holy Disappearance day of Srila Gadadhar pandit and srila bhaktivinoda thakura
Today, the holy disappearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit and Srila Bhahktivinoda Thakur was honoured at the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math London. Guests heard glorification of these two great personalities from Sripad Bhakti Svarup Tridandi Maharaj and Sri Devashis Prabhu.
In the following excerpt from the book Heart and Halo the position of these two great personalities, as revealed by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, is explained by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj.
'In Gaura-lila, Gadadhar Pandit is holding the helm, everything belongs to him; still he has to admit that he is dispossessed, that Gauranga has taken everything! He is exhaustively dedicated to Gauranga. So Srila Kaviraja Goswami says: teho laksmi-rupa, tara sama keha nai, that he represents the main potency of Gauranga, and no one is to be compared with him. This is the conclusion of Srila Kaviraja Goswami about Sri Gadadhar. He is gaura-prema-maya, the embodiment of Sri Gaura's love.
Gadahar Das represents the halo of Radharani but Gadadhar represents Her mood, Her nature - Her Heart. It is as if Mahaprabhu has taken away Gadadhar Pandit's soul, and the body is still standing! That is the position of Gadadhar Pandit; he is quite empty, and following Mahaprabhu. He is not full in himself. Something, the most thing, his heart, has been taken by Mahaprabhu, so he has no other alternative but to follow him. He is wholly given to Mahaprabhu. |
Gadadhar Pandit's position, the part he played, was something like that of Radharani, Her heart stolen by Krishna, the empty body still standing. Radha-bhava-dyuti-subalitam naumi Krsna-svarupam: He was fully engrossed in the conception of Sri Gauranga. Gauranga has taken everything from him, so he has no other alternative: he was fully engrossed, captured completely by Him.
We find his activity throughout his whole life was like this. Of other devotees, some were ordered to go to Vrndavan, and some were allowed to go there, but although Gadadhar Pandit wanted to visit Vrndavan with Mahaprabhu Himself, he was denied: "No, you won't go." When Jagadananda Pandit asked to go there, Mahaprabhu, with hesitation, granted him permission, "Yes, go there, but move always under the guidance of Rupa and Sanatana." He also gave him some special instruction: "Do this, and this, and don't do that." But Gadadhar Pandit was not allowed to go there.
He was the representation of Srimati Radharani Herself, yet his peculiar position was such: the Queen of Vrndavan, but now transferred from Nabadwip. His position had become just the opposite; he could not enter Vrndavan! He prayed for permission, but Mahaprabhu did not give it. He said, "No, stay and live here." And he had to do so. Sri Gadadhar Pandit represents the predominated moiety of the Whole. The Whole consists of the predominating and predominated moieties, and he represents the predominated half. He is one half of the Absolute Truth.
In the teachings of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, whose preaching was inspired by Sri Gadadhar Pandit and Sriman Mahaprabhu, we also find all the substance that is present in the plane of vibration. These two personalities, Sri Gadadhar Pandit and Srila Bhakitvinoda Thakura, are our great Gurus, our guides, and by offering our worship to them we can sow the seed of our highest benefit. By the Grace of that great Guru-Maharaj Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, we have been able to understand this. And Bhakitvinoda Thakura, though generally he has his own position, as understood from the consideration of the disciple, Prabhupada Bhakisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura has seen Srimati Radharani in him: a 'relative' vision. |
He once said that Radharani represents the full play of asta-nayika, the eight characteristics of the heroine; we see that they are all perfectly represented in Her. In other places we may find partial representations of them, but we find them fully manifest only in Her. He said, "I see my gurudeva as Guna-manjari, and in that manjari form he has some partial representation of Radharani. But if I attempt to look more deeply, I find him identified fully with Her; the eight kinds of qualities displayed in the service of Krishna (asta-nayika) are to be found there. If I look at him with my head a little more erect, I can see that he is one with Radharani. Acaryam mam vijaniyat: know the Acarya as Myself. If I give more attention to the sastric rule and try to search out the meaning, I find that Radharani comes to take Her place there, in the position of my gurudeva." In this way he has seen in Bhakivinoda Thakura the fullest representation of the cult of Sri Gauranga.
This realization is expressed in his poem where he says that he saw Svarupa Damodara Goswami in Gaura-Kisor Das Babaji and Sri Gadadhar Pandit in Srila Bhaktivinoda Thuakur. In one place he has written: gadadhara-din dhari' paiyacche gaura hari, that he has accepted the day of the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to be identified with that of Sri Gadadhar Pandit. In another place, in his poem at the conclusion of his Sri Chaitanya-Caritamrta commentary, he has written: "Here, in Nabadwip-dhama, the eternal pastimes are going on continuously; only those who have got that deep vision can perceive it.
gadadhara mitra-vara, sri svarupa damodara, sada kala gaura-krsna yaje jagatera dekhi' klesa, dhariya bhiksuka-vesa, aharahah krsna-nama bhaje
sri gaura icchaya dui, mahima ki kava mui aprakrta paridsada-katha prakata haiya seve, krsna-gaurabhinna-deve, aprakasya katha yatha tatha
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He says, "It is very difficult to perceive the sweet will of Sri Gauranga, but if we can lift ourselves to that level, we see that Svarupa Damodar Goswami and Sri Gadadhar Pandit are always engaged in their service here in Nabadwip. Sometimes it is suppressed and sometimes it is appearing on the surface. In that plane all is going on by the sweet will of Sri Gauranga, without any restriction. But now I find that those two have appeared on the surface as Srila Gaura-Kisora Dasa Babaji and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. I have seen it with my own eye of divine service but this is not to be advertised, not to be given publicity anywhere and everywhere; people will laugh at it. But this is my heartfelt conclusion." He has written this in his poem concluding Sri Chaitanya-Caritamrta.
So Gadadhar Pandit was identified with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. That was the vision of our Gurudeva, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. He could see in them the same identity. He considered siksa-guru parampara to be the most substantial thing. Eliminating the sahajiya-vada which gives much importance to the outer cover, try to look within, and see things more deeply. Try to understand the deeper vibrations of the outside environment, and see within yourself also. Dive deep, and you will find the plane of the finest vibration which will carry that news to you, and you will see that truth. '