Vāṇībhūshaṇa
Vāṇībhūshaṇa · vāṇī-bhūshaṇa, “the ornament of speech”
Vāṇībhūshaṇa is the author of a chandaḥ-śāstra (a work on metre). The Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that he was an avatāra of Bhagavān Sūrya, born in Kānyakubja as the son of the brāhmaṇa Satyadeva. He became a disciple of Kṛshṇacaitanya, spent his life in japa of Rādhā-Kṛshṇa, and went to Kanyakubja when the Vaishṇavas set out to the purīs.
His avatāra
Sūta tells of Bṛhaspati‘s teaching to Indra, month by month. Following the words of his guru, Devendra worshipped Bhagavān Sūrya in the month of Āśvina. Bhagavān Sūrya appeared before Indra and said: “Devarāja, in Kānyakubja, in the house of the brāhmaṇa Satyadeva, I shall take avatāra as his son under the name Vāṇībhūshaṇa.”
He did so. In the course of time Vāṇībhūshaṇa composed a work of chandaḥ-śāstra under his own name and defeated the pākhaṇḍīs. He had obtained Vaishṇavī śakti by the upāsanā of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 8
With Kṛshṇacaitanya
Vāṇībhūshaṇa, devoted to Śiva-bhakti, came to Kṛshṇacaitanya when Caitanya was twenty-three, became his disciple and lived there. He composed a chandaḥ-śāstra under his own name, and spent a life of joy doing japa of the supreme Rādhā-Kṛshṇa.
When the mlecchas had yantras made in all seven purīs, the sevakas of Kṛshṇacaitanya took the divine mantra of the guru and went to the purīs and other places. Vāṇībhūshaṇa went to Kanyakubja. Those with him bore a crescent-shaped puṇḍra, a garland of red sandalwood, and the pure name of the Devī in the mouth.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 20–21
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 8, 20–21