Å›rÄ«-gadÄdhara dÄsa Å›ÄkhÄ sarvopari
kÄjÄ«-gaṇera mukhe yeá¹…ha bolÄila hari
Å›rÄ«-gadÄdhara dÄsa - ÅšrÄ« GadÄdhara dÄsa; Å›ÄkhÄ - another branch; sarva-upari - above all; kÄjÄ«-gaṇera - of the Kazis (Muslim magistrates); mukhe - in the mouth; yeá¹…ha - one who; bolÄila - caused to speak; hari - the holy name of Hari.
ÅšrÄ« GadÄdhara dÄsa, the twenty-third branch, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kazis to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.
About eight or ten miles from Calcutta, on the banks of the Ganges, is a village known as Eá¹…á¸iyÄdaha-grÄma. ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara dÄsa was known as an inhabitant of this village (eá¹…á¸iyÄdaha-vÄsÄ« gadÄdhara dÄsa). The Bhakti-ratnÄkara (Seventh Wave), informs us that after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu, GadÄdhara dÄsa went from NavadvÄ«pa to Katwa. Thereafter he came to Eá¹…á¸iyÄdaha and resided there. He is stated to be the luster of the body of ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī, just as ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara Paṇá¸ita GosvÄmÄ« is an incarnation of ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī Herself. Caitanya MahÄprabhu is sometimes explained to be rÄdhÄ-bhÄva-dyuti-suvalita, or characterized by the emotions and bodily luster of ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī. GadÄdhara dÄsa is this dyuti, or luster. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeÅ›a-dÄ«pikÄ (154) he is described to be an expansion of the potency of ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī. He counts among the associates of both ÅšrÄ«la Gaurahari and NityÄnanda Prabhu; as a devotee of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu he was one of the associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa in conjugal love, and as a devotee of Lord NityÄnanda he is considered to have been one of the friends of Kṛṣṇa in pure devotional service. Even though he was an associate of Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu, he was not among the cowherd boys but was situated in the transcendental mellow of conjugal love. He established a temple of ÅšrÄ« Gaurasundara in Katwa.
In 1434 ÅšakÄbda (A.D. 1512), when Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu was empowered by Lord Caitanya to preach the saá¹…kÄ«rtana movement in Bengal, ÅšrÄ« GadÄdhara dÄsa was one of Lord NityÄnanda’s chief assistants. He preached the saá¹…kÄ«rtana movement by requesting everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahÄ-mantra. This simple preaching method of ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara dÄsa can be followed by anyone and everyone in any position of society. One must simply be a sincere and serious servant of NityÄnanda Prabhu and preach this cult door to door.
When ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara dÄsa Prabhu was preaching the cult of hari-kÄ«rtana, there was a magistrate who was very much against his saá¹…kÄ«rtana movement. Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu, ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara dÄsa one night went to the house of the Kazi and requested him to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahÄ-mantra. The Kazi replied, “All right, I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa tomorrow.†On hearing this, ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara dÄsa Prabhu began to dance, and he said, “Why tomorrow? You have already chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, so simply continue.â€
In the Gaura-gaṇoddeÅ›a-dÄ«pikÄ (verses 154-55) it is said:
rÄdhÄ-vibhÅ«ti-rÅ«pÄ yÄ candrakÄntiḥ purÄ vraje
sa Å›rÄ«-gaurÄá¹…ga-nikaá¹e dÄsa-vaá¹Å›yo gadÄdharaḥ
pÅ«rṇÄnandÄ vraje yÄsÄ«d baladeva-priyÄgraṇī
sÄpi kÄrya-vaÅ›Äd eva prÄviÅ›at taá¹ gadÄdharam
ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara dÄsa is considered to be a united form of CandrakÄnti, who is the effulgence of ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī, and PÅ«rṇÄnandÄ, who is the foremost of Lord BalarÄma’s very dear girlfriends. Thus ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara dÄsa Prabhu was one of the associates of both Caitanya MahÄprabhu and NityÄnanda Prabhu.
Once while ÅšrÄ«la GadÄdhara dÄsa Prabhu was returning to Bengal from JagannÄtha PurÄ« with NityÄnanda Prabhu, he forgot himself and began talking very loudly as if he were a girl of VrajabhÅ«mi selling yogurt, and ÅšrÄ«la NityÄnanda Prabhu noted this. Another time, while absorbed in the ecstasy of the gopÄ«s, he carried a jug filled with Ganges water on his head as if he were selling milk. When Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu appeared in the house of RÄghava Paṇá¸ita while going to Vá¹›ndÄvana, GadÄdhara dÄsa went to see Him, and ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was so glad that He put His foot on his head. When GadÄdhara dÄsa Prabhu was present in Eá¹…á¸iyÄdaha, he established a BÄla GopÄla mÅ«rti for worship there. ÅšrÄ« MÄdhava Ghoá¹£a performed a drama known as DÄna-khaṇá¸a with the help of ÅšrÄ« NityÄnanda Prabhu and ÅšrÄ« GadÄdhara dÄsa. This is explained in the Caitanya-bhÄgavata (Antya 5.318-94).
The tomb of GadÄdhara dÄsa Prabhu, which is in the village of Eá¹…á¸iyÄdaha, was under the control of the Saá¹yogÄ« Vaiṣṇavas and later under the direction of Siddha BhagavÄn dÄsa BÄbÄjÄ« of KÄlnÄ. By his order, ÅšrÄ« MadhusÅ«dana Mullik, one of the members of the aristocratic Mullik family of the NÄrikelaá¸Äá¹…gÄ in Calcutta, established a pÄá¹habÄá¸Ä« (monastery) there in the Bengali year 1256 (A.D. 1849). He also arranged for the worship of a Deity named ÅšrÄ« RÄdhÄkÄnta. His son BalÄicÄá¹…da Mullik established Gaura-NitÄi Deities there in the Bengali year 1312 (A.D. 1905). Thus on the throne of the temple are both Gaura-NityÄnanda Deities and RÄdhÄ-Kṛṣṇa Deities. Below the throne is a tablet with an inscription written in Sanskrit. In that temple there is also a small Deity of Lord Åšiva as GopeÅ›vara. This is all described on a stone by the side of the entrance door.
