Srila Sanatana Gosvami

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna,

 

PAMHO, AGTSP

 

Kindly glorify the pastimes of Sirla Sanatana Goswami on his disappearnce day

on 21 st July.

 

Your servant in mission of Srila Prabhupada

 

Nanda Gopal dasa

 

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:

 

 

 

1.. Uncover Sri Krishna's pastime places.

2.. Install Deities, arrange for their puja.

3.. Compile bhakti scriptures.

4.. 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.