Re. 6 Goswami of Vrindavan

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The Six Goswamis

 

By Ananda Tirtha Dasa

 

The six Goswamis (Rupa, Sanatana, Raghunatha Bhatta, Raghunatha Dasa,

Jiva, and Gopala Bhatta) were the principal followers of Lord Caitanya,

who was Lord Krishna Himself and appeared in Bengal, India, in 1486.

The Goswamis are known for their strict renunciation, their scholarly

writings, and for establishing temples in Vrindavana, the place where

Krishna lived five thousand years ago. Their devotion to Krishna made

them revered as saints.

 

1. Rupa Goswami is considered the most prominent of all the Goswamis.

The present-day devotees in Lord Chaitanya's line are called rupanugas,

or followers of Rupa Goswami. Rupa had been a minister in the Muslim

government and had therefore been ostracized from Hindu society. But

after meeting Lord Chaitanya he quit his government service to join the

Lord's mission. At the holy city of Allahabad, Lord Chaitanya

instructed him in the science of Krishna consciousness for ten days.

Rupa later moved to Vrindavana and wrote many books, chief of which is

Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, which is available as an English summary study,

The Nectar of Devotion.

 

2. Sanatana Goswami, Rupa's elder brother, was the seniormost of the

Goswamis. He too had been a minister in the government, but when he

tried to quit the king imprisoned him. Sanatana managed to escape, and

at Varanasi Lord Chaitanya instructed him for two months. Based on the

instructions he received, Sanatana also wrote many books. Prominent

among them are Hari Bhakti Vilasa, which describes all the rituals to

be performed by devotees, and Brihad-bhagavatamrta, which illuminates

the path of devotional progress.

 

3. Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami was the son of Tapan Mishra, an early

follower of Lord Chaitanya. At a young age, Raghunatha Bhatta served

Lord Chaitanya and especially pleased the Lord with his cooking. After

Raghunatha's parents died, the Lord sent Raghunatha to Vrindavana,

where he stayed under the care of Rupa Goswami. Raghunatha became

especially known for his melodious recitation of the Bhagavatam in

different tunes and for never criticizing any devotee.

 

4. Raghunatha Dasa Goswami was the son of wealthy parents who were also

devotees but were against his leaving home to join Lord Chaitanya.

Raghunatha finally managed to leave and joined the Lord at Puri. He

became famous for his renunciation and austerity: he would subsist on

just a few drops of buttermilk a day and chant the Lord's holy names

constantly. From Puri, Raghunatha too moved to Vrindavana, where the

other Goswamis were pleased to hear from him about the activities of

Lord Chaitanya at Puri. Raghunatha Dasa was such a dear devotee that

when he would meditate in seclusion Radha and Krishna personally used

to see to his safety and comfort.

 

5. Jiva Goswami was the nephew of Rupa and Sanatana. His father died

when he was young, and then Jiva left home and went on pilgrimage to

Lord Chaitanya's home town of Navadvipa. He later studied philosophy in

Varanasi and then joined his uncles in Vrindavana. He is particularly

noted for his great scholarship. He wrote and edited twenty-five

books—at least 400,000 Sanskrit verses in all. His Sat-sandarbhas ("Six

Treatises") give a systematic philosophical presentation of Vaishnava

philosophy. Among the Goswamis, he was also the most systematic

preacher; he organized the movement begun by the others.

 

6. Gopala Bhatta Goswami, while still a boy, met Lord Chaitanya when

the Lord stayed at his house in southern India. Later, with the

permission of his parents, who both dedicated their lives to Lord

Chaitanya, Gopala went to Vrindaban and joined Lord Chaitanya's

mission. There he wrote and edited devotional books, and after a

miracle in which a Deity of Krishna appeared from a holy rock, he

founded the still-famous Radha-Ramana temple.

 

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