Today is the appearance day of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit, who is very dear to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Six Goswamis themselves showed by their own actions that it is not enough to remember and sing the glories of vaiṣṇavas only on their appearance or disappearance days. They offered full prostrated obeisances every day to thousands of vaiṣṇavas, especially those who are associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. These great devotees appeared to teach us how to properly perform devotional service to the Lord. Without the mercy of the devotees, true devotional practice is not possible. Until this is realized, one cannot truly enter the realm of devotion.

bhaktis tu bhagavad-bhakta-saṅgena parijāyate
sat-saṅgaḥ prāpyate puṁbhiḥ sukṛtaiḥ pūrva-sañcitaiḥ
(Brihad-Naradiya Paran, 4.33)

Devotion arises only through the association of a devotee of the Lord—it doesn't happen otherwise.

rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti
na cejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā
na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair
vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam
(Srimad Bhagavat 5.12.12)

Jad Bharata told King Rahugana that realization of the Supreme Soul does not come through austerity, nor through celibacy, nor through worship, nor by taking sannyāsa, nor by giving up family life, nor by staying at home, nor by Vedic knowledge. An example of this is the narration of Devanand Pandit. Outwardly, he was a disciplined and devoted person. He had control over his senses and was well-versed in the Parans. In Krishna’s pastimes, he is known as Bhaguri Muni. The Lord wanted to teach us all a lesson, through him.

Devanand Pandit was very virtuous in worldly terms. He read only Srimad Bhagavat. Still, such a scholar unknowingly offended Srivas Pandit, who is a form of Narad. As a result, Mahaprabhu became angry with him. Offense to a vaiṣṇava destroys everything.

yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā
upāḍe vā chiṇḍe, tāra śukhi' yāya pātā
(Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya Lila, 19.156)

Rupa Goswami has written how we attain devotion. There are many obstacles, but the greatest of all is offense to a vaiṣṇava. If such an offense is made, the Lord also becomes displeased, and everything is lost. Mahaprabhu showed that when an offense is committed at the feet of a vaiṣṇava, forgiveness must be sought from that very vaiṣṇava. Going to someone else won’t help.

Srivas Pandit is Narad Goswami himself. He is very dear to Krishna. To insult him, an arrogant and hypocritical Brahmana named Gopal Chapal, who was known for his harsh and offensive speech, placed items used in goddess worship—like hibiscus flowers, red sandalwood, wine, etc.—outside Srivas's house. Inside, all the devotees were performing sankirtan. In the morning, when the door opened and this scene was seen, Srivas Pandit laughed and said, “I’m not a Krishna devotee, I worship the goddess.” But good-hearted people were deeply pained by this. No one believed the false setup. They called a person and had the place purified. vaiṣṇavas don't complain or argue, but the offense was already committed. As a result, Gopal Chapal got leprosy. Later, he went to the Ganga.

For foreign devotees, someone may need to translate what I am saying into English. Simply knowing the language is not enough. If you have a sincere desire to listen with your heart, you will surely understand.

A person who has fully surrendered in the service of Vishnu, who has given themselves at the feet of a Vishnu-bhakta, is very rare in this world. In the hearts of those who have taken complete shelter at the feet of the Lord and His dear devotees, Harikathā manifests in the heart of such a person. It cannot be spoken just by our own effort. That is why it is said:

vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam

“Without being blessed by the dust of a pure devotee’s feet, devotion is not possible.” Vakreshwar Pandit sees Mahaprabhu as non-different from Nandanandan Krishna. In Dwaraka, Krishna appears in His majestic form. There, the Chatur Vyuha expansions are: Vasudeva, Sankarshan, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha (First Quadruple Expansion). Vakreshwar Pandit is that same Aniruddha, non-different from the Lord. There is another Chatur Vyuha in Vaikuntha—Vasudeva, Sankarshan, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha—expansions of Narayan (Second Quadruple Expansions). Vakreshwar Pandit is non-different from Krishna and Mahaprabhu. Also, Shashirekha, a dear sakhī of Sri Radharani, is also present in Vakreshwar Pandit.

How is it possible that Vakreshwar Pandit is both Aniruddha and has the mood of a sakhī? Arjuna is Krishna’s friend. He even commands the Lord—“Place my chariot between the two armies, O Achyuta.” But Arjuna also has the mood of a gopī in the form of Arjuniya Sakhi. This is described in the conversation between Sri Ray Ramanand and Mahaprabhu. The Lord accepts service in many forms from His pure devotees for His own pleasure.

Sri Vakreshwar Pandit showed an amazing example of devotion. In our time, we used to walk ten miles to school. But today, if someone has to walk that much, they say they will die. There are eight prahars in a day, so that’s twenty-four prahars in three days. Vakreshwar Pandit, danced continuously for twenty-four prahars—that is, three full days without stopping. Mahaprabhu Himself sang kīrtan while Vakreshwar Pandit danced and had continuous darśan of the Lord.

During the Rathayatra in Jagannath Puri, there were seven groups. In the fourth group, Govinda was the lead kīrtan singer, and Vakreshwar Pandit danced with him. When we go for nagar-saṅkīrtan, it takes about three hours. Just three or four people sing, and they become exhausted. But Vakreshwar Pandit danced for three days non-stop. Is this possible for an ordinary person? No. But for pure devotees and for the Lord, it is possible.

daśa-sahasra gandharva more deha’ candramukha
tārā gāya, muñi nācoṅ — tabe mora sukha
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi, 10.19)

Vakreshwar Pandit prayed to Mahaprabhu, “Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas so they may sing and I may dance before them—only then will I feel joy.” Even after dancing continuously for three days, he felt no pain. By appearance, they seem like us, but it is not so—their bodies are not like ours. Even Brahma was confused about the form of the Lord.

During the rāsa-līlā, when all the gopis were joyfully dancing, Krishna suddenly disappeared from the rāsa-sthali. The gopis began to cry in separation. While searching for Krishna in tears, He appeared before them in the four-armed form of Narayana, holding the conch, disc, mace, and lotus. The gopis thought, “We have no relation with Narayana,” so they offered Him obeisances and left. But when Radharani came, whose love is greater than that of millions of gopis—Krishna’s two extra arms disappeared, and He became the two-armed Krishna. Such is Radharani’s love. That place is called Paitha Dhama. In the local language, it is called Parsoli. Just like Chakradaha is called Chakdaha in the local tongue.

The Lord has many pastimes. In Vraja, Krishna stopped the worship of Indra and introduced the worship of Govardhan. Indra became angry and caused heavy rain. There was water everywhere—a flood. Everyone began crying out to the Lord for help. Krishna told them, “Don’t worry. Pack all your belongings on bullock carts and come to Me. I will lift Govardhan.” At that time, Govardhan’s size was sixty-four miles. But due to the curse of Pulastya Muni, it has now been reduced to seven miles. Slowly, it will completely disappear. When that happens, the condition of the world will become very bad. Hearing Krishna’s words, everyone came to Him. But they thought, “Krishna is just a small boy. How will He lift such a huge mountain? His hands are very soft. If He lifts a mountain with such soft hands, He will get hurt. We can’t let Him lift Govardhan without testing Him first.” So the cowherd boys pointed to a huge kadamba tree, which even strong men could not move, and asked Krishna if He could spin it. Krishna easily spun the tree without any effort.

We cannot understand. It is beyond our thinking. The All-Powerful Lord can do anything. Those who say these events are false or imaginary are unfortunate. Their atheistic nature is strong, and because of that, they will constantly suffer in the burning miseries of birth, death, and the threefold pains, and they will go to hell.

Krishna’s friends do not see Him as the Lord. Even though He is the Supreme Lord, their feeling is that He is just like them. They have a mood of friendship for Krishna. Then Krishna lifted Govardhan with one hand. Everyone was amazed—how did He do this? Such a huge mountain! What if Govardhan falls? So all the cowherd boys placed their sticks under the hill. All the residents of Vraja stayed under the hill for seven days and seven nights without eating, drinking, or sleeping. They didn’t even blink their eyes. Just by seeing the Lord without blinking, they felt fully satisfied—as if they had eaten and drunk everything.

What did they take darśana of? Just by seeing Krishna, they received everything. Their bodies became even more beautiful. If we don’t get food in the morning, we say the cook is bad and wants to kill us. But there, for seven days and seven nights, everyone remained hungry. They only wanted to see Krishna all the time. To fulfil their desire, Krishna performed this pastime. There, all the gopas and gopis were only looking at Krishna. By seeing Him, everyone felt so much joy that they didn’t feel hunger, thirst, or sleep.

naiṣātiduḥsahā kṣun māṁ
tyaktodam api bādhate
pibantaṁ tvan-mukhāmbhoja-
cyutaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam
(Srimad Bhagavat, 10.1.13)

The same is said about King Parikshit. When Parikshit Mahārāj was listening to Harikathā from Sukadeva Goswami, Sukadeva told him to rest a little, eat something, or at least drink water, or else his health would worsen. But Parikshit Mahārāj did not feel any thirst or hunger, which are usually very painful. Were they lying? Did Sage Veda Vyasa write lies in the Bhagavat? Did Parikshit Mahārāj lie in Shukratal? No.

Then how was this possible?

pibantaṁ tvan-mukhāmbhoja-
cyutaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam
(Srimad Bhagavat, 10.1.13)

Mahārāj Parikshit says, "From your lotus mouth, I am constantly drinking the nectar of hari-kathā. I feel no pain or suffering at all. Please do not worry."

Such a state is only possible when one truly has the darśana of the Lord. If you approach with a challenging or doubtful attitude, then neither will you be able to see the Lord, nor the Lord’s devotees, nor anything else. Just as Brahma thought Krishna was the son of a cowherd and did not recognize Him as the Supreme Lord, similarly, we too will fail to understand the devotees and the Lord. You will be deprived of real, eternal benefit if you do not have true faith in the Supreme Lord and do not fully surrender to Him.

Hearing the words of Vakreshwar Pandit, Mahaprabhu said—

prabhu bale — tumi mora pakṣa eka śākhā
ākāśe uḍitāma yadi pāṅ āra pākhā
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi, 10.20)

“You are one of my wings. If I get another wing like you, I will be able to fly in the sky.”

Vakreshwar Pandit is Krishna Himself, Krishna’s essence. The Supreme Lord is not thousands. Only the pastimes differ. Vakreshwar Pandit is the full power of Krishna. When you have his grace, you can attain the Lord. We desire to attain Krishna. If we have devotion to Vakreshwar Pandit, then we will attain Krishna.

Devanand Pandit was a very good speaker and had many disciples. His conduct was also good, and he was self-controlled. But his explanation of the Bhagavat was based on jñāna (knowledge), not on bhakti. He did not have faith in Mahaprabhu. When Narad’s manifestation, Srivas Pandit, went to hear his Bhagavat recital, he became emotionally moved and cried out. Because of this, Devanand Pandit’s disciples expelled Srivas from the assembly. Even then, Devanand Pandit said nothing. This made Mahaprabhu very angry, and He said—Devanand has no right to recite Bhagavat.

Devanand Pandit is Bhaguri Muni in Krishna’s pastimes. Bhaguri Muni is Nanda Mahārāj’s court Pandit. He performed this pastime to teach us that if we have any pride that we can understand the scriptures or Bhagavat by our intelligence or scholarship, it is not possible. Apart from devotion, no other means can make us understand the Supreme Lord.

bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ

“The Supreme Lord can be attained only through devotion.”

Now because he did not stop his disciples from such insulting behaviour, he committed a vaiṣṇava offense. This made Mahaprabhu very angry with him. Due to this offense, he lost faith in Mahaprabhu and could not receive pure devotion.

In Chaitanya Bhagavat, it is written as follows—

bhakti vinu Bhagavata ye āra vākhāne
prabhu bale, se adhama kichui nā jāne |
niravadhi bhakti-hīna e beṭā vākhāne
āji puṅtha ciriba, dekhaha vidyamāne |
(Chaitanya Bhagavat, Madhya 2.21.20/21)

Mahaprabhu says, those who explain the Srimad Bhagavat Paran without devotion, do not know anything about Bhagavat. Pointing to Devanand, Mahaprabhu says, “This man always explains without devotion. Today, in front of all of you, I will tear his book.”

Mahaprabhu said, “Take away his Bhagavat. He has no right to read Bhagavat.” But when Vakreshwar Pandit stayed at Devanand Pandit’s house and Devanand Pandit served him, Mahaprabhu became pleased.

vaiṣṇava offense is a very serious offense. It is impossible to keep committing offenses and still have devotion. Whoever the person is—whether a householder, a renunciate, or from any āśrama—if they commit offenses, everything will be lost.

yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā
upāḍe vā chiṇḍe, tāra śukhi' yāya pātā
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya Lila, 19.156)

Those who are the expansions of Narad Goswami, like Srivas Pandit, when offended, the Lord becomes displeased. Then, what is the benefit of their Bhagavat reading? Another important point is that when one offends a vaiṣṇava, only by asking forgiveness from that vaiṣṇava can the offense be cleansed. When Gopal Chapal got leprosy, Mahaprabhu said to him, “You have done such a hateful act. You made Srivas perform goddess worship. I will make you feed worms like this for millions of births.” Mahaprabhu is all-knowing; He knows everything.

When Mahaprabhu came from Nilachal to aparādha-bhañjana-pāta, Kuliya, (Koladwipa) at that time, when Gopal Chapal prayed for relief from the disease, Mahaprabhu felt compassion and told him to seek forgiveness at the feet of Srivas Pandit. After asking forgiveness from Srivas Pandit, Gopal Chapal was saved.

There is another remedy: if someone drinks poison by criticizing a vaiṣṇava but then continuously sings the glory of vaiṣṇavas with the same mouth, the nectar will come and remove the poison.

Uttama-adhikārī vaiṣṇava see the whole world as vaiṣṇavas. They think, “I am not a vaiṣṇava.” But we often have the pride that “I alone am the only vaiṣṇava; no one else is.” A true vaiṣṇava sees that all faults are within themselves and that everyone else is a devotee.

sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe, nā dekhe tāra mūrti
sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya, 8.274)

That is why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu warned everyone to be careful about committing offenses.

tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
(Śikṣāṣṭakam)

We speak but do not truly act accordingly. We are not humble. We are told to be more patient than a tree, yet we get angry over small things, as if we will burn the whole world.

‘amāninā mānadena’—Do not seek respect from others; give respect to everyone.

jīve sammāna dibe jāni ‘kṛṣṇa’-adhiṣṭhāna
(Bhajan Rahasya, Text 1)

When Vakreshwar Pandit stayed at Devanand Pandit’s house, he developed faith in Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet. He received Mahaprabhu’s mercy and all his offenses were removed.

The same mouth with which you have criticised vaiṣṇavas for so many days, you will have to praise vaiṣṇavas all the time with the same mouth. All the people in the world have their own merits and demerits. We should look at the merits. Uttama-adhikārī vaiṣṇava, who belong to Vishnu, see only this that I belong to Vishnu and everyone belongs to Vishnu. They see nothing else except this. They do not preach to anyone. There is preaching in Madhyam Bhagavat Lila. There is no preaching in Maha Bhagavat Lila because they do not consider themselves superior to anyone.

Today, on the appearance day of Vakreshwar Pandit, we have the opportunity to remember him. He was very dear to Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu said that if someone wants to attain Him, then you must have devotion towards Vakreshwar Pandit. Whoever devotes to him will attain Mahaprabhu.

raso vai saḥ। rasaṃ hy evāyaṃ labdhvā nāndī bhavati
(Taittriyia Upanishad, 2.7.2)

The Supreme Lord is the master of all. The masculine aspect of Godhead, not a neutral form. We are moving in this world, there are so many living beings, if there is life there is attraction but lifeless means devoid of happiness, everything. Even if a spark of that conscious principle is existing in the body, till that time he can give bliss to others. Dead body does not give satisfaction to anyone. Actually we have got no belief that all jivas are coming from the cause of all causes i.e Supreme Lord. We are having an actual eternal relationship with Him. When we forget this relationship, we have to come into this world.

One disciple of Vakreshwar Pandit was Gopal Guru. Earlier, his name was Makardhwaj Pandit, and his father’s name was Sri Murari. Vakreshwar Pandit loved the boy Makardhwaj very much and affectionately called him “Gopal-Gopal.”

One day, a Tridandi sannyāsi came. When he went to perform his bathroom rituals, Makardhwaj also tried to go along. The saint told the boy, “Why are you coming here? Go outside.”

This saint had the habit of constantly chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra; his tongue would move on its own. The saint thinking, “Right now, I am in an impure state; I should not chant the Lord’s name in this state,” held his tongue back to stop chanting.

The boy asked, “What are you doing?”

The saint said, “I am in an impure state right now; I should not chant the Lord’s name.”

The boy replied, “You should chant the Lord’s name at all times, even while passing stool and urine. If you chant any other name at that time and die, what will happen to your salvation?”

At that time, Mahaprabhu said that this boy is Gopal Guru. Since then, his name became Gopal Guru.

Sri Ramdas (Sri Abhiram Thakur) was a close attendant of Nityānanda Prabhu. If a stone was not a Vishnu-shila or Shaligram but just an ordinary stone, it would break when he bowed down to it. If the deity was not installed by a devotee, it would also break. If he bowed to someone who was not a devotee or was indifferent, that person would die. Once he said he would go to bow to Gopal Guru. When they reached Gopal Guru, everyone was afraid. Everyone loved the boy. When Ramdas came to bow to the boy, Gopal Guru ran and sat on Mahaprabhu’s lap, and Mahaprabhu held him. When Ramdas bowed, nothing happened. Thus, Gopal Guru became one of the sixty-four mahants.

Like Vakreshwar Pandit, his disciple also showed miraculous powers. Gopal Guru managed the Radhakanta Math in Gambhira. He manifested his disappearance pastimes there. His disciples took him for his final rituals while crying. Then some government officials came to Radhakanta Maṭh and said there was a lot of wealth with no accounting, and they needed to give an account. When Dhyanachandra Goswami, a disciple of Shri Gopal Guru, heard this, he became very worried. He went to his guru, fell at his feet, and cried, saying, “With your departure, destruction has come. How will Math be protected now?” Hearing this, Gopal Guru got up and sat. How can someone who has left the body get up and sit?

We also saw once that a person came back from Yampuri. When Sridhar Goswami Mahārāj’s disciple, Kshitij, was fourteen years old, the Yamadutas took him to Yampuri. When they arrived, they realized they had made a mistake—they had taken fourteen years old Kshitij instead of the eighty years old Kshitij. So they released him. By the time his soul returned, his body had already been taken to the cremation ground. When his body started moving, everyone thought it was a ghost. Then the boy stood up straight, went to Sridhar Goswami Mahārāj, and told him everything. After that, he never returned home. We heard this directly from him.

What we do not see directly, we think is unreal. This whole world is unreal. Everything we see is temporary; when the body perishes, everything perishes. What value does it have? The true value is of those who are eternal—the complete form of truth, consciousness, and bliss.

When Gopal Guru got up and returned, all the government officials ran away. Only then did they solve all the problems and left. After some time, news came from Vrindavan that your guru was seen here. The disciples said their guru was already in samadhi here, but the people firmly said they saw him singing bhajans in Vrindavan. Then Dhyanachandra Goswami went to Vrindavan and saw their guru singing bhajans there. Dhyanachandra requested Gopal Guru to come back with him, but he did not want to go. When Dhyanachandra cried a lot, finally Gopal Guru said, "Establish my wooden murti there."

Like Vakreshwar Pandit, his disciple also had supernatural powers. Vakreshwar Pandit saved Devanand Pandit. He can save all of us too if we surrender at his feet. Today is Vakreshwar Pandit’s appearance day. On such days, vaiṣṇavas are very generous. Praying on Krishna Janmashtami, Radhashtami, and other appearance days can quickly bring grace. Today, we should pray for the grace of Vakreshwar Pandit, who is very dear to Mahaprabhu.

Even to pray for grace, the devotee’s grace is necessary. To pray for grace, one needs qualification. To remember him, one also needs qualification.

guru, vaiṣṇava, bhagavān, tinera smaraṇa
tinera smaraṇe haya vighna-vināśana
anāyāse haya nija vāñchita-Paran
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi, 1.20/21)

Only speaking with the mouth but still thinking about the world inside—what benefit does that give?

Prahlad Mahārāj said,

matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
mitho ’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām
(Srimad Bhagavat, 7.5.30)

All the conditioned souls in this world cannot remember the Supreme Lord with their material minds.

tato duḥsaṅgam utsṛjya
satsu sajjeta buddhimān
santa evāsya chindanti
mano-vyāsaṅgam uktibhiḥ
(Srimad Bhagavat, 11.26.26)

Only through association with saints is it possible for them to remember the Supreme Lord.

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu, 1.2.234)

Our material senses cannot perceive the name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Krishna. Our material eyes are perishable. Even if Krishna comes before us, we still cannot see Him.

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

All the senses belong to the Supreme Lord, this body is also from Him, and the senses are also from Him. When, being of Him, we completely surrender ourselves unto His lotus feet, then He manifests within. Bhagavan descends only in a fully surrendered soul. One must have the true conviction: “I belong to Krishna, I am a servant of Krishna.” Only then will true devotional service begin. Before that, devotion cannot start.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
(Narad Pancharatra)

We should be completely free from all pride and ego, even without any trace of it. But simply giving up pride in the world is not enough. One must think, “My body belongs to Sri Krishna. My subtle body belongs to Sri Krishna. My real self belongs to Sri Krishna” Who will give this knowledge? Only one who is established in it. That’s why the Supreme Lord sends His associates. After the disappearance of Sriman Mahaprabhu and His personal associates, darkness descended in the horizon of śuddha-bhakti. Nobody could understand what actually śuddha-bhakti is. Many pseudo sects cropped up. The Supreme Lord saw that there were many so-called scholars in the world, but no one truly understood His message. At that time, scriptures like Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat, Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, and writings of the Sad-Goswamis, existed, but no one grasped their true meaning. So he sent Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Srila Prabhupada.

On this day, we offer countless prostrated respects at the lotus feet of Vakreshwar Pandit and pray for his unconditional mercy. We never saw him personally, but we have seen his non-different manifestation—our Guruji. We witnessed how patient and tolerant he was. Wherever he went to preach, he never thought, “I should not go there.” We told him, “Don’t go there; they will disrespect you.” But he said, “What do I care for honour or disrespect? They are also devotees. If they call me, I will definitely go.” Because of this attitude, no one ever disrespected Guruji.