GOURA- PARSHAD IN CHITTAGONG
Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi Takura
Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi Takura
Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri and was the guru of Sri Gadadhara Pandita. Pundarika Vidyanidhi was sometimes misunderstood to be too much attached to material pleasures, but just by hearing the recitation of one verse of the Bhagavatam he would enter into a trance. In Krsna’s pastimes he was Vrsabhanu, the father of Srimati Radharani. (See Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 10.14 and Madhya-lila 16.76-81.)
pundarika vidyanidhi——bada-sakha jani
yanra nama lana prabhu kandila apani
TRANSLATION
Pundarika Vidyanidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika Srila Pundarika Vidyanidhi is described as the father of Srimati Radharani in krishna-lila. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore treated him as His father. Pundarika Vidyanidhi’s father was known as Banesvara or, according to another opinion, Suklambara Brahmacari, and his mother’s name was Gangadevi. According to one opinion, Banesvara was a descendent of Sri Sivarama Gangopadhyaya. The original home of Pundarika Vidyanidhi was in East Bengal, in a village near Dacca named Baghiya, which belonged to the Varendra group of brahmana families. Sometimes these Varendra brahmanas were at odds with another group known as Radhiya brahmanas, and therefore Pundarika Vidyanidhi’s family was ostracized and at that time was not living as a respectable family. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati informs us that one of the members of this family is living in Vrindavana and is named Sarojananda Gosvami. 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 Cattagrama in East Bengal that is known as Hata-hajari, and a short distance from this place is a village known as Mekhala-grama in which Pundarika Vidyanidhi’s forefathers lived. One can approach Mekhala-grama from Cattagrama either on horseback, by bullock cart or by steamer. The steamer station is known as Annapurnara-ghata. The birthplace of Pundarika Vidyanidhi is about two miles southwest of Annapurnara-ghata. The temple constructed there by Pundarika Vidyanidhi 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.
GOURA- PARSHAD IN CHITTAGONG
VASUDEV DUTTA THAKURA
“Braja stitho gayoko jou madhukantho madhubrato
Mukunda Basudebou tou duttou gouranga gayakou.”
-(Sri kabikarnapur-Sri Gourganouddesh Dipika)
Gour (Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu) associates Vasudev Dutta & Mukunda Dutta were famous singer called Madhukantho and Madhubrata in the supreme personality of Goadhead Srikrishna’s Braja Lila.
Basudev dutta was the elder brother of Mukunda dutta. In Gour Lila he did born in Chanahora village on Patiya which is situated in Chittagong district.
Once mahaprabhu said to Basudev, “you (Basudev) are the incarnation of Prahlad Maharaj, so Krishna is always blessing you. ”
Basudev was the incarnation of Prahlad Maharaj. In Satya yoga he had protected by the Lord’s incarnation Sri Nrishimhadeva from demon Hiranyakashipu.
Sri Mukunda Dutta Thakura
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 Pundarika Vidyanidhi.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu called Pundarika Vidyanidhi “father,” and He gave him the title Premanidhi. Pundarika Vidyanidhi later became the spiritual master of Gadadhara Pandita and an intimate friend of Svarupa Damodara’s. Gadadhara Pandita at first misunderstood Pundarika Vidyanidhi to be an ordinary pounds-and-shillings man, but later, upon being corrected by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he became his disciple. Another incident in the life of Pundarika Vidyanidhi involves his criticizing the priest of the Jagannatha temple, for which Jagannatha Prabhu chastised him personally by slapping his cheeks. This is described in Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter Seven. Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura informs us that there are still two living descendants of the family of Pundarika Vidyanidhi, who are named Sri Harakumara Smrititirtha and Sri Krishnakinkara Vidyalankara. For further information one should refer to the dictionary known as Vaishnava-manjusha. (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta Adi lila 10:14. purport.)
bada sakha,——gadadhara pandita-gosani
tenho lakshmi-rupa, tanra sama keha nai
TRANSLATION
Gadadhara Pandita, the fourth branch, is described as an incarnation of the pleasure potency of Sri Krishna. No one, therefore, can equal him. (Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta Adi lila 10:15.txt.)
PURPORT
There is an interesting story how Srila Gadahar Pandit first met Pundarik Vidyanidhi. He had heard that he was a very great devotee and one worthy of seeking out. So he want to his home for a darshan. His initial seeing him sent confusion through his being. As before him sat what appeared to be the personification of sense gratification – dressed in oppulent silk clothing, hair oiled and nicely combed back, seated upon a huge silken cushion with a water-pipe for smoking in front of him and beautiful young women seated around the room.
Gadadhara Pandit came there expecting to see a sadhu, a guru, someone he could approach for spitual knowldge, to learn from, and take shelter of. But to his surprise he saw this sense gratifier…
“I came here to learn from you about Krishna” Gadadhar said, ….but no sooner the word Krishna were uttered Pundarik Vidyanidhi fell to the ground his body his body became strangely transformed and he mumbled the name of Krishna , Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare…..
Gadhadhara then realised that this was no ordinary man, but a very advanced devotee absorded in blissful Krishna consciousness.
…the Brishavanu incarnation Srila Pundarik vidyanidhi did born at village of ” Mekhol” on Hathazari in Chittagong district. Srila pundarik vidyanidhi is the father of SRIMATI RADHARANI ,the eternal power of the Lord Sri Krishna. In this Kali Yoga he did born here to purify this land. His birth place is called “Sri Pundarik Dham” and is famous among the devotees.
Mukunda Dutta Thakura
Mukunda Dutta Thakura was famous singer in Gour lila. Gour- Nitai used to dance when mukunda used to do kirtan,Bhajon. He also took born in Chanahora village on Patiya in Chittagong.
Shri Mukunda Datta was a classmate of Mahaprabhu at Gangadas’s school. In Krishna lila he was the cowherd boy named Madhukanta. He had a melodious voice that would attract anybody who had the good fortune to hear it fter Mahaprabhu took sannyasa and went to Jagan-nath Puri, Mukunda went to live in Kanchada Pada. He was the younger brother of Shri Vasudeva Datta who made the phenomenal request of the Lord to accept all the sins of every living entity in the universe. But also Shri Mukunda Datta shared in a pastime with Mahaprabhu that is similarly unparalleled and exalted.Once in the house of Shrivas Pandit, Lord Chaitanya was blessing all the devotees present. When the Lord had finished, it was noticed that He had omitted to bless Mukunda. Shrivas Pandit, being surprised that He had not blessed His favorite kirtan singer, asked the Lord to please be merciful and include Mukunda Datta in His blessings. Lord Chaitanya sternly retorted that Mukunda was a subhida-vadi who advocates philosophy according to the association he is within. Mahaprabhu said, “When with devotees, he glorifies bhakti. When he is with karmis, he debates on lifeless non-devotional topics, and if he is with a mayavadi, he postulates impersonalism. Whatever the situa tion warrants, like a sponge, he perfectly fits in.
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