jueves, 7 de enero de 2010

Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura

[The following article appeared in the monthly Bengali magazine


"Gaudiya", 18th volume, number 18, dated 8 Pausha, Bengali year 1329 (1922 AD). The magazine was founded and edited by His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.]



The names of all the Vrajavasi Gosvamis who were living during the time of Sri Mahaprabhu are very well known. Later, after their disappearance, the flow of pure devotion for the Lord took shelter of the three famous Prabhus - Srinivasa Acarya, Thakura Narottama, and Syamananda Prabhu - and surged on with full force. In the disciplic succession coming from Thakura Narottama, Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura appeared in the fourth position.


The story of Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti is more or less known only among the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. They speak of the outstanding excellence of achievement demonstrated by Srila Cakravarti Thakura in his examination of the Srimad Bhagavat and the Bhagavad-gita, as well as his complete understanding of the opinions expressed by the Gosvamis in their own books. Our Thakura is the protector, guardian and acarya of the middle period of Gaudiya Vaisnava dharma's historical development.


Nowadays amongst the Vaisnavas there is the following saying in relation to Cakravarti Thakura's three most famous books:


"kirana bindu kana, e tin niye vaisnava pana"

"These three books, Ujjvala-Nilamani-Kirana, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu, and Laghu-Bhagavatamrta-kana, are taken and used by the Vaisnavas as their wealth."


In this connection, we also hear the following verse sung everywhere:


visvasya natha-ripo 'sau
bhakti-vartma-pradarsanat
bhakta-cakre varttitatvat
cakravarty akhyaya bhavat


"Because he has shown the visva-vasis (residents of the material
universe) the path of bhakti, he is called 'Visvanatha'; and because he is situated amongst the cakra (circle) of devotees, he is called 'Cakravarti'."


Srila Cakravarti Thakura Defends Sri Narottama's True Position


Previously, Srila Narottama Thakura Mahasaya had achieved fame as Rasika-raja, or the king of those devotees who know how to relish the mellows of the topmost madhurya-rasa. And he certainly is that. However, certain persons who are envious of Lord Hari - who are loyal servants of that energy which completely surrounds the fallen souls with strict difficulties - have dared to attempt to forcibly throw such a wonderful, true rasika as Narottama into their own well of material rasa. Needless to say, they have not been successful. Being unable to understand the purely spiritual activities of Sri Narottama Thakura, many prakrta-sahajiyas had given him the title "Sahajiya- kula-bhusana" (the ornament of the family of cheap imitators). Therefore, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura appeared in time to check the spread of this concocted sahajiya mentality, and to truly defend the factual spiritual rank of Srila Thakura Mahasaya.


Visvanatha's Family Lineage, Birth & Studies


Srila Visvanatha took birth in a family of brahmanas found in the
Radha-desa area of Nadia District, West Bengal (Radha-sreniya-vipra-kula). According to some, he also used the pen name 'Hari-vallabha'. He had two older brothers named Ramabhadra and Raghunatha, and he stayed in Deva-grama during his childhood. Upon the completion of his studies in vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar), he moved to Saiyadabad-grama, Mursidabad District, where he studied the bhakti-sastras (literature of devotion) in the home of his guru Sri Radha-ramana Cakravarti. This Radha-ramana was the disciple of Sri Krsna-carana Cakravarti, who was in turn the disciple of Sri Ganga-narayana Cakravarti (one of the chief disciples of Thakura Narottama.) Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura later composed Sanskrit prayers describing this disciplic succession - Sri Gurudevastaka, Sri Parama-gurudevastaka, Sri Pratapara-gurudevastaka, and Sri Parama-parat-gurudevastaka. All these stotras can be found, along with many other compositions, in his book named Sri Stavamrta-lahari (Waves of Nectarean Prayers).


His Residence in Sri Vraja Mandala


By the mercy of his spiritual master, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura lived in many different places within Vraja-dhama, and composed various transcendental literatures there. Most of these books are very difficult to find nowadays; however a few of them are well known, and are considered to be the supremely honorable wealth of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas.


Sometimes Srila Cakravarti Thakura lived at Sri Govardhana, sometimes on the bank of Sri Radha-kunda, sometimes at Sri Yavata and sometimes in Sri Vrindavana within the compound of Sri Gokulananda's temple. His movements here and there are made very clear by the statements found
at the end of his books.


The Date of His Birth


In attempting to ascertain the time of Cakravarti Thakura, we see that he states at the end of Sri Krsna-Bhavanamrta that this book was completed on the full moon day of the month of Phalguna, 1607 Saka (1685 AD). This was the day commemorating the auspicious appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the full moon in February-March. Additionally, in his commentary of the Srimad Bhagavatam named Sarartha-darsini, we see that this tika was written during the month of Magha, 1626 Saka (1704 AD). Therefore, estimating that his time of birth was approximately 1560 Saka (1638 AD), and determining his time of death as 1630 Saka (1708 AD), we can calculate that he was present in this world for 70 years.


His Disciplic Succession


Sri Ganga-narayana Cakravarti was a disciple of Srila Narottama Thakura Mahasaya, and a resident of Balucara Gambila (the place of Narottama's disappearance). By the Lord's desire, he had no sons; however, he had one daughter named Visnu-priya. Srila Thakura Mahasaya also had a famous disciple known as Sri Rama-krsna Bhattacarya (a Barendra-sreniya-brahmana). The youngest son of this Bhattacarya was named Sri Krsna-carana, who was accepted by Sri Ganga-narayana as his own son (since he had none of his own.) This Krsna-carana is the parama-guru, or grand spiritual master of Srila Cakravarti Thakura. In Visvanatha's Bhagavatam commentary named Sarartha-darsini, at the beginning of the famous Rasa-pancadhyayi (five chapters describing Lord Sri Krsna's rasa-lila dance), we find the following verse:


sri rama krsna ganga caran natva gurun uru premnah
srila narottama natha sri gauranga prabhum naumi


"Having bowed down while absorbed in the most exalted divine love at the feet of all my gurus in disciplic succession - Sri Radha-ramana Cakravarti, Sri Krsna-carana Cakravarti, Sri Ganga-narayana Cakravarti, Sri Narottama Thakura and Sri Lokanatha Gosvami - I now offer my respectful obeisances unto my Lord Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu."


We understand from this sloka that Sri Radha-ramana's abbreviated name is 'Sri Rama', and that Sri Krsna-carana's abbreviated name is 'Krsna'. The word 'natha' is understood to mean Sri Lokanatha Gosvami.


Refuting the Faulty Conclusions of Rupa Kaviraja


Srinivasa Acarya's famous daughter, Srimati Hemalata Thakurani, rejected an envious disciple named Sri Rupa Kaviraja from the Vaisnava society. This Rupa Kaviraja is counted amongst the sub-branch of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya known as Atibadi. He spread his own concocted philosophy (counter to the Gaudiya tradition) that only a person in the renounced order of life is capable of acting as acarya. He claimed that it was not possible for a householder to become a spiritual master. Fully disregarding the vidhi-marga, or path of devotional rules and regulations, he also tried to preach a philosophical path of raga-marga, or spontaneous devotion, which was completely unregulated and undisciplined. He also preached that smarana (remembrance) was possible without the help of sravana and kirtana (hearing and chanting.) Thus this Rupa Kaviraja propagated a path which was unfavorable to the path shown by the Gosvamis. Therefore, Srila Cakravarti Thakura has refuted all these false conclusions in his Sarartha-darsini commentary on the 3rd canto of Srimad bhagavatam. Actually, this refutation is a rendering of the truths outlined in Srila Jiva Gosvami's Bhakti-sandarbha.


Refuting the Caste Gosvamis


The later descendants of Sri Rupa Kaviraja, as well as the descendants of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's son Sri Virabhadra and the descendants of Sri Advaita Acarya's rejected sons all gave the title "Gosvami" to their disciples, even if they are householders. In preaching his refutation of this bogus practice, Srila Cakravarti Thakura has stated, citing scriptural evidence, that such a title of "Gosvami" is not at all improper for a befitting offspring of an acarya. However, it is highly improper to simply tack the word "Gosvami" onto the ends of names of offspring who are born in unfit families, even though descendants of an acarya - especially when there is a motive of greed for increasing wealth and followers. For this reason, even one conducting the activities of an acarya should never use the title "Gosvami". Srila Cakravarti Thakura maintains that such foolish persons, who are bereft of proper behavior, are so ignorant that they are not even fit to be seen.


The Gaudiya Sampradaya's Conquest at Jaipur


During the time of Srila Cakravarti Thakura, the offspring of acaryas were signing the title "Gosvami" next to their own names, thereby displaying their foolish ignorance. Being envious of the Lord and averse to the scriptures, they were very proud to announce the name of their vamsa-parampara (family lineage). At that time, at Sri Govindadeva's temple at Gulta-grama (just outside Jaipur), the acaryas of the Sri Ramanuja-sampradaya issued a challenge against the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. The King of Jaipur consequently invited the most prominent Gaudiya Vaisnavas of Sri Vrindavana to attend. Knowing them to be followers of Srila Rupa Gosvami, he called them to council with the followers of Sri Ramanuja. This happened in 1628 Saka (1706 AD), when Srila Cakravarti Thakura was very old (about 68 years). So he consulted his foremost student, Gaudiya Vaisnava Vedantacarya Mahamahopadhyaya Pandit-kula-mukta Sripada Baladeva Vidya-bhusana. Thereafter, Sri Vidya-bhusana left Vrndavana to join the assembly in Jaipur, accompanied by his own student (and disciple of Srila Cakravarti Thakura), Sri Krsnadeva Sarvabhauma.


The caste Gosvamis had completely forgotten their own loyalty to the Sri Madhva-sampradaya. Being ignorant of the true facts of the disciplic succession, and being disrespectful to Vaisnava Vedanta, they had fallen into such a degraded condition that Sri Baladeva Vidya-bhusana was obliged to write a separate commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, according to the philosophy of the Gaudiya-sampradaya. This was done just to refute their false conclusions. Srila Cakravarti Thakura gave his full sanction and approval to this task of counteracting the challenge, which simultaneously resulted in allowing the Gaudiya Vaisnava parampara to continue preaching freely.


This event marks the second illustration of Srila Cakravarti Thakura's preaching of the Vaisnava dharma. Specifically, this is a brilliant example of his endeavor to reform the Vaisnava acaryas who happened to be born in impure brahmana families.


Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura wrote many, many books. The following is a list of as many books as is possible to locate:


The glorious books of Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada

Original Books


1. Sri Krsna-bhavanamrta


(Nectar-meditations on Sri Krsna's Daily Sports) 1,347 Sanskrit verses in 20 chapters describing the eight periods of a day in the life of the Divine Couple and Their Friends.


2. Sankalpa Kalpa-druma


(The Desire Tree of Resolute Determination) 104 Sanskrit verses of prayer to Sri Radhika for the attainment of specific services rendered to Her during the eight periods of the day in Goloka Vrindavana. Often published as a separate book, this work is included in Sri Visvanatha's collection of prayers called Stavamrta-lahari.


3. Camatkara-candrika


(A Moonbeam of Sheer Astonishment) 226 Sanskrit verses in four chapters of short stories depicting Sri Krsna's mischievous pranks conducted in various disguises: 1) Meeting in the Box, 2) Meeting in the Disguise of Abhimanyu, 3) Meeting in the Disguise of a Female Doctor, 4) Meeting in the Disguise of a Female Singer.


4. Prema-samputa


(The Jewel-box of Love) 141 Sanskrit verses narrating the story of Krsna coming before Sri Radha in the disguise of a demigoddess, and Radhika's confidential confessions of the innermost core of Her selfless love for Him.


5. Vraja-riti-cintamani


(The Touchstone of Life in Vraja) 234 Sanskrit verses in three chapters describing the holy flora, fauna, hills, lakes, groves, temples, and towns of the eternal realm of Vraja.


6. Gauranga-lilamrta


(The Nectar of Sri Gauranga's Daily Pastimes) 11 Sanskrit verses depicting Sri Mahaprabhu's daily pastimes conducted in eight periods of the day; the descriptions of the pastimes in each verse are expanded by the extensive Bengali verses composed by Sri Visvanatha's direct disciple, the poet Krsnadasa.


7. Caitanya-rasayana


(The Necta-Tonic of Sri Caitanya) A work that was never finished; the story of it is mentioned in the 13th chapter of Sri Narottama Vilasa by Sri Narahari Cakravarti, the son of Visvanatha's disciple Jagannatha Vipra.


8. Raga-vartma-candrika


(A Moonbeam Revealing the Path of Spontaneous Devotion) 22 Sanskrit paragraphs in two chapters of prose and verse which elaborate on the proper behavior and attitudes of one following the path of spontaneous devotional service.


9. Madhurya-kadambini


(A Row of Clouds of Sweetness) 8 "showers of nectar" (chapters) of Sanskrit prose which scientifically analyzes the various stages of advancement that one ascends while on the devotional path.


10. Aisvarya-kadambini


(A Row of Clouds of Majesty) A work mentioned by Visvanatha in the second chapter of his Madhurya-kadambini. It is different from the work by Sri Baladeva Vidya-bhusana of the same name. The book by Visvanatha discusses the philosophy of "Dvaitadvaita-vada"; however no copy of this work has ever been found.


11. Ujjvala-nilamani-kirana


(One Ray of Sri Rupa Gosvami's Book, Ujjvala-nilamani) 16 paragraphs of Sanskrit prose, composed as a condensed summary study of Srila Rupa Gosvami's 1,453-verse work. It is an examination of the psychology of the Divine Couple's relationship with other and with Their girlfriends.


12. Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu


(A Drop From the Nectar-Ocean of Devotion) 27 Sanskrit notes, composed as a summary of Srila Rupa Gosvami's book Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, which outlines the process of devotional service.


13. Bhagavatamrta-kana


(A Speck of Sri Rupa Gosvami's Book, Laghu-bhagavatamrta) 15 Sanskrit notes that sum up the information presented in Sri Rupa's book, which describes Sri Krsna's various incarnations and plenary portions.


14. Gaura-gana-svarupa-tattva-candrika


(A Moonbeam Revealing the Truth of the Identity of Gaura's Associates) A book which follows the earlier work of Sri Kavi Karnapura called Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika. It similarly reveals the Vraja-lila identity of various descendants of the Gaudiya-sampradaya), but is updated to include many other personalities that appeared in the sampradaya after Kavi Karnapura's time.


15. Rupa-cintamani


(The Touchstone of Gauranga's Bodily Beauty) Sanskrit verses describing the exact locations of the sacred marks found on Lord Caitanya's palms and soles, including those of Sri Nityananda and Sri Advaita. Visvanatha composed another work also called Rupa-cintamani that describes the head-to-toe beauty of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, as well as the marks on the soles of Their lotus feet; this work is included in his collection called Stavamrta-lahari.


16. Ksanada-gita-cintamani


(The Touchstone of Songs to be Sung at Night) This is the first anthology of devotional songs written by Gaudiya Vaisnava poets in the Bengali, Sanskrit and Braja-bhuli languages. Visvanatha compiled the writings of 45 authors totaling 309 songs, among which are 51 of his own songs, signed with his other pen name Hari-vallabha. The songs are divided up into groups that are to be sung each night of the month; thus there are 30 divisions - 15 for the dark fortnight and 15 for the light fortnight.


17. Mantrartha-dipika


(A Torch-lamp Illuminating the Kama-Gayatri Mantra) 18 Sanskrit notes in prose and verse which give detailed explanations of each and every syllable of kama-bija and kama-gayatri mantras. There is also a description of a doubt that Visvanatha had regarding the syllables of the mantra, and how Sri Radhika Herself appeared to him in a dream in order to solve the problem.


18. Stavamrta-lahari


(Wave After Wave of Nectarean Prayers) A collection of 28 Sanskrit prayers, astakams, meditations and glorifications.


Commentaries


1. on Srimad-Bhagavatam, named Sarartha-darsini (She Who Reveals the Inner, Essential Purports)

2. on Bhagavad-gita, named Sarartha-varsini (She Who Showers Forth the Hidden Meanings)

3. on Sri Rupa's Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, named Bhakti-sara-pradarsini (She Who Demonstrates the Cream-like Essence of Devotion)

4. on Sri Rupa's Ujjvala-nilamani, named Ananda-candrika (Moonbeams of
Pure Bliss)

5. on Sri Rupa's Lalita-madhava-nataka

6. on Sri Rupa's Vidagha-madhava-nataka

7. on Sri Rupa's Dana-keli-kaumudi, named Mahati (She Who Is Glorious)

8. on Sri Rupa's Hamsa-duta

9. on Kavi Karnapura's Alankara-kaustubha, named Subodhini (She Who Informs Very Nicely)

10. on Kavi Karnapura's Ananda-vrindavana-campu, named Sukha-varttini
(She Who Establishes One in Happiness)

11. on Krsnadasa Kaviraja's Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, which is said to be incomplete.

12. on Narottama dasa Thakura's Prema-bhakti-candrika

13. on Sri Brahma-samhita

14. on Gopala-tapani-upanisad, named Bhakta-harsini (She Who Gives Great Joy to the Devotees)

(Note: The original Bengali article by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura contained a slightly smaller list of Srila Cakravartipada's books; the translator expanded the list and composed the individual descriptions.)


SRILA VISVANATHA CAKRAVARTI THAKURA

1) from GPC:

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura took birth approximately in the year 1586 Sakabda, within the district of Nadia in the village of Deva-gram. His parents were Radhi Sreni brahmanas. He also had two brothers named Rambhadra and Raghunatha.

His initiating guru was Sriyuta Krsnacarana Cakravarti of Saiyadabad, Murshidabad, who was fourth in the line from Srila Narottama dasa Thakura. Sri Cakravarti Thakura resided with his guru for many years and composed many books during that time. In the last verse of Alankara-kaustubha he has written:


saidabadnivasi sri visvanatha sarmmana
cakravatiti namneyam krta tika subodhini


His studies of grammar, poetry and rhetoric were completed while he still lived at Nadia. There is a story that he defeated one conquering pandit while he himself was still only a student. From his childhood he was completely indifferent to household life. In order to keep him at home, his father had him married at a very young age. However, he finally renounced family life and came to live at Sri Vrindavana. His family members tried to bring him back but were unsuccessful.


Sri Cakravarti Thakura took up residence with Sri Mukunda das, who lived in Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami's bhajana kutir at Radha-kunda. There he very intently studied the books and letters of the Gosvamis and composed many commentaries on their writings.


He used to worship a Deity named Golokananda. Another name of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura was Sri Harivallabha dasa.


He composed the following books:

Srimad-bhagavata-sararthadarsini-tika, Srimad-Bhagavad-gita-savartha varsini-tika, Alankara-kaustubha subodhini-tika, Ananda-Vrindavana-sukhvarthini-tika, Vidagdha-madhava-nataker-tika, Sri-Krsna-bhavanamrta-maha-kavya, Svapna-vilasamrta-kavya, Madhurya-kadambini, Aisvarya-kadambini, Stavamrta-lahiri, Camatkara-candrika, Gauranga-lilamrta, Ujjvala-nilamani-tika, Gopala-tapani-tika, Sri Caitanya-candramrta-tika, Ksanda-gita-cintamani.


(There's more, too: Ragavartma-candamrta-lahari, Smarana-mangala, etc).


His disappearance is on the Vasanta-pancami in the month of Magha.


2)


The biography of Visvanatha has been translated from the following Bengali publications: Mihir Caudhuri Kamilya, Narahari Cakravarti: Jivani O Racanavali (Life and works of Narahari Cakravarti) Vol. 1: Biography and collected works. Burdwan, University of Burdwan, 1981, PP. 1-15


Narahari Cakravarti writes as follows in Bhaktiratnakara (Pathavadi ms. no. 2341-24, P. 154 ka, "My father, Vipra Jagannatha, was a disciple of the famous Visvanatha Cakravarti." Visvanatha stands as a remarkable example of Bengali intellect. His place in the Vaisnava world remains unsurpassed as far as erudition, theological knowledge, poetic talent and appreciation of rasa. He was worshiped by his contemporaries as an example of unblemished ascetic life and an ideal follower of Ragamarga.


Scholars differ in their views regarding Visvanatha's period. According to Syamalala Gosvami it was 1626 -1708 A.D. (quoted in the book Caitanyottara Yugera Gaudiya Vaisnava P. 98). Murarilal Adhikari writes in Vaisnava Digdarsani that the period was 1646-1754. Madhusudana Tattvavacaspati guesses that Visvanatha was born around 1633-1638 A.D. (1555-60 Saka) and died around Saka 1625-30 (Sri Krsnabhavanamrta, introduction p. 4, published in Bhaktiprabha 1335.


Both Nikhilnath Roy and Bimanbihari Majumdar hold that Visvanatha was born toward the early part of the 17th century Saka (See Mursidavadera Itihasa P. 308). In Gaurapadatarangini 1st ed. 1310, P. 183, Jagadbandhu Bhadra argues that in 1664 A.D. (Saka 1586) Visvanatha was born. However proper evidence in support of the above arguments is lacking.


Visvanatha completed Sararthadarsini in 1704 A.D. (1626 Saka), which he himself states at the conclusion of the book. Thus he must have been alive around 1704 A.D. According to Sukumar Sen, Visvanatha died shortly after 1704 A.D. (See Bangala Sahityera Itihasa Vol. 1, Part 2, 2nd ed., 1965, P. 393)


Visvanatha was born at Devagrama (See ms. of Narottamavilasa at Pathavadi no. 2336 (21), P. 31 kha). Some believe that this village belongs to Kasiganj police station of the Nadia district (Gaurapadatarangini, introduction P. 183; Vaisnava Digdarsani P. 120; Jivanikosa by Sasibhusana Vidyalankar, Vol. 5, P. 1773; Nadia: Svadhinata Rajatajayanti Smarakagrantha, Krsnagore 1973, P. 25). Others argue that Devagrama falls under Sagaradihi police station of the Mursidabad district (See `Padakarta Harivallabha' by Harekrsna Mukhopadhyay in Ananda Bajara Patrika special Puja no. 1369, P. 276.


None of the old mss. record the names of Visvanatha's parents. Pathavadi mss. of `Narottamavilasa" state that Visvanatha's father's name was Ramanarayana Cakravarti. Visvanatha was the youngest child in the family. His eldest brother was Ramabhadra and the next oldest was Raghunatha. Ramabhadra was an accomplished theologian and a disciple of Gopikanta. This Gopikanta was the son of Hariramacarya, the disciple of Ramacandra Kaviraja who belonged to the spiritual lineage of Srinivasa. The second brother, Raghunatha, was also a great scholar (Mss. of `Narottamavilasa' of Pathavadi no. 2336.21, P. 31 kha).


Visvanatha's family was brahmana by caste from the Radha clan, Sandilya gotra, and lineage drawn from Bhattanarayana (See Vaisnavacarya Visvanatha by Nanigopala Gosvami in Bharatavarsa 1351).


In the said mss. of `Narottamavilasa' P. 31 kha, an account is given relating to Visvanatha's birth. It is said that as soon as Visvanatha was delivered a strange halo of light appeared around his body. That light illumined the entire delivery-room and then disappeared. This account seems to be an interpolation at a later date. Devotees and admirers of Visvanatha could well have fabricated this event to glorify the talent and spiritual accomplishment of Visvanatha. This mss. contains one more incident regarding Visvanatha: Once a highly renowned scholar visited Devagrama and the local pandita's became unnerved upon meeting him. But Visvanatha, a mere adolescent, defeated this scholar in argument.


As a child Visvanatha completed his studies at Devagrama and thereafter went to Saidavad. Some say that Visvanatha was educated under Ganganarayana Cakravarti of Saidavad (Premavilasa J.N. Talukdar ed. pp. 206-7), while others argue that Ganganarayana's adopted son Krsnacarana actually taught Visvanatha (H.K. Mukhopadhyaya `Padakarta Harivallabha'). No evidence in support of these views has yet been found.


Radharamana was the name of Visvanatha's diksa guru. Visvanatha himself writes about his spiritual lineage in one sloka of Sararthadarini. In chapters 2-7 of Stavamrtalahari Narahari also gives details on the spiritual lineage or guru-pranali of Visvanatha as follows:


Lord Gauranga
|
Lokanatha
|
Narottama
|
Ganganarayana
|
Krsnacarana
|
Radharamana (alias Sri Rama)
(son & disciple)
|
Visvanatha


Visvanatha's guru and parama-guru belonged to the spiritual lineage of
Narottama Thakura.

From his childhood Visvanatha was of a detached temperament. At the command of his father, Visvanatha's brother Ramabhadra arranged for Visvanatha's marriage at an early age. However, through studying Srimad Bhagavatam Visvanatha developed a deep spirit of renunciation. After completing his studies he took spiritual initiation and gradually developed an intense love for Krsna. Finally, one day, he renounced home, took the vow of a renunciate and went to Vrndavana. After visiting several holy places Visvanatha finally sought the shelter of Mukundadasa, a disciple of Krsnadasa Kaviraja on the bank of the Radhakunda. The devotees present there urged this young renunciate to return home, which Visvanatha had to abide by (Mss. Narottamavil asa PP. 31-32 ka).


Possibly this was the time when Visvanatha went to Patadanja where he is said to have realized his spiritual goal. Visvanatha installed the deity of Gopala (Harekrsna Mukhopadhyaya P. 276)


At the command of his guru, Visvanatha went home for one night to meet his wife. His wife, however, heard nothing other than Krsna katha from her husband throughout the night. (See Mss. Narottamavilasa P. 32 ka). Early the next morning Visvanatha left home and took shelter of his guru. As directed by his guru, Visvanatha began copying Srimad Bhagavatam.


Visvanatha settled on the bank of the Radhakunda in Vrndavana. Regarding his spiritual practices Narahari writes as follows, "Being deeply immersed in singing kirtana of the Lord, Visvanatha narrated the pastimes of the Lord in a most fascinating manner. No one is competent enough to speak of his spiritual practices. Anyone who had the good fortune to set his eyes upon Visvanatha felt immediately soothed from the pangs of material existence. Visvanatha served the deity of Sri Gokulananda with great pleasure and devotion."


When Visvanatha arrived in Vrndavana he noticed that with the disappearance of the six Gosvamis the beauty of that holy place was no longer visible. A large number of Mathas had been destroyed by the Muslims. Priests migrated from Vrndavana taking away the deities which were in their charge. A number of deities were left standing alone and received no service. And the devotees were in a state of constant fear. People in general were in no mood to devote attention to the study of the scriptures (See Madhuryakadamvini introduction, P. 4, by Satyendranatha Vasu).


During his stay in Vrndavana many loyal workers and scholars such as Baladeva Vidyabhusana were deeply impressed upon seeing Visvanatha's devotion, strength of mind and hard working nature. Visvanatha became determined to bring back the lost glory of Vrndavana. The following are some of his achievements.


1. Visvanatha himself installed the Deity of Gokulananda and took charge of serving Govardhana sila. He reinstated different priests to begin the service of the Deities in various places.


2. It was through his initiative that the Sri Vardhana Matha of Kongala and some new Mathas at several other places were set up (Visvakos V. 19, P. 42). Visvanatha also arranged to renovate a large number of temples.


3. At that time there was little access by the common people to the works of the Gosvamis. This was due to the fact that there were no proper analysis and interpretation of these theological treatises. What Visvanatha did was to prepare simple and lucid commentaries for these works, as well as presenting abridged forms of the original works. This enabled devotees of all types to understand and appreciate the essence of the Gosvamis' works. Visvanatha also arranged for the wide distribution of books which Vaisnavas needed for daily study and spiritual practices. He also organized classes to be held on them to impart instructions.


Visvanatha was one of the most accomplished preachers of madhurya-bhava in ragamarga. Regarding sadhana (spiritual achievements), Visvanatha's name is placed after Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Krsnadasa Kaviraja and Narottama Thakura (CC. Sukumar Sen ed. 1.4. P.13).


Visvanatha was an out and out parakiya-vadi. Both in prakata and aprakata lila Visvanatha considered Sri Radha and the gopis as the parakiya heroines of Lord Krsna. Visvanatha had deep faith in the astakaliya nitya-lila described by Kavikarnapura and Krsnadasa Kaviraja (Padavaliparicaya 2nd ed. PP. 86-87). Apart from practicing smarana (remembrance), manana (contemplation) and sankirtana, Visvanatha remained deeply absorbed in the service of Radha Krsna with loyalty to the Vrajavasis. Due to his own success in practice and realization, Visvanatha was able to write beautifully describing the proper method for astakaliya nitya-lila, a unique analysis of ragamarga sadhana, detailed descriptions of Radha Krsna lila, details on the sadhana practiced by Sakhi-manjari or Kinkari, the mystic significance of bhajan and the method of bhajan.


Another remarkable achievement of Visvanatha's was to establish Gaudiya Vaisnavism and its theology through Baladeva Viyabhusana, Visvanatha's close follower, at the meeting of Vaisnavas held at Galta, Jaipur in 1718 A.D. (Saka 1640) (See CC. introduction 4th ed. P. 396, also Baladeva Siddhantaratna, Gopinatha Kaviraja ed., introduction).


As a youth in Saidavad Visvanatha set up a Sanskrit school and accepted a teaching career. In order to help the students to learn easily Visvanatha wrote a simplified commentary titled `Suvodhini' on Kavikarnapura's Alamkara Kaustubha. This is said to be Visvanatha's first literary work. Upon his arrival in Vrndavana, Visvanatha sought the refuge of Mukundadasa. This Mukunda dasa was a poet and disciple of Krsnadasa Kaviraja. Mukunda dasa had some books to be completed. Noting Visvanatha's devotion and erudition, he thus requested Visvanatha to complete those books. Pathavadi mss. Narottamavilasa P. 32 Ka, refers to this but does not give the names of the works.


In Vrndavana Visvanatha's literary talent blossomed and beautiful compositions began to flow like many streams of nectar. His complete works can be classified under four groups:


1) Commentary works..........................13

2) Abridged works of original texts.......... 3

3) Original works........................... 15

4) Compilation of Padavali................... 1


1) Commentary works (Tika Grantha):


At that time most of the manuals and other books which Vaisnavas needed to consult daily were full of difficult theological concepts mostly written in Sanskrit. This made it difficult for the lay-devotee to study and understand the proper conclusions. To remove these obstacles Visvanatha wrote simple Sanskrit commentaries on many of the Gosvamis' works. Titles of such commentaries are as follows:


1) Sararthadarsini 1704 A.D.--tika of Srimad Bhagavatam

2) Sararthavarsini tika on Bhagavad gita

3) Sri Caitanya-caritamrtera tika (the first commentary in Sanskrit on a Bengali book)

4) Brahmasamhitara tika

5) Anandacandrika - tika on Ujjvala-nilamani of Rupa Gosvami

6) Bhakti-sara-pradarsani - tika on Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu of Rupa Gosvami

7) Prema-bhakti-candrika-kirana - a Sanskrit tika on Narottama's Prema-bhakti-candrika

8) Sukhavartini - a tika on Kavikarnapura's Ananda-vrndavana-campu

9) Mahati - tika on Dana-keli-kaumudi of Rupa Gosvami

10) Bhakta-harsini - tika on Gopalatapani

11) Hamsaduta tika - tika on Rupa Gosvami's Hamsadutam

12) Tika on Rupa Gosvami's Vidagdha-madhava

13) Lalita-madhavera tika


Some scholars argue that the tika on Lalita-madhava and Vidagdha-madhava were not works of Visvanatha. They say that Krsnadeva Sarvabhauma, a disciple of Visvanatha, was the writer of the Vidagdha-madhava tika, while Radhakrsna dasa, a disciple of Jiva Gosvami wrote the tika of Lalita-madhava (See Haridasa dasa GVA P. 1751-52, 1745)


2) Abridged Works:


Visvanatha felt that many of the Vaisnava works were difficult for the lay-devotee to grasp. He therefore extracted the most relevant information and presented an abridged form of various selected books. Three of these are works of Rupa Gosvami as shown below:


1) Kirana i.e Ujjvala-nilamani-kirana on Ujjvala-nilamani

2) Vindu i.e Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-vindu on Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu

3) Kana i.e. Bhagavatamrta-kana on Laghu-bhagavatamrta

3) Original Works:


Visvanatha's thoughts had originality and depth. He was gifted with the talent of communicating deep philosophical concepts in a simply way, while keeping the unique characteristics of Radha Krsna lila in tact. Most of his original works relate to sadhana-bhajan as follows:


1) Sri Krsna-bhavanamrta (1679 A.D.): describes astakaliya nitya-lila of Radha Krsna


2) Ragavartmacandrika: a guide to and an account of raganugabhakti and its methods


3) Madhurya-kadamvini: reveals the subtle concepts on rupa and madhurya of Lord Krsna


4) Aisaryakadamvini: a scriptural account of Lord Krsna's aisarya (opulence)


5) Camatkara-candrak: mystic sports of Radha Krsna


6) Gopipremamrta: reveals the love of the gopis and concepts regarding svakiya and parakiya


7) Mantrartha-dipika: explanation of kamavija and kamagayatri


8) Vraja-riti-cintamani: describes the sites of Lord Krsna's Vraja-lila


9) Prema-samputa (1684 A.D.): describes madhurya of Radha


10) Sankalpa-kalpadrum (1678 A.D.): describes prayers to Sri Radha to grant sevavrtti


11) Nikunja-keli-virudavali (1678 A.D.) describes the sports of Radha Krsna in the kunja


12) Surata-kathamrta (1678 A.D.): description of the pastimes of Radha Krsna in the quiet of midnight.


Some other works by Visvanatha are written like hymns. These reveal Visvanatha's genuine devotion and reverence for his superiors, cherished Deities, and the holy places of Lord Krsna's pastimes. The following is a list
of these works:


1) Sriman Mahaprabhorastakaliya Smarnamangalastotram: A guide book describing Lord Gauranga's astakaliya lila.


2) Sri Gauranganoddesa-candrika: A brief account on the close associates of Lord Gauranga (a similar manuscript of Visvanatha's dealing with the associates of Lord Gauranga is available in the collection of Barahanagar--Sri Gauranga Granthamandir--the title of the said mss. is Gauraganasvarupa-tattvacandrika' no. 230 B 17)


3) Stavamrta-lahari: This is one of the best works of hymns. It consists of a total of 28 hymns which deal with the guru, the poet's own guru, paramaguru, paratparaguru, Narottama, Lokanatha, Sri Caitanya, Vaisnava acaryas, etc. Then invocation of the mercy of the famous Deities Gopaladeva, Madanagopala, Govindadeva, Gopinatha, Gokulananda and Lord Krsna; invocation of the grace of Radha and Vrnda devi; hymns in praise of various lila sites such as Vrndavana, Nandisvara, Krsnakunda, etc.


4) Padavali Samkalam (compilation of Vaisnava poems)


5) Ksanada-gita-cintamani (known briefly as `Ksanada' or `Gitacintamani'). [Ksanada-gita-cintamani mss. Pathavadi no. 2615 (24 ga), 2613 24 ka), oldest edition 1282 (1875 A.D.). See Vangala Sahityera Itihasa V.1, Pt. 1, P. 393


2nd edition 1315 Vrndavana Kesighat (Krsnapada dasa Babaji)


3rd edition (?) Nitaipada Dasa


4th edition (1332) Nityasvarupa Brahmacari, Calcutta


5th edition (1369) Bimanabihari Majumdar, General Library


While compiling this Ksanada-gita-cintamani containing selected Vaisnava poems Visvanatha had in mind that devotees of raganugamarga may every night perform or listen to nama-guna etc. of their cherished Deities.


Earlier some attempts were made to prepare compilations of Vaisnava poems to some extent by Ramagopala dasa of Srikhanda in his `Sri Sri Radhakrsnarasa-kalpavalli', by his son Pitamvaradasa in `Rasamanjari' and Mukundadasa, a disciple of Krsnadasa Kaviraja in `Siddhantacandrodaya'. However it was Visvanatha who first prepared this first compilation. In fact Ksanada is considered "the first perfect Padavali compilation" (Vangala Sahityera Itihasa V.1, Pt. 2, 2nd ed., P. 102 b 393). The first part of Ksanada is available, but it is thought that Visvanatha died before the later part was completed. Dr. Sukumar Sen argues that this compilation was done before 1704 A.D. (See Gaudiya Vaisnava Sadhana by Harekrsna Mukhopadhyay, 1st ed. P. 136). In this book Visvanatha used the bhanita of `Harivallabha' or `Vallabha' on those poems composed by him.


Recently the second part of Ksanada, compiled by Manohara dasa, was found and published (Ksanada-gita-cintamani: Manoharadasa, published by Radhakarsna dasa, Kusumsarovar, P.O. Radhakunda, Mathura). This mss. contains the first to the seventeenth section of Ksanada. It was available from Advaitacarana Gosvami, the priest of Radharamana of Vrndavana. Haridasa dasa gives information in GVA Vol. 3, P. 1484 that a similar manuscript is available in the collection of Nimbarka sampradaya.


Bimanbihari Majumdar argues as follows: "Since Visvanatha compiled Vaisnava poems for the Bengalis to enjoy he titled them `Purvavibhaga' (eastern section) and his contemporary, Manohara dasa, the writer of Anuragavalli, compiled for the readers of western India and hence titled it `Pascima Vibhaga' (western section)."


In the second compilation there are twenty one poems of Manohara dasa, along with those of Haridasa Swami etc. Several of Manoharadasa's poems deal with Lord Gauranga. This compilation consists of Hindi poems. In the `Pascima Vibhaga' there are six Hindi poems written by Visvanatha, who gave the bhanitas of Harivallabha or Vallabha.


The Purva Vibhaga of Visvanatha consists of a total of thirty Ksanada or themes. These themes are fitted each for thirty nights from the first night of the dark fortnight of one lunar month till the day of the new moon and from the first day of the bright fortnight till the night of the full moon. Varying in size, eight have small and sixteen have big padas. A total of 308 pada are found in Purva Vibhaga containing the bhanita of 48 known and unknown poets (Of these the compiler has 53 padas in--40 with the bhanita of Harivallabha and 13 with the bhanita of Vallabha. Some hold that Harivallabha was the name of Visvanatha's guru. Some argue that Harivallabha was the sannyasa name of Visvanatha. However neither of these ideas is supported by evidence. In `Gitavali' part of the book Stavamrta-lahari of Visvanatha, out of eleven Sanskrit pada two have bhanita of Harivallabha and four have the bhanita of Vallabha.


In `Mantrartha-dipika' Sri Radha addresses Visvanatha in a state of dream as Harivallabha. Narahari, the son of Visvanatha's disciple, clearly writes that Harivallabha was the name of Visvanatha.


Each Ksanada or section is arranged in such a manner as it could be sung for one night. First there is Gaura Vandana, then follows Nityananda Vandana and concludes with poems of milana (comedy) or sambhaga. In between there are poems/lyrics dealing with abhisara, or aksepanuraga and rasa. All these compositions relate to madhurya rasa. None of these deal with sakhya, vatsalya or even themes relating to Mathura.


This compilation was made with a view to serving aspirants with manjari-bhava eager to enjoy Vrajrasa. Though Visvanatha was a highly imaginative poet he was a perfect erudite too. He never liked to compose poems in a simply, unadorned manner. Sanskrit expression, rhetorically rich language, chiming words and waves of rhythm enriched his poems which were equally rich with fascinating themes and deep rasa.


Visvanatha had an extraordinary command of Vrajvuli, Hindi and Sanskrit. In all three languages Visvanatha composed a total of seventy padas of which the ones in Sanskrit are the best.


It seems that Visvanatha's poems were not appreciated by his contemporaries. Hence in later compilation not many of Visvanatha's poems are found. In Padamrtasamudra of Radhamohana Thakura, almost a contemporary of Visvanatha, there was not any pada of Visvanatha's. The reason for this was that Radhamohana compiled the poems in Bengal while Visvanatha was in Vrndavana. Neither can any pada of Visvanatha's be found in Sankirtanamrta, a compilation by Dinavandhu dasa belonging to a bit later period.


Among other compilations of padas there are five padas of Visvanatha's in the total 1169 pada in Gitacandrodaya compiled by Narahari Cakravarti, one pada of Visvanatha's out of a total of 1119 pada compiled in Kirtanananda of Gaurasundara dasa, and three pada of Visvanatha's out of 3101 total pada compiled in Vaisnava dasa's Padakalpataru.


When critically evaluated as poetry Visvanatha's works do not rank in the
first category although critics have praised most of his padas (See introduction by Bimanbihari Majumdar ed. Ksanadagitacintamani)


Judged from the standpoint of the preceding Vaisnava acaryas and the quality of rasa, Visvanatha undoubtedly contributed immensely in leading Gaudiya Vaisnavism and sadhana bhakti forward. Most of the difficult treatises of Rupa Gosvami were presented by Visvanatha to devotees sometimes by adding simple commentaries and sometimes by preparing abridged editions. Devotees hailed Visvanatha as `the second svarupa of Rupa' or as `avatara of Rupa'.


Among the devotees of Visvanatha nothing much is known about others except Krsnadasa (See mss. N. Vilasa P. 33 kha), Kanudasa, Nandakisora (See Rasakalika ed. Haridasa dasa, P. 82, P. 154). Some think that Krsnadeva Sarvabhauma was a disciple of Visvanatha. Baladeva Vidyabhusana, a disciple of Radhadamodara, revered Visvanatha deeply as his guru.


Visvanatha stands as a remarkable outcome of Bengali intellect in 17th-18th century as poet, musician, thinker, theologian, scholar and above all a devotee and preacher.


The following is from GPC:


Visvanatha Cakravarti was born most probably in the Saka era 1586 in the famous village of Devagrama in the district of Nadia. He belonged to the Radhi brahmana sect. Sri Ramabhadra and Sri Raghunatha Cakravarti were his two brothers.


Sri Visvanatha took his initiation from Sri Krsnacarana Cakravarti of Saidavada in the Mursidabad district. He lived there for a considerable time and wrote many books. Because he lived there for so long, Visvanatha introduced himself as an inhabitant of Saiydavada. He studied grammar, poetry and rhetoric when he lived in Nadia. It is said that when he was a student he defeated a world famous scholar in argument.


From his early boyhood days he was completely indifferent to the materialistic w orld. In order to get him involved in worldly life, his father arranged his marriage at a very early age. Sri Cakravarti like for sometime in his house and then left to become a resident of Vrndavana. His relatives tried to bring him back, without success.


In Vrndavana, Sri Cakravarti Thakura stayed with Mukunda dasa, a disciple of Srimad Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, at his house near Radhakunda and studied Gosvami grantha-patra. There he wrote many notes on these books.


Sri Cakravarti Thakura used to worship the Deity of Sri Gokulananda. Amongst the Mahanta society, he was famous as Sri Harivallava dasa. The title Cakravarti was given to him by his disciples.


The books written by him are listed as follows: Sararthadarsini Tika on Srimad Bhagavatam; Sararthavarsini Tika on Srimad Bhagavad gita; Subhodhini Tika on Alankara Kaustubha; Sukhavartini tika on Ananda Vrndavana; tika on the drama Vidagdha-madhava; Sri Krsna-bhavanamrta Mahakavya; Svapna-vilasamrta Kavya; Madhurya Kadamvini; Aisarya Kadamvini; Stavamrta-lahari; Camatkara-candrika; Gauranga-lilamrta; tika on Ujjvala-nilamani and Gopala-tapani; half finished tika on CC; the Bengali translation of Skhanada-gita Cintamani and many other books.


Sri Lokanatha Gosvami was the disciple of Sri Gauranga, his disciple was Sri Narottama Thakura, then his disciple was Sri Ganganaranayana Cakravarti. Sri Ganganarayana Cakravarti's disciple was Sri Krsnacarana Cakravarti, whose disciple was Sri Radharamana Cakravarti. Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti was the disciple of Sri Radharamana Cakravarti. Sri Krsnacarana Cakravarti and Sri Radharamana Cakravarti used to live in Saiyadavada. Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti studied devotional sastras there for some time. In the month of Magha (Jan.-Feb), on the fifth day of the bright fortnight, he departed from this world.




VISVANATH CAKRAVARTI THAKUR

Krsna lila - Vinode manjari

Guru: Radharamana Chakravarti


Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur, a great Vaisnava acarya, appeared in 1674 in what is now the Nadia district of West Bengal. During his time, he served as the protector, guardian, and acarya of the Gaudiya Vaisnava line. He wrote more than forty Sanskrit books on the science of pure devotion, including commentaries on Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and the books of the six Gosvamis. His eight prayers to the spiritual master are sung daily by the Gaudiya Vaisnavas.



His parents married him early but he had no interest in family life. On his guru's instruction he spent one night with his wife and read Srimad Bhagavatam to her until dawn. Then he left for Radhakunda and stayed in the bhajana kutir of Sri Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami.


He was known as Hariballabha Dasa and later got the title of Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur for his uncanny perceptions into the mellows of Krshnabhakti. He was also called Rasacharya. He could stop the rainfall by his writing of S.B. commentaries, because the rain didn't want to disturb him or drip on his manuscripts.
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He was a disciple of Radharamana Chakravarti who is in the disciplic line of
Srila Narottama dasa Thakur. He spent many years in his guru's house studying bhakti under his tutelage. During his student years he defeated a famous digvijaya pandit and wrote many small compositions known as bindhus. His parents married him early but he had no interest in family life. On his guru's instruction he spent one night with his wife and read Srimad Bhagavatam to her until dawn. Then he left for Radha Kunda and stayed in the bhajana kutir of Sri Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami.


He was known as Hariballabha Dasa and later got the title of Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur for his uncanny perceptions into the mellows of Krishna
bhakti. He was called Rasacharya. He could stop the rainfall by his writing of S.B. commentaries, because the rain didn't want to disturb him or drip on his manuscripts.


He re-established parakiya-bhajan at Radha Kunda by writing a tika on Gopala Champu. For this, some envious persons tried to kill him when he went for his ablutions in the forest, but he took his siddha-deha form of a young girl and they couldn't discern him.


His disciple was Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana, who wrote the Govinda-bhasya.


The Most Holy Disappearance of Shrila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura-6th Feb


Shri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura


Shrila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura took birth in the year 1586 Shaka era within the Nadia district of West Bengal in a place called Prasiddha Deva Gram. He appeared in the Radhiya line of brahamanas. He had two brothers: Shri Ramabhadra Chakravarti and Shri Raghunatha Chakravarti. Shrila Chakravarti Thakura went on to live in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, in Saiyadabad, where he received mantra initiation from Shri Krishna Charana Chakravarti. He lived for a long time in the house of his gurudeva, where he wrote many books. Because Chakravarti Thakura lived for so long in Saiyadabad, he became known as a resident of Saiyadabad. In one of the final verses of his commentary on the Alankara Kaustubha, he himself has written: saiyadabadanivasi shri vishvanatha sharmana, chakravartiti namneyam krita tika subodhini. "Shri Vishvanataha Cakravarti, a brahmana residing in Saiyadabad, has composed this commentary on the Alankara Kaustubha." When Shrila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura lived in Nadiya, he closely studied the scriptures, beginning with a study of Sanskrit grammar, poetry, and rhetoric. It is said that even as a boy in school, he was an undefeatable scholar who could overcome anyone in argument and debate. From an early age, he was indifferent towards family life. For the purpose of binding his son in the contract of family life, Vishvanatha's father arranged for his marriage when he was very young. He remained a married man for only a short time. Soon he renounced his wife and home and went to live in Vrindavan.


After this, his parents and relatives made many unsuccessful attempts to induce him to return to family life, but Vishvanatha Chakravarti was fixed in his determination to renounce wordly life and surrender himself completely to the service of Krishna.


After having come to Vrindavan Dhama, Shri Vishvanatha took up his residence in the bhajan kutir of Shri Krishna Das Kaviraja Goswami on the banks of the Radha-kunda, where there lived a disciple of Krishna das Kaviraja whose name was Mukunda das. There, Shri Vishvanatha Cakravarti made a careful study of the Goswami's literatures. In that holy place he later wrote many commentaries on the books of the Goswamis.


Shri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura established the worship of the deity of Shri Gokulananda. Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur was also sometimes known as Harivallabha das. Vishvanatha's title, "Chakravarti" was awarded to him by the devotees. Generally this title designates one who maintains (varti) a circle (chakra) of influence. Hence chakravarti usually means "emperor," for the emperor's maintains his power over a vast circle. A more devotional explanation of this title is found in the introduction to Vishvanatha's Svapna-Vilasamrita. There is has been written vishvasya natharupausau, bhaktiratna pradarshanat, bhakta chakre vartitatva, chakravartamaya bhavat.


"He who reveals the jewel of devotion to Vishvanatha, the Lord of the Universe, and thus expands the circle of bhakti is a"Cakravarti." Shri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura has written many books, among which are the following:


Commentaries on Srimad-Bhagavatam (Sararthadarshini-tika), Bhagavad-gita (Sararthavarshini-tika), Alankara Kaustubha (Subodhini-tika); Ujjvala-nilamani, Ananda Vrindavana Champu (Sukhavartini-tika); Rupa Goswami's Vidagdha-Madhava Natakam, Gopal-tapani-upanishad; Chaitanya-charitamrita; and original works such as Shri Krishna-Bhavanamrita Mahakavya; Svapnavilasamrita; Madhurya Kadambini; Stavamala-lahari; Aishvarya Kadambini [Note: this is not the same Aishvarya Kadambini as that of Baladeva Vidyabhusana. Baladeva Vidyabhusan's book describes the opulences of Shri Krishna, whereas Vishvanatha's book by the same name deals with the philosophy of achintya-bhedabheda-vada, Shri Chaitanya's philosophy of inconceivable oneness and difference].


The diksha-guru-parampara of Shri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura is given as follows: Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Lokanatha Goswami, Narottama Thakura, Ganganarayan Chakravarti, Krishnacharan Chakravarti, Radharaman Chakravarti, Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura. Shri Krishna Charan Chakravarti and Radha Ramana Chakravarti both lived in Saiyadabad. Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura studied extensively under them when he was in Saiyadabad before going to Vrindavan, where he met Mukunda das Goswami, a disciple of Krishna das Kaviraja Goswami and studied the Goswami literatures.


The siksha-guru-parampara is considered more important than the diksha-guru-parampara,because it follows the descent of revealed truth through its most significant representatives, as opposed to following a strictly sacerdotal heirarchy. The siksha-guru-paramapara from Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura is, according to Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, as follows: Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarup Damodara, Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami (along with Raghunatha Das Goswami, Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Gopal Bhatta Goswami), Shri Jiva Goswami, Krishna das Kaviraja Goswami, Narottama Das Thakura (along with Shyamananda Prabhu and Shrinivasa Acharya), Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura.


Shri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura disappeared on the Vasant Panchami day in the month of Magh.

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Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura

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Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti

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Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti



Table of contents [showhide]



1 Overview


1.1 Resides in Vraja-dhama


1.2 Life Notes From A Gaudiya Article


1.3 His Disciplic Succession


1.4 Conquest at Jaipur


1.5 List of Commentaries


1.6 More Prayers and Quotes: Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura



Overview



He was born during the eighteenth century AD., in a village near Remuna in the Balasore district of Orissa. He studied Vyakarana, Alamkara, and Nyayasastra in an academic center on the bank of Lake Cilka. Afterwards he went to Karnataka to study the Vedas. At that point he was initiated into the Madhva Sampradaya. After taking sannyasa he defeated the scholars of Puri in a debate on Sastra.


Visvanatha settled on the bank of the Radhakunda in Vrndavana. Regarding his spiritual practices Narahari writes as follows, "Being deeply immersed in singing kirtana of the Lord, Visvanatha narrated the pastimes of the Lord in a most fascinating manner. No one is competent enough to speak of his spiritual practices. Anyone who had the good fortune to set his eyes upon Visvanatha felt immediately soothed from the pangs of material existence. Visvanatha served the deity of Sri Gokulananda with great pleasure and devotion."



When Visvanatha arrived in Vrndavana he noticed that with the disappearance of the six Gosvamis the beauty of that holy place was no longer visible. A large number of Mathas had been destroyed by the Muslims. Priests migrated from Vrndavana taking away the deities which were in their charge. A number of deities were left standing alone and received no service. And the devotees were in a state of constant fear. People in general where in no mood to devote attention to the study of the scriptures



Resides in Vraja-dhama



By the mercy of his spiritual master, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura lived in many different places within Vraja-dhama, and composed various transcendental literatures there. Most of these books are very difficult to find nowadays; however a few of them are well known, and are considered to be the supremely honorable wealth of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas.



Sometimes Srila Cakravarti Thakura lived at Sri Govardhana, sometimes on the bank of Sri Radha-kunda, sometimes at Sri Yavata and sometimes in Sri Vrindavana within the compound of Sri Gokulananda's temple. His movements here and there are made very clear by the statements found at the end of his books.


During his stay in Vrndavana many loyal workers and scholars such as Baladeva Vidyabhusana were deeply impressed upon seeing Visvanatha's devotion, strength of mind and hard working nature. Visvanatha became determined to bring back the lost glory of Vrndavana. The following are some of his achievements.



1. Visvanatha himself installed the Deity of Gokulananda and took charge of serving Govardhana sila. He reinstated different priests to begin the service of the Deities in various places.



2. It was through his initiative that the Sri Vardhana Matha of Kongala and some new Mathas at several other places were set up. Visvanatha also arranged to renovate a large number of temples.



3. At that time there was little access by the common people to the works of the Gosvamis. This was due to the fact that there were no proper analysis and interpretation of these theological treatises. What Visvanatha did was to prepare simple and lucid commentaries for these works, as well as presenting abridged forms of the original works. This enabled devotees of all types to understand and appreciate the essence of the Gosvamis works. Visvanatha also arranged for the wide distribution of books which Vaisnavas needed for daily study and spiritual practices. He also organized classes to be held on them to impart instructions.



Life Notes From A Gaudiya Article



[The following article appeared in the monthly Bengali magazine "Gaudiya", 18th volume, number 18, dated 8 Pausha, Bengali year 1329 (1922 A.D.). The magazine was founded and edited by His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.]


"The names of all the Vrajavasi Gosvamis who were living during the time of Sri Mahaprabhu are very well known. Later, after their disappearance, the flow of pure devotion for the Lord took shelter of the three famous Prabhus -- Srinivasa Acarya, Thakura Narottama, and Syamananda Parbhu -- and surged on with full force. In the disciplic succession coming from Thakura Narottama, Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura appeared in the fourth position.



The story of Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti is more or less known only among the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. They speak of the outstanding excellence of achievement demonstrated by Srila Cakravarti Thakura in his examination of the Srimad Bhagavata and the Bhagavad Gita, as well as his complete understanding of the opinions expressed by the Gosvamis in their own books. Our Thakura is the protector, guardian and acarya of the middle period of Gaudiya Vaisnava dharma's historical developement.



Nowadays amongst the Vaisnavas, there is the following saying in relation to Cakravarti Thakura's three most famous books: "kirana bindu kana, e tin niye vaisnava pana"-- "These three books, Ujjvala-Nilamani-Kirana, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindhu, and Bhagavatamrta-kana, are taken and used by the Vaisnavas as their wealth." In this connection, we also hear the following verse sung everywhere:



visvasya natha-ripo 'sau bhakti-vartma-pradarsanat bhakta-cakre varttitatvat cakravarty akhyaya bhavat


"Because he has shown the visva-vasis (residents of the material universe) the path of bhakti, he is called 'Visvanatha'; and because he is situated amongst the cakra (circle) of devotees, he is called 'Cakravarti'."



His Disciplic Succession



Sri Ganga-narayana Cakravarti was a disciple of Srila Narottama Thakura Mahasaya, and a resident of Balucara Gambila (the place of Narottama's disappearance). By the Lords desire, he had no sons; however, he had one daughter named Visnu-priya. Srila Thakura Mahasaya also had a famous disciple known as Sri Rama-krsna Bhattacarya (a Barendra-sreniya-brahmana). The youngest son of this Bhattacarya was named Sri Krsna-carana, who was accepted by Sri Ganga-narayana as his own son (since he had none of his own.) This Krsna-carana is the parama-guru, or grand spiritual master of Srila Cakravarti Thakura. In Visvanatha's Bhagavatam commentary named Sarartha-darsini, at the beginning of the famous Rasa-pancadhyayi (five chapters describing Lord Sri Krsna's rasa-lila dance), we find the following verse:



sri rama krsna ganga caran natva gurun uru premnah
srila narottama natha sri gauranga prabhum naumi


"Having bowed down while absorbed in the most exalted divine love at the feetof all my gurus in disciplic succession -- Sri Radha-ramana Cakravarti, Sri Krsna-carana Cakravarti, Sri Ganga-narayana Cakravarty, Sri Narottama Thakura and Sri Lokanath Gosvami -- I now offer my respectful obeisances unto my Lord Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu."


We understand from this sloka that Sri Radha-ramana's abbreviated name is 'Sri Rama', and that Sri Krsna-carans's abbreviated name is 'Krsna'. The word 'natha' is understood to mean Sri Lokanatha Gosvami.


Conquest at Jaipur



During the time of Srila Cakravarti Thakura, the offspring of acaryas were signing the title "Gosvami" next to their own names, thereby displaying their foolish ignorance. Being envious of the Lord and averse to the scriptures, they were very proud to announce the name of their vamsa-parampara (family lineage). At that time, at Sri Govindadeva's temple at Gulta-grama (just outside Jaipur), the acaryas of the Sri Ramanuja-sampradaya issued a challenge against the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. The King of Jaipur consequently invited the most prominent Gaudiya Vaisnavas of Sri Vrndavana to attend. Knowing them to be followers of Srila Rupa Gosvami, he called them to council with the followers of Sri Ramanuja. This happened in 1628 Saka (1706 A.D.), when Srila Cakravarti Thakura was very old (about 68 years). So he consulted his foremost student, Gaudiya Vaishnava Vedanta acarya Mahamahopadhyaya Pandit-kula-mukta Sripada Baladeva Vidya-bhusana. Thereafter, Sri Vidya-bhusana left Vrndavana to join the assembly in Jaipur, accompanied by his own student (and disciple of Srila Cakravarti Thakura), Sri Krsnadeva Sarvabhauma.


The caste Gosvamis had completely forgotten their own loyalty to the Sri Madhva-sampradaya. Being ignorant of the true facts of the disciplic succession, and being disrespectful to Vaisnava Vedanta, they had fallen into such a degraded condition that Sri Baladeva Vidya-bhusna was onbliged to write a separate commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, according to the philosophy of the Gaudiya -sampradaya. This was done just to refute their false conclusions. Srila Cakravarti Thakura gave his full sanction and approval to this task of counteracting the challenge, which simultaneously resulted in allowing the Gaudiya Vaisnava parampara to continue preaching freely.


This event marks the second illustration of Srila Cakravarti Thakura's preaching of the Vaisnava dharma. Specifically, this is a brilliant example of his endeavor to reform the Vaisnava acaryas who happened to be born in impure brahmana families.


List of Commentaries



1. on Srimad-bhagavatam, named Sarartha-darsini (She Who Reveals the Inner, Essential Purports)


2. on Bhagavad-gita, named Sarartha-varsini (She Who Showers Forth the Hidden Meanings)


3. on Sri Rupa's Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, named Bhakti-sara-pradarsini (She Who Demonstrates the Cream-like Essence of Devotion)


4. on Sri Rupa's Ujjvala-nilamani, named Ananda-candrika (Moonbeams of Pure Bliss)


5. on Sri Rupa's Lalita-madhava-nataka


6. on Sri Rupa's Vidagha-madhava-nataka


7. on Sri Rupa's Dana-keli-kaumudi, named Mahati (She Who Is Glorious)


8. on Sri Rupa's Hamsa-duta


9. on Kavikarnapura's Alankara-kaustubha, named Subhodini (She Who Informs Very Nicely)


10. on Kavi Karnapura's Ananda-vrindavana-campu, named Sukha-varttini (She Who Establishes One in Happiness)


11. on Krsnadasa Kaviraja's Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, which is said to be incomplete.


12. on Narottama dasa Thakur's Prema-bhakti-candrika


13. on Sri Brahma-samhita


14. on Gopala-tapani-upanisad, named Bhakta-harsini (She Who Gives Great Joy to the Devotees)




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