Appearance day of Purusottama Das Thakura

[Paramananda das]

sadasivasuto namna nagarah purusottamah vaidya-vamsodbhavo namna dama yo vallavo vraje Nagar Purushottam was previously the cowherd named Daman in Vraja. He is now born in a Vaidya family as the son of Sadashiva. (Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika 131)

The Appearance day of Purusottama Das Thakura is observed on February 25th.

Today is a good day to honor Purushottama Thakura ,so I am hoping he will be pleased by my chanting and Giriraja seva and my bookdistribution, may he bless me ,I may also one day serve Krsna as a sakha,he is one of the Dvadasa Gopas

this is by HH Ballabha Tirtha maharaja:

sadasivasuto namna nagarah purusottamah vaidya-vamsodbhavo namna dama yo vallavo vraje

Nagar Purushottam was previously the cowherd named Daman in Vraja. He is now born in a Vaidya family as the son of Sadashiva. (Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika 131)

Daman was one of the twelve Gopals and a companion of Krishna in his childhood pastimes in Vraja. In the eleventh chapter of the Adi-lila of Chaitanya Charitamrita, Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami has listed Purushottam Das amongst the devotees of Lord Nityananda.

Sadashiva Kaviraj was a great personality. Purushottam Das was his son. From birth, Purushottam das was absorbed in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, and he always engaged in childish play with Lord Krishna. His son was named Sri Kanu Thakur, a very respectable gentleman. His body was saturated with the nectar of Love for Lord Krishna. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.11.38-40)

Vrindavan Das Thakur has also named Purushottam Das as one of Nityananda Prabhu's chief associates.

Sadashiva Kaviraj was very fortunate to have a son like Purushottam Das. Purushottam Das had no external consciousness of his body, for Nityananda Prabhu is constantly acting through him. (Chaitanya Bhagavata 3.5.741-2)

For four generations the family of Purushottam Das consisted of eternally perfect direct associates of Mahaprabhu: Kamsari Sen, Sadashiva Kaviraj, Purushottam Thakur, and Kanu Thakur. The Gaura-ganodesa-dipikaidentifies Kamsari Sen as Ratnavali Sakhi and Sadashiva Kaviraj as Chandravali (156).

Purushottam Thakur's wife was named Jahnava Devi. She died while her son, Kanu Thakur, was just a young child. Nityananda Prabhu named the boy Sisu Krishna Das. It is said that Nityananda Prabhu's wife Jahnava Devi adopted Kanu and took him with her to Vrindavan. Some say that he was also one of the twelve Gopals. One legend about Kanu Thakur holds that when in Vrindavan, while he was dancing in kirtan, his ankle bell flew off. He vowed that he would make his residence wherever the ankle bell was recovered. When it was found in the town of Bodhkhana in Jessore district, he established his Sripat there. In the opinion of some, Madhavacharya (Madhava Chattopadhyaya) of Jirat in Hooghly district, the husband of Nityananda Prabhu's daughter Ganga Devi, was Purushottam Thakur's disciple.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has the following to say about Purushottam Thakur's Sripat: " Purushottam Das Thakur lived at Sukhasagara, midway between the Chakdaha and Simurali railway stations. The deities he installed were formerly served in Beledanga village, but when the temple fell into the river, the deities were taken to Sukhasagara. That temple was also swallowed by the Ganges and so the deities were brought with Jahnava Mata's deity to Sahebdanga Berigram. Since that place was also destroyed, all the deities were again moved about three or four miles to the village named Chanduregram, on the banks of the Ganges about one mile up from Pal Para." (Anubhasya 1.11.39)

Devakinandana Das, the author of the Vaisnava-vandana, was Purushottam Thakur's disciple. There he writes,

"I worship Sadashiva Kaviraj with great attentiveness. He was constantly intoxicated with love and had no external consciousness… I bow down to my worshipable Lord, Purushottam Thakur. Who can list his incomparable qualities? He was merciful to those who were devoid of virtue, displaying the natural power of his compassion. When only seven years old, he was so intoxicated with love for Krishna that he danced in a way that enchanted the entire world."

The following supplementary information is given in the Gaudiya-Vaisnava Abhidhana:

"Some people say that Purushottam's surname was Nagar, while others say that the name Nagar comes from the name of the area where he lived. Since the five villages (Beledanga, Berigram, Sukhasagar, Manasapota and Pal Para) are so close together, this area is sometimes called Nagaradesh. Purushottam once ate snake poison when in a trance state without experiencing any ill effects. This was a source of great astonishment to all who witnessed it. Many of Nityananda Prabhu's associates often displayed such miraculous powers."

Excerpted from "Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates" by Srila Bhakti Ballabh ...

[Paramananda das]

From Sri Krsna-vijaya by Sri Gunaraja Khan, translated by Sriman Kusakratha dasa.

Sri Vrindaranyer Sri Yoga-pithe Sa-parikar Sri Govinder

Lord Krishna and His Associates in the Spiritual World of Vrindavana (Sri-raga)

Text 1

suna suna ohe nara suna sabadhane ara dine ara krida kaila narayane

O people, please hear. Please hear. With great attention please hear of another pastime Lord Narayana enjoyed on another day.

Text 2

dwadasa batsara haite kride gadadhar caudda batsera bela dekhite sundar

From the ages of twelve years to fourteen years in His pastimes, Krishna became very handsome.

Text 3

kisora bayasa krishna jaubanera chata syamasundara krishna jena jaladhara-pata

In His kaisora and yauvana age Krishna was dark and handsome like a splendid monsoon cloud.

Text 4

kalpa-taru mule cinta kari ekeswar joga-pithe basi kare asana sundar

I meditate on the handsome Supreme Personality of Godhead, who sits under a kalpa-vriksha tree in the spiritual world.

Text 5

tahara upare basi ache nanda-bala purnimara candra jena udaya shola kala

Above Him is a beautiful full moon.

Text 6

gopi-ganera srishti shodasa nayika shodasa nayika srishte ekala radhika

He is accompanied by sixteen beautiful gopis, among whom Radha is the first.

Text 7

bama-parswe radhika dakshine candravali asa-pase juthe juthe ramani-mandali

On His left is Radha. On His right is Candravali. On every side are group after group of beautiful gopis.

Text 8

cintamani mandirera cari-khana dwar pascima mukhete prabhu radha-kantera bar

Behind Radha's beloved Krishna is a great cintamani jewel palace with four gates.

Text 9

cari-dware cari-dwari se cari goyal krishnera samana besa dekhite rasal

The four gates had four gopa gatekeepers, each one charming and handsome like Lord Krishna Himself.

Text 10

sridama goyala dwari pascime duyare purbete sudama dwari dama uttare

At the western gate the gatekeeper is Sridama. At the eastern gate the gatekeeper is Sudama. At the northern gate the gatekeeper is Dama.

Text 11

dakshine dwarete dwari kinkinika nam anandete brindabane biharaye kan

At the southern gate the gatekeeper is Kinkinika. Within the gates is Vrindavana, where Krishna enjoys many blissful pastimes.

Text 12

cintamani mandire balak lakhe lakhe subala-adi balaka saba mandira rakhe

Millions and millions of gopa boys assist Subala and the other gatekeepers in protecting the cintamani jewel palace.

Text 13

nana alankara sobhe gale bana-mala Škrishnera samana besa jane nana kala

Decorated with various ornaments, learned in various arts, and forest garlands around their necks, these gopas look like Lord Krishna Himself.

Text 14

keha kala keha gaura sabai kisor angera kirana