Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj describes the heart of the Lord’s most intimate associate.
Paṇḍit Śrī Gadādhar
Translated from the original Bengali article
published in honour of Śrīla Gadādhar Paṇḍit’s
appearance day in Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan,
Volume 12, Issue 10, 11 May 1967.
The highest perfection in the world of the soul is to relish the rasa of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes. “Raso vai Saḥ: He is rasa”; as Śrī Kṛṣṇa is playful (līlāmaya) and His endeavour to spread rasa is self-manifest, His nature is to outwardly generate spiritual happiness. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa—the Akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrtiḥ [the embodiment of the nectar of all rasas], satyaṁ śivaṁ sundaram [the personification of truth, auspiciousness, and beauty]—becomes eager to widely distribute His own Pastimes, He divides Himself into the Pañcha Tattva and reveals the supreme greatness of His ecstatic Name, Form, Qualities, Pastimes, and associates.
Śrīla Kavirāj Goswāmī Prabhu represented this conception in a verse:
pañcha-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ bhakta‑rūpa-svarūpakam
bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ namāmi bhakta‑śaktikam
The meaning of this verse is that Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifests with His own energy in five forms and eternally distributes Himself. In connection with such Pastimes, Śrī Gaurāṅga appeared with Śrī Gadādhar in Śrī Nabadwīp Dhām and began His work at the proper time, while secretly performing Pastimes as a human child.
Śrī Gadādhar Paṇḍit remains behind Śrī Gaurāṅga like a shadow—he hangs behind the Lord as a slight, unexpressed protest to the Lord’s great campaign of distributing the jewel of divine love from their joint store. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is distributing Śrī Rādhikā’s divine love. Remaining at a distance, Śrī Nityānanda is giving Him enthusiasm. Śrī Advaita, Śrīvās, and others are busy and happy with the work of distributing the Holy Name. But Śrī Gadādhar Paṇḍit’s mood is somewhat independent. He is Śrī Gaurāṅga’s eternal associate; he cannot conceal anything from the Lord for even a moment, and yet he cannot be sympathetic to, or happy about, this special endeavour of the Lord [to take and distribute their joint wealth].
First, he objected to Śrī Gaurāṅga’s sannyās-līlā. He tried to stop the Lord’s sannyās by appealing that His mother needed help. But He could not be left behind by that sannyāsī [Śrī Gaurāṅga] either. In preaching, where other devotees enthusiastically assist, Śrī Gadādhar is a silent observer; he does not want to leave his circle—he prefers his own association, his brāminical disposition, and serving separately at home. There, He will serve Śrī Gaurāṅga according to His own conception—this is his unavoidable, innermost want and desire. It is as though everyone is getting, but he is losing. In a phrase, it is as though Śrī Gaurāṅga is distributing Śrī Gadādhar’s wealth, and Śrī Gadādhar feels some discomfort. “Vraja nā chhādite pāre, tomā nā dekhile mare, vraja-janera ki habe upāya (Cc: Madhya, 13.146): the residents of Vraja cannot leave Vraja, but if they do not see You [Kṛṣṇa], they will die. So, what can they do?” Gadādhar’s feeling is something like this.
The great souls have said that Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed Pastimes as Śrī Gaurāṅga to clear His debt from Vraja-līlā. But what is this? In Śrī Gaurāṅga and His endeavour to clear His debt is found the hidden intention of creating more debt and remaining sold even longer to whom He is indebted. For this reason in particular, those who are “expert in fine jewels” have recognised Śrī Gadādhar Paṇḍit as Śrī Rādhikā.
Om Tat Sat Om.