Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami

The Lord arrived in Sri Rangam during the time of Chaturmasya. At that time he stayed in the house of Vyenkatta Bhatta. In Sri Rangam live many Sri Vaishanvas. Seeing the manifestation of divine sentiments in Sri Caitanya, however, many of them were converted, for they experienced the nectar of Krishna-prema. Every day, one brahmana Vaishnava after another invited the Lord to take lunch. In this way, during the four months of Chaturmasya, the Lord accepted many invitations, and still could not honor all the invitations of the many Vaishnava grihasthas who wanted to show their hospitality to the Lord.

The Lord stayed at the house of Vyenkatta Bhatta. Every day, Sri Gopala Bhatta would serve him personally. At that time, Sri Caitanya instructed Vyenkatta Bhatta on the position of Lakshmidevi and the worship of Lakshmi-Narayana versus the position of the gopis and the worship of Radha-Govinda. The Lord preached these points to him in a humourous style, laughing and joking in a clever way. The Lord said, "Bhatta! Your Lakshmidevi is the crest jewel of chaste ladies. My Krishna is a gopa-boy who herds cows. Why does she want to be with Krishna?" Vyenkatta Bhatta said, "Krishna and Narayana are one and the same. Krishna is one of the forms our Lord takes in order to enjoy pastimes of a clever and sporting nature. There is no violation of Lakshmidevi's chastity if she takes an interest in Krishna - he is one and the same with Narayana. This is not in contradiction with any religious principles. Therefore why do you joke with me in this way?"

The Lord said, "What you say is true. But tell me, why is it that Lakshmidevi performs great penances to attain Krishna, but cannot do so? On the other hand, the Upanishads also performed penances to attain Krishna and did so. How is it that the Upanishads succeeded in entering Vrindavana and getting Krishna's association where Lakshmidevi failed?"

Vyenkatta said, "I cannot understand this at all." At this point he said, "You are Krishna Himself. You know the meaning of your own pastimes. Only those who you choose to enlighten can understand all these things. If you enlighten me, then I can also understand them."

At that time, Sri Caitanya explained that Lakshmidevi wanted to remain in her position as the opulent goddess of fortune in Vaikuntha and at the same time enter into the pastimes of Krishna, where sweetness and beauty are superior to power and opulence. This is not possible. Only those who follow in the footsteps of the gopis and the residents of Vrindavana can attain such a position. The Upanishads succeeded where Lakshmidevi failed because they followed in the footsteps of the Gopis.

Before this explanation was given Vyenkatta Bhatta thought that Sri Narayana was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thinking in this way, he believed that the worship of Narayana was the supreme form of worship. Mahaprabhu understood his misconception and corrected it through joking about it. After this, Vyenkatta was convinced of the Supreme position of Krishna and Vrindavana, and converted to the cause of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, although he was raised in the Ramanuja Sampradaya. He offered his respects at the lotus feet of the Lord and the Lord embraced him.

In this way, the Lord spent the four months of the rainy season at the home of Vyenkatta, discussing many things about Krishna and His pastimes. After this, he bid farewell. The happy home of the Bhattas was plunged into tears. Gopala Bhatta fainted at the Lord's lotus feet. The Lord gave some consolation to Gopala Bhatta saying, "Now you must serve at the home of your mother and father. Later, you must come to Vrindavana. There you will constantly hear and glorify the holy name of Sri Krishna." In this way, after instructing the whole family, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went on his way.

Within a short time, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami learned Sanskrit grammar, poetry, rhetoric and became expert in all the scriptures, beginning with the Vedanta sutra. His uncle, Sripad Prabodhananda Saraswati instructed him extensively in the different bhakti-shastras. His scholarship was unparalleled.

After he had been blessed by having darshan of the lotus feet of Sri Gauranga, Gopal Bhatta Goswami's mind was always absorbed in thoughts of the Lord's lotus feet. He began thinking, "When will I again obtain a vision of the Lord?"

Day and night he posed this question in his mind and could think of nothing else. And yet, he thought, "I cannot just give up my aging father and mother and go away." In this way, some time went by. At length his mother and father arrived at their final days. They called Gopala Bhatta to their side and said, "Boy, after we pass away, you must go to Vrindavana and take shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu." Taking the order of his mother and father on his head, Gopala Bhatta went to Vrindvana, always remembering the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu.

When Gopala Bhatta arrived in Vrindavana, he found that Rupa Goswami was preparing to send messages with some devotees from Vrindavana to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri. Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana Prabhu already knew that Gopala Bhatta would be coming to Vrindavana. Sri Rupa and Sanatana greeted him and treated him like a brother. From that time on, their lifelong friendship began.

When the messengers arrived in Puri, Mahaprabhu was happy to receive them. He heard from them of how Gopala Bhatta had come to Vrindavana. He sent the messenger from Vrindavana back to Rupa Goswami with the kaupin and outer garments of the babaji order, to be given to Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami as symbols of his renunciation. Sri Rupa received these things with great joy. Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami accepted the loincloth and dress of a babaji with great happiness, considering it to the Lord's mercy and prasada. In this way he went on. He was very close to Rupa and Sanatana. He would pass his nights at different kundas, and spent all his time studying the shastra and writing.

Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami had twelve shalagram shilas. He used to keep them in a cloth bag hung round his neck. Still, he had a mind to worship the Sri Vigraha of the Lord in his deity form. At this time a rich man went to see Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami. Having seen him, he was very happy. Eager to serve, the rich man offered some fine cloth and ornaments for the service of the Lord. Sri Gopala Bhatta placed these things before his shalagrams. The wealthy man bid Gopala Bhatta goodbye.

That night, Sri Bhatta Goswami offered aroti and bhoga and put his shalagrams to rest, covering them carefully in a basket. At last, late that night Gopala Bhatta after performing different kinds of bhajan, took some prasada and went to rest. The next morning he bathed in the Yamuna. When he went to wake his shalagrams and opened the basket, he saw, in the midst of the shalagrams, something divine. One of the shalagram shilas had become a full-fledged deity of Krishna with a three-fold bending form, who stood there looking very beautiful.

Seeing the unprecedented beauty of this deity, Gopala Bhatta's happiness took the shape of a great ocean in which he was diving and surfacing. Offering his full dandavats to the deity, he began offering different hymns and prayers to the Lord. Hearing this beautiful language, Sri Rupa Goswami and Sri Sanatana Goswami, as well as the other Vaishnavas and Goswamis, quickly went there and saw the world-enchanting beauty of the deity as tears of divine love flowed from their eyes and wet the earth. In the year 1599 of the Christian era, on the full moon day of Vaishakha, this deity form of Krishna became manifest. The Goswamis named this deity, "Sri Radha-ramana-deva."

After a time, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami went to a town called Devavandya Gram in Saharan Pura near Haridwara. There he was received with great delight by the residents. One day, he was on his way to the house of a devotee near the edge of the town. In the afternoon, there was a great storm. On the road was the house of a brahmana in which Gopala Bhatta took shelter. This brahmana was very devoted to Krishna. He saw to the needs of Sri Bhatta Goswami with great care. Sripad Gopala Bhatta Goswami was very happy. The brahmana had no son. Gopala Bhatta blessed him, saying, "May you have a son who is a great devotee of Krishna." The brahmana then said, "I shall give you my first son to engage in the service of Krishna as you see fit."

Sri Bhatta Goswami stayed in Saharanapur and preached the holy name of Hari for a few days before returning to Vrindavana. At that time he went to the Gandaki river and retrieved twelve shalagram shilas from the river. One of these shalagramas was the one from which the deity of Radha-ramana-deva later manifest himself.

Almost ten years past since this time. One day, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami went to take his noon bath in the Yamuna and afterwards returned to his kutir to perform his bhajan. From a distance he could see a young boy sitting in the door of his hut. When the boy saw Sri Bhatta Goswami he arose and offered his obeisances at the Goswami's feet.

Sri Gopala Bhatta asked him, "Who are you?" The boy said, "I am from Devavandya Gram in Saharan Pura. I have come from there."

Bhatta Goswami said, "Who is your father? Why have you come to me?" The boy said, "My father has sent me here to engage in your service. My name is Gopinatha." With this, Gopala Bhatta remembered his previous conversation with the boy's father, in which the brahmana said he would give the Goswami his son to engage in the service of the Lord. After this time, Sri Gopinatha served Sri Bhatta Goswami with great attention and regard.

Subsequently that boy became known as Sri Gopinatha Pujari Goswami. He remained a brahmachari and served the Radha-ramana deity up until his death. Eventually his younger brother Sri Damodara Dasa took mantra initiation from Sri Gopinathaji and also engaged in the service of Sri Radharamana. Sri Damoadara Dasa had three sons, Harinatha, Mathuranatha and Harinama.

Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami served his beloved Radha-ramana deity constantly, remembering the words and teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. While serving in this way, the eyes of Gopala Bhatta were often filled with tears of divine love that flowed like torrential rain.

Whereupon Sri Radha-ramana deva bestowed upon Sri Bhatta Goswami a divine vision of Sri Gauranga Himself. "When Sri Bhatta Goswami was overwhelmed by Krishna-prema, Sri Radha-ramana revealed himself as Sri Gauranga deva." Bhakti Ratnakara 4th Taranga.

Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami gave mantra-diksha to Srinivasa Acharya. Srimad Sanatana Goswami composed Hari Bhakti Vilasa in collaboration with Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who edited the work. Sanatana Goswami had such great affection for Gopala Bhatta Goswami that he even published the book under his name. Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami was responsible for originating the six thesis of Sat Sandarbha later elaborately developed by Sri Jiva Goswami.

Jiva Goswami writes in the beginning of his Tattva-Sandarbha: "A devotee from South India who was born of a brahmana family and was a very intimate friend of Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami has written a book that he has not compiled systematically. Therefore I, a tiny living entity called Jiva, am trying to assort the events of the book systematically, consulting the direction of great personalities like Madhva, Sridhara Swami and Ramanujacharya."

Gopala Bhatta Goswami has written a foreward to Jiva Goswami's Sat Sandarbha. He wrote a commentary on Krishna-Karnamrita. He also wrote Sat-Kriya-Sara Dipika, a guide to Vaishnava samskaras and rituals for birth ceremonies, sacred thread initiations, marriage ceremonies, sannyasa, and funerals etc. In addition to this he composed many other scriptures.

In the Gaura-Gandodesha-Dipika, Sri Kavi Karnapura Goswami writes:

ananga-manjari sadya gopala bhattakah
bhatta goswaminam kocidahuh shri guna manjari

"In my opinion, that person who in Vrindavana was Ananga Manjari is now Gopal Bhatta Goswami. Some authorities, however, have given their opinion that he was Guna Manjari."