When Mahāprabhu left Nīlācala to go on pilgrimage to South India in the company of Kṛṣṇadāsa Vipra, He travelled through Kūrma-sthāna, Jiyaḍa Nṛsiṁha, Vidyanagar where He met with Rāya Rāmānanda, Gautamī Gaṅgā, Mallikārjuna, Ahobala Nṛsiṁha, Siddhavata, Skanda Kṣetra, Trimaṭha, Vrddha Kāśī, Bauddhasthāna, Tripati, Trimalla, Pānā Nṛsiṁha, Śiva Kāñcī, Viṣṇu Kāñcī, Trikālahastī, Vriddhakola, Śiyālī Bhairavī, the banks of the Kaveri River, Kumbhakarṇa Kapāla, Śrīraṅgam (where He bestowed kṛṣṇa-bhakti on Venkata Bhaṭṭa and his entire family). When He arrived at Rishabha Mountain He met Paramānanda Purī for the first time. Paramānanda Purī was observing the cāturmāsya-vrata at this Rishabha Parvata¹ when Mahāprabhu arrived there. The Lord paid His obeisances to Paramānanda Purī, who embraced Him with great affection. The two of them spent three days discussing topics of Kṛṣṇa. When Purī told the Lord of his intention to travel north to Purī and then continue on to bathe in the Ganges, Mahāprabhu invited him to return to Purī afterwards and join Him. He said that He himself would quickly return from Setubandha to Purī where they would meet again.

Purī Gosāñī said, “I intend to go to Purī. After visiting Purī, I will go on from there to Bengal where I will bathe in the Ganges.” The Lord said, “Come back again to Purī afterwards. I will be there soon after I have visited Setubandha. I would like to have your company, so please be kind and come to Purī to take up permanent residence there.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.9.171-3)

When Mahāprabhu returned from His southern tour to Nīlācala, Nityānanda Prabhu, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita and other devotees sent Kālā Kṛṣṇadāsa to Navadvīpa to announce to Śacī and the other Bengal devotees that He had returned. They were all overjoyed by the news, and then Advaita Ācārya and the others took mother Śacī’s permission to visit the Lord in Purī. Paramānanda Purī happened to be in Navadvīpa at the time, as he had been walking along the Ganges. He stayed in Māyāpur at Śacī Mātā’s house where she fed him with great affection. He thus also learnt from Kālā Kṛṣṇadāsa that Mahāprabhu had returned to Nīlācala. Feeling an intense eagerness to see the Lord again, he and a brāhmaṇa devotee, Kamalā-kānta, immediately left for Purī.

On his arrival, Mahāprabhu respectfully paid obeisances to Paramānanda Purī, who was overwhelmed with feelings of ecstasy and took the Lord in his arms. They told each other how much they desired their association.

The Lord said, “I desire very much to remain in your company. I request you to be merciful to Me and take up residence in Nīlācala.” Purī answered, “And I too am very eager to remain in Your company. It is for that reason that I left Bengal to come here to Nīlācala.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.10.97-8)

Mahāprabhu gave Paramānanda Purī a secluded room in Kāśī Miśra’s house for his living quarters and arranged one devotee as his personal servant. Paramānanda Purī was therefore always present during the cāturmāsya period, participating in all of the Lord’s pastimes during that time along with His others associates. We can see from Vṛndāvana Dāsa Thakura’s Caitanya Bhāgavata just how dear Paramānanda Purī was to Mahāprabhu:

Mahāprabhu caught sight of Paramānanda Purī from a distance and He immediately got up respectfully. Joyful to see His devotee, the Lord glorified him and danced in ecstatic love. Lifting His arms, He cried out “Hari! Hari! I have finally seen Paramānanda Purī with My own eyes! My eyes have been fulfilled, My life has finally been perfected! All My religious works have finally borne fruit. My sannyāsa has been fulfilled. It is as though I am seeing Mādhavendra Purī himself.” Having said this, the Lord embraced His dear devotee and bathed his body with the tears from His lotus eyes. Purī also forgot himself in ecstasy as soon as he saw the Lord’s moonlike face. The two paid obeisances to each other for a long time. Paramānanda Purī is the abode of love for Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (Caitanya Bhāgavat 3.3.168-175)

Svarūpa Dāmodara is as dear to the Lord as Purī Gosāñī. Amongst all His sannyāsī associates, no one was as dear to the Lord as Purī Gosāñī. Svarūpa Dāmodara and Paramānanda Purī were the most qualified of the Lord’s sannyāsī associates. The two of them remained constantly in the Lord’s company, taking the staff (daṇḍa) of renunciation for the sake of the Lord. Purī engaged primarily in meditation, while Svarūpa Dāmodara was devoted to kīrtana. They were like two arms of the Lord’s sannyāsī form. (Caitanya Bhāgavat 3.10.42, 46-49)

Vṛndāvana Dāsa Thakura also says that Mahāprabhu spent entire days conversing with Paramānanda Purī about Kṛṣṇa, just as Kṛṣṇa engaged His friend Arjuna in intimate conversation. (Caitanya Bhāgavata 3.3.233-4)

Mahāprabhu ostracized Choṭa Haridāsa for having talked to a woman, refusing him entrance to His house. Choṭa Haridāsa was greatly distressed by this punishment and fasted for three days. Svarūpa Dāmodara and the rest of Mahāprabhu’s entourage repeatedly asked the Lord to soften His stance toward Haridāsa, but He would not be shaken. Indeed, He rebuked the devotees for suggesting that He repeal His order. When the devotees learned that Choṭa Haridāsa intended to commit suicide because he was no longer allowed to see the Lord, they came to Paramānanda Purī as a last resort to ask the Lord to forgive him. The Lord considered Paramānanda Purī as worshipable as His own guru, as he was Īśvara Purīpāda’s godbrother. The devotees hoped that if he were to approach the Lord on behalf of Choṭa Haridāsa, the Lord would accept his demand.

When Paramānanda Purī came to Mahāprabhu, the Lord said that He was willing to allow Choṭa Haridāsa to return to the Gambhīrā, but that He Himself would go to Ālālanātha. Paramānanda Purī was taken off guard by Mahāprabhu’s proposal to leave Purī. He said that He was the independent Lord and that it had been incorrect of him to try to interfere with His decision. He then tried to dissuade Mahāprabhu from going to Ālālanātha.

Mahāprabhu taught by His own behaviour that the guru’s godbrother is worshipable, like the guru. It is extremely detrimental to one’s devotional life to disrespect those who are one’s guru-varga. The Lord says, “I can not tolerate breaches of Vaiṣṇava etiquette.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 1.4.166)

Paramānanda Purī participated in nearly all of the Lord’s pastimes in Puruṣottama-dhāma: the cleaning of the Guṇḍicā temple, the Ratha-yātrā festival, the water sports in the Narendra Sarovara. He was also present at the festival in honour of Haridāsa Ṭhākura after his disappearance. Once the Bengali devotees returned home after the rainy season, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya invited either Mahāprabhu or one of His ten sannyāsī associates (Paramānanda Purī, Dāmodara Svarūpa, Brahmānanda Purī, Brahmānanda Bhāratī, Viṣṇu Purī, Keśava Purī, Kṛṣṇānanda Purī, Nṛsiṁha Tīrtha, Sukhānanda Purī, and Satyānanda Bhāratī) to take lunch at his house every day for a month. Five of these days were consecrated to nicely feeding Paramānanda Purī with varieties of mahā-prasāda.

All the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas and the residents of Purī treated Paramānanda Purī as a senior spiritual leader and gave him all respect. Mahāprabhu Himself followed the etiquette of giving sandalwood paste and garlands to Paramānanda Purī and Brahmānanda Bhāratī before anyone else during the Ratha-yātrā festival.

Paramānanda Purī and Brahmānanda Bhāratī were overjoyed to receive the sandalwood paste from Mahāprabhu’s own hand. Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu were also ecstatic on being touched by the Lord’s hand. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.13.30-1)

During the Guṇḍicā Temple cleaning, He did not engage His guru-varga in any of the difficult tasks like carrying buckets of water. Rather, they worked alongside the Lord with the water the other devotees had carried in to clean the temple.

All the devotees carried water except for Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Brahmānanda Bhāratī and Paramānanda Purī. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.12.109)

The Vyāsadeva of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura describes Paramānanda Purī’s glories in the Caitanya Bhāgavata (Antya-khaṇḍa, Chapter 3), making special mention of his well. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura makes the following remarks about Paramānanda Purī’s well in his commentary on the Caitanya Bhāgavata: “This well is not far along the road leading west from the Jagannātha Temple, just next to police station. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura identified this well as the one associated with Paramānanda Purī.” Being omniscient, Mahāprabhu knew that the water from this well was not good; later He heard the same thing directly from Paramānanda Purī. Lord Jagannātha knew that any living being who touched or drank the water from Paramānanda Purī’s well would be freed from all his sins, thus He Himself had made the water of this well muddy in order to discourage anyone from touching it and taking it. By this pastime, Lord Jagannātha displayed miserliness in showering His mercy, as He did not allow anyone to have such an easy time of getting freed from the sins. Mahāprabhu, Who is nondifferent from Lord Jagannātha, thus prayed with His arms upraised, asking Lord Jagannātha to be merciful to the jīvas.

Lord Jagannātha, grant Me this boon: Let the Gaṅgā River enter into this well. Please order the Bhogavatī Gaṅgā, which travels underground, to flow into the well. (Caitanya Bhāgavata 3.3.242-3)

When the devotees heard the Lord’s sweet prayer, they all shouted the Names of Hari in joy. Taking the order of the Lord, Gaṅgā Devī entered into the well. The next morning, the devotees including Paramānanda Purī were amazed and overjoyed to see that its water had become pure and clear. Mahāprabhu glorified the well, saying that anyone who took a bath with water from it would obtain the same benefits as from bathing in the Ganges and would attain devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Mahāprabhu Himself bathed in the water from this well and drank from it.

Just as the devotee glorifies the Lord, so too does the Lord sing His devotee’s glories and seek to increase them. Those who are averse to the Supreme Lord are incapable of understanding the glories of a devotee. The compassionate Lord glorifies the devotees so that everyone can learn that without the association of devotees and without their mercy, there is no auspiciousness for the jīva.

The Lord said, “I am present on this Earth only out of affection for Purī Gosāñī. I belong to him alone. If he sells Me, I allow Myself to be sold. Anyone who sees Purī Gosāñī, even once, will receive love for Kṛṣṇa.” (Caitanya Bhāgavata 3.3.255-7)

In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Abhidhāna, it is said that Paramānanda Purī wrote a book named Govinda-vijaya.

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¹ Rishabha Parvata is in the state of Tamil Nadu in Madurai district. Twelve miles north of the town of Madurai is the Anagadamalai Mountain in the forest surrounding Kutakachalam. Rishabhadeva summoned the forest fire in this very forest to burn his body. The place is known today as Palni Hill, or Varaha Parvata, according to the local people.