Īśvarapurī
Īśvarapurī · īśvara-purī, “the city of Īśvara”
Īśvarapurī is a mahātmā of Baṅgāla in the Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa. He was the brāhmaṇa Dhātṛśarman reborn, who had pleased Brahmā, Tumburu, Kubera and Bhagavān Śaṅkara in turn and at last Bhagavān Sūrya, and had gained sāyujya. Endowed with the tejas of Bhagavān Sūrya, he was born in Vaṅgadeśa, defeated the Vedic scholars in śāstrārtha and won great fame. By upāsanā of Devī Śāradā he gained siddhi, and when ahaṅkāra arose in him he was humbled before the child Kṛshṇacaitanya. Per the Bhavishya Purāṇa, he became Caitanya’s disciple, an upāsaka of the Kṛshṇa-mantra and foremost among the Vaishṇavas.
His former birth as Dhātṛśarman
Bṛhaspati tells this to the devas at Prayāga, as the account of Bhagavān Sūrya in the month of Caitra. In the city of Barhishmatī there was a brāhmaṇa named Dhātṛśarman. Desiring a son, he did tapas and pleased Prajāpati Brahmā in five years. Brahmā granted a vara of three children in order: a son, a daughter and again a son. They were born one year apart, and Dhātṛśarman had great joy in raising them.
For good marriages for them he pleased Tumburu, Gandharvapati, with havana and other rites, and Tumburu came and gave a vara. When he was sixty he grew anxious for ornaments, wealth and clothes for them, and he duly worshipped Kubera, who gave him much wealth and a vidyā that yields gold.
In time he fell ill and came near death. He pleased Bhagavān Śaṅkara with stutis, and Bhagavān Śaṅkara gave him jñāna within one month. Then he worshipped Bhāskara, destroyer of moha, through the Sunday vrata for five years.
Pleased by his bhakti, Bhagavān Sūrya said: “Vatsa, what vara do you want?” Dhātṛśarman bowed and said: “Bhagavān Sūrya, kindly grant me moksha.” Bhagavān Sūrya taught him the four kinds of moksha:
- Sālokya, born of tapas.
- Sāmīpya, born of bhakti.
- Sārūpya, born of dhyāna.
- Sāyujya, born of jñāna.
The presiding one of these four is the supreme Parameśvara, and on reaching that supreme state of Bhagavān Vishṇu there is no coming back. Bhagavān Sūrya said: “Viprendra, you will attain sāyujya moksha, and that moksha of yours will last till the end of the manvantara.” Saying this he withdrew.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 7
His birth in Vaṅgadeśa
In the month of Caitra, Divākara gave the devas darśana of his form and said: “Taking birth in Vaṅgadeśa from my own aṃśa, I shall accomplish the devas’ work.” He produced tejas from his mouth and gave it to his devotee Sukanyā, the wife of a dvija. Dhātṛśarman, endowed with that tejas, was born in the house of Kāvyakartā under the name Īśvarapurī. He defeated the Vedic scholars in śāstrārtha and won great fame.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 7
The fault in the stava
Sūta tells Śaunaka that when Yajñāṃśa Kṛshṇacaitanya was five years old, the mahātmā Īśvarapurī had great influence in Baṅgāla. By upāsanā of Devī Śāradā he had a special siddhi, and from this ahaṅkāra had come into his mind.
Once, wandering, he came to Śāntipura and, on the bank of the Gaṅgā, composed a lovely divine stava and began to recite it. Caitanya Mahāprabhu came by and, praising him, said: “Mahātmā, your composition seems to have some fault.” The learned Īśvarapurī was astonished. Devī Śāradā, the all-auspicious, seeing her own devotee put to shame, laughed and said: “This is Yajñāṃśa Hari Kṛshṇacaitanya himself.”
Hearing this, Īśvarapurī became his disciple and an upāsaka of the Kṛshṇa-mantra. He became foremost among the Vaishṇavas and a sevaka of Kṛshṇacaitanya.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 19
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 7, 19