Disappearance Day of Srila Vakreshwar Pandit
Sri Vakreshwar Pandit, born in Guptipara, was a skilled dancer and kirtaniyaand who could dance continuously for 72 hours during Sriman Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in Navadwipa and Jagannath Puri.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu initiated congregational chanting of Sri Hari in Navadwip, involving Sri Vakreshwar Pandit as a singer and dancer. Devananda Pandit was saved and was present during the Lord’s journey to Ramakeli. Devananda Pandit, a prominent Bhagavat lecturer, was moved ecstatically by Srivas Pandit’s Bhagavatam discourse. Unconscious students removed him from the assembly, leaving him outside, despite Devananda’s protests.
Devananda Pandit was implicated in an offence to a great devotee, Mahabharata. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed that those who read the book Bhagavat but don’t respect the devotee-Bhagavat are offenders. To understand the book Bhagavat, one must sincerely serve the devotee-Bhagavata. Therefore Mahaprabhu neglected Devananda and didn’t bestow His mercy on him. One evening Vakreshwar Pandit came to perform dancing and chanting of the Holy Name at the house of one devotee from Kulia, across the bank of the Ganga from Nadia. Receiving this auspicious news Devananda proceeded there, and upon seeing the appearance of the symptoms of divine love in the person of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit he became charmed. Gradually a great crowd gathered at that place, and Devananda Pandit, taking a cane in his hand, kept the crowd in order so as not to obstruct the ecstatic dancing of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit.
Vakreshwar Pandit performed chanting and dancing for six hours, and Devananda offered lotus feet, bringing blessings from Sri Vakreshwar Pandit, wishing devotion to Lord Krishna. From that day devotion was awakened in the heart of Devananda by the mercy of Vakreshwar Pandit. Thereafter when Mahaprabhu came to Nadia to have darshan of his mother and mother Ganges, he bestowed His mercy on Devananda at Kulia. “Because you have served Vakreshwar I have noticed you. Vakreshwar is fully imbued with the Lord’s transcendental energy, and whoever becomes devoted to him, attains to the lotus feet of Sri Krishna. His heart is the personal abode of Sri Krishna and as Sri Krishna dances, so Vakreshwar also dances. Wherever one can get the association of Vakreshwar, that place is the sum total of all Holy places and is as good as Sri Vaikuntha.”
Sri Vakreshwar Pandit’s disciple was Gopal Guru Goswami and Gopal Guru Goswami’s disciple was Sri Dhyanchananda Goswami. Vakreshwar Pandit’s worshippable deity is Sri Sri Radha-Kanta, whom he worshipped in Kasi Misra’s house, which was also the residence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Gambhira). These Deities are still being worshipped there to this day.
