In 1517, Shri Rupa Goswami and Shri Sanatana Goswami,

his elder brother, came to Vrindavana to fulfill four orders

of Lord Chaitanya's: (1) Uncover Shri Krishna's lost pastime
places. (2) Install Deities, start puja. (3) Write bhaktishastras. (4) Propagate the rules of bhakti-yoga. (In the
wallpaper: Rupa amd Sanatana Goswamis, Lord Shri
Gopintha in Jaipur and Temple of Madan Mohan, Shri
Vrindavan Dham).
In 1517, Shri Rupa Goswami and Shri Sanatana Goswami,
his elder brother, came to Vrindavana to fulfill four orders
of Lord Chaitanya's:
(1) Uncover Shri Krishna's lost pastime places.
(2) Install Deities, start puja.
(3) Write bhakti-shastras.
(4) Propagate the rules of bhakti-yoga.
Wearing only kaupina (loincloth) and kantha (patchwork
quilt), Shri Rupa Goswami lived a mendicant's life absorbed
in hearing, chanting, writing about Radha-Govinda's sweet
loving pastimes in Shri Vrindavana-dhama. More details of
his conduct and character are mentioned in Sanatana
Goswami's biography.

Shri Rupa Goswami wrote practical yet profound

transcendental books. He established Shri-Shri RadhaGovindaji, the beloved Deities of the entire Gaudiya
sampradaya. Through extensive Vedic research Shri Rupa
Goswami proved that Shri Chaitanya's teachings present
the highest philosophy and the perfection of religion.
Gaudiya Vaishnavas are known as rupanugas, followers of
Shri Rupa Goswami. Every raganuga Devotee aspires to
become a servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Shri
Rupa Goswami. Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura sings, shrirupa-manjari-pada, se more sampada, sei mor bhajana
pujana: "The feet of Shri Rupa-manjari (Rupa Goswami's
eternal form as Shri Radha's maidservant in Vraja) are my
only wealth. They are the only object of my service and
worship."
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu commissioned Shri Rupa
Goswami to write on the science of rasa-tattva. In
Chaitanya-chandrodaya, Shri Kavi Karnapura says that Shri
Rupa Goswami is the form of true love and devotion. Shri
Chaitanya empowered him to explain His own love and
devotion, and to propagate it to the world. Lord Chaitanya
manifested His own pastimes through Shri Rupa Goswami.
He received the title bhakti-rasacharya (guru of devotional
mellows) for his devotional classics, Bhakti-rasamrta
sindhu, Ujjvala Nilamani, Lalita Madhava and others.
Bhakti-rasamrta sindhu gives the essence of all Vedic
scriptures regarding the kingdom of bhakti. In great detail it
explains how to advance in Krishna consciousness and
attain prema-bhakti, pure unalloyed love for RadhaGovinda in Shri Vrindavana.
To understand the loving affairs of Radha and Krishna,
says Narottama Dasa Thakura, you must serve the lotus
feet of Shri Rupa Goswami with intense eagerness. Serving
means hearing (studying), chanting and strictly following
the teachings of Shri Rupa Goswami. Serving also means
praying to, crying out to, meditating upon, and dedicating
your entire life to the lotus feet of Shri Rupa Goswami (Shri

Rupa-manjari). Sadhana Dipika states that those on the

path of devotional service must always associate with Shri
Rupa Goswami's doctrines on prema-bhakti. By the grace
of Shri Jiva Goswami one can understand the
transcendental truths of Rupa Goswami's teachings.

"When Shri Rupa Goswami would sit in his bhajana kutir at

Ter Kadamba (Nandagram, Vrindavana), and write about
the pangs of separation that Shri Radha and Shri Krishna
felt for one another the leaves of the Kadamba tree would
fall off; just like tears running down the face of someone in
pain. And when Shri Rupa wrote about Radha and Krishna's
ecstatic loving reunion, that overjoyed Kadamba tree
immeditately sprouted new leaves and blossoming flowers.
By the mercy of a pure Vaishnava like Shrila Rupa Goswami
this Kadamba tree could understand and appreciate the
intimate and confidential subject matters which remain
beyond our comprehension." (In the wallpaper: Shri Shri
Radha Gopinath, a book and falling leaves).
The following quote shows the incredible potency of Shri
Rupa Goswami's transcendental writing:
"When Shri Rupa Goswami would sit in his bhajana kutir
at Ter Kadamba (Nandagram, Vrindavana), and write about

the pangs of separation that Shri Radha and Shri Krishna

felt for one another the leaves of the Kadamba tree would
fall off; just like tears running down the face of someone in
pain. And when Shri Rupa wrote about Radha and Krishna's
ecstatic loving reunion, that overjoyed Kadamba tree
immeditately sprouted new leaves and blossoming flowers.
By the mercy of a pure Vaishnava like Shrila Rupa Goswami
this Kadamba tree could understand and appreciate the
intimate and confidential subject matters which remain
beyond our comprehension." (Shripad B.V. Narayana
Maharaja)
Shri Rupa Goswami established the Deities of RadhaGovinda in Vrindavana. Bhakti-ratnakar quotes one song
from Shrinivasa Acharya to describe the beauty of Rupa
Goswami's beloved Govindaji Deity: "Having seen the
incomparable beauty of Shri Govinda, Shri Radhika begins
describing it to Her sakhis: 'Who has sculptured that moon
like face and who has sculptured those two lotus eyes?
Only My heart knows how I feel when I see Him. Who has
shaped His earrings, cut carefully in gems? My mind is fixed
on them. His nose pearl surrounded by a golden ring looks
like a moon-like white flower surrounded by lightning,
smiling from behind some blue clouds.
'His forehead is decorated with sandal tilaka and
beautiful mind-enchanting designs. He shines within My
heart. Yet My heart aches being incapable of beholding His
beautiful face to My full satisfaction. If God had given Me
the power I could continually enjoy His sweet voice. His
arms are stronger than the trunks of elephants. My youthful
body longs for the touch of His fingers. His graceful
movements rival the gait of a maddened elephant. He is an
ocean of beauty.'"
Today in Jaipur, Rajasthan Shri Rupa Goswami's original
Deities of Radha-Govindaji are forever expanding their
unlimited beauty. Everyday ten-thousand Devotees run to
attend Their mangala arotika. A prati-bhu Deity of Govindaji
resides in "new" Govindaji Temple behind the historic

masterpiece of architecture that once served RadhaGovinda in Vrindavana.

Shri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja says the Deity of RadhaGovindaji shows us how to worship Radha and Krishna.
Radha-Govindaji accept our service and give inspiration to
increase our surrender on the path of bhakti. Acting exactly
like the shiksha-guru, Govindaji directs us and gives us
opportunities to serve Him.
Some authorities claim that in 1564 Shri Rupa Goswami
entered Radha-Govindaji's nitya-lila, just twenty-seven
days after the disappearance of Shri Sanatana Goswami.
Shri Rupa Goswami's samadhi and bhajana kutir are in
Seva Kunja within the courtyard of the Radha-Damodara
Temple.
From <http://gaudiyahistory.iskcondesiretree.com/sri-rupagoswami/>

SRILA RUPA GOSWAMI

The topmost maidservant of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna is Sri Rupa Manjari

who appeared as the head of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, Srila
Rupa Goswami (1489-1588). Sri Rupa appeared in East Bengal, the so
of a pious brahmana named Kumaradeva along with his brothers,

Sanatana and Anupama. The three brothers later moved to Ramakeli

where they were solicited by the powerful Nawab Hussein Shah to join
his government. Due to their association with the Muslim king, Rupa
and Sanatana became known by the Muslim names Dabir Khas and
Sakir Mallik.

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to Ramakeli, the three brothers

petitioned the Lord to alleviate their suffering condition and grant
them His mercy. Mahaprabhu pacified them and told them that Krsna
would deliver them very soon.

Not long afterwards, an intense feeling of renunciation awakened in

the hearts of Rupa and Sanatana. Finally Rupa resigned from the
Nawabs service and sent messengers to Puri to find out when
Mahaprabhu planned to travel to Vrndavana. When the messengers
returned with the news that Mahaprabhu had left already for
Vrndavana, Rupa wrote to Sanatana and requested him to extricate
himself from the Nawabs service as soon as possible and meet him in
Prayaga. Rupa and Anupama then traveled to Prayaga where they me
Sri Caitanyadeva who was staying at the house of a South Indian
brahmana.

While in Prayaga, Mahaprabhu taught Sri Rupa the esoteric teachings

of Vaisnava philosophy at the

Dasavamedha Ghata and requested him to go to Vrndavana to

uncover Sri Krsnas pastime places and write literatures on bhakti

On the order of Mahaprabhu, Rupa Goswami traveled to Vrndavana

and stayed for one month. On the way to Puri, where they were to
meet the Lord again, Anupama left his body on the banks of the
Ganga.

Arriving in Puri, he was greeted by the Lord as well as Sri Svarupa

Damodar Goswami, Raya Ramananda and the other associates of the
Lord. All the Lords devotees considered that he was the beneficiary o
the Lords special mercy, thus he knew the heart of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. All the devotees delighted in hearing his divine
compositions.
Returning to Sri Radhadamodar Mandir, Vrindavan to carry out the
order of the Lord, he was joined by his elder brother Sanatana
Goswami whom he had not seen for more than a year. In Vrindavan,
the two brothers led an exemplary life of devotion and austerity,
writing transcendental literatures, visiting the Lord's places of
pastimes, and chanting the Holy Name. They would sleep for only an
hour and a half every day, and some days not at all. Their food was
meager and consisted of only a few fried chickpeas or a dry chapatti
just to keep body and soul together.

He was later joined by his nephew Jiva whom he initiated and to whom
he gave the Deity of Sri Damodar.

Some of his works are Hamsa-duta, Uddhava-sandesa, Krsna-janma

Tithi Vidhi, Ujjvala-nilamani, Lalita-madhava, Vidagdha-madhava,
Laghu Radha-Krsna Ganodesa-dipika, Brhad Radha-Krsna Ganodesadipika, Stavamala, Dana-keli Kaumaudi, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu,
Laghu Bhagavatamrta, Mathura-mahima, Padyavali, Nataka-candrika,
Prayuktakhyata-candrika, Upadesamrta, Siddhanta-ratna and Kavyakaustubha.

His bhajana-kutira and Samadhi-mandira are situated in the

courtyard of Sri Sri Radha Damodar Temple.
From
<http://www.radhadamodarmandir.com/srilarupagoswami.
htm>

Rupa Goswami came to Vrindavan and met Subuddhi Raya.

He took Rupa Goswami to the twelve forests of Vrindavan.
Later Rupa Goswami went to Puri with the hope of meeting
Sanatana Goswami, but Sanatana Goswami went by one

road and Rupa Goswami went by another and they

missed each other.
In Puri Rupa Goswami stayed at Haridas Thakurs siddha
bakula. They never even attempted to enter Jagannath
temple because they saw themselves unqualified. So
Lord Caitanya gave them a place where they could see the
chakra and worship Jagannath in that form. Every single
day Lord Caitanya would bring Jagannaths mahaprasad
and personally offer it to them.
Understanding the heart

During the ratha yatra, Rupa Goswami heard Lord Caitanya

singing a verse which appeared just like a conversation
between a young boy and a young girl. Rupa Goswami
wrote a commentary on this verse, kept it on the roof of
Haridas Thakurs hut and went to take his bath. Meanwhile
Lord Caitanya came there and read that verse. He was
struck with wonder and asked Swaroop Damodar
Goswami,How could Rupa Goswami understand the
confidential feelings of My heart? Swaroopa Damodar
Goswami said, It is because You have showered Your

mercy upon him. Lord Caitanya confirmed this and said,

While in Prayag, seeing the genuine humility of Rupa
Goswami, I empowered him to completely understand My
heart. When Rupa Goswami came back to the hut, he
bowed down to Lord Caitanya and Lord Caitanya asked
him, How did you know My mind? Rupa Goswami didnt
say anything and out of love, Lord Caitanya gently slapped
him.
Another day Lord Caitanya visited Rupa Goswami and saw
a particular verse he had written. Just seeing the
handwriting of Rupa Goswami, Lord Caitanya was
intoxicated. He said,Your hand writing is as beautiful as
rows of pearls. And then He read the verse. I do not know
how much nectar the two syllable krs-na have produced.
When I chant the name of krs-na I wish I had many many
tongues, when that name enters my ears I desire millions
and millions of ears and when it enters my heart it
conquers my mind and my senses become inert. Hearing
this Haridas Thakur went into ecstasy. He had never heard
anything so beautiful and comprehensive in glorification of
the holy name.
The Lord along with His most confidential associates
unanimously established Rupa Goswami as the personality
who was empowered to lead the Gaudiya Vaishnava
sampradaya and therefore Gaudiya Vaishnavas identify
themselves as Rupanugas, those who follow the teachings
and the footsteps of Sri Rupa Goswami.
From
<http://radhanathswamiyatras.com/articles/vrindavanarticles/radhanath-swami-rupa-goswami-puri/>
Srila Rupa Gosvami
The topmost maidservant of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna is Sri Rupa
Manjari who appeared as the head of the Gaudiya Vaisnava
sampradaya, Srila Rupa Goswami (1489-1588). Sri Rupa
appeared in East Bengal, the son of a pious brahmana
named Kumaradeva along with his brothers, Sanatana and

Anupama. The three brothers later moved to Ramakeli

where they were solicited by the powerful Nawab Hussein
Shah to join his government. Due to their association with
the Muslim king, Rupa and Sanatana became known by the
Muslim names Dabir Khas and Sakir Mallik.
When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to Ramakeli, the
three brothers petitioned the Lord to alleviate their
suffering condition and grant them His mercy. Mahaprabhu
pacified them and told them that Krsna would deliver them
very soon.
Not long afterwards, an intense feeling of renunciation
awakened in the hearts of Rupa and Sanatana. Finally Rupa
resigned from the Nawabs service and sent messengers to
Puri to find out when Mahaprabhu planned to travel to
Vrndavana. When the messengers returned with the news
that Mahaprabhu had left already for Vrndavana, Rupa
wrote to Sanatana and requested him to extricate himself
from the Nawabs service as soon as possible and meet
him in Prayaga. Rupa and Anupama then traveled to
Prayaga where they met Sri Caitanyadeva who was staying
at the house of a South Indian brahmana.
While in Prayaga, Mahaprabhu taught Sri Rupa the esoteric
teachings of Vaisnava philosophy at the Dasavamedha
Ghata and requested him to go to Vrndavana to uncover Sri
Krsnas pastime places and write literatures on bhakti
On the order of Mahaprabhu, Rupa Goswami traveled to
Vrndavana and stayed for one month. On the way to Puri,
where they were to meet the Lord again, Anupama left his
body on the banks of the Ganga.
Rupa Goswami Arriving in Puri, he was greeted by the Lord
as well as Sri Svarupa Damodar Goswami, Raya
Ramananda and the other associates of the Lord. All the
Lords devotees considered that he was the beneficiary of
the Lords special mercy, thus he knew the heart of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. All the devotees delighted in
hearing his divine compositions.
Returning to Vrndavana to carry out the order of the Lord,
he was joined by his elder brother Sanatana Goswami
whom he had not seen for more than a year. In Vrndavana,

the two brothers led an exemplary life of devotion and

austerity, writing transcendental literatures, visiting the
Lord's places of pastimes, and chanting the Holy Name.
They would sleep for only an hour and a half every day,
and some days not at all. Their food was meager and
consisted of only a few fried chickpeas or a dry chapatti
just to keep body and soul together.
He was later joined by his nephew Jiva whom he initiated
and to whom he gave the Deity of Sri Damodar.
From <http://gosai.com/writings/rupa-goswami>

Sri Rupa Gosvami

Srila Rupa Gosvami took his birth in 1493 A.D.
(1415, Sakabda), and disappeared at the age of 73

in 1564 A.D. (1486, Sakabda). He spent 22 years in

householder life, followed by 51 years in Vrndavana.
Rupa Gosvami is known as bhakti-rasacarya, an
expert in the tastes of pure devotional service. He
and his older brother, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, left
high posts in the government of Nawab Hussein
Shah to join Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Empowered
by Lord Caitanya, Srila Rupa Gosvami wrote many
books about the science of Krsna Consciousness. A
summary study of his Bhakti-rasasmrta-sindhu can
be found in "The Nectar of Devotion," and his
Upadesamrta is found in "The Nectar of
Instruction".
"Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then sent the two
brothers Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana
Gosvami to Vraja. By His order, they went to Sri
Vrndavana-dhama. After going to Vrndavana, the
brothers preached devotional service and
discovered many places of pilgrimage. They
specifically initiated the service of Madana-mohana
and Govindaji.
"Both Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami
brought various scriptures to Vrndavana and
collected the essence of these by compiling many
scriptures on devotional service. In this way they
delivered all rascals and fallen souls.
"The Gosvamis carried out the preaching work of
devotional service on the basis of an analytical
study of all confidential Vedic scriptures. This was in
compliance with the order of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. Thus one can understand the most
confidential devotional service of Vrndavana."
Caitanya-caritamrta, Madyam lila 1:32-34
During the Ratha-yatra ceremony Rupa Gosvami
heard a verse uttered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
during the ceremony, and he immediately composed

another verse dealing with the same subject. Only

Svarupa Damodara Gosvami knew the purpose for
which the Lord recited that verse. According to the
Lord's attitude, he used to quote other verses to
enable the Lord to relish mellows. Rupa Gosvami,
however, could understand the intention of the
Lord, and thus he composed another verse. After
writing this verse on a palm leaf, he put it
somewhere in his thatched roof and went to bathe
in the sea. At that time, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
went there to meet him, and when He saw the leaf
pushed into the roof and saw the verse, He read it
and was overwhelmed by ecstatic love. At that time
Rupa Gosvami returned and offered his obeisances.
The Lord slapped him mildly in love and said, "My
heart is very confidential. How did you know My
mind in this way?" Svarupa Damodara said, "I can
understand that You have already bestowed Your
causeless mercy upon him. No one could otherwise
understand this meaning."
Gaudiya Vaisnava Abhidhana, p. 1350-1351

Rupa Gosvami's Samadhi at Vrindaban

"In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (180) Sri Rupa

Gosvami is described to be the gopi named Sri
Rupa-manjari. In the Bhakti-ratnakara there is a list
of the books Sri Rupa Gosvami compiled. Of all his
books, the following sixteen are very popular
among Vaisnavas: (1) Hamsaduta, (2) Uddhavasandesa, (3) Krsna-janma-tithi-vidhi, (4 and 5)
Radha-krsna-ganoddesa-dipika, Brhat (major) and
Laghu (minor), (6) Stavamala, (7) Vidagdhamadhava, (8) Lalita-madhava, (9) Dana-kelikaumudi, (10) Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (this is the
most celebrated book by Sri Rupa Gosvami), (11)
Ujjvala-nilamani, (12) Akhyata-candrika, (13)
Mathura-mahima, (14) Padyavali, (15) Natakacandrika and (16) Laghu-bhagavatamrta. Sri Rupa
Gosvami gave up all family connections, joined the
renounced order of life and divided his money,
giving fifty percent to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas
and twenty-five percent to his kutumba (family
members) and keeping twenty-five percent for
personal emergencies. He met Haridasa Thakura in
Jagannatha Puri, where he also met Lord Caitanya
and His other associates. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
used to praise the handwriting of Rupa Gosvami.
Srila Rupa Gosvami could compose verses according
to the desires of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and by
His direction he wrote two books named Lalitamadhava and Vidagdha-madhava. Lord Caitanya
desired the two brothers, Sanatana Gosvami and
Rupa Gosvami, to publish many books in support of
the Vaisnava religion."
Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi lila 10:84
From
<http://www.harekrsna.com/philosophy/bmgs/goswamis/ru
pa.htm>

The Laughter of Rupa Goswami

By VimalaJuly 29, 2012Latest News, Year 1 Classroom

3
Rupa Goswami Disappearance Monday 30th July

The Laughter of Srila Rupa Goswami

From Srila Narahari Chakravartis Sri Bhakti-ratnakara, fifth
wave
bhakta-sthane sabadhana habe sarva-mate
yena kona akausala nahe tanra cite
Always be careful in your dealings with devotees and never
create any ill feelings in their hearts.
akausala ha-ile saba haya antaraya
prasanga paiya kichu kahiye ethaya
Creating ill feelings with the devotees will create
impediments on ones path. I will relate a story to reveal
this truth.
One day in Vrindavan Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada sat
rapt in meditation, feeling great bliss in his heart. While he
was sitting in his samadhi he observed a wonderful
pastime. The gopis were decorating Srimati Radharani
while Krishna stood behind Her watching. Krishna revealed
His presence to the sakhis, bringing an increasing festival
of joy to their hearts, but Radharani was unaware that He
was there. In many wonderful ways the gopis braided and

decorated Radhas hair. Then they placed a mirror before

Her. As She gazed at the beauty of Her own face,
Radharani also saw Sri Krishnas moonlike face in the
mirror. Radha became very shy and quickly covered Herself
with Her cloth. The gopis happily laughed at this, and Srila
Rupa Goswami also joined in their laughter.
Just at that moment a vaisnava arrived who was very eager
to see Rupa Goswami. Seeing Rupa laughing, the vaisnava
did not say anything, but feeling very sorrowful in his heart
he went to see Srila Sanatan Goswami. [According to the
tradition in Vrindavan, this vaisnava was a famous devotee
named Krishnadas. It is said that Krishnadas was lame and
unable to walk and that when Rupa Goswami laughed,
Krishnadas thought that he was laughing at his disability.]
The vaisnava told Sanatan, I went to see Sri Rupa, but
when he saw me he suddenly burst into laughter. My heart
filled with sorrow! I dont know why he acted in that way. I
didnt say anything, but came to ask you about it. Sri
Sanatan then explained the true reason for Rupa
Goswamis laughter. Hearing this, the vaisnava became
repentant at heart. Lamenting greatly, the vaisnava said,
Why did I approach him at that moment? Not
understanding his heart, I have offended him. The
vaisnava became very agitated. Sanatan Goswami pacified
him and made him peaceful again.
Meanwhile, when the vaisnava had felt offended, Srila Rupa
Goswami suddenly lost his vision of the Lords pastimes. He
became very disturbed and looked everywhere.
Considering the situation carefully, he concluded that
someone must have come to see him while he was
absorbed in seeing Krishnas pastimes. I did not honor the
person that came, and thereby I committed an offense.
Thinking in this way, Rupa also went to Sanatan Goswamis
place.
When he saw Prabhupada Srila Rupa Goswami coming, that
vaisnava approached him. Falling on the ground, he offered
his respects. With great humility he told Rupa, O great
soul, I have committed an offense to you. Please forgive
me. Previously when I went to see you I did not understand

that you were rapt in meditation. Standing before Srila

Rupa Goswami, the vaisnava prayed, Please be kind and
forgive me for my offense. If you are merciful to me, only
then can my heart become peaceful.
When he heard these words, Srila Rupa Goswami became
very agitated at heart. Falling to the ground, he offered
respectful obeisances to that vaisnava. Folding his hands,
he said, I have no power to say how great was the offense
that I committed to you. Please kindly forgive me.
Both devotees were very humble and both were filled with
bhakti-rasa. Forgiving each other, they both became
peaceful. The two of them then went to Srila Sanatan
Goswami. For a long time they all plunged into relishing
nectarean topics of Lord Krishna. When everyone heard
about this incident they all became filled with wonder.
Concluding this story, Srila Narahari Chakravarti cautions
everyone:
ohe bhai vaisnavete sabadhana habe
pranapana kari aparadha ksamaibe
O my brothers, please be very careful in dealing with the
vaisnavas. Beg their forgiveness for any offense with your
heart and soul.
vaisnavera dosa-drste habe sabadhana
nirantara karibe vaisnavera guna-gana
Be careful not to see a vaisnavas faults, and always sing
their glories.
purva purva bhagavata-gana ei kaya
vaisnavera kriya-mudra vijne na bujhaya
All of the previous great devotees have said, No one can
understand the behavior of a vaisnava.
sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu priya-bhakta-dvare
anyere dilena siksa ei ta prakare
Although Srila Rupa Goswami is a highly elevated devotee
very dear to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord used him
to teach all of us of the dangers of vaisnava aparadha.
bhakta-.-padma dhari mastaka-upara
bhakti-rasa-sayare dubaha nirantara

Hold the devotees lotus feet to your head and always dive
in the nectar of pure devotional service.
From <http://www.harekrishna.school.nz/the-laughter-ofrupa-goswami>

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NITAAI-Veda.nyf > All Scriptures By Acharyas > Biographical Works >
The Six Goswamis > Srila Rupa Goswami
Shrila Rupa Goswami
Today I was asked to speak something on the life of Shrila
Rupa Goswami. Our Sampradaya is called Rupanuga
Sampradaya, which means that all devotees in our
Sampradaya are meant to very carefully follow the
teachings of Shrila Rupa Goswami. Lord Krishna appeared
5000 years ago and spoke the Gita. The teachings of
Bhagavad Gita are eternal i.e. without beginning or end.
However, Krishna out of His causeless mercy and great
compassion performed His wonderful pastimes and
reiterated His divine Message for all the suffering souls
within this world. 500 years ago that same Krishna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all Avatars
appeared in His original Transcendental nature as Lord Shri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is considered to be the most
munificent of all incarnations. The reason is that Krishna
wanted to taste the sweet ecstasy of Shrimati Radharani's
love. Shrimati Radharani is HIadini shakti, the pleasure
potency of the Lord. It is from Her alone that Krishna
derives all of His transcendental pleasure. Krishna wanted
to experience the love of Radharani, so He appeared as
Lord Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with the
complexion and the mood of devotion of Radharani. He
wanted to give the same Love to anyone and everyone
without discrimination through the propagation of the Yuga
Dharma, which is the con-gregational chanting of the Holy
Names of Krishna: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna
Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare-Rama Ftama Rama
Hare Hare

Lord Chaitanya personally wrote only eight Verses that we

know today as the Siksastakam. However, He personally
entrusted and empowered Shrila Rupa Goswami to very
carefully propagate through the writing of transcendental
literatures, the very basics of His teachings. Shrila Rupa
Goswami's writings and his example is the inspiring force
behind our sampradaya. Therefore His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada before pursuing the
fulfillment of his Guru Maharaja, Bhakti Siddhanta
Saraswati Thakur's, mission of spreading the teachings of
Lord Chaitanya all over the world in the English language,
lived in Radha Damodar Temple in order to be right beside
the samadhi-mandir of Shrila Rupa Goswami.
In Vaishnava culture, we understand that the personality is
within his samadhi. It is a very forceful presence even after
His disappearance. By praying and worshipping the great
acharyas at their samadhi we can be fully confident that
they hear our prayers and bestow their bJessings upon us.
Shrila Prabhupada would pray, everyday, at Shrila Rupa
Goswami's samadhi-mandir in Vrindavan to give Him the
necessary potency to perform the extraordinary service of
spreading Krishna Consciousness all overthe world. Lord
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Shri!a Rupa
Goswami and told him to compile the instructions in the
form of a book and practice them in his life- Shrila
Prabhupada began his writings of Shrimad Bhagavatam
just at the lotus feet of Shrila Rupa Goswami. How
important the blessings of Shrila Rupa Goswami are for
each and every one of us! How can we describe the
glorious life of such a transcendental personality, who has
descended from the spiritual world?
I am quite ashamed to even make such an attempt. But at
the request of Vaishnavas I beg your permission to try,
according to my small capacity. We are all insignificant. For
someone so small as myself to describe the Lord's and his
devotees' glories is like a bird trying to reach the limits of
the sky! How far can we go? What justice can we do?
However for our own purification we will make some
attempt. In the Adi Lila of Chaitanya Charitamrita, Shri

Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami explains that on the western

side of the tree of Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the
43rd, 44th, 45th branches were Shrila Sanatana Goswami,
Shrila Rupa Goswami and Anupama and they are the best
of them all.
The Genealogy of Shrila Rupa Goswami
Shrila Jiva Goswami explains the genealogical history of
Shrila Rupa Goswami's family. Shrila Rupa Goswami was
born in the Saraswat brahman community in Karnataka in
the Bharadwaja Gotra - the family line of the great rishi
Bharadwaja Muni. In the 12th century Sakabda era, there
was a great King of Karnataka named Sarvagya Jagadguru.
He was a Yajur Vedi, a great scholar of the Vedas. He was a
brahmin and he had so much influence and power that
even all the other kings would respect him. He had a son
named Aniruddha Deva who was said to possess the spirit
of Indra and the fame of Chandra, god of the moon. He was
a great devotee and a great scholar of the Vedic literatures.
Anirudha Deva had two sons the elder son was named
Rupeshwar. He was famous for Ms great great learning of
the scriptures. The younger son was named Hari Hara and
he was a master of the art and science of weapons. Just
after they were married. Anirudha Deva disappeared from
this world and Hari Hara, the younger son, usurped the
entire kingdom and took away all power and possessions
from his older brother, Rupeshwar. So Rupeshwar and his
wife boarded a chariot led by eight horses and traveled out
of Karnataka towards Orissa and Bengal, where they
settled down. They had a son named Padmanabha, who
was very beautiful and virtuous and a very pure devotee of
Lord Jagannath. Padmanabha decided to settle near the
Ganga in a place called Namahatta. He performed a very
great yajna and as a result he received 18 daughters and 5
sons. The youngest son was named Mukunda Deva.
Mukunda Deva had several children. One of them, named
Kumar Deva, was a very great devotee. He had some
family problems, so he moved to Bangladesh to a place
called Baklachandra dvipa. He also built a house in a place

called Fatiabad, because many Vaishnavas lived there and

he wanted to have their association. He married a very
young and chaste lady, Revati Devi. From Kumar Dasa and
Ftevati Devi several children were born. Three of whom are
illustrious, the greatest among all Vaishnavas and whom
we know as Shrila Sanatana Goswami, Shrila Rupa
Goswami and Anupama.
It is said, at that time Santana Goswami was named Amara,
Rupa Goswami was
Santosh and Anupama was Shri Vatlabha. They had
physical beauty, mental clarity. natural compassion and
love for every living being and an unlimited ocean of
devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They
were also the greatest of all scholars. They mastered
Sanskrit, Arabic and all of the local languages. At that time,
Bengal was under the Moghul rule and the emperor or the
King was named Nawab Hussain Shah. His ministers told
him, "If you want the Hindu population to be co-operative
with you, you must have Rupa and Sanatana as your
ministers." So he persuaded them by pressurizing them, "If
you accept the positions of my ministers, 1 will protect you
and give Vaishnavas and Hindus freedom. If you do not. I
will persecute you and torture'all the Vaishnavas and
Hindus alike."
So with this unfortunate burden upon their hearts
Sanatana, Rupa and Shri Vallabha decided, out of
compassion, that they must serve the king. They were such
incredible ministers that the king made SanatansrSoswami
the Prime Minister of Bengal and Rupa Goswami was made
the Home Minister. He was so pleased with their efficiency
and good nature that he accepted them as his own
younger brothers and divided the entire kingdom with
them. He gave them tremendous amounts of wealth. They
settled in a place called Ramkeli and there they had
constructed beautiful, opulent palaces. They had so much
money and treasures but they always felt so ashamed and
contaminated that they were serving the king. They were
always in deep separation from Krishna and Vrindavan.
They did not know what to do. They heard that Lord Shri

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had appeared and in their heart of

hearts they had understood that he was Shri Krishna
Himself. They wrote several letters to Him, asking Him, "We
want to surrender our lives to your mission, to you, what
should we do?" But they received no reply for some time.
In their natural devotion to Radha and Krishna they
constructed within their estate, what they called Gupta
Vrindavan or the hidden land of Vrindavan, a replica of
Vrindavan. They constructed Syama Kunda and Radha
Kunda and a beautiful forest called Kadamba Kanana. They
also constructed many wonderful places depicting Krishna's
lilas and would spend their days just roaming through
Gupta Vrindavan in separation of Krishna. Immersed in
thinking of his wonderful pastimes, they would simply cry
in ecstatic love. They also installed a beautiful deity by the
name Madan Mohan. Day and night they were immersed in
thinking of Madan Mohan and worshipping Him with great
love and devotion. They built an assembly house and in
that house they would invite Vaishnavas and great scholars
of Vedas from all over the country.
They were so loved and known by everyone that from all
parts of this great country scholars and Vaishnavas would
come, but especially those from Navadwipa dham. When
they would come, Rupa and Sanatana and Anupam would
respect them. It is described that when they would sit in
the courts with all of these professors, they looked like
Indra in the heavenly planets. They had such opulence and
beauty that many people gathered around them, honoring
and respecting them. Yet they were so humble that just by
smiling at people they would completely capture their
hearts. Rupa and Sanatana Goswami would love anyone
who would come in contact with them and make that
person more dear than their own lives. Even though they
were so wealthy with such high positions they did not have
even a grain of pride within their heart. They would get off
their seats and very humbly honor and worship with the
most intimate hospitality any guest, no matter who they
were and what their status may have been. They would
arrange nice facilities and build houses for them on the

banks of the Ganges. They would spend so much of their

money just to serve the devotees and their minds were
fixed just on humbly serving. Recently, we went to Ramkeli
and we bathed in Rupa Sagar and Sanatana Sagar. These
are the two beautiful bathing places that Rupa and
Sanatana excavated. They live in this way and accepted
Sarvananda Vidya Vacaspati who was the brother of Shrila
Sarvabauma Bhattacharya, a pure, unalloyed devotee of
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as their spiritual guide.
Vidyavacaspati would regularly come to Ramkeli to give
instructions to Rupa, Sanatana and Shri Vallabha
(Anupama).
Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu during his first (or actually
His second) attempt to visit Vrindavan decided to take a
route which was not at all on the way to Vrindavan,
specifically because he wanted to give his mercy to Rupa
and Sanatana Goswami. As Lord Shri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu was travelling from Kuliagram in Navadvipa
towards Ramkeli hundreds and thousands of people
followed Him wherever He went and He would induce
everyone to raise their arms very high and very loudly
chant the holy names of Krishna. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Ftama
Rama Hare Hare
Whoever saw the beauty of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's
dancing and whoever accepted his mercy in the form of the
Hare Krishna Mahamantra would find their hearts swelling
with uncontrollable ecstatic love for Krishna. When He
came to Ramkeli there were huge crowds of people around
him, all chanting and dancing. Ramkeli was the capital city
of Nawab Hussain Shah, who did not bother the Hindus as
long as they did not publicly enact any of their religious
ceremonies, otherwise he was very cruel. If & person of a
higher caste touched his shadow or even touched wind that
had touched him, they would Jump in the Ganges to
become purified. He was so cruel and wicked. However,
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was fearlessly dancing and
chanting, with hundreds and thousands and at times
millions and millions of people through the village of

Ramkeli. And the Nawab Hussain Shah heard that

something was happening. A policeman came to him and
said, "Someone has to come to our kingdom. He is
beautiful, He has a complexion like resplendent gold. He
has beautiful eyes like lotus petals, His neck is like that of a
lion, His limbs are like an elephant's, He has a very thin
waist and His eyebrows are like the bows of Kandarpa. And
by His mere glance He is intoxicating people with the love
of God. How He dances! He is constantly crying. I do not
know how many rivers are flowing through his beautiful
eyes! And His limbs are trembling, His hairs are standing on
end and sometimes He shouts so loud it sounds like
thunder and when He jumps in the air and falls to the
ground, all the rocks and stones are broken into pieces yet
his body which appears to be softer than butter is never
harmed.
This great prophet who has come to your kingdom has
completely intoxicated everyone - the Hindus, the Muslims,
everyone. With their arms raised, people are dancing in
ecstasy and shouting the holy names of Krishna : Hare
Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama
Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
I have seen many sannyasis, babas and saintly persons of
so many different religions but no one who has the power,
the beauty and the influence of this person's love. I think
that we are fortunate that he has come."
So the king decided to consult with Keshav Khan. He said "I
heard that a sannyasi has come to our kingdom, do you
know anything about him?" Keshav Khan replied, "Actually
He is just a beggar. People are exaggerating His glories, He
is just roaming from here to there, begging for some alms
and a few people may be following him, but He is a very
ordinary person." Keshav Khan said this because he knew
who Lord Chaitanya was and he did not want the king to
become envious.
Just by hearing the glories of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and
without even seeing him, Nawab Hussain Shah's heart
became so transcendentally affected, that he said to
Keshav Khan, "What are you saying? Do you not know that

who the Vedas call Krishna, and who the Kuran calls Allah,
that same Supreme truth, the Personality of Godhead, the
cause of all causes, the ultimate worshipable object of
everyone has come to our kingdom to give the love of God
and you are calling him an ordinary person! This is a great
offense. On this day I proclaim a law, that this sannyasi,
this great prophet be allowed to dance and chant wherever
he wants and he can preach anywhere. He shall not be
disturbed in any way. I will personally torture and take that
man's life who disturbs him - whether he be a Kazi, a
policeman, or a politician . Let Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
preach to his heart's content."
Then Nawab Hussain Shah called for Shrila Rupa Goswami
and asked him, "Do you know about this prophet who has
come to our kingdom?" Rupa Goswami replied, "He is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is only by His mercy
that you have this kingdom. Whatever success and
opulence you have received, is only by His blessings. He is
very favourable towards you and by His mercy you will be
victorious where ever you go. But you are the king and the
representative of God, yet why are you asking me who he
is? You should understand with your own mind." The Nawab
Hussain Shah replied, "With my own mind, 1 have
understood that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
There is no doubt about it."
Then Shrita Rupa Goswami returned to his residence. He,
Sanatana Goswami and Shri Vallabha contemplated on how
to go to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In the dead of the
night, they went to the place that Lord Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu was performing his glorious kirtans with
millions of people. Lord Chaitanya was dancing and
chanting in a place where there is Tamal tree and a
Kadamba tree. Millions of people singing and dancing in
ecstasy for days and days. The devotees were thinking,
"This is not sate because Nawab Hussain Shah could at any
moment change his mind and he is very cruel. He has
heard good things about the Lord. But if he hears bad
things it is not good." So they sent a messenger to Lord
Chaitanya, "There is no need for you to stay in the town of

the king." When Lord Chaitanya would perform kirtans, He

would be so absorbed in the Holy Name, that He would not
speak to anyone. It could be anything, it did not matter
what kind of emergency had arisen, he would not consider
anything but Hari Nama. This was His absorption. The
messenger stood there with the message, waiting for a
moment to speak to the Lord, he waited all day and all
night and finally he had to go. He passed on the message
to Lord Chaitanya's intimate associates. Even they could
not give Him the message. Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu was
simply dancing in ecstatic love, so beautifully with his arms
raised, inducing all the millions of people of Ramkeli to
chant the Holy Names of the Lord : Hare Krishna Hare
Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Pama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
After some time Shri Gaurasundar read the hearts of the
devotees, and stopped the kirtans. He said "Why are you
afraid of this king? Whose power does the king imbibe? If 1
do not give him the power to speak he cannot even speak
a word to Me, If I do not give him the power to walk he
cannot come here. I have descended from the spiritual
world to give the Holy name of Krishna and pure love of
God to everyone and anyone wtio will accept it." And it was
at Ramkeli that Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, spoke the
famous verse that we quote all the time "In every town and
every village throughout the world, My name will be
chanted." Then Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in response to
the desire of Vaishnavas, stopped the kirtans and rested
under a tamal tree.
Rupa and Sanatana meet Lord Chaitanya
In the dead of night, Rupa, Sanatana and Anupama came
to the place of Chaitanya, incognito. They first met Lord
Nityananda and Shrila Haridas Thakur and after offering
their most humble obeisances to these great souls, they
revealed their hearts to them. Nityananda Prabhu and
Haridas Thakur brought them to Lord Shri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu and introduced them. Rupa, Sanatana and
Anupama took bunches of straw and placed it between

their teeth. Then they wrapped cloths around their necks

and fell like sticks to the ground offering dandavats and lay
on the ground weeping and crying in total humility and
surrender. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally lifted
them up.
The three brothers then began to speak, "You have
descended, to deliver the most fallen. You are the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, but You will net find anyone so
fallen as us. We are abominable, we are addicted to the
most sinful activities and we are ashamed to stand before
You. And even more ashamed to try to expiain how sinful
we are, all we have is shame. We are more sinful and more
fallen than even Jagai and Madhai. Although Jagai and
Madhai may have been addicted to all types of sinful
activities, they were great brahmins from Navadvip. And in
the form of blaspheming You they chanted Your Holy
Names and by that chanting of Your Holy Name, they easily
became purified. However, Jagai and Madhai never
performed the most sinful activity ot becoming the
servants of Miechchas and Yavanas, but we are addicted to
that. Our company is abominable, our service is
abominable, our lives are bondemned. You have descended
to deliver the most fallen- Please hear the one thing we
would like to tell You. It is true that You will find no one
more fallen than us. If You deliver us, Your fame for being
Patit Pavana would spread throughout the universe. We
have no qualifications to receive Your mercy. However like a
dwarf that wants to capture the moon, we have no means
of reaching you, but we hope. pray and beg for Your
causeless mercy. Please accept us. Please allow us to
surrender ourselves at Your lotus feet."
When Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard the humility of
Rupa and Sanatana, He began to cry in ecstasy and He
embraced them and said. "Please stop speaking in this way.
Your humility is breaking My heart." Then Lord Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu again embraced them and placed His feet
upon their heads. Lord Chaitanya said, "You are My old
servants", Lord Chaitanya revealed to them that they were
His eternal servants, "and today 1 give you the names

Rupa. Sanatana and Anupama. Please, know that Krishna

has heard your prayers and He will certainly deliver you.
Always remember Krishna."
At that time Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis appealed to the
Lord that it was not safe. living so close to Nawab Hussain
Shah. They said, "He is a very dangerous and violent man.
You are going to Vrindavan with so many hundreds and
thousands of people. But Vrindavan is a solitary place and
You would appreciate it if You go by Yourself or with one or
two of your associates. Then placing His feet on the head of
Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami and Anupama with
great, great love, Lord Chaitanya left Ramkeli for Kanhai
natashala.
In Kanhai natshala He thought, "It is very much like
Vrindavan. The beautiful trees and forests appear just like
those on the bank of the holy river Ganga." When Lord
Chaitanya was in Kanhai natshala, he could feet the
presence of Vrindavan and He was experiencing the
ecstasy of the lila of Radha and Krishna. However, all the
hundreds and thousands of people were breaking trees and
making so much noise that Lord Chaitanya thought, "What
Rupa and Sanatana told me is correct. I should go to
Vrindavan alone or with one or two others." Then Lord
Chaitanya proclaimed to his devotees, "1 will go back to
Jagannath Puri."
When Lord Chaitanya met with Rupa and Sanatana at
Ramkeli, Nityananda Prabhu , Haridas Thakur , Shrivas
Pandit , Gadadhar Pandit, Vakreshwar Pandit and Murari
Gupta were also present, Rupa and Sanatana, on the order
of Lord Chaitanya, fell at the lotus feet of these devotees
and all of them embraced Rupa and Sanatana and blessed
them. Lord Chaitanya requested all the Vaishnavas to
shower their blessings on these great souls. When Lord
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu returned to Jagannath Purl, he
began to explain to all his devotees in Puri, "When 1 was in
Ramkeli, I met two brothers and I have bestowed my most
intimate mercy upon them because of their humility and
pure devotional qualities."

After Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left, Rupa, Sanatana and

Anupama decided, "We cannot take it any longer. We shall
go to Vrindavan, which is Lord Chaitanya's desire. We will
give up our government services." So they hired two
brahmins and paid them lots of money to perform various
ritualistic ceremonies tor the purpose of getting the
blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to escape
from all their material entanglements. They were
constantly immersed in reading Shrimad Bhagavatam and
having beautiful kirtan of the Holy Names of Krishna. Hare
Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama
Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Rupa Goswami leaves Government service
Rupa Goswami took all his treasures and wealth and loaded
them into boats. He and his younger brother, Anupama, left
for their ancestral home at Fatiabad, where they distributed
their wealth. Shrila Prabhupada explains that the way they
distributed their wealth is the exemplary process by which
grihasthas should also distribute their wealth. They sent
two messengers to Jagannath Puri because they heard that
Lord Chaitanya was going on another trip to Vrindavan and
they wanted to join Him. These messengers went to
Jagannath Puri to find out what Lord Chaitanya's plan was.
They came back and said, "Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
has already left for Vrindavan." Rupa Goswami and
Anupama immediately decided to go and wrote a letter to
Shrita Sanatana Goswami. Sanatana Goswami being the
Prime Minister felt obliged to stay on for some time. Nawab
Hussain Shah had much love and affection for Sanatana
Goswami. The Goswamis were dear to both the gentle and
the ruffians. Even the most terrible, violent, hateful demons
loved Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami. Rupa
Goswami sent a letter that said "Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
has gone to Vrindavan. Anupama and I are immediately
leaving to join Lord Chaitanya in Vrindavan. You should
come to us as soon as you can. Meet us in Vrindavan. If you
require help, 1 have left 10,000 gold coins for you."

Meanwhile, Sanatana Goswami stopped going to his office

and would Just stay at home reading and chanting Shrimad
Bhagavatam all day with many great devotees. Nawab
Hussain Shah came to his home and when he saw him, he
said, "You said you were sick. You are not sick. You are just
studying Shrimad Bhagavatam ail day. Whal about all the
duties I have given you? Your elder brother (referring to
himself) is very fond of going out and killing and he needs
your help."
Sanatana Goswami said, "I will not help, 1 resign. You
cannot count on me for any service, you can punish me in
any way you like." So Nawab Hussain Shah put him in
prison. But by the arrangement of Rupa Goswami he was
able to bribe the prison guard with the gold coins and he
was freed from the prison.
Lord Chaitanya meets Rupa Goswami at Prayag
Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahapraohu went to Vrindavan and on
His way back, stopped at the holy place. Prayag, often
called Prayagraj, considered within Vedic literatures the
king of holy places. This is the place where the holy rivers
Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati converge and there is the
Magha mela and Kumbha mela. When Lord Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu came to Prayag it was month of Magh i.e.
January-February and although these two big powerful
rivers, Ganga &Yamuna, meet here they were never able to
flood the city of Prayag. But Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,
leading the masses of hundreds and thousands and
millions of people in kirtan flooded Prayag with the ocean
of Krishna Prema. He inundated everyone. Rupa Goswami
and Anupama were travelling to Vrindavan, but when they
came to Prayag all of a sudden they heard millions and
millions of people very loudly chanting the Holy name of
Shri Krishna: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
They went to the temple of Veni Madhava and at that
temple before the beautiful deity of Shri Veni Madhava, Shri
Gauranga Mahaprabhu with his beautiful golden form, arms
extending below his knees, was dancing in ecstatic love,

weeping and crying and calling out to everyone "Please

chant the holy names of Krishna...." Hare Krishna Hare
Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
There were tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands,
millions, countless people chanting and dancing and
staring with fixed attention at the beautiful golden form of
Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Some were crying, some were
rolling on the ground, some were lumping, some were
offering obeisances to each other. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
inundated everyone with Krishna PremaFrom a distance Rupa Goswami and Anupama offered their
prostrated obeisances to the Lord. After some time, a
Deccan Brahmana approached Lord Chaitanya and invited
him to his house for prasad. Lord Chaitanya ended the
kirtan and went to this brahman's house and there he sat
in a secluded place. Shrila Rupa Goswami and Shrila
Anupama came and they saw him there all alone. From a
little distance, they put clumps of straw in their teeth and
bowed down to offer their obeisances. When Lord
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw them he called them, "Please
come Rupa Goswami, please come Anupama" and again He
embraced them and placed His lotus feet on their heads.
He asked Rupa Goswami "Where is your brother, Sanatana
Goswami? Tell me about him." Rupa Goswami replied that
he had been arrested and is now in the prison of Nawab
Hussain Shah. Rupa Qoswami said, "If you give him your
blessings only then can he be rescued." Lord Chaitanya
said, "He has already been freed from the prison by mercy
of Lord Krishna and soon you will meet him agam."
Lord Chaitanya bestowed His great blessings upon them
and then Balabhadra Bhattacharya, who was the servant of
Lord Chaitanya, gave the remnants of Lord Chaitanya's
prasad to Rupa Goswami and Anupama. After taking prasad
Lord Chaitanya decided to reside close to the confluence of
the two rivers, Ganga and Yamuna. Rupa Goswami and
Anupama decided to make their residence right beside Lord
Chaitanya's. One day a very great and famous devotee and
scholar Vallabha Bhatta came to Lord Chaitanya's

residence. Understanding Lord Chaitanya's supremely

exalted position, he worshipped Lord Chaitanya and invited
Him to his home in a village called Adaila, across on the
other bank of Yamuna. Rupa Goswami and Anupama
offered their prostrated obeisances to Vallabha Bhatta from
a distance. When Vallabha Bhatt saw them he went to
greet them and they started to run away. They said, "No,
no we are sinful, we are most condemned. We are the most
fallen and contaminated. You should not touch us."
When Lord Chaitanya saw the genuine humility of Rupa
Goswami and Anupama, He was very pleased, and He said
to Vallabha Bhat, "What they are saying is correct;
you should not touch them because you are a very high
caste brahmin and an aristocrat. If you touch them, you will
become polluted." Vallabha Bhatta said, "They are
constantly chanting the names of Krishna, this I can see,
therefore they are exalted. Even if one, who is born in the
lowest family of chandalas, chants the Holy names o'
Krishna, he is better than a Brahmana. He can become a
guru and he can deliver the whole universe. But if one born
in the Brahmin family does not chant the holy names he
cannot deRver even himself." Upon seeing their incredible
humility and devotior;
Vallabha Bhatt began to glorify Rupa and Anupama.
Then they decided to go across the Yamuna to Adaila. On
the boat were Sr, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Balabhadra
Bhattacharya, Shrila Rupa Goswami and S' Anupama. When
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw the beautiful dark waters
of the hoi Yamuna, he immediately became intoxicated
with the thoughts of Radha and Krishna. He just made a
tumultuous sound began to just cry out and then He
jumped into the river and felt unconscious. There was a
great commotion. All the devotees in the boat somehow or
the other jumped into the river, dragged Him and put Him
back on the boat
The Lord came to consciousness and upon seeing the
beautiful waters of the Yamuna - the liquid nectar of Bhakti
- began to chant the Holy Names, raising his arms very
high and dancing in ecstasy. When Mahaprabhu would

dance, He could sometimes in ecstatic love be lighter than

a cotton swab and sometimes when they would touch the
ground, each ot His feet would be heavier than the
universe. As Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing and
dancing this little boat started rocking back and forth, back
and forth and as it was rocking, more and more water was
filling the boat. The boat was practically filled with water
and was on the verge of sinking. The devotees did not
know what to do. Finally Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, out of
His causeless mercy, stopped dancing, He restrained
Himself and just before the boat sank it reached the shore.
There Shri Vallabha Bhatta worshipped the Lord with much
puja paraphernalia and honored him and gave him nice
prasad. He gave the remnants to Shrila Rupa Goswami and
Shri Anupama. Vallabha Bhatta decided "1 will not take
Gauranga Mahaprabhu back across the Yamuna. 1 will take
Him across the Ganga, where He would not be quite so
ecstatic."
There were many people at the confluence of Prayag
because it was the month of Magha and it was very
crowded. So Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took Shri Rupa
Goswami and Shri Anupama to a secluded place,
Dasashwamedh Ghat. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sat down
with Shrila Rupa Goswami and decided to impart the
essence of all transcendental knowledge into his heart. But
before speaking, Shrila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami
explains, Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally
entered into the heart of Shrila Rupa Goswami to give him
the power to fully understand and realize everything. Lord
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Rupa Goswami for 10
days at Dasashvamedha Ghat.
Lord Chaitanya instructs Rupa Goswami
He said, "My dear Rupa Goswami, devotional service to
Krishna is like an unlimited ocean. And I am going to make
an attempt to describe to you a portion of one drop of that
ocean of bhakti. There are 8.4 millions species within the
material universe. There are innumerable universes. To
achieve the rare fortune of the human birth is very. very

special. However, in this human life most people are

uncivilized, which means that they do not follow the
principles of religion. Of those of who follow the principles
of religion many are just following the path of Karma
Kanda, which means that they are worshipping some
demigod or gods for the purpose of material benefits. It is
very rare to find even one who strives for the
transcendental state of consciousness. And among those
who are aspiring to go beyond this material world are many
impersonalists who strive for liberation. It is very rare to
find even a single devotee of the Lord and only such a pure
devotee can achieve real spiritual happiness. Every other
state of consciousness and every other fulfillment of goals
of religion is superficial or artificial. It is the nature of the
soul to love Krishna because the soul's constitutional
position is as the eternal servant of Krishna. After evolving
through many universes and many species of life one gets
the mercy of Krishna and he is most fortunate when he or
she meets a bonafide spiritual master. Through the mercy
of the spiritual master, the bhakti lata biia, the seed of
devotion is planted within the heart. One must be very
careful to protect and nourish that seed. We must nourish
the seed by watering it through the process of hearing the
glories, the pastimes and teachings of the Lord through his
devotees and by constantly chanting the Holy Names of
Krishna.
As we are watering the seed of devotion, we must be very
conscientious because many weeds will grow along with
that seed of bhakti. If those weeds get too much strength,
they will choke the growth of the original creeper of bhakti.
And what are those weeds? Desire for profit, desire for
adoration, false pride, lust, envy, anger, greed. As soon as
one sees these weeds we, the gardener, must be very
careful to uproot them. We must build a little fence around
that tender creeper of devotion by living a very pure life no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling and no meat
eating. But the greatest danger to the survival of the seed
of devotion is hasti aparadh, the mad elephant offence,
which is, when you offend a Vaishnava. Offence to a

Vaishnava is like letting a big, mad elephant into your

garden. He will leave everything in shambles. Therefore, as
we are watering the seed of devotion through hearing and
chanting and engaging in nine processes of devotional
service, we must be very careful to always honor and
respect the devotees and never offend them.
As the seed grows through the chanting of the Holy Names
and service to the Vaishnavas the creeper pierces through
all the layers of material existence, goes beyond this earth,
beyond the heavenly planets, beyond Brahma loka and
even beyond the viraja which is the border between the
spiritual and material worlds. Then it enters into the
Brahma jyoti, the spiritual sky. The gardener continues to
offer the water of hearing and chanting and the process of
devotional service and the creeper grows up to the
Vaikuntha planets, and beyond all the Vaikuntha planets to
Goloka Vrindavan, the topmost of all attainments in
spiritual life. There that creeper approaches the beautiful
lotus feet of Lord Krishna and then bears fruit - that fruit is
Krishna prema, pure, unmo-tivated, uninterrupted love for
the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna. When Krishna accepts that
fruit then the gardener drinks the ambrosia! juice and is
eternally satisfied."
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu began to explain to Shrila
Rupa Goswami, in great details, the science of devotional
service, the difference between aisvarya bhava of
Vaikuntha and the madhurya bhava of Goloka Vrindavan,
the superior position of Krishna over all other
manifestations of Godhead. He also explained the various
rasas: the rasa of neutrality, dasya rasa, how to become a
perfect and pure servant of Krishna. How one can elevate
one's consciousness to Sakhya rasa, being the intimate
loving friend of Krishna and elevated above that is Vatsalya
rasa where you love Krishna just as a parent loves his child
and the ultimate of all spiritual perfection is the madhurya
rasa or the conjugal love of gopis.
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explained all of these things
and then He told Shrila Rupa Goswami, "Now I want you to
expand them and write literatures. ! want you to go to

Vrindavan" then He embraced Rupa Goswami and bathed

him with His own tears. The next morning Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu decided to go to Varanasi and Rupa Goswami
started to follow him but Lord Chaitanya turned to him and
Rupa Goswami appealed to him, "Please, I cannot bear
separation from you. Let me come to Varanasi with you."
But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, "I have given you a
service. Now you go to Vrindavan search out,the holy
places of Krishna's beautiful pastimes, excavate those holy
places and make Vrindavan a holy place of pilgrimage.
Construct temples and conduct beautiful deity worship.
Discover the ancient deities that are lying hidden in
Vrindavan and install them in your temples, teach the
world the Vrindavan way of worship and write
transcendental literatures. With the knowledge I have given
you, extract the essence of pure, unalloyed devotion from
all the various Vedic literatures and scriptures and expand
the cult of unalloyed devotion of Vrindavan to the whole
world. By your own personal behavior and through your
writings establish the proper etiquette that Vaishnavas
should live by."
Lord Chaitanya gave to Shrila Rupa Goswami these four
instructions and then sent him to Vrindavan. After giving
this order to Rupa Goswami Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
boarded on a boat, which was going to Varanasi. Shrila
Rupa Goswami could not even conceive how he would live
in separation from the Lord and fell to the ground,
unconscious, A Deccan Brahmin somehow or the other
picked him up and brought him to his house. Upon
recovering Shrila Rupa Goswami and Shri Anupama
departed for Vrindavan.
Subuddhi Raya
When they arrived in Vrindavan, they met an old friend
called Subuddhi Raya. Subuddhi Raya was a very powerful
landowner in Bengal. He was a very generous person and
also a very great devotee. He actually loved and cared for
his servant just like his own son. One day the servant, on
his order, was excavating a lake and he made a mistake.

Servants often make mistakes. Subuddhi Raya hit him with

a whip to teach him properly and thus made a scar on his
body. Later on, that servant became Nawab Hussain Shah.
The Muslim emperor appointed him as the King of Bengal.
One day his wife saw that there was a scar on his body
which was interfering with her sense gratification and
asked him "What happened to you?" He explained that
"Subuddhi Raya was my previous master, he was so nice to
me, he was like my father, but I made a bad mistake and
so he punished me." The wife became very angry, "He
must die. You must kill him." He replied, "I cannot kill him. I
love him. He is like my..."She interrupted, "You must kill
him". He continued, "He is like my father." She persisted.
"You must do what I want you to do."
What do you do when your wife is like that? You cannot live
with her and you cannot live without her! This is the
ongoing dilemma. Of course, the wife thinks the same thing
about her husband too! Well. It was decided and agreed
upon by his wife that to cause him to lose his caste is
worse than death. So Nawab Hussain Shah took water that
was used by a Muslim and from that pot he sprinkled some
drops on Subuddhi Raya. In those days, the Hindu caste
system was so strong that if water from a Muslim's pot
touches you, you "become an outcaste and you are not
allowed in any temples, perform any Hindu rituals, no one
will touch you, or even associate with you. So he did not
know what to do.
He went to Varanasi, approached many pandits and
Brahmins and asked "Someone sprinkled water from a
Muslim's pot on my head. What should I do?" So various
brahmins came together and began to research and came
to the conclusion, 'There is only one auspicious thing for
you to do. You should drink burning hot ghee and then you
will die. But because you died due to drinking pure cow's
ghee, you will take your next birth as a Hindu." So he asked
other Brahmins in Varanasi, and they said, "No, no you
don't have to drink hot ghee." He kept getting different
opinions. Everyone he asked gave a different opinion. While
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in Varanasi he approached

Lord Chaitanya and told Him the whole story. Lord

Chaitanya said, "Just go to Vrindavan and chant the Holy
names of Krishna, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna
Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare
Hare
Subuddhi Raya gave up everything and immediately went
to Vrindavan. There he was always chanting the Holy
names of Krishna and worshipping Lord Gauranga in his
heart of hearts. He was such a humble devotee. He would
always be in the mood of serving devotees. He would
spend hours everyday in the forest collecting pieces of dry
wood that were laying on the ground. Then he would sell it
in Mathura and get little money. Whenever the devotees of
Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu from Bengal came to
Vrindavan they usually had a stomach disorder. Bengalis
are accustomed to eating rice, but in Vrindavan when you
beg you get only rotis, no rice, so they would have bad
stomachs. He would buy yogurt or dahi and help them to
cure their stomach ailments. Subuddhi Raya would also buy
mustard oil and give them massages. He would somehow
find some nice residence for them, and serve the devotees
with much humility, devotion and care. He would love to
take them on parikrama to the 12 forests of Vrindavan.
Shrila Rupa Goswami was greeted by Subuddhi Raya. Rupa
Goswami stayed for one month in Vrindavan. During that
one month Subuddhi Raya took him to all 12 forests and
showed him the wonderful places of Krishna's pastimes.
While Shrila Rupa Goswami was in Vrindavan an idea came
to his mind, "I will write a drama and in that drama I will
describe the beautiful pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan and
Dwarka." Then he decided he should go to find Shrila
Sanatana Goswami- So he left Vrindavan and Subuddhi
Raya to go to Puri to see Lord Chaitanya, Actually in Prayag
Lord Chaitanya had said to Rupa Goswami, "You go to
Vrindavan and see Sanatana Goswami. Later on along
with Anupama you come to Puri to meet Me."
So on Lord Chaitanya's order he was going to Puri along
with Anupama. And they traveled by the road along the
bank of the Ganges. Meanwhile, Shriia Sanatana Goswami

had met Lord Chaitanya in Varanasi. For two months Lord

Chaitanya instructed Sanatana Goswami and then sent him
to Vrindavan. Before coming to Varanasi, Sanatana
Goswami had traveled through forests and hilly roads
because he was an escaped prisoner. But after meeting
Him, Lord Chaitanya said, "Go to Vrindavan you have
nothing to fear." Sanatana Goswami's faith in
Mahaprabhu's word was so great that he just went by the
main road to Vrindavan. But Rupa Goswami went by the
Ganges road, thinking that Sanatana would take that route,
so they crossed each other and did not meet. When Rupa
Goswami came to Varanasi he could not believe what he
saw. The whole city of Varanasi, the capital of the
Mayavadis, was dancing in ecstatic love with their arms
raised high in the same way Lord Chaitanya taught them
and all throughout Varanasi was the resonant sound
vibration of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra^ Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare
Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
He stayed at the house of Chandrashekhar, who was one of
the intimate associates of Lord Chaitanya, in Varanasi.
There Rupa Goswami heard the news that Prakashananda
Saraswati and all his thousands of disciples became
Vaishnavas by Lord Chaitanya's mercy. Rupa Goswami was
filled with bliss. He stayed in Varanasi for 10 days. Then he
traveled to Bengal.
When he reached Bengal, his beloved brother Anupama
passed away from this world. Shrila Rupa Goswami
performed all of the necessary rituals for his brother
Anupama and this caused delay in his travels. It was his
desire to meet devotees of Bengal and travel to Puri with
them. The devotees headed by Advaita Acarya, Shrivas
Thakur, Shivananda Sen, Murari Gupta and all others would
come to Puri every year for Caturmasya (4 months). But
when Rupa Goswami went to their place, they had already
left. So he went alone. When he reached Orissa, he came to
a village called Satyabhama Pur and he decided to rest at
night there. As he was resting a beautiful goddess
appeared in his dream and told him "You should not write

Krishna's Dwarka lila and Vrindavan lila in one play. You

should divide it into two plays. If you do this, your drama
will be a great success by my blessings." Then Rupa
Goswami woke up and he understood that this was
Satyabhama, one of the principal queens of Lord Krishna,
who had instructed him.
Rupa Goswami at Jagannath Puri
When Shrila Rupa Goswami reached Jagannath Puri. he first
went to the bhajan kutir of Shrila Haridas Thakur. Shrila
Haridas Thakur had heard the glories of Shrila Rupa
Goswami from Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and had
already met him at Ramkeli. So they were already intimate
associates. Haridas Thakur and Rupa Goswami offered
obeisances to each other and embraced with great, great
love. Shrila Rupa Goswami asked, "Where is Lord
Chaitanya?" And Just then, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
came to the residence of Haridas Thakur. In fact, Lord Shri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would go to the house of Haridas
Thakur every single day. There were three very great
devotees:
Haridas Thakur, Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami.
Whenever Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami were at
Puri they would stay at Haridas Thakur's place, under the
Siddha Bakula tree. Because Haridas Thakur was born in a
miechcha family, and Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis were
known as servants of the King of Miecchas, they considered
themselves to be unqualified to enter the temple of Lord
Jagannath. It is the social custom, even today, that people
of this class are not allowed in the temple. Rupa, Sanatana
and Haridas Thakur did not want to agitate social customs.
So they refused to enter or even make an attempt to go to
Jagannath's temple. But Lord Chaitanya gava them a place
very close to the temple where they could see the chakra
and worship it because it is not different from Jagannath
Himself. Lord Jagannath would come out cf the temple in
the form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and personally give His
blessings to Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami and
Haridas Thakur everyday and bring Jagannath's prasad.

When Lord Chaitanya arrived, Rupa Goswami offered his

prostrated obeisances in great, great affection. Haridas
Thakur said, "This is Shrila Rupa Goswami. He has come."
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu embraced him with great love
and placed His feet on the head of Shrila Rupa Goswami
and asked him, "Where is Sanatana?" Rupa Goswami
replied, "1 have not yet seen him. I came by the Ganges
road, but he went by the main road. So we missed each
other. He has gone to Vrindavan." Rupa Goswami then told
Lord Chaitanya about the disappearance of Anupama.
Anupama was such a great devotee. He was a devotee of
Lord Ramachandra. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
reciprocated with him in His mood of Shri Rama. In the
Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu by Shrila Rupa Goswami, he
mentions his beloved brother Anupama. Anupama was a
great and pure devotee of Lord Ramachandra. He saw Shri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as his beloved Lord Rama Himself.
After Lord Chaitanya blessed Rupa Goswami, he went to
take bath in the ocean. The next day Lord Chaitanya
brought all his intimate associates and introduced Rupa
Goswami to each of those devotees. Shrila Rupa Goswami
was so humble he just prostrated his body with sincere
devotion at the feet of each devotee and worshipped them.
And each devotee, their hearts melted so much by his
humility, just lifted him up and embraced him. Lord
Chaitanya told Rupa Goswami "to worship and take the
dust of the feet of all these devotees" and then he told all
the devotees "Please give your blessing to Rupa Goswami.
Bless him and empower him to spread the mission of pure
bhakti all over the world." When the devotees saw how
much mercy Lord Chaitanya was showing Rupa Goswami
they were blissful. A sincere devotee derives the greatest
bliss in life when he or she sees another devotee getting
special mercy of Guru. Gauranga and the Vaishnavas.
The devotees celebrated the Gundicha Marjana Festival.
They cleansed the Gundicha temple and afterwards they
sat in the garden. And then with no provocation, Lord
Chaitanya said to Rupa Goswami, "Do not try to take
Krishna out of Vrindavan. Yadukumara and Shri

Nandanandana may be the same Supreme Personality of

Godhead, but They are in different moods. Krishna in His
original form of Shri Nandanandana, never leaves
Vrindavan to go anywhere else. You should write separate
dramas." When Rupa Goswami heard this, he understood
that Lord Chaitanya, who was the all-pervading, allcognizant Supersoul in everyone's heart, was confirming
what Satyabhama had already said.
Some days after that, was the Ratha-yatra, where Lord
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and all His devotees from both
Orissa and Bengal, gathered together to celebrate the
beautiful procession of Balarama, Subhadra and
Jagannatha through the main street of Puri, from
Jagannatha mandir to Gundicha mandir. As the Ratha yatra
was taking place, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became
immersed in the ecstatic love of Shrimati Radharani in
separation from Krishna. The same spirit of devotional
ecstasy that Shrimati Radharani experienced when She
met Lord Krishna in Kurukshetra after years and years of
separation, was being manifested by Lord Chaitanya. Shrila
Knshnadas Kaviraja Goswami, in the Madhya-lila of Shri
Chaitanya-charitamrita, explains in extraordinary details
the intricacies of the reciprocation between Lord Chaitanya
in the mood of Shrimati Radharani and Lord Jagannath
during the parade. During that parac'e Lord Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu was expressing his own heart in a prayer
which no on.-.* except Svarupa Damodar Goswami could
understand. And that prayer was, "That very personality,
who stole away my heart, during my youth, is now again
my master. These are the same moonlit nights in the
month of Chaitra, the same fragrance of malati flowers is
there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the
kadamba forests. In our intimate relationship I am also the
same lover, yet my mind is not happy here. I am eager to
go back to that place on the bank of the Reva under the
Vetasi tree. That is my desire."
This is a prayer that appears to be the expression of an
ordinary boy who is in love with an ordinary girl. And as
Lord Chaitanya was singing this prayer, devotees could not

understand. But, after seeing the wonderful dancing of Shri

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and contemplating the nectar of
this prayer, Shrila Rupa Goswami wrote a commentary on
that prayer, by writing another verse explaining very
clearly what Lord Chaitanya's heart was experiencing.
He wrote this on a palm leaf then he put it on the roof of
the thatched hut of Haridas Thakur, where he lived, and
went to the ocean to take his bath. While he was away,
Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to visit Shrila Rupa
Goswami. Lord Chaitanya saw this palm leaf in the roof, so
He took it and read it. The contents were as follows This
is a verse spoken by Shrimati Radharani "My dear friend,
now 1 have met my very old and dear friend Krishna in this
field of Kurukshetra. I am the same Radharani and now we
are meeting together. It is very pleasant, but still I would
like to go to the bank of the Yamuna, beneath the trees of
the forest there. 1 wish to hear the vibrations of His sweet
flute playing the fifth note, within the forest of Vrindavan."
When Lord Chaitanya read this, He became filled with
ecstasy of love of God. His ecstasy was beyond His control,
and Just when He was experiencing this nectar, Shrila Rupa
Goswami returned, and offered his obeisances at Lord
Chaitanya's lotus feet. And Lord Chaitanya, in great love,
picked up Rupa Goswami and mildly slapped him and said
"How? How did you understand the innermost intentions of
my mind?" Rupa Goswami did not speak anything.
Then Lord Chaitanya took that palm leaf and went back to
His own residence, the Gambhira, and showed it to Svarupa
Damodara Goswami. When Svarupa Damodara Goswami
read it, he was struck with wonder. Lord Shri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu asked, "How does he know the innermost
feelings of my heart?" Svarupa Damodara Goswami replied,
"I can understand that You have bestowed Your causeless
mercy upon him and that has empowered him to do so."
Lord Chaitanya said, "Yes. When I met Rupa Goswami at
Prayag and I witnessed his wonderful humble qualities, I
embraced him, and upon embracing him 1 invested within
him My own power of love. 1 saw him as a fit candidate to
reveal to the world the transcendental mysteries of

.Vrindavan, in Krishna consciousness. Now, please, instruct

Shrila Rupa Goswami in more and more details of Krishna
consciousness."
The four months of the rainy season had passed and all the
Bengali devotees had returned to their respective services,
but Shrila Rupa Goswami stayed in Puri, and intimately
associated with Lord Chaitanya and all of the devotees.
One day, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to Shrita Rupa
Goswami's kutir, sat down with them and asked Rupa
Goswami, "What book are you writing?" Then Lord
Chaitanya picked up the palm leaf that Shrila Rupa
Goswami had just written on and was struck with great
pleasure to see the handwriting of Rupa Goswami. He said,
'The handwriting of Shrila Rupa Goswami is like rows of
pearls". Then He read the verse out loud, "1 do not know
how much nectar, the two syllables Krish and na have
produced. When the holy name of Krishna dances on the
tongue, 1 desire many tongues, and when it enters into the
ears, I desire millions and millions of ears, and when that
holy name enters into my heart, it conquers my life, and
my senses become inert." As Lord Chaitanya read that
verse. Shrila Haridas Thakurthe namacarya was filled
with bliss. He started screaming out, and dancing in
transcendental ecstasy. He had never heard such a
glorification of the holy name. Haridas was dancing and
dancing and loudly crying out the holy names of Krishna
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare
Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
After showering His blessings on Rupa Goswami, Lord
Chaitanya departed. The next day the Lord met with
Ramanandaraya, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and other of
His most intimate and most learned associates and took
them all to Rupa Goswami and Haridas Thakur's residence.
As He was walking with these devotees, Shri Chaitanyc
Mahaprabhu was glorifying Rupa Goswami as if He had five
mouths! The devotees were in so much bliss hearing the
Lord glorify His devotee. When they all arrived, Rup.
Goswami, Haridas Thakur fell and offered their obesiances
at the lotus feet of all thesi Vaishnavas, and the devotees

embraced them. They gave Lord Chaitanya and His

intimate associates an elevated seat, and then they sat on
a lower platform. Lord Chaitanya, Ramanandraya,
Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya all were saying, "Please sit
with us". But Rupa and Haridas said, "No. We are too fallenWe are only your servants, we do not deserve to sit with
you." Lord Chaitanya asked Shrila Rupa Goswami to read,
for the pleasure of all the devotees, that beautiful verse on
the palm leaf that He had found on the roof that day. Rupa
Goswami was too humble and embarrassed to read it,
Again and again, Lord Chaitanya and the devotees said,
"Please read that verse." But due to embarrassment and
his natural humility, he could not read it. Then Lord
Chaitanya gave it to Svampa Damodara Goswami and he
read the verse of Shrimati Radharani speaking to her
friend, expressing her mood of separation from Vrindavan
in her meeting with Lord Krishna in the field of Kurukshetra.
Upon hearing this wonderful, wonderful composition of
Shrila Rupa Goswami, all the devotees began to celebrate
his good fortune.
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, on this particular day,
established one of the most important historical incidents
within our sampradaya. He had the most proficient,
advanced and intimate of His associates, testing Rupa
Goswami, in his literary works. After saying this verse, Lord
Chaitanya turned to Ramanandaraya and said, "How is it
that Rupa Goswami could understand what is in my heart?"
And Ramanandaraya said, "It is because You have
bestowed your mercy on him." He said, "You did the same
thing to me. When we met on the bank of the Godavari, in
Vidyanagar, You spoke so many elevated topics of the
loving relations of Radha and Krishna, through my mouth."
Lord Chaitanya agreed that "1 have given my full heart's
mercy to Rupa Goswami to reveal to the world my inner
desire." Then Shrila Ramananda Raya began to test Rupa
Goswami. He asked him, because he was a great poet,
"Please read to us your introductory verse." Rupa Goswami
read the beautiful verse, comparing the sweetness of,
Krishna, His name and pastimes to the most ambrosial

sweetmeats'shikharani'. And he desired that, that all

loving, all beautiful reservoir of all sweetness, Krishna,
bestow His blessings on all. Ramananda Raya continued to
ask many, many technical and intricate questions about
Rupa Goswami's writings and every time Rupa Goswami
would answer, the devotees would be in bliss. Then Lord
Chaitanya said, "Rupa, please read that sloka, which
destroys the unhappiness of all living beings when they
hear the verse." But again Rupa Goswami was ashamed to
read it. After being coaxed again and again, he read that
verse, which Lord Chaitanya loved so dearly, "I do not know
how much nectar, the two syllablesKrish-na have
produced. When that name dances on the tongue, 1 desire
many, many tongues, and when that name of Krishna
enters my ears, I desire millions and millions of ears, when
that name enters through the ears into my heart, it
conquers my heart, and my senses become inert".
Upon hearing this, all the assembled devotees began to
celebrate, "We have never, ever heard from all the
scriptures, any verse that so sweetly describes the glories
of the holy name, as what Rupa Goswami has composed."
Lord Chaitanya, after Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was the
greatest of all philosophers. Ramanandaraya, the greatest
of all authorities in the transcendental rasa of the loving
affairs of Radha and Krishna, Svarupa Damodara Goswami.
the greatest of all scholars ot proper Vaishnava
composition, of what is rasa-abhasa and what is
authoritative on the basis of scripture, Haridas Thakur, the
namacharyathe Greatest authority of chanting ot the holy
name. all these devotees were assembled. After all of them
heard the writings ot Rupa Goswami. they unanimously
agreed that he has received the most intimate blessings of
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Ramanandaraya asked, "Please read the verse of you.
glorifying your worshipable deity." Rupa Goswami read the
beautiful verse, of how the Supreme Lord Krishna has
appeared from the womb of Saci devi, to distribute to the
world the most intimate mellows of Vrindavan love of the
Gopis. May that Lord bestow His mercy upon all of us.

When He heard that verse Lord Chaitanya became very

angry externally, although internally He was very happy. He
said, "What have you done? Your composition is like. an
ocean of nectar and this verse is like a drop of poisonous
alkali which has ruined everything."
Shrila Ramananda Raya said, "No, my Lord, it is not like
that. His verses are like highly condensed milk in an ocean
of nectar and this is like a pinch of camphor, to enhance
the ecstatic pleasure." Lord Chaitanya was embarrassed,
but the devotees were very pleased. After hearing and
examining Shrila Rupa Goswami, Ramananctaraya said,
"This is not poetry. This is a continuous shower of nectar".
Then Lord Chaitanya asked ail the assembled devotees to
bless and empower Shrila Rupa Goswami to fill the world
with literature, describing the pure teachings of Krishnaprema and Krishna consciousness. And all of the devotees
bestowed their mercy on Shrila Rupa Goswami. Shrila Rupa
Goswami was often called the Rasacarya. On that day it
was proclaimed that Shrila Rupa Goswami was the very
embodiment, the personification of Shri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu's love and mercy. And therefore we are called
' Rupanugas '.
Shrila Rupa Goswami remained in Jagannatha Puri with Lord
Chaitanya for ten months. After the Dola-yatra festival,
Lord Chaitanya sent him to perform his four important
missions in Vrindavan. He embraced Rupa Goswami and
told him to receive the mercy of all the devotees. After
worshipping each and every Vaishnava and worshipping
Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Shrila Rupa Goswami
returned to Vrindavan. On his way he stopped in Bengal for
twelve months. Travelling through the Jharikhanda forests,
Sanatana Goswami arrived in Puri ten days after Rupa
Goswami left. Lord Chaitanya told Sanatana Goswami,
"Rupa Goswami just left." They were always trying to meet,
but by the mercy of the Lord, somehow or the other they
were always on different roads.
Activities of Shrila Rupa Goswami in Vrindavan

After some years when Shrila Rupa Goswami finally

returned to Vrindavan, he met with Sanatana Goswami.
Both Rupa and Sanatana Goswami brought many scriptures
to Vrindavan with them, because their service to Lord
Chaitanya was to extract the nectar of devotion from each
of those scriptures. The way they lived in Vrindavan was
perfect and exemplary. When the devotees of Bengal would
go to Vrindavan, or On'ssa, and when they would return,
everybody would ask, "Did you see Rupa and Sanatana?
How are they living? Where are they sleeping? What are
they eating? Please tell us. What are their activities?" And
these devotees would become filled with bliss just thinking
of Rupa and Sanatana. 'They are living in Vrindavan with no
fixed residence, they have left the huge beautiful palaces
of the Prime-Minister, with many servants, much treasure,
and the many luxuries of life. They sleep under one tree
one niyht and under a different tree another night, on the
hard, cold ground of Vrindavan. They go begging for their
food from door to door of the Brahmins. Sometimes they
get some dry bread and sometimes some fried chick-peas.
They have no other possessions except a water pot. And as
far as their clothes go, they have given up all their
luxurious garments and only wear torn, discarded quilts.
Practically twenty-four hours a day, they are chanting the
Holy Names and they are dancing in ecstasy. In fact, they
are so immersed in hearing and chanting the glories of the
Lord, that at the most they sleep one and a half hours a
day. And on some days they are so engrossed in chanting
the t^are Krishna maha-mantra, they don't even find time
to sleep. They are absorbed in writing transcendental
literatures expounding the pure teachings of Lord
Chaitanya and their hearts are always absorbed in the
remembrance of the Lord and discussing the mercy of Shri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This is how Rupa and Sanatana are
living in Vrindavan." Upon hearing about these activities,
which are beyond human capabilities, everyone would
become filled with bliss, honoring and worshipping the feet
of Shri Rupa and Sanatana within the cores of their hearts.

Shrila Rupa Goswami was so completely committed to

fulfilling the orders Lord Chaitanya had given him that he
and Sanatana roamed throughout Vrindavan to reveal and
excavate the holy places of Krishna's important pastimes.
But still Rupa Goswami was not happy. One day he sat on
the banks of the Yamuna in an ocean of lamentation
because he could not find Shri Govindadeva, the prominent
deity of Vrindavan. The scriptures revealed that this deity
was installed by Vajranabh, the great-grandson of Lord
Krishna and it was somewhere in Vrindavan. He was
hidden. Rupa Goswami searched everywhere, he studied
many books, he was desperately looking for the Govinda
deity, because he knew it was Lord Chaitanya's desire. He
went here and there, he even went to the houses of
practically all the Vrajavasi's to see if Govinda-deva was
being worshipped in any of them. But despite all his
attempts Govinda-deva did not reveal Himselt. Rupa
Goswami would sit day after day on the bank of the
Yamuna in lamentation, praying to the Lord, "Please reveal
to me where you are hiding".
One day a Vrajavasi came and sat beside Shrila Rupa
Goswami. This Vrajavasi was a beautiful cowherd boy. He
asked Rupa Goswami, "Why do you look so sad?" Rupa
Goswami was attracted by the beauty and the charm of
this child, his heart was filled with ecstasy. He began to
explain," I have searched everywhere, but 1 cannot fulfil
my Lord's desire, to establish the worship of Govindadeva.". The little cowherd boy replied, "Do not be in
distress. There is a very spiritual place, called 'Gomatill'
and everyday a beautiful cow comes to that place and lets
down her milk on the ground. Under the spot where the
cow is making the offering, is the deity of Govinda-deva.
Previously, Moslem conquerors came to this place and so
the deity was hidden under the ground. Come, I will show
you that place".
And the beautiful little cowherd boy took Shrila Rupa
Goswami to 'Gomatill' and then he disappeared. Rupa
Goswami understood who this cowherd boy was, and in
great ecstasy of love he fell unconscious. After a long time,

he came back to his consciousness and began to cry. Then

he understood his mission, and he told several Vrajavasis,
"Let us carefully dig in this place, Govinda-deva is here".
They began to dig in the ground, carefully. After sometime
they unearthed the beautiful deity of Govinda, whose
beauty was more charming than millions and millions of
Kandarpas (Cupids). The news spread and hundreds and
thousands of people, mostly Vrajavasis, gathered there to
celebrate the appearance of Shri Govinda-deva. When the
news spread, Shrila Rupa Goswami became much admired,
loved and worshipped by all the Vraiavasis of Shri
Vrajadham.
On another evening, or night, Shrila Ftupa Goswami had a
dream. In this dream, Vrindadevi, who is an expansion of
Shrimati Radharani and who is the transcendental coordinator of all of the wonderful arrangements for the
pastimes of Shri Shri Radha and Krishna, appeared to Rupa
Goswami and told him, "My deity form is under the ground
at Radhakunda." Rupa Goswami understood that Lord
Chaitanya was instructing him to excavate that place. He
approached the Vrajavasis, and on the banks of
Radhakunda, the murti of Vrindadevi, whose beauty was
indescribable, was revealed. Shrila Rupa Goswami installed
the deity of Vrindadevi in the same temple as Govindadeva. He was very satisfied. He sent a letter to Lord Shri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, explaining how Govinda-deva had
revealed Himself to him.
When Lord Chaitanya heard" that Shri Shri Radha Govindadeva had appeared again, He was in ecstasy. He
confidentially spoke to all of his devotees about this, and
told Kashishwar Pandit about the discovery of Govindadeva
and instructed him, "1 want you to go to Vrindavan and
assist Rupa Goswami in the service of Govinda-deva."
Kashishwar Pandit was, previously, a personal servant of
Lord Chaitanya's own guru, Ishwarapuri, When he heard
the order, his heart was broken with the thought of
separation from Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He said, "My
Lord, I cannot bear leaving Puri and going anywhere else."
Then Lord Chaitawya, just to satisfy His devotee, gave

Kashishwar Pandit a beautiful, small deity of Himself. This

was the first deity of Lord Chaitanya ever to be revealed in
this world, besides the deity of Vishnupriya. It was the deity
of Krishna and Lord Chaitanya together in one Torm and
Lord Chaitanya carefully explained how Kashishwara Pandit
should worship it. Lord Chaitanya personally gave Him the
name 'Gaur-Govinda'. Kashishwara Pandit took that deity
to Vrindavan and installed Him on the right hand side of
Shri Govinda-deva.
When Rupa and Sanatana Goswami came to Vrindavan,
two of the very, very confidential associates of Lord
Chaitanya were already living there -Shrila Lokanatha
Goswami and Shrila Bhugarbha Goswami. Shrila Lokanatha
Goswami was a resident of Navadvipa and a very loving
friend of Lord Chaitanya. Lord Chaitanya understood that
when He took sannyasa, Lokanatha Goswami will not be
able to bear the pain of seeing Him with His hair cut and in
the garb of a sannyasi. So He ordered Lokanatha Goswami
to go to Vrindavan saying "Soon I am going to take
sannyasa. You will not be able to bear seeing it. But after
taking sannyasa, 1 will go to Vrindavan and you can make
nice arrangements for me over there". So falling at the feet
of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and all the devotees,
Lokanatha Goswami, with tears of the ecstasy of separation
filling his heart, went to Vrindavan. But as you know, after
he took sannyasa Lord Chaitanya had every intention of
going to Vrindavan. But Shn Nityananda, knowing that
Mahaprabhu's heart was always to please His devotee,
played a trick and brought Him to Shantipur instead. And
then Saci Devi prayed, "Please do not go to Vrindavan,
because I will never hear anything of your pastimes or your
welfare. The same Krishna of Vrindavan is living in the Puri
of Jagannath. Please make that your home."
On the request of the intimate love of Saci Devi. Lord
Chaitanya went to Jagannath Puri. After delivering
Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, He decided to go on a tour of
south India. Lokanatha Goswami was waiting for Lord
Chaitanya in Vrindavan. When he heard all these stories,
he became mad. "I have to find my Lord. If He's not going

to Vrindavan, I will go to the south". So from Vrindavan, he

walked all the way to the southernmost provinces of India.
And then he found out that Lord Chaitanya had returned to
Puri. He completed his two-year trip of South India. Then he
began his return journey to Puri. But then he heard that
from Puri Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had gone to
Vrindavan. So, in great anticipation he went to Vrindavan.
He was supposed to be waiting there for Lord Chaitanya.
When he arrived in Vrindavan, he learnt that Lord
Chaitanya had stayed there for two months. He traveled
through all the twelve forests, he sat to chant under the
Imlitala tree on the bank of the Ganges every day. He was
reunited with alt of His intimate associates - the deer,
parrots and peacocks, the trees and creepers and the cows
of Vrindavan. He then left and went to Prayag. It was night
and Lokanatha Goswami decided, 'Tomorrow morning. I will
go to Prayag". That night Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared
to him and told him, "You should remain in Vrindavan,
because I am sending My own personal associates Rupa
and Sanatana there. You should become intimate friends
with them."
After wandering through the groves of Vrindavan
Lokanatha Goswami came to a place called Kishori-kund,
which is in the area of Khadiravana, and there he lived in
seclusion. One day a Brahmin came to him, gave him a
little bag and went away. Lokanatha Goswami opened the
bag and in it was a beautiful deity of Radha and Krishna.
He was so struck with wonder and love because he always
wanted to worship the deity of Krishna. He began to
worship the Lord, but he was bewildered and then the deity
spoke to him, "My name is Radha-Vinoda. I incarnated as
that Brahmin just to give the gift of Myself to you. Now i am
hungry, so please prepare some bhoga for Me". So
Lokanatha Goswami immediately began to collect whatever
he could get and cooked very nice food and offered it to
the deity. He bathed the deity. He would make a beautiful,
little bed, for the deity, out of flowers and he would lay the
deity down and massage His feet and fan Him. His life and
soul was the worship of Radha-Vinoda in Kishori-kunda.

When Rupa and Sanatana Goswami came to Vrindavan,

they called Lokanatha Goswami, "Please come and live with
us in Vrindavan. Let us live here together and chant the
glories of Radha and Krishna and their most munificent of
all manifestationsShri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu." So
Lokanatha Goswami came to Vrindavan, and would daily,
intimately associate with Shrila Rupa Goswami and
Sanatana Goswami.
The next Goswami that came to meet with Shrila Rupa
Goswami and Sanatana Goswami was Shrila Gopal Bhatta
Goswami. When Lord Chaitanya was performing His south
Indian tour, and He came to the holy place of Shrirangam,
He stayed at the house of Venkata Bhatta, for the four
months of the rainy season. When He arrived, Venkata
Bhatta bathed the Lord's feet and gave the water to his
family members to drink. The son of Venkata Bhatta was
Gopala Bhatta. When he drank that water, his heart filled
with the ecstasy of love for Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Gopal Bhatta Goswami intimately served Lord Chaitanya
during those four months and before Lord Chaitanya
continued His tour, He instructed Gopal Bhatta Goswami,
"You stay here and serve your parents who are my pure
devotees, and after they leave this world you should go to
Vrindavan and join Rupa and Sanatana Goswami."
He was initiated by his uncle, Shri Prabhodananda
Sarasvati. He became a great scholar and devotee. Venkata
Bhatta and his wife told Gopala Bhatta, "Go to Vrindavan
and always worship Lord Chaitanya." And chanting the
names of Gauranga Mahaprabhu they both departed from
this world. Gopal Bhatta Goswami went to Vrindavan. The
Goswamis, Rupa and Sanatana, Lokanath Goswami and
Bhugarbha Goswami were happy to receive this great soul.
One day Lord Chaitanya was at the Tota-Gopinath temple of
Gadadhar Pandit, and he told the devotees there, "I have
not heard any news from the devotees in Vrindavan for a
long time". Just at that moment a messenger came from
Vrindavan with a letter from Rupa Goswami, and it said
"Your beloved devotee Gopal Bhatta Goswami has come,
and we are very happy to have his most divine

association." Lord Chaitanya was so pleased, He wrote a

letter back to Rupa and Sanatana which said, "Please
accept Gopal Bhatta as your own dear brother." And He
sent many wonderful gifts, of His own remnants, to be
distributed to the Goswamis.
When Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in Varanasi, he met
the son of Tapana Mishra named Raghunatha Bhatta. He
was such a small boy, but when Lord Chaitanya was living
in Varanasi for two months, Raghunatha Bhatta would
massage His lotus feet everyday and do all menial services
for Lord Chaitanya. He became such a dear servant of the
Lord.
After sometime Raghunatha Bhatta could not bear the
separation and he went to Puri, alongwith Ramdas VishvasWhen he arrived in Puri, Lord Chaitanya very affectionately
embraced him at His Gambhira, asked after the welfare of
Tapana Mishra and He allowed Raghunatha Bhatta to
personally serve Him for eight months. Raghunatha Bhatta
Goswami was an expert cook. The Chaitanya-charitamrita
says that everything he prepared tasted sweeter than
nectar. He would cook for the Lord, massage the feet of the
Lord and intimately hear the wonderful instructions of the
Lord. After eight months Lord Chaitanya asked him to go
back home. He said. "Do not marry. Go home and serve
your father and mother who are pure devotees. Constantly
chant the holy names of Lord Krishna, constantly read the
Shrimad Bhagavatam and study the teachings of the
Bhagavat under a pure devotee of the Lord."
Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami returned to Varanasi and he
lived there for two years. During those two years, he was
constantly chanting the holy names, always studying
Bhagavatam from a pure devotee, and humbly serving his
parents. Then his parents gave up their life-breath and
returned back homeback to Godhead,
Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami in great anticipation for the
mercy of Mahaprabhu Shri Chaitanya returned to Puri.
There he served the Lord, very intimately, for eight months
again. Then Lord Chaitanya told him, "Go to Vrindavan and
under the care of Shri Rupa and Sanatana serve me.

Constantly chant the holy names, read the Bhagavatam

and serve these great devotees' mission."
When Raghunath Bhatta Goswami arrived in Vrindavan,
Rupa, Sanatana, Gopala Bhatta, Lokanatha, Bhugarbha and
Kashishwar Pandit were-in great ecstasy to receive him.
It is explained that Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami would
cook for Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami and give
them great pleasure. He personally served, as his life and
soul, the deity of Rupa Goswami Shri Shri RadhaGovinda. Day and night he would be in the association of
Rupa and Sanatana, reciting the beautiful verses of
Shrimad-Bhagavatam. In fact, his voice was sweet like the
cuckoo bird and he -would recite each verse in three or four
different melodies. They lived together in transcendental
happiness,
Raghunath Das Goswami was the heir of multimillionaires,
Govardhan and Hiranya Majumdar - his father and uncle.
Somehow or the other he escaped and leaving behind his
beautiful wife, his inconceivable fortune and all his fame
and fortune to become Ihe very king of renunciation
amongst alt the devotees of Lord Chaitanya. He lived in
Puri, eating only what the cows would spit out in the
garbage. Later on, he would only have a little buttermilk,
and after drinking that he would condemn himself for
wasting so much time for sense gratification! He was
chanting at least two-lakh Holy Names everyday, he would
bow down as a regulation to thousands of Vaishnavas
everyday. He would also bow down thousands of times to
the deity everyday. It is explainedthat his following of the
regulative principles were like the lines in stone so strict.
Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally put Raghunath
das Goswami as the assistant of Svarupa Damodar
Goswami, His own secretary. So-Raghunath Das Goswami
was intimately connected to all the intimate pastimes of
Lord Chaitanya, during those years of separation. He
remained in Jagannatha Puri for sixteen years and then
Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left the world by entering
the Tota-Gopinatha temple at the residence of Shri
Gadadhara Pandit. Soon after that, Svarupa Damodar

Goswami, unable to bear the separation from his Lord, also

disappeared from this world. Raghunath das Goswami was
plunged in an ocean of grief. "What to do? How will 1 live?
1 just cannot live." He decided to take his life, in the most
auspicious way, by going to Vrindavan and by jumping
from the top of Govardhan hill. He went to Vrindavan with
this intention.
When he arrived at Vrindavan, he first wanted to meet
Shrila Rupa Goswami and Shrila Sanatana Goswami. But
when he met them, he thought, "1 was engrossed in a
hopeless state, due to separation from my Svarupa
Damodar and Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. But now, I see
that Lord Chaitanya has appeared in His full mercy and
glory in the form of these two devoteesRupa and
Sanatana Goswami." Rupa and Sanatana told him, "You
cannot jump from the Govardhan Hill. We would rather you
live with us and constantly sing the glories of Lord Shri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes for our purification." So
Raghunath Das Goswami became the intimate servant of
Rupa and Sanatana. They personally arranged a place for
him to stay on the beautiful banks of Shri Radha Kunda and
Shyama Kunda, which Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had
discovered during His visit to Vrindavan.
Anupama, their youngest brother, had a son, called Shrila
Jiva Goswami. When Rupa and Sanatana Goswami along
with Anupam met Lord Chaitanya at Ramakeli, Jiva was
very small so he was not permitted -to go along. However,
he wanted to see what his father and uncles were so eager
to do, so he followed them. and as Rupa and Sanatana
Goswami and Anupama met with Lord Shri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu in Ramakeli and offered beautiful prayers and
surrendered their lives, Jiva Goswami, from a little distance
away, was watching and listening to everything. From that
moment, his heart was filled with love and surrender to
Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
After Anupama disappeared from this world and his uncles
Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami had gone to
Vrindavan, Jiva Goswami was like a madman. He would, in
great ecstasy, serve his deities of Krishna and Balarama.

Gaur-Nitai revealed in a dream that they were non-different

from the deities of Krishna and Balarama. When he got Just
old enough, he somehow or the other found an excuse to
get away from his mother. He said that he was going to
visit his ancestral home in Fatiabad but actually went to
Navadvipa. There he met Lord Nityananda, who took him
on the whole parikrama of Navadvipa-mandala and then
told him to go to Varanasi, study the shastras under the
great devoteenamed Madhusudana Vacaspati and then go
to Vrindavan to join his uncles Rupa and Sanatana. Lord
Nityananda said, "Lord Chaitanya has given Vrindavan to
your family."
Jiva Goswami went to Varanasi and became famous as the
greatest of all the scholars. Then he came to Vrindavan and
fell at the feet of Shrila Sanatana Goswami and begged him
for initiation. Sanatana Goswami, in his natural humility,
considered Rupa Goswami to be more qualified. So, he told
Jiva Goswami that he should take initiation from Shrila Rupa
Goswami. Shrila Rupa Goswami wanted to train Jiva
Goswami very well, so he had him doing very simple,
menial types of service. Jiva Goswami was already
celebrated as one of the greatest scholars and preachers in
all the world. However, Rupa Goswami had him cleaning
utensils, washing pots, preparing the paraphernalia for
puja, collecting and preparing the palm leaves for Rupa
Goswami to write on, massage Rupa Goswami's feet, fan
him and in this way render very simple service, After
sometime, seeing the real quality of humility and the desire
to serve, Rupa Goswami initiated him as Shrila Jiva
Goswami.
It is explained that one day Shrila Jiva Goswami was
fanning his Guru Maharaja Shrila Rupa Goswami and a very
senior Vaishnava, Vallabha Bhatta, came to meet with Rupa
Goswami. As you know Rupa Goswami knew Vallabha
Bhatta from Prayag. And Rupa Goswami, humble that he
was, seeing that a very senior Vaishnava had come, offered
him all respect and honor. Vallabha Bhatta wanted to see
what type of writing Rupa Goswami was engaged in. He
saw the 'Introduction to Bhakti-Rasaamrta-Sindhu' and in a

mood of concern, Shri Vallabha Bhatta explained that there

was some incorrect usage of words. So Rupa Goswami,
very grateful for his willingness to help, gave Vallabha
Bhatta the literature that he was writing and said, "Please
make any corrections you feel are required" and went to
take bath in the Yamuna.
Vallabha Bhatta asked the boy Jiva, "Who are you?" He
said, "I am Rupa Goswami's discipleJiva Goswami. Please
tell me what is it that you thought was not right about my
guru maharaja's introduction?" So Vallabha Bhatta
explained and Jiva Goswami, very nicely, explained how
actually what his guru said was correct. He said it in such a
proficient, philosophical way that Vallabhacarya was very
impressed. And when Rupa Goswami came back
Vallabhacarya gave him the draft of the Bhakti-RasaamrtaSindhu back and said, "How can 1 correct this? When your
disciple is so learned, how much must you be? So exalted!"
Then Vallabhacarya left and Rupa Goswami became
externally very angry. He said, "Jiva, why you have done
like this? He's a senior Vaishnava; he had come to do some
seva. Why are you so proud that you had to correct him?
Pride cannot remain in the heart of one who desires to live
in Vrindavan properly. Therefore, you must leave."
So Jiva Goswami went to a place called Nanda-ghat. There
he lived in a hole, where crocodiles used to live. He was
always immersed in a repentant mood, trying to atone for
the offence he had committed to his Guru Maharaj, loudly
chanting the holy names of the Lord and hardly eating
anything. One day when Sanatana Goswami was travelling
through Vrajabhumi, he came to the village close to Nandaghat. And the villagers told him of a very, very
supernaturally renounced person living in a hole. When
Sanatana Goswami went there, he personally carried Jiva
Goswami out and brought him back to Vrindavan. Because
Sanatana was older brother, he told Rupa Goswami, "It is
Lord Chaitanya's cardinal principle to be compassionate to
all jivas: So you should forgive your disciple Jiva".
There was a great Digvijay pandit named Rupa Narayana.
He traveled all over the provinces of India and he defeated

everyone in debate. He had a certificate where everyone

he had defeated had to sign'l have been defeated by
Rupa Narayana." it was called the 'Vijay patra'. When he
came to Vrindavan, he went to Rupa Goswami and
Sanatana Goswami and said, "I challenge you to a debate".
Rupa and Sanatana were very humble. They said, "You are
such a big scholar. We are just living in the forest. How can
we debate with you? Why should we even waste your time
with us? We admit defeat". "If you admit defeat, sign this
document" Rupa Narayana said. Without any hesitation
they immediately signed"We have been defeated by
Rupa Narayana", signed by Rupa Goswami, Sanatana
Goswami. He was very. very proud. He understood that Jiva
Goswami, their nephew, was also a great scholar, and
should be defeated too. So Rupa Narayana went to Jiva
Goswami and said. "1 have defeated your uncles in debate.
See. They have signed 'Defeat'." Jiva Goswami considered,
"My uncles are such humble devotees. They didn't even
argue with him, they didn't want to waste their time with
this rascal, but he's now propagating all over the world that
he has defeated them, he must be silenced." So Jiva
Goswami said, "Yes. I accept your challenge." They sat on
the banks of the Yamuna debating for many days and in the
end Jiva Goswami completely defeated Rupa Narayana,
who left in shame, never to come back to Vrindavan. When
Jiva Goswami told this news to Shrila Rupa Goswami, once
again Shrila Rupa Goswami became very angry. "Why have
you wasted your time arguing with this mundane scholar?
Just for your own prestige and victory? Vrindavan has no
place for a person who wants respect and adoration. You
are not fit to stay here with us. Therefore you must leave. "
So Jiva Goswami went to Mathura and lived in a little kutir.
In his heart he was thinking, "1 am so proud. I am so puffed
up. My guru is so displeased. How can I atone? What kind
of disciple am I?" Actually he made no offence on either
occasion. Jiva Goswami, in great humility, was just trying to
defend the prestige and the glory of his guru maharaj and
the respectability of our whole sampradaya. Therefore what
he did was perfect and Shri Rupa Goswami knew that. But

Rupa Goswami wanted to reveal to the world the glories of

Jiva Goswami. Even though he was hundred per cent right,
when his guru said he was proud, he considered, "Yes. 1 am
proud and 1 am condemned," He did not make excuses, "0
guru maharaj, you are wrong, you don't understand. 1 did it
for you, not for myself." His guru maharaj said, "You are
proud". Jiva Goswami to the core of his heart, he felt, "I am
proud. I am not fit to stay in Vrindavan. 'trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna amanina mana dena kirtaniya sada
hari'. I am not following the principles of Mahaprabhu.
Therefore my life is ruined." And he went to Mathura to
perform tapasya, crying out the holy name of Krishna
constantly, crying out the names of Rupa and Sanatana
Goswami, begging for their mercy.
When Sanatana came to Mathura and found him, he
brought him back and told Shrila Rupa Goswami, "I would
like you to know that you are not following one of the
important teachings of Lord Chaitanya," Now Rupa
Goswami was also an ocean of humility. He did not say,
"What do you mean? I'm following." Rupa Goswami said,
"Oh, please tell me which one 1 am not following."
Sanatana Goswami said, "Please tell me what the principle
teachings are." "Developing a taste for chanting of the holy
names of Krishna, always aspiring to be the servant of the
servant of the Vaishnavas and being compassionate to all
jivas". When Rupa Goswami said "Being compassionate to
all jivas" he understood what Sanatana was saying.
Sanatana brought Jiva back and Rupa Goswami embraced
him very affectionately. Actually through all these
pastimes, Rupa Goswami was showing his most infinite
love to Jiva Goswami. Rupa Goswami loved Shrila Jiva
Goswami so much that he with his own hands carved the
deity of Shri Radha Damodara, worshipped that deity and
then entrusted it to Shrila Jiva Goswami, to worship as his
life and soul.
When Shri Jiva Goswami would worship Shri Radha
Damodara, his mind was always constantly immersed in
the deepest love and gratitude to Shrila Rupa Goswami. It
is explained that Shrila Jiva Goswami's heart was always

meditating on serving and pleasing Shrila Rupa Goswami,

his guru maharaj. And by the mercy of Rupa Goswami,
when he would worship Radha Damodara, sometimes he
would see the deity performing His Vrindavan pastimes
right before his eyes. He would hear Him playing on the
flute.
On his way back from Govardhana hill, one day Shrila
Sanatana Goswami came to "neet Shrila Rupa Goswami.
The Goswamis would always discuss their beautiful
writings, oUhe pastimes of Radha and Krishna. Rupa
Goswami, upon Sanatana's request, began to explain one
of his dramas, in this drama, Rupa Goswami compared the
beautiful braids of the luxurious black hair of Shrimati
Radharani and the gopis to black serpents. Sanatana
Goswami said, "This is not a perfect explanation and you
should change it to some other analogy."
Then Sanatana Goswami went to take bath in one of the
holy places of Vrindavan, a small lake. There he saw some
beautiful young girls taking their bath in the lake and they
had long, black braids and these braids looked just like
snakes. In fact, Sanatana Goswami thought they were
snakes and he started calling out to the girls, "Watch out!
Watch out! There are snakes about to bite your heads.
Watch out!" Then Sanatana Goswami began to move very
quickly through the waters, to rescue the girls from the
snakes. When he just approached the girls, they began to
laugh and smile and they disappeared. Sanatana Goswami
understood that Rupa Goswami's explanation was correct.
And he came back to Rupa Goswami and said, "Please do
not change. What you have said is perfect."
Once Shrila Rupa Goswami desired to make a nice feast for
Sanatana Goswami, but they were just doing madhukari.
That means just like a bee goes flower to flower to get little
nectar, similarly traditionally those in the renounced order
of life, go from house to house and beg from each house
for their sustenance. So Rupa Goswami was thinking "Let
me make something nice as a feast for my brother
Sanatana Goswami, after offering it to Radha Govinda." A
beautiful, beautiful little cowherd girl approached Rupa

Goswami with a wonderful pot of kheer and said, "1 would

like to present this to you Swamiji". He was very surprised.
He took it to Sanatana Goswami and Sanatana Goswami
began to eat it. As soon as he tasted it, he just went into
uncontrollable ecstasy, and Rupa Goswami was also eating
it went into uncontrollable ecstasy too. Everytime they
would taste the sweet rice, there were just tears pouring
from their eyes, their hairs were standing on end, they
were trembling, they were just roaring in ecstatic love.
Sanatana Goswami said, "Where did you get this from?"
Rupa Goswami said, "There was a beautiful little cowherd
girl who gave it to me as a donation." "Describe this
cowherd girl." As he described, Sanatana Goswami
understood that it was Shrimati Radharani. He became
very ashamed and said. "You have accepted service from
our supremely worshipable Shrimati Radharani, It is our
eternal position to be the servant, of the servant of Her
servants. You have accepted service from Her and caused
me too, to accept service from Her. This is against the
principles of our Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu." And
they both felt very bad. They wanted to teach us that the
mood of the followers of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is
always to be the servant. They don't even want the ecstatic
bliss of the spiritual world as much as they want the
service of the Lord and His devotees. Of course, although
they felt very ashamed, the taste of the sweet rice was so
ecstatic, that they could not stop eating it!
The literary contribution of Shrila Rupa Goswami
Shrila Rupa Goswami had just written the first draft of
Lalita-Madhava. Lalita-Madhava describes the intense
separation between Radharani and Knshna, and it
describes the separation of the gopis for Krishna,
especially. So Raghunatha Das Goswami, who was living at
Shri Radha Kunda, received that manuscript of LalitaMadhava. He is the prayojana acarya, teaching by his
writings and his example the highest principles of love in
separation as an associate of Radharani. When he read
Lalita-Madhava, he was so engrossed in the feeling of

separation that Shrila Rupa Goswami had so beautifully

described that he went mad. There were tears pouring out
of his eyes, and he just held the Lalita-Madhava to his
heart, and was just crying and crying. He could not even
communicate with anyone. The devotees informed Rupa
Goswami of what happened to Raghunatha Das Goswami.
So Shrila Rupa Goswami quickly wrote another book called
the 'Danakeli Kaumudi' which describes the ecstatic
meeting of Radha and Krishna. He went directly to Shri
Radha kunda and said to Shri Raghunatha Das Goswami, "I
want you to read this nice book I have written. And as far
as that Lalita-Madhava goes, some corrections are
necessary, so give it back to me." Raghunatha das
Goswami read 'Danakeli kaumud! describing the beautiful
re-union, or sambhoga, of Radha and Krishna, and his heart
became completely pacified and filled with joy.
Rupa Goswami would perform his bhajan in various places
of Vraja. He had a bhajan kutir just outside the precincts of
Nandagaon, and there was a Kadambatree under which he
would often do his bhajan and his writings. Today it is called
'Tera-kadamba'. That tree was very much affected by the
bhakti of Rupa Goswami. Actually the pure love of a
devotee could melt the hearts of both the animate and
inanimate living beings, because the love of such a pure
soul directly influences the spirit soul. Of course, the trees
in Vrindavan are kalpa vnksha. They are intimate
associates of Lord Krishna and very blessed. Shrila Rupa
Goswami would sometimes sit under this tree and under
the order of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he would
compose various literatures.
When he was composing a section describing the ecstatic
lamentation of the separation of Radharani and Krishna
from each other, he would be so engrossed that it would
infiiience the tree to also be completely engrossed in that
same feeling of separation. And all the leaves of that tree
would fall like tears. When Shrila Rupa Goswami would
write about the blissful re-union of Radha and Krishna, the
tree, sharing the experience of Rupa Goswami's ecstatic

love, would immediately blossom with fruits and flowers in

every direction.
One time, Shrila Rupa Goswami was sitting in his bhajan
kutir and he began to meditate on the transcendental
pastimes of Radha and Krishna. To such a pure-hearted
soul, Radha and Krishna would reveal Their pastimes within
their hearts. This cannot be imitated. This was not
something Rupa Goswami was artificially concentrating or
meditating on. it was something that was just being
awakened due to his pure love.
So in this particular pastime, he saw that the Sakhis were
arranging Shrimati Radharani to meet Krishna. They were
decorating her in so many beautiful garments and jewelry.
The Sakhis noticed that Krishna was right behind them,
watching everything. But Shrimati Radharani did not know.
so they wanted to inform Her. They just finished decorating
Her hair and they placed a mirror in front of Her face. As
She looked into the mirror, She saw the reflection of Her
beloved Shyamasundara behind Her. Being surprised, she
became embarrassed and began to cover Herself and when
the Sakhis saw Radharani so embarrassed to see Krishna
watching Her, they all began to laugh. When they laughed,
Shri Rupa Goswami also began to laugh, uncontrollably. At
that time a Vaishnava came to visit Rupa Goswami. He
came in and offered his obeisances, but Rupa Goswami iust
laughed. This Vaishnava was very embarrassed. "He's not
saying anything, he's not acknowledging anything, he's just
laughing." He did not know what to think.
He immediately went to Sanatana Goswami and said. "I
don't know what's happening. 1 went to see your brother
Shri Rupa Goswami and as soon as he saw me, he started
laughing. Please tell me what is the truth." Sanatana
Goswami knew the heart of Rupa Goswami and explained
everything, and then this Vaishnava felt doubly
embarrassed. "Why am 1 such a degraded, inconsiderate
fallen soul, I'm so unfortunate that I went to Rupa Goswami
at that time." He lamented. Meanwhile back at the bhajan
kutir, Rupa Goswami came out of his ecstatic absorption in
Krishna's lila. He looked around in his house and noticed

that a guest had come and he had neglected to do

anything to serve that guest. So in his heart he felt terrible
distress that he had made an offence. He immediately went
to Sanatana Goswami to ask what he should do. At
Sanatana Qoswami's house, this particular guest fell at his
feet and said, "1 am sorry, 1 am sorry." Rupa Goswami
said, "Why?" He said, "1 came to your house and you were
engrossed in laughing due to the pastimes of Krishna and
Shri Radharani. 1 did not understand you and I made an
aparadha. Please forgive me, Please forgive me." And Rupa
Goswami started repeatedly offering his obeisances to that
Vaishnava. He said, "I neglected you. You were a guest. 1
am a criminal. 1 am an offender. Please forgive me". This
was the humility of Shri Rupa Goswami. This story appears
in the Bhakti-ratnakara by Narahari Das. Here it is
explained that we must be very cautious and careful in our
dealings with devotees and we should never neglect them.
And if somehow or the other we make a mistake in our
dealings with another Vaishnava, we should become
completely humble like Rupa Goswami and beg
forgiveness, All the desires of Rupa Goswami were being
transcendentally fulfilled by the mercy of Lord Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu. Radha Govindadeva was the life and soul of
Rupa Goswami. One of the disciples of Raghunatha Bhatta
Goswami, Raja Mansingh of Rajasthan, who was also a
close associate of Emperor Akbar, built a seven-storeyed
temple for Shri Radha Govinda. In fact, Raghunatha Bhatta
Goswami loved Shrila Rupa Goswami so much, not only did
he build that temple for the deity, he also offered beautiful
clothing and ornaments for Radha Govinda, which included
a flute and eamngs shaped like sharks. Raghunatha Bhatta
Goswami would never hear the fault of a devotee. If
anyone for any reason was criticizing a devotee,
Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami would say, "I cannot hear.
The fact that he's serving Krishna is all I know."
After Sanatana Goswami's departure, Shri Rupa Goswami
was living with the other Goswamis. They always wanted to
see the deity of Gopal. Gopal was the murti, originally
installed by Vajranabh on Govardhana hill, which was re-

discovered by Madhavendra Puri. But Lord Chaitanya would

never touch His foot to Govardhana hill, because He
considered Govardhana hill to be non-different than the
body of Krishna. So Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would
not go on the top of the hill to visit Gopal, but Gopal was
longing to see Lord Chaitanya, just as Lord Chaitanya was
longing to see Gopal. So by His own yoga-maya potency he
had people run to the village and say, "The Moslems are
coming" and thus they could take darshan of the deity.
He worshiped Gopal by dancing in transcendental kirtan
chanting the Holy Names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama
Rama Hare Hare
When they found out there were no Muslims, that it was all
a rumor, they organized a procession to bring Gopal back
to Govardhan hill and Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was
dancing and chanting in that procession. As soon as they
reached the hill, Lord Chaitanya stopped and offered his
prostrated obeisances. So Rupa Goswami also would never
ever go on Govardhan Hill because he followed the same
principles that Lord Chaitanya lived by. However, just as
Rupa Goswami was longing to see Gopal, Gopal was also
longing to see Rupa Goswami. So He played the same
pastime. The Muslims are coming." So they took Gopal
down from Govardhan hill and they brought Him to Mathura
where they hid him in the house of the youngest son of
Vallabhacharya whose name was Mithileshwar. When Rupa
Goswami and his associates found out about this, they all
went to Mathura. Lokanath Goswami, Bhugarba Goswami,
Raghunatha Bhatt Goswami, Raghunath Das Goswami, Jiva
Goswami, Gopal Bhatt Goswami and Kashishwar together
with Rupa Goswami worshipped Shri Gopal by having
wonderful kirtan, dancing and chanting the Holy Names:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare
Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
For one month, in the intimacy of each other's association
the devotees worshiped Gopal. Then they realized that
there were no Muslims, but that it was just another rumor.
They brought Gopal back to Govardhan Hill. This was the

pastime of the Lord to reciprocate the love of Shri Rupa

Goswami.
After Shrila Rupa Goswami disappeared from this world,
Shrila Jiva Goswami was naturally accepted as the leader of
all the Gaudiya Vaishnavas. He along with the'o'ftier
associates of Lord Chaitanya arranged the beautiful,
samadhi in the courtyard of Shri Radha Damodar Temple. In
fact Shrila Prabhupada considered this place SQ^mportant,
that in 1972 he called his devotees from all over the world
to come to Vnnetevan during the month of Kartik. Each
day, he personally delivered lectures from the Bhakti
Hasamrita Ssndhu or Nectar of Devotion right at the
samadhi mandir of Shri Rupa Goswami in the courtyard of
Radha Damodar. Who can imagine the ecstatic bliss that
Shrila Prabhupada must have experienced when he
brought devotees from all over the world to sit at the lotus
feet of Shri Rupa Goswami and hear from his most blessed
merciful book 'Nectar of Devotion'?
Shrinivas Acn<a<ya longing to meet Lord Chaitanya and
His associates went to Puri only to find that Lord Chaitanya
and His associates had already disappeared. But in a
dream Gada^har Pandit told him to go to Vrindavan and
take shelter of Rupa and Sanatana. When he was bathing in
the Yamuna in Mathura at Vishram Ghat, he heard the
news, from some brahmins speaking amongst themselves,
that Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis had both disappeared
from the world. Shrinivas Acharya was plunged in grief. He
decided that he would simply take his life. But then Rupa
and Sanatana Goswami appeared in a dream and told him,
"You should go to Vrindavan, take shells1' of Shri Jiva
Goswami and learn from him the scriptures and take
initiation from Gopal Bhatta Goswami because we are living
in them."
Simultaneously, Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami
appeared to both Jiva Goswami and Gopal Bhatta Goswami
and told Gopal Bhatt Goswami, " You should initiate
Shrinivas Acharya he is a very dear devotee.'*** When
Shrinivas Acharya came to Vrindavan he understood it was
the mercy of Shri Rupa and Sanatana and he also cried in

ecstatic love of gratitude, when he came to the samadhi

mandir of Shri Rupa Goswami.
Shrila Rupa Goswami wrote many books of which 16 books
are very prominent. Amongst them Shrita Prabhupada has
translated Bhakti Rasamnta S'mdhu, Upadeshamrta. There
is a/so LaUta Madhava and Vidaghda Madhava. These
books are great treasure houses, which describe from the
most beginning stages to the most elevated stages how to
progress in Krishna Consciousness.
Adhau sraddha thatha sadhu sango' thata bhajana kriya
Rupa Goswami has composed this beautiful verse that at
the very beginning there 13 little faith. Krishna reciprocates
with that faith and from within our heart directs us to
associate with devotees. In that association, we learn the
science of bhakti. Then we approach a spiritual master who
initiates us and puts us in the category of 'Vaidhi bhakti',
where we follow the regulative principles of Sadhana. It is
called bhajana kriya - chanting a fixed number of rounds
everyday, following the regulative principles and always
being engaged in devotional service. Gradually our hearts
become cleansed (anartha nivritti) and all the unwanted
material desires and misconceptions are removed from our
hearts and then through that gradual purification we
achieve 'nishta' or very deep and strong faith in Krishna
and the path of bhakti- By continuing in our spiritual
advancement by the mercy of Guru and Gauranga 'ruchi' or
the higher taste of the sweetness of devotional service
awakens in our heart. Then we develop very strong
attachment to Krishna, 'asakti', such attachment that all
other attachments become utterly insignificant. When we
continue to cultivate devotional service under the guidance
of Guru and Gauranga in the association of Vaishnavas,
gradually that asakti becomes 'bhava* the preliminary
state of love of God and by the gradual cultivation of
hearing and chanting, bhava becomes 'prema'. tn Prema
bhakti, ecstatic love of God and the revelation of our
eternal nature in the spiritual world is gradually revealed

-serving the Lord in Vrindavan in dasya rasa, sakhya rasa,

vatsalya rasa or madhutya rasa.
Shrila Rupa Goswami has brought us from the most
preliminary state to the ultimate achievement of all
spiritual quests ~ the treasure of prema bhakti in the mood
of the residents of Vrindavan. Shrila Rupa Goswami
composed over one hundred thousand verses.
In the tila of Vrindavan, Shrila Rupa Goswami is Shri Rupa
Manjari. Our great acharyas have given us the explanation
that the only means by which we could truly find the real
spiritual satisfaction of the heart is to become the servant
of the servant of the servant of the pleasure potency of
Shri Krishna, Shri Radharani. Of Shri Radharani's expanded
counterparts, the sakhis are her most intimate servants.
The leader of the sakhis is Lalita Sakhi. The direct intimate
assistants of the sakhis are the manjaris and the leader of
all the manjaris is Shri Rupa Maniari. The acharyas of our
line are the servants of the servants of the servants of Shri
Rupa Manjari, It is through the mercy of Shri Rupa Manjari
that we can achieve purification; first of all of our gross
material state now and ultimately given a place as her own
servant and assistant in the spiritual world of Goloka
Vrindavan,
Shrila Prabhupada has often told us that we are to never
forget the glory of this great sampradaya that he has given
us, the Gaudiya sampradaya or the Rupanuga sampradayaSo today, we are making a small attempt to speak a partial
portion of a drop of the glories of Shri Rupa Goswami and
we should very carefully and sincerely aspire to be the
servant of the servant of the servant of Shri Rupa Goswami.
How do we do this? By simply accepting the guru
parampara, hearing submissively, carrying out the
instructions:
Tad viddh'i prampatena pan prashnena sevaya (B.G. 4.34)
His Divine Grace Shrila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada in his most profound mature realizations of the
very essence of the heart of his Guru Maharaj, Rupa
Goswami and Lord Chaitanya has presented us Krishna
Consciousness. He has presented the perfect and pure

process by which we can achieve the loving mercy of all

the previous acharyas - chanting the Holy Names and
serving this great mission by distributing the books, which
are so inspired by the teachings of Rupa Goswami. We can
assist Shrila Prabhupada in spreading Krishna
consciousness, by performing our sadhana with great
attention and sincerity, hearing the glories of the Lord and
chanting His Names, carefully following the teachings of
Prabhupada to be more humble than a blade of grass, more
tolerant than a tree, give all respect to others and
expecting none in return and to constantly chant the Holy
Names and to surrender our lives to the mission of guru
and Gauranga. Shrila Prabhupada's teachings are very
simple, but very complete and totally profound. By simply
pleasing Shrila Prabhupada and being the servant of the
servant of his servants, we are being given access to the
complete unlimited all merciful compassionate blessings of
Shrila Rupa Goswami and all our acharyas. Shri Rupa
Goswami Ki Jai. Shrila Prabhupada Ki Jai. Shri GauraBhakta
Vrinda
From
<http://nitaaiveda.com/All_Scriptures_By_Acharyas/Biograp
hical_Works/The_Six_Goswamis/Srila_Rupa_Goswami.htm>
01-04 'A life history of Srila Rupa Goswami' Lecure
by Radhanath Swami at Radha Damodar temple
By Radhanath Swami
A life history of Srila Rupa Goswami
Lord Caitanya meets Rupa & Sanatan Goswm
o ajna-timirndhasya jnjana-alkay
cakur unmlita yena tasmai r-gurave nama
r-caitanya-mano-bha sthpita yena bh-tale
svaya rpa kad mahya dadti sva-padntikam
vande ha r-guro r-yuta-pada-kamala rgurun vaiav ca
r-rpa sgrajta saha-gaa-raghunthnvita
ta sa jvam

sdvaita svadhta parijana-sahita kacaitanya-deva

r-rdh-ka-pdn saha-gaa-lalit- rvikhnvit ca
vch-kalpatarubhya ca kp-sindhubhya eva ca
patitn pvanebhyo vaiavebhyo namo nama
r-ka-caitanya prabhu nitynanda
r-advaita gaddhara rvsdi-gaura-bhaktavnda
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Sri Rup & Sanatan Goswm while living in Rmakeli had
wealth like the king of heaven Indra; they were learned like
Brihaspati, the guru of the devatas. They had great power
& influence being the chief ministers of the government.
They were young, they were beautiful, they had everything
material but they were frustrated because they understood
that they were really wasting this valuable human life. The
purpose of life is simply to give pleasure to the supreme
personality of godhead Sri Krsna, they understood by their
divine consciousness that, lord Sri has descended in the
form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu & he was living in
Jagannath Puri. They wrote him letters again & again
begging him, to rescue them from the clutches of illusion.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally led a kirtan of millions
of people to Rmakeli; there he met Sri Rup & Sanatan. It
was in the night they came 0.26.55 in disguise, they fell at
the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu with such humility,
and they considered themselves to be more fallen than
Jagi & Mdhi, to be sinful, to be the most fallen persons
of all of creation. Prabhupada explained, they werent just
saying this; they felt it from the core of their heart, they
surrendered at the lotus feet of lord Gauranga & he told
them to go to Vrindavan. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu
went back to Puri, he told his devotees that I have met this
Rup & Sanatan Goswm; they are the perfect candidates
to establish this mission of pure Bhakti in this world. He
glorified their qualities of humility, surrender & devotion.

Lord Caitanya instructs Rupa Goswm

Srila Rupa Goswm practically immediately left all of his
government services & gave away his wealth, he went to
Prayag, he moved to Vrindavan & there he met Lord Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. At the Dashashvamedha Ghat Lord
Caitanya instructed Rup Goswm for ten days. The lord
embraced Srila Rupa Goswm, upon embracing he
impregnated within Rupa Goswms heart the capacity to
fully understand & realise everything the lord dissipate. He
gave the essence, the science of pure devotional service
culminating in the transcendental past times of Sri Sri
Radhakrishna in Vrindavan. And then he ordered Rupa
Goswm, you go to Vrindavan; what I have taught you,
you search in the scriptures; you establish the ultimate
truth of pure devotional service & expand what I have
taught you in such a way to establish the principles of pure
devotional service throughout the world.
Rupa Goswm empowered by Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Rupa Goswm again in
Jagannath Puri & there at the Siddhabakula tree was
Haridas Thakur resided. He brought the senior most of his
associates to examine the content of the writing &
realizations of Rupa Goswm, such great personalities of
Srila Rmnanda Rai, Srvabhauma Bhattacharya,
Nitynanda Prabhu, Swarup Damodar Goswm, Srila
Haridas Thakur they unanimously accepted that Rup
Goswm in order to write what he is writing, in order to be
what he is, is only possible because you have impregnated
him by the supreme causeless mercy. There is that famous
story where Rupa Goswm wrote a verse on a palm leaf,
commentary to lord Caitanya Mahaprabhus beautiful
prayers to lord Jagannath in the Ratha Yatra. Lord Caitanya
read it & he himself was amazed, how Rupa Goswm
understood the very essence of my heart? Swarup
Damodar Goswm said, I can tell you have bestowed your
unlimited causeless mercy upon him, therefore it is
possible. And lord Gauranga said, yes, it is true; when I saw
his humility, his detachment, & his complete surrender at

Prayag I impregnated the Bhakti of my heart into his. All

the great acharyas unanimously agreed that, Rupa
Goswm was the acharyas to establish Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhus mission through literary work & through his
example in Vrindavan.
Rupa Goswm personification of devotional
service
So he is our sampraday acharya, in the spiritual world he is
Sri Rupa majar, intimate confidential associate of Sri
Lalita Sakhi eternally engaged in the most pleasing
services to Sri Sri Radha & Krsna. And the entire Gaudiya
sampraday is striving to ultimately purify ourselves to be
the servant of the servant of the servant of Sri Rupa
majar in the spiritual world. What is Sri Rupa Goswms
position in our lives? It is supremely worshipable; it was
here where we are sitting this evening where Sri Rupa
Goswm was living in the Vrindavan. This was his Bhajan
kutir. At that time this was all a forest called Seva kunja. Sri
Rupa Goswm would write literatures & give lectures
every day. The other Goswms, the vrajavss would
come here to hear Srila Rupa Goswm speak, here he did
his bhajan. Caitanya Charitamrita explains the type of
bhajan of the six Goswms, they chanted at least one to
two lacks of names every day, they would sleep hardly an
hour & a half at the most, they would go out & beg for
some dry rottis & sometimes fried chippis as mdhukar,
they would only wear the cloth that was so old that it was
discarded by the ordinary people & make it into a simple
wrapper of a Blj, paramahamsa. They had no fix
residence; they would sleep under different trees every
night, constantly absorbed in chanting the holy name s
with tears of love in their eyes. Meeting every day
whenever possible to discuss the wonderful past times of
Radha & Krsna & ways of inaugurating Mahaprabhus
movement throughout the world. They were constantly
absorbed in thinking of Sri Sri Radha & Krsna in the core of
their hearts in great ecstasy; this is how they lived, no one
can live like this. If anyone tries they will die. Their bhakta
was of such extremes degree that the material existence

simply did not exist in their lives; this is how they lived in
Vrindavan.
he rdhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sno kuta
Roaming from grove to grove, from kunja to kunja
searching for the loving service of Sri Sri Radha & Krsna.
When Sri Rupa Goswm departed from this world, Sri Jiva
Goswm & the other great Vaishnavas laid his body here,
the holy samdhi of Srila Rupa Goswm. Srila Jiva
Goswm who then became the acharya of Gaudiya
vaishnavas built this RadhaDamoder temple in this place.
The deity of Damodar was personally carved by the hands
of Srila Rupa Goswm, personally worshiped by him &
then offered in love to his nephew & disciple Srila Jiva
Goswm.
Prabhupada preparing himself at RadhaDamoder
His divine grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada he
came to Vrindavan & made a wow that he would prepare
himself in this holiest of all holy places to serve the mission
of his guru maharaj. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur
instructed him on several occasions that he should take the
message of Rupa Goswm & Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to
the whole world; that was the desire of the lord himself.
Srila Prabhupada in the year 1959 came here to Sri
RadhaDamoder temple. Just to our right where that window
is, was Srila Prabhupadas personal kitchen, he would
lovingly cook with his own hands; offer the bhoga to Sri
RadhaDamoder, his guru maharaj. He would look out this
window & see the Bhajan kutir & samdhi Mandir of Srila
Rupa Goswm every day. Just across that courtyard was
Srila Prabhupadas bhajan kutir where he wrote his
translation commentaries to the first canto of Srimad
Bhagvatam as well as back to Godhead & other literatures.
It was here that he was contemplating, praying & preparing
for this monumental historical offering of compassion to all
human beings. Every day Srila Prabhupada would
circumambulate this courtyard, every day he would offer
his dandavat Pranams at the samdhi of Srila Rupa
Goswm praying for his mercy for six years. 1965 Srila

Prabhupada took the blessings of Srila Rupa Goswm, Jiva

Goswm, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur & left to
the western world.
Prabhupada preparing to leave for America
Just yesterday one of our very dear god brothers,
Brahmnanda Prabhu was showing me something I never
saw before, its there but I never took note of it. Incredible,
I was astonished to see it; I still cant get over it; would you
like to hear what it is? Its a news paper article, Srila
Prabhupada was in Bombay, was a beggar; he begged
Sumati Morarjee of East India steamship company to give
him a free passage on a cargo ship to America. She didnt
want to do it, she resisted, you are too old, it is impossible
what you are saying you want to do; just preach to us, we
are happy, we will take care of you swami ji. But he went.
The ship did not leave from Bombay, it left from Calcutta.
When he was in Calcutta he didnt really have anybody to
stay with, he stayed with somebody from Lucknow that he
happened to meet when he was there. His son came, when
he was boarding the Jaladuta there were only three or four
people to see him off; one was his son, Vrindavan Chandra
Dey. I asked him, what did you think when you saw your
father walking up to steps to that cargo ship, going to a
foreign land with no money, not knowing anyone? He said, I
was proud of my father.
Prabhupada walking ahead of time
Before he went while in Calcutta it appeared that, he
contacted various news papers to tell them about his
mission of going abroad, & one very very small newspaper
carried an article with a photograph, happened to be a
pass port photo. And what this article said was incredible; it
was obvious that it was either written by Srila Prabhupada
or dictated by Srila Prabhupada. But the article said that,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj who is the carrier of the
message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu & Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur is departing on the
Scindia cargo ship to New York City in America. It said that,

Swami Ji has translated the entire Srimad Bhagvatam,

there are so many people in America waiting; they have
already heard of him & they are waiting for him to come
because they are so eager to hear from him, and
everything was being arranged. From material point of view
there was nothing in that article was true at that time.
My only qualification is, firm faith in my spiritual
master
But actually it was a prophecy; Srila Prabhupada went to
America & knew he will be a success. Then he read a
conversation of Srila Prabhupada where he is speaking to
his disciples many years later; he said, actually I have no
qualification, he said I have so many god brothers who are
very very learned & very very advanced. I have only one
thing, I have complete faith in order of my spiritual master
& that is the very essence of my success; whatever I have
been able to do is exclusively based on my exclusive faith
in the power of my spiritual masters order.
yasya deve par bhaktir
yath deve tath gurau
One who has implicit faith in guru & Krsna all knowledge is
revealed. Srila Prabhupada had complete faith not only in
the order of his spiritual master but what that order was
represented. It represented the very life of Srila Rupa
Goswm to give the to the world the pure devotional
service, the prophecy of Lord Caitanya & lord Nitynanda
that the holy name of Krsna will be in every town & village
on the surface of the earth.
Blissful in separation
Srila Prabhupada in 1967 came back to Vrindavan with one
disciple, he showed him his little room, now the rooms
have been renovated, and then they were just very very
simple. But Srila Prabhupada, he said now we have big
temples all over the world, he said that, my heart was
always longing to be back in his little rooms at
RadhaDamoder in Vrindavan. But he said, to me to go back
there would be sense gratification. Can you imagine, he is
eighty year old? At a certain point he was still travelling all

around the world constantly, dealing with so many

problems, staying up all night long translating, and making
commentaries for his books, preaching vigorously. He said
for me go back to there would be sense gratification
because my guru maharaj wants me to preach this
message. In 1965 in his diary, this is before he had any
follower whatsoever; he didnt even have anybody
interested in Krsna consciousness at that time, he has just
come to New York, he was living in Bowery. He wrote, today
is Gaur Prim the appearance day of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu & my god brothers & my god sisters they are
all in Navadweep Dhaam or Vrindavan Dhaam, worshiping
the deity, having wonderful festival, wonderful katha,
wonderful kirtan but I am all alone in this foreign land;
there is not a single devotees within ten thousand miles.
But I am in bliss, I am happy because this is the order of
my spiritual master; this was the content of Srila
Prabhupadas faith.
Prayers at Samadhi of Srila Rupa Goswami
In 1972 Srila Prabhupada brought a group a of devotees
from all over the world to sit right where Jananivas Prabhu
is sitting right now to give a one month series of lectures
on Bhaktirasamritasindhu, nectar of devotion. At that time
Srila Prabhupada explained, Vrindavan is spiritual world the
ultimate planet of spiritual world & this Vrindavan on earth
is non-different & RadhaDamoder temple is the place
where Sri Rupa Goswm would preach, would write &
where body was ultimately laid to rest. This is the place
where all the Goswms would come together to take
Prasad, to exchange intimate love, to have kirtan, Hari
katha. Srila Prabhupada explained that this courtyard in
RadhaDamoder temple was the centre of the spiritual
world. And as far as these two rooms, Srila Prabhupada told
his disciples that, I eternally live in these rooms in
RadhaDamoder temple. With very very grateful heart we
should fall in the dust of this holy place praying for the
mercy Srila Rupa Goswm, praying for the mercy of Sri
Jiva Goswm, praying for the mercy of his divine grace

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who delivered the

complete essence of all the previous acharyas in a simplest
most practical way to us & to the whole world.
RadhaDamoder the centre of Vrindavan
Behind you is the samdhi Mandir of Garga Goswm, a
disciple of Gadadhar Pandit, dear associate of Lokanath
Goswm, where he & Lokanath Goswm were the first
people to come here to Sri Vrindavan on the order of Sri
Caitanya, he is Prema Majar in the spiritual world of
Goloka. In the parikram route there are several samdhis;
there is the samdhi of Srila Jiva Goswm. Jiva Goswm
made this his headquarter, why? Because his guru maharaj
Rupa Goswm did his bhajan here. It was here that Jiva
Goswm wrote over hundred & thousands of slokas,
establishing the philosophy of Krsna consciousness.
Prabhupada said, he was the greatest philosopher that ever
lived in the history of the world. It is that, he personally
trained Shrinivas acharya, Narottam das Thakur &
Shamananda Goswm. Near the samdhi of Jiva Goswm
is the samdhi Mandir of Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswm;
he offered a Caitanya Charitamrita. And there is also a
pushpa Samadhi of Srila Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
Thakur our beloved param guru. RadhaDamoder temple
indeed is the centre of the spiritual world & it is our very
very great fortune to be here today. And according to how
grateful our hearts really are to the fortune we are
receiving we will truly benefit. This evening not only we are
fortunate to be here but amongst such illustrious servants
of Srila Prabhupada, Jananivas Prabhu, his holiness
Chandrasekhar Maharaj, Nrtak Mataji & there is a special
celebrated personality who is personally present as Srila
Prabhupadas assistant cook at the time of the nectar of
devotion classes for that month in 1972 here at
RadhaDamoder temple; we would like to request Mlat
Devi Mataji to share some of her memories of this very
very historical occasion in our society system. Thank you
very much.

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