JagadÄ«Å›a Paṇá¸ita, the fifteenth branch of Lord NityÄnanda’s followers, was the deliverer of the entire world. Devotional love of Kṛṣṇa showered from him like torrents of rain. [Cc. Ä€di, 11.30]
ÅšrÄ«la BhaktisiddhÄnta SarasvatÄ« ṬhÄkura writes in his AnubhÄá¹£ya, “Descriptions of JagadÄ«Å›a Paṇá¸ita are available from the Caitanya-bhÄgavata, Ä€di-khaṇá¸a, Chapter Six, and the Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta, Ä€di-lÄ«lÄ, Chapter Fourteen. He belonged to the village of YaÅ›aá¸Ä-grÄma, in the district of Nadia near the CÄkadaha railway station. His father, the son of Bhaá¹­á¹­a NÄrÄyaṇa, was named KamalÄká¹£a. Both his father and mother were great devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, and after their death, JagadÄ«Å›a, with his wife DuḥkhinÄ« and brother MaheÅ›a, left his birthplace and came to ÅšrÄ« MÄyÄpur to live in the company of JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra and other Vaiṣṇavas. Lord Caitanya asked JagadÄ«Å›a to go to JagannÄtha PurÄ« to preach the hari-nÄma-saá¹…kÄ«rtana movement. After returning from JagannÄtha PurÄ«, on the order of Lord JagannÄtha he established Deities of JagannÄtha in the village of YaÅ›aá¸Ä-grÄma. It is said that when JagadÄ«Å›a Paṇá¸ita brought the Deity of JagannÄtha to YaÅ›aá¸Ä-grÄma, he tied the heavy Deity to a stick and thus brought Him to the village. The priests of the temple still show the stick used by JagadÄ«Å›a Paṇá¸ita to carry the JagannÄtha Deity.” [Cc. Ä€di, 11.30, purport]

JagadÄ«Å›a Paṇá¸ita was formerly a great dancer in kṛṣṇa-lÄ«lÄ and was known as CandrahÄsa. – [Cc. Ä€di 10.70]

Nimai eats offerings from the house of Jagadisa

Pretending to be sick, the Lord asked some food from the house of Hiraṇya and JagadÄ«Å›a on the EkÄdaśī day. [Cc. Ä€di, 14.39]
The Caitanya-bhÄgavata, Ä€di-khaṇá¸a, Chapter Six, fully describes the Lord’s accepting viṣṇu-prasÄdam on the EkÄdaśī day at the house of JagadÄ«Å›a and Hiraṇya. Regular prasÄdam is offered to Lord Viṣṇu on EkÄdaśī because although fasting is recommended for devotees on EkÄdaśī, it is not recommended for Lord Viṣṇu. Once on EkÄdaśī in the house of JagadÄ«Å›a and Hiraṇya Paṇá¸ita there were arrangements for preparing special prasÄdam for Lord Viṣṇu, and Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu asked His father to go there to ask for the viṣṇu-prasÄdam because He was feeling sick. The house of JagadÄ«Å›a and Hiraṇya Paṇá¸ita was situated about two miles from the house of JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra. Therefore when JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra, on the request of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, came to ask JagadÄ«Å›a and Hiraṇya for the prasÄdam, they were a little astonished. How could the boy understand that special prasÄdam was being prepared for Lord Viṣṇu? They immediately concluded that NimÄi must have supernatural mystic power. Otherwise how could He understand that they were preparing special prasÄdam? Therefore they immediately sent the food to Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu through His father, JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra. NimÄi was feeling sick, but immediately after eating the viṣṇu-prasÄdam He was cured, and He also distributed the prasÄdam among His playmates.

[Cc. Ādi 14.39, purport]
His appearance day is on the twelth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Pausa.

Lord Jagannath of Puri decides to go with Sri Jagadisa Pandita

 

Before taking sannyas, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised Srila Jagadisa Pandita to visit Jagannath puri. On arriving Sridham Puri, Sri Jagadisa Pandita, went for Lord Jagannath’s darshan and melted with love when he saw Lord Jagannath. On his way back to Bengal, however, he felt extreme separation from Lord Jagannath. If one truly feels such pangs of separation, then this is a sign of Lord Jagannath’s mercy; if not, then one has not truly received the grace of the Lord.

Lord Jagannath Dev saw Srila Jagadisa crying and hence mercifully appeared to him in a dream and told him to take His vigraha and serve the same. Simultaneously, He appeared to the king of Orissa and ordered him that at the time of the nava-kalevara, when the wooden deity of Lord Jagannath is renewed, the outgoing form should be given to Srila Jagadisa Pandita. As a result of this dream, the Maharaj considered it to be a great honour to give Srila Jagadisa Lord Jagannath’s outgoing form, which is known as the samadhi-stha-vigraha.

Srila Jagadisa prayed to Lord Jagannath, asking Him just how he could possibly carry the heavy deity all the way back to Bengal. Lord Jagannath answered him that for his sake He would become as light as a cork. Then Srila Jagadisa was to cover Him with a new cloth and then carry Him suspended on the end of a staff. Lord Jagannath further told him that he would have to make permanent arrangements to stay wherever the Lord was set down on the ground. Srila Jagadisa enlisted the aid of two Brahmins, and they took turns carrying Lord Jagannath as far as the village of Yashora on the banks of the Ganges, near the town of Chakdaha. Srila Jagadisa left Lord Jagannath with one of the Brahmins and went to take his bath in the Ganges and to perform oblations of Ganga water. While he was gone, the Brahmin found that Lord Jagannath was suddenly becoming very heavy and that he was no longer able to hold Him up. When Srila Jagadisa Pandita came back from his bath, he saw Lord Jagannath sitting on the ground and realized that the Lord wanted to stay in that very spot.

When the local people heard that the Lord Jagannath from Puri had come to stay in Yashora, they flocked there in thousands to seek His darshan. Srila Jagadisa Pandita then decided to remain in Yashora rather than return to his home in Mayapur.