[Nectar] Vaisnava Festival

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Today is Vasant-pancami, the first day of the spring season, and

Saraswati puja. It is the appearance day of Srimate Vishnupriya Devi,

Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi, and Sri

Raghunandana Thakura, and the disappearance day of Srila Visvanatha

Cakravarti Thakura.

 

 

Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami:

 

Raghunatha dasa Goswami was born in Bengal in 1494. Although he came

from a very wealthy family, he had absolutely no interest in material

affairs. On a number of occasions, much to the consternation of his

loving parents, Raghunatha tried to run away from home and join Lord

Caitanya at Jagannath Puri. At Jagannath Puri, Lord Caitanya placed

Raghunatha under a care of Svarupa Damodara Goswami, Lord's principle

secretary.

 

 

 

Raghunatha dasa was the embodiment of renunciation and ate only to keep

his soul and body together. His strict regulative principles were

exactly like lines etched in stone, as such lines can never be erased.

Lord Caitanya presented Raghunatha with His own Govardhana-sila to

worship as well as gunja-mala, sacred to Radharani. Rupa and Sanatan,

who took care about Raghunatha in Vrindavan, took it as a sign that

Raghunatha should take shelter of Govardhan Hill and reside on the

banks of Radhakunda.

 

One day he was chanting holy name and as the day went by the sunshine

became unbearably hot. Raghunatha started perspiring and from his eyes

torrents of tears were flowing. Srimati Radharani could not bear this

scene. She personally came there and stood behind holding Her veil

shielding Raghunatha from the sun. It so happened that Sanatana Goswami

saw both those scenes from a distance and became furious with

Raghunatha for his taking service from Radharani and Krisna. "You

should serve Them and not because of your negligence force Them to

serve you!" thus getting Raghunatha to built his bhajan-kutir.

 

Every day Raghunatha dasa Goswami used to talk for three hours about

ecstatic pastimes of Lord Caitanya on the banks of Syamakunda

surrounded by all the devotees. Krisnadasa Kaviraja was also there

listening in rapt attention and everything recorded in Antya-lila of

Caitanya-caritamrta.

 

Raghunatha spent the rest of his life at Radhakunda. In 1583, after 40

years of bhajan, he passed away due to intense feelings of separation

from Radha and Krishna.

 

In the temple of Radha-Gopinath the ashes of Raghunatha dasa Goswami

are entombed. Jiva Goswami personally performed last rites and placed

ashes in the samadhi. It is said that some parts of his ashes were

placed in different places because of fear of repressive Mogul rule, to

prevent desecration. Behind the samadhi is a small movable stone. Under

this stone is caranamrita of the samadhi-murti of Raghunatha dasa

Goswami.

 

 

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