Acharya Sripad

Vrindavana Das
Thakur
Mayank gupta
 Who Was Vrindavan Das Thakur
• vedavyaso ya evasid daso vrindavano’dhuna
• sakha yah kusumapidah karyatas tam samavishat
•  
• Vedavyasa became Vrindavan Das Thakur. Krishna’s friend
Kusumapida also entered into him for special purposes. (Gaura-
ganoddesha-dipika 109)
 Vrindavana Das Thakur
• Vedavyasa described Krishna-lila in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Non-different from Vyasa, Vrindavan Das described
Mahaprabhu’s lila in his Chaitanya Bhagavat. His book was first
called Chaitanya Mangala, but when Locana Das gave the same
name to his biography of the Lord, it was dubbed “Chaitanya
Bhagavat”.
 VRINDAVAN DAS THAKUR
• Vrindavan Das 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.
• Vrindavan Das 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
 VRINDAVAN DAS THAKUR
• 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.
• 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.
•
 LATER LIFE
• 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 .
• When his father died, he and his mother moved to Srivasa’s
house where he received Mahaprabhu’s special blessings.
•  
 SRI VRINDAVAN DAS DEITIES
•  Vrindavan Das’s Gaura-Nitai deities are still worshiped at the
Mamagachi home
 KRSNADAS KAVIRAJ GOSWAMI
SAY
•  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)
 KRSNA DAS KAVIRAJ GOSWAMI SAYS
• 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)
•  
 KRSNADAS KAVIRAJ GOSWAMI
SAYS
• 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)
 VRINDAVAN DAS ON VAISHNAVA
APARADHA
• Vrindavan Das primarily Mahaprabhu’s early activities such as his pastimes as
a student, his childhood, his chastisement of the Qazi, his departure from
Nabadwip, as well as some aspects of his life in Puri. Vrindavan Das Thakur
demonstrated infinite mercy on the fallen souls by warning them:
• eta parihare-o je papi ninda kare
• tabe lathi maron tar shirera upare
•  
• Even after being told how objectionable it is, if someone still blasphemes the
Vaishnavas, then I will kick him in the head.
 VAISHNAVA APARADHA
• These same words are repeated in the Adi, Madhya and Antya-khandas of the
Chaitanya Bhagavat. Some foolish and arrogant persons misunderstand such
statements and criticize Vrindavan Das for having made them. Such criticism
leads them into the mud of offensiveness. In this connection, the remarks of
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur, the founder of the Sri
Chaitanya Math and all the Gaudiya Maths, are well worth studying: “‘I am ready
to kick the heads of those envious and hellish persons who blaspheme
Nityananda Prabhu, if by so doing I will be able to forever prevent them from
repeating their attempts to show disrespect for the Supreme Lord. Not only that,
but if by so doing I can bring about a slear conception of the truth, I will be
performing them the greatest service.’
 VAISHNAV APARADHA
•  
• “So says Vrindavan Das, the incarnation of Vyasa and acharya of the Vaishnava faith. If even
a single fleck of dust should fall from his foot on the head of a sinful blasphemer, then that
person will be blessed and all his sinful conditioning will inevitably be eradicated. In words
which embody the Goddess of Learning and a flood of pure devotion, the Thakur reveals
compassion for even the most atheistic blasphemer with the unswerving faith appropriate
to a servant of Nityananda Prabhu, the supreme guru. He tells them that though they
should be the object of indifference due to their foolishness, nevertheless, because of their
ignorance of the truth of Nityananda, their insistence on rushing headlong on the path to
hell, and their reluctance to act in their own real self-interest, he and other compassionate
Vaishnavas like him who practice and preach the Lord’s doctrines unselfishly and
disinterestedly act for their welfare.
 VAISHNAV APARADHA
• The compassion which is manifested in Vrindavan Das’s statement is beyond the
comprehension of those who have no understanding of what is truly in their own self
interest. Anyone who follows in the footsteps of Vrindavan Das, the incarnation of Vyasa,
and both practices and preaches the Vaishnava religion is always engaged in an effort to
bring about the ultimate well-being of everyone. Though he may make a superficial show of
wishing to punish the enemies of the Lord, in fact he harbors a compassion toward them
which knows no limit.”
•  
• Vrindavan Das Thakur’s disappearance day is the Krishna Dashami of Vaishakh. There is
some dispute the exact year of his disappearance which was likely 1511 Shaka (1589 AD).
• [Excerpted from "Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates" by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]