Śrī Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi Appearance Day

Identity in the spiritual world

vṛṣabhānutayā khyātaḥ purā yo vraja-maṇḍale

adhunā puṇḍarīkākṣo vidyānidhi mahāśayaḥ

svakīya bhāvam āsādya rādhā viraha kātaraḥ

caitanyaḥ puṇḍarīkāhvaye tātāvadat svayam

premanidhitayā khyātiṁ gauro yasmai dadau sukhī

mādhavendrasya śiṣyatvāt gauravaṁ ca sadākarot

tat-prakāśa-viśeṣo'pi miśraḥ śrī-mādhavo mataḥ

ratnāvatī tu tat-patnī kīrtidā kīrtitā budhaiḥ

He who was previously known in Vraja as Vṛṣabhānu, is known here as Śrī Puṇḍarīkākṣa Vidyānidhi. When Mahāprabhu was in his own mood as Kṛṣṇa and felt the pain of separation from Rādhā, he would call him “father!”. Gauracandra was happy with Puṇḍarīka and named him Premanidhi, or “the treasure house of love”. Mahāprabhu always treated him with respect because he was the disciple of Mādhavendra Puri. Mādhava Miśra is said to be his expansion and his wife Ratnāvatī was Kīrtidā in Vraja [Śrī Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā 54-57].

Pastime in Śrī Caitanya līlā

Śrīla Prabhupāda glorifies Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 10.14

Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry.

Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s father was known as Bāṇeśvara or, according to another opinion, Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī, and his mother’s name was Gaṅgādevī. According to one opinion, Bāṇeśvara was a descendent of Śrī Śivarāma Gaṅgopādhyāya. The original home of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), in a village near Dacca named Bāghiyā, which belonged to the Vārendra group of brāhmaṇa families. Sometimes these Vārendra brāhmaṇas were at odds with another group known as Rāḍhīya brāhmaṇas, and therefore Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s family was ostracized and at that time was not living as a respectable family.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “One of the members of this family is living in Vṛndāvana and is named Sarojānanda Gosvāmī. One special characteristic of this family is that each of its members had only one son or no son at all, and therefore the family was not very expansive. There is a place in the district of Caṭṭagrāma in East Bengal that is known as Hāta-hājāri, and a short distance from this place is a village known as Mekhalā-grāma, in which Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s forefathers lived. One can approach Mekhalā-grāma from Caṭṭagrāma either on horseback, by bullock cart or by steamer. The steamer station is known as Annapūrṇāra-ghāṭa. The birthplace of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is about two miles southwest of Annapūrṇāra-ghāṭa. The temple constructed there by Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is now very old and much in need of repair. Without repair, the temple may soon crumble. There are two inscriptions on the bricks of that temple, but they are so old that one cannot read them. There is another temple, however, about two hundred yards south of this one, and some people say that this is the old temple constructed by Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi “father,” and He gave him the title Premanidhi. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi later became the spiritual master of Gadādhara Paṇḍita and an intimate friend of Svarūpa Dāmodara’s. Gadādhara Paṇḍita at first misunderstood Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi to be an ordinary pounds-and-shillings man, but later, upon being corrected by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he became his disciple. Another incident in the life of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi involves his criticizing the priest of the Jagannātha temple, for which Jagannātha Prabhu chastised him personally by slapping his cheeks. This is described in Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, chapter ten. Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura informs us that during his time there were still two living descendants of the family of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, who were named Śrī Harakumāra Smṛtitīrtha and Śrī Kṛṣṇakiṅkara Vidyālaṅkāra. For further information one should refer to the dictionary known as Vaiṣṇava-mañjuṣā.

Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi initiates Gadādhara Paṇḍita

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa, chapter 7

One day when Mahāprabhu called out the name of His dear associate Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi and began to cry, the devotees could not understand His intention and inquired about this from Mahāprabhu. The Lord informed the devotees about the identity of Vidyānidhi and also informed them that Vidyānidhi would soon arrive in Śrī Māyāpur.

Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi then came and enacted the pastimes of a gross materialist while secretly residing in Navadvīpa. Since Mukunda, the best of the Vaiṣṇavas, appeared in Caṭṭagrāma, he was conversant with the glories of Vidyānidhi. As the indwelling Supersoul, Mahāprabhu was happy to know of Puṇḍarīka’s arrival, but He did not disclose the news to anyone. Vāsudeva and Mukunda were fully acquainted with the glories of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. One day, promising to show him a wonderful Vaiṣṇava, Mukunda took Gadādhara to Vidyānidhi, who inquired from Mukunda about the identity of Gadādhara. When Mukunda informed Vidyānidhi about the identity of Gadādhara, Vidyānidhi was very pleased and began to converse with him. On seeing Vidyānidhi’s activities such as chewing betel nuts like a materialist while sitting on an opulent throne, Gadādhara, who was renounced since his birth, became somewhat doubtful. At that time Mukunda, who knew very well the heart of Gadādhara, recited a verse from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam indicating the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. As soon as Puṇḍarīka heard this verse, he could not control himself. He fell unconscious to the ground due to love of God, and various transformations of ecstatic love manifested in his body. By his kicking, all the surrounding items were scattered here and there. On realizing Vidyānidhi’s exalted position, Gadādhara began to repent on account of being disrespectful to him and proposed to Mukunda that he would counteract his offense by taking initiation from Vidyānidhi.

Learning the intention of Gadādhara, Mukunda became happy and praised him. After about six hours, Vidyānidhi regained his external consciousness. When Vidyānidhi saw that Gadādhara’s eyes were filled with tears, he embraced him affectionately, and Gadādhara stood there with great awe and reverence. Thereafter, when Mukunda informed Vidyānidhi about Gadādhara’s desire, Vidyānidhi happily praised his own good fortune for receiving such a disciple. He then fixed an auspicious day for awarding initiation to Gadādhara. One time, late at night, Vidyānidhi came to Mahāprabhu and due to ecstatic love could not offer obeisances to the Lord. He fell unconscious to the ground and after regaining consciousness shortly thereafter, he began to cry with various words of lamentation. On seeing his dearmost devotee, Mahāprabhu also began to cry while uttering his name. Mahāprabhu embraced Vidyānidhi and shed tears of love. Thereafter, when Mahāprabhu regained His external consciousness, He introduced Vidyānidhi to all the Vaiṣṇavas and profusely glorified him. After regaining external consciousness, Vidyānidhi offered obeisances to Mahāprabhu and showed due respects to the assembled Vaiṣṇavas. When Gadādhara begged Mahāprabhu’s permission to take initiation from Vidyānidhi in order to counteract his offense of disregarding Vidyānidhi, the Lord happily gave His approval.

Thereafter Gadādhara took initiation from Vidyānidhi.

Lord Jagannātha and Balarāma chastise Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, chapter 10

In the holy city of Nīlācala, there was a devout and learned devotee named Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. One day, after observing Lord Jagannātha adorned in starched cloth, Puṇḍarīka was struck with doubt. He turned to his wise friend, Svarūpa Dāmodara, and questioned the practice of offering unwashed, starched clothes to the Lord, citing the śrutis and smṛtis that considered such cloth impure. Svarūpa Dāmodara listened patiently and replied, explaining that the customs at the temple of Lord Jagannātha were unique and deeply rooted. He noted that although the śrutis and smṛtis were respected, the local traditions held a special place, particularly during the Oḍana festival. Puṇḍarīka, however, was not fully satisfied. He raised another concern about the imitation of Lord Jagannātha's practices by the temple priests, superintendents, and other servants. He questioned why they, being ordinary humans, would touch unwashed clothes, something that goes against the norms of purity. In response, Dāmodara Svarūpa calmly addressed Puṇḍarīka’s concerns. He pointed out that Lord Jagannātha, being the Supreme Brahman, was beyond all rules and regulations. The deity form of the Lord was transcendental, and the customs practiced in His honor were fitting for Him. Puṇḍarīka, deep in thought, acknowledged the supremacy of Lord Jagannātha. He understood that the Lord Himself was beyond faults, but he pondered whether the same grace extended to His human servants. He voiced his belief that while the deity was transcendental, His servants, being part of the material world, should adhere to the principles of purity.

One night, the Lord decided to address Puṇḍarīka's skepticism. In a vivid dream, Lord Jagannātha and His brother, Balarāma, appeared to Puṇḍarīka and reprimanded him for his criticisms by slapping his face, marking him with the touch of divinity. Upon waking, the slap marks were visible on Puṇḍarīka's cheeks as physical evidence of the dream encounter, leaving him simultaneously chastised and blessed. The next morning, when Svarūpa Dāmodara arrived for their daily visit to Lord Jagannātha's temple, he found Puṇḍarīka with swollen cheeks. After hearing of the divine reproof, Svarūpa Dāmodara was astounded and overjoyed at the Lord's intimate correction of His devotee. They both laughed, reveling in the profound lesson and the merciful nature of the Lord, who personally intervened to deepen the devotion and understanding of His followers.

Lessons from the life of Śrī Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi

1. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, though a realized soul, enacts the pastimes of a materialist while residing in Navadvīpa. This underscores the idea that advanced devotees may sometimes conceal their exalted spiritual identity to perform specific pastimes for the benefit of others. This is also mentioned in SB 6.15.11.

2. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi's ecstatic response to hearing a verse from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam indicates the power of transcendental sound in evoking deep emotions of love of God. This teaches us about the potency of devotional practices, such as chanting and reciting sacred texts, in awakening spiritual sentiments.

3. The explanation that Lord Jagannātha is beyond all rules and regulations, being the Supreme Brahman, teaches us about the transcendental nature of the deity form. It reminds devotees that the divine is not bound by the limitations of material conventions.

4. Puṇḍarīka's inquiry and doubts reflect the natural questioning that sincere devotees may have. This teaches us that it's acceptable to seek understanding and clarification on spiritual matters, demonstrating the importance of open dialogue and discussion.

5. The Lord's reprimand through the dream is simultaneously a chastisement and a blessing. This dual aspect teaches us about the multifaceted nature of divine interactions, which may include correction, instruction, and the bestowal of blessings.

6. The laughter shared between Puṇḍarīka and Svarūpa Dāmodara upon discovering the slap marks conveys a sense of humor in spiritual life. It reminds us that the relationship with the divine can be joyful and that the Lord's correction is not devoid of love and compassion.