Kasisvara Pandit
Sri Kasisvara Pandita was a disciple of Sri Isvara Puri. His father’s name was Sri Vasudeva Bhattacharya. He was from a section of family brahmanas coming from the dynasty of Kanjilal Kanu. His last name was Chaudhuri. Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami writes: “His nephew, his sister’s son, who was named Rudra Pandita, was the original priest of Vallabhapura, which is situated about one mile from the Srirampura railway station in the village of Catara. Installed there are the deities of Radha-Govinda and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Kasisvara Gosani was a very strong man, and therefore when Lord Chaitanya visited the temple of Jagannatha, he used to protect the Lord from the crowds. Another of his duties was to distribute prasada to the devotees after the kirtan. He was also one of the contemporaries of the Lord who was with the Lord in Jagannatha Puri. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati also visited this temple at Vallabhapura. At that time, the person in charge was a Shaivite, Sri Sivacandra Chaudhuri, who was a descendant of Kasisvara Gosani’s brother. In Vallabhapura there was a permanent arrangement to cook nine kilos of rice, vegetables and other foodstuffs, and near the village there is sufficient land, which belongs to the deity on which this rice was grown.
It is said in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika that the servant of Krishna in Vrindavana named Bhringara descended as Kasisvara Gosani during the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The deities of this temple in Vallabhapura, Sri Sri Radha-Govinda and the Gauranga vigraha, are extremely beautiful. Near Vallabhapura is another beautiful temple of Jagannatha. These two temples are situated within a one-mile radius of the Srirampura railway station near Calcutta.
Caitanya-Caritamrta records: “Brahmacari Kasisvara and Sri Govinda were dear disciples of Sri Isvara Puri. When Isvara Puri passed into the eternal lila of the Lord and thus attained perfection, the two of them went to Jagannatha Puri to serve Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on his order. Since both Kasisvara and Govinda were his godbrothers, the Lord honored them as his peers. Only after considering the orders of Isvara Puri did he accept them as his personal servants, having been instructed to do so by his guru. Sri Govinda attended Mahaprabhu personally as his servant, whereas Kasisvara was engaged as a bodyguard to protect the Lord from the crowds when he visited the temple of Jagannatha. Thus, he would walk in front of the Lord. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to the temple of Jagannatha, Kasisvara, being very strong, cleared the crowds aside with his hands so that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu could pass untouched.”
Sri Kasisvara Pandita was extremely strong. Sri Kavikarnapura Goswami writes: “Kasisvara Pandita and Sri Govinda were formerly those servants of Krishna in Vraja named Bhringara and Bhangura who used to bear water from the Yamuna for Krsna.” Kasisvara Pandita spent much time in Puri-dhama in the service of Sri Chaitanya. He used to serve prasada to the devotees after the kirtans.
Kasisvara Pandita had a disciple named Sri Govinda Gosani who was a great servant of the Sri Govinda Deity. When Sri Rupa Goswami was in Vrindavana, he established the service of the Govinda deity. Upon hearing this, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was highly pleased. He quickly sent Kasisvara Pandita to Vrindavana to assist Rupa Goswami. But Kasisvara Pandita did not want to give up the association of the Lord in Puri. Sri Chaitanya, as the Paramatma, the Supersoul living in everyone’s heart, could understand the mind of his devotee. He gave him a deity which was identical with his very self. Kasisvara Pandita took that deity of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with him, and by serving and feeding that deity, he was solaced in his separation from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In this connection, Sri Narahari Chakravarti Thakura remarks in his Bhakti-ratnakara as follows: “Kasisvara Pandita told Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, ‘I cannot bear to leave you behind.’ The Lord understood the heart of Kasisvara Pandita and gave him a deity of Himself which was so carefully formed as to resemble the Lord exactly. Seeing that deity of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu eating all the offerings placed before Him, Kasisvara Pandita experienced great ecstasy. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told him to call the deity ‘Gaura-Govinda.’ Taking that deity with him, Kasisvara Pandita went to Vrindavana. That deity sat to the left of the Sri Govinda deity and in this way wonderful service was performed for the pleasure of the Sri Govinda deity.”
Sri Sadhana Dipika says, “I worship Sri Kasisvara Pandit whose power of love and devotion brought Sri Chaitanya to Western India as a deity.” Today the original deities of Gaura-Govinda and Govindaji are lovingly adored by thousands of devotees in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Kasisvara Pandita’s glories are innumerable and exalted. His disappearance day is on the full moon day in the month of Asvin, on the festival day which is also celebrated at the Maharasa dance of Radha-Govinda.
[This article and more information at www.stephen-knapp.com]