Name Class

V AISHNAV A SAINTS:

THE SIX
GOSVVAMIS
OF
VRINDAVAN

Hare Krishna Sunday School

International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-acharya: His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
 V AISHNAV A SAINTS:

THE SIX
GOSVVAMIS
OF
VRINDAVAN
Compiled by:
Tapasvini devi dasi

The Hare Krishna Sunday School Program is sponsored by:

ISKCON Foundation
 This book is dedicated to
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,
the founder-acharya ofthe Hare. Krishna Movement.
Throughout his life he provided a perfect example
ofsaintly character for us to follow.
 Contents

Title ~
Sri Sanatan Goswami 4

Skit: Sanatan Goswami's Escape 12

Sri Rupa Goswami 18

Sri Raghunath Bhatta Goswami 24

Sri Raghunatha Das Goswami 28

Sri Jiva Goswami 37

Sri Gopal Bhatta Goswami 46

 Session Verse

sri-caitanya-mano-'bhistam
sthapitam yena bhu-tale
svayam rupah kada mahyam
dadati sva-padantikam

Translation: When will Srila Rupa Goswami

Prabhupada, who has established within this

material world the mission to fulfill the

desire of Lord Chaitanya, give me shelter

under his lotus feet?

 Introduction

Why do we study the lives of famous people? Why do we have role

models and heroes? What value is it to us to learn about people who are no
longer in this world? How can they affect us now?
Unfortunately, we are not born knowing what is always the right thing
to do. And there are many opinions in the world about just what is the right
thing to do. Hopefully, by this point, we all agree that one right thing we can
do is to serve Lord Krishna. Even if we do agree, we may not be clear on
how to do that.
Studying the lives of the great saints gives us a glimpse of the activities
of pure souls, of those who know how to serve Krishna in the right way. We
can learn from their examples and we can be inspired by hearing about their
interesting lives. Many saints, indeed, the ones we will study in this session,
did not have an easy time when trying to serve the Lord. Sonle were thrown
into prison, kidnapped by angry parents or tested by Krishna Himself: Yet
they never gave up the desire to serve Krishna.
Lord Chaitanya is an incamatiQn of Krishna who appeared in India
over 500 years ago. The six goswamis ofVrindavan were all followers of
Lord Chaitanya. They lived in India at the same time that Lord Chaitanya
was present and spent their lives spreading His teachings. They are His close
personal associates.
Just as Lord Chaitanya is really Krishna, and Lord Nityananda is really
Balarain, the six goswamis are incarnations of Krishna's associates. They
appeared with Lord Chaitanya to share in His pastimes on earth.

2
 ----_._-

The Six Goswamis

krsnokirtana-gana-nartana parau premamrtambho-nidhi

dhiradhira-jana-priyau priya-karau-nirmatsarau pujitau
sri-caitanya-krpa-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bharavahantarakau
vande rupa-sanatana raghu-yugau sri-jiva gopalakau

I offer ~y r~spectful obeisances unto the six Goswamis, namely Sri

Rupa GOSWaml, Sn Sanatan Goswami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, Sri
Raghunatha das Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopal Bhatta
Goswami, who are always engaged in chanting the holy name of Krishna and
dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular
both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of
anyone. Whatever they do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are
fully blessed by Lord Chaitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary
activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe.

3
 Sri Sanatan Goswami

Sanatan Goswami was the older brother of two other great devotees,
Rupa and Anupama. He was born into a brahman family in Bengal, and from
the very beginning, all three brothers were absorbed in thoughts of Krishna.
They named the forests they would play in after the forests of Vrindavan.
They called their favorite bathing ponds Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda.
Some years later, after Lord Chaitanya took sannyasa, He traveled
throughout India. At that time the Muslim government was ruling in Bengal
and Sanatan and Rupa both became ministers of the government. They
adopted Muslim names and were valuable assistants to the Mohammedan
ruler.
In those days, it was not very acceptable for a Hindu to closely
associate with a Muslim. He would lose his place in Hindu society and be
considered a Muslim. Why would these two pure, pious brothers be involved
in politics and serve a Muslim government? It wasn't something they had
really chosen to do. It was simply a matter of politics.
The ruler, Nawab Hussein Shah, had heard how much Rupa and
Sanatan were loved by the people. He also knew that they were known as
"the kings of learning." He thought, "If I could some way have them in my
government service, then I would have the support of many more people."
The Nawab threatened to cause trouble for the brahman community
unless Rupa and Sanatan worked for him under Muslim rule. The two
brothers were very frightened - not for themselves, but they feared that the
brahmans would be hurt. So they were blackmailed into working for the
Nawab because they didn't want any harm to come to the Vaisnavas.
The Nawab was delighted by gaining the two valuable brothers. He
paid them very generously as they dlltifully did their jobs. Bllt while they
were carrying on their government jobs, the brothers continued teaching
others about Srimad Bhagavatam.
One time Sanatan and his brother Rupa heard that Lord Chaitanya was
visiting their village. They thought about it for some time and then decided to
go and see Him. They knew their Muslim bosses would not like this, so to
protect themselves, they went in disguise.
Lord Chaitanya was told that the two brothers came to see Him. He
looked up and saw Rupa and Sanatan. Ollt of humility, they took bunches of
straw and placed them between their teeth as they fell flat to offer obeisances.
The brothers were overcome with joy and began to cry. The Lord raised

4
 them up and they took the straw
between their teeth again and
began to offer prayers. They
pleaded and begged with Lord
Chaitanya for His mercy. Over
and over again they cried, "We
are not worthy, but when, 0
when, will we be able to serve
You?"
Lord Chaitanya replied,
"Please stand up. Your humility
is breaking My heart! I have
come to this village just to see
you both. Now you can go
home and don't be afraid.
Krishna will deliver you very
soon."
The devotees present blessed Sanatan and Rupa and congratulated
them for getting the mercy of the Lord. The two brothers then went home,
anxious for the day when they could leave their government jobs and join
Lord Chaitanya.

Sana/an Goswami Escapes

Eventually, the Nawab let Rupa resign from his government job but he
refused to let Sanatan quit. Sanatan held a very high position and the Nawab
felt he couldn't do without him. He left Sanatan in charge of his government
while he went off to conquer distant lands. Sanatan would let his assistants
do all the work while he studied and taught Krishna Consciousness. He
would file sick reports saying he was too ill to do his job.
One day the Nawab needed to speak to Sanatan personally so he paid a
visit to his house. Inside he found Sanatan discussing Bhagavatam with 20 or
30 others, not a sick Sanatan like he expected.
"Yau have been submitting sick reports," said the angry Nawab, "but
you are not sick! I came to see why you are not doing your job. What are
your plans?"
"I cannot work for you anymore," said Sanantan. "Please find
someone else to do my service."
This made the Nawab even angrier. "The only reason I have been able
to conquer other lands and to spend time hunting is because you have been

5
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6
taking care of the government. Noone else can do it as well as you when I
am gone. If you leave, then my work will have to stop, also."
Sanatan Goswami was determined not to work for the Nawab any
longer. He told the Nawab that he must quit. The Nawab immediately threw
Sanatan into jail. He left to conquer Orissa, planning on coming back later to
deal with the disobedient Sanatan.
When Rupa heard that his brother was in jail, he sent a letter telling
Sanatan that he had gold coins saved for emergencies such as this. Sanatan
knew right away what had to be done. He called the jail-keeper and said,
"Dear sir, I have done you many favors in the past. N ow please do
something for me. Here are five thousand gold coins. Please take then1 and
release me. You will be rich and you will also be blessed for helping me join
Lord Chaitanya."
The jail-keeper's eyes shifted back and forth as he nervously said, "I
would like to let you go, but I am afraid of the government. What would 1 tell
the Nawab?"
Sanatan replied, "Just tell him that when you took me Ollt to the
Ganges, I jumped in with my iron shackles on and drowned."
Sanatan could see that the jail-keeper was still not convinced. He then
offered him seven thousand gold coins for his release. The jail-keeper agreed
and that night cut Sanatan's shackles and let him cross the Ganges.
Sanatan was now free! He traveled day and night through dark jungles.
His servant Ishan went with him. They reached a very hilly area and Sanatan
asked a landholder to help him cross the area. A palm-reader was staying
with the landholder. The palm-reader knew about Sanatan and whispered to
the landholder, "This man has eight gold coins with him."
The landowner was happy to hear this and said to Sanatan, "Certainly,
sir, just have lunch and tonight my men will help you cross the mountains."
But Sanatan felt that something was not right. Why was the landholder
so polite? After all, Sanatan was dressed like a very poor man. Why did the
landholder seem to respect him so? He called Ishan aside. "Are you carrying
any money?" he asked.
"Yes," said Ishan. "I have seven gold coins."
Sanatan didn't like this at all. They were traveling alone on a road that
had many robbers. "Why are you carrying this money? It could be the cause
of our death!" he cried.
Sanatan took the gold coins at once and offered them to the landholder.
The landholder said, "I knew that you had eight gold coins with you. 1 was

7
8
 going to kill you tonight and take your coins. But I see that you are a
good person, so you can keep the coins."
"No," said Sanatan, "if you don't take them, someone else will kill me
for them. It is better I give them to you." The man accepted seven gold
COllS.
Later that night, the landholder and his men helped Ishan and Sanatan
over the hilly jungle. Sanatan then sent Ishan back, letting him keep the one
gold coin that was left. Finally Sanatan was completely free, and he went on,
wearing his tom clothing and carrying only a waterpot. His only desire was
to join Lord Chaitanya's sankirtan movement. Many days later he met the
Lord.
Lord Chaitanya instructed Rupa and Sanatan to go to Vrindavan to
uncover some of the lost holy places. He also wanted them to establish
temples and deity worship and to write Vaisnava scriptures. So they traveled
through the land ofVrindavan, discovering many of the places where Krishna
had His pastimes 5000 years ago. They lived very simply, barely eating and
sleeping only 1 1/2 hours in a day. And instead of sleeping in a comfortable
hut in a soft, wann bed, they would sleep under a tree or bush every night.

The Madan Mohan Deity o(Sanalan Goswami

Sanatan Goswami had a deity named Madan Mohan. He carried this
deity with him everywhere but could only offer Him the simplest foodstuffs.
He would make "chapatis" by rolling some flour into a ball, adding some
Yamuna water and dropping it into smoldering coals to bake. This salt-free
baked bread ball is what he would offer to his deity of Madan Mohan.
. One day, after this sort of
offering, Madan Mohan spoke to
Sanatan Goswami. He said, "Is this
all you have to offer Me? I would like
something a little tastier."
Sanatan Goswami replied to his
deity, "You knew when I got You that
I was just a poor brahman. I can only
give You what I beg from others. I'm
spending most of my time writing and
can't offer You opulent worship."
Madan Mohan said, "Well, how
about at least a little salt with My
chapatis?" Sanatan worshiping his
Deity
9
 Sanatan said, "Oh no. Today You want a little salt, then tomorrow
You'll want a little sugar and the next day You'll want something else. I'm
not going to start that!"
A bit later, a big boat was going up the Yamuna .River on the way to
Agra. The boat became stuck on a sand bar and no matter what anyone did,
it would just not come unstuck. The captain was very frustrated and was
worried that his cargo would not be able to be sold in Agra. The villagers
advised him to go pray to Madan Mohan. He did this and within a short time
his boat floated free.
The captain took his ship and sailed up to Agra where he sold his cargo
(which happened to be salt) for a very high profit. He was so grateful to
Madan Mohan that he returned to Vrindavan and paid for the construction of
the Madan Mohan Temple, a beautiful, seven-story, elaborate building for the
Deities. Lord Chaitanya had requested Rupa and Sanatan to establish
temples in Vrindavan and this was the fIrst temple built.

Sana/an Goswam;'s Parikrama

Sri Sanatan Goswami spent 40 years wandering from village to village
in Vrindavan. In his last years, he le~ the care of Madan Mohan in the hands
of Krishna das brahmachari, his disciple. He went to Manasi Ganga at
Govardhan to perform bhajan. Even though he was 65 years old now,
everyday he walked the 24-mile parikrama trail around Govardhan Hill. He
kept his vow of offering 1008 obeisances daily to Govardhan Hill and to any
Vaishnava he met.
One day while Sanatan Goswami was
moving along on the parikrama path, Krishna
suddenly appeared from the bushes and asked
Sanatan why he was going through so much
trouble at such an old age. Sanatan simply
smiled and continued to walk. Krishna called
out to him, "Hey, old man! You are too old for
this!"
Sanatan explained to Him that he had taken a
vow to do this 24-mile parikrama daily. Krishna
laughed at this and picked Sanatan up, put Him
on His shoulder and started walking off, saying,
"I will carry you."
Sanatan stopped Him by telling Him that it was his vow to walk around
Govardhan Hill, not to be carried. Krishna was pleased with His devotee's

10
determination, but He was also concerned about Sanatan's body. It had
become very weak due to his old age and was getting difficult for him to
maintain his vows.
Feeling great love and compassion, Krishna put His foot on a
Govardhan Sila and made a footprint in that stone. He told Sanatan Goswami
to take the stone and worship it with Tulasi leaves and water. He said that if
he performed parikrama seven times daily around the Govardhan Sila it
would be the same as walking around Govardhan Hill. Thus, Sanatan
Goswami would not break his vow.
For the rest of his life, Sanatan Goswami worshipped the sila and after
he left the world the sila was taken to Vrindavan and placed in the Radha-
Damodar Mandir. You can still see this stone with Krishna's footprint in it if
you visit the temple. You yourself can do parikrama around this very special
sila of Sanatan Goswami's.

Lord Siva's Favor to Sanatan Goswami

There is another special pastime of Sanatan's that happened while he
was staying at Manasi Ganga. One time Lord Siva noticed that Sanatan
Goswami was preparing to leave his place here and move on to another place.
Lord Siva took the form of an old brahman and came up to meet Sanatan. He
asked him why he was leaving. Sanatan replied, "The mosquitoes here are
very bad. They are constantly disturbing file. I don't feel that I can live here
any longer."
Lord Siva (who really didn't want to
lose Sanatan's association) asked him to stay
for at least one more day. Sanatan Goswami
agreed and Lord Siva immediately went and
called the demigod in charge of mosquitoes.
He told him that his mosquitoes were
disturbing a great devotee of the Lord.
Would he please order all mosquitoes to
leave this place immediately? The demigod
commanded the mosquitoes to leave and
Sanatan was able to perform his bhajan
peacefully there without having to move. To
this day, you will not fmd mosquitoes in that
area.

,-------- .-;'

11
 Skit: Sanatan Goswami's Escam:
Characters: Sanatan Goswami, the Nawab, jail-keeper, Ishan, landowner,
Lord Chaitanya, servant

The Skit:
Nawab (talking to Sanatan): Yes, I have let your brother retire from his job.
But you must stay. I need you. You are the only one able to run the
government while I travel.

Sanatan: Very well, sir. I wish to retire but if you will not let me, I must
continue. (He leaves)

Sometime later ...

Nawab: (reading a paper) So, my servant is sick again! He has been filing
these sick reports a lot lately! I must see him anyway. I have important
business to discuss.

The Nawab rides to Sanatan's home and enters. He sees Sanatan

sitting and discussing the Bhagavatam with other devotees.

Nawab: What is this? You say you are sick? You don't look sick to me!
Why are you not doing your job? Do you have some other plan?

Sanatan: I cannot work for you any longer. You must fmd someone else to
do my job.

Nawab: Impossible! With you filnning my government I am free to conquer

others and expand my kingdom! If you go, my work will have to stop also.
That is impossible. You cannot quit.

Sanatan: I must qllit. I will not work for you any longer.

Nawab: Never! Off to jail with you! No one can disobey me like this!

The Nawab takes Sanatan away and puts him in jail. He leads the
jailkeeper over and instructs him to watch Sanatan. Then he leaves.

12
Jailkeeper: Here's your lunch. And someone brought a letter here for you.
(He walks away.)

Rupa: (opening and reading the letter) My dear brother, I have heard that
you are in jail for disobeying the Nawab. I know that you want to come and
join me with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. I have many gold coins saved for
emergencies such as this. Do whatever you have to do to get Otlt ofjail.
Come and join us as soon as possible. Your brother, Rupa.

Sanatan calls the jailkeeper back.

Sanatan: Dear sir, I have known you may years since we have worked for the
same government. I have done you many favors. Now do me a favor. I will
give you five thousand gold coins. Please let me go. You will have helped
me join my Lord and you will also be rich.

Jail-keeper: I would let you go, but I would be in much danger. What would
I tell the Nawab? Ifhe knows I let you go, he would kill me!

Sanatan: Tell him you took me to the bank of the Ganges. Then I jumped in
with my leg chains on before you could stop me.

Jail-keeper: I'm not sure ...

Sanatan: I'll give you seven thousand gold coins if you do this for me.

Jail-keeper: Seven thousand! All right, I will help you. Tonight I will set you
free.

He exits and comes back later, opening Sanatan's cell and cutting his leg
chains off. He leads Sanatan to the Ganges and points the way. Sanatan
travels a bit and then enters a house where his old servant Ishan is staying.

Sanatan: Ishan! Wake up! We must go at once. I need you to come with
me.

Ishan: Yes, master.

They travel here and there and come to a place where the landowner is.

13
Sanatan: Hello, kind sir. My servant and I need some help passing these
mountains. Can you assist us?

Land-owner: (to himself) Ahhh... This must be the man who is carrying the
gold coins. My palm-reader told me abollt him.
(To Sanatan) Yes, of COllrse we can help you. Why don't you stay here for
lunch and then tonight all of my men can help you over the mountains. We
would be more than happy to assist you.

Sanatan: Ishan, why is he treating us with such respect? We look poor and
dirty from so much traveling. Are you carrying any money?

Ishan: Yes, I have seven gold coins with me.

Sanatan: Oh, no, that is like carrying a death wish with us! Someone is sure
to kill us for this money! Give them to me at once.

Ishan hands him the coins and Sanatan immediately takes them to the
landowner.

Sanatan: My servant was carrying this money. Take it. It's yours.

Land-owner: I know that you had eight coins with you. Here are seven of
them. I would have killed you tonight for these. But I understand now that
you are a saintly person. Keep the money.

Sanatan: No, if you don't take them someone else will kill me for them.
Keep it please. Ishan, take the last coin you have saved and go back. I will
travel on alone.

Sanatan leaves and travels on. He arrives at the place where Lord
Chaitanya is staying. Lord Chaitanya is in a room with one ofHis servants.

Lord Chaitanya: There is a devotee outside your home. Go and let him in.

Servant: (looking outside) There is no devotee out here.

Lord Chaitanya: Is there anyone out there?

14
Servant: (looking again) Only a Muslim beggar.

Lord Chaitanya: Go and bring him in.

The servant goes out and leads Sanatan Goswami in. Lord Chaitanya sees
Sanatan and goes to embrace him.

Sanatan: Oh, my Lord, do not touch Dle. I am so unclean!

Lord Chaitanya: My devotee, to see you is the perfection of my eyes. It is

very rare to fmd a pure devotee like you. I am glad you have fmally come.

15
 i~1~. Imagine that you are the jailkeeper watching Sanatan Goswamt. Think of
(r r:;) what your life and duties would be like. Write a diary entry for the day
;~;;' 0 that you let Sanatan Goswami escape. Tell the diary all about your day.
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16
 Sanatan Goswami

I ACROSS
2. Lord Siva 10. Sanatan built Sanatan
wanted them to the first one in walked around
leave Manasi Vrindavan this hill daily
Ganga 11. Sanatan was 3. this got stuck
4. Sanatan's put here by his in the Yamuna
servant took boss while traveling
this with him 12. the to Agra
5. He gave government 6. Rupa's older
Sanatan a ruler brother
stone from 13. Sanatan's 7. another brother
Govardhan Hill Deity wa nted a of Rupa and
6. Sanatan put little of this with Sanatan
th\S \n h\s his chapat\s 8. Sanatan and
mouth to show Rupa slept
humility under this each
9. Sanatan night
Goswami's 9. Sanatan
Deity worked in this
kind of
government

17
 Sri Rupa Goswami
Sri Rupa Goswami was the younger brother of Sanatan Goswami. He
was also one of the assistants to the Muslim government. After the two
brothers had frrst met Lord Chaitanya, they began to make plans to quit their
government jobs. They asked two learned brahmanas to perform a special
ceremony which would free them from their material activities.
Rupa was able to quit his government duties, but Sanatan was forced to
continue. After the ceremony, Rupa collected all the money he had earned
from the government. There were so many silver and gold coins that they
filled a large boat. He counted it and immediately gave half of it to the
brahmanas and the devotees. The other half was also divided in two: one
part was given to his family and the other was saved for emergencies. This
was later used to help free Sanatan from prison. Then, with his younger
brother Anupama, he set out for Mathura to meet Lord Chaitanya.

Rupa Meets Lord Chaitanva

Rupa and Anupama traveled on, searching for the Lord. When they
found Him they heard shouting, laughing, singing, chanting, and crying.
Thousands of people were following the Lord and were roaring the holy name
of Krishna.
\ The two brothers stayed
at a distance and watched the
wonderful scene. The Lord was
dancing with his arms raised,
shouting, "Haribol! Haribol!"
Rupa and Anupama fell down
on the ground and offered
obeisances. They chanted many
verses m praise of Lord
Chaitanya. Suddenly, the Lord
saw them. He embraced them
both and touched His feet to
their heads. The Lord was so
happy that Rupa was free from
his government service.

18
19
 Lord Chaitanya felt uncomfortable among the crowds, so he took Rupa
to a quiet place on the barlk of the Ganges. For ten days he instructed Rupa
Goswami about devotional s~rvice. Rupa listened carefully and remembered
everything, which he later presented· in his many books.
After Sanatan had escaped from jail and had joined Lord Chaitanya,
the Lord gave both brothers the special instruction to go to Vrindavan. Lord
Chaitanya had given Rupa and Sanatan four orde·rs that he wanted them to
fulfill in Vrindavan. They were to:
(1) Uncover Sri Krishna's lost places of pastimes
(2) Install Deities and start puja
(3) Write bhakti-shastris, devotional literature
(4) Teach the rules of devotional service

Rupa Goswami's Writings

One time when he was traveling to Puri, Rupa
had the idea of writing dramas to tell the pastimes of
Krishna. He thought, "I would like to write a play
about Krishna as a cowherd boy in Vrindavan. The
drama could also tell how Krishna went and lived as a
king in Dwarka." He soon started working on his idea.
After he started writing, he came to a village known as Satyabhamapur.
He stopped there for the night and went to sleep. That evening he had a
dream. A very beautiful woman appeared and said, "My dear Rupa, would
you please write a separate drama about me?" In the morning Rupa realized
that she was Krishna's queen Satya.bhama, asking him to write a play about
her and the Lord. He followed "her request and wrote two separate dramas.
When Rupa would read his writings to the other devotees, they became
speechless. His expression and poetry were so beautiful to hear that they
begged him to read more. He could very expertly describe the love that
Radha and Krishna felt for each other.
Much of Rupa Goswami's time was spent in writing. For many years,
he had his bhajan kutir at Ter Kadamba, a beautiful forest full of kadamba
trees. Sometimes he would write about Radha and Krishna separating and
how very sad They would feel to be apart from each other. When the
kadarnba trees would hear this, they would immediately shed all their leaves
just like a person in great pain sheds tears. And when Rupa Goswami wrote
about Radha and Krishna meeting again, the trees instantly sprouted new
leaves and blossoming flowers. By the mercy of a pure devotee like Rupa

20
Goswami, even the trees could understand and appreciate the pastimes of
Radha and Krishna

The Govinda Deity ofRupa Goswami

One time Rupa Goswami was trying to locate the original Govinda
Deity, which was sculpted thousands of years ago by Krishna's grandson. He
was feeling very unhappy because he was not having any luck at finding the
Govinda Deity. He sat beneath a tree on the bank of the Yamuna River, very
sad. One beautiful young boy came to him and told him about a hill where a
cow went daily. This cow would stand at the top of the hill and from her
udder, milk would pour down into a hole in the ground. After telling Rupa
Goswami this, the young boy took him to the hill and asked him to fmd out
what was buried there. Then he ran away.
Rupa Goswami called several local villagers to dig down into the hill.
After a lot of effort, they discovered the deity of Govinda. Rupa Goswami
had Govinda installed in a small temple on that same hill. Raghunatha Bhatta
Goswami had a rich disciple who later built a very opulent, seven-story
temple for Govinda's worship.
Lord Chaitanya carefully instructed his devotees how to perform
service to Krishna. Since He was Krishna Himself, there could be no better
teacher. He personally taught Rupa and Sanatan and wanted them to spread
love of God through their writings. Rupa Goswami's writings are very
important spiritual literatures. If we practice Krishna consciousness, we are
following the teachings he received from Lord Chaitanya. Then we are called
"rupanugas," or followers of Sri Rupa Goswami.

Rupa and Sanaten, the

leaders of the
Six Goswamls.

21
 Word Searc'"
A M A H B A y T A 5 A B 5
U Y F 0 A M P B E M R K U
0 J N U T G R E U 0 U 0 D
X N D A I 0 J 5 U P P I W
L P N D T V L H T A A L C
J E K H I I U U Y W K T D
W P E U M N A T A N A S K
P R M T P D E H A M T I A
5 R I M 0 A N U C E P V W
L R C T C V C R H D A W F
E X V H E H E D F 0 R B K
Q C E E A R Z 0 H Z G 0 K
H R B U 5 0 A D X T E R L

Brothers Muslim Satyabhama

Devotee Poet Teacher
Govinda Rupa Writer
Lord Chaitanya Sanatan

22
 Rupa G05wami'5 Book Searcf,!

Rupa Goswami wrote The Nectar ofDevotion. Look up Chapter

20 in .The Nectar of Devotion and write down three qualities of
Krishna and what they mean.

1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2.
-----------------------
3.
-----------------------

He also wrote The Nectar ofInstruction. Look up Text Three in

The Nectar of Instruction and write down ONE of the six
favorable principles for devotional service.

1.
-----------------------

23
 Sri Raehunatha Bhatia Goswami
Raghunatha Bhatta fIrst met Lord Chaitanya when the Lord was in
Benares instructing Sanatan. Raghunatha Bhatta was justoa young boy, but he
wanted to offer some service to Lord Chaitanya. A devotee named Tapan
Mishra invited the Lord to eat lunch at his house each day. Every day when
He came, young Raghunatha Bhatta would come before Him with folded
hands asking to do any small service. Lord Chaitanya asked him to massage
His legs. Raghunatha Bhatta would also wash the dishes after Lord
Chaitanya took lunch.
Raghunatha continued doing these small services for two months. In
that short time, he had become completely attached to Lord Chaitanya. After
two months Lord Chaitanya left Benares and Raghunatha Bhatta was
heartbroken. The only way he could bear the pain was to constantly
remember their activities together. He couldn't wait to be with the Lord
again, but he had to wait until he was old enough to leave his family and live
in Purl.
Raghunatha Bhatta waited until he
was almost 20 and then went to Purl
again to meet Lord Chaitanya. The Lord
was happy to see him and showed His
mercy by having lunch each day with
Raghunath. Very soon Raghunatha
Bhatta was serving the Lord as His cook.
He became an excellent cook.
"Raghunath Bhatta' s preparations taste
like nectar for the gods!" people would
exclaim. And even Lord Chaitanya, who
was very choosy about what He ate, ate
whatever Raghunatha Bhatta would cook :/
for Him. And when the Lord had ~
fmished, Raghunatha Bhatta would eat
whatever was left on the plate. He
showed everyone how much spiritual
advancement one could make by serving ===-
the exalted souls and eating their
remnants. ~~

----~

24
 After spending eight months together, Lord Chaitanya told Raghunatha
Bhatta, "Now y.ou must return home to take care of your elderly parents." He
noticed that Raghunatha Bhatta was naturally very spiritual and not interested
in material life. cs .c2 --
"Raghunath," said the Lord, "It would
be better for you never to marry. Getting
married would distract you from your goal of
devotional service. I also want you to study
Srimad Bhagavatam from a pure Vaishnava."
Saying this, the Lord took off his neck beads
and placed them around Raghunatha Bhatta's - f , . -. ~

neck. He lovingly embraced Raghunatha o!iiJ..~

Bhatta, who began crying at the thought of ;.~ - .
leaving his Lord. ~~'
~
~
_. .......,,/: ~
~
Even though Raghunatha Bhatta hated ~. i~ ~ ~
to be separated from Lord Chaitanya, he U~~~
obediently left and went back to care for his ~L.'"
parents. He also studied Srimad ~
Bhagavatam. After four years his parents
died and Raghunatha Bhatia then traveled
back to be with Lord Chaitanya. --
Raghunatha Bhatia and the Lord again spent eight months together.
Then Lord Chaitanya gave 11im further instructions. "Now I want you to go
to Vrindavan. Put yourself under the care of Rupa Goswami and Sanatan
Goswami and always remember what I have taught you. Chant the Hare
Krishna mantra daily and continuously read Srimad Bhagavatam. You will
get mercy from Krishna very quickly this way."
Raghunatha Bhatta did just that. He went to Vrindavan, and Rupa and
Sanatan soon became very pleased with his saintly behavior. He was well-
known for singing beautiful kirtans, and for that he was called the kirtan
acharya.
The devotees of Vrindavan loved to hear Raghunatha Bhatta sing
Bhagavatam verses, and while he sang, his tears of pure love would wet the
pages. He was so absorbed in Krishna-katha, talks about Krishna, that he
would never speak about any material topic. And he was very careful never
to criticize devotees. He felt that all Vaisnavas were sincerely serving
Krishna, so their faults should be ignored.
Raghunatha Bhatta loved Rupa Goswami's Govinda deity. He served
the deity daily, not just for a little while, but for forty years. One thing he

25
enjoyed doing was making ornaments for the deity, such as flutes and
earrings. A wealthy disciple of his built a ~rgeous temple in Vrindavan for
Sri-Sri Radha-Govinda. Now, nearly 500 years later, this temple still remains
one of the most beautiful temples in all ofNClthem India.

... . . . .. ..

26
 Matching!

Benares was served by Raghunatha Bhatta for 40 years

Govinda Deity one way to make spiritual advancement

Lord Chaitanya a gift that Lord Chaitanya gave Raghunatha Bhatta

neck beads advised young Raghunatha not to marry

serve devotees where Raghunatha Bhatta first met Lord Chaitanya

27
 Sri Raghunatha Das Goswanli

Raghunatha das was born in

a small village in West Bengal.
His father was very rich and
Raghunatha was his only son.
When he was young, he studied
the Vedas from his family guru,
Balaram Acharya. Balaram
Acharya would take Raghunatha
to see Haridas Thakur and Haridas
would tell him all about Lord
Chaitanya.
Once Lord Chaitanya came
to Shantipur, a village near
Raghunatha's home. Raghunatha
begged his father to be able to go
see the great Lord Chaitanya but
his father refused. Govardhan
didn't want his 15 year-old son to
leave his family and renounce the
world. But Raghunatha ran away
from home anyway and saw Lord ~'r'? .,.-,.\.:.t
Chaitanya. After ten days, Lord ?t'""'-- .~~,'
Chaitanya left for Puri and ~
Raghunatha came back home. '0£;
A few years later, Lord Chaitanya returned to Shantipur and
Raghunatha met him again with tears of love in his eyes. Raghunatha was
eager to give up everything and just follow Lord Chaitanya, but the Lord told
him, "For now, go home and live like a worldly man." Raghunatha went
home and later married a very beautiful girl. He managed his father's estate
very well. This satisfied his parents, who thought that he was now happy and
secure in his family life. But deep in his heart Raghunatha longed for the day
when he could give all these things up.
Raghunatha dasa passed a whole year like this, acting as a fIrst-class
businessman, but the next year he decided to leave home. Late one night he
got up alone and ran away from home, but his father found him in a faraway

28
place and brought him back. This began to happen almost daily! Raghunatha
das would escape fron1 his home, and his father would bring him back.
Raghunatha das's mother spoke to his father, "Our son has gone crazy.
Just keep him here by tying him up with ropes."
His father said, "Our son is as rich as Lord Indra. His wife is as
beautiful as an angel. If even that won't keep him at home, what good will
ropes do? He has received Lord Chaitanya's mercy. Who can keep home
such a madman of Lord Chaitanya's?"

The Chipped Rice Festival

The next day Raghunatha das went to see Lord Nityananda.
Raghllnatha das was very humble and stayed a distance away and offered his
obeisances. The Lord caught hold of him and placed His feet on Raghunatha
das' head and cried, "You thiefl Instead of coming near me, you stay away at
a distant place. Now that I have captured you, I shall punish you. Make a
festival and feed all of my friends yogurt and chipped rice."
Raghunatha das certainly didn't think of this as punishment! He was
very happy and sent his men to buy all kinds of food right away. Chipped
rice, yogurt, milk, sweets, sugar, bananas and many other tasty things were
brought.
People heard that a festival was going to be held, and many more
brahmans and other men began to arrive. Raghllnatha das saw the crowd
getting bigger and bigger, so he had to get more food from other villages. He
also brought three hundred large, round pots. Seven other huge pots were
used to soak the chipped rice. Raghunatha das was happily going to all this
trouble just to please his beloved Lord Nityananda.
In one place, chipped rice was soaked in hot milk in each of the large
pots. Then half the rice was mixed with yogurt, sugar and bananas. The
other half was mixed with condensed milk and bananas. Then sugar, ghee
and camphor were added.
Lord Nityananda sat down with his associates. There were so many
people that no one could count them all. Everyone was offered two clay pots.
One had the chipped rice with yogurt in it and the other contained the chipped
rice with condensed milk. Lord Nityananda was sitting on a large platform,
but there was not enough room for everyone. Some went to the bank of the
Ganges and had their chipped rice there. Others, who could not ev.en get .a
place on the river's bank, got down into the water and began eatmg theIr
chipped rice.

29
 -==---"""-- -===-=..---- ~ Lo =---
When the chipped rice had been
served to everyone, Lord Nityananda,
in meditation, brought Lord Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu there. Lord Nityananda
stood up, and together with Lord
Chaitanya, They saw how the others
were enjoying the chipped rice with
yogurt and condensed milk. Then Lord
Nityananda took a piece of chipped
rice from each and every pot and
pushed it into Lord Chaitanya' s mouth
as a joke. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
did the same, making Lord Nityananda ~- '"-.- ---
eat more also.
In this way, They walked through the groups of people and all the
devotees watched the fun. Not everyone could understand what Lord
Nityananda was doing, since they could not see Lord Chaitanya. But some
could see that Lord Chaitanya was there, too.
Both brothers sat down and kept eating. Lord Nityananda called, "All
of you eat, chanting the holy names of Harl." Immediately everyone began
chanting loudly.
When the shopkeepers of many other villages heard about the festival,
they came to sell chipped rice, yogurt, sweets and bananas. Raghunatha das
bought all they could bring. He paid them and then later fed them the very
same food.
When Lord Nityananda had fInished, He gave His remnants to
Raghunatha das and the other devotees. Raghunatha das very happily ate the
chipped rice. He felt so lucky that he was able to arrange a festival that Lord
Nityananda had enjoyed so much.
This pastime of the chipped rice and yogurt festival is still celebrated in
temples around the world today. Devotees gather together to hear the story
and then prepare many wonderful varieties of chipped rice. As we celebrate
this festival, we should remember Raghunatha das, who began the tradition.

Raghunatlla Das Finallv Joins Lord Chaitanya

Very soon after this, Raghunatha das went to see Lord Nityananda
agam.
He said to the Lord, "I am the lowest of men, a great sinner. Even so, I
want to obtain the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. I have tried my best

30
many times, but like a dwarf who tries to catch the moon, I have failed over
and over. Every time I try to leave my family, my mother and father captllre
me. Please give me Your mercy so that I may achieve Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu's shelter."
Lord Nityananda brought Raghunatha das close to Him and placed His
lotus feet upon Raghunatha's head. "Dear Raghunatha," He replied, "Lord
Chaitanya came here just to deliver you. Don't worry. Very soon you will
be with the Lord."
Raghunatha das humbly returned to his home. He was so grateful that
Lord Nityananda had reassllred him. He sent a large quantity of gold to be
divided and given to each and every devotee of Lord Nityananda. From that
day on, he would not enter the inside section of his house but would sleep in
the outer section. The watchmen kept close guard over him in case he had
any plans of running away again.
Late one evening while he was sleeping outside, the family priest paid
a visit to him. The priest wanted Raghunatha das to come with him to speak
to one of his disciples who wanted to quit his service. Raghunatha das went
with the priest, leaving the watchmen sound asleep.
The two men walked and talked for some time and then Raghunatha
das turned to the priest and said, "I will go to the home of YOllr disciple and
speak to him. There is no need for you to come along. Go ahead and go to
your own home for it is late now."
After the priest left, Raghunatha das thought, "Now is the perfect time
to escape. Not a single watchman or servant is with me."
Looking over his shoulder, he quickly made his way toward Jagannatha
Puri, where he knew Lord Chaitanya would be. It was a very long distance
and he was afraid of getting caught by his father's men, so he traveled on
small paths going through the jungle. He walked abollt 30 miles in one day
and stopped at the cowshed for the night. He was able to get some milk and
he slept there that evening.
Meanwhile, the watchmen at Raghllnatha das' house realized that he
was missing. Great shouts of, "He has gone!" and "Now Raghunath has run
away'" fIned the air while his father's men searched frantically for him.
Although they looked everywhere and even sent requests to the devotees
traveling to Jagannatha Puri, they could not fmd him. .
A very determined Raghunatha das walked and walked closer to hIS
Lord. He traveled all day, not caring whether he ate or not. He reached
Jagannatha Puri in twelve days but was only able to eat for three of those
days.

31
 When Raghunatha das met Lord Chaitanya, he fell down to offer
obeisances. He offered prayers to the Lord and to all the devotees present,
saying in great relief, "It is Your mercy, 0 my Lord, that has saved me from
my family life."
Lord Chaitanya's heart melted at seeing how skinny and dirty
Raghunatha das was because of his traveling and fasting. He turned to his
close disciple Svarupa Damodar and said, "I anl giving Raghunatha das over
to your care. Please accept him as your son. Take good care of him for he
has had a difficult time for many days. Let him eat well and rest."

Raghunatha das Shows his Humilitv

With such a wealthy family, one would expect that Raghunatha das
was used to a very pampered lifestyle -- the best food, the best clothing and
not a worry in the world. That may have been so, bllt Raghunatha das gave
up his rich living as easily as one would tl1foW away a piece of garbage.
After five days of being taken care of by Svarupa Damodar, Raghunatha das
began getting his food by standing at the gate of the temple and begging.
He asked Lord Chaitanya what his duty was and the Lord gave him
these instructions: "Do not talk like materialistic people or hear what they
say. You should not eat very tasty food, nor should you dress according to
fashion. Do not expect honor, bllt offer respect to others. Always chant the
holy name of Lord Krishna, and within your mind render service to Radha
and Krishna in Vrindavan."
Eventually his father found out where he was. When he heard that his
son was living so simply, he was very worried. He sent 400 gold coins, two
servants and one brahman to Raghunatha das. Raghunatha das did not accept
the money, but would take out a bit each month so that he could invite Lord
Chaitanya to his house for two days every month. He did this for two years.
He stopped because he felt that it was not right to offer the Lord food that
was paid for by materialistic people. Lord Chaitanya was very pleased with
him and gave Raghunatha das a conchshell garland and a stone from
Govardhan Hill, two of His own favorite items.
Raghllnatha das became more and more austere. At times he ate only
prasadam that had been rotting for a few days (which the cows wouldn't even
touch). Near the end of his life, he ate only a few drops of buttermilk daily.
He never touched anything to wear except a small tom cloth and a patchwork
shawl. He was chanting the holy name of Krishna 22 hours daily. He was
offering his obeisances to the devotees 2000 times a day and to the Deities
1000 times a day.

32
 Raghunatha das Goes to Radha Kunda
Years later, Lord Chaitanya left this world. Nothing could have been
worse than this for Raghunatha das. He didn't want to Jive any longer. He
went to Vrindavan to end his life by jumping off Govardhan Hill. Rupa
Goswami and Sanatan Goswami met him and convinced him not to commit
suicide but to live on and tell all the Vaishnavas about Lord Chaitanya' s
pastin1es. So for three hours each day on the banks of Radha Kunda, he
would speak about Lord Chaitanya. Even today you can see his bhajan kutir
(hut) on the banks of Radha Kunda.
Once Raghunatha das
was slttmg at Radha Kunda
when a tiger and tigress came
to drink water from the pond.
At that moment, Lord Krishna
came and stood nearby in case
the tigers disturbed Raghunatha
das. Sanatan Goswami walked
up and saw Raghunatha das, the two _tigers and also Krishna, who smiled at
Sanatan. The tigers fmished drinking and went away and Krishna also
disappeared.
Sanatan told Raghunatha das what had happened and said, "Please
make a small hut for yourself so Krishna doesn't have to be bothered by
coming to protect you."
Another day, Raghunatha das was sitting in the same place under the
hot afternoon Sull. Then Srin1ati Radharani came and stood behind
Raghunatha das holding the top of Her sari over his head to shade him. All of
the swans, turtles, deer and other animals came to the bank of Shyama kunda
to watch. Then Sanatan arrived again and saw Radharani standing there in
the. Sull. He noticed that Her sari was wet with Her perspiration. Radha
smIled at. Sanat.an and then left. This time Sanatan went to Raghunatha das
and chastIsed him for causing Radharani this inconvenience. Raghunatha das
then built asmall hut so that he could perform his bhajan inside.
Srila Raghunatha das Goswami shows us the perfect mood of humility
and austerity. He also wrote many books and composed various bhajans and
prayers. Raghunatha das was greatly loved and respected by an the de~otees
who knew him. And we can benefit from his association, too. The Chaltanya
Charitamrita states, "Anyone who hears about the incident of the meeting of

33
Raghunatha das with Lord Chaitanya attains the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu.

34
 cho-o1,et e;t.t P(M'"~a:pht fyo-rJ'l/ £he, ~ory ~ C"hippecL
J U

R ~ FW"'waL. V YaMl e;t.t pidulYe,t of it: ~ yO«! ~

JJ

it: ~ iN\; thet bo1u below.

35
 How much do you know about Raghunatha das
Goswami?

Circle the correct answer in parentheses

1. Raghunatha das was from a very (poor, rich) family.

2. Raghunatha das ran away from home (once, many times).

3. (Lord Chatinaya, Lord Nityananda) asked Raghunatha das to hold

a festival and feed everyone chipped rice and yogurt.

4. Lord Nityananda brought Lord Chaitanya to the festival simply by

(meditating, inviting him).

5. (All, Only some) of the people could see Lord Chaitanya at the
festival.

6. Raghunatha das finally escaped from his family and went to (the
temple, Lord Chaitanya).

7. Krishna protected Raghunatha das from two (tigers, thieves).

8. Radharani protected Raghunatha das from the (rain, hot sun) while
he did his bhajan.

Name three austerities Raghunatha das performed.

1.
2.
3.

36
 Sri Jiva Goswami

Sri Jiva Goswami was the son of Anupama, Rupa and Sanatan's
brother. This made him the nephew of Rupa and Sanatan. Of the six
goswamis ofVrindavan, he was the YOlIDgest and the last to reach Vrindavan.
He had all the features of a divine personality: lotus eyes, a high nose and
forehead, a broad chest, long arms and a radiant golden boqy.
When he was young Jiva
Goswami made a deity of Krishna-
Balarama. He would offer clothes,
chandan, flowers, ornaments and
sweets to his deity and then distribute
the maha-prasadam to his friends.
He was so devoted that he would often cry while worshipping Krishna-
Balarama. Jiva was so attached to Krishna-Balarama that at bedtime he
would hug his deities and fall asleep. His parents thought that he was just a
little boy playing, but the villagers were joyful to see Jiva's great love for
Krishna-Balarama.
His father Anupam was traveling with Rupa Goswami to Purl when he
suddenly died. Jiva was devastated when he heard that his father was dead.
"Alas," he cried, "this material world is a place of horrible cruelty! Who can
ever be happy here knowing that suffering will soon come? I will have
nothing more to do with this cruel world. My life shall be spent in escaping
this material life of pain and death." He very seriously began to study Srimad
Bhagavatam and faithfully worshipped Krishna and Balaram.

Jiva Visits Navadwip

Young Jiva had wanted to visit the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya but his
mother was afraid to let him do so. She didn't want her only son to travel and
live a life of austerity. Somehow he convinced his mother that he really
wanted to go and see the home of his ancestors. This didn't bother her and
she agreed to let him go. Jiva set out for his journey, but instead he arranged
for the boatman to take him to Navadwip, the site ofLord Chaitanya's birth.
As Jiva Goswami wandered about on the roads, he cried with tears
streaming from his lotus eyes, "0 Chaitanya! Nityananda! You are the life .of
all who live! When will I see You, my Lords? When will I see Navadwlp,
the best of holy places?" The local villagers wondered who this young and
beautiful lad was who was so renounced.

37
 After many days of walking, he finally came to Navadwip. As soon as
he saw the holy city, he fell down with folded hands to offer prayers and
almost became unconscious.. When his mind became steady, he arose and set
off to fmd Lord Nityananda. Lord Nityananda's servants found him and
brought him in to meet the Lord. Upon seeing the Lord he exclaimed, "What
a wonderful thing I have seen today! You are the same Balaram that I
worship." He recognized Lord Nityananda's true identity as Krishna's
brother. "Please give me Your mercy and shelter," he prayed.

Upon seeing the divine form of Sri Nityanandacandra, Sri Jiva

Goswamf fainted in the ecstasy of premJl

38
 .... i i-:
, ----..- - .._-";'-."-_..:". -- -
I

- '- .

Lord Nityananda personally took

Jiva Goswami on a tour of Navadwip.
Together they saw the places where Lord
Chaitanya spent his childhood. Jiva
Goswami met Lord Chaitanya's mother
Sachi and His wife Vishnupriya. Sachi
blessed him and instructed Vishnupriya to
cook a fme lunch for Lord Nityananda
and Jiva Goswami. As the days passed,
young Jiva went throughout the town of With motherly affection 5acidevi invited
Navadwip, hearing Lord Nityananda tell Nityananda Prabhu and ]iva Goswami to take prasada
at her home and fed them sumptuously.
of the wonderful pastimes of Lord
Chaitanya.
Lord Nityananda told Jiva Goswami, "Now you should go to Benares
and study the scriptures. When you are fInished, travel on to Vrindavan and
stay there with your uncles."
Jiva Goswami followed these instructions. When he reached
Vrindavan, he served his uncle Rupa Goswami by washing his feet and
assisting him in his writing. He later received initiation from Srila Rupa
Goswami.

Jiva Goswami is Asked to Leave Vrindavan!

One day Jiva Goswami was fanning Sri Rupa Goswami while he was
writing. He was always trying to fmd ways to please and serve his guru. A
very old visitor came to see Rupa Goswami. His name was Vallabhacharya.
He was much older than Lord Chaitanya and therefore much older than Rupa
Goswami, also.
Vallabhacharya asked to see what he was writing so Rupa handed him
the book that he was working on. Vallabhacharya read some of the verses
and liked them but felt that there could be some corrections. Rupa Goswami
said to him, "Please take the manuscript then. You can make the corrections
that you think are necessary. I am going now to take a bath in the Yamuna."
Jiva Goswami had been watching and hearing the whole conversation.
Vallabhacharya spoke with Jiva for awhile and leamed that he ~as Rupa's
disciple and a Sanskrit scholar. Jiva curiously inquired from him wh~t he
thought needed correcting in Rupa Goswami's book. Vallabhac~arya pomted
out a few questions he had. Jiva Goswami defeated and reJect;d a~l. of
Vallabhacharya' s arguments. He proved the excellence of Sri Rupa s wntmg
and confrrmed that what he had written needed no correction.

39
40
 Vallabhacharya was amazed at the knowledge of one so young as Jiva
Goswami. He thought, "If this young boy could defeat file so easily, what
must his guru be like? I must have made a mistake in thirlking that Rupa
Goswami needed some correction." He hurried down to the Yamuna and fell
at Rupa's feet, begging his forgiveness. He explained that his eyes had just
been opened by the young Jiva and now he could understand what a great
personality Rupa Goswami was. Saying this, Vallabhacharya then left and
went on his way.
When Rupa returned home from bathing, he called Jiva Goswami to
him. He said, "Why did you make such a big thing out of nothing?
Vallabhacharya is senior to us and should be respected. He didn't mean any
harm. If he wants to say something, then you should let him. Didn't
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teach us to be more humble than a blade of grass and
more tolerant than a tree?"
Rupa was upset, thinking that Jiva had disrespected and offended the
honorable Vallabhacharya. He continued, "You are not worthy to be a
servant of the Lord! Go back to your home. You are not fit to stay here."
When Jiva Goswami heard these words he was crushed. But he
obediently followed his guru's inst~ctions and sadly left Vrindavan. He
headed east and crossed the Yamuna to a place called Baigau and decided to
stay there. Many crocodiles used to build their houses on the banks of the
Yamuna. Jiva found an abandoned crocodile hole and lived inside it. He did
not eat, he did not sleep and he
would not go anywhere. He
took a vow of silence for one
year. He just cried and cried
tears of sorrow from being
separated from his guru. The
people in the area were astonished at seeing someone so young performing
such severe austerities and they wondered who he was.
One day Sanatan Goswami was passing through Baigau and the
citizens greeted him joyously. They praised him for his austerities. But they
said, "Y OU, indeed, are very wonderful, Sanatan Goswami. But your
austerities seem like nothing compared to the austerities that this young man
is performing on the banks of the Yamuna. He simply sits in a crocod~le h~le
calling out 'Krishna! Krishna! Guru! Guru! Rupa and Sanatan! whIle
shedding tears like rain." . .
Sanatan Goswami could understand that this must be JIva Goswaml.
He immediately went to the banks of the river and found the crocodile hole

41
where Jiva lived. When Jiva Goswami saw the older Goswami, he tried to
get up but he was too weak, so he just laid on the ground offering his
obeisances.
Sanatan Goswami picked him up and told hinl, "Come, I'm taking you
back to Vrindavan." But Jiva was too weak to walk and had to be carried on
a cot all the way. He had only been eating some plain chapati dough that
people would sometimes leave him which gave him stomach ulcers. So he
was very feeble and ill as he returned.
When Sanatan Goswami reached Rupa Goswami's place in Vrindavan
he left Jiva Goswami outside. He went in and said to Rupa, "What is your
duty toward the jivas, the living entities, who are drowning in this material
ocean?"
Srila Rupa Goswami replied, "My duty is to save them."
Sanatan asked him, "Don't you have any compassion for the jivas of
this world?"
"Of course, I have compassion for them!" Rupa replied, surprised.
"Then why," said Sanatan Goswami, "did you not show any
compassion to this Jiva?"
Hearing these words from his older brother, Rupa Goswami realized
his mistake and rushed Ollt to embrace Jiva Goswami. He took Jiva inside
and saw that he was taken care of until he fully recovered.
After the disappearance of Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatan, Jiva Goswami
became the acharya for all the devotees in Bengal and Orissa. He guided the
devotees in their spiritual lives while he continued writing many books. His
fame spread allover India. Even the Moghul emperor, Akbar, traveled to
Vrindavan to meet Jiva Goswami. Emperor Akbar was so impressed by him
that he offered to help the goswamis construct some of the temples of
Vrindavan.
Of all of the goswamis Jiva was the youngest, but he also wrote the
most books. He wrote about 25 books, or a half-million Sanskrit verses, on
the science of Krishna Consciousness. He also established the Radha-
Damodar Temple in Vrindavan. Five hundred years later Srila Prabhupada
stayed at this temple while writing his books about Krishna consciousness.

42
 MULTIPLE CHOICE
Circle the letter that will correctly complete the sentence.

1. Jiva Goswami's uncles were _

a. Anupama and Gopal
b. Rupa and Sanatan
c. Sanatan and Anupam

2. The deities that Jiva Goswami loved were - - - -

a. Radha- Krishna
b. Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra
c. Krishna-Balaram

3. met Jiva Goswami in Navadwip and took him to see

the places of Lord Chaitanya's pastimes.
a. Lord Nityananda
b. Rupa Goswami
c. Mother Sachi

4. Rupa Goswami was with Jiva and asked him to leave Vrindavan.
a. happy
b. angry
c. delighted

5. After Jiva Goswami left Vrindavan, he lived in a _

a. friend's house
b. small hut
c. crocodile hole

6. convinced Rupa Goswami to forgive Jiva.

a. Sanatan Goswami
b. Lord Chaitanya
c. Lord Nityananda

7. Jiva Goswami was well-known for his _ - - - -

a. books
b. dramas
c. cooking

43
 Anacrostic Time!
r,n anacrostic uses the letters of a name to begin words or phrases
rClescribing the person that is names. Here is an example of an anacrostic
,using Rupa's name.
I

Realizing spiritual life

Unending devotion
Pure
A Iways thinking of Krishna

Now make an anacrostic for Jiva Goswami.

J _
I _
V
A

G _
0 _
1
5 -----------
W _
A
M _
I _

44
Gopal Bhatta taking instruction from his um:le, Prabhodananda Sarasvati
 Sri Gopal Bhatta Goswami

Sri Gopal Bhatta Goswami was the son ofVyenkata Bhatta, who was a
close friend of Lord Chaitanya. They lived in South India and Lord
Chaitanya, who was a sannyasi, once spent four months in their home. Gopal
was just a young boy at this time, and h~ personally served the Lord. Even
though he was so young, his love for Lord Chaitanya was very strong and he
wanted to be with Him always.
Gopal Bhatta had only known the Lord
as a sannyasi. He wished that he could have
seen the Lord as young Nimai, too. He had a
very astonishing dream which fulfilled this
desire. In his dream, he was able to watch the
pastimes of Lord Chaitanya as a boy. He not
. only watched, but he also participated in the
pastimes. Lord Chaitanya showed Gopal
Bhatta that He was the same as Krishna by
changing His form to Krishna and back again
to Lord Chaitanya.
In the same dream, Lord Chaitanya
instructed Gopal Bhatta, "You will meet 2
jewel-like persons named Rupa and Sanatan. I
have given them My own mind so that they
can publish my teachings. But by your
disciples, these teachings will be spread."
Soon after having this dream, Gopal
Bhatta went to join Lord Chaitanya. After
meeting the Lord, he received an instruction
similar to Raghunatha Das' instruction. Lord
Chaitanya told him to stay home and serve his
parents, and then go to Vrindavan to stay with
Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami.
Later, after Gopal Bhatta grew up, he took initiation from his uncle,
Prabhodananda Sarasvati, who was a great scholar and devotee. Gopal
Bhatta was an excellent student and became greatly learned. He was known
all around for his knowledge and devotion. As his reputation spread, he felt
ready to go to Vrindavan. His parents agreed to let him go.

46
 Lord Chaitanya was happy to hear this and He told Rupa and Sanatan
Goswami to accept Gopal as their younger brother and take care of him.
After a few months Lord Chaitanya wondered if Gopal Bhatta had made it to
Vrindavan. He sent a letter from Puri to Rupa and Sanatan in Vrindavan to
see if had Gopal Bhatta had arrived. A messenger soon arrived back in Puri,
saying, "Yes! He is here. We accept him as our own brother."
Lord Chaitanya joyfully sent a letter back enclosing a package for
Gopal Bhatta - his loincloth and some other personal items. "Help Rupa and
Sanatan write transcendental books," He instructed Gopal Bhatta, "and study
transcendental teachings, too.

Gopal Bhatia Travels to Nepal

After Lord Chaitanya disappeared, Gopal Bhatta was very sorry and
felt great separation from the Lord. But in a dream, Lord Chaitanya told him,
"If you want my darshan, make a pilgrimage to Nepal."
Gopal Bhatta decided to do that. In those days travel meant walking,
and the trip to Nepal was a long and difficult journey. When he fmally
reached Nepal, Gopal Bhatta went to the Gandaki River to take his bath. He
collected 12 salagram silas (stones from sacred rivers that are worshipped as
Krishna) and took them with him back to Vrindavan.
When he reached Vrindavan and began worshipping his salagram silas,
he began to have doubts. "Who am I to think 1 am worthy of worshipping the
Lord?" he thought. "I am so impure and yet 1 dared take the salagram silas
from their sacred spot. What a fool I am to do this!"
He decided to walk all the way back to Nepal to return the stones to
the same spot. He did, and when he fmally returned to the Gandaki River, he
chanted the proper mantras and returned the silas to the water. All twelve
jumped back into his hands. He put them down again, and again they jumped
back into his hands. This happened three or four times.
Gopal Bhatta stared in amazement at the silas and said, "This must be
some special mercy from the Lord. The silas will not let me leave without
them!" So he took the salagram silas with him back to Vrindavan. He kept
them in a cloth bag hung from his neck.
One day a wealthy man came to Vrindavan to see Gopal Bhatta
Goswami. "I have many beautiful dresses and ornaments for your Deities,"
he told Gopal Bhatta. "All the dresses are made of the fmest silk; the jewelry
is gold and silver with many sparkling gems. Please take them all and use
them in your worship of the Lord."

47
 Gopal Bhatta looked at the ground and quietly told him, "Thank you,
kind sir, but yo~ may give them to someone else. My Deities are round and
cannot wear the dresses."
He thought of Rupa Goswami's Govinda Deity..How beautiful Lord
Govinda was and He could be dressed in handsome clothes and jewelry!
Gopal Bhatta prayed to the Lord, "Someday, 0 Lord, bless me that I can
worship you in your full form. I long to dress You in costly clothes and
glittering ornaments."
The next morning
Gopal Bhatta woke up and
went in to worship his
deities. He saw with
amazement that one of the
salagram sila stones had
changed into a full deity of
Krishna. From a small
round stone, He had
developed into the form of ---
beautiful Krishna, standing "'-
with legs crossed and
playing the flute! Rupa
and Sanatan and all the
devotees nearby hurried to
the spot when they heard
what had happened. They
arrived and saw Gopal
Bhatta offering great
prayers of love with tears
in his eyes.
He named the deity Radha-Ramana and worshipped Him faithfully for
the rest of his life. Now, 500 years later, you can still visit this deity in
V rindavan. There is a mark on His back showing where He emerged from
the salagram sila.

48
 , ..
".\"

Pretend you are a reporter for a newspaper in Vrindavan back in the time
of the six goswamis. Write a newspaper article for the appearance of
Gopal Bhatta's sila. Radha-Ramana.

,'j
,.,:

49
 Gopal Bhatta had a very spiritual dream. Draw a picture of
something that happened in his dream in the dream cloud below.
FILL IN THE MISSING LETTERS IN THESE WORDS
FROM THE STORY OF GOPAL 8HATTA.

VI - ND - VA

D fA
0' L 1

1- f -
V- --
L - G - - MA
S AS

N AL

D IT

H 1A

51
Can you answer these questions?
1. What was unusual about the dream that Gopal Bhatta had
about Lord Chaitanya? How was it differentfrom dreams
you have?

2. Who did Lord Chaitanya tell Gopal Bhatta to stay with in

Vrindavan?

3. Why did Gopal Bhatta take back the twelve salagram silas
that he found in Nepal?

4. Why did Gopal Bhatta refuse the offer ofdresses for his
deities?

5. What amazing thing happened to one ofhis salagram silas?

52
 Outline of the Six Gosvvamis

1) Sanatan Gosvvami
A.
B.
c.
D.

2) Rupa Gosv#ami
A. _
B.
c. _
D.

3) Raghunath Bhatta Gosv#ami

A.
B.
c.
D.

4) Raghunath Das Gosvvall1i

A. _
B. _
c. _
D.

5) .Jiva Gosv#ami
A. _
B. _
c. _
D.

53