Maṅgalaḍihi

Śrīpāṭa of Śrī Pānuyā Gopāla, disciple of Śrī Sundarānanda Ṭhākura who was one of the twelve Gopālas

Maṅgalaḍihi is situated in the district of Bīrbhūm. At first one can get down at Bolapura station by train from Howrāh and from there one can come to Pāḍui by bus towards Siuḍī. From there one can travel six kilometers by bus or by rickshaw to reach this Śrīpāṭa at Maṅgalaḍihi.

This is the Śrīpāṭa of Śrī Pānuyā Gopāla, disciple of Śrī Sundarānanda Ṭhākura who was one of the twelve Gopālas. Pānuyā Gopāla’s residence was at Maṅgalaḍihi. He was a farmer of betel-leaves (Pāna) and due to this he was called as Pānuyā-gopāla. Once, Sundarānanda Ṭhākura came to this village. He gave initiation to Pānuyā-gopāla, his wife Lakṣmīpriyā and his sister Mādhavī Devī at Kadamba-khaṇḍī which was situated at the ghāṭa of a pond named Paruyā. This was located on the eastern side of the village. This has been narrated in Śrī Śyāma-candrodaya as-

paruyā nāmete ekaṭi puṣkaraṇī grāmera pūvete nāma tāhāra ghāṭete kadamba khaṇḍite vaisā śrī sundarānanda
kṛpā kari prabhu sekhāne
basiyā āmāke dilena mantra

Big festival for twelve days was celebrated at that place where Sundarānanda Ṭhākura gave initiation to Pānuyā-gopāla. Till today many devotees gather in that place on the day of Nandotsava. They take bath in the Paruyā pond. They offer chipped rice, yogurt and sweets at the ghāṭa and take prasāda with all the devotees and thus make their trip successful. While Sundarānanda Ṭhākura was staying there, Pānuyā-gopāla and his wife Lakṣmīpriyā Ṭhākurāṇī prayed to their spiritual master, ‘Our desire is to bring a Deity and serve Him. If you give permission then we can get one Deity made by a sculptor and you can kindly install the Deity for our worship.’ Hearing this, Sundarānanda Ṭhākura replied, ‘If you have the intense desire to serve any Deity then one day the Deity Himself will appear before you.’ Then after some days, Sundarānanda Ṭhākura left this place and went somewhere else.

This has been specifically described in the book Śrī Śyāma-candrodaya - Once in Vraja Śrī Kṛṣṇa accepted food from the wives of the brāhmaṇas who were performing sacrifices. Being inspired in a dream one son of that brāhmaṇa family circumambulated the eightyfour krośa vraja-maṇḍala with deep love and affection. During that circumambulation he got Śrī Śyāmacāṅda and eightyone generations were absorbed in worshiping that Deity. The last descendant was a sannyāsī whose name was Dhurvānanda Sannyāsī. While traveling, carrying Śyāmacāṅda on his head, he arrived at Maṅgalaḍihi village and stepped into the house of Pānuyā-gopāla as a guest. He was amazed by seeing the Vaiṣṇava etiquette extended by Pānuyā-gopāla, his wife and his sister. He had the desire to have darśana of Śrī Jagannātha at Purī-dhāma. Then he kept Śyāmacāṅda under their supervision and went for pilgrimage to Nīlācala and other places. He informed, ‘After my visit to all the holy places I shall take Śyāmacāṅda with me on the way back to Vrajabhūmi Vṛndāvana.’ He travelled for four years visiting all the holy places. During these four years, Pānuyā-gopāla, his wife and his sister served Śyāmacāṅda in such a way that Śyāmacāṅda became subserviant to their love and devotion. It has been described in the book Śrī Śyāma-candrodaya about their service-

grāmera naiṛte
parṇalatā gaḍi bāḍui āniyā soṅpe

panera divase
baraja haila dekhi sarva-loka kāṅpe

sei barajera
eka bojhā kari pāna niti niti lañā

sevāra kāraṇe
ṭhākura gopāla bideśe becena yāñā

sei dina haite
pānuyā-gopāla nāmaṭi lokete bale

śyāmacāṅda tāra
bojhāṭi bahena teñi ālagoche cale

pañca koṭe patha
paṅciśa krośa se niti yātā-yāta kare

pāna biki kari
daśa daṇḍa mājhe sebā kare āsi ghare

kiñcit bhogera
vilamba haile lakṣmīpriyā ṭhākurāṇī

mora śyāmacāṅda
kṣudāya pīḍita heraye mukhakhāni

kakhana kakhana
tāhāre svapane śyāmacāṅda kahe kathā

kāla sakālete
kṣīra khāoiyebe śuna lakṣmī mātā

On the south-west corner of the village he planted betel-leaves (Pāna). Everybody trembled by seeing that these plants had grown only in fifteendays. Ṭhākura Gopāla used to make one bundle of betel-leaves from the plantation to sell this in a distant place for serving the Deity. Since then people started calling him Pānuyā-gopāla. Śyāmacāṅda carried the bundle and he walked leisurely. He had to walk covering the distance of twentyfive krośa (Fifty miles) up and down. After selling the betel-leaves he returned home within ten daṇḍa (Twenty four minutes) and then rendered service to Śyāmacāṅda. Lakṣmīpriyā Ṭhākurāṇī could understand by seeing His face that Śyāmacāṅda was afflicted with hunger when there was a little delay in offering the bhoga. Sometimes Śyāmacāṅda appeared in her dream and said, “Hear Me Lakṣmīmātā, you will feed Me sweet rice tomorrow morning.”

In this way Pānuyā-gopāla, his wife Lakṣmīpriyā and his sister Mādhavī Devī were absorbed in serving Śrī Śyāmacāṅda. It should be noticed here that although they were the disciples of the same spiritual master, they got devotion in three different mellows. Pānuyā-gopāla had a friendly relation with Śyāmacāṅda, his wife Lakṣmīpriyā Ṭhākurāṇī had parental love and his siter Mādhavīdevī had conjugal love with Śrī Śyāmacāṅda.

In this way, while they were serving Śyāmacāṅda, all of a sudden the sannyāsī arrived there and it was like a thunderbolt without any cloud in the sky. While the sannyāsī requested them to take Śyāmacāṅda back with him it came to them like thunder-strikes on their heads. They requested the sannyāsī to keep Him here with them. The sannyāsī refused to do so and started walking taking Śyāmacāṅda with him. Śyāmacāṅda wanted to fulfil the desire of His devotees and became very heavy after a while. The sannyāsī could not even go one step forward. Śyāmacāṅda appeared in the dream and told the sannyāsī, “You return Me to Pānuyā-gopāla.” In the mean time, Pānuyā-gopāla with all his family members started fasting and rolling on the ground crying in separation. Then Śyāmacāṅda informed him in a dream, “I am coming back. You come forward to receive Me. By receiving this instruction in the dream Pānuyā-gopāla ran. This has been described as-

pānuyā aṅgane paḍi
dekhiyā dayāla hari svapanete dhariyā uṭhāya

āmi yāchi ghare phiri
tumi āisa āgusari grāmera īśāna pāśa pathe

punaśca punaśca kaya
ei svapna mithyā naya lāga pābe pathete āsite

tārapare lakṣmīpriyā
bhūmi tale chila śuñā svapanete tāre kaya kathā

bālaka-rūpete gale
dhariyā basiyā kole khāite dego lakṣmīpriyā mātā

dhari rākhe sannyāsī
āji āmi upavāsī tumi mora tattva nā karile

pānuyā arjita dhana
tora hastera randhana nā vine upāsī āchi bale

phiriyā āsichi āmi
sāmagrī karaha tumi gopāle pāṭhāo more nite

Pānuyā was lying on the courtyard. The kind Hari picked him up in the dream. I will return to your home and you come forward to receive Me through the north-east road of the village. He told this repeatedly and said that this dream is not false. Lakṣmīpriyā was lying on the ground and He talked to her also in the dream. Sitting on her lap He kept His hands around her neck and said, ‘Oh! Mother Lakṣmīpriyā please give Me food. The sannyāsī kept Me here without any food today and you have not offered Me anything. The wealth earned by Pānuyā and food cooked by you are not offered to Me and thus today I am fasting. I am coming back and make nice offerings for Me. Please send Gopāla to take Me back to your home.’

Pānuyā-gopāla alongwith the sannyāsī brought Śyāmacāṅda back home and celebrated a very big festival. Since then they were absorbed joyfully in His service with love and affection. The sannyāsī, feeling dejected, crying incessantly went to Kāśī-dhāma. Once Pānuyā-gopāla with his wife expressed their desires unto the lotus feet of Śyāmacāṅda which has been described in Śrī Śyāma-candrodaya-

caraṇe dhariyā bale
kona aparādha chale āra kabhu nā yābe chāḍiyā

āji haite mora
nā chāḍivā mandira nija guṇe thāka pūrvāpara

yāra aparādha pābe
tāhāra damana dibe tabu mora nā chāḍive ghara

rājaka daivaka haile
yadi anya sthāne gele paścāte āsibe ei ghare

They said by catching hold His feet, “Never will You leave us in pretence of any offences. From now on You will not leave my temple and will be staying here by Your own qualities. If You get any offence from anybody then You will punish him but You will never leave my home. By act of any providence if You have to go anywhere else then You must come back afterwards.

In this way staying over at Maṅgalaḍihi Śrīpāṭa, Śyāmacāṅda was delivering the whole world. Maṅgalaḍihi Śrīpāṭa became a holy place for the Vaiṣṇavas by the act of the loving pastime of Śyāmacāṅda and by the cultural heritage of Pānuyā-gopāla. Presently the descendants of Kāśīnātha, the disciple of Pānuyā-gopāla are the worshipers in this Śrīpāṭa. Nayanānanda belonging to this family is the author of Śrī Prema Bhakti-rasārṇava and Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhakti-rasakadamba books. Nayanānanda’s brother was Gokulānanda whose son Jagadānanda composed the musical dance-drama Śrī Śyāma Candrodaya. Jagadānanda’s grand son, Dvārakānātha Ṭhākura, composed the musical dance-drama Śrī Govinda-vallabha-nāṭa.

On the seventh day of the waxing moon in the month of Āśvina (September-October), the disappearance day of Pānuyā-gopāla is observed with festivities. Śyāmacāṅda and Balāicāṅda both were staying here before. Afterwards one sevaka (Worshiper) took Balāicāṅda to Khayarāsula and established a Śrīpāṭa there. At present, representative Deity of Balāicāṅda has been installed in Maṅgalaḍihi and representative Deity of Śyāmacāṅda has been installed in Khayarāsula.