subalo yah priya-śresthah sa gaurīdāsa-panditah”
In Vraja, Gauri Das Pandit was Subala, one of the twelve Gopalas.” (Gaura-ganoddeśa-dīpikā 128)
Gauri Das Pandit was very fortunate, as he was one of Nityananda Prabhu’s dearest associates. He completely devoted his body, mind and soul to Nityananda Prabhu. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3:5:730)Gauri Das was empowered with great spiritual potency and thus could always receive or give Krishna prema. He surrendered everything he had to Nityananda Prabhu and made Chaitanya and Nityananda the Lords of his life and soul. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1:11:26- 27)Mahaprabhu performed wonderful pastimes with Gauri Das Pandit in Ambika Kalna. One day Mahaprabhu paddled across the Ganges to visit Gauri Das. Upon arriving, He sat under a large tamarind tree there. Gauri Das begged Mahaprabhu to always stay there with him. In response to His devotee’s desire, Mahaprabhu revealed that the forms of Himself and Nityananda Prabhu were present in a nearby neem tree, and could be manifested if carved out. It is said that Nityananda Prabhu personally witnessed the carving of these deities.
One day when Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu were about to return from Ambika Kalna, Gauri Das did everything in his power to hold Them back. Mahaprabhu calmed him by saying, “Nityananda and I are directly present in these deity forms. You may choose between asking Us to leave or Our deity forms to leave.” Gauri Das chose that the physically present Gaura-Nitai stay and that the deities could leave. And exactly this happened. This demonstrates the truth of the statement in Chaitanya Charitamrita (2:17:131):
nāma vigraha svarupa, ei tina eka-rūpa | tine bheda nāhi tina cidānanda-rūpa
These three the name, the deity form and the original form of the Lord – are all one. No distinction should be made between them, for all three are of transcendental, spiritual substance.
The Associates of Lord Caitanya
HDG Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Thakur