Today is Sri Vakresvara Pandit’s appearance day. I didn’t know much about him, so I looked him up, and as always, the associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu never cease to amaze me. Read below to see what I found…
vyuhas turyo’niruddho yah sa vakreshvara-panditah
krishnaveshaja-nrityena prabhoh sukham ajijanat
sahasra-gayakan mahyam dehi tvam karuna-maya
iti caitanya-pade sa uvaca madhuram vacah
sva-prakasha-vibhedena shashirekha tam avishat
Vakresvara Pandit is the fourth member of the catur-vyuha, Aniruddha.He brought happiness to the lord by dancing in the mood of Krishna. He would sweetly say to Mahaprabhu, “O merciful lord! Give me a thousand singers so that I can dance.” Radha’s dear sakhi Sasirekha also entered into him.
(Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 71)
Sri Vakresvara Pandit revealed such great potency that he danced non-stop for three days. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami wrote the following about Vakresvara Pandit:
Vakresvara Pandit is the Lord’s dear servant, who danced without rest for seventy-two hours. Mahaprabhu himself sang as he danced when Vakresvara fell down at his feet and said, “O moon-faced lord! Give me ten thousand Gandharvas. I will be happy if I can dance while they sing. The Lord answered, “You are like a wing. If I had another like you, I would be able to fly in the sky!”
(Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.10.17-20)
Excerpted from “Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj