Appearance Day of Sri Vakresvara Pandita
Appearance Day
All day
What is the appearance day of Sri Vakresvara Pandita?
On the appearance day of Sri Vakresvara Pandita, devotees remember one of the most dedicated dancers in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's kirtana. A Gaudiya biography says he appeared at Guptipara, near Triveni, in the month of Ashadha (June to July). In 2027 the day falls on Thursday, 24 June.
Significance
The Caitanya-caritamrta counts Vakresvara Pandita as the fifth branch of the Caitanya tree, and Srila Prabhupada's purport explains that Vakresvara was an incarnation of Aniruddha, one of the four expansions of Lord Vishnu in the catur-vyuha. When the Lord staged dramas in the house of Srivasa Pandita, Vakresvara was the chief dancer. The Caitanya-caritamrta goes on to tell how the Lord sang while Vakresvara danced, and how He compared him to one wing, saying that with a second such wing He could fly in the sky.
Vakresvara had many disciples in Orissa, among them Sri Gopalaguru and Gopalaguru's own disciple, Sri Dhyanacandra Gosvami. Through this line Vakresvara's mercy still reaches Gaudiya Vaishnavas there. The Caitanya-caritamrta says of him:
Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, the fifth branch of the tree, was a very dear servant of Lord Caitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.
Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 10.17
How to observe it
Vakresvara served the Lord with dance and song, so devotees honour him with joyful, energetic kirtana. Chant the holy names, dance if you can, and read Adi-lila 10.17 to 10.20. There Vakresvara asks the Lord for ten thousand celestial Gandharva singers to sing while he dances.
Questions
When is the appearance day of Vakresvara Pandita in 2027?
Sri Vakresvara Pandita's appearance day falls on Thursday, 24 June 2027, in the Vaishnava calendar for Kurukshetra.
Who was Vakresvara Pandita?
Vakresvara Pandita was a dear servant of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and a dancer in His kirtana. The Caitanya-caritamrta counts him as the fifth branch of the Caitanya tree and says he could dance in constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.
Why did Lord Caitanya call Vakresvara Pandita a wing?
Lord Caitanya said this in answer to Vakresvara's request for ten thousand singers to accompany his dancing. Vakresvara, He said, was like one wing, and with a second such wing He could fly in the sky (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 10.20).
Who was Vakresvara Pandita in Krishna's pastimes?
According to Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika 71, which Srila Prabhupada cites, he is an incarnation of Aniruddha. A later Gaudiya work by Dhyanacandra also identifies him with Tungavidya, one of Srimati Radharani's eight sakhis and an expert in song and dance.
Reviewed by ISKCON Kurukshetra · Updated
Key facts
- Date
- Thursday, 24 June 2027
- Branch of the Caitanya tree
- Fifth (Cc Adi 10.17)
- Disciple
- Sri Gopalaguru Gosvami
- His house in Puri
- Kasi Misra's house, where his disciple Gopalaguru Gosvami later installed Sri Radhakanta
Seva for this day
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