Śrī Vāsudeva Datta was born in the Chittagong district of modern Bangladesh, in the village of Chanhara, which is under the jurisdiction of the police station named Patiya. This village is situated ten kosas, or about twenty miles, from the village of Mekhala, where Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi made his home. Mahāprabhu’s associate Mukunda Datta was Vāsudeva Datta’s younger brother.

In the book Prema-vilāsa, it is said that Vāsudeva was the older of the two and that they were born in an Ambañṭha family:

“In the district of Chittagong, there is a village named Chakrashala where lives a respectable family of Ambañṭha physicians named Datta. Two great devotees named Mukunda Datta and Vāsudeva Datta were born into this family. Both Vāsudeva the older and Mukunda the younger came to Navadvīpa to live.”

Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura had a beautiful voice and was also well versed in the art of singing. He was one of the chief associates of Mahāprabhu, participating in saṅkīrtana in the home of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and the streets of Navadvīpa. Mahāprabhu enjoyed his association because of his Vaiñṇava qualities.

Vāsudeva Datta is a respected servant of the Lord. A thousand tongues are insufficient to sing his glories. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 1.10.41)

Mahāprabhu said, “Even though Mukunda has been My companion since childhood, I get even more pleasure when I see you.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.11.138)

Vāsudeva had a particularly close friendship with Śrīvāsa Paṇḍit and Śivānanda Sen. He lived near Kumarahatta and Kanchrapara, which were the homes of these two great associates of the Lord. Vāsudeva was very generous by nature. Never thinking of himself, he spent his money liberally for others. Mahāprabhu saw this and asked Śivānanda Sena to become his secretary and supervise his expenses.

Vāsudeva was so distressed by the suffering of the living beings that he was ready to accept their sins and suffer in hell, and he prayed to Mahāprabhu for such a boon:

“My Lord! You have appeared in this world to save it, so please accept my prayer. You are omnipotent and all-merciful, so if You agree to fulfil my request, it can be easily done. When I see the suffering of the world, my heart is torn apart. So I ask You, Lord, give their sins to me. I will take their sins and suffer in hell on their behalf, but please deliver them from their material disease.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.15.160-163)

He wished to take the sins of every single living being and suffer in hell in their place so that they could be liberated. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 1.10.42)

When Mahāprabhu heard this heartfelt plea on behalf of the living beings of the world, He said to Vāsudeva:

“If you desire the deliverance of all living entities within the universe, then all of them can be delivered even without your undergoing the tribulations of sinful activity. Kṛñṇa is not incapable, for He has all potencies. Why would He induce you to suffer the sinful reactions of other living entities? Whosever welfare you desire immediately becomes a Vaiñṇava, and Kṛñṇa delivers all Vaiñṇavas from the reactions of their past sinful activities.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.15.167-169)

Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāñya to this verse of the Caitanya Caritāmṛta: “In the Western world, Christians believe that only their guru, Jesus Christ, appeared in this world out of a desire to suffer on behalf of the people of the world by accepting their sins. But here we see that amongst Mahāprabhu’s associates, Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura showed great compassion like Haridāsa Ṭhākura or even more, as he was willing to suffer in place of all creatures in the universe. By so doing, he showed the world the unlimited nature of the Vaiñṇava’s selfless love.”

Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s dīkñā-guru, Yadunandana Ācārya, was blessed by Vāsudeva Datta. The author of Caitanya Bhāgavata, Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura, was born in Mamgachi in Modadrumadvīpa, one mile from the Purbasthali station on the Howrah-Katwa line of the Eastern Railway. Vāsudeva Datta consecrated the worship of the Madana Gopāla deity that is still being worshipped there.

We can see just how dear Vāsudeva Datta was to Mahāprabhu by the Lord’s statements made when He was visiting Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s house in Kumarahatta:

Gauracandra repeated again and again, “This body of Mine belongs to Vāsudeva. If he wants to sell Me, I allow Myself to be sold; I will not do otherwise. I announce this truth to all of you. If someone has even come into the briefest contact with Vāsudeva Datta, Kṛñṇa will protect him. Listen, all you Vaiñṇavas! I tell you the truth: My body belongs to Vāsudeva alone.” (Caitanya Bhāgavata 3.5.27-30)