Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and Nāma-saṅkīrtana
By Swāmī Śrī Bhaktivedānta Tripurāri Mahārāja, excepted from Sacred Preface.
Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is often said to represent all taṭasthā-jīvas, both sādhana-siddha and nitya-siddhas—śrivāsādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. After explaining how he came to write Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta in the following chapter of his book, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja dedicates four entire chapters to introducing the associates–bhakta-vṛnda–of Śrī Caitanya, the principal players in the drama of Gaura lilā. All of these players are also associates of Kṛṣṇa in his Vraja līlā, either perfected taṭasthā-śakti-jīvas or those constituted of svarūpa-śakti, who will be discussed ahead. Only after having discussed these devotees does Kṛṣṇadāsa begin the narrative of Gaura’s manifest pastimes.
With regard to the Vraja lilā, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura/Narada has also been identified with Kṛṣṇa’s brāhmana friend Madhumangala, who plays an integral role in the romantic life of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. In Śri Caitanya-caritāmrta, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura exhibited Madhumangala’s characteristics during the Hera-pañcamī festival held in Jagannātha Purī. In identifying Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura with Madhumangala, Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa follows the lead of Sri Jiva Goswami, who has identified Narada with Madhumangala in his Gopala-campu.
In Gaura līlā, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura appears as an elder of Śrī Caitanya. His courtyard hosts the eternal nocturnal rasa-kīrtana of Nadiya. Entry into this courtyard and Gaura’s kīrtana is reserved for highly qualified devotees. However, Śrī Caitanya took his saṅkīrtana from the courtyard of Śrīvāsa to the streets of every town and village to show the way to enter the courtyard of Śrīvāsa in rasa-kīrtana. Just as Krsna’s Mathura and Vraja līlās point back to the superexcellence of the Vraja lilā, similarly Śrī Caitanya’s sannyāsa-līlā causes him to leave Nadīyā. In doing so, he shows the way that all souls can enter his rasa-kirtana in Nadīyā hosted by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. The way of entering is Śrī Kṛṣņa nāma-saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart and leads naturally to the lilā-smaraṇam we find Śrī Caitanya absorbed in during his final days in Jagannātha Purī. Following Śrī Caitanya through this progression, one gains entrance to the kīrtana hall of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, in which Gaura revealed to his associates their Vraja līlā identities. Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura has facilitated Gaura’s saṅkīrtana more than any other of his associates. He gave his house to host this rasa-kirtana without concern for his family members should they interfere. His home is the residence (vāsa) of Rādhā (śrī), in that it fully facilitates Gaura Kṛṣṇa’s Śrī Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana.
From the perspective of Gaura lilā, the sādhaka’s ideal is to enter into this kirtana in the unmanifest Gaura lilā. Indeed, all of the teachings and examples set by Mahāprabhu in his sannyāsa-lilā (sambandha-jñāna) are the foundation that gives support to this courtyard kīrtana, enabling Nimai Pandita to dance in ecstasy, completely at home in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. That which Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya experiences in his final hours in the Gambhira, which renders him unapproachable, is fully available in the privacy of Śrīvāsa Angana, where Nimai Pandita devoid of aiśvarya performs his mādhurya kīrtana in the intimacy of śrivāsādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Our prospect the realization of our potential is possible by the grace of Bhakti-devī, the essence of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s svarūpa-śakti.
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