Adi10.73

TEXT 73

vanamali pandita sakha vikhyata jagate

sonara musala hala dekhila prabhura hate

SYNONYMS

vanamali pandita—of the name Vanamali Pandita; sakha—the next branch; vikhyata—celebrated; jagate—in the world; sonara—made of gold; musala—club; hala—plow; dekhila—saw; prabhura—of the Lord; hate—in the hand.

TRANSLATION

Vanamali Pandita, the thirty-fifth branch of the tree, was very celebrated in this world. He saw a golden club and plow in the hands of the Lord.

PURPORT

Vanamali Pandita saw Lord Caitanya in the ecstasy of Balarama. This is described vividly in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter Nine.

Adi10.74

TEXT 74

sri-caitanyera ati priya buddhimanta khan

ajanma ajnakari tenho sevaka-pradhana

SYNONYMS

sri-caitanyera—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; ati priya—very dear; buddhimanta khan—of the name Buddhimanta Khan; ajanma—from the very beginning of his life; ajna-kari—follower of the orders; tenho—he; sevaka—servant; pradhana—chief.

TRANSLATION

The thirty-sixth branch, Buddhimanta Khan, was extremely dear to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He was always prepared to carry out the Lord’s orders, and therefore he was considered a chief servant of the Lord.

PURPORT

Sri Buddhimanta Khan was one of the inhabitants of Navadvipa. He was very rich, and it is he who arranged for the marriage of Lord Caitanya with Visnupriya, the daughter of Sanatana Misra, who was the priest of the local Zamindar. He personally defrayed all the expenditures for the marriage ceremony. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was attacked by vayu-vyadhi (derangement of the air within the body) Buddhimanta Khan paid for all requisite medicines and treatments to cure the Lord. He was the Lord’s constant companion in the kirtana movement. He collected ornaments for the Lord when He played the part of the goddess of fortune in the house of Candrasekhara Acarya. He also went to see Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu when He was staying at Jagannatha Puri.

Adi10.75

TEXT 75

garuda pandita laya srinama-mangala

nama-bale visa yanre na karila bala

SYNONYMS

garuda pandita—of the name Garuda Pandita; laya—takes; sri-nama-mangala—the auspicious Hare Krsna maha-mantra; nama-bale—by the strength of this chanting; visa—poison; yanre—whom; na—did not; karila—affect; bala—strength.

TRANSLATION

Garuda Pandita, the thirty-seventh branch of the tree, always engaged in chanting the auspicious name of the Lord. Because of the strength of this chanting, even the effects of poison could not touch him.

PURPORT

Garuda Pandita was once bitten by a poisonous snake, but the snake’s poison could not affect him because of his chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

Adi10.76

TEXT 76

gopinatha simha--eka caitanyera dasa

akrura bali’ prabhu yanre kaila parihasa

SYNONYMS

gopinatha simha—of the name of Gopinatha Simha; eka—one; caitanyera dasa—servant of Lord Caitanya; akrura bali’-famous as Akrura; prabhu—the Lord; yanre—whom; kaila—did; parihasa—joking.

TRANSLATION

Gopinatha Simha, the thirty-eighth branch of the tree, was a faithful servant of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord jokingly addressed him as Akrura.

PURPORT

Actually he was Akrura, as stated in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 117.

Adi10.77

TEXT 77

bhagavati devananda vakresvara-krpate

bhagavatera bhakti-artha paila prabhu haite

SYNONYMS

bhagavati devananda—Devananda, who used to recite Srimad-Bhagavatam; vakresvara-krpate—by the mercy of Vakresvara; bhagavatera—of Srimad-Bhagavatam; bhakti-artha—the bhakti interpretation; paila—got; prabhu haite—from the Lord.

TRANSLATION

Devananda Pandita was a professional reciter of Srimad-Bhagavatam, but by the mercy of Vakresvara Pandita and the grace of the Lord he understood the devotional interpretation of the Bhagavatam.

PURPORT

In the Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-lila, Chapter Twenty-one, it is stated that Devananda Pandita and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya’s father, Visarada, lived in the same village. Devananda Pandita was a professional reciter of Srimad-Bhagavatam, but Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not like his interpretation of it. In the present town of Navadvipa, which was formerly known as Kuliya, Lord Caitanya showed such mercy to him that he gave up the Mayavadi interpretation of Srimad-Bhagavatam and learned how to explain Srimad-Bhagavatam in terms of bhakti. Formerly, when Devananda was expounding the Mayavadi interpretation, Srivasa Thakura was once present in his meeting, and when he began to cry, Devananda’s students drove him away. Some days later, Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed that way, and when He met Devananda He chastised him severely because of his Mayavada interpretation of Srimad-Bhagavatam. At that time Devananda had little faith in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as an incarnation of Lord Krsna, but one night some time later Vakresvara Pandita was a guest in his house, and when he explained the science of Krsna, Devananda was convinced about the identity of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus he was induced to explain Srimad-Bhagavatam according to the Vaisnava understanding In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 106, it is described that he was formerly Bhaguri Muni, who was the sabha-pandita who recited Vedic literature in the house of Nanda Maharaja.

Adi10.78-79

TEXTS 78-79

khandavasi mukunda-dasa, sri-raghunandana

narahari-dasa, ciranjiva, sulocana

ei saba mahasakha--caitanya-krpadhama

prema-phala-phula kare yahan tahan dana

SYNONYMS

khanda-vasi mukunda-dasa—of the name Mukunda dasa; sri-raghunandana—of the name Raghunandana; narahari-dasa—of the name Narahari dasa; ciranjiva—of the name Ciranjiva; sulocana—of the name Sulocana; ei saba—all of them; maha-sakha—great branches; caitanya-krpa-dhama—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the reservoir of mercy; prema—love of God; phala—fruit; phula—flower; kare—does; yahan—anywhere; tahan—everywhere; dana—distribution.

TRANSLATION

Sri Khandavasi Mukunda and his son Raghunandana were the thirty-ninth branch of the tree, Narahari was the fortieth, Ciranjiva the forty-first and Sulocana the forty-second. They were all big branches of the all-merciful tree of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They distributed the fruits and flowers of love of Godhead anywhere and everywhere.

PURPORT

Sri Mukunda dasa was the son of Narayana dasa and eldest brother of Narahari Sarakara. His second brother’s name was Madhava dasa, and his son was named Raghunandana dasa. Descendants of Raghunandana dasa still live four miles west of Katwa in the village named Srikhanda, where Raghunandana dasa used to live. Raghunandana had one son named Kanai, who had two sons-Madana Raya, who was a disciple of Narahari Thakura, and Vamsivadana. It is estimated that at least four hundred men descended in this dynasty. All their names are recorded in the village known as Srikhanda. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 175, it is stated that the gopi whose name was Vrndadevi became Mukunda dasa, lived in Srikhanda village and was very dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. His wonderful devotion and love for Krsna are described in the Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Fifteen. It is stated in the Bhakti-ratnakara (Eighth Wave), that Raghunandana used to serve a Deity of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Narahari dasa Sarakara was a very famous devotee. Locana dasa Thakura, the celebrated author of Sri Caitanya-mangala, was his disciple. In the Caitanya-mangala it is stated that Sri Gadadhara dasa and Narahari Sarakara were extremely dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but there is no specific statement regarding the inhabitants of the village of Srikhanda.

Ciranjiva and Sulocana were both residents of Srikhanda, where their descendants are still living. Of Ciranjiva’s two sons, the elder, Ramacandra Kaviraja, was a disciple of Srinivasacarya and an intimate associate of Narottama dasa Thakura. The younger son was Govinda dasa Kaviraja, the famous Vaisnava poet. Ciranjiva’s wife was Sunanda, and his father-in-law was Damodara Sena Kaviraja. Ciranjiva previously lived on the bank of the Ganges River in the village of Kumaranagara. The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 207, states that he was formerly Candrika in Vrndavana.

Adi10.80

TEXT 80

kulinagrama-vasi satyaraja, ramananda

yadunatha, purusottama, sankara, vidyananda

SYNONYMS

kulina-grama-vasi—the inhabitants of Kulina-grama; satyaraja—of the name Satyaraja; ramananda—of the name Ramananda; yadunatha—of the name Yadunatha; purusottama—of the name Purusottama; sankara—of the name Sankara; vidyananda—of the name Vidyananda.

TRANSLATION

Satyaraja, Ramananda, Yadunatha, Purusottama, Sankara and Vidyananda all belonged to the twentieth branch. They were inhabitants of the village known as Kulina-grama.

Adi10.81

TEXT 81

vaninatha vasu adi yata grami jana

sabei caitanya-bhrtya,--caitanya-pranadhana

SYNONYMS

vaninatha vasu—of the name Vaninatha Vasu; adi—heading the list; yata—all; grami—of the village; jana—inhabitants; sabei—all of them; caitanya-bhrtya—servants of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; caitanya-prana-dhana—their life and soul was Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

All the inhabitants of Kulina-grama village, headed by Vaninatha Vasu, were servants of Lord Caitanya, who was their only life and wealth.

Adi10.82

TEXT 82

prabhu kahe, kulinagramera ye haya kukkura

sei mora priya, anya jana rahu dura

SYNONYMS

prabhu—the Lord; kahe—says; kulina-gramera—of the village of Kulina-grama; ye—anyone who; haya—becomes; kukkura—even a dog; sei—he; mora—My; priya—dear; anya—others; jana—persons; rahu—let them remain; dura—away.

TRANSLATION

The Lord said, "What to speak of others, even a dog in the village of Kulina-grama is My dear friend.

Adi10.83

TEXT 83

kulinagramira bhagya kahane na yaya

sukara caraya doma, seha krsna gaya

SYNONYMS

kulina-gramira—the residents of Kulina-grama; bhagya—fortune; kahane—to speak; na—not; yaya—is possible; sukara—hogs; caraya—tending; doma—sweeper; seha—he also; krsna—Lord Krsna; gaya—chants.

TRANSLATION

“No one can describe the fortunate position of Kulina-grama. It is so sublime that even sweepers who tend their hogs there also chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.”

Adi10.84

TEXT 84

anupama-vallabha, sri-rupa, sanatana

ei tina sakha vrksera pascime sarvottama

SYNONYMS

anupama—of the name Anupama; vallabha—of the name Vallabha; sri-rupa—of the name Sri Rupa; sanatana—of the name Sanatana; ei—these; tina—three; sakha—branches; vrksera—of the tree; pascime—on the western side; sarvottama—very great.

TRANSLATION

On the western side were the forty-third, forty-fourth and forty-fifth branches-Sri Sanatana, Sri Rupa and Anupama. They were the best of all.

PURPORT

Sri Anupama was the father of Srila Jiva Gosvami and youngest brother of Sri Sanatana Gosvami and Sri Rupa Gosvami. His former name was Vallabha, but after Lord Caitanya met him He gave him the name Anupama. Because of working in the Muslim government, these three brothers were given the title Mullik. Our personal family is connected with the Mulliks of Mahatma Gandhi Road in Calcutta, and we often used to visit their Radha-Govinda temple. They belong to the same family as we do. (Our family gotra, or original genealogical line, is the Gautama-gotra, or line of disciples of Gautama Muni, and our surname is De.) But due to their accepting the posts of Zamindars in the Muslim government, they received the title Mullik. Similarly, Rupa, Sanatana and Vallabha were also given the title Mullik. Mullik means “lord.” Just as the English government gives rich and respectable persons the title “lord,” so the Muslims give the title Mullik to rich, respectable families that have intimate connections with the government. The title Mullik is found not only among the Hindu aristocracy but also among Muslims. This title is not restricted to a particular family but is given to different families and castes. The qualifications for receiving it are wealth and respectabilityi

Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami belonged to the Bharadvaja-gotra, which indicates that they belonged either to the family or disciplic succession of Bharadvaja Muni. As members of the Krsna consciousness movement we belong to the family, or disciplic succession, of Sarasvati Gosvami, and thus we are known as Sarasvatas. Obeisances are therefore offered to the spiritual master as sarasvata-deva, or a member of the Sarasvata family (namas te sarasvate deve), whose mission is to broadcast the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (gaura-vani-pracarine) and to fight with impersonalists and voidists (nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine). This was also the occupational duty of Sanatana Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami and Anupama Gosvami.

The genealogical table of Sanatana Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami and Vallabha Gosvami can be traced back to the twelfth century sakabda, when a gentleman of the name Sarvajna appeared in a very rich and opulent brahmana family in the province of Karnata. He had two sons, named Aniruddhera Rupesvara and Harihara, who were both bereft of their kingdoms and thus obliged to reside in the highlands. The son of Rupesvara, who was named Padmanabha, moved to a place in Bengal known as Naihati on the bank of the Ganges. There he had five sons, of whom the youngest, Mukunda, had a well-behaved son named Kumaradeva, who was the father of Rupa, Sanatana and Vallabha. Kumaradeva lived in Baklacandradvipa, which was in the district of Jessore and is now known as Phateyabad. Of his many sons, three took to the path of Vaisnavism. Later, Sri Vallabha and his elder brothers Sri Rupa and Sanatana came from Candradvipa to the village in the Maldah district of Bengal known as Ramakeli. It is in this village that Srila Jiva Gosvami took birth, accepting Vallabha as his father. Because of engaging in the service of the Muslim government, the three brothers received the title Mullik. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the village of Ramakeli, He met Vallabha there. Later, Sri Rupa Gosvami, after meeting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, resigned from government service, and when he went to Vrndavana to meet Lord Caitanya, Vallabha accompanied him. The meeting of Rupa Gosvami and Vallabha with Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Allahabad is described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Nineteen.

Actually, it is to be understood from the statement of Sanatana Gosvami that Sri Rupa Gosvami and Vallabha went to Vrndavana under the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. First they went to Mathura, where they met a gentleman named Subuddhi Raya, who maintained himself by selling dry fuel wood. He was very pleased to meet Sri Rupa Gosvami and Anupama, and he showed them the twelve forests of Vrndavana. Thus they lived in Vrndavana for one month and then again went to search for Sanatana Gosvami. Following the course of the Ganges, they reached Allahabad, or Prayaga-tirtha, but because Sanatana Gosvami had come there by a different road, they did not meet him there, and when Sanatana Gosvami came to Mathura he was informed of the visit of Rupa Gosvami and Anupama by Subuddhi Raya. When Rupa Gosvami and Anupama met Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Benares, they heard about Sanatana Gosvami’s travels from Him, and thus they returned to Bengal, adjusted their affairs with the state and, on the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, went to see the Lord at Jagannatha Puri.

In the year 1436 sakabda (A.D. 1515), the youngest brother, Anupama, died and went back home, back to Godhead. He went to the abode in the spiritual sky where Sri Ramacandra is situated. At Jagannatha Puri, Sri Rupa Gosvami informed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu of this incident. Vallabha was a great devotee of Sri Ramacandra; therefore he could not seriously consider the worship of Radha-Govinda according to the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Yet he directly accepted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Ramacandra. In the Bhakti-ratnakara there is the following statement: “Vallabha was given the name Anupama by Sri Gaurasundara, but he was always absorbed in the devotional service of Lord Ramacandra. He did not know anyone but Sri Ramacandra, but he knew that Caitanya Gosani was the same Lord Ramacandra.”

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (180) Sri Rupa Gosvami is described to be the gopi named Sri Rupa-manjari. In the Bhakti-ratnakara there is a list of the books Sri Rupa Gosvami compiled. Of all his books, the following sixteen are very popular among Vaisnavas: (1) Hamsaduta, (2) Uddhava-sandesa, (3) Krsna-janma-tithi-vidhi, (4 and 5) Radha-krsna-ganoddesa-dipika, Brhat (major) and Laghu (minor), (6) Stavamala, (7) Vidagdha-madhava, (8) Lalita-madhava, (9) Dana-keli-kaumudi, (10) Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (this is the most celebrated book by Sri Rupa Gosvami), (11) Ujjvala-nilamani, (12) Akhyata-candrika, (13) Mathura-mahima, (14) Padyavali, (15) Nataka-candrika and (16) Laghu-bhagavatamrta. Sri Rupa Gosvami gave up all family connections, joined the renounced order of life and divided his money, giving fifty percent to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas and twenty-five percent to his kutumba (family members) and keeping twenty-five percent for personal emergencies. He met Haridasa Thakura in Jagannatha Puri, where he also met Lord Caitanya and His other associates. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to praise the handwriting of Rupa Gosvami. Srila Rupa Gosvami could compose verses according to the desires of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and by His direction he wrote two books named Lalita-madhava and Vidagdha-madhava. Lord Caitanya desired the two brothers, Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, to publish many books in support of the Vaisnava religion. When Sanatana Gosvami met Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord advised him also to go to Vrndavana.

Sri Sanatana Gosvami is described in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (181). He was formerly known as Rati-manjari or sometimes Lavanga-manjari. In the Bhakti-ratnakara it is stated that his spiritual master, Vidyavacaspati, sometimes stayed in the village of Ramakeli, and Sanatana Gosvami studied all the Vedic literature from him. He was so devoted to his spiritual master that this cannot be described. According to the Vedic system, if someone sees a Muslim he must perform rituals to atone for the meeting. Sanatana Gosvami always associated with Muslim kings. Not giving much attention to the Vedic injunctions, he used to visit the houses of Muslim kings, and thus he considered himself to have been converted into a Muslim. He was therefore always very humble and meek. When Sanatana Gosvami presented himself before Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he admitted, “I am always in association with lower-class people, and my behavior is therefore very abominable.” He actually belonged to a respectable brahmana family, but because he considered his behavior to be abominable, he did not try to place himself among the brahmanas but always remained among people of the lower castes. He wrote the Hari-bhakti-vilasa and Vaisnava-tosani, which is a commentary on the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the year 1476 sakabda (A.D. 1555) he completed the Brhad-vaisnava-tosani commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the year 1504 sakabda (A.D. 1583) he finished the Laghu-tosani.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught His principles through four chief followers. Among them, Ramananda Raya is exceptional, for through him the Lord taught how a devotee can completely vanquish the power of Cupid. By Cupid’s power, as soon as one sees a beautiful woman he is conquered by her beauty. Sri Ramananda Raya, however, vanquished Cupid’s pride. Indeed, while rehearsing the Jagannatha-vallabha-nataka he personally directed extremely beautiful young girls in dancing, but he was never affected by their youthful beauty. Sri Ramananda Raya personally bathed these girls, touching them and washing them with his own hands, yet he remained calm and passionless, as a great devotee should be. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu certified that this was possible only for Ramananda Raya. Similarly, Damodara Pandita was notable for his objectivity as a critic. He did not even spare Caitanya Mahaprabhu from his criticism. This also cannot be imitated by anyone else. Haridasa Thakura is exceptional for his forbearance because although he was beaten with canes in twenty-two marketplaces, nevertheless he was tolerant. Similarly, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, although he belonged to a most respectable brahmana family, was exceptional for his humility and meekness.

In the Madhya-lila, Chapter Nineteen, the device adopted by Sanatana Gosvami to get free from the government service is described. He served a notice of sickness to the Nawab, the Moslem governer, but actually he was studying Srimad-Bhagavatam with brahmanas at home. The Nawab received information of this through a royal physician, and he immediately went to see Sanatana Gosvami to discover his intentions. The Nawab requested Sanatana to accompany him on an expedition to Orissa, but when Sanatana Gosvami refused, the Nawab ordered that he be imprisoned. When Rupa Gosvami left home, he wrote a note for Sanatana Gosvami informing him of some money that he had entrusted to a local grocer. Sanatana Gosvami took advantage of this money to bribe the jail keeper and get free from detention. Then he left for Benares to meet Caitanya Mahaprabhu, bringing with him only one servant, whose name was Isana. On the way they stopped at a sarai, or hotel, and when the hotel keeper found out that Isana had some gold coins with him, he planned to kill both Sanatana Gosvami and Isana to take away the coins. Later Sanatana Gosvami saw that although the hotel keeper did not know them, he was being especially attentive to their comfort. Therefore he concluded that Isana was secretly carrying some money and that the hotel keeper was aware of this and therefore planned to kill them for it. Upon being questioned by Sanatana Gosvami, Isana admitted that he indeed had money with him, and immediately Sanatana Gosvami took the money and gave it to the hotel keeper, requesting him to help them get though the jungle. Thus with the help of the hotel keeper, who was also the chief of the thieves of that territory, he crossed over the Hazipur mountains, which are presently known as the Hazaribags. He then met his brother-in-law Srikanta, who requested that he stay with him. Sanatana Gosvami refused, but before they parted Srikanta gave him a valuable blanket.

Somehow or other Sanatana Gosvami reached Varanasi and met Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu at the house of Candrasekhara. By the order of the Lord, Sanatana Gosvami was cleanly shaved and his dress changed to that of a mendicant, or babaji. He put on old garments of Tapana Misra and took prasada at the house of a Maharashtran brahmana. Then, in discourses with Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord Himself explained everything about devotional service to Sanatana Gosvami. He advised Sanatana Gosvami to write books on devotional service, including a book of directions for Vaisnava activities, and to excavate the lost places of pilgrimage in Vrndavana. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him His blessings to do all this work and also explained to Sanatana Gosvami the import of the atmarama verse from sixty-one different angles of vision.

Sanatana Gosvami went to Vrndavana by the main road, and when he reached Mathura he met Subuddhi Raya. Then he returned to Jagannatha Puri through Jharikhanda, the Uttar Pradesh jungle. At Jagannatha Puri he decided to give up his body by falling down beneath a wheel of the Jagannatha ratha, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu saved him. Then Sanatana Gosvami met Haridasa Thakura and heard about the disappearance of Anupama. Sanatana Gosvami later described the glories of Haridasa Thakura. Sanatana observed the etiquette of Jagannatha’s temple by going through the beach to visit Lord Caitanya, although it was extremely hot due to the sun. He requested Jagadananda Pandita to give him permission to return to Vrndavana. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu praised the character of Sanatana Gosvami, and He embraced Sanatana, accepting his body as spiritual. Sanatana Gosvami was ordered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to live at Jagannatha Puri for one year. When he returned to Vrndavana after many years, he again met Rupa Gosvami, and both brothers remained in Vrndavana to execute the orders of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The place where Sri Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami formerly lived has now become a place of pilgrimage. It is generally known as Gupta Vrndavana, or hidden Vrndavana, and is situated about eight miles south of English Bazaar. There the following places are still visited: (1) the temple of Sri Madana-mohana Deity, (2) the Keli-kadamba tree under which Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Sanatana Gosvami at night and (3) Rupasagara, a large pond excavated by Sri Rupa Gosvami. A society named Ramakeli-samskara-samiti was established in 1924 to repair the temple and renovate the pond.

Adi10.85

TEXT 85

tanra madhye rupa-sanatana--bada sakha

anupama, jiva, rajendradi upasakha

SYNONYMS

tanra—within that; madhye—in the midst of; rupa-sanatana—the branch known as Rupa-Sanatana; bada sakha—the big branch; anupama—of the name Anupama; jiva—of the name Jiva; rajendra-adi—and Rajendra and others; upasakha—their subbranches.

TRANSLATION

Among these branches, Rupa and Sanatana were principal. Anupama, Jiva Gosvami and others, headed by Rajendra, were their subbranches.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 195, it is said that Srila Jiva Gosvami was formerly Vilasa-manjari gopi. From his very childhood Jiva Gosvami was greatly fond of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He later came to Navadvipa to study Sanskrit, and, following in the footsteps of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he circumambulated the entire Navadvipa-dhama. After visiting Navadvipa-dhama he went to Benares to study Sanskrit under Madhusudana Vacaspati, and after finishing his studies in Benares he went to Vrndavana and took shelter of his uncles, Sri Rupa and Sanatana. This is described in the Bhakti-ratnakara. As far as our information goes, Srila Jiva Gosvami composed and edited at least twenty-five books. They are all very celebrated, and they are listed as follows: (1) Hari-namamrta-vyakarana, (2) Sutra-malika, (3) Dhatu-sangraha, (4) Krsnarca-dipika, (5) Gopala-virudavali, (6) Rasamrta-sesa, (7) Sri Madhava-mahotsava, (8) Sri Sankalpa-kalpavrksa, (9) Bhavartha-sucaka-campu, (10) Gopala-tapani-tika, (11) a commentary on the Brahma-samhita, (12) a commentary on the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, (13) a commentary on the Ujjvala-nilamani, (14) a commentary on the Yogasara-stava, (15) a commentary on the Gayatri-mantra, as described in the Agni Purana, (16) a description of the Lord’s lotus feet derived from the Padma Purana, (17) a description of the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani, (18) Gopala-campu (in two parts) and (19-25) seven sandarbhas: the Krama-, Tattva-, Bhagavat-, Paramatma-, Krsna-, Bhakti- and Priti-sandarbha. After the disappearance of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami in Vrndavana, Srila Jiva Gosvami became the acarya of all the Vaisnavas in Bengal, Orissa and the rest of the world, and it is he who used to guide them in their devotional service. In Vrndavana he established the Radha-Damodara temple, where we had the opportunity to live and retire until the age of sixty-five, when we decided to come to the United States of America. When Jiva Gosvami was still present, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami compiled his famous Caitanya-caritamrta. Later, Srila Jiva Gosvami inspired Srinivasa Acarya, Narottama dasa Thakura and Duhkhi Krsnadasa to preach Krsna consciousness in Bengal. Jiva Gosvami was informed that all the manuscripts that had been collected from Vrndavana and sent to Bengal for preaching purposes were plundered near Visnupura, in Bengal, but later he received the information that the books had been recovered. Sri Jiva Gosvami awarded the designation Kaviraja to Ramacandra Sena, a disciple of Srinivasa Acarya’s, and to Ramacandra’s younger brother Govinda. While Jiva Gosvami was alive, Srimati Jahnavi-devi, the pleasure potency of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, went to Vrndavana with a few devotees. Jiva Gosvami was very kind to the Gaudiya Vaisnavas, the Vaisnavas from Bengal. Whoever went to Vrndavana he provided with a residence and prasada. His disciple Krsnadasa Adhikari listed all the books of the Gosvamis in his diary.

The sahajiyas level three accusations against Srila Jiva Gosvami. This is certainly not congenial for the execution of devotional service. The first accusation concerns a materialist who was very proud of his reputation as a great Sanskrit scholar and approached Sri Rupa and Sanatana to argue with them about the revealed scriptures. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, not wanting to waste their time, gave him a written statement that he had defeated them in a debate on the revealed scriptures. Taking this paper, the scholar approached Jiva Gosvami for a similar certificate of defeat, but Jiva Gosvami did not agree to give him one. On the contrary, he argued with him regarding the scriptures and defeated him. Certainly it was right for Jiva Gosvami to stop such a dishonest scholar from advertising that he had defeated Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, but due to their illiteracy the sahajiya class refer to this incident to accuse Srila Jiva Gosvami of deviating from the principle of humility. They do not know, however, that humility and meekness are appropriate when one’s own honor is insulted but not when Lord Visnu or the acaryas are blasphemed. In such cases one should not be humble and meek but must act. One should follow the example given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya says in His Siksastaka (3):

trnad api sunicena
taror ivasahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

“One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” Nevertheless, when the Lord was informed that Nityananda Prabhu was injured by Jagai and Madhai, He immediately went to the spot, angry like fire, wanting to kill them. Thus Lord Caitanya has explained His verse by the example of His own behavior. One should tolerate insults against oneself, but when there is blasphemy committed against superiors such as other Vaisnavas, one should be neither humble nor meek; one must take proper steps to counteract such blasphemy. This is the duty of a servant of a guru and Vaisnavas. Anyone who understands the principle of eternal servitude to the guru and Vaisnavas will appreciate the action of Sri Jiva Gosvami in connection with the so-called scholar’s victory over his gurus, Srila Rupa and Srila Sanatana Gosvami.

Another story fabricated to defame Srila Jiva Gosvami states that after compiling Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami showed the manuscript to Jiva Gosvami, who thought that it would hamper his reputation as a big scholar and therefore threw it into a well. Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was greatly shocked, and he died immediately. Fortunately a copy of the manuscript of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta had been kept by a person named Mukunda, and therefore later it was possible to publish the book. This story is another ignominious example of blasphemy against a guru and Vaisnava. Such a story should never be accepted as authoritative.

According to another accusation, Srila Jiva Gosvami did not approve of the principles of the parakiya-rasa of Vraja-dhama and therefore supported svakiya-rasa, showing that Radha and Krsna are eternally married. Actually, when Jiva Gosvami was alive, some of his followers disliked the parakiya-rasa of the gopis. Therefore Srila Jiva Gosvami, for their spiritual benefit, supported svakiya-rasa, for he could understand that sahajiyas would otherwise exploit the parakiya-rasa, as they are actually doing at the present. Unfortunately, in Vrndavana and Navadvipa it has become fashionable among sahajiyas, in their debauchery, to find an unmarried sexual partner to live with to execute so-called devotional service in parakiya-rasa. Foreseeing this, Srila Jiva Gosvami supported svakiya-rasa, and later all the Vaisnava acaryas also approved of it. Srila Jiva Gosvami was never opposed to the transcendental parakiya-rasa, nor has any other Vaisnava disapproved of it. Srila Jiva Gosvami strictly followed his predecessor gurus and Vaisnavas, Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, and Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami accepted him as one of his instructor gurus.