Gopala Bhatta Gosvami (1)

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January 22nd, 2003, Wednesday (Pancami)

Disappearance day of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami

 

 

SRI GOPAL BHATTA GOSWAMI

 

The all-merciful Lord Sri Gaura Hari, as He travelled from village

to village throughout the south of India, continued to distribute love of

Godhead wherever He went. Hearing the nectarean names of Hari from His lotus

mouth, thousands and thousands men and women felt relief from the blazing

fire of material existence. Various wretched, miserable and fallen souls

lives were completely rejuvenated and thus they became virtuous and happy.

While causing rains of love of God to fall anywhere and everywhere, without

consideration of time or place, Sri Gaurasundara came to the holy place of

Sri Rangaksetra.

 

The temple of Sri Rangaksetra was extremely large, the crest of the

temple tower pierced the sky. Throughout the day and night hundreds and

thousands of pilgrims were going and coming to take darsan of Lord

Ranganath. The temple hall resounded with the sounds of hundreds and

thousand of brahmanas chanting Vedic hymns. In the midst of this scene from

Vaikuntha, entered Sri Gaurasundara chanting the names of Krsna in his sweet

voice that defeated the voices of 10 million Gandharvas. Everyone in the

temple became dumbstruck, amazed and thrilled with wonder.

 

What unprecedented beauty; His bodily effulgence makes molten gold

appear lack-lustre. From His eyes which are like the full blown petals of a

lotusflower trickled down tears of ecstatic love. Every limb, every part of

His body was filled with such exquisite grace that even the mind of Cupid

gets stolen away. The brahmanas began to consider, "Is this a demigod? Can

such symptoms and emotions be found in human beings?" Again resounding the

halls with the transcendental vibrations of Sri Hari's name, when He came

before the Deity and fell down as a tree is blown down by the wind, some

people thought that a mountain of gold was rolling on the ground.

 

Sri Vyenkata Bhatta seeing this divine personage became restless

with ecstasy. His heart being flooded with devotion he got up and began to

move the crowds away so that the Lord could engage in chanting and dancing.

When the Lord had regained His external consiousness after engaging in

sankirtan, Vyenkata Bhatta approached Him and took the dust of His lotus

feet. Mahaprabhu gazed towards him and saying, "Krsna! Krsna!" embraced him

firmly. Sri Vyenkata Bhatta invited Mahaprabhu to come to his house and

having brought Him there, very reverently washed His lotus feet and along

with the other family members, he drank the water. Sri Bhattaji's house

became filled with joy.

 

Mahaprabhu came to Ranga Ksetra in the Christian year 1511. Vyenkata

Bhatta had two brothers, Trimalla Bhatta and Prabodhananda Sarasvati. They

all belonged to the Ramanuja sampradaya and Prabodhananda Sarasvati was a

tridandi sannyasi of that order. Vyenkata Bhatta had a son named Gopal, who

was then just a child. When the boy came to offer his obeisances at the

lotus feet of Mahaprabhu, He picked him up and very affectionately seated

him in His lap. Mahaprabhu would call Gopal after He had finished His meal

and offer His remnants to the boy. In this way He prepared him for the

positon of Acarya. After remaining at Vyenkata Bhatta's house during the

four months of the rainy season (Caturmasya) Mahaprabhu prepared to continue

His journey of the South. Vyenkata Bhatta's house began to ebb in a tide of

tears in anticipation of His departure. Gopal fell at His lotus feet in a

dead faint. Therefore Mahaprabhu remained for a couple of more days in order

to console the boy. He instructed him to serve his mother and father and

always engage in chanting Krsna's glories and thereafter to come to

Vrindavan.

 

Very quickly Gopal became expert in grammar, poetry and rhetoric and

then began his study of Vedanta. His uncle Prabodhananda, specifically began

to instruct him from the devotional scriptures (Bhakti-sastra).

 

Gopal Bhatta always remained thinking of the lotusfeet of Mahaprabhu

and when he might again be able to meet Him. At the same time however he

couldn't leave his aged mother and father. Finally having reached their

final days they called their son Gopal and instructed him to go to the

lotusfeet of Mahaprabhu in Vrindaban. Then while meditating on His lotusfeet

themselves they went to join Him in His eternal lila.

 

Thus Gopal set out for Vrindavan and when he arrived there Rupa

Gosvami immediately went word to Mahaprabhu to inform Him of Gopal's arrival

there.

 

Mahaprabhu had previously indicated to Rupa and Sanatan that Gopal

Bhatta would one day come there to Vrindavan, so upon his arrival they

treated him with the same care and affection they would their own brother.

They immediately became life long companions.

 

When Mahaprabhu received word that Gopal Bhatta had come to

Vrindavan, He was very pleased and sent with that messenger a wooden sitting

plank which He had used along with a pair of His undergarments and one of

His cloths. Having received these gifts Gopal Bhatta was in ecstasy and he

worshipped them as the prasad of Mahaprabhu. When he would worship his

Deities he would sit on that wooden plank. This piri (wooden seat) and

Mahaprabhus clothes are still being worshipped at Radha-Ramana Mandir.

Gopala Bhatta, like Rupa and Sanatana, had no fixed residence and would

spend the night in various kunjas (forest groves). He spent his time

studying the scriptures and composing various literatures.

 

Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami used to worship eleven Saligram-silas.

Wherever he would go he would bring them with him in a piece of cloth tied

at the corner. One time a rich Seth came to meet Gopala Bhatta to have his

darsana. Being very impressed with the Gosvami he wanted to render some

service which he presented in the form of some valuable cloths and

ornaments.

 

Gopala Bhatta kept the cloths and ornaments with his silas and

thought that, "If I had a Deity then I would be able to decorate Him so

nicely with these clothes and ornaments." In the evening after offering some

bhoga and arotika to his salagram silas, Gopala Bhatta put them to rest,

covering them with a wicker basket. Late in the night, Gopala Bhatta took a

little rest and then, in the early morning went to take bath in the Yamuna.

Returning from his bath, he uncovered the salagramas in order to wake Them,

and saw amongst Them a Deity of Krsna playing the flute. There were now

eleven silas and this Deity. Floating in the ocean of ecstasy, he fell to

the ground in order to offer his dandavats and then recited various prayers

and hymns. When Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis as well as many other devotees

received news of this miraculous event they came running to see the Lord.

Gazing on the Lord's transcendental form, which bewildered all the living

entities of the many various planets, they all bathed Him with their tears.

This Deity whom the Gosvamis named, "Sri Radha-Raman Deva" made His

appearance on the full moon day of Vaisakha in the year 1542. Except for

Vrindadevi, Sri Radha-Ramanaji is the only one of the original Deities of

Vrindavana who never left to go to Jaipur. He is still being worshipped in

Vrindavana near Nidhuban kunj.

 

Sri Radha-ramana Deva, unlike other Deities, has very intricate

features, including fingernails and even teeth. On the back side of His body

parts of the original salagram sila from which He manifested Himself can be

seen. There is a story that the small son of one of the sevaits was playing

with the Deity once and put a small stick in one ear of the Deity and pushed

it through out the other ear. The stick however, had blood on it, and that

boy died vomiting blood that very day.

 

Once Sri Gopala Bhatta went to Hardwar. As he was returning,

suddenly a downpour started and thus he took shelter in the house of one

brahmana. This brahmana was very devoted and he very carefully began to

serve Sri Gopala Bhatta, who thus became very pleased. As this brahmana had

no children Sri Bhattaji blessed him that he might have a son who would be a

devoted follower of Lord Hari. The brahman replied that, "My first son I

will send to you in order to serve you."

 

Approximately ten years later when Gopala Bhatta returned from

bathing in the Yamuna one day, he saw a young boy sitting at the door of his

kutir. When the boy saw the Gosvamiji approaching, he got up and then fell

down to offer his dandavats. Gopala Bhattaji inquired who the boy was, to

which he replied, "My home was in Devandyagram within Saharanpur near

Hardwar. My father has sent me here to serve you. My name is Gopinatha."

 

Then Gopal Bhatta could remember the time when he went to Haridwar

many years ago. So this boy remained with him and very carefully began to

serve him. Eventually he became known as Sri Gopinatha Pujari Gosvami as he

served Sri Radha-ramana Deva through his life as a brahmacari. His younger

brother Sri Damodara dasa, along with his family, accepted iniation from Sri

Gopinathaji and also became engaged in the service of the Deity. Sri

Damodara dasa's three sons were named Harinatha, Mathuranatha and Harirama.

Sri Gopala Bhatta, in his worship of Sri Radha-ramana would sometimes see

that He had taken the form of Sri Gaurasundara. "Becoming subservient to the

love of Sri Gopala Bhatta, Sri Radha-ramana would sometimes accept the form

of Sri Gaurasundara."

 

Sri Gopala Bhatta was the initiating guru of Srinivasa Acarya

Prabhu. He wrote many books including: Sat-sandarbha-karika,

Sri-Krsna-vallabha (Krsna-karnamrta-tika), Sat-kriya-sara-dipika, and Laghu

Hari-bhakti-vilasa with Dig-darsini-tika. From this work, Sri Sanatana

Gosvami compiled the Hari-bhakti-vilasa now followed by Gaudiya Vaisnavas.

 

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami's name in

Vraja-lila has been given as Guna manjari. His birth was on the day of the

dark fortnight of the month Pausa in the year 1503 (Christian), 1425

(Sakabda). His disappearance was on the sixth day of the dark fortnight of

the month of Sravana in the year 1578 (Christian), 1500 (Sakabda). Age: 75

years.