PASTIMES OF GREAT ACHARYA - 5

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.
The genealogical table of Sanatana Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami and Vallabha Gosvami (father of Jiva Gosvami) can be traced back to the twelfth century sakabda, when a gentleman of the name Sarvajaa appeared in a very rich and opulent brahmana family in the province of KarnAta. He had two sons, named Aniruddhera Rnpesvara and Harihara, who were both bereft of their kingdoms and thus obliged to reside in the highlands. The son of Rnpesvara, 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.
Srila Rupa Gosvami was called Dabara Khalasa, though being born in Brahmana family as they had accepted services under muslim governments their names had changed to Mohammedan name. Rupa Gosvami was younger than Sanatana Gosvami. 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. Rupa Gosvami stayed for ten days at Prayaga and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave him instructions for ten consecutive days at DasAsvamedha GhAta in Prayag. Lord, being anxious to revive the Vrndavana pastimes of Lord Krsna, impregnated the heart of Rupa Gosvami with spiritual potency. By this potency, Srila Rupa Gosvami could revive the activities of Lord Krsna in Vrndavana, activities almost lost to memory. After that following the instructions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Rupa Gosvami went to Vrndavana.
Rupa Gosvami and Anupama in Mathura met Subuddhi Raya, who maintained himself by selling dry fuel wood. He was very pleased to meet Sri Rupa Gosvami and Anupama (Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu named Vallabha, 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 Vais±avas: (1) Hamsadnta, (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 (this describes the loving affairs and transcendental activities of Radha and Krsna), (12) -khyata-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 (a method recommended by Srila Prabhupada for all householders). 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 and used to compare it with pearls. Srila Rupa Gosvami could compose verses according to the desires of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and by His direction he wrote two books/drama named Lalita-madhava (describing Lord Krsna's pastimes in Vrndavana) and Vidagdha-madhava (describing Lord Krsna's pastimes in Mathura and Dwaraka). Lord Caitanya desired the two brothers, Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, to publish many books in support of the Vaishnava religion.
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
Following Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's directions, who discovered Radha-kunda, Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami renovated Radha-kunda. In the village of -rit-grama, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu discovered the transcendental lakes known as Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda. He then saw the Deity Harideva at Govardhana Village. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had no desire to climb Govardhana Hill because the hill is worshiped as Krsna. The Gopala Deity could understand the mind of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; therefore on the plea of being attacked by Muslims, Gopala transferred Himself to the village of Ganthuli-grama. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then went to Ganthuli-grama to see Lord Gopala. When the two brothers Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami went to Vrndavana, they decided to
live there. Following Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s example, they did not climb the hill because they considered it nondifferent from Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On some pretext, the Gopala Deity granted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu an audience beneath the hill, and Gopala similarly favored Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami. During his ripe old age, when Rupa Gosvama could not go to Govardhana Hill because of invalidity, Gopala kindly went to Mathura and remained at the temple of Vitthalesvara for one month. It was then that Srila Rupa Gosvami could see Gopala’s beauty to his heart’s content.
By rough calculation it is estimated that Srila Rupa Gosvami finished Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu in Gokula Vrndavana in the year 1552. While physically present, Srila Rupa Gosvami was living in different parts of Vrndavana, and his headquarters were in the temple of Radha-Damodara in the present city of Vrndavana. The place of Rupa Gosvami’s bhajana, execution of devotional service, is commemorated still. There are two different tomblike structures in the Radha-Damodara temple; one structure is called his place of bhajana, and in the other his body is entombed.
There is a nice example in the life of Rupa Gosvami. Rupa Gosvami and his brother Sanatana Gosvami were living separately in Vrndavana and going on with their bhajana, devotional service. Rupa was living in the forest, and there was no facility for cooking nice food or begging from the village for a capati to eat. Rupa Gosvami was the younger brother, and he thought, If I could get some foodstuffs, then I could prepare nice dishes and offer them to Krsna and invite my elder brother. He had that desire. The next moment, a nice girl about twelve years old came and delivered an abundance of foodstuffs milk, flour, ghee, etc. That is the Vedic system; sometimes householders present foodstuffs to mendicants and sages in the renounced order of life. Rupa Gosvami was very glad that Krsna had sent so many things and that he could now prepare a feast. He prepared a feast and then invited his elder brother. When Sanatana Gosvami came, he was astonished. "How have you secured such things? You have prepared such a nice feast in this forest. How is it possible?
So Rupa Gosvami explained, In the morning I desired for it, and by chance Krsna sent me all these things. A nice girl came, and she offered it to me. He was describing the girl: A very nice girl.
Then Sanatana said, This nice girl is Radharani. You have taken service from Radharani, the Lord’s eternal consort. It is a great blunder. That is their philosophy. They would not accept service from the Lord. They simply wanted to render service. But Krsna is so clever that He also wants to serve His devotee. He looks for an opportunity to serve His devotee. This is spiritual competition. A pure devotee does not want anything from Krsna; he simply wants to serve Him. And Krsna also looks for the opportunity to serve His devotee. Krsna is always as anxious to please His devotee as the devotee is to please Him.