Srila Lokanatha Dasa Goswami is mentioned as follows in the Caitanya Caritamrita:
sange gopala-bhatta, dasa-raghunatha,Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami gives the following information about Srila Lokanatha Goswami: "Sri Lokanatha Goswami was a personal associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and a great devotee of the Lord. He was a resident of a village named Talakhadi in the district of Yashohara in Bengal. Previously he lived in Kachnapara. His father's name was Padmanabha, and his only younger brother was Pragalbha. Following the orders of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Lokanatha went to Vrindavana to live. He established a temple named Gokulananda.
raghunatha bhatta-gosai, ara lokanatha:When Rupa Goswami stayed at Mathura, he was accompanied by Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Raghunatha dasa Goswami, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami and Lokanatha dasa Goswami.
Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura selected Srila Lokanatha Dasa Goswami to be his spirtual master, and he was his only disciple. Because Lokanatha Dasa Goswami did not want his name mentioned in Caitanya Caritamrita, we do not often see it in that celebrated book.
On the E.B.R. Railroad, the Yashohara station is located in Bangladesh. From the railway station one has to go by bus to the village of Sonakhali and from there to Khejura. From there one has to walk, or, during the rainy season, go by boat to the village of Talakhadi. In this village there are still descendants of Lokanatha Goswami (i.e., descendants of his brother, see below.).
A pranam mantra for Lokanatha Dasa Goswami has been written by Narottama Dasa Thakura. It reads:
srimad-radha-vinodaika-In the village of Talakhori Gram in the Yashohara district, lived the mother and father of Srila Lokanatha Goswami. His father's name was Padmanabha and his mother's name was Sri Sitadevi. Sri Padmanabha Bhattacharya was a very dear follower of Sri Advaita Acharya. One day, Sri Lokanatha Goswami took his birth in the house of Sri Padmanabha and Sri Sita Devi. His younger brother's name was Sri Pragalabha Bhattacharya. The descendents of Pragalabha still live in Talakhori Gram.
seva-sampat-samanvitam
padmanabhatmajam srimal-
lokanatha prabhum bhaje"I worship the lotus feet of Srila Lokanatha Prabhu, the son of Sri Padmanabha. He is a storehouse of singleminded service to the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Vinoda."
From his early childhood, Srila Lokanatha was indifferent to family life. One day, giving up his mother and father, and leaving his home behind forever, he went to Mayapura in Nabadwipa to take darshan of the holy feet of Sri Gauranga. Sri Gaurangadeva embraced Lokanatha Goswami with great affection, and soon he ordered Lokanatha Goswami to quickly go to Vrindavana. But Lokanatha Goswami could understand by certain evidence that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would leave home and take sannyasa within two or three days. Therefore, he was in great anxiety.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu could understand the mind and heart of Lokanatha Goswami and consoled him, saying, "We shall be reunited in Vrindavana."
In this connection, Srila Narahari Chakravarti has written in his Bhakti-Ratnakara: "While he was weeping and weeping, crying out his heart at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya, Lokanatha felt himself being caught up and embraced by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Later, as Lokanatha bid him farewell, the Lord gave him a confidential message which consoled him greatly. After this, he offered his soul at the lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu, and after giving his pranamas to the all the devotees, he went on his way."
After this, Lokanatha never returned to home life. Rather, afflicted with deep separation from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he began wandering from one holy place of pilgrimage to the next. Gradually, after visiting many holy places, he came to Vrindavana Dham.
In the meantime, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa and went to Jagannatha Puri. After staying in Puri for some time, the Lord had a mind to deliver the fallen souls, and so began his tour of South India. Hearing of the Lord's tour of South India, Sri Lokanatha also went to South India, in search of the Lord.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after visiting many holy places of pilgrimage in South India and again returning to Jagannatha Puri for some time, finally came to Vrindavana. Hearing of this, Lokanatha Goswami quickly went to Vrindavana. Meanwhile, Caitanya Mahaprabhu had already left for Prayaga-dhama. Arriving in Vrindavana and not seeing Mahaprabhu, Lokanatha was heartbroken. He resolved to set everything right by starting out the very next morning for Prayaga, to meet the Lord. That night the Lord came to him in a dream and consoled him, saying, "O Lokanatha, stay in Vrindavana. I have not broken my vow. I have already come to Vrindavana and live there in another form. In this way you shall always maintain my connection."
A few days later, Srila Lokanatha Goswami chanced to meet the most dear followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: Sri Rupa, Sri Sanatana, Sri Gopala Bhatta, Sri Bhugarbha and others. The exchange of divine love between them was wonderful to behold! They were all of one mind, one heart. In the midst of the Goswamis, Sri Lokanatha was the oldest. He was fully absorbed in prema.
In his mangalaracana to the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, Sri Sanatana Goswami offers his respects to Lokanatha Goswami as follows:
vrindavan priyan vande sri govinda padasritanSri Lokanatha Goswami wandered throughout all twelve forests of Vrindavana in great ecstasy. In one of the forests there is a village named Umarao. There he stayed for some time on the banks of Kishori-kunda. He had a great desire to establish the worship of the deity and render service to Krishna in that way. Understanding Lokanath's aspiration to serve, Krishna Himself appeared before him and offered Lokanatha a vigraha, saying, "Worship this Deity here. This deity's name is Radha-vinoda." After giving him this beautiful deity, the Lord suddenly disappeared.
srimad-kashishvaram lokanatam sri krishnadasakam"I offer my obeisances unto Sri Kashishvara Pandit, Sri Lokanatha Goswami and Sri Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami who are very dear to Sri Govinda in Vrindavana, having taken shelter at his lotus feet."
At this, Lokanatha Goswami became stricken with anxiety. Seeing him absorbed in worry, Radhavinoda smiled and said, "Why have you brought me here? I have come here personally just to satisfy your purpose. What do you want from me? I live in the forest here, near the village of Umarao. By this Kishori kunda you see before you, I make my residence. You must now give me something to eat. Quickly."
Lokanatha Goswami's joy knew no bounds. He floated in the waves of prema. After this he prepared an offering for the Lord to eat. After offering fine rice on a fresh banana leaf to the deity he experienced great ecstasy by offering his life at the lotus feet of the Lord. He was stunned by drinking in the nectarine beauty of the Lord. After this he offered a bed of flowers and made the Lord rest.
Sri Lokanatha Goswami made this place his home. The local villagers and cowherd men wanted to construct a bhajan kutir for him, but he refused to accept it. In order to protect the deity, he prepared a cloth bag which he would keep around his neck at all times. Sri Radhavinoda became like a jeweled necklace around the neck of Lokanatha Goswami. The cloth bag was his temple. This was Lokanatha Goswami's practice until the day he disappeared from this earth, and is an example of the strict vairagya he maintained. With great care he always stayed in the association of the Goswamis of Vrindavana.
It is very difficult to exhaustively describe the life and pastimes of Lokanatha Goswami who was very dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his dear followers beginning with Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana disappeared, Srila Lokanatha Goswami could not tolerate the separation. After this his only purpose in life was to establish the wishes of Sri Caitanya Mahprabhu.
Srila Lokanatha Goswami gave mantra diksha to Sri Narottama Dasa Thakura. There is no mention in the shastras that he accepted any other disciples. Narottama Thakura served him in secret by going in the dead of night to the place where Lokanatha would pass stool and urine and cleansing the area very carefully. Seeing Narottama's humility, Lokanatha accepted him.
Srila Lokanatha Goswami, in his ripe old age, while performing his bhajan in Khadiravan in Khayara Gram, passed away and entered into the eternal unmanifest pastimes of the Lord. At that place is a kunda called Sri Yugala Kunda. On the banks of that kunda, Srila Lokanatha Goswami entered into samadhi.
It is said that when Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami went to Lokanatha Goswami and asked his blessings to compile the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Lokanatha Goswami gave his blessings, but prohibited Kaviraja Goswami from mentioning his name in the Caitanya Caritamrita. For fear of violating the order of Lokanatha, Kaviraj Goswami has only briefly mentioned him in the Caitanya Caritamrita. On the day of Krishnastami in the month of Shravana, he entered into the eternal pastimes of the Lord.
Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura Mahashaya prays as follows at the lotus feet of his gurudeva:
ha ha prabhu lokanatha, rakha padadvandve
kripadrishthye chaha yadi haiya anande
manovancha siddhi habe hang purna trishna
hethaya chaitanya mile setha radhakrishna
tumi na karile daya ke kairbe ara
manera vasana purna kara eibara
ei tini samsare mora ara keho nai
kripa kari nija padatale deha thai
radhakrishna lilaguna gao ratri dine
narottama vancha purna nahe tuwa vine"O Lokanatha, O gurudeva! If you are pleased with me, please keep me in the shelter of your lotus feet, and cast your merciful glance upon me. By your mercy I can find the perfection of inner fulfillment. And by your mercy I can someday meet Sri Caitanya and Radha-Krishna. If you are not merciful to me, then what shall I do? Please, just once, fulfill my heart's desire. In the three worlds of birth and death no one is more in need of your mercy. Please give me your mercy and give me a place at your lotus feet. Day and night I sing the qualities and pastimes of Radha and Krishna. Still, the inner aspirations of Narottama for the service of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda and Caitanya Mahaprabhu can only be realized through your grace, oh Lokanatha Goswami Prabhu."
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