nityÄnanda-priyabhá¹›tya paṇá¸ita dhanañjaya
atyanta virakta, sadÄ kṛṣṇa-premamaya
nityananda- priya- bhritya -- another dear servant of Nityananda Prabhu; pandita dhananjaya -- Pandita Dhananjaya; atyanta -- very much; virakta -- renounced; sada -- always; krishna- prema- maya -- merged in love of Krishna.
ÅšrÄ«la BhaktisiddhÄnta SarasvatÄ« ṬhÄkura writes in his AnubhÄá¹£ya, “Paṇá¸ita Dhanañjaya was a resident of the village in Katwa named Śītala. He was one of the twelve gopÄlas. His former name, according to the Gaura-gaṇoddeÅ›a-dÄ«pikÄ (127), was VasudÄma. Śītala-grÄma is situated near the Maá¹…galakoá¹a police station and Kaicara post office in the district of Burdwan. On the narrow railway from Burdwan to Katwa is a railway station about nine miles from Katwa known as Kaicara. One has to go about a mile northeast of this station to reach Śītala. The temple was a thatched house with walls made of dirt. Some time ago, the zamindars of BÄjÄravana KÄbÄśī, the Mulliks, constructed a big house for the purpose of a temple, but for the last sixty-five years the temple has been broken down and abandoned. The foundation of the old temple is still visible. There is a tulasÄ« pillar near the temple, and every year during the month of KÄrttika (October-November) the disappearance day of Dhanañjaya is observed. It is said that for some time Paṇá¸ita Dhanañjaya was in a saá¹…kÄ«rtana party under the direction of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, and then he went to Vá¹›ndÄvana. Before going to Vá¹›ndÄvana, he lived for some time in a village named SÄá¹…caá¸ÄpÄá¹…caá¸Ä, which is six miles south of the MemÄrÄ« railway station. Sometimes this village is also known as ‘the place of Dhanañjaya’ (Dhanañjayera PÄá¹a). After some time, he left the responsibility for worship with a disciple and went back to Vá¹›ndÄvana. After returning from Vá¹›ndÄvana to Śītala-grÄma, he established a Deity of Gaurasundara in the temple. The descendants of Paṇá¸ita Dhanañjaya still live in Śītala-grÄma and look after the temple worship.â€