Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami Disappearance day 12-07-2009

July 11, 2009

Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami

The all-merciful Lord Sri Gaur Hari, as He traveled 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 Gaurasundar came to the ancient holy place of Sri

Rangakshetra on an island in the middle of the Kaveri River.

The temple of Sri Ranga Kshetra 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 Gaurasundar chanting the names of Krishna 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- luster. From His eyes which

are like the full blown petals of a lotus flower 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 consciousness after engaging in

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

Mahaprabhu gazed towards him and saying, " Krishna! Krishna! " embraced

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

having brought Him there, very reverantly 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 Kshetra in the Christian year

1511. Vyenkata Bhatta had two brothers, Tirumalla 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 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 position of Acarya.

After remaining at Vyenkata Bhatta's house during the four

months of the rainy season (Chaturmasya) 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 con-sole

the boy. Being pleased with Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s sincere service and

devotion, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu initiated him, and ordered him to move to

Vrindavana after the disappearance of his parents and perform bhajan and write.

He instructed him to serve his mother and father and always engage in chanting

Krishna's glories and thereafter to come to Vrindavana.

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 -

shastra). Gopal Bhatta always remained thinking of the lotus feet 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 lotus feet of

Mahaprabhu in Vrindavana. Then while meditating on His lotus feet themselves they went to join Him in His

eternal lila.

At the age of thirty Gopala Bhatta Gosvami came to

Vrindavana, and having missed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu this saddened him.

Thus Gopal set out for Vrindavana and when he arrived

there Rupa Gosvami immediately sent 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 Vrindavana, so upon his arrival

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

They immediately became life long companions.

However, the all knowing Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu received word that Gopal Bhatta had come to Vrindavana,

He was very pleased and sent with that messenger with the Lord's personal

wooden sitting plank (hoki) which He had used along with a pair of His

undergarments and one of His upper cloths - uttara or chaddar. " Having

received these gifts Gopal Bhatta was in ecstasy and he worshipped them as the

prasad (tadiya) 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. After Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's disappearance Gopala Bhatta

Gosvami felt intence separation from the Lord. To relieve his devotee, the Lord

instructed Gopala Bhatta in a dream: " If you want my darsan then make a

trip to Nepal " .

In Nepal, Gopala Bhatta bathed in the famous Kali-Gandaki

River. Upon dipping his waterpot in the river, he was surprised to see several

Salagrama Shilas enter his pot. He dropped the shilas back into the river, but

the shilas re-entered his pot when he refilled it. After emptying and refilling

his waterpot for the third time, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami found twelve Salagrama

shilas sitting there. Thinking this must be the Lords mercy; he kept all the

shilas and returned to Vrndavana.

Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami used to worship twelve Salagram

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

tied at the corner. One day a wealthy man (Seth) came to Vrindavana and offered

Gopala Bhatta a variety of clothing and ornaments for his Salagrams. Being very

impressed with the Gosvami he wanted his darshan and to render some service

which he presented in the form of some valuable clothes and ornaments. However,

Gopala Bhatta couldn't use these for his round-shaped Salagrams, so he advised

the donor to give the Deity decorations to someone else, but the Seth insisted.

Gopala Bhatta kept the cloths and ornaments with his shilas. While Gopala

Bhatta Gosvami was absorbed in remembering how the half-man, half-lion form of

the Supreme Lord had manifested from the pillar in Hiranyakasipu's palace, he

prayed in transcendental lamentation to the Lord: " Oh my Lord, you are

very merciful and always fulfill the desires of your devotees. I wish to serve

you in your form, having arms and legs and blissful smiling face, with lotus

eyes.... 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 shilas, 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 River. Returning from his

bath, he uncovered the Salagrams in order to render the puja for them, and saw

amongst them a Deity of Krishna playing the flute. There were now eleven shilas

and this Deity. The " Damodara shila " , had manifested as the beautiful

three-fold bending form of tri-bhangananda-krishna. Floating in the ocean of

ecstasy, he fell to the ground in order to offer his dandavats

and then recited various prayers and hymns. This wonderful

event of the appearance day of Radha Raman happened on the day after Sri

Nrisimha Chaturdasi, and is celebrated on that day accordingly. That day they

offer 500 liters of milk for the Lord's pleasure and many other sweets and

different things. The RadhaRaman temple has the highest standard of Deity

worship in all of Vraj.

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 Vrinda

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

who never left to go to Jaipur. Sri Sri Radha-raman-ji is still being

worshipped in Vrindavana near Nidhuban kunj in the compound of the temple.

The Deity is called Radha-raman although physically there

is no apparent Deity of Radha there. As one can see from the picture at the top

of this page, that to the right of the picture (to Ramanji's left) is a place

setting for Srimati Radhika. In this way the pujaris worship Sri Radha and

Ramanji together.

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

intricate features, including fingernails and even teeth. On the backside of

His body parts of the original Salagram shila 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.

If you ever have the great good fortune to attend the

Snan-yatra festival in Sri Vrindavana Dham, then it is a must that you visit

the Radha-Raman temple on this day. The temperatures are hot and dry in the 40+

centigrade and much anticipation of seeking out cooling water pervades the

thoughts in Vrindavana's hot summer. At the temple, the merciful Ramanji has

made a provision so that first He takes His transcendental bath right at the

front of the altar for all to see - BUT THEN, after He has taken in His

expanded kindness the pujaris turn on the sprinkler system that surrounds the

open court-yard - the fan in the middle is even equipped with pipes to pour out

cooling water as it rotates at a high speed, inundating all the devotees taking

the darshan of the Lord, with great pleasure. It is truly my favorite place in

the world for snan-yatra. Sri Sri Radha Ramaji ki jaya. In some discussion with

the present day guardians of the temple and Deity, they told me that some

scientists had come to examine the Deity and propound their doubts that He was

self manifested, as the devotees state. They examined the Deity under the

supervision of the devotees, but could find no evidence of carving.

About todays

descendents:

Once Sri Gopala Bhatta went to Haridwar. 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 Sripad Gopal Bhatta Goswami blessed him that he might have a son who

would be a devoted follower of Lord Hari. The brahmana replied out of gratitude

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 (obeisances like a stick on the floor before him). Sripada Gopala

Bhatta Goswami enquired who the boy was, to which he replied, " My home was

in Devandyagram within Saharanpur near Haridwar. 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 an unmarried brahmachari. His

younger brother Sri Damodara dasa, along with his family, accepted initiation

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. It

is from these family members of Gopinath's brother that todays guardians the

Radha-Raman Gosains so nicely maintain and serve Sri Sri Radha-Ramanji.

Sri Gopala Bhatta's devotion was so special, his devotion

so profound that the Lord appeared for him in this special form - but not only

that as if in confirmation of the pastimes of the Lord, and Mahaprabhu's being

directly Radha Krishna (sri krishna Caitanya radha krishna nahi anya), in his

worship of Sri Radha-ramana would sometimes see that He had taken the form of

Sri Gaurasundara - Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, " Becoming subservient to the

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

Sri Gausundara. "

Sri Gopala Bhatta was the initiating guru of Srinivasa

Acarya Prabhu. Sripad Gopal Bhatta Goswami was very learned, trained in

pancharatra, coming in the learned family of Vyenkata Bhatta in the Sri

Vaisnava line - he wrote many books

including: Sat-sandarbha karika, Sri Krishna-vallabha (Krishna karnamrtatika),

Sat kriya sara dipika (a brilliant work on Vaisnava samkara viddhi), and Laghu

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

compiled the Hari-bhakti-vilasa now followed by all Gaudiya Vaisnava. It is said,

" Out of affection for Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami

compiled the famous Vaisnava smriti titled Hari Bhakti Vilas, and published it

under Gopala Bhatta Gosvami's name.

Gopala Bhatta Gosvami resided for forty-five years in Sri

Dham Vrindavana, but out; of great humility he requested Srila Krishna das

Kaviraja not to mention his name in the classic work Sri Caitanya Caritamrita.

Gopala Bhatta Gosvami serves as Guna Manjari. In the

Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika too, it is mentioned that in the eternal pastimes of

Radha and Krishna, 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 (Saka).

His disappearance was on the sixth day of the dark

fortnight of the month of Sravon in the year 1578 (Christian - A.D.), 1500

(Sakabda era) Age: 75 years

-- Take advantage of this rare opportunity of this human form of life. There are 8,400,000 different species of life through which we are rotating lifetime after lifetime. So getting a human body is not an every day affair. This most auspicious opportunity only comes after many millions of lifetimes in the lower species. Anyone who does not utilize their human life for self-realization is making the greatest mistake. When this happens it is the greatest tragedy, and unfortunately today this neglect of the human form has become the standard behavior for the entire human society. What can be done? We must first ourselves become solidly situated in Krishna consciousness and then do the highest welfare activity of spreading to everyone else all over the world.

Chant:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare