Disappearance Vrndavan Das Thakura

Happy Festival Day of Sri Vrindavan Das Thakur! (Friday 4/21/17)

Vrindavan Das Thakur was born on the Krishna-dvadashi of the month of Vaishakh in 1429 of the Shaka era (1507 AD). Some say he was born in Mamgachi in the Nabadwip area, others say his birthplace was in Kumarahatta. His father was Vaikunthanatha Vipra, who originally came from Sylhet (Sylhet), his mother Narayani Devi. Narayani was the daughter of Srivasa Pandit’s elder brother, Shrinalina Pandit. Kavi Karnapura has also mentioned her name in his Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika:

ambikayah svasa yasin namna shrila-kilimbika

krishnocchishtam prabhuïjana seyam narayani mata

Kilimbika, who used to eat Krishna’s remnants, was the younger sister of Krishna’s nurse Ambika (Srivasa’s wife, Malini). In Mahaprabhu’s lila, she became Narayani.

Narayani also achieved fame because she received Gaurasundara’s mercy when he gave her his remnants. When the Lord displayed his divine form in the Mahaprakasha in Srivasa Angan, Narayani was only a small child of four, but the Lord made her intoxicated with the ecstasy of prema. Whether born in Mamagachi or in Kumarahatta, Vrindavan Das later lived in the village of Denuria, within the Matreshvara precinct of Burdwan district. Thus Denuria is considered to be his Shripata. 

He spent some of his childhood with his mother in Mamagachi, at the home of his maternal grandparents where Narayani was married. Vrindavan Das’s Gaura-Nitai deities are still worshiped at the Mamagachi home. When his father died, he and his mother moved to Srivasa’s house where he received Mahaprabhu’s special blessings.

Vrindavan Das Writes Chaitanya Bhagavat

Because of the copious blessings he received from Nityananda Prabhu, Vrindavan Das is said to have been his initiated disciple.

Vrindavan Das is the recipient of Nityananda’s blessings. He is the original Vyasa of Chaitanya’s pastimes. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.20.82)

He wrote Chaitanya Bhagavat in 1535 AD. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami, the author of Chaitanya Charitamrita, has written the following in praise of Vrindavan Das Thakur:

Vrindavan Das, the son of Narayani, wrote the Chaitanya Mangala. Vedavyasa described Krishna’s life in the Srimad Bhagavatam and Vrindavan Das is the Vyasa of Chaitanya-lila. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.11.54-5)

Just as Vyasadeva compiled Lord Krishna’s pastimes in Srimad Bhagavatam, Thakur Vrindavan Das depicted Lord Chaitanya’s pastimes. His Chaitanya Mangala annihilates all misfortune. From it, I learned the wonders of Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda and came to know all the most subtle doctrines of devotional service to Krishna. Vrindavan Das Thakur has summarized the essence of the teachings of the Srimad Bhagavatam in his Chaitanya Mangala. 

If even a Muslim or an atheist should listen to Chaitanya Mangala, he immediately becomes a great Vaishnava. An ordinary human being could not have composed such a sublime work; Lord Chaitanya himself has spoken through the mouth of Vrindavan Das. I offer millions of obeisances unto the lotus feet of Vrindavan Das Thakur who has delivered the entire universe through his book. He was born in the womb of Narayani who eternally enjoys Sri Chaitanya’s remnants. How wonderful is his description of the activites of the Lord, simply by hearing which the three worlds have become sanctified! (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.8.34-42)

Vrindavan Das became so absorbed in the description of Nityananda Prabhu’s lila that he did not elaborately relate all of Mahaprabhu’s activities, only summarizing them in abbreviated form. Krishnadas then elaborated on these undescribed activities in his Chaitanya Charitamrita.

Vrindavan Das the authorized biographer of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and equal to Srila Vyasadeva. He has described the Lord’s pastimes in such a way as to make them sweeter and sweeter. I shall try as far as possible to fill in the accounts he left out out of fear of excessively enlarging his book. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.13.48-9)

Disappearance day of Sri Vrindavana dasa Thakura, April 21, 2017  

Srila Prabhupada glorifies the unique position of Srila Vrindavana dasa Thakura\

Vrindavana dasa Thakura's birth 

nārāyaṇī--caitanyera ucchiṣṭa-bhājana

tāṅra garbhe janmilā śrī-dāsa-vṛndāvana

SYNONYMS

nārāyaṇī—of the name Nārāyaṇī; caitanyera—of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; ucchiṣṭa-bhājana—eater of the remnants of food; tāṅra—of her; garbhe—in the womb; janmilā—took birth; śrī-dāsa-vṛndāvana—Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Thākura.

TRANSLATION Nārāyaṇī eternally eats the remnants of the food of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura was born of her womb.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, a book written by Kavi-karṇapūra that describes all the associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and who they previously were, there is the following statement regarding Nārāyaṇī:

ambikāyāḥ svasā yāsīn

nāmnā śrīla-kilimbikā

kṛṣṇocchiṣṭaṁ prabhuñjānā

seyaṁ nārāyaṇī matā

When Lord Kṛṣṇa was a child, He was nursed by a woman named Ambikā, who had a younger sister named Kilimbikā. During the time of Lord Caitanya's incarnation, the same Kilimbikā used to eat the remnants of food left by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That Kilimbikā was Nārāyaṇī, who was a niece of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura's. Later on, when she grew up and married, Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura was born from her womb. A devotee of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is celebrated in terms of devotional service rendered to the Lord; thus we know Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura as the son of Nārāyaṇī. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura notes in this connection that there is no reference to his paternal ancestry because there is no need to understand it.

Books : Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Krsna and Guru : Adi 8.41 : PURPORT :

Vrindavana dasa Thakura as the author of Sri Caitanya-Bhagavata

vṛndāvana-dāsa--nārāyaṇīra nandana

'caitanya-maṅgala' yeṅho karila racana

SYNONYMS

vṛndāvana-dāsa—Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura; nārāyaṇīra nandana—son of Nārāyaṇī; caitanya-maṅgala—the book of the name Caitanya-maṅgala; yeṅho—who; karila—did; racana—composition.

TRANSLATION

Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, the son of Śrīmatī Nārāyaṇī, composed Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala [later known as Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata]

Books : Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 11: The Expansions of Lord Nityananda : Adi 11.54 :

bhāgavate kṛṣṇa-līlā varṇilā vedavyāsa

caitanya-līlāte vyāsa--vṛndāvana dāsa

SYNONYMS

bhāgavate—in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; kṛṣṇa-līlā—the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa; varṇilā—described; veda-vyāsa—Dvaipāyana Vyāsadeva; caitanya-līlāte—in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyāsa—Vedavyāsa; vṛndāvana dāsa—Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura.

TRANSLATION

Śrīla Vyāsadeva described the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Vyāsa of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was Vṛndāvana dāsa.

PURPORT

Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura was an incarnation of Vedavyāsa and also a friendly cowherd boy named Kusumāpīḍa in kṛṣṇa-līlā.In other words, the author of Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, the son of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura's niece Nārāyaṇī, was a combined incarnation of Vedavyāsa and the cowherd boy Kusumāpīḍa. There is a descriptive statement by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in his commentary on Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata giving the biographical details of the life of Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura