityananda Prabhu, there. He at once invited Him to his house, but Nityananda Prabhu said, "There are so many people with me, and your house is very small, how is it possible for us all to fit in your house? Better you bring some rice, dahl, vegetables: we can cook and make a picnic here!"

Ramahari Chakravarti brought everything, they cooked, and everybody took prasadam happily. After taking prasadam, Nityananda Prabhu asked his servitor (at that time Vrindavan Das Thakur was fourteen years old, a very young boy), "Vrindavan, where is My thing?" 'My thing' means after taking prasadam Nityananda Prabhu would take hartaki—it is a kind of fruit that is used as a mouth freshener or a digestive. Vrindavan Das Thakur immediately gave it to Nityananda Prabhu, and, although Nityananda Prabhu was happy, He showed anger,

"Where did you get it from so quickly?"

"Prabhu, yesterday morning You took prasadam in Nabadwip, and a devotee gave it to me. I kept some for You because I knew You would ask for it."

"That is a householder's mood! Keeping something for tomorrow is not good for a brahmachari. It is not good for you! Better stay here—make a family and preach here then."

Nityananda Prabhu left Vrindavan Das Thakur in that village to expand His preaching. Vrindavan Das Thakur stayed in Denur, installed Deities of Nityananda Prabhu and Gauranga Mahaprabhu, and served there...

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