Sri Vakreshvara Pandita was the fifth branch of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s devotional tree and was a very dear servant of the Lord. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (71) states that he was an incarnation of Aniruddha, one of the four expansions of Lord Vishnu.
Sri Vakreshvara Pandita was famous for his extraordinary devotion and could dance continuously for seventy-two hours. During the dramatic performances held at the house of Srivasa Pandita, he was one of the principal dancers in Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s kirtans. His life has also been described by Sri Govinda Dasa in the book Gaura Krishnodaya. Many of his disciples in Orissa became known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas, including Sri Gopala Guru and his disciple Sri Dhyanachandra Goswami.
Devananda Pandita was a professional reciter of Srimad Bhagavatam. Later, when Sri Vakreshvara Pandita stayed at his home and explained the science of Krishna, Devananda became convinced of the identity of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Thereafter, he began explaining Srimad Bhagavatam according to the Vaishnava understanding.
