Svarupa Damodara is after Lord Caitanya in our parampara

[Guest guest]

> It may be worth noting that these connections are mostly siska

> relationships, if I understand correctly. It's also interesting to note

> that Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami is referred to as "the direct

> disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami AND Srila Raghnatha dasa Gosvami" (emphasis

> added). Any comments?

 

Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami was a diksa disciple of Srila Raghunatha

dasa Goswami and a siksa disciple of Srila Rupa Goswami. Some devotees from

the lineage of Srila Vamsivadananda claim that he was initiated by

Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, but this is not supported by Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati:

 

"®r…la KŠad€sa Kavir€ja Gosv€m… accepted Raghun€tha d€sa Gosv€m… as his

special guide. Therefore at the end of every chapter he says,

r…-r™pa-raghun€tha-pade y€ra €a caitanya-carit€mta kahe kŠad€sa.

Sometimes it is misunderstood that by using the word raghun€tha he wanted

to offer his respectful obeisances to Raghun€tha Bha˜˜a Gosv€m…, for it is

sometimes stated that Raghun€tha Bha˜˜a Gosv€m… was his initiating

spiritual master. ®r…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… Gosv€m… does not approve

of this statement; he does not accept Raghun€tha Bha˜˜a Gosv€m… as the

spiritual master of ®r…la KŠad€sa Kavir€ja Gosv€m…. (Adi 10.103 purp.)"

 

The same could be said about the following quotation by Srila Prabhupada,

which comes just the next paragraph after the passage under discussion (in

Adi 1 Introduction):

 

"The direct disciple of ®r…la KŠad€sa Kavir€ja Gosv€m… was ®r…la Narottama

d€sa µh€kura, who accepted ®r…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… as his servitor.

®r…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura accepted ®r…la Jagann€tha d€sa B€b€j…,

who initiated ®r…la Bhaktivinoda µh€kura, who in turn initiated ®r…la

Gaurakiora d€sa B€b€j…, the spiritual master of Oˆ ViŠup€da ®r…la

Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… Gosv€m… Mah€r€ja, the divine master of our humble

self."

 

Neither Narottama Thakura was initiated by Krsnadas Kaviraja (he was a diksa

disciple of Lokanath Goswami), nor Visvanatha Cakravarti ever met Narottama

Thakura to be initiated by him. He, in turn, was not a diksa guru of

Jagannatha dasa Babaji, who did not give initiation to Bhaktivinoda Thakura,

who was never a diksa guru of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji. Thus, the parampara

deliniated by Srila Prabhupada, is mostly siksa parampara, and his mention

of Srila Rupa Goswami as a guru of Raghunatha dasa Goswami falls into the

same category.

 

Your servant,

Madana-mohana das