An excerpt from a phone interview with Srila Govinda Maharaj by Madhusudan Prabhu on Sri Gadadhar Pandit’s appearance day in 2006.
Srila Govinda Maharaj
Today is the appearance of Sri Gadadhar Pandit. This day is very auspicious for everyone because Gadadhar Pandit Goswami is the incarnation of Srimati Radharani. Sriman Mahaprabhu has taken his mood of service for the satisfaction of His own divine form as Sri Gauranga, Sri Chaitanyadev.
Sri Gadadhar Pandit was always like Mahaprabhu’s shadow. He was always with Him. During their childhood they were both students together, so when Mahaprabhu took sannyas Gadadhar Pandit also took sannyas. Likewise when Mahaprabhu decided He would stay in Puri Dham, he also decided to stay in Puri Dham. Not only that, but Gadadhar Pandit decided to take Chetra sannyas, which meant that as a sannyas he could not leave that place. And which place? That place, that purushottam chetra, was Sri Jagannath Puri Dham.
Our Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, composed a sloka for Gadadhar Goswami that is now very famous:
nilambhodhi-tate sada sva-viraha-ksepanvitam bandhavam
srimad-bhagavati katha madiraya sanjivayan bhati yah
srimad-bhagavatam sada sva-nayanasru payanaih pujayan
gosvami-prabaro Gadadhar-vibhur-bhuyat mad-eka-gatih
“On the shore of the broad blue ocean, Gadadhar Pandit used to read Srimad-Bhagavatam to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was suffering from the great internal pain of separation from Himself (Krishna). Gadadhar Pandit supplied the wine of Krishna-lila to intoxicate his afflicted friend and give Him relief. As he read, tears would fall from his eyes like flower offerings onto the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam. May the pleasure of that brilliant personality, Gadadhar Pandit, the best of the Goswamis, be my only object in writing this book.”
Sri Gadadhara and Sri Chaitanyadev
This is a very famous sloka and the meaning is so exalted. Sriman Mahaprabhu is Srimati Radharani and Sri Krishna combined. There are two reasons for His appearance. One is to rescue the fallen souls all over the universe, and the second one is that He, Krishna Himself, wants to taste how Srimati Radharani tastes the divine mood in Her service to Him.
radha krishna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau
caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam
radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krishna-svarupam
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita: Adi-lila, 1.5)
“The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krishna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Radha and Krishna are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Sri Krishna Chaitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani although He is Krishna Himself.”
This sloka is by Srila Swarup Damodar and another is:
sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva-
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad-bhavadhyah samajani saci-garbha-sindahu harinduh
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita: Adi-lila, 1.6)
“Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Srimati Saci-devi, as the moon appeared from the ocean.”
To understand, to really know krishna prema and which way Srimati Radharani is tasting this, Krishna wants to taste that also. He wants to take the Divine Form of Radharani. That Krishna is feeling so much separation. The target of Mahaprabhu is union in separation. When He is absorbed in this mood, at that time He is fainting. The devotees with Him can see the symptoms of mahabhava in His Divine Form. At that time Gadadhar Pandit is serving Mahaprabhu near the bank of Nilambodi where Mahaprabhu is always in this mood of separation. Gadadhar Pandit is serving him by giving full nourishment with the Srimad Bhagavatam. He is singing the Bhagavat song. In front of Mahaprabhu and through that he is giving Him full nourishment. Like someone that faints from sadness and so a friend sometimes is giving some wine to alleviate the pain. So Gadadhar Pandit Goswami is supplying the wine of Bhagavatam katha. And Mahaprabhu is crying and Gadadhar Pandit is also crying with Him. They are reciting Srimad Bhagavatam with tears in their eyes. Their tears are falling on the words and the ink is running out of the paper. This is Gadadhar Pandit’s worshiping style. Give Sriman Mahaprabhu nourishment with the Srimad Bhagavatam to bring some joy to His heart.
Sri Sri Gaura Gadadhar
In this way Gadadhar Pandit is living with Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu is staying in Gambhira with Ramananda Ray and Swarup Damodhar while Gadadhar Pandit is living far from that place with Gopinatha. You have all seen Tota Gopinatha. So Gadadhar is living there by the order of Mahaprabhu.
Sometimes after bathing Mahaprabhu would go visit Gadadhar Pandit and Gadadhar Pandit would collect some spinach and rice and Mahaprabhu would take that as prasadam.
Anyhow the devotees are so affectionate to Gadadhar Pandit. I cannot fully glorify him. However we are so fortunate that Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur explained to us how Gaura Gadadhar is our supreme worshipable Deity.
Jaya Sri Gadadhar Pandit ki Jay!