Once he was grown, Viracandra traveled the length of Bengal and on to Vrindavana. The tradition remembers this journey as the time when the senior Vaishnavas came to recognize him as a leader among them. These were the Vaishnavas of the generation after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's own associates. This page covers that journey, his part in the story of the famous festival at Kheturi, and the tribute that Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami himself paid him in writing.
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Route | Bengal (Uddharana Datta Thakura, Gauridasa Pandita, Shrinivasa Acharya, Kheturi) to Vrindavana |
| Received in Vrindavana by | Jiva Goswami, Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami, and other senior Goswamis |
| Places visited in Vraja | The twelve forests of Vrajamandala, Radha-kunda, Shyama-kunda, Govardhana |
| Constant companions | Two devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Ramadasa and Gadadhara dasa |
| Tribute paid by Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami | Called "the greatest branch" of Nityananda Prabhu and "the main pillar" of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's hall of devotional service (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 11.8-13) |
Through Bengal Toward Vrindavana #
Several independent biographical accounts describe Viracandra setting out from Khardaha on a long circuit through Bengal before continuing to Vrindavana. These accounts draw mainly on the Bhakti-ratnakara and the Premavilasa, since Chaitanya-charitamrita itself does not narrate this journey in detail. Along the way he is said to have met Uddharana Datta Thakura, Gauridasa Pandita, and Achyutananda. Uddharana Datta Thakura came from the suvarna-vanik merchant community and was one of Nityananda Prabhu's own most devoted followers. Gauridasa Pandita was one of the twelve gopalas and Viracandra's own great-uncle, the younger brother of his mother's father, Suryadasa Sarakhela. Achyutananda was a son of Advaita Acharya. "Many sinners and atheists were delivered along the way," one account says of the whole journey. This is a devotional summary, not a specific incident. But it gives a sense of how the tradition sees this period of his life. It was less a private pilgrimage and more a preaching journey from place to place.
Received at Kheturi #
More than one source describes Narottama Dasa Thakura coming out to receive Viracandra at Kheturi with what one account calls "great ecstasy," and the two of them danced together in sankirtana. Kheturi itself and the famous festival held there are already covered in real depth, from two other angles, on Narottama Dasa Thakura's own Kheturi Festival page and Shrinivasa Acharya's page on preaching in Bengal and the Kheturi festival. So that story is not repeated here. At that festival six Deities were installed, and Jahnava Devi, Viracandra's own guru, was given the position of chief guest. Still, there is a real uncertainty. The most detailed accounts of the great Kheturi Mahotsava itself give a list of those who attended by name, with Jahnava Devi as chief guest and Shrinivasa Acharya as head priest. These accounts do not consistently name Viracandra among the core organizers. Yet several separate biographical accounts of his own life describe a joyful meeting with Narottama at Kheturi. Was that meeting part of the great Mahotsava itself, or a separate visit on his wider pilgrimage route through Bengal? The sources checked do not clearly settle this.
Among the Goswamis of Vraja #
In Vrindavana, Jiva Goswami and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami are both said to have welcomed Viracandra warmly. By one account, he then set out with their consent and blessing to wander the twelve forests of Vrajamandala. This is the traditional pilgrimage circuit of the places of Krishna's own childhood and youth. He is described as overwhelmed by the sight of Radha-kunda, Shyama-kunda and Govardhana. The tradition uses such language for very few visitors to Vraja outside the Six Goswamis themselves. Chaitanya-charitamrita records that two devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed constantly by his side during this period: "Two devotees of Lord Caitanya named Sri Ramadasa and Gadadhara dasa always lived with Sri Virabhadra Gosani" (Adi-lila 11.13). This is a small detail, but it tells us something. It shows that even this early, Viracandra was already at the center of his own circle of companions.
The Tribute of Krishnadasa Kaviraja #
Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami's own tribute to Viracandra is written into the eleventh chapter of Chaitanya-charitamrita's Adi-lila. It most likely comes from this same period of recognition. He calls him "the greatest branch" after Nityananda Prabhu himself (11.8). He calls him "the main pillar in the hall of devotional service erected by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu" (11.10). He credits him directly with the fact that "people all over the world now have the chance to chant the names of Chaitanya and Nityananda" (11.11). Then, as he begins to write the book, he takes shelter at Viracandra's feet by name (11.12). Later in the same chapter he sums up the whole tree of Nityananda Prabhu's spiritual family. There Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami repeats the judgment once more: "Among all the branches of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Virabhadra Gosani was the topmost. His subbranches were unlimited" (11.56). Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami wrote Gaudiya Vaishnavism's own central biography of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Coming from him, this is about as clear a statement of high standing as the tradition gives anyone of Viracandra's generation.
