Gopal Bhatta Gosvami

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* Sanga (view other messages by this author)

* Thu, 23 Dec 1999 21:43:20

 

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An excerpt of a speech about Gopal Bhatta Gosvami delivered by Srila B.V.

Tripurari Swami, on 23.July 1997.

 

By the mercy of Sri Sri Gaura - Nityananda, and the Guru-parampara, I will

try to speak about Sri Gopal Bhatta Gosvami Prabhupada. He is one of the the

six Gosvamis of Vrindavan, who have revealed the importance of Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, explaining His ecstasy as the very essence of the Vedic

literature.

 

Gopal Bhatta Gosvami was a young lad of seven years when he met Mahaprabhu

in Sri Rangam. Our Kali-yuga pavana traveled for two years in South India,

and during His trip He visited Sri Rangam. This visit took place during the

Caturmasya, the four months of the rainy season, which begin on the Guru

purnima, Sanatana Gosvami's tirobhava.

 

While visiting Sri Rangam, Mahaprabhu was invited to stay in the house of

Venkatta Bhatta. He was the head priest of the Sri Rangam temple, which is

the headquarters of the Sri sampradaya of Ramanujacarya. The Sri sampradaya

is an important Vaisnava sampradaya, and the head priest of the Sri Rangam

temple is a very prominent person in the lineage to whom kings would bow

their heads. Such was the position of Venkatta Bhatta. Yet his greatness

extends further in that he fathered the illustrious Gopal Bhatta Gosvami. It

is said that the father is born again as his son. If this is so, Venkatta

Bhatta is worshipable not only by kings, owing to his standing in the Sri

Vaisnava lineage, but by saints as well for that which he did in the form of

his son, Sri Gopal Bhatta Gosvami.

 

During His stay in Sri Rangam, Mahaprabhu converted the entire family of

Venkatta Bhatta from Sri Vaisnavism to Gaudiya Vaisnavism. The young Gopal

Bhatta accepted initiation from Venkatta's brother, Prabhodananda Sarasvati.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu converted the family by posing two questions to the

learned Venkatta Bhatta.

 

First, Mahaprabhu asked, "Why is it that Laxmi, the wife of Narayana, wanted

to leave Narayana and participate in the rasa dance with Krsna?" Thus he

questioned Laxmi's chastity. Venkatta Bhatta replied, "There is no

difference in tattva between Krishna and Narayana, although in consideration

of rasa vicar, Krishna holds a higher position. Essentially the two are one

person. So there is no fault on her part according to Vaisnava siddhanta".

'Siddhantatas tv abhede 'pi srisa-krsna-svarupayoh', "Although they are

nondifferent in terms of tattva," 'rasenotkrsyate krsna-rupam esa

rasa-sthitih', "Krishna is superior in terms of power to attract due to his

being the emporium of aesthetic rapture."

 

When we consider the Absolute in terms of aesthetic rapture, we can measure

the immeasurable. The distance between Goloka and Vaikuntha is one of

feeling, rasa. Thus Mahaprabhu accepted the authoritative citation of

Venkatta, indeed it is a theological corner stone to His own sampradaya. Sri

Rupa cites this verse in his Bhaktirasamrita-sindhu, and our lineage is but

an elaboration of its deepest import. In its furthest reach it informs us

that not only is Sri Krishna svayam bhagavan, but Sri Radha is the supreme

Goddess, svayam sakti of Sri Radha-pati Krishna.

 

In this verse, the word Srisa overtly indicates Narayan, the Lord of Laxmi.

However, looking deeper, Srisa indicates the Lord of Radha, not Laxmi.

Actually, Radha pleases Narayana more than Laxmi does. At least this is the

opinion of the gopis. They have said this in Gopi gita. According to the

gopis, Radha received the supreme blessing of Narayana to have been carried

away by Govinda from the rasa lila to a secluded place. As for Laxmi, she

could not even witness the rasa lila! Thus Mahaprabhu's second question.

 

Mahaprabhu asked, "Why is it that although Laxmi wanted to enter the rasa

dance, she could not do so?" This question was over the head of Venkatta. He

could not fathom the answer, 'iha pravesite nare mora mana'. In effect the

said, "Only one who would think to ask such a question, could know the

answer. 'Ami jiva ksudra-buddhi sahaje asthira', " I am a jiva with limited

intelligence, and You are the supreme Lord Himself who knows His own ways,"

'tumi saksat sei krsna, jana nija-karma.'

 

Approvingly, Mahaprabhu replied: "Because she kept the ego of Laxmi, the

body of Laxmi, she could not enter the rasa dance. To enter there requires a

gopi-deha." Gopi-deha means gopi-bhava, because that deha is a bhava, that

body is a bhava, not anything material.

 

We are reluctant to give up our material bodies and our attachments to them

in our pursuit of gopi-bhava, and we have material bodies. Laxmi has a

spiritual body, a spiritual ego. She wanted to enter the rasa-dance with

that same ego, with that same body. She could not. She had justification for

not wanting to give up her spiritual body. That is her permanent status, her

svarupa. We have no such excuse. Yet neither did her valid excuse matter.

The ground rules for entering the rasa mandal are 'ahaituki apratihata'. We

must exist for His pleasure alone and we can not stop at anything to please

Him.

 

It is said that Laxmi is perpetually residing on the Eastern side of the

Yamuna in Belvan, where she is performing penances and austerities to get

entrance in the rasa dance. There she waits in line for a chance to enter or

even witness the rasa lila. Although she is a queen, there she fasts. But

she will never be successful because this is not the means to enter the rasa

lila. One must accept a gopi deha, culturing the bhava of the gopis in

raganuga bhakti. This is the only way. 'Nayam sukhapo bhagavan dehinam

gopika-sutah' devotees should know this verse from the Bhagavata's Damodara

lila. It appears four times in Caitanya Caritamrita.

 

Hearing this from Mahaprabhu, Venkatta was converted, 'ebe se janinu

krsna-bhakti sarvopari', "Now I realize that Krishna bhakti is the supreme

form of worship." In this way the whole family was converted. This was an

extraordinary accomplishment on the part of Mahaprabhu. We hear of

Mahaprabhu's converting all types of people, and even animals in the forest.

It is quite difficult to turn a wild animal into a premika. But this is

nothing in comparison to Mahaprabhu's conversion of stalwart devotees of

Laxmi-Narayana, whose object of love is spiritual. The animals and common

peoples' objects of love are material. To turn them in the spiritual

direction is much easier than to turn someone whose object of love and is

already spiritual to another spiritual object of love - from Laxmi Narayan

to Radha Krishna.

 

Venkatta's family had strong standing in the worship of Laxmi Narayana. Some

say they had attained sthayi bhava in dasya bhakti for Narayana. This cannot

be changed by anyone but God himself. This is the glory of Mahaprabhu,

svayam bhagavan

 

At this time Gopal Bhatta Gosvami was just a young lad. He had a dream in

which he saw a vision of Navadvipa pastimes of Mahaprabhu and realized that

the pastimes of Navadvipa are nondifferent from Vrindavana. He saw this, and

the fact that Mahaprabhu is not only svayam bhagavan, but svayam shakti as

well - Radha Krishna.

 

Mahaprabhu then instructed him: "You stay here with your parents until they

expire, and then go to Vrindavan. But in the course of going there, first go

to the Himalayas, to Gandaki, and bring salagrams from there for worship."

So through Gopal Bhatta, Mahaprabhu introduced the worship of salagram sila,

a vaidhi marg Deity, into in His raga marg sampradaya.

 

Then Mahaprabhu left, and Gopal Bhatta took initiation from Prabhodananda

Sarasvati, the brother of Venkatta Bhatta. After his parents expired from

the world, he followed the instruction of Mahaprabhu, by which Mahaprabhu

had told him he would again get His darshan. He went to Gandaki. He put his

lota in the water for bathing, and twelve salagrams came within it. It is

said that he put them back in the river again, and once more put the lota in

the water. Again the same salagrams came out. He was a little shy to take so

many silas at first, but he realized after some time that they wanted to go

with him. He took them in a cloth tied around his neck. On his way to

Vrindavan, he stopped and initiated three Gaura brahmanas bringing them with

him to Vrindavana. Once there, he took shelter of Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami,

and he worshiped these salagrams for some time.

 

part 2

 

Gopal Bhatta Gosvami became very prominent in Vrindavana, yet he remained

very humble, so much so that he asked Krsnadas Kaviraja Gosvami not to

mention his name in his treatise Caitanya Caritamrta. As I mentioned, he

came to Vrindavana with his own newly initiated disciples. Jiva Gosvami was

junior to him, and Rupa, Sanatana were his seniors. These three referred

all of the people who came to them for initiation to Gopal Bhatta Gosvami.

He was the main diksa guru amongst the six Gosvamis. Indeed, Rupa Gosvami

had only one initiated disciple, Sri Jiva, and we know of no diksa line of

Sanatana Prabhu.

 

One reason that Gopal Bhatta Gosvami was the principal initiator is related

to the preaching strategy of the Gosvamis. They were not only prema bhaktas

of the highest order. They were also politically astute, culturally wise,

and very pragmatic.

 

Rupa, Sanatana, were socially tarnished due to their having taken service in

the muslim government. Jiva Gosvami, their nephew, shared this social

blemish. While Mahaprabhu used these three to establish his sampradaya and

religious revolution, he was also sensitive to the climate of the times.

Although he overturned caste considerations when they got in the way of the

spiritual ideal, He did not go against socio-religious trends if he did not

have to.

 

He chose Rupa and Sanatana to help establish His sampradaya because they

were very learned people. They knew how to deal with people. They were

ministers in the muslim government. The muslims ruled much of India at that

time, and Rupa Sanatana prabhus were capable of dealing with their leaders.

More importantly, they were the embodiment of what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Himself came to experience. That Radha bhava can only be experienced by the

manjaris of Radha, not anyone else. What Krsna wanted to experience, was the

experience of Rupa Gosvami, Rupa manjari. Trying to take the position of

Radha, one will not be successful. One can, however, taste her bhava by

becoming her manjari. So for external reasons and internal reasons,

Mahaprabhu choose them. Similarly, for external reasons also Gopal Bhatta

was given the charge of diksa, as he was for internal reasons as well.

 

Externally, he was from a very sophisticated South Indian brahmin family. In

consideration of the religious climate, Gopal Bhatta Gosvami's parentage and

religious background made him better suited to act in the capacity of diksa

guru. This perhaps helped to make the fledgling sampradaya less

controversial. With this in mind, Gopal Bhatta compiled the Gaudiya Vaisnava

smriti, Hari-bhakti-vilasa, much of which is a concession to the orthodox

brahminical climate that permeated the religious landscape.

 

Mahaprabhu gave own his seat to Gopal Bhatta in Vrindavana, indicating his

preference for Gopal Bhatta with regard to diksa. Mahaprabhu is the Guru of

Gurus, the adi guru of the sampradaya. That He sent his own seat to Gopal

Bhatta is thus significant. Gopal Bhatta Gosvami is considered the

repository of guru sakti.

 

It is said in Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika that Gopal Bhatta Gosvami is an

incarnation of Ananga manjari. If we take this to mean, as some devotees do,

that this refers to the younger sister of Radha, Gopal Bhatta Gosvami's

position as the principal diksa guru amongst the Gosvamis has considerable

inner significance. Ananga manjari is a peculiar manifestation of Baladeva

by which he is represented in madhurya rasa. Baladeva is considered the

repository of guru sakti. We worship Guru and Gauranga. Gauranga means

Mahaprabhu, and Guru means Baladeva, Nityananda prabhu. Nitai's consort,

Jahnava, is also considered to be an incarnation of Ananga manjari, and

accordingly she became a very prominent guru in the Gaudiya sampradaya.

 

Gopal Bhatta is also a sastra guru of our bhakti sastra. As I mentioned, he

compiled under he guidance of Sanatana Gosvami, the Gaudiya Vaisnava smriti,

Hari-bhakti-vilasa. In this book and his Sat Kriya Sara Dipika, he has given

all the behavior codes and ritualistic procedures for our sampradaya.

Although he is most well known for these works, he was also a principle

contributor to Jiva Gosvami's Sat-sandarbha. In each of the six sandarbhas,

Sri Jiva offers his respect to Gopal Bhatta Gosvami, noting that his own

work on the sandarbhas is merely what he considered a rearranging of notes

gathered by Gopal Bhatta Gosvami.

 

Perhaps Gopal Bhatta Gosvami is best known for having established the Radha

Ramana Deity and temple in Vrindavana. This event is connected to the story

of his collecting salagrams at Mahaprabhu's request. After arriving in

Vrindavan, he worshiped the salagrams, keeping them around his neck or

hanging them from a tree in a basket.

 

Great kings patronized the Gosvamis in Vrindavana. Under their patronage,

big temples were built, and through the preaching of the Gosvamis, Vrindavan

became the place to be. If you were a Hindu king and you did not have a

temple in Vrindavan, you were nobody. When Gopal Bhatta received the

offering of ornaments and clothing from one wealthy patron, he placed it

before his salagrams and lamented on two accounts. First of all, he could

not use the ornaments for the salagrams, as they were suitable for a Deity.

Secondly, he lamented because Mahaprabhu had promised that Gopal Bhatta

would again get His darshan, but this had not come to pass. Mahaprabhu was

in Puri, and although he sent Gopal Bhatta his kaupin and asana, he had not

personally come to give him darshan.

 

Lamenting on two accounts, Gopal Bhatta became unconscious on the Buddha

Jayanti after contemplating the significance of Prahlad Maharaja's

experience of Sri Narasingha. When he awoke, he noticed that the lid of the

basket hanging from the tree was half open. He thought that perhaps a snake

had gotten inside, so he tried to push the lid down, but it would not go

down. When he opened it up, there was Radha Raman! The Damodara salagram had

manifested as an eleven and one half inch deity of Krishna in a pose playing

the flute.

 

It is considered that Radha Raman was the fulfillment of Mahaprabhu's

promise to give Gopal Bhatta his darshan a second time. Radha Raman is

considered to be Radha and Krsna combined. He is thus non different from

Mahaprabhu. Since that day, Gopal Bhatta Gosvami's desire to offer ornaments

to his Deity have been more than fulfilled, as worship of Radha Raman has

been in place for over 500 years. Indeed, he is perhaps the best dressed

Deity in town.