Gopala Bhatta Gosvami (2)

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January 22nd, 2003, Wednesday (Pancami)

Disappearance day of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami

 

 

GOPALA BHATTA GOSWAMI

(different version of biography)

 

Gopala Bhatta was born on the third lunar day of the dark fortnight

of Pausa (Dec-Jan) 1500 AD. (GPC. states that his birth was in 1503 AD.).

His father, Venkata Bhatta was a renowned Vaisnava from the

Ramanuja-sampradaya and lived in the village Velagundi of Srirangam, on the

bank of the Kaveri river, in the Trichinapalli district. Gopala was one of

the "Chaya Gosvami's" and was Anangamanjari in his past incarnation . Some

argue he was Gunamanjari (Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika). During his pilgrimage of

Sri Ranga-ksetra in South India, Lord Caitanya lived at the house of Venkata

Bhatta while observing His vow of Caturmasya in 1511 AD.

 

When Lord Caitanya arrived the house of Venkata, Gopala, who was

only a child of eight years, offered his obeisances at the feet of the Lord.

Lord Caitanya picked Gopala up, placed him on His lap, and fondled him

lovingly. Later, the Lord called Gopala and gave him the remnants of food

left from His plate. During Lord Caitanya's stay at their house, Gopala

served Him regularly.

 

As Venkata was a Vaisnava belonging to the Ramanuja-sampradaya, he

worshipped the Deity of Laksmi Narayana. His pure devotional service to the

deities was very pleasing to Lord Caitanya. Being in constant association

with one another, Lord Caitanya and Venkata gradually developed a friendly

relationship. Indeed sometimes they use to joke and laugh together. For

example, Lord Caitanya told Venkata, "Your worshipful goddess of fortune,

Laksmi, who always remains on the chest of Narayana, is certainly the most

chaste woman in the creation. How is it that she wants to associate with my

Lord, Lord Krsna, a cowherd boy, who is engaged in tending cows?"

 

Venkata replied, "According to transcendental realization, there is

no difference between the forms of Narayana and Krsna. Yet in Krsna there is

a special transcendental attraction due to the conjugal mellow, and

consequently He surpasses Narayana. Mother Laksmi considered that her vow of

chastity would not be damaged by her relationship with Krsna. Rather, it was

in great fun that Laksmi wanted to associate with Krsna. Why are you joking

so much about this?"

 

The Lord said, "But can you tell me why goddess Laksmi, who for a

long time accepted vows and regulative principles and performed unlimited

austerities, could not enter the rasa dance? The authorities of Vedic

knowledge (Sruti) could attain Krsna through practice of tapasya?"

 

Venkata replied, "I am an ordinary human being. Since my

intelligence is very limited, my mind cannot enter within the deep ocean of

pastimes of the Lord. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna

Himself. You know the purpose of Your activities, and the person whom you

enlighten can also understand your pastimes." (CC. 2.9)

 

The Lord said, "Krsna has a specific characteristic; He attracts

everyone's heart by the mellow of His personal conjugal love. By following

in the footsteps of the inhabitants of the planet known as Vrajaloka, or

Goloka Vrndavana, one can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Krsna.

However, these Vrajavasi's do not know that Lord Krsna is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Rather, they know Krsna as the son of the king of

Vrajabhumi, and consider that there cannot be any relationship with the Lord

in the rasa of opulence.

 

There at Vrajabhumi someone accepts Him as a son, while someone else

treats Him as an intimate friend. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna,

the son of mother Yasoda, is accessible to those devotees engaged in

spontaneous loving service, but He is not easily accessible to mental

speculators, to those striving for self-realization by severe austerity and

penance, or to those who consider the body to be the same as the self. Lord

Krsna belongs to a cowherd community, and the gopis are the dearmost lovers

of Krsna. Although the wives of the denizens of the heavenly planets are

most opulent within the material world, neither they nor any other women in

the material universe can acquire Krsna's association. Goddess Laksmi wanted

to enjoy Krsna and at the same time retain her spiritual body in the form of

Laksmi. She, however, did not follow in the footsteps of the gopis in her

worship of Krsna. According to the verse composed by Vyasadeva, the supreme

authority on Vedic literature, no one can enter into the rasa-lila dance in

any form other than the bodies of the gopis. On the other hand, the

authorities of Vedic literature known as sruti-gana worshipped Lord Krsna in

the ecstasy of the gopis and followed in their footsteps. They acquired

bodies like those of gopis and took birth in Vrajabhumi. In those bodies

they were allowed to enter the rasa-lila dance.

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, attracts the mind of

goddess Laksmi, but Lord Narayana cannot attract the minds of the gopis.

This proves the super-excellence of Krsna. To say nothing of Lord Narayana

personally, Lord Krsna Himself appeared as Narayana just to play jokes on

the gopis, but failed to attract the serious attention of the gopis in

ecstatic love.

 

Once Lord Krsna playfully manifested Himself as Narayana with four

victorious hands and a beautiful form. When the gopis saw this exalted form,

their ecstatic feeling abated, and they paid their humble obeisances to Lord

Narayana. Later, when Sri Radha arrived on the scene and looked at the form

of Narayana, Lord Krsna revealed Himself. A learned scholar, therefore,

cannot understand the gopi's ecstatic feelings which are firmly centered

upon the original form of Lord Krsna as the son of Nanda Maharaja. The

wonderful feelings of the gopis in ecstatic parama-rasa with Krsna

constitute the greatest mystery of spiritual life. There is no difference

between Lord Krsna and Lord Narayana for They are the same form. Similarly,

there is no difference between the gopis and the goddess Laksmi, for they

are also the same form.

 

Goddess Laksmi enjoys the association of Krsna through the gopis.

One should never make a distinction between the forms of the Lord, for such

conceptualizing is offensive."

 

Venkata then said, "Out of your causeless mercy you have told me of

the glories of Lord Krsna. No one can reach the end of the opulence,

qualities, and forms of the Lord." After saying this, Venkata Bhatta fell

down before the lotus feet of the Lord, and the Lord, out of His causeless

mercy, embraced him."

 

When the period of Caturmasya was completed, Lord Caitanya took

permission to leave Venkata Bhatta. At that moment the members of Venkata's

family, thinking of being separated from the Lord, began to cry, while

Gopala fell down unconscious at the feet of Lord Caitanya. The Lord

instructed Gopala to stay at home for the time being to look after his

parents, and advised him to go to Vrndavana after sometime.

 

Gopala began to study Vyakarana-kavya, Alamkara, and Vedanta, within

a short time he became an expert in the said sastras. He also acquired

knowledge of Bhakti-sastra under his uncle Prabodhananda Sarasvati.

(Bhakti-ratnakara first wave)

 

Gopala concentrated his mind remembering the lotus feet of Lord

Caitanya, patiently waiting for the time when he would be free to go to

Vrndavana, at the same time nursing his aged parents as commanded by the

Lord. He did not have to wait very long, as his parents had reached the last

stage of their lives. One day they called Gopala and said, "After our

disappearance you should go to Vrndavana and take refuge under the lotus

feet of Lord Caitanya." Soon thereafter, Gopala's parents passed away

remembering the lotus feet of the Lord upto the very last moment.

(Bhakti-ratnakara first wave). At last Gopala was freed from material

encumbrances and departed for Vrndavana.

 

On his arrival there, Gopala stayed with Rupa and Sanatana, who had

already heard about him from Lord Caitanya. Rupa Gosvami sent a messenger to

Puri to inform Lord Caitanya of Gopala's arrival. Meanwhile, they treated

Gopala as their own brother, and very soon a relationship of love and

intimacy developed between them.

 

Upon receiving the message at Puri, Lord Caitanya was delighted and

told the devotees there about Gopala. The Lord then sent a messenger with a

reply to Rupa, along with his personal brahmana thread, kaupina, and an

outer-garment for Gopala. (GVA mentions that apart from a holy thread and a

kaupina, a blackish colored wooden seat were given by Lord Caitanya for

Gopala, which are still preserved in the temple of Radharamana at Vrndavana

and regularly worshipped). Gopala accepted the items as the Lord's

kripa-prasada and began to follow the instructions for him conveyed through

the Lord's letter to Rupa. Gopala was, like Rupa and Sanatana, a homeless

person. He would spend night at various groves and study religious books or

do his writing work.

 

Once Gopala Bhatta went on a welfare visit to a village called

Devavandya in Sharanpur district. One afternoon he was held up due to an

unexpected rain and took shelter in the house of a local brahmana who was a

childless devotee. Being very pleased with the cordial reception offered by

the brahmana, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami showered his blessings upon the brahmana

and said that he would soon beget a devout son. The brahmana reciprocated by

making a commitment that he would offer his first son for the seva of Gopala

Bhatta.

 

On his way back to Vrndavana, Gopala collected twelve salagrama's

from the bed of the river Gandaki. Gopala worshiped the twelve stones and

carried them from place to place with him in a cloth-bag. Eventually he

began to feel a longing to worship a deity. Around the same time a wealthy

businessman came for darsana of Gopala Bhatta, and being very satisfied,

left behind many gifts including ornaments and clothing as an offering to

the Lord. Gopala placed all the items before his salagrama stones and in the

evening performed routine arati. After practicing bhajan till the late

hours of the night, Gopala put his salagrama's to rest for the night,

placing a basket over the twelve stones. The next morning, to his amazement,

he found that his long cherished desire had been fulfilled; one of the

salagrama's had taken the form of Lord Krsna; standing and playing His

flute. This deity came to be known as the famous Radharamana vigraha of

Vrndavana. (According to information recorded in Anuragavalli pp 14, Rupa

Gosvami had been associated with the appearance of Radharamana.)

 

Ten years passed, then one day at noon, when Gopala Bhatta was

returning to his bhajan kutir after taking bath in the Jamuna, he saw that a

child was seated near the entrance of the kutir. Upon seeing Gopala Bhatta,

the child got up and paid his humble obeisances to Gopala, lying prostrate

on the ground. When questioned, the child explained that he had come from

Devavandya village in the district of Saharanpur. He stated further that his

name was Gopala and his father had sent him to serve Gopala Bhatta. Gopala

Bhatta then remembered the past incident and took the child in as his own

sevaka. In later years the child came to be known as Gopinatha Pujari

Gosvami. He dedicated his bachelor life to the service of the Deity

Radharamana.

 

Srinivasa Acarya received diksa from Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. He

passed away on the fifth lunar day of the light fortnight of Asada

(June-July) 1585 AD. His samadhi is located behind the Radharamana temple in

Vrndavana.

 

The following are the works of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami:

 

1. A treatise on smrti entitled Sri Hari Bhakti Vilasa; some argue that the

book was actually compiled by Sanatana Gosvami (Bhakti ratnakara 1.19-98)

 

2. Padas 1019, 2834, 2967, and sloka 38 have been included within

Padakalpataru.

 

3. A tika entitled Sri Krsnavallabha on Sri Krsnakarnamrta by Karnapura.

(Bhakti-ratnakara 1.228, Anuragavalli and Sadhanadipika pp 257)

 

4. A book of verse based on Sat-sandarbha by Jiva Gosvami.