Srila Gopala Bhatta Goswami

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna,

 

 

 

PAMHO, AGTSP

 

 

 

There are seven original and most important Temples of Vrndavana:

 

 

Temple Founder

 

 

Madana- Mohana Sanatana Goswami

 

Govindaji Rupa Goswami

 

Radha-Gopinatha Madhu Pandit Goswami

 

Radha-Damodara Jiva Goswami

 

Radha-Syamasundara Syamananda Pandita Goswami

 

Radharamana Gopal Bhatta Goswami

 

Radha-Gokulananda Lokanatha Goswami

 

 

 

By worshipping Madan-Mohanaji one can learn to establish relationship with

Krishna –Sambandha-jïäna—knowledge of one’s original relationship with the

Lord.

 

 

 

By worshipping Govindaji one can learn practical application while

worshiping Krishna i.e Abhidheya—the regulated activities of the soul for

reviving his relationship with the Lord; devotional service.

 

 

 

By worshipping Gopinathaji one can understand the ultimate goal of life –

Prayojana—the ultimate goal of life, to develop love of God.

 

 

 

By worshiping Radharamanaji one can have benefit of all three i.e.

Sambandha, Abhidheya & Prayojana.

 

 

 

On pilgrimage Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami obtained twelve Salagrama silas.

Later the Damodara sila manifested Himself as the beautiful Radha Ramana

Deity. Since 1542, Radha Ramanaji has been worshipped with pure devotion

following precise sastric rituals.

 

 

 

 

 

Kindly have beautiful Darshana of Appearance place Sri Sri Radharamanaji of

Vrndavana.

 

 

 

Your servant in mission of Srila Prabhupada

 

 

 

 

Nanda Gopal Dasa

 

 

 

 

 

Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami

 

 

 

Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami (the son of a Vyenkata Bhatta, a Sri Vaisnava

brahmana) appeared in Sri Rangam, South India. Lord Caitanya once stayed

four months in his home, and converted the family to Gaudiya Vaisnavism A

mere boy at this time, Gopala personally served the Lord. Sri Caitanya

treated him affectionately giving His remnants and blessings to become as

acarya.

 

 

 

During His four month stay, Lord Caitanya developed a close friendship with

Vyenkata Bhatta, which Krishna Dasa Kaviraja describes as "sakhya rasa."

Freely conversing with each other, they would often laugh and joke together.

One day in a humorous mood Lord Caitanya asked Vyenkata:

 

 

 

"Why does your worship able goddess of fortune, Sri Laksmidevi, abandon the

happiness of Vaikuntha and her service to her Lord Narayana? Why does she

go to Vrndavana and perform severe austerities to attain the association of

My Lord Gopala, the cowherd boy of Vraja?"

 

 

 

"I can't understand these mysteries," said Vyenkata, "but You, being the

Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, can surely enlighten me."

 

 

 

"Lord Krishna has one unique quality," said Lord Gauranga, " He attracts the

hearts of everyone with His personal conjugal love (madhurya). Lord Narayan

only has sixty transcendental qualities but Sri Krishna has sixty-four. And

all of them are saturated with His unique quality of madhurya (honey

sweetness). The Supreme personality of Godhead, Sir Krishna, attracts the

mind of Laksmidevi. But Lord Narayana can never attract the minds of the

Vraja gopis.

 

 

 

"In Vraja lila, Krishna, disguised as Lord Narayana, once appeared before

the gopis who were searching for Krishna, Seeing Lord Narayana the gopis

said, "O Lord Narayana, pranams. Where did Krishna go, did You see?" By

following the gopis, who spontaneously love Krishna. The Srutis worshiped

Krishna in the ecstasy of the gopis. Following in their footsteps, they

received gopi's bodies to join Krishna in the rasa dance. Laksmi, however,

wanted to enjoy Krishna but retain Her spiritual form as Laksmidevi.

Without following the gopis, footsteps no one can attain Krishna."

 

 

 

After receiving initiation from Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati, Gopala Bhatta

cam to Vrndavana and became a dear friend of Sri Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis.

He did bhajana in Vrndavana for forty-five years, mostly at Radha-kunda.

 

 

 

On pilgrimage he obtained twelve Salagrama silas. Later the Damodara sila

manifested Himself as the beautiful Radha Ramana Deity. Since 1542, Radha

Ramanaji has been worshipped with pure devotion following precise sastric

rituals.

 

 

 

Lord Caitanya ordered Gopala Bhatta to write a book to check the spread of

pseudo-loving rasas and negligence to vaidhi bhakti. In corroboration with

Sri Sanatana Gosvami he compiled the Hari.bhakti-vilasa, the authorized book

explaining the ritual and devotional practices of the Gaudiya Vaisnava

sampradaya. He also wrote Sat-kriya-dipika and the outline for Sri Jiva

Gosvami,s Sat Sandarbhas. He eternally serves Srimati Radharani as one of

Her asta manjaris, Guna-manjari. His samadhi is within Radha Ramanaji's

temple compound behind the appearance place of the Deity. Sri Gopala Bhatta

Gosvami initiated Gopinatha (Pujari Gosvami), a lifelong brahmacari who

served Radha Ramanaji for his whole life. Gopala Bhatta Gosvami initiated

Srinivasa Acarya and many other stalwart Vaisnavas.

 

 

 

CC1:10:105

 

çré-gopäla bhaööa eka çäkhä sarvottama

 

rüpa-sanätana-saìge yäìra prema-äläpana

 

TRANSLATION

 

Çré Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great

and exalted branches of the tree. He always engaged in discourses about love

of Godhead in the company of Rüpa Gosvämé and Sanätana Gosvämé.

 

PURPORT

 

Çré Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé was the son of Veìkaöa Bhaööa, a resident of Çré

Raìgam. Gopäla Bhaööa formerly belonged to the disciplic succession of the

Rämänuja-sampradäya but later became part of the Gauòéya-sampradäya. In the

year 1433 Çakäbda (A.D. 1511), when Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu was touring

South India, He stayed for four months during the period of Cäturmäsya at

the house of Veìkaöa Bhaööa, who then got the opportunity to serve the Lord

to his heart’s content. Gopäla Bhaööa also got the opportunity to serve the

Lord at this time. Çré Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé was later initiated by his

uncle, the great sannyäsé Prabodhänanda Sarasvaté. Both the father and the

mother of Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé were extremely fortunate, for they dedicated

their entire lives to the service of Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu. They allowed

Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé to go to Våndävana, and they gave up their lives

thinking of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was later informed

that Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé had gone to Våndävana and met Çré Rüpa and

Sanätana Gosvämé, He was very pleased, and He advised Çré Rüpa and Sanätana

to accept Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé as their younger brother and take care of

him. Çré Sanätana Gosvämé, out of his great affection for Gopäla Bhaööa

Gosvämé, compiled the Vaiñëava småti named Hari-bhakti-viläsa and published

it under his name. Under the instruction of Çréla Rüpa and Sanätana, Gopäla

Bhaööa Gosvämé installed one of the seven principal Deities of Våndävana,

the Rädhäramaëa Deity. The sevaits (priests) of the Rädhäramaëa temple

belong to the Gauòéya-sampradäya.

 

When Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé took permission from all the Vaiñëavas

before writing Çré Caitanya-caritämåta, Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé also gave him

his blessings, but he requested him not to mention his name in the book.

Therefore Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé has mentioned Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé

only very cautiously in one or two passages of the Caitanya-caritämåta.

Çréla Jéva Gosvämé has written in the beginning of his Tattva-sandarbha, “A

devotee from southern India who was born of a brähmaëa family and was a very

intimate friend of Rüpa Gosvämé and Sanätana Gosvämé has written a book that

he has not compiled chronologically. Therefore I, a tiny living entity known

as jéva, am trying to assort the events of the book chronologically,

consulting the direction of great personalities like Madhväcärya, Çrédhara

Svämé, Rämänujäcärya and other senior Vaiñëavas in the disciplic

succession.” In the beginning of the Bhagavat-sandarbha there are similar

statements by Çréla Jéva Gosvämé. Çréla Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé compiled a

book called Sat-kriyä-sära-dépikä, edited the Hari-bhakti-viläsa, wrote a

foreword to the Ñaö-sandarbha and a commentary on the Kåñëa-karëämåta, and

installed the Rädhäramaëa Deity in Våndävana. In the Gaura-gaëoddeça-dépikä

(184) it is mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa

was Anaìga-maïjaré. Sometimes he is also said to have been an incarnation of

Guëa-maïjaré. Çréniväsa Äcärya and Gopénätha Püjäré were two of his

disciples.