Madhavendra Puri

Madhavendra Puri ("IAST|Mādhavendra Purī" in IAST) also known as "Madhavendra Puri Goswami" is a Vaishnava saint who appeared in the 14th century.

Biography

Very little is known about early years of Madhavendra Puri, as in majority of sources he is figuring already a mendicant, "sannyasi". After making an extensive pilgrimage of India as a "sannyasi" he passed his life in Vrndavana and Orissa.cite book |author= |title=Chaitanya: His Life and Associates |publisher=Mandala Publishing |location= |year=2001 |pages= |isbn=1-886069-28-X |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=] The main source of knowledge about this personality is Caitanya Caritamrita. What is known that he was a "sannyasi" of the "Sankara sampradaya" order, however he also belongs to Madhva line being a disciple of Lakshmipati Tirtha and it appears that Madhavendra was the founder of the Vaishnava centre at Mathura, Vrindavana.cite book
author = Sen, Sukumar.
year = 1971
title = History of Bengali Literature
publisher = Sahitya Akademi
isbn = Page 78: “It appears that Madhavendra was the founder of the Vaishnav centre at Mathura”] He is considered a fountainhead of devotional worship of Krishna and he has started the worship of the Gopala deity, [Sukumar Sen, 1971. Page 77: “Started the worship of image of Gopala (Bala Gopala) in Vrindavana.”] better known as Shrinathji. He is attributed to mysterious discovery of the famous deity of Gopala near Govardhana that was later worshiped by Vallabhacharya, follower of Vishnuswami in Rudra sampradaya,cite book
author = Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna.G.
year = 1995
title = Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems
publisher = Asian Educational Services
isbn = Page 109: “Vallabha lived for some time in Vrndavana and for some time at Mathura.” It is alleged that Gopala-Krsna manifested himself on the Govardhana. Vallabha Vedantic system is the same as his predecessor Vishnuswami. This Vishnuswami was the son of a councillor of a Dravida vassal under Emperior of Delhi. “In his disciplic succession others such as Jnanadeva, Namdeva, Trilochana and Vallabha appeared.”] who in turn was influenced by devotional mood of Vrindavana. [The Philosophy and Religion of Śrī Caitanya. Page 31 O. B. L. Kapoor, 1977,248 pages - Caitanya Caritamrta also records how Vallabha, who had introduced the worship of Bala-Gopala in his sect, was influenced by the Madhura Rasa .] He is also famed for receiving direct instructions and gifts from the deity of Gopinatha, who commanded him to travel for the supply of scarce sandal wood paste from the Orissa to Malaya Mountains. [Page 36 Stuart Mark Elkman, Jīva Gosvāmī - 1986

“After being commanded by the deity to worship him with sandalwood from the South,

Madhavendra set off for the Malaya Mountains”]

Initiating sankirtana movement

Madhavendra Puri is often accepted as initial inspiration or initiator of the movement of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, [The Hare Krishnas in India - Page 46

Charles R. Brooks – 1992 “Some writers would even give Madhavendra Puri credit for initiating the movement which Chaitanya would eventually inspire”] [cite book

author = Kennedy, M.T.

year = 1925

title = The Chaitanya Movement: A Study ofVaishnavism ofBengal

publisher = New York: Oxford University Press

] who accepted Madhavendras intimate disciple, Isvara Puri as ones "diksa guru". [History of Medieval Vaishnavism in Orissa - Mukherjee Prabhat 65

“Madhavendra puri is preceptor of Caitanya Mahaprabhus guru”] He is believed to be preaching the principles of Gaudiya Vaishnavism prior to Caitanya. [Hare Krsna Movement: The Unifying Force of the Hindu Religion, Haripada Adhikary – 1995 Page 116

]

ervice in separation

It is believed that Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s service in feelings of separation "viraha "begins with a single verse spoken by Madhavendra Puri, (his grand preceptor):

"O, my beloved Lord, the friend of the afflicted! He Mathura-natha, when, when shall I see you? Without seeing you, my heart is perplexed, my beloved, and I am very restless! What am I to do?" [ayi dIna-dayArdra nAtha he

mathurA-nAtha kadAvalokyase

hRdayaM tvad-aloka-kAtaraM

dayita bhrAmyati kiM karomy aham]

Lineage

In accordance with Gaudiya Vaishnava sources his is believed to belong to Madhvacharya lineage, [cite web
url=http://www.krishna.com/node/703
title=20. Madhavendra Puri | Krishna.com
publisher=www.krishna.com
accessdate=2008-04-22
last=
first=] "parampara", that has been transcribed in the books like "Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika", [

cite web

url=http://store.naturalnirvana.com/posrigabykak.html

title=Pocket-Size Sri Gaura-Ganoddesa-Dipika by Kavi Karnapura

publisher=store.naturalnirvana.com

accessdate=2008-04-22

last=

first=

] "Prameya-ratnavali [Sri Prameya-ratnavali (The Jewel Necklace of Truths) 32pp ISBN 0-89647-015-6] " and the writings of Gopala Guru Goswami. There is a version of this line of gurus recorded as a version found in the "Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika" ["paravyomesvarasyasic chisyo brahma jagat-patih
tasya sisyo narado 'bhut vyasas tasyapa sisyatam
suko vyasasya sisyatvam prapto jnanavabodhanat
vyasal labdha-krsna-dikso madhvacaryo mahayasah
tasya sisyo naraharis tacchisyo madhava-dvijah
aksobhyas tasya sisyo 'bhut tac-chisyo jayatirthakah
tasya sisyo jnana-sindhus tasya sisyo mahanidhih
vidyanidhis tasya sisyo rajendras tasya sevakah
jayadharma munis tasya sisyo yad-gana-madhyatah
srimad-visnu-puri yas tu bhaktiratnavali-krtih
jayadharmasya sisyo 'bhud brahmanyah purusottahmah
vyasatirthas tasya sisyo yas cakre visnusamhitam
sriman laksmipatis tasya sisyo bhaktirasasrayah
tasya sisyo madhavendro yad-dharmo 'yam pravartitah
tasya sisyo 'bhavat sriman isvarakhya-puri-yatih
kalayamasa srngaram yah srngara-phalatmakah
advaitam kalayamasa dasya-sakhye phale ubhe
isvarakhya-purim-gaura urarikrtya gaurave
jagad aplavayamasa prakrtaprakrtatmakam
"

Brahma, the master of this universe, was the disciple of the Lord of the spiritual world. His disciple was Narada and Vyasa became the disciple of Narada. Suka became the disciple of Vyasa through the endowment of spiritual knowledge. Madhvacharya took initiation in the Krishna mantra from Vyasa. His disciple was Padmanabhacarya, whose disciple was Narahari, who was followed by Madhva Dvija. Akshobhya was his disciple, then Jayatirtha, Jnanasindhu, Mahanidhi, Vidyanidhi and Rajendra followed. Jayadharma Muni was one of Rajendra's many disciples and Vishnu Puri, the author of Bhakti-ratnavali and Purushottam, the lover of Brahmin culture became his disciples. Vyasa Tirtha, the author of Visnu-samhita, was the disciple of Purushottam. Lakshmipati Tirtha, a reservoir of devotion, was Vyasa Tirtha's disciple. Madhavendra Puri was the disciple of Lakshmipati, and it is by him that the religion was founded. His disciple, the sannyasi Ishvara Puri, took up the mood of conjugal devotion, while Advaita Acharya (also the disciple of Madhavendra) took up the moods of servitude and friendship. Gaura accepted Ishvara Puri as his guru, and then flooded the material and spiritual worlds (with love).

] which matches other historical records. [The same set of verses is found with some slight differences in the Bhakti-ratnakara (5.2549-2162).] He had many disciples but Advaita Acarya and Isvara Puri are believed to be the chief disciples of Madhavendra Puri.

Early History of the famous deity of Gopinatha (Ksirachora) is not given in Gaudiya texts – it is given by Vinod Bijaya Babaji in Gopinatha Caritamrta. However there is large account of his interactions with this Deity in Caitanya caritamrita, the foundational book for the Gaudiya Vaishnavas.

Memorial

Madhavendra Puri passed away in Remuna, his memorial Samadhi and sandals are still worshiped there.cite book

author = Mukherjee, P.

year = 1940
title = The History of Medieval Vaishnavism in Orissa
publisher = R. Chatterjee
isbn = 8120602293p. 66] It is a place of pilgrimage for many Vaishnava groups.

More information

*cite book |author= BB Teertha |title=Chaitanya: His Life and Associates |publisher=Mandala Publishing |location= |year=2001 |pages= |isbn=1-886069-28-X |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=
*cite web
url=http://www.rupa.com/blog/archives/196-Giriraj-Swami-Lecture-Madhavendra-Puri-Disappearance-day.html
title=Giriraj Swami - Lecture - Madhavendra Puri Disappearance day
publisher=www.rupa.com
accessdate=2008-04-22
last=
first=

*cite web
url=http://vedabase.net/m/madhavendra
title= Madhavendra Puri - references in Caitanya caritamrta online
publisher=vedabase.net
accessdate=2008-04-22
last= Kaviraja Goswami
first=Krishnadasa

References and Notes