Subject: Srila Sanatana Gosvami ( disappearnce day on 21 st July)

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Hare Krishna,

 

PAMHO,AGTSGM, AGTSP

Dear devotees

Kindly glorify the pastimes of Sirla Sanatana Goswami

on his disappearnce day ,today on 21 st July.

yr hs

radhabhava gaur das

 

Sri Sanatana Goswami

 

Disappearance Day 21st July

 

 

 

Sri Sanatana Goswami appeared in 1488, five years

before Sri Rupa Goswami, in a Sarasvata brahmana

family in Bengal. Sanatana and his two brothers, Rupa

and Anupama, were always absorbed in bhava bhakti from

early childhood. Remembering Vrndavana, they named the

forests in which they played after Vraja’s twelve

forests

 

( Talavana, Kamyavana, Mahavana ). They called their

favourite bathing ponds Radha-Kunda and Shyam-Kunda.

 

 

 

In his youth, Sri Sanatana dreamt that a beautiful

brahmana boy gave him Srimad Bhagavatam. Feeling

ecstatic he awoke. But seeing neither the boy nor the

Bhagavatam he felt sad. When Sanatana began his puja

that morning, however Krishna Himself, disguised as a

beautiful brahmana boy, came and said “ Take this

Srimad Bhagavatam from Me, always study it and you

will attain perfection.”

 

 

 

In Krishna lila stava, Sri Sanatana Goswami glorifies

the Srimad Bhagavatam: “ O holy Bhagavata, you are my

only company, personal saviour. You are my greatest

treasure and my personal saviour. You are the emblem

of my highest fortune and the very form of ecstasy. I

offer my obeisances unto you.”

 

 

 

Forced to submit to the ruling Muslim government, Sri

Rupa and Sri Sanatana became ministers and lived at

Ramakeli. But their real engagement was teaching

sastras, which they learned from Vidyavacaspati,

brother of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. Pandits and

brahmanas from all over India came to study under the

two brothers. Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana were acclaimed

as the “crest jewels of the Gaudiya Vaisnava

scholars”. After

 

the Lord visited Ramakeli and freed them, they

renounced everything for Lord Gauranga’s service. Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Sri Rupa and Sanatana

Goswami to move to Vrndavana and perform four

services:

 

 

 

Uncover Sri Krishna’s pastime places.

Install Deities, arrange for their puja.

Compile bhakti scriptures.

Propagate the rules of devotional life.

“

Entering Lord Caitanya’s service, they resolutely

gave up power, riches and position to live in

Vrndavana as humble beggars absorbed in bhajana until

one renounces all attachments both internally and

externally, and adopts a life of simplicity and

humility.”

 

(Sri Vraja Mandala Prikrama).

 

 

 

 

They travelled extensively through Vraja mandala

discovering many lila sthans of Radha-Madhava. Having

no fixed residence, they would catch a few winks of

sleep (no more than one and a-half hours per day)

under a tree or bush. Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana

Goswami spent all their time writing, discussing

Krishna’s holy names.

 

 

 

 

To maintain himself Sanatana would beg some wheat

flour, roll it into a ball by adding a touch of Yamuna

water, and drop it in smouldering coals to cook. He

would offer this bati (salt free, baked bread ball) to

his Deity of Madana Mohan. Giving up all kinds of

material enjoyment, the Goswami accepted the poorest

way of life as mendicants. They ate just enough to

maintain their bodies. The Radha Madana Mohan mandir

established by Sanatana Goswami was the first one

opened in Vrndavana by six Goswamis. Described as

personal “extension of the body of Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu,” Sri Sanatana is ideal spiritual master

because he gives one shelter at the lotus feet of

Madana Mohan. The three Vrndavana Deities (Madana

Mohan, Govindaji and Gopinatha) are the life and soul

of Gaudiya Vaisnavas. The Deity of Madana Mohan has

specific quality of helping the neophyte devotees

understand their eternal relationship with the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.

 

 

 

Madana Mohan means Krishna who is so indescribably

beautiful that He even attracts Cupid, Kamadeva.

Sanatana Goswami is the sambandha Acarya who gives us

knowledge of our proper relationship with Krishna, and

his deity, Madana Mohan, helps us overcome our

attraction for material sense gratification (Cupid)

and fix our mind on devotional service.

 

 

 

Sri Sanatana Goswami spent forty-three years wandering

from village in Vrndavana. The Vrajavasis would

affectionately care for treating him like their

father. With patience and concern he listened to their

problems. Then he would please all the villagers by

his preaching and practical advice on everything from

increasing crop yields to solving family quarrels.

 

 

 

“Renouncing all worldly pleasures, Sanatana Goswami

was humble, detached, always absorbed in study.

Mahaprabhu often said that Sanatana Goswami was His

favourite devotee. As an ocean of love and mercy,

Sanatana excelled all other devotees in his compassion

toward the suffering souls”. (Bhakti-ratnakar)

 

 

 

In his last years, he left his beloved Deity of Madana

Mohan with Krishna Dasa bramacari, his disciple. He

did bhajana on the banks of Manasi Ganga next to

Caklesvara Mahadeva at Govardhana Hill. When Sanatana

Goswami first stayed here, there were so many

mosquitoes, he decided to move elsewhere. Just at that

moment as he was packing up his few belongings,

Cakalesvara Mahadeva (Lord Siva) appeared before him

in the guise of a brahmana and asked him why he was

going away. Sanatana explained that the mosquitoes

were a constant source of disturbance and found it

very difficult when he was writing his books. The

brahmana informed Sanatana that from now on mosquitoes

would no longer disturb him and he could continue

staying here at Cakra-tritha. Sanatana stayed and

found that he was no longer bothered by the

mosquitoes. Local people still say that even today no

mosquitoes can be found at Citra-tritha.

 

 

 

Daily he walked the twenty-four mile parikrama of

Govardhana Hill. Although he was sixty-five years old,

he kept his daily vow of offering 1,008 obeisances to

Govardhana Hill and to any Vaisnava whom he met.

Understanding the difficulty of His pure devotee, Sri

Madana Mohana appeared one day and said, ‘Baba! You

are too old. Don’t take so much trouble to walk around

Govardhana Hill everyday.’ Sanatana replied, ‘this is

one of the daily activities of my bhajana; I must

maintain it.’

 

 

 

CC: Madhya Chapter 20

 

 

 

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Instructs Sanatana

Gosvami in the Science of the Absolute Truth

 

The following summary of this chapter is given by

Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. When

Srila Sanatana Gosvami was imprisoned by Nawab Hussain

Shah, he received news from Rupa Gosvami that Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu had gone to Mathura. Sanatana

Gosvami thereafter satisfied the superintendent of the

jail by sweet solicitations and bribery. After giving

the jailer seven thousand gold coins, Sanatana Gosvami

was released. He then crossed the Ganges and fled. One

of his servants, Isana, followed him, carrying eight

gold coins. Sanatana Gosvami and his servant then

spent the night in a small hotel on the way to

Benares. The hotel owner knew that Sanatana Gosvami

and his servant had eight gold coins, and he decided

to kill them and take the money. Making plans in this

way, the hotel owner received them as honorable

guests. Sanatana Gosvami, however, asked his servant

how much money he had, and taking seven of the gold

coins, Sanatana offered them to the hotel owner. Thus

the owner helped them cross the hilly tract and

proceed toward Varanasi. On the way, Sanatana Gosvami

met his brother-in-law, Srikanta, at Hajipura, and

Srikanta helped him after he had heard about all

Sanatana's troubles. Thus Sanatana Gosvami finally

arrived at Varanasi and stood before the door of

Candrasekhara. Caitanya Mahaprabhu called him in and

ordered him to change his dress so that he would look

like a gentleman. For his garment, he used an old

cloth of Tapana Misra's. Later, he exchanged his

valuable blanket for a torn quilt. At this time

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased with him, and

thus Sri Sanatana Gosvami received knowledge of the

Absolute Truth from the Lord Himself.

 

First they discussed the constitutional position of

the living entities, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

explained to Sanatana Gosvami how the living entity is

one of Lord Krsna's energies. After this, the Lord

explained the way of devotional service. While

discussing the Absolute Truth, Sri Krsna, the Lord

analyzed Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan, as well as

the expansions of the Lord called svayam-rupa,

tad-ekatma and avesa, which are divided into various

branches known as vaibhava and prabhava. Thus the Lord

described the many forms of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. He also described the incarnations of God

within the material world, incarnations such as the

purusa-avataras, manvantara-avataras, guna-avataras

and saktyavesa-avataras. The Lord also discussed the

divisions of Krsna's different ages, such as balya and

pauganda, and the different pastimes of the different

ages. He explained how Krsna attained His permanent

form when He reached youth. In this way Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu explained and described everything to

Sanatana Gosvami.

 

Madhya 20.1

 

TEXT 1

 

vande 'nantadbhutaisvaryam

 

sri-caitanya-mahaprabhum

 

nico 'pi yat-prasadat syad

 

bhakti-sastra-pravartakah

 

TRANSLATION

 

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who has unlimited, wonderful

opulences. By His mercy, even a person born as the

lowest of men can spread the science of devotional

service.

 

 

 

 

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