Sri Sri Radha Ramana
Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami and The Appearance of Sri Radha-Raman
The all merciful Lord Sri Gaur Hari, as He travelled from village to village throughout the south of India, continued to distribute love of Godhead wherever He went. Hearing the nectarean names of Hari from His lotus mouth, thousands and thousands men and women felt relief from the blazing fire of material existe
nce. Various wretched, miserable and fallen souls lives were completely rejuvenated and thus they became virtuous and happy. While causing rains of love of God to fall anywhere and everywhere, without consideration of time or place, Sri Gaurasundor came to the ancient holy place of Sri Rangakshetra on an island in the middle of the Kaveri river. Throughout the day and night hundreds and thousands of pilgrims were going and coming to take darsan of Lord Ranganath. The temple hall resounded with the sounds of hundreds and thousand of brahmanas chanting Vedic hymns. In the midst of this scene from Vaikuntha, entered Sri Gaurasundar chanting the names of Krsna in his sweet voice that defeated the voices of 10 million gandharvas. Everyone in the temple became dumbstruck, amazed and thrilled with wonder. What unprecedented beauty; His bodily effulgence makes molten gold appear lack-lustre. From His eyes which are like the full blown petals of a lotusflower trickled down tears of ecstatic love. Every limb, every part of His body was filled with such exquisite grace that even the mind of cupid gets stolen away. The brahmanas began to consider, "Is this a demigod? Can such symptoms and emotions be found in human beings?" Again resounding the halls with the transcendental vibrations of Sri Hari's name, when He came before the Deity and fell down as a tree is blown down by the wind, some people thought that a mountain of gold was rolling on the ground. Sri Vyenkata Bhatta seeing this divine personage became restless with ecstasy. His heart being flooded with devotion he got up and began to move the crowds away so that the Lord could engage in chanting and dancing. When the Lord had regained His external consiousness after engaging in sankirtan, Vyenkata Bhatta approached Him and took the dust of His lotusfeet. Mahaprabhu gazed towards him and saying, "Krsna! Krsna!" embraced him firmly. Sri Vyenkata Bhatta invited Mahaprabhu to come to his house and having brought Him there, very reverantly washed His lotusfeet and along with the other family members, he drank the water. Sri Bhattaji's house became filled with joy. ahaprabhu came to Ranga Kshetra in the Christian year 1511. Vyenkata Bhatt had two brothers, Tirumalla Bhatta and Prabodhananda Sarasvati. They all belonged to the Ramanuja ampradaya and Prabodhananda Sarasvati was a tridandi sannyasi of that order. Vyenkata Bhatta had a son named Gopal, who was then just a child. When the boy came to offer his obeisances at the lotusfeet of Mahaprabhu picked him up and very affectionately seated him in His lap. Mahaprabhu would call Gopal after He had finished His meal and offer His remnants to the boy. In this way He prepared him for the positon of Acarya. After remaining at Vyenkata Bhatta's house during the four months of the rainy season (Chaturmasya) Mahaprabhu prepared to continue His journey of the South. Vyenkata Bhatta's house began to ebb in a tide of tears in anticipation of His departure. Gopal fell at His lotusfeet in a dead faint. Therefore Mahaprabhu remained for a couple of more days in order to con-sole the boy. Being pleased with Gopala Bhatta Gosvami's sincere service and devotion, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu initiated him, and ordered him to move to Vrndavana after the disappearance of his parents and perform bhajan and write. He instructed him to serve his mother and father and always engage in chanting Krsna's glories and thereafter to come to Brindavan. Very quickly Gopal became expert in grammar, poetry and rhetoric and then began his study of Vedanta. His uncle Prabodhananda, specifically began to instruct him from the devotional scriptures (Bhakti - shastra). Gopal Bhatta always remained thinking of the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu and when he might again be able to meet Him. At the same time however he couldn't leave his aged mother and father. Finally having reached their final days they called their son Gopal and instructed him to go to the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu in Vrindavan. Then while meditating on His lotus feet themselves they went to join Him in His eternal lila. At the age of thirty Gopala Bhatta Gosvami came to Vrindavana, and having missed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu this saddened him. Thus Gopal set out for Vrindavan and when he arrived there Rupa Gosvami immediately sent word to Mahaprabhu to inform Him of Gopal's arrival there. Mahaprabhu had previously indicated to Rupa and Sanatan that Gopal Bhatta would one day come there to Brindavan, so upon his arrival they treated him with the same care and affection they would their own brother. They immediately became life long companions. However, the all knowing Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu received word that Gopal Bhatta had come to Vrindavan, He was very pleased and sent with that messenger with the Lord's personal wooden sitting plank (hoki) which He had used along with a pair of His undergarments and one of His upper cloths - uttara or chaddar. "Having received these gifts Gopal Bhatta was in ecstasy and he worshipped them as the prasad (tadiya) of Mahaprabhu. When he would worship his Deities he would sit on that wooden plank. This piri (wooden seat) and Mahaprabhus clothes are still being worshipped at Radha-Ramana Mandir. Gopala Bhatta, like Rupa and Sanatana, had no fixed residence and would spend the night in various kunjas (forest groves). He spent his time studying the scriptures and composing various literatures. After Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's disappearance Gopala Bhatta Gosvami felt intence separation from the Lord. To relieve his devotee, the Lord instructed Gopala Bhatta in a dream :"If you want my darsan then make a trip to Nepal". In Nepal, Gopala Bhatta bathed in the famous Kali-Gandaki River. Upon dipping his waterpot in the river, he was surprised to see several Shaligrama Shilas enter his pot. He dropped the shilas back into the river, but the shilas re-entered his pot when he refilled it. After emptying and refilling his waterpot for the third time, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami found twelve Shaligrama shilas sitting there. Thinking this must be the Lords mercy, he kept all the shilas and returned to Vrndavana. Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami used to worship twelve Shaligram silas. Wherever he would go he would bring them with him in a piece of cloth tied at the corner. Gopala Bhatta kept the cloths and ornaments with his shilas. While Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was absorbed in remembering how the half-man, half-lion form of the Supreme Lord had manifested from the pillar in Hiranyakasipu's palace, he prayed in transcendental lamentation to the Lord: "Oh my Lord, you are very merciful and always fulfill the desires of your devotees. I wish to serve you in your form, having arms and legs and blissful smiling face, with lotus eyes.... If I had a Deity then I would be able to decorate Him so nicely with these clothes and ornaments." In the evening after offering some bhoga and arotika to his Shalagram shilas, Gopala Bhatta put them to rest, covering them with a wicker basket. Late in the night, Gopala Bhatta took a little rest and then, in the early morning went to take bath in the Yamuna river. Returning from his bath, he uncovered the Shalagramas in order to render the puja for Them, and saw amongst Them a Deity of Krishna playing the flute. There were now eleven shilas and this Deity. The "Damodara shila", had manifested as the beautiful three-fold bending form of tri-bhangananda-krishna. Floating in the ocean of ecstasy, he fell to the ground in order to offer his dandavats and then recited various prayers and hymns. This wonderful event of the appearance day of RadhaRaman happened on the day after Sri Nrisimha Chaturdasi, and is celebrated on that day accordingly. That day they offer 500 liters of milk for the Lord's pleasure and many other sweets and different things. The RadhaRaman temple has the highest standard of Deity worship in all of Vraj. When Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis as well as many other devotees received news of this miraculous event they came running to see the Lord. Gazing on the Lord's transcendental form, which bewildered all the living entities of the many various planets, they all bathed Him with their tears. This Deity whom the Gosvamis named, "Sri Radha-raman Deva" made His appearance on the full moon day of Vaisakha in the year 1542. Except for Vrindadevi, Sri Radha-Ramanaji is the only one of the original Deities of Vrindavana who never left to go to Jaipur. Sri Sri Radha-raman-ji is still being worshipped in Vrindavana near Nidhuban kunj in the compound of the temple. The Deity is called Radha-raman although physically there is no apparent Deity of Radha there. As one can see from the picture at the top of this page, that to the right of the picture (to Ramanji's left) is a place setting for Srimati Radhika. In this way the pujaris worship Sri Radha and Ramanji together. Sri Radha-ramana Deva, unlike other Deities, has very intricate features, including fingernails and even teeth. On the back side of His body parts of the original Shalagram shila from which He manifested Himself can be seen.
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Sriman Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vasihnava Peetham
The Supreme Lord Krishna combined with Srimati Radharani and incarnated as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to confer bhakti to all beings. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performed harinam sankirtan and conducted many congregational preaching activities, as a result of which innumerable devotees came to take His shelter. He asked His devotees to dedicate their lives to propagate His teachings. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu bestowed His yellow anga-vastram and the mat, that He sat on while chanting, to Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami and appointed him the Acarya of Sriman Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vasihnava Peetham. He asked Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami to go to Vrindavan and locate the important past-time places of Sri Sri Radha Krishna and make them known to everyone. Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami’s contribution to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s sampradaya is immense. He compiled various works like Sri Krishna Tatva Mimamsa, Hari Bhakti Vilas etc., while practicing his spiritual life in Vrindavan. Being pleased with the devotion of Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami the Supreme Lord Himself manifested from a Salagram Sila as Sri Radha Raman on the day of Vaishaka Shukla Purnima (full moon day of the Vaishaka month) in the year 1599. Sri Damodar Goswami was the dearest disciple of Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami. He was assigned the task of serving Sri Radha Raman. Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami also anointed Sri Damodar Goswami as his successor to the Sriman Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vasihnava Peetham. Sri Mathura Nath Goswami succeeded Sri Damodar Goswami. He was well versed in Srimad Bhagavatam and was renowned for his mellifluent discourses. He made Punjab and Sindh the center of his activities and preached extensively in all directions. Many great personalities like Vyakhyana Vachaspati, Sri Shoban Lal Goswamiji Maharaja and Sri Vijay Krishna Goswamiji Maharaja have adorned the Sriman-Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vaishnava Peetham during their life times. They traveled from Vrindavan to various remote areas across the country to carry out the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Atul Krishna Goswamiji Maharaja adorned Sriman Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vasihnava Peetham after Sri Vijay Krishna Goswamiji Maharaja. He inherited the glorious tradition of interpreting the scriptures from his predecessors. He is an erudite scholar, and is well versed in various Vedic scriptures. He is the most reputed orator in India. His discourses are extremely fascinating. Sri Sribhuti Krishna Goswami Maharaja is adorning the Sriman Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vasihnava Peetham. is spreading the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world tirelessly, through his captivating discourses on various scriptures like Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Ramayana, and Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita. Sri Sribhuti Krishna Goswami Maharaja lives in Sri Vaijayanti Ashram in Vrindavan, where the Sriman Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vasihnava Peetham was originally established. has established branches of Sriman Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vasihnava Peetham in cities like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Jaipur. His articulate discourses are divine and filled with ancient esoteric philosophical truths, which are aimed at universal welfare. Thousands of people gather to listen to his captivating lectures in all parts of the country. His magnanimity, soothing advice and genuine concern for all makes him distinct amongst spiritual leaders. His disciples feel secure by his presence. In accordance with the glorious tradition of giving this knowledge to others H.H. runs a school where subjects like Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Ramayana are taught. also oversees the setting up of medical camps to provide medical aid for the handicapped, old and needy. Sri Pundrik Goswami, the worthy son of H.H. Sribhuti Krishna Goswami and the future successor to the Sriman Madhva-Gaudeshwar-Vasihnava Peetham is popular among the devotees. He is following the path of his predecessors, in spreading the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu through discourses on different vaishnava scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Ramayan, Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita etc., all over the world so that people may benefit by knowing the real goal of their lives.
