Mahesvara Visarada

Expressions researched:
"Mahesvara Visarada" |"Visarada"

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 10.77, Translation and Purport:

Devānanda Paṇḍita was a professional reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but by the mercy of Vakreśvara Paṇḍita and the grace of the Lord he understood the devotional interpretation of the Bhāgavatam.

In the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa, Chapter Twenty-one, it is stated that Devānanda Paṇḍita and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya's father, Viśārada, lived in the same village. Devānanda Paṇḍita was a professional reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not like his interpretation of it. In the present town of Navadvīpa, which was formerly known as Kuliyā, Lord Caitanya showed such mercy to him that he gave up the Māyāvādī interpretation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and learned how to explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in terms of bhakti. Formerly, when Devānanda was expounding the Māyāvādī interpretation, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura was once present in his meeting, and when he began to cry, Devānanda's students drove him away. Some days later, Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed that way, and when He met Devānanda He chastised him severely because of his Māyāvāda interpretation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. At that time Devānanda had little faith in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but one night some time later Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was a guest in his house, and when he explained the science of Kṛṣṇa, Devānanda was convinced about the identity of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus he was induced to explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam according to the Vaiṣṇava understanding. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (106) it is described that he was formerly Bhāguri Muni, the sabhā-paṇḍita who recited Vedic literatures in the house of Nanda Mahārāja.

CC Adi 10.130, Translation and Purport:

There was Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, one of the biggest branches of the tree of the Lord, and his sister's husband, Śrī Gopīnātha Ācārya.

The original name of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was Vāsudeva Bhaṭṭācārya. His place of birth, which is known as Vidyānagara, is about two and a half miles away from the Navadvīpa railway station, or Cāṅpāhāṭi railway station. His father was a very much celebrated man of the name Maheśvara Viśārada. It is said that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the greatest logician of his time in India. At Mithilā, in Bihar, he became a student of a great professor named Pakṣadhara Miśra, who did not allow any student to note down his explanations of logic. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was so talented, however, that he learned the explanations by heart, and when he later returned to Navadvīpa he established a school for the study of logic, thus diminishing the importance of Mithilā. Students from various parts of India still come to Navadvīpa to study logic. According to some authoritative opinions, the celebrated logician Raghunātha Śiromaṇi was also a student of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya's. In effect, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya became the leader of all students of logic. Although he was a gṛhastha (householder), he even taught many sannyāsīs in the knowledge of logic.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 6.18, Translation and Purport:

Gopīnātha Ācārya was a resident of Nadia, the son-in-law of Viśārada and a devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He knew the true identity of His Lordship.

Maheśvara Viśārada was a classmate of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī’s. He lived in the Nadia, district in a village called Vidyānagara, and had two sons named Madhusūdana Vācaspati and Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma. His son-in-law was Gopīnātha Ācārya.

CC Madhya 6.53, Translation:

The Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Nīlāmbara Cakravartī was a classmate of my father, Maheśvara Viśārada. I knew him as such.