Dance and chant. This is best exercise. We allow them to dance very… Yes. High jump. Actually that is exercise, and at the same time ecstasy. If they dance and chant Hare KαΉαΉ£αΉa, it is automatically a very big exercise and spiritual advancement. (ΕrΔ«la PrabhupΔda’s lecture given on Oct. 2, 1968 in Seattle)
The hall is packed with devotees. The kirtaniya , who was gesticulating up and down the harmonium, has just increased the pace of the kirtan. The Mrdanga & Kartal artists are not behind and they have melodiously increased their tempo too. The energy in the hall is all built up and devotees who were sitting all this while have stood up and are dancing with great gusto. This goes on for a while but in due course of time the dancing stops. How many times has this scenario occurred in your life? Or how many times have you observed this? But this stopping was impossible to be seen in the life of VakreΕvara PaαΉαΈita.
Born in the village named GuptipΔra (near TriveαΉi) he was one of the important singer and dancer in the assembly of Sri Caitanya MahΔprabhu. Once, when he was in KuliΔ, he came there to do congregational chanting. When DevΔnanda Pandit, a great speaker on BhΔgavatam, heard about this he became really happy and proceeded there. Upon seeing the symptoms of divine love in him DevΔnanda became charmed. As crowd gathered, DevΔnanda took his stick and kept the crowd in order so that they don’t disturb his ecstatic dancing. He danced for 6 hours continuously and when he finished DevΔnanda came and offered his obeisances unto his lotus feet. He then said to DevΔnanda “May you attain devotion to Lord KαΉαΉ£αΉa”. Although DevΔnanda was great in giving lectures on BhΔgavatam, he didn’t receive the mercy of MahΔprabhu as he had offended ΕrΔ«vΔsa αΉ¬hΔkura – a VaiαΉ£αΉava. When MahΔprabhu visited KuliΔ he bestowed his mercy on DevΔnanda as he had served VakreΕvara PaαΉαΈita. MahΔprabhu said “Wherever one can get the association of VakreΕvara, that place is the sum total of all Holy places and is as good as Sri Vaikuntha.”
Not only was VakreΕvara a very dear servant of MahΔprabhu but he also accompanied Him [MahΔprabhu] all the way to JagannΔtha PurΔ« after He took sannyΔsa to better serve him more faithfully. Sometimes MahΔprabhu would engage VakreΕvara and other devotees in congregational chanting three times a day in the courtyard of GuαΉαΈicΔtemple and VakreΕvara would dance in jubilation.
From Caitanya-caritΔmαΉta, we can ascertain that he was expert especially in dancing as he once danced in the house of Srivas Thakur continuously for up to 72hours (~3days).
In JagannΔtha PurΔ« he lived in the house of KΔΕΔ« MiΕra [King Prataparudra’s Guru]. As per as ΕrΔ«la Kavi KarαΉapΕ«ra, the author of Gaura-gaαΉoddeΕa-dΔ«pikΔ, VakreΕvara PaαΉαΈita was an incarnation of Aniruddha, one of the quadruple expansions of ViαΉ£αΉu (VΔsudeva, SaαΉ karαΉ£aαΉa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna) and as per as DhyΔnacandra GosvΔmΔ«, in KαΉαΉ£αΉa lila, he was none other than Tungavidya Sakhi.