This place is situated about two hundred yards north of the Yogapīṭha. Here in the extensive courtyard of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s house, Mahāprabhu used to perform harināma-saṅkīrtana together with His associates. All night long Śrīvāsa and his four brothers would perform kīrtana with mṛdaṅgas and karatālas. The atheistic Hindus in the neighbourhood complained to Navadvīpa’s ruler, Maulānā Sirājuddīna Chand Kazi, who decreed that no Hindu should loudly utter the holy name or loudly perform kīrtana.
Anyone who did so would be duly punished and lose his caste. In spite of this decree, the kīrtanas at Śrīvāsa-āṅgana continued. Finally the Kazi himself came here and smashed a mṛdaṅga. Śrīvāsa-aṅgana is therefore also known as Khola-bhāṅgāra-dāṅgā, “the place where the mṛdaṅga was broken”. It is also Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s place of saṅkīrtana-rāsa.
Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita
The eminent Śrīvāsa Paṇḍīta was the principal supporter of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s gṛhastha-līlā, or pastimes performed as a householder. The following significant pastimes took place at his house:
(1) When He returned from Gayā, Śrīman Mahāprabhu sat upon Śrī Viṣṇu’s throne and in full splendour dis played His opulence as the Supreme Lord.
(2) The devotees performed the abhiṣeka, or sacred bathing, of Śrīman Mahāprabhu.
(3) Śrīman Mahāprabhu bestowed love of God upon all His devotees. Mother Śacī-devī also received prema after begging Śrī Advaita Ācārya’s forgiveness for her offence to him.
(4) Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu’s vyāsa-pūjā took place here.
(5) Śrīman Mahāprabhu showed Nityānanda Prabhu His six-armed form, holding a bow and arrow, flute, staff and water pot in His hands.
(6) Śrīman Mahāprabhu manifested sāta-prahariyā bhāva, “the ecstasy of twenty-one hours”.
(7) For one year kīrtana was secretly performed the entire night long.
(8) Śrīman Mahāprabhu showed Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita His form of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.
(9) When Śrīvāsa’s son left his body, Mahāprabhu stopped the kīrtana and called the dead boy’s soul to re-enter his body.
Mahāprabhu asked him, “Having left Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, where are you going?” The boy answered, “No one is anybody’s son, brother, friend or parent. These relationships are all false, and cause pain and sorrow. The Supreme Lord is the one supreme father of all living entities. By the influence of Mahāmāyā the living entities wander throughout the 8,400,000 species of life, both high and low, while suffering the results of their activities. Only by wor shipping the Supreme Lord and receiving His mercy and the mercy of His devotees, can one become free from illusion and attain transcendental service to Him.
According to my previous deeds I took birth in this house, and now the time I was destined to live here has come to an end.” Śrīman Mahāprabhu then gave the boy permission to leave his body. When the residents of Śrīvāsa’s house saw and heard this, they became enlight ened by transcendental knowledge and devoted them selves fully to bhagavad-bhajana. (10) Śrī Mahāprabhu gave His remnants to Nārāyaṇī, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s young niece. The son of Nārāyaṇī is Śrī Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, the Vedavyāsa of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s pastimes and the author of Śrī Caitanya bhāgavata.
Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, who is an incarnation of Śrī Nārada, is a branch of the Śrī Caitanya tree and is one of the Pañca-tattva. He took birth in the district of Śrīhaṭṭa and later came to live near Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s house in Navadvīpa. When Mahāprabhu left for Purī after accepting sannyāsa, Śrīvāsa felt Navadvīpa to be desolate and moved to Kumārahaṭṭa. Śrīman Mahāprabhu and His associates used to perform kīrtana-pastimes in Śrīvāsa’s courtyard. Once an envious brāhmaṇa, Gopāla Cāpāla, who was dis pleased with Śrīvāsa, placed impure objects at the door of his house.
As a result of this offence Gopāla Cāpāla contracted leprosy. Later, when he approached Śrīvāsa crying and begging for forgiveness, Śrīvāsa forgave him. Once, Śrīvāsa’s mother-in-law hid herself in Śrīvāsa-aṅgana to listen to the kīrtana, but Śrīvāsa sensed her presence and knowing her to be unqualified to participate, made her leave. Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was both a singer and dancer in Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s kīrtana. During the Ratha-yātrā festival he used to stay with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Jagannātha Purī.
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