9.13-15
paramananda puri, ara kesava bharati
brahmananda puri, ara brahmananda bharati
visnu-puri, kesava-puri, puri krsnananda
sri-nrsimhatirtha, ara puri sukhananda
ei nava mula nikasila vrksa-mule
ei nava mule vrksa karila niscale
SYNONYMS
paramananda puri—of the name Paramananda Puri; ara—and; kesava bharati—of the name Kesava Bharati; brahmananda puri—of the name Brahmananda Puri; ara—and; brahmananda bharati—of the name Brahmananda Bharati; visnu-puri—of the name Visnu Puri; kesava-puri—of the name Kesava Puri; puri krsnananda—of the name Krsnananda Puri; sri-nrsimha-tirtha—of the name Sri Nrsimha Tirtha; ara—and; puri sukhananda—of the name Sukhananda Puri; ei nava—of these nine; mula—roots; nikasila—fructified; vrksa-mule—in the trunk of the tree; ei nava mule—in these nine roots; vrksa—the tree; karila niscale—became very steadfast.
Paramananda Puri, Kesava Bharati, Brahmananda Puri and Brahmananda Bharati, Sri Visnu Puri, Kesava Puri, Krsnananda Puri, Sri Nrsimha Tirtha and Sukhananda Puri-these nine sannyasi roots all sprouted from the trunk of the tree.
Thus the tree stood steadfastly on the strength of these nine roots.
PURPORT
Paramananda Puri: Paramananda Puri belonged to a brahmana family of the Trihut district in Uttara Pradesh.
Madhavendra Puri was his spiritual master.
In relationship with Madhavendra Puri, Paramananda Puri was very dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
In the Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, there is the following statement:
sannyasira madhye isvarera priya-patra
ara nahi eka puri gosani se matra
damodara-svarupa paramananda-puri
sannyasi-parsade ei dui adhikari
niravadhi nikate thakena dui jana
prabhura sannyase kare dandera grahana
puri dhyana-para damodarera kirtana
yata-priti isvarera puri-gosanire
damodara-svarupereo tata priti kare “Among his sannyasi disciples, Isvara Puri and Paramananda Puri were very dear to Madhavendra Puri.
Thus Paramananda Puri, like Svarupa Damodara, who was also a sannyasi, was very dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and was His constant associate.
When Lord Caitanya accepted the renounced order, Paramananda Puri offered Him the danda.
Paramananda Puri was always engaged in meditation, and Sri Svarupa was always engaged in chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.
As Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu offered full respect to His spiritual master, Isvara Puri, He similarly respected Paramananda Puri and Svarupa Damodara.” It is described in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter Three, that when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu first saw Paramananda Puri He made the following statement:
aji dhanya locana, saphala aji janma
saphala amara aji haila sarva-dharma
prabhu bale aji mora saphala sannyasa
aji madhavendra more ha-ila prakasa “My eyes, My mind, My religious activities and My acceptance of the sannyasa order have now all become perfect because today Madhavendra Puri is manifest before Me in the form of Paramananda Puri.” The Caitanya-bhagavata further states:
kathoksane anyo ’nye karena pranama
paramananda-puri caitanyera priya-dhama “Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exchanged respectful obeisances with Paramananda Puri, who was very dear to Him.” Paramananda Puri established a small monastery behind the western side of the Jagannatha temple, where he had a well dug to supply water.
The water, however, was bitter, and therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu prayed to Lord Jagannatha to allow Ganges water to come into the well to make it sweet.
When Lord Jagannatha granted the request, Lord Caitanya told all the devotees that from that day hence, the water of Paramananda Puri’s well should be celebrated as Ganges water, for any devotee who would drink it or bathe in it would certainly get the same benefit as that derived from drinking or bathing in the waters of the Ganges.
Such a person would certainly develop pure love of Godhead.
It is stated in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila:
prabhu bale ami ye achiye prthivite
niscaya-i janiha puri-gosanira prite “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to say: ’I am living in this world only on account of the excellent behavior of Sri Paramananda Puri.’ ” The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 118, states, puri sri-paramanando ya asid uddhavah pura “Paramananda Puri is none other than Uddhava.” Uddhava was Lord Krsna’s friend and uncle, and in caitanya-lila the same Uddhava became the friend of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His uncle in terms of their relationship in the disciplic succession.
Kesava Bharati: The Sarasvati, Bharati and Puri sampradayas belong to the Srngeri Matha in South India, and Sri Kesava Bharati, who at that time was situated in a monastery in Katwa, belonged to the Bharati-sampradaya.
According to some authoritative opinions, although Kesava Bharati belonged to the Sankara-sampradaya, he had formerly been initiated by a Vaisnava.
He is said to have been a Vaisnava on account of having been initiated by Madhavendra Puri, for some say that he took sannyasa from Madhavendra Puri.
The temple and Deity worship started by Kesava Bharati are still existing in the village known as Khatundi, which is under the postal jurisdiction of Kandara in the district of Burdwan.
According to the managers of that matha, the priests are descendants of Kesava Bharati, and some say that the worshipers of the Deity are descendants of the sons of Kesava Bharati.
In his householder life he had two sons, Nisapati and Usapati, and a brahmana of the name Sri Nakadicandra Vidyaratna, who was a member of the family of Nisapati, was the priest in charge at the time that Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati visited this temple.
According to some, the priests of the temple belong to the family of Kesava Bharati’s brother.
Still another opinion is that they descend from Madhava Bharati, who was another disciple of Kesava Bharati’s.
Madhava Bharati’s disciple Balabhadra, who also later became a sannyasi of the Bharati-sampradaya, had two sons in his family life, named Madana and Gopala.
Madana, whose family’s surname was Bharati, lived in the village of Auriya, and Gopala, whose family’s surname was Brahmacari, lived in the village of Denduda.
There are still many living descendants of both families.
In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 52, it is said:
mathurayam yajna-sutram
pura krsnaya yo munih
dadau sandipanih so ’bhud
adya kesava-bharati “Sandipani Muni, who formerly offered the sacred thread to Krsna and Balarama, later became Kesava Bharati.” It is he who offered sannyasa to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
There is another statement from the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 117: iti kecit prabhasante ’krurah kesava-bharati “According to some authoritative opinions, Kesava Bharati is an incarnation of Akrura.” Kesava Bharati offered the sannyasa order to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the year 1432 sakabda (A.D 1510) in Katwa.
This is stated in the Vaisnava-manjusa, Part Two.
Brahmananda Puri: Sri Brahmananda Puri was one of the associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu while He was performing kirtana in Navadvipa, and he also joined Lord Caitanya in Jagannatha Puri.
We may note in this connection that the name Brahmananda is accepted not only by Mayavadi sannyasis but by Vaisnava sannyasis also.
One of our foolish Godbrothers criticized our sannyasi Brahmananda Svami, saying that this was a Mayavadi name.
The foolish man did not know that Brahmananda does not always refer to the impersonal.
Parabrahman, the Supreme Brahman, is Krsna.
A devotee of Krsna can therefore also be called Brahmananda; this is evident from the fact that Brahmananda Puri was one of the chief sannyasi associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Brahmananda Bharati: Brahmananda Bharati went to see Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha-dhama.
At that time he used to wear only a deerskin to cover himself, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu indirectly indicated that He did not like this deerskin covering.
Brahmananda Bharati therefore gave it up and accepted a loincloth of saffron color, as used by Vaisnava sannyasis.
For some time he lived with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri.