Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita Appearance Day

Identity of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita

śrīvāsa-paṇḍito dhīmān yaḥ purā nārado muniḥ

parvatākhyo muni-varo ya āsīn nārada-priyaḥ

sa rāma-paṇḍitaḥ śrīmāns tat-kaniṣṭha-sahodaraḥ

Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita is Nārada, who plays such an important part in Kṛṣṇa-līlā. Nārada Muni’s friend Parvatā Muni appeared as Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s younger brother Rāmai. [Śrī Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā 90]

Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita – one of the manifestations in the Pañca-tattva

Śrīla Prabhupāda talks about the Pañca-tattva in his book Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 17

“Supremely powerful Lord Kṛṣṇa becomes manifest in five different features. Although He is one without a second, in order to serve five specific spiritual purposes, He becomes manifest in five ways. Such diversity is eternal and blissful, in contrast to the conception of monotonous oneness. From the Vedic literature we can understand that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, eternally exists with His diverse energies. Lord Caitanya appeared with full diverse energies, and they are five in number; therefore Lord Caitanya is said to be Kṛṣṇa with diverse energies.

There is no difference between the energy and the energetic in regard to the Lord’s appearance as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His four associates Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara Paṇḍita and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. Among these five diverse manifestations of the Supreme Lord (as the Lord Himself and His expansion, incarnation, devotional energy and devotee) there is no spiritual difference. They are five in one Absolute Truth. For the sake of relishing transcendental flavors in the Absolute Truth, there are five diverse manifestations. These are called the form of a devotee, the identity of a devotee, the incarnation of a devotee, the devotional energy and the pure devotee.”

Pastimes with Nimāi Paṇḍita

Excerpt from Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-khaṇḍa, Chapter 12

During his student life, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (then known as Nimāi), would wander the streets of Navadvīpa, discussing scriptures on the bank of the Ganges, and challenging learned scholars. None could stand before or defeat Nimāi in debate. Although the Vaiṣṇavas were greatly pleased to hear the Lord’s wonderful explanations of the scriptures, they thought that if such a learned person as Nimāi became a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then everything would be successful. The devotees prayed in this way: “Let Nimāi have attachment for Kṛṣṇa.” Out of love, some blessed Him, saying, “Let Nimāi attain devotion to Kṛṣṇa.”

Whenever Nimāi saw the devotees headed by Śrīvāsa, He manifested the pastime of offering obeisances, thus demonstrating by His own behavior that devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is awakened only by the blessings of devotees.

One day when Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita met the Lord on the pathway, he asked Him, “Nimāi, why are You wasting time by not engaging Your mind in the worship of Kṛṣṇa? What will You gain by studying and teaching day and night? People study only for the purpose of understanding devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. If that is not achieved, then what is the benefit of such useless education? Therefore, do not waste anymore time. You have studied enough. Now, without wasting another moment, begin worshiping Kṛṣṇa.” Hearing these words from the mouth of His devotee, the Lord said, “O Paṇḍita! You are a devotee; by your mercy, I will certainly be able to worship Kṛṣṇa.”

Hearing these words from the mouth of His devotee, the Lord said, “O Paṇḍita! You are a devotee; by your mercy, I will certainly be able to worship Kṛṣṇa.”

Kīrtana pastimes at Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s house

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu shows his four-armed form to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura

Excerpt from Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa, chapter 2

In the company of His devotees and in His own house, the Lord listened in the evenings to the kīrtana performance of Mukunda. Thus, the performance of all-night kīrtana was begun. The pāṣaṇḍīs were angered by such interruption to their pleasure of sleep. They were filled with anger, especially against Śrīvāsa, which led them to spread false rumors of the King’s displeasure with Śrīvāsa. The impressionable Śrīvāsa believed these stories and was filled with anxiety. The omniscient Lord, who is affectionate to His devotees, appeared in His four-armed divine form before Śrīvāsa while the latter was engaged in his house in worshiping Śrī Nṛsiṃhadeva to alleviate his anxiety and encouraged him by His words of mercy. Śrīvāsa then realized that the Lord was Kṛṣṇa Himself and glorified Him. On hearing the prayers of Śrīvāsa, the Lord manifested His own form and commanded Śrīvāsa and his wife to worship Him. Śrīvāsa and all his family members then worshiped the Lord and expressed their humility, and the Lord removed Śrīvāsa’s fears with words of assurance.

Gopāla Cāpāla’s deliverance

Excerpt from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, chapter 17

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu regularly led congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura every night for one full year. This ecstatic chanting was performed with the doors closed so that nonbelievers who came to make fun could not gain entrance. Thus the nonbelievers almost burned to ashes and died out of envy. To retaliate, they planned various ways to give trouble to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. One night while kīrtana was going on inside Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s house, a brāhmaṇa named Gopāla Cāpāla, the chief of the nonbelievers, who was talkative and very rough in his speech, placed all the paraphernalia for worshiping the goddess Durgā outside Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s door. On the upper portion of a plantain leaf he placed such paraphernalia for worship as oḍa-phula, turmeric, vermilion, red sandalwood and rice. He placed a pot of wine beside all this, and in the morning when Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura opened his door he saw this paraphernalia. Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura called for all the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood and smilingly addressed them as follows. “Gentlemen, every night I worship the goddess Bhavānī. Since the paraphernalia for the worship is present here, now all you respectable brāhmaṇas and members of the higher castes can understand my position.” Then all the assembled gentlemen exclaimed, “What is this? What is this? Who has performed such mischievous activities? Who is that sinful man?” They called for a sweeper [hāḍi], who threw all the items of worship far away and cleansed the place by mopping it with a mixture of water and cow dung. After three days, leprosy attacked Gopāla Cāpāla, and blood oozed from sores all over his body. Incessantly covered with germs and insects biting him all over his body, Gopāla Cāpāla felt unbearable pain. His entire body burned in distress. Since leprosy is an infectious disease, Gopāla Cāpāla left the village to sit down on the bank of the Ganges underneath a tree. One day, however, he saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu passing by and spoke to Him as follows. “My dear nephew, I am Your maternal uncle in our village relationship. Please see how greatly this attack of leprosy has afflicted me. “As an incarnation of God, You are delivering so many fallen souls. I am also a greatly unhappy fallen soul. Kindly deliver me by Your mercy.” Hearing this, Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared greatly angry, and in that angry mood He spoke some words chastising him. “O sinful person, envious of pure devotees, I shall not deliver you! Rather, I shall have you bitten by these germs for many millions of years. “You have made Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura appear to have been worshiping the goddess Bhavānī. Simply for this offense, you will have to fall down into hellish life for ten million births. “I have appeared in this incarnation to kill the demons [pāṣaṇḍīs] and, after killing them, to preach the cult of devotional service.” After saying this, the Lord left to take His bath in the Ganges, and that sinful man did not give up his life but continued to suffer. When Śrī Caitanya, after accepting the renounced order of life, went to Jagannātha Purī and then came back to the village of Kuliyā, upon His return that sinful man took shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet. 

The Lord, being merciful to him, gave him instructions for his benefit. “You have committed an offense at the lotus feet of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura,” the Lord said. “First you must go there and beg for his mercy, and then if he gives you his blessings and you do not commit such sins again, you will be freed from these reactions.” Then the brāhmaṇa, Gopāla Cāpāla, went to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and took shelter of his lotus feet, and by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s mercy he was freed from all sinful reactions.

Death of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s son

Excerpt from Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa, chapter 25

One day when the Lord was absorbed in enjoying kīrtana pastimes in Śrīvāsa’s courtyard, the son of Śrīvāsa left his body. When Śrīvāsa heard the sudden crying of the ladies, he quickly entered the house and instructed everyone to stop their mundane behavior for some time so that the Lord’s feelings of ecstatic love while dancing would not be disturbed, otherwise he threatened to end his life by jumping into the waters of the Ganges. Śrīvāsa then jubilantly rejoined the Lord’s kīrtana. On the pretext of not feeling ecstasy in His heart, the Lord, who is the Supersoul in the hearts of all living entities, asked if any calamity had occurred in the house of Śrīvāsa. The devotees then informed the Lord of everything that had happened. On seeing Śrīvāsa’s display of love for Him, the Lord began to cry. Thereafter the Lord asked the dead boy why he had left the house of Śrīvāsa, and the dead child replied that he had lived as long as he was destined to live in that body and was now going elsewhere. He further said that everyone enjoys the fruits of their respective activities and that relationships with persons like father, mother, and children are all useless.

After hearing those spiritual topics from the mouth of the dead child, the lamentation of Śrīvāsa’s entire family was vanquished. They all fell at the Lord’s feet and began to humbly offer various prayers. The Lord then began to perform kīrtana in ecstasy. Thereafter Śrīman Mahāprabhu explained to Śrīvāsa about the ways of family life and agreed that He and His brother would remain in Śrīvāsa’s house as his sons.

Lord blesses Duḥkhī

Excerpt from Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa, chapter 25

Śrīman Mahāprabhu would always remain absorbed in pastimes of saṅkīrtana at the house of Śrīvāsa and would manifest His own opulence. When He would regain His external consciousness, He would go with His associates to take bath in the Ganges. Sometimes the devotees would give the Lord bath in Śrīvāsa’s courtyard.

When the Lord would dance in ecstasy, the maidservant Duḥkhī would watch the Lord dance with tears in her eyes. She would fill some pitchers with Ganges water and keep them in a row within the house. On seeing this, Śrīman Mahāprabhu was pleased. After asking Śrīvāsa who had brought the water, the Lord revealed that anyone who was fortunate enough to do such service could not be called “Duḥkhī,” and He then changed her name to “Sukhī.”

Important lessons

1. Devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is awakened only by the blessings of devotees. That is our only fortification from māyā. [Mahāprabhu offering obeisances to Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita]

2. If one’s intentions are correct, then whatever kind of anomalies or missteps are there get corrected. Rectification will be close at hand. [Gopāla Cāpāla’s deliverance]

3. We need to be strict, serious, and sincere, but at the same time our attitude must be, ‘whatever comes is the mercy of the Lord’. [Death of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s son]

4. No matter where one is in the universe, no matter what one’s present position in society, if one renders sincere, selfless service to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord will take notice and reciprocate. [Story of Duḥkhī]