In2-MeC

Copenhagen, Denmark
24 October 2004

What follows is material I've collected on the spiritual identities of the 6 Gosvamis. It's thought-provoking. To some readers, perhaps even controversial. I'm not answering any questions about it! Thanks to Gauranga-premananda and Punya-palaka Prabhus for their contributions to this compilation.

 

Letter to Jadurani from Srila Prabhupada
dated 9 September, 1967
at Vrndaban

My Dear Jadurani,

Please accept my blessings. Your letter of 8/24 contains some important questions. The six goswamis are not all eternal associates of Krishna. Only Rupa and Raghunath Goswami are eternal associates. You know there are two kinds of living entities: nityamukta or eternal associates of the Lord, and nityabaddha or eternally conditioned. This material manifestation is a chance for the eternally conditioned entities to go Back to Godhead; but when they go back there is no distinction between the two. When Krishna appears some of his eternal associates come with Him to assist Him in His different incarnational activities; and some of the living entities from conditioned life are liberated by following the footprint of Lord Krishna and His bona associates; so all the six became eternal associates of Krishna. Regarding Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, he decended from higher planet for being liberated in the association of Lord Caitanya, so his conditioned life came to an end after he contacted Lord Caitanya.

From a lecture on SrI Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20. 107 given in New York on July 13, 1976

yogya-pAtra hao tumi bhakti pravartAite
krame saba tattva zuna, kahiye tomAte

So to propagate the devotional service of KRSNa consciousness, it requires the fit person. Not that one can imitate. It is not possible. One who is fit to take this responsibility, he receives proper instruction and help from higher authorities. So Caitanya MahAprabhu selected SanAtana GosvAmI as the fit person, SanAtana GosvAmI and RUpa GosvAmI. They were ministers, but when Caitanya MahAprabhu first met them in RAmakeli, in Maldah district, at that time the headquarters of Bengal government, so He thought. . . Not only He thought, but. . . These Caitanya MahAprabhu associates, they are eternal associates. They appear somewhere. . . Just like HaridAsa ThAkura appeared somewhere in Muhammadan family, SanAtana GosvAmI was found engaged in government service, RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI was a zamindar's son. In different places. But actually they appear to fulfill the mission of Caitanya MahAprabhu. Therefore they are called nitya-siddhas. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is nitya-siddha friend, eternal friend. Otherwise how KRSNa said that "Arjuna, when I spoke to sun-god. . . " Arjuna inquired that "KRSNa, how can I believe? Sun-god is long, long millions of years ago. How it is that You taught him?" So what KRSNa replied? KRSNa said, "Yes, you were also present there, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten. " So similarly, whenever KRSNa goes anywhere, His eternal associates also go with Him. So sAGgopAGgAstra -pArSadam.

About Caitanya MahAprabhu it is said in the BhAgavatam, kRSNa-varNaM tviSAkRSNaM sAGgopAGgAstra-pArSadam (SB 11. 5. 32). SaGga, associates. Therefore we worship Caitanya MahAprabhu with His associates. zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda. These are principal associates, and similarly other devotees of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, just like six GosvAmIs and many others--we have got the list in the Caitanya-caritAmRta--so they are all nitya-siddhas, eternal. There are two kinds of living entities: nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. Nitya-siddha means they never fall a victim of mAyA. That is nitya-siddha. Even though they are within this material world, they are never victimized. That is called nitya-siddha. And one who is victimized, he is called nitya-baddha. But the actual constitutional position of every living entity is nitya-siddha, because God is eternal and His part and parcels, the living entities, they are also eternal. So that is nitya-siddha.

Nitya-siddha, sAdhana-siddha, kRpA-siddha--there are different grades. They are all described in The Nectar of Devotion. So one can become sAdhana-siddha. By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can also become siddha. He can become again nitya-siddha. So the KRSNa consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas again nitya-siddha, to bring them. It is a difficult task. Just I was talking in the morning, it is very difficult task to. . . Just like a madman. A madman, to again bring him to the normal life is very difficult task. You have got in your country so many institutions. So the whole world, anyone who is in this material world, he's a madman.

It is clear that Srila Rupa and Raghunatha dasa Gosvamis were the special objects of prayer of later acaryas like Narottama (rupa raghunath pade hobe akuti) and Krishnadas Kaviraj (sri rupa raghunatha pade jar ash). About the other Gosvamis and direct associates of Mahaprabhu, Narottam das Thakur sings: gaurangera sangi gane nitya siddha kori mane--"I consider all the associates of Gauranga to be nitya siddhas. " The previous names of the Gosvamis in krsna-lila are mentioned in the commentaries of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada. Sri Kavi Karnapura's Gaura-Ganoddesa-Dipika (A Lamp to See the Associates of Lord Gauranga) is the ultimate source of knowledge of "who's who" in Caitanya-lila.

RUPA

CC Adi 10. 84 purp. , par. 6:

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (180) Sri Rupa Gosvami is described to be the gopi named Sri Rupa-manjari. . .

Anubhasya to CC Adi 10. 84: Sri Rupa - Gaura-ganoddese 180 sloke -

sri-rupa-manjari khyata yasid vrndavane pura
sadya rupakhya-gosvami bhutva prakata-tamiyat

G-g-d 180: Sri Rupa-manjari, who had been famous in Vrndavana-dhama, appeared as Srila Rupa Gosvami.

SANATANA

CC Adi 10. 84 purp. , par. 7: Sri Sanatana Gosvami is described in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (181). He was formerly known as Rati-manjari or sometimes Lavanga-manjari. . .

Anubhasya 10. 85: Sanatana - Gaura-ganoddese 181-182 sloke -

ye rupa-manjari-prestha purasid rati-manjari
socyate nama-bhedena lavanga-manjari budhaih

sadya gaurabhinna-tanuh sarvaradhyah sanatanah
tam eva pravisat karyan-muni-ratnah sanatanah

G-g-d 181: Rupa-Manjari's closest friend, who was known by the names Rati-manjari and Lavanga-manjari, appeared as Srila Sanatana Gosvami, who was honored by everyone, and who was considered to be like an extension of the transcendental body of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sanatana Kumara, the jewel among the sages, entered the body of Sanatana Gosvami, who is therefore also considered to be an incarnation of Sanatana Kumara.

JIVA

CC Adi 10. 85 purp. , par. 7: In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (195) it is said that Srila Jiva Gosvami was formerly Vilasa-manjari gopi. . .

Anubhasya 10. 85: Jiva - Gaura-ganoddese 203 sloke - susilah panditah sriman jivah sri-vallabhatmajah. 195 sloke - ini vraja-lilae vilasa-manjari.

G-g-d 194-207: Malati, Candralatika, Manjumedha, Varangada, Ratnavali, Kamala, Gunacuda, Sukesini, Karpura-manjari, Syama-manjari, Sveta-manjari, (12) Vilasa-manjari, Kamalekha, Mauna-manjari, Gandhonmada, Rasonmada, Candrika, and Candrasekhara, were among the maidservants of Srimati Radharani.

Assuming male forms they appeared among Lord Caitanya's associates, and each displayed his particular kind of ecstatic love for the Lord.

These gopis became Subhananda Dvija, Sridhara Brahmacari, Paramananda Gupta (who wrote the book Sri Krsna-stavavali), Raghunatha Dvija (who was an unalloyed servant of Lord Caitanya), Kamsari Sena, Sri Jagannatha Sena Mahasaya, Subuddhi Misra, Sriharsa, Raghu Misra (who was the best of the brahmanas), Jitamitra (whose appropriate name, meaning 'conqueror of the enemies', was given by Lord Caitanya because Jitamitra had completely subdued lust and the other five enemies of the conditioned soul), Sriman Bhagavatacarya (who was very dear to Lord Caitanya, and who wrote the book Sri Krsna-prema-tarangini), (12) Sriman Jiva Pandita (who was the saintly son of Sri Vallabha), Vaninatha Dvija (who lived in the village of Campahatta, and who was very dear to Lord Caitanya), Isanacarya, Kamala, Laksminatha Pandita, Ganga-mantri, Jagannatha Mamu (who was a very elevated brahmana), Srikanthabharana Ananta (who was born in the Catta dynasty), Hastigopala (who lived in Rangaksetra, and who was very dear to Lord Caitanya), Hari Acarya, Srinayana Misra (who was a close associate of Lord Caitanya), Kavidatta, Ramadasa, Ciranjiva, and Sulocana respectively.

RAGHUNATHA DASA

CC Adi 10. 91 purp. , the end: . . . In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (186) it is stated that Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was formerly the gopi named Rasa-manjari. Sometimes it is said that he was Rati-manjari.

Anubhasya 10. 91: Gaura-ganoddese 186 sloke -

dasa sri-raghunathasya purvakhya rasa-manjari
bhanumaty akhya ye kecid ahus tam nama-bhedatah

G-g-d 186: Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was the incarnation of Rasa-manjari. Some say that Raghunatha das Gosvami was the incarnation of Rati-manjari, and others say he was the incarnation of Bhanumati-devi.

GOPALA BHATTA

CC Adi 10. 105 purp. , the end: . . . In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (184) it is mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord Krsna was Ananga-manjari. Sometimes he is also said to have been an incarnation of Guna-manjari.

Anubhasya 10. 105: Gaura-ganoddese 184 sloke -

ananga-manjari yasit sadya gopala bhattakah
bhatta-gosvaminam kecit ahuh sri-guna-manjari

G-g-d 184: Ananga-manjari appeared as Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. Some say that Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was actually the incarnation of Sri Guna-manjari.

RAGHUNATHA BHATTA

CC Adi 10. 158 purp. , the end: . . . Later Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami lived by Radha-kunda in a small cottage. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (185) it is said that Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami was formerly the gopi named Raga-manjari.

Anubhasya 10. 153-158: Gaura-ganoddese 185 sloke -

raghunathakhyako bhattah pura ya raga-manjari
krta-sri-radhika-kunda kutira vasatih sa tu

G-g-d 185: Raga-manjari appeared as Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, who lived in a cottage by the shore of Radha-kunda.

As quoted earlier, Srila Prabhupada stated in a letter:

Regarding Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, he decended from higher planet for being liberated in the association of Lord Caitanya, so his conditioned life came to an end after he contacted Lord Caitanya.

CC Adi 10. 130 purp. : The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (119) states that Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was an incarnation of Brhaspati, the learned scholar from the celestial planets.

Anubhasya 10. 130: Gaura-ganoddese 119 sloke - bhattacaryah sarvabhaumah purasid gispatir divi

G-g-d 119: Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya had formerly been Brhaspati, the foremost scholar in the heavenly planets.
 

<< Back