Bhugarbha Goswami & Kasisvara Pandit Disppearance - 10th Nov

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Brief pastimes of Srila Kasisvara Pandit and Srila Bhugarbha Goswami

 

SRILA KASISVARA PANDIT

 

Sri Isvara Puri sent his disciples, Govinda and Kasisvara Pandit to Jagannatha

Puri to humbly serve Lord Caitanya. Reluctant to accept service from His

Godbrothers, Sri Caitanya finally agreed since it was His guru's wish. Named

Kalavati and Sasirekha in Vraja lila, Govinda and Kasisvara bring Yamuna water

to Lord Sri Krishna. Kasisvara Pandit who was strong and powerfully built, used

to walk before Lord Caitanya keeping the crowds from touching Him. And after

kirtans he would serve prasadam to all the devotees.

 

Sri Gaurasundara asked Kasisvara to move to Vrndavana for worshiping Sri Rupa

Gosvami's Deity of Govindaji. Fearing separation from Lord Caitanya, Kasisvara

said, "My Lord, if I must give up Your association my heart will split in two."

Out of compassion for His devotee Lord Gauracandra gave him a Deity of Himself

that was so perfectly formed it exactly resembled the Lord. "Gaura-Govinda,"

the Deity's name, is a golden form of Krishna playing flute. Then Kasisvara

Pandit happily went to Vrndavana to serve Gaura-Govinda and Govindaji.

 

Sri Sadhana Dipika says, "I worship Sri Kasisvara Pandit whose power of love

and devotion brought ¯ Sri Caitanya to Western India as a Deity." Today the

original Deities of Gaura-Govinda and Govindaji are lovingly adored by

thousands of devotees in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Kasisvara Pandit's original smadhi

is in 64 samadhis area.

 

He lived in Vrndavana and, as commanded by the Lord, he installed the Deities

of Gaura Govinda. In his past incarnation he was Kelimanjari of Vraja.

(Bhaktiratnakara 6.444, 479, 2.440-444, Sadhanadipika 2.41)

 

SRILA BHUGARBHA GOSVAMI

 

A disciple of Sri Gadadhara pandit, Sri Bhugarbha Gosvami shared an intimate

friendship with Sri Lokanatha Gosvami. Inspired by Lord Caitanya, they were the

first and most senior devotees to settle in Vrndavana. Before the arrival of

Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana Gosvamis they tried to uncover the lost holy places

of Radha-Govindaji.

 

The great brahmana devotee Bhugarbha and his brother's son, Lokanatha, were

among the pioneers who settled in Vrndavana. According to CC. and Jadunatha,

Bhugarbha was included amongst the disciples of Gadadhara. CC. mentions that

Rupa Gosvami, along with Bhugarbha and other followers, visited Sri Krsna in

the house of Bitthaleswar at Mathura. In Gauraganoddesadipika he is identified

as Premamanjari. According to Premavilasa 7, at the command of Lord Caitanya,

Bhugarbha unearthed all the buried lila sites in Vrndavana. Bhugarbha Gosvami

passed away on the 14th day of the bright fortnight in the month of Kartika

(Oct-Nov).

 

Unlike the aggressive approach of modern scientists to discover the unknown,

Bhugarbha and Lokanatha Gosvamis found Sri Krishna's pastime forests by the

humble method of surrender. They simply wandered around Vrndavana calling out

the names of her twelve forests, "Bhandiravan, Kamyavan, Mahavan, Talavan ..."

And Srimati Vrnda Devi (the maintainer of the forests and an expansion of

Krishna's pastime potency) revealed the exact location of each and every

forest.

 

It is told that to avoid material distractions Bhugarbha would perform his

bhajana underground. So, he received the name Bhugarbha (bhu means earth,

garbha means cave, womb, hidden place). He is Prema-manjari or Bhadra Rekhika

in Radha Gopinatha's pastimes. His samadhi stands near Sri Rupa Goswami's in

the Radha Damodara temple courtyard.