Once, the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, along with His divine brother Sri Nityananda Prabhu, visited the home of His dear devotee Srila Gauri Das Pandit in Ambika-Kalna, West Bengal. The visit was filled with divine love and deep spiritual connection. When the time came for Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu to leave, Srila Gauri Das Pandit, overwhelmed by love, requested Them to stay permanently at his place.
In response to his heartfelt request, Sri Mahaprabhu, always eager to fulfill the desires of His devotees, carved two deities—one of Himself and one of Nityananda Prabhu—from a nearby Neem tree. He assured Srila Gauri Das Pandit that there was no difference between Them and these deities. The deities were just as real as Their original forms.
The Miracle of the Four Plates
To demonstrate this unity, Srila Gauri Das Pandit prepared four plates of food (bhoga) and offered them to both the original Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu and the two newly created deities. Miraculously, all four—Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, and the two deities—sat down and honored the prasadam together. After the meal, They rested for a while.
The Divine Dilemma
When Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu prepared to leave, Srila Gauri Das Pandit, still not wanting to be separated from Them, requested Them to stay. At this moment, an extraordinary event occurred: the two deities began to move towards the door, as if they were the real Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu.
Srila Gauri Das Pandit, in confusion and desperation, ran after the deities and stopped them. However, this prompted the original Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu to begin moving towards the door instead. The situation was baffling and heart-wrenching for Srila Gauri Das Pandit, who wished to keep all four forms with him.
Seeing his predicament, Sri Mahaprabhu, in His infinite compassion, said, “You have to choose one of the pairs. Either We two will stay, or They will stay. Nityananda and I are directly present in these forms. You can tell either the deities to go, or we can leave. You choose.”
The Final Choice
Faced with this divine dilemma, Srila Gauri Das Pandit chose the original Gaur-Nitai (Sri Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu) to stay, believing them to be the real forms. As a result, the deities began to leave. However, as per the divine will, it was actually the original Gaur-Nitai who entered the temple of Srila Gauri Das Pandit’s house and stayed there, while the deities, imbued with the same divine presence, left the house.
The Eternal Presence
The deities that left Srila Gauri Das Pandit’s house are still worshipped today at Ambika-Kalna, West Bengal, and are revered by devotees as the very embodiments of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu.
Lessons to Be Learned
- Unity of Divine Forms: The story illustrates the profound truth that the Supreme Lord, His Name, and His Deity form are all non-different and equally potent. They all possess the same spiritual substance and should be revered equally.
- The Lord’s Love for Devotees: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s willingness to stay with Srila Gauri Das Pandit demonstrates the deep love and compassion the Lord has for His devotees.
- Devotion and Surrender: Srila Gauri Das Pandit’s devotion is a reminder that true bhakti involves complete surrender to the Lord’s will, trusting that He knows what is best for us.
- Divine Leela: The events at Ambika-Kalna highlight the mysterious and playful nature of the Lord’s pastimes, which are beyond human understanding and full of divine joy.
Prayer to Sri Gaur-Nitai
O Gaur-Nitai, merciful Lords who embody the spirit of love and compassion,
Guide us in our devotion so that we may see Your divine presence in all forms.
Grant us the wisdom to recognize Your omnipresence and to serve You with a heart full of surrender.
May we always remember that Your Name, Your Deity form, and Your original form are all one and the same,
And may we forever be blessed by Your loving glance.
Quote from Shastra
“arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr gurūṣu nara-matiḥ vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir viṣṇor vā vaiṣṇavānāṁ kali-mala-mathane pāda-tīrthe ‘mbu-buddhiḥ śrī-viṣṇor nāmni mantre sakala-kaluṣa-he śabda-sāmānya-buddhir viṣṇau sarveśvareśe tad-itara-sama-dhīr yasya vā nārakī saḥ”
Translation:
“One who considers the Deity of Sri Vishnu to be made of stone, who considers the Guru to be an ordinary man, who considers the Vaishnavas to belong to a particular caste, who thinks the water that washes the feet of Lord Vishnu or the Vaishnavas is ordinary water, or who thinks the name of Vishnu is an ordinary sound, is understood to be a resident of hell.”
— Padma Purana
This verse underlines the importance of viewing the Deity form, the Guru, and the Name of the Lord as divine and not ordinary. The Lord’s presence in the Deity form, as demonstrated in the story of Srila Gauri Das Pandit, is as real and potent as His original form.
