(6/7) Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur and Sri Vakreshwar Pandit

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata—Worldwide, 10 January 2021, part 6

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami writes:

maha-bhagavata-srestha datta uddharana
sarva-bhave seve nityanandera charana

‘Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur is a greatest, exalted maha-bhagavata devotee. He served the holy feet of Nityananda Prabhu in all possible ways.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.11.41)

Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur was a great Vaishnav, a maha-bhagavata, and he always worshiped and served Sriman Nityananda Prabhu’s lotus feet. In Sri Gaura-ganodesa-dipika, which was written by Sri Puri Das (Sri Kavi Karnapur, a son of Sivananda Sen), it is said that Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur is an incarnation of a cowherd boy Subahu. In Vraja-lila, he is a friend of Krishna, and in this age he comes as Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur.

Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur writes in Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, or Sri Chaitanya-mangala:

kata-dine thaki’ nityananda khadadahe
saptagrama ailena sarva-gana-sahe

‘After passing some days at Khadadaha, Nityananda came to Saptagram with all His associates.’

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 3.5.443)

When Sriman Nityananda Prabhu visited Khadadaha and then came to Saptagram (Adisaptagram, the birthplace of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami), He stayed at the house of Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur, on the bank of the Triveni River, a confluence of three rivers (Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati). At that time, Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur was a servant of the king of Naihati, but despite his material occupation and position, he received Sriman Nityananda Prabhu’s mercy.

Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur was a householder, and he installed a sad-bhuja (six-armed) Deity of Gauranga, with Nityananda and Gadadhar next to Him, and on another altar, he installed Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. These Deities are still there.

Later, Jahnava Devi, Sriman Nityananda Prabhu’s sakti, or wife, as we commonly say, also visited Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur’s house, but at that time he had already left this world.

Today is the day when Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur left his body…

When Mahaprabhu was in Nabadwip, before He took sannyas, a devotee called Sri Vakreshwar Pandit stayed with Him. Later, when Mahaprabhu left Nabadwip to take sannyas, He was accompanied by Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Vakreshwar Pandit. When Mahaprabhu stayed in Puri, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit also stayed there. The birthplace of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit is in Guptipara, near Kalna. Sri Vakreshwar Pandit always danced during Mahaprabhu’s kirtans – he was a great singer and dancer. When Mahaprabhu went to Ramkeli to meet with Srila Sanatan Goswami and Srila Rupa Goswami, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was with Him.

You know the story of Devananda Pandit’s offence. One time, Devananda Pandit was giving a class when Srila Srivas Pandit suddenly became overwhelmed with transcendental feelings and began to show ecstatic mood. Some followers of Devananda Pandit did not like it, so they kicked Srivas Pandit out from that assembly, and Devananda Pandit did not stop them. This is the offence Devananda Pandit made to Srivas Pandit. Some time later, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit said to Devananda Pandit that he had made a grave mistake and told him to ask Srivas Pandit forgiveness, then his offence would be removed. Devananda Pandit did not make a direct offence to Srivas Pandit, but the offence was committed through his followers. As the result of that offence, Mahaprabhu always ignored Devananda Pandit and did not give him any mercy. One time, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit came to Nabadwip and was chanting and dancing at one of the devotees’ house. Devananda Pandit was there too, and when Sri Vakreshwar Pandit started to show his transcendental mood, Devananda Pandit picked up a stick and started to check the crowd – he told people not to crowd so much around Sri Vakreshwar Pandit and not to disturb his dancing and chanting. When Sri Vakreshwar Pandit sat down after the kirtan, Devananda Pandit paid obeisance to him, and Sri Vakreshwar Pandit bestowed his mercy upon him: he advised him to go to Srivas Pandit and apologise to him. Devananda Pandit did so, and later, when Mahaprabhu came to Nabadwip from Puri to see His mother and the Ganga, He finally bestowed His mercy on Devananda Pandit.

As I have mentioned earlier, Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur also says in Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata that Sri Vakreshwar Pandit stayed with Mahaprabhu when He was in Nabadwip, and when Mahaprabhu went to Puri, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit also came there and stayed with the Lord. There are many pastimes of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit described in the scriptures. In Vraja-lila, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit is a gopi called Tunga-vidya. Sri Vakreshwar Pandit also composed a book called Sri Sri Gaura-Krishnodaya that was later reprinted by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur writes:

jivera bhagye avani aila gaura-hari
bhuvana mohana rupa sonara putali
harinamamrta diya karila chetana
kali-yuge chhila yata jiva achetana
nityananda advaita acharya gadadhara
sakala bhakata majhe saje pahubara

‘Fortunately for all jiva souls, Sri Gaura Hari came to this world assuming the form of a beautiful golden doll that enchants the entire world. He bestowed the nectar of the Holy Name on all unconscious jiva souls of Kali-yuga and brought them to consciousness. The Lord comes in the garb of Nityananda, Advaita Acharya, Gadadhar and all the associate devotees.’

Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was a close associate of Sriman Mahaprabhu. During the festival of Sri Ratha-yatra in Sri Puri Dham, Mahaprabhu would divide all the devotees into four groups, and Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was the leader of one of those groups. He was a great dancer, as I have already said. Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami also glorified Sri Vakreshwar Pandit in very beautiful words:

vakresvara pandita—prabhura bada priya bhrtya
eka-bhave chabbisa prahara yanra nrtya

‘Vakreshwar Pandit is a very dear servant of the Lord. He can dance unwaveringly for seventy-two hours.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.10.17)

Sri Vakreshwar Pandit could chant and dance for three days at a time without stopping. Such are the glories of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit…

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 20 Mb
Length: 40 min
Language: English

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Good Mind, Good Heart
2) Uninterrupted Service Life
3) Accommodating Heart
4) Material Affection
5) Coming Before Deities
6) Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur and Sri Vakreshwar Pandit
7) Best Turn In Life