In Gaura-lila, Gadadhar Pandit is holding the helm. Everything belongs to him, still he has to admit he’s dispossessed, that Gauranga has taken everything! He is exhaustively dedicated to Gauranga. So Srila Kaviraj Goswami says, «Te̐ho laksmi-rupa, ta̐ra sama keha nai: he represents the main potency of Gauranga, and no one is to be compared with him.» This is the conclusion of Srila Kaviraj Goswami about Sri Gadadhar. He is Gaura-premamaya, the embodiment of Sri Gaura’s love.
Gadadhar Das represents the halo of Radharani, but Gadadhar Pandit represents Her mood, Her nature — Her heart. It is as if Mahaprabhu has taken away Gadadhar Pandit’s soul, and the body is still standing! That is the position of Gadadhar Pandit. He is quite empty, and following Mahaprabhu. He is not full in himself. Something, the most important thing, his heart, has been taken by Mahaprabhu, so he has no other alternative but to follow Him. He is wholly given to Mahaprabhu. Gadadhar Pandit’s position, the part he played, was something like that of Radharani, Her heart stolen by Krishna, the empty body still standing. Radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi Krsna-svarupam: He was fully engrossed in the conception of Sri Gauranga. Gauranga had taken everything from him, so he had no other alternative. He was fully engrossed, captured completely by Him.
We find his activity throughout his whole life was like this. Of the other devotees, some were ordered to go to Vrndavan, and some were allowed to go there, but though Gadadhar Pandit wanted to visit Vrndavan with Mahaprabhu Himself, he was denied: «No, you won’t go.» When Jagadananda Pandit asked to go there, Mahaprabhu, with hesitation, granted him permission, «Yes, go there, but move always under the guidance of Rupa and Sanatan.» He also gave him some special instructions: «Do this, and this, and don’t do that.» But Gadadhar Pandit was not allowed to go there.
He was the representation of Srimati Radharani Herself, yet his peculiar position was such: the Queen of Vrndavan, but now transferred to Nabadwip. His position had become just the opposite; he could not enter Vrndavan! He prayed for permission, but Mahaprabhu did not give it. He said, «No, stay and live here.» And he had to do so. Sri Gadadhar Pandit represents the predominated moeity of the Whole. The Whole consists of predominating and predominated moeities, and he represents the predominated half. He is one half of the Absolute Truth.
In the teachings of Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, whose preaching was inspired by Sri Gadadhar Pandit and Sriman Mahaprabhu, we also find all the substance that is present in that plane of vibration. These two personalities, Sri Gadadhar Pandit and Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, are our great Gurus, our guides, and by offering our worship to them we can sow the seed of our highest benefit. By the grace of that great Guru Maharaj Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad, we have been able to understand this.
And Bhakti Vinod Thakur, though generally he has his own position, as understood from the consideration of the disciple, Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur has seen Srimati Radharani in him: a ‘relative’ vision. He once said that Radharani represents the full play of asta-nayika, the eight characteristics of the heroine, and we see that they are all perfectly represented in Her. In other places we may find partial representations of them, but we find them fully manifest only in Her.
He said, «I see my Gurudev as Guna Manjari, and in that manjari form he has some partial representation of Radharani. But if I attempt to look more deeply, I find him identified fully with Her. The eight kinds of qualities displayed in the service of Krishna (asta-nayika) are to be found there. If I look at him with my head a little more erect, I can see that he is one with Radharani. ‘Acharyam Mam vijaniyat: know the Acharya as Myself.’ If I give more attention to this sastric rule and try to search out the meaning, I find that Radharani comes to take Her place there, in the position of my Gurudev.» In this way he has seen in Bhakti Vinod Thakur the fullest representation of the cult of Sri Gauranga.
This realisation is expressed in his poem where he says that he saw Svarup Damodar Goswami in Gaura Kisor Das Babaji, and Sri Gadadhar Pandit in Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur. In one place he has written, «Gadadhara-dina dhari’ paiyachchhe Gaurahari.» He has accepted the day of the disappearance of Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur to be identified with that of Sri Gadadhar Pandit. In another place, in his poem at the conclusion of his Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta commentary, he has written: «Here, in Nabadwip Dham, the eternal Pastimes are going on continuously. Only those who have got that deep vision can perceive it.
He says, «It is very difficult to perceive the sweet will of Sri Gauranga, but if we can lift ourselves to that level, we see that Svarup Damodar Goswami and Sri Gadadhar Pandit are always engaged in their service here in Nabadwip. Sometimes it is suppressed, and sometimes it is appearing on the surface. In that plane all is going on by the sweet will of Sri Gauranga, without any restriction. But now I find that those two have appeared on the surface as Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji and Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur. I have seen it with my own eye of divine service, but this is not to be advertised, not to be given, publicity anywhere and everywhere. People will laugh at it. But this is my heartfelt conclusion.» He has written this in his poem concluding Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta.
So Gadadhar Pandit was identified with Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur. That was the vision of our Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. He could see in them the same identity. He considered Siksa-guru-parampara to be the most substantial thing. Eliminating the sahajiyavad, which gives much importance to the outer cover, try to look within, and see things more deeply. Try to understand the deeper vibrations of the outside environment, and see within yourself also. Dive deep, and you will find the plane of the finest vibration which will carry that news to you, and you will see that truth.
(From Heart and Halo book)
In Gaura-lila, Gadadhar Pandit is holding the helm. Everything belongs to him, still he has to admit he’s dispossessed, that Gauranga has taken everything! He is exhaustively dedicated to Gauranga. So Srila Kaviraj Goswami says, «Te̐ho laksmi-rupa, ta̐ra sama keha nai: he represents the main potency of Gauranga, and no one is to be compared with him.» This is the conclusion of Srila Kaviraj Goswami about Sri Gadadhar. He is Gaura-premamaya, the embodiment of Sri Gaura’s love.
