(The following article was originally written by Srila Sridhara Maharaja in Bengali for Sri Gaudiya Darsana, Vol.2, Number 1, 12th August 1956)
Amongst the dear associates of Sri Gauranga, Sri Gadadhara Gosvami is the topmost. Just as the position of Sri Radhika, in comparison to others, is undisputedly the topmost in the madhurya pastimes of Sri Krsna, similarly in the most magnanimous pastimes of Gaura-Krsna, in the service of audarya-madhurya-rasa, the character of Sri Pandita Gosvami, in comparison to others, is the topmost object of attraction for Sri Gauranga – the embodiment of sweetness with magnanimity. The mahajanas see radha-tattva within Pandita Gadadhara.
The appearance day of Pandita Gadadhara is during the summer time, on the new moon of the month of Jyestha (May/June); his disappearance is one month after on the new moon of the month of Asadha (June/July). The specialty of the character of Pandita Gosvami as an intimate companion is the offering of silent and complete self-submission. Only those that are capable of relishing within their hearts the incredible bliss of seeing the astonishing contradiction of a begging-bag upon the shoulder of Laksmi-devi, are qualified to directly experience the extraordinary glories of the personality of Srimat Pandita Gosvami.
During his childhood he was very simple, indifferent, modest and extremely courteous, devoted to the Lord and the brahmanas and affectionate towards his friends. He was polite, yet timid; he was surrendered to the Lord, yet he felt offensive; he was fully realized, yet he felt ignorant; he was a leader, yet considered himself an obedient servant. Though he had firm faith in his dear Lord Sri Gauranga, the sidelong glances of the ordinary followers that had taken shelter of Gaurasundara made him hesitant and timid. Being madly engrossed in thoughts of his guru, Gaura, caused him to forget His Deity mantras. Even a little faith in Sri Gauranga attracts His heart – so much so that due to His affection towards such a person, he accepts even an insult from him as an honour. Basically, Sri Pandita Gosvami’s character is the neglected personification of one who has willingly accepted a beggar’s garb after giving away all his personal wealth.
Sri Gadadhara’s wealth is not like the external wealth of Hariscandra’s kingdom nor is his sacrifice like that of Sibi’s or Dadhici’s sacrifice of their material bodies. It is not like the sacrifice made by the nurse Panna of her dear son, nor like the self-immolation of Queen Padmini etc. Similarly, it is also not like Socrates’ reason for propagating self-realization or Jesus Christ’s bodily sacrifice for the sake of the delivery of the world. For the knower of the self who is situated on a higher plane, bodily sacrifice is a very ordinary thing.
The wealth that is derived from the svarupa or inherent nature makes any other type of sacrifice seem futile. Even if the devotional wealth of the liberated souls or even the nature of the object of prema is realized in our hearts – still, deeply understanding and conceiving the cordial nature of the incontestable sacrifice of the inner wealth of Pandita Gosvami is only possible through his compassion and that of his intimate associates.
It is not possible for all these esoteric subjects to be immediately understood as if they were ordinary mundane topics. Nevertheless, considering the necessity, we are giving a general overview. Moreover, just as it is a responsibility to ascertain particular limits while considering what substance is worth giving, similarly it is certainly wise to ascertain the specialty of a gift while considering the qualification of its recipient.
As much as the recipient of the gift is highly qualified, that much is the glory and the result of giving the gift. In the same line of thought there is no comparison of objective and subjective excellence of Pandita Gosvami’s self-surrender. After all, the wealth of Sri Radha’s love is the topmost substance and Sri Krsnacandra, the son of a brahmana (as Sri Caitanya), is the topmost recipient.
While reflecting on this subject, we are reminded of the tale of Sri Yajnavalkya. Having studied the highest knowledge of the self and after reaching the final stage of questioning, in answer to the curiousness of the curious of even higher truths, Yajnavalkya Rsi, in a serious way, declares it as being the limit of curiosity.
We are incapable to fully comprehend the glories of Sri Pandita Gosvami, therefore the mahajanas have left us that divine knowledge concerning the true identity of Gadadhara. Yet due to our misfortune, we are unable to establish our faith in this matter. We commit offenses due to our lack of faith and become absorbed in our own selfish pursuits.
Moreover, some claim that Gadadhara, the very wealth of Sri Radha’s form, is a part of Nityananda-Baladeva, while others say that he is concealed within a part of Gadadhara Dasa. But by flying one’s own flag of mental speculation one will become an offender to sambandha-tattva and one’s attainment of svarupa-siddhi will be obstructed. Some people are unable to understand the method of Gadadhara’s worship of Gaura-Krsna, and consider the Lord of Visnupriya, Gaura-Narayana, as being influenced by a mood of enjoyment and sambhoga, addressing Narayana as one who takes the role of a nagara. Sri Gaura is Sri Krsna with the mood of Radha, and Gaura without Radha is Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna is the object of worship for all rasas beginning with madhura. He is not in the same category of bhagavata-tattva as Sri Rama etc. Sri Gaurasundara, as the son of a brahmana or as the best of sannyasis, Sri Krsna Caitanya, never accepted the mood of a nagara, nor did He ever enter into discussions and the like with the wives of other men at any time. The notion that He was an example of parakiya-sambhoga is rasabhasa, it is an offence, it is against the conclusions of the mahajanas and is an atheistic misconception.
In Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and other authorized works of the mahajanas there is absolutely no example of Gaura-nagara philosophy. This ideology is not mentioned and does not exist therein.
A husband engages in Deity worship and his dutiful wife serves him by trying to help him in his worship. But at that time, she will not think of conjugality and engage in amorous talks with him, as this will impede his worship of the Deity. Similarly, when He is in the bhava of Sri Radha, the only concern of Krsnacandra is selfless service to Sri Krsna – in other words, Sri Gauranga’s nature is to worship Sri Krsna through His own lila, and Sri Radhika’s form as Sri Gadadhara devotedly worships His adorable Lord accordingly throughout his whole life. Thus, Gadadhara’s form is an eternal manifestation.
Sri Radha-Krsna eternally personify the divine pastimes of Vraja, and Sri Gadai-Gauranga, eternally residing in Navadvipa, personify the mood of audarya (magnanimity). When there is the sweetness of Vraja, that is Sri Radha-Krsna – when there is the audarya of Navadvipa, that is Sri Gadadhara-Gauranga. By being fully absorbed in one or the other, all other conceptions are eliminated. Sadhakas reject all types of common ideologies and should accept that revered path prescribed by the mahajanas.
Sri Gauranga is the Lord of love divine. Sri Krsna is also the Lord of love divine, but because His predominant rasa is sambhoga not everyone has the qualification to fully understand Him as such. However, Sri Gauranga, who is the shelter of the rasas of vipralambha and audarya, is the Lord of love divine even for the ordinary fallen souls who have cultivated faith in Him.
Sri Nityananda Prabhu distributes that Lord of love to even the lowest of mankind and in the form of Sri Guru, he wanders door to door for the sake of the living entities.
Also Sri Advaita Prabhu invoked the prema-avatara, Sri Caitanya-candra, and brought Him down to earth, showing the path to that supremely benevolent Lord.
Srivasa Pandita and others participated in the sankirtana pastimes of the Lord of Love, Sri Gauranga, and were valuable assistants that served the Golden Lord in His pastimes.
Sri Svarupa, Rupa, Sanatana, Raghunatha. Jiva etc. were the currents springing from the fountain of ambrosial prema who enlivened the entire world (this fallen and most hopeless soul begs and yearns for just a single drop of that ambrosia. His one and only hope is the mercy of Sri Guru and the Vaisnavas).
Sri Gauranga, the Lord of Love Divine, accepted that form in order to sing the glories of the topics of divine love of Sri Krsna. Amongst all the treasures of prema, the dearest to Him is the bhava of His most beloved, which He fully accepts. When this realization dawns on Him and Sri Radha is in His proximity then He plunders Her bhava. Sri Krsna does this in order to worship Himself in the same mood as Sri Radha.
But even when Sri Krsna is amongst the devotees in gaura-lila, He is the same Sri Krsna. This means that the subordinate gopi-priti of Sri Radha’s must also fully manifests there. Gadadhara’s love for Gaura is extraordinary. But the form of his love is the opposite. When Krsna adorned Himself with the garment of Radha’s bhava, Sri Radha became bereft of Her bhava. That is the form of Gadadhara.
Hidden behind Gaura’s worship of Krsna in the bhava of Radha is the beloved of Sri Gadadhara – the One for whom everything is dedicated, whose direct and most glorious form the eyes hanker to see, in whom is reflected the look of the most close associate – a exceedingly eager and thirsty look hankering for prema. The One who is worshipped accepted the role of a worshipper. The worshipper offers to the Worshipped (who has taken the role of a worshipper) everything up to the very award of worship and appears as the personification of the greatest fortune of sarvatmarpana – completely offering the self to Godhead.
Therefore, one who has attraction or love towards the worshippable Worshiper and strongly desires to attain the invaluable wealth of the shelter of Gaura’s associate, Sri Gadadhara, should follow his type of bhajana for Sri Gauranga and thus they will discover the results of such bhajana. The followers of Sri Gadadhara becomes the relishers of Sri Radha’s vipralambha-rasa which is greater than the highest form of bhava.
gadai-gauranga jaya jahnavi-jivana
sita-pati jaya srivasadi-bhakta-gana
