SRI NABADWIP DHAM
MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA

Antardwip (Atmanivedanam: self-submission)

Sri Gadadhar Pandit Goswami

Next to Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu's house is the house of Sri Gadadhar Pandit.

From his childhood, Sri Gadadhar Pandit stayed near Mahaprabhu. His father's name is Madhav Misra, and his mother's name is Ratnavali Devi. They lived close to Sri Jagannath Misra's house in Mayapur, and Ratnavali Devi treated Sachi Devi as her elder sister.

During His childhood pastimes, Sri Gaura Hari always played with Gadadhar Pandit. Although Gadadhar Pandit was a few years younger than Mahaprabhu, they studied together at the local school. Mahaprabhu could not stay without Gadadhar, and Gadadhar also could not stay even a moment without Mahaprabhu.

One day, Sri Isvar Puri came to Mayapur. During his visit, he taught Gadadhar a scripture called Krishna-lilamrita – hearing this holy scripture from Sri Isvar Puri's holy mouth, Gadadhar was extremely captivated. From his childhood, Gadadhar Pandit was placid, peaceful, reserved and renounced. When Gaura Hari was small, He would display a very naughty mood and sometimes ask Gadadhar hard questions, trying to trick him with logic. Gadadhar Pandit did not particularly like it, so sometimes he would try to keep away from Nimai (sometimes, seeing Nimai walking down the street, he would turn around and go in the opposite direction to avoid Him), but Sri Gaurasundar did not let him go.

Once, Gadadhar Pandit came to Mahaprabhu and said, 'Prabhu, give me initiation.' Mahaprabhu replied, 'Your guru is coming; wait for him, he will give you initiation.' After a while, Sri Pundarik Vidyanidhi came to Nabadwip from Chattagram (Mahaprabhu always called him 'father'). Soon after that, Mukunda Datta came to Gadadhar Pandit and asked him, 'Prabhu, would you like to meet a Vaishnav?' Gadadhar Pandit answered, 'Yes, of course! Let us go!' When they came to the house of Sri Pundarik Vidyanidhi, Gadadhar Pandit lost the enthusiastic faith he had had before coming. He saw that Sri Pundarik Vidyanidhi was a householder devotee: dressed in a costly dhoti and a fine kurta, he sprawled leisurely on his opulent bed, chewing paan. Gadadhar Pandit had come to see a sadhu, but it turned out that the 'sadhu' looked just like a materialist. Thinking in this way, Gadadhar Pandit actually made an offence. He wondered, 'Who is this man? Why does he behave like a gross materialist if he is a Vaishnav?' Mukunda Datta understood what had gone through Gadadhar Pandit's mind, so he recited a verse describing pastimes of Krishna:

aho baki yam stanakalakutam
jighamsayapayayad apy asadhvi
lebhe gatim dhatry-uchitam tato 'nyam
kam va dayalum saranam vrajema

'Oh! Even though the wicked Putana nursed Krishna with her poison-smeared breasts, intending to kill Him, Krishna granted her a position befitting His mother! Of what merciful Lord shall we take shelter other than Him?'

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.2.23)

Hearing Mukunda sing about Krishna's pastime in a very sweet voice, Sri Pundarik Vidyanidhi immediately started crying, 'Krishna! Krishna!' – tears flowed from his eyes, and he fell unconscious. Seeing this, Gadadhar Pandit thought, 'I have mistaken this great Vaishnav for a materialist! I have made an offence! Unless I take the mantra from him, I will not become free – this offence will not go away.'

Why did Mahaprabhu call Pundarik Vidyanidhi 'father'? There is a reason behind it. In Dvapara-yuga, this Pundarik Vidyanidhi was Raja Vrsabhanu, Srimati Radharani's father. Who is Gadadhar Pandit? He is an incarnation of Srimati Radharani. So, when Gadadhar Pandit told Mahaprabhu what had happened, Mahaprabhu approved of it, saying, 'Yes, to remove your offence, you must take initiation from him. He is your guru!'

When, Mukunda Datta intimated Sri Gadadhar Pandit's peculiar identity to Pundarik Vidyanidhi, Pundarik Vidyanidhi felt happy:

suniya hasena pundarika vidyanidhi
"amare ta' maharatna milaila vidhi
karaimu ihate sandeha kichhu nai
bahu janma-bhagye se emata sisya pai"

'Hearing this, Pundarik Vidyanidhi laughed: "The Providence has brought a great jewel to me! I have no doubt about it. I am getting this kind of disciple as a result of a great fortune accumulated after many, many births".'

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 2.7.117–118)

'It is my great fortune to accept him as a disciple! So, it is not I who has bestowed mercy on him; rather, by getting a disciple like him, I think it is he who has bestowed his mercy on me!' Then, Gadadhar Pandit came in front of Pundarik Vidyanidhi and offered his obeisance to him, and Pundarik Vidyanidhi gave him the mantra. After Gadadhar Pandit returned home, he manifested a new life: he became inundated with transcendental love for Lord Krishna and floated continuously, day and night, engrossed in it.

Gadadhar Pandit and Mahaprabhu performed their Nadia pastimes together, and when Mahaprabhu showed the pastime of accepting sannyas, Gadadhar Pandit accepted ksetra-sannyas (the vow of a renounced person to stay in one place the whole life) on the order of Mahaprabhu and settled in Nilachal (Jagannath Puri) – he lived there like Mahaprabhu's shadow.

When Krishna stole Srimati Radharani's heart and halo and became Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Srimati Radharani became empty – Her entire being had been taken away, and only Her body remained standing like a shadow. Such was Gadadhar Pandit's position as his form is non-different from Srimati Radharani. Like a shadow, he could not leave Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu: wherever Mahaprabhu went, Gadadhar Pandit followed Him from afar. Although he did not know anything except Gauranga Mahaprabhu, he did not come close to Mahaprabhu: he always stayed in the background, behind Him. We can see that Mahaprabhu appeared on a full moon day (purnima), and Gadadhar Pandit appeared on a new moon day (amavasya). A new moon day means when there is no moon in the sky: Mahaprabhu had taken the moon, and Gadadhar Pandit choose to come on the holy day when there was no moon. Gadadhar Pandit is the master, but he has given everything to his Lord. Such was his character – he revealed the example of the highest sacrifice.

In Gaura-lila, Mahaprabhu's nature was aggressive, bold and miraculously genius, and Gadadhar Pandit's nature was just the opposite. Nonetheless, Gadadhar Pandit was naturally drawn and surrendered to Nimai Pandit, and Nimai Pandit was also attracted to Gadadhar Pandit, but because Gadadhar Pandit was a little shy, he could not look straight into Nimai Pandit's face. Moreover, seeing Nimai Pandit, Gadadhar Pandit would try to show he was indifferent, but Nimai did not let him go: He always asked Gadadhar Pandit various questions, showing many pastimes in his association.

When, overcome with the mood of a devotee, Nimai Pandit returned to Nabadwip from Gaya and saw Gadadhar Pandit, He said, 'Gadai, your life is perfect! You have had firm devotion to Lord Narayan and Krishna since your childhood, but My life is spoilt: I have wasted so much time on mundane talks and discussions, I have not practised Krishna consciousness! But you have been a pure devotee of Krishna from the beginning. I want your mercy so that I may also be able to spend My life with devotion.'

In 1956, our Param Guru Maharaj, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, wrote a very beautiful article about Sri Gadadhar Pandit. We are presenting this article here for the eternal spiritual benefit of the world.

Pandit Gadadhar Goswami

Among dear associates of Sri Gauranga, Sri Gadadhar Goswami is the highest. Just as Sri Radhika's position in the amorous pastimes of Lord Krishna is indisputably the highest of all; in the same way, in the magnanimous pastimes of Krishna, who assumes the form of Gaura, in terms of service in the magnanimous mood of divine love, Sri Pandit Goswami's character possesses the strongest attraction to Sri Gauranga, the embodiment of magnanimous loving devotion. Great souls behold Sri Radha tattva within Pandit Gadadhar.

Pandit Gadadhar appeared in the summer, on the new moon day in the Bengali month of Jyaistha (May−June); his holy disappearance day is one month later, on the new moon day in the Bengali month of Asarha (June−July). The peculiarity of Pandit Goswami's character is such that he embodies a silent gift of complete self-sacrifice to his Dearmost. Those who can relish wondrous happiness by realising in their hearts the oxymoron (contradictory) excellence of the sight of Laksmi Devi carrying the bag of a beggar on her shoulder are qualified to feel and realise the extraordinary glory of Srimat Pandit Goswami's transcendental personality. From his childhood, he is very simple-hearted, innocent, unpretentious and very courteous, devoted to gods and brahmans and very affectionate to his friends. Although gentle, he is fearful; although submissive, he feels he is an offender; although replete with full knowledge, he feels he is amateur; although a main hero, he poses as a loyal menial servant. He is firmly fixed in his Lord, Prabhu Sri Gauranga: a mere glance cast upon him by Gaurasundar's ordinary followers makes him shy away and feel fearful. His insanely profound absorption in his Sri Guru-Gaura makes him forget the mantras that are recited for the Deity worship. Even a little bit of faith in Sri Gauranga attracts his heart so much that no matter whether Sri Gauranga rewards or reprimands him in His reciprocal affection, he takes everything as a precious ornament. In short, Sri Pandit Goswami's nature is such that he is a neglected worshippable deity that has given away all his wealth and voluntarily accepted the garb of a beggar.

Sri Gadadhar's wealth is not the external wealth of Harishchandra's kingdom or the wealth of bodily sacrifices of King Shibi and King Dadhichi, just as it is not some sacrifice that the nurse Panna Dai (she sacrificed her son, who was more dear to her than her own life, allowing him to be killed) or the self-immolation sacrifice of Padmini and other chaste women; it is not even some sacrifice like that of Socrates, who sacrificed his body to spread the 'know thyself' teachings, or Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his body to rescue the world. Great self-realised souls who are situated on a higher place consider bodily sacrifice trifle: it is much more difficult to give up the wealth of one's internal body, or one's own pure identity. If we can go beyond the wealth of devotion that is characteristic of liberated souls and realise the form of the object of divine love, then we will realise the profundity of the unparalleled gift of Sri Pandit Goswami's internal wealth, and this can be possible only by his and his dear associates' mercy. All this very complicated matter cannot be perceived all of a sudden as some common matter; however, considering that it was necessary, it has been revealed.

Moreover, just as it is appropriate to determine one's moral standard by analysing the quality of the gift, it is also definitely possible to understand the quality of the gift by analysing the qualification of the recipient of the gift. The more qualified the person who receives the gift is, the more glorious and successful the giver of the gift is. Therefore, there is no comparison with regard to Sri Pandit Goswami's gift of his own self and the supreme position of the recipient of his gift; that is why the wealth of the divine love of Sri Radha is the highest and Sri Krishnachandra is the highest recipient. As we discuss this matter, we are reminded of an episode related to Sri Yajnavalkya. He was asked, step by step, higher and higher questions about the soul, then he was asked a question about the highest matter, and then the inquirer asked about even a higher matter – in reply to another question, Yajnavalkya Risi solemnly told the man that there was a limit to satisfying one's curiosity.

Although it is impossible for us to realise the glory of Sri Pandit Goswami, great souls have kept for us their divine realisation with regard to Gadadhar's identity. However, ill-fated as we are, being certainly incapable of establishing our faith in what they describe, we plunge ourselves into offences and disrespect. At the same time, some climb on the shoulder of Nityananda-Baladev, who embody the wealth of Sri Radha, or climb on the shoulder of Dasa Gadadhar, raising their own flag of mental concoction (mano-dharma) and becoming offenders of the sambandha-tattva (the nature of the transcendental relationship), bolting thus the door to attaining the perfection of self-realisation (svarupa-siddhi). Some, engrossed in the mood of enjoyment and not being able to understand Gadadhar's way of worshipping Gaura-Krishna, pass Narayan as a womaniser, invoking the union pastimes of Vishnupriya's husband, Gaura-Narayan. When Sri Krishna is in the garb of Sri Radha's mood, He is Sri Gaura, and when Gaura is physically detached from Radha, He is Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna is the only object of worship in all possible mellows of devotion (conjugal, etc.). Sri Rama and other incanations are not like that. Twice-born Sri Gaurasundar or the master of renunciates Sri Krishna Chaitanyadev never mixed and never mixes freely with women, assuming the mood of a womaniser. To see paramour enjoyment within these pastimes is rasabhas (a wrongful confusion of devotional mellows), an offence, antagonism towards great souls and sheer heresy. In the authentic scriptures, such as Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata and Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, there is not, and there cannot be, even slightest mention of an event or conclusion pointing at this conception of Gaura as a womaniser (Gaura-nagara). Just as when a pious, devoted-to-her-husband wife, who is attached to the worship of her husband, seeing him as non-different from God, serves her husband in various favourable ways, trying to worship her venerable husband (yet, at this time, she does not obstruct her God-like husband's worship by discussing seductive amorous matters); in the same way, in the pastimes of Krishnachandra, meditating on worshipping Sri Krishna in the mood of Sri Radha (His corresponding form of Sri Gaurasundar who worships Sri Krishna), Sri Gadadhar, being the embodiment of Sri Radhika, manifests a life filled with auspicious practices in the worship of his divine Master (this form is manifest within Gadadhar eternally). Sri Radha-Krishna eternally enjoy Their pastimes in Vraja, and Sri Gadai-Gauranga eternally reside in Nabadwip, performing their magnanimous pastimes there. Those who are Sri Radha-Krishna in the amorous pastimes in Vraja are Sri Gadadhar-Gauranga in the magnanimous pastimes in Nabadwip. Thinking about the oneness of Radha-Krishna and Gadadhar-Gauranga in any other way brings about ruination. For practitioners, it is necessary to give up common ideas and take shelter of the great souls' path.

Sri Gauranga is the Lord of Divine Love (prema-devata). Although Sri Krishna becomes the Lord of Divine Love, He possesses all rights and, according to His wish, this form is not manifest to everyone primary because of the connotation of enjoyment. However, Sri Gauranga is the Deity of Divine Love to those common conditioned souls who have a strong faith and have taken shelter in the devotional mellows of separation and magnanimity. Sri Nityananda Prabhu assumes the form of Sri Gurudev and, wandering door to door, ardently bestows the gift of this Lord of Divine Love to all fallen souls. Sri Advaita Prabhu is the Lord of supreme auspiciousness who reveals the path to one's spiritual benefit – he is the one who calls and brings this Lord of Divine Love, Sri Chaitanyachandra, to this earth. Srivas Pandit and others are the precious assistants in the pastimes of Sri Gaura, supporting the sankirtan pastimes of this Lord of Divine Love, Sri Gauranga, as the embodied Deities of the Lord's seat. Sri Svarupa, Rupa, Sanatana, Raghunath, Jiva and others, who are all nectar-filled channels of the fountain of divine love, have infused life into the entire universe. (This vilest soul, overcome with wicked desires, is begging to attain a drop of this nectar; the mercy of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs is the only hope.)

The Lord of Divine Love, Sri Gauranga, has assumed this deity form to glorify the object of divine love, Lord Sri Krishna. Understanding that it was possible to do it by accepting the mood of His dearest beloved, the highest object of the wealth of divine love took it from Sri Radha. Sri Krishna wanted to worship Sri Radha exclusively – and He did that. However, even in the Gaura-lila pastimes of Sri Krishna, He very clearly manifested to His devotees His form of Krishna (i.e. His love for the gopis as well as submission to Sri Radha). Gaura's love for Gadadhar is extraordinary, but this love manifested in an opposite way. Krishna could garb Himself into Radha's mood, and Sri Radha stood emptied – that is the worshippable form of Sri Gadadhar. Standing in the background of Gaura's worship of Krishna in the mood of Radha, Sri Gadadhar has submitted everything to his beloved, and after that his bare glorious divine form was reflected in the intent glance of his greedy eyes, in his thirsty look, revealing his piercing deep cravings of love towards his intimate associate. The object of worship has taken the garb of a worshipper. The worshipper has submitted himself to his object of worship, who has assumed the form of a worshipper, to the extent of submitting the very source of offering of worship and remained standing there as a holy deity of complete self-surrender. Therefore, aspiring to attain the priceless wealth of the attraction or love that the worshipper feels for the object of his worship, devotees of Gaura discovered the result of worshipping and the method of inconceivable worship (the worship of Sri Gauranga) in strict adherence to Gadadhar. It was mostly the followers of Gadadhar who relished the transcendental feeling of separation of Sri Radha in a more profound way.

gadai-gauranga jaya jahnava jivana
sitapati jaya srivasadi-bhakta-gana

'Glory to Gadai-Gauranga, the very life of Jahnava. Glory to Sita Thakurani's spouse, Srivas and all the devotees.'

— • : • —

Contents

INTRODUCTION

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