Jayadeva Gosvami

[Guest guest]

January 23rd, 2003, Thursday (Sasti)

The disappearance day of Sri Jayadeva Gosvami

 

 

SRI JAYADEVA GOSWAMI

 

Sri Jayadeva Gosvami was the chief pandita in the court of the king

Sri Laksman Sena. His father's name was Bhojadeva and his mother's name was

Bama devi. He made his appearance at Kendu-bilvagram within the district of

Birhum, during the 11th century.

 

Sri Jayadeva's wife's name was Sri Padmavati. During the time that

he was engaged as the chief pandita of Raja Laksman Sena, he resided at

Navadwipa on the banks of Ganga. Also present with were three other panditas

whose names he has mentioned in Sri Gita-Govinda: Sri Umapatidhar, Acarya

Sri Govardhan and Kavi Ksamapati, who were his close friends.

 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to especially relish hearing the Gita

Govinda as well as the works of Candidas, Vidyapati, Ramananda Ray and the

Krsna-karnamrta by Bilvamangala Thakur. Sri Gita Govinda is full of intimate

pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Govinda and is therefore meant for those who have

accumulated sufficient spiritual piety.

 

"For those who relish the remembramce of the pastimes of Sri Hari

and who are always anxious to hear those transcendental divine narrations,

these verses, sweet as honey, have been composed by Jayadeva with the

blessings of Mother Sarasvati."

 

In the Gita Govinda, while writing about the pastimes of Radharani

as She repented after Krsna had gone away, he became lost in thought. Not

being able to decide whether or not he should write a particular verse, he

decided to first take his bath, and return to his writing later. While he

taking his bath, Krsna Himself personally appeared in the form of Jayadeva,

took his meal and then wrote down that very verse with His own hand. Then,

while Padmavati was accepting her meal, Jayadeva returned from taking his

bath in the Ganga. Padmavati was completely startled to see her husband, and

Jayadeva as well was very suprised to see that his wife was accepting her

meal before him (which is never done by Hindu wives). Finally she explained

that he had already returned from taking his bath once, taken his meal, and

then gone to his room. Jayadeva went to where he had been writing and saw

the verse that he had been considering whether to write or not, now composed

in golden letters.

 

With tears in his eyes and voice choked up he called out to his

wife, "Padmavati! You are so fortunate! You had darsana of the Supreme

Lord!"

 

Bhaktivinoda Thakura has commented that even though Sri Gauranga

Deva hadn't revealed his internal pastimes at that time, within the heart of

Sri Jayadeva, Sri Bilvamangala, Sri Candidas and Sri Vidyapati, the

transcendental mood of Mahaprabhu was awakened even before He Himself

actually made His appearance. Jayadeva Gosvami also composed a book named

Candraloka. His disappearance is on Pausa sankranti.

 

His worshipable Deities, Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, are being worshipped

in the former temple of Radha-Govinda just outside the present city of

Jaipur.