This place is located near the Bhandatikur railway station. At this place stood the house of Malini-devi, the wife of Srivas Thakur. Also here is the birthplace of Srila Vrindavan das Thakur. Now this temple is run by devotees of the Gaudiya Math. Here is the worship of the Deities of Sri Sri Nitai-Gauranga; Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra (all these are Deities worshiped by Vrindavan das Thakur), Sri Sri Radha-Krishna (established by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati), and also the murti of Vrindavan das Thakur.
Two sisters
The Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika says that before Narayani (mother of Vrindavan das Thakur) was Kilimbika, the younger sister of Ambika (Krishna's nanny). When Lord Caitanya appeared on this Earth, Ambika became Malini-devi, the wife of Srivas Thakur, and Kilimbika became his niece (daughter of Srivas's brother, Nalin Pandita) named Narayani. When she was still very young, the Lord gave her the remnants of food from His plate. While the Narayanis were eating them with joy and sheer pleasure, the Vaishnavas blessed her, saying that she was very lucky, because although she was still a child, she had the opportunity to serve the Lord. And when Narayani finished eating, Lord Caitanya said to her:
- “Narayani, and now I want to hear how you call Krsna.”
The power of Lord Caitanya's words was so great that the girl began to cry and call:
- Krishna! Krishna!
When Narayani grew up (this happened after Mahaprabhu left Mayapur), she got married. But her husband, Vaikuntha dasa, soon died, and Narayani (at that time she was pregnant), at the request of the Malini devi, moved first to the house of Srivas, and then (after the birth of Vrindavan das Thakur) - to Mamgachi, to her father. Here her son spent the first years of his life, who in the future was to become the world famous author of the great “Caitanya-Bhagavata” - the first full biography of Lord Caitanya.
Vrindavan das Thakur
In the early years of Narayani Devi, the niece of Srivas Pandita gained the special mercy of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. She later gave birth to Vrndavana dasa, who was the last disciple of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. After receiving the instructions of his guru, Vrindavan dasa began to write "Sri Caitanya-bhagavata."
The unspoken rule for all Vaisnava writers such as Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatana Goswami, Krishna das Kaviraja and Vrindavan das Thakur was to remain in the shadow of the narrative. They never reported anything about their origin or family tree. Thus, the names of the authors of the most amazing and beautiful works collected by Sri Rupa Gosvami together in his book “Padyavali” remained unknown.
In the sixteenth century, humble Vaishnavas who decided to remain anonymous left behind a whole layer of literary heritage - exceptionally talented prose and poetry. Being in a state of true humility, such Vaisnavas indicate their presence only by mentioning their predecessors. Krishna das Kaviraja, for example, glorifies his gurus at the end of each chapter of his Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: sri rupa raghunatha-pade yyara asa, caitanya caritamrta kahe krsnadasa. "While praying to the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always wanting to receive their mercy, I, Krishna dasa, say Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps."
Srila Krishna das Kaviraja Goswami shows his humility and gratitude to Vrindavan das Thakur, calling him Vyasa in the Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 20.82: “Vrindavan das Thakur is the beloved devotee of Lord Nityananda. And therefore he is the incarnation of Sri Vanya Vayasadeha. Just as Srila Vyasadeva described the pastimes of Sri Krishna in the Bhagavatam and other Puranas, Srila Vrindavan das Thakur described Caitanya-lila in Caitanya-Bhagavata.
The heart of the humble Krishna das Kaviraj was delighted when he glorified Vrindavan das Thakur: “Listening to Caitanya Bhagavata destroys everything that is unfavorable. By reading Caitanya Bhagavata anyone can realize the greatness of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda and attain the highest level of knowledge, the highest level of love. to Krsna. "
“Since such an amazing book cannot be written by an ordinary person, it seems that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu himself is communicating with the reader through the lips of Srila Vrindavan das Thakur. I offer millions of respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of Vrindavan das Thakur. By writing this valuable book, he freed everyone without exception the cycle of birth and death "(Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi, 8.33-42).
In Mamagachchi, Modadrumadvipa (Navadvipa), Vrindavan das Thakur established the Deities of Nitai Gauranga and Sri Jagannatha Deva. He lived in this place, leading a monastic lifestyle and worshiping his beloved Deities. Vrindavan das Thakur had many students, including Gopinatha Brahmachari, a descendant of Sri Kesava Bharati.
According to the Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika, in Krsna's pastimes, Srila Vrindavan das Thakur was a cowherd named Kusumapida. However, many consider him the embodiment of Srila Vyasadeva. Little is known about the father of Vrindavan das Thakur. The sage, who never saw him, does not even mention him in his books. It is only known that he came from Kumarahatta (Halisahara). Narayani lived in the house of Sri Malini-devi's father, where her son was taken care of and cared for as a priceless treasure. In Mamagachhi, Vrindavan das Thakur grew up and was educated. In the same place, in the house of Malini-devi, he established the Deities of Sri Sri Nitai-Gauranga and Sri Jagannatha.
Vrindavan das Thakur was not even twenty when Lord Caitanya left this world. At the age of sixteen, Thakur received initiation from Lord Nityananda and was His beloved (and, apparently, the last) disciple. He traveled with Him, helping Nityananda in preaching. But when they arrived in the village of Denur, in the district of Bourdwan, Lord Nityananda ordered Vrindavan das Thakur to remain preaching in this place. Therefore, the great sage was never able to receive the darshan of Lord Caitanya. It is known that he accompanied Sri Jahnava Mata to the Khaeturi Gaudiya Vaisnava festival.
When Vrindavan das Thakur wrote his magnum opus, it’s hard to say. It is known, however, that in 1576, when Gaura-ganoddesa dipika was written, Caitanya-Bhagavata was already widely known. Initially, the book was called Chaitanya-mangala, but subsequently a book of the same name was written by Locana das Thakur. Therefore, Sri Raghunath das Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, Kashishwar Pandita, Haridas Pandit Goswami and Ananta Acharya got together and decided that the book of Locana das Thakur should be left the same name, and the book of Vrindavan das Thakur should be called differently. Since then, his book began to be called Caitanya-Bhagavata.
Translated from dhama.dayalnitay.ru