Gadadhara Pandita

Śrī Gadadhāra Pandita
Deity of Śrī Gadadhāra Pandita, ISKCON Mayapur
Personal
ReligionHinduism
Known forExpounded Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Bhakti yoga along with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Śrī Nityānānda Prabhu
Other namesGadādhar Bhaṭṭ,[1] Gadai
Organization
PhilosophyBhakti yoga, Achintya Bheda Abheda
Religious career
GuruMadhavendra Puri (mantra guru)
ReincarnationKrishna's internal energy
AssociatesŚrī Advaita Ācārya, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Śrī Nityānānda Prabhu, Śrīvāsa Thakura, Haridasa Thakur, Ramananda Raya and others
Five colorful statues of deitiesChaitanyaNityanandaAdvaita AcharyaGadadhara PanditaSrivasa Thakura
Pancha Tattva deities installed on a Vaishnava altar. From left to right (click on feet to go to article): Advaita Acharya, Nityananda, Chaitanya, Gadadhara Pandita, Srivasa.

Gadadhara Pandita, also known as Pandita Goswami, was a close childhood friend of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.[2] Gadadhara Pandita Goswami is described as a handsome young boy, student of Nyaya (Indian logic) and ranked highest among the inner circle of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's followers.[3]

In the later part of his life, Gadadhara Pandita lived in the Tota Gopinatha Temple.[4] The local legend around the temple is that the deity of Krishna in the temple sat down to accommodate Pandit Goswami's worship might not be so correct. Gadadhar did not survive long after Chaitanya therefore he was not old and feeble. Some say that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Pandit Goswami disappeared on the same day inside the Gundicha Temple of Puri, Odisha. Devotees of Gadadhar would assemble at Govinda temple in Vrindavan. The Govinda deity was installed by Rupa Goswami a disciple of Gadadhar Pandit Goswami. The temple head priest was one Radha Krishna Goswami in the lineage of Gadadhar who wrote in the Sadhana Dipika that Gadadhar Pandit was Radha, and he also wrote many praises to Rupa Goswami in that book. Gadadhar Pandit spent his later life in Orissa serving Tota Gopinath. Chaitanya lived a mile away during that time, at the Gambhira. He used to come to hear Gadadhar Pandit speak on Krishna while Gadadhar’s eyes would rain tears. The first Radha deity installed in Vrindavan was sent by Gadadhar Pandit. The parakiya worship of Radha started from that time. [5]

  1. ^ "Gadadhar Bhatt and His Family".
  2. ^ De, Sushil K. (1942). Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal. p. 254.
  3. ^ Kapoor, O.B.L. (1976). The Philosophy and Religion of Sri Caitanya. p. 23.
  4. ^ "Tota Gopinatha temple". www.jagannathpuri.in. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  5. ^ Das, Vrindaban. Shri Chaitanya Bhagawat, Publication=Reflect Publication, Kolkata.

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