20211020 Conduct of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī in Vṛndāvana

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 20th October 2021 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today is the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter today is entitled:

Conduct of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī in Vṛndāvana

Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.114

prabhura daśāśvamedha-ghāṭe nibhṛte śrī-rūpake. śaktisañcāra o śikṣādāna:—

loka-bhiḍa-bhaye prabhu ’daśāśvamedhe’ yāñā
rūpa-gosāñire śikṣā karā’na śakti sañcāriyā

Translation: Due to the great crowds in Prayāga, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to a place called Daśāśvamedha-ghāṭa. It was there that the Lord instructed Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and empowered him in the philosophy of devotional service.

Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupād: Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. The Supreme Lord has multipotencies, which the Lord bestows on His fortunate devotees. The Lord has a special potency by which He spreads the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya 7.11):

kali-kālera dharma — kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana

“One cannot spread the holy name of Kṛṣṇa without being specifically empowered by Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

A devotee who receives this power from the Lord must be considered very fortunate. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading to enlighten people about their real position, their original relationship with Kṛṣṇa. One requires Kṛṣṇa’s special power in order to be able to do this. People forget their relationship with Kṛṣṇa and work under the spell of māyā life after life, transmigrating from one body to another. This is the process of material existence. The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa personally descends to teach people that their position in the material world is a mistaken one. The Lord again comes as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to induce people to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Lord also empowers a special devotee to teach people their constitutional position.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see the importance of being empowered by Kṛṣṇa. His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is definitely empowered by Kṛṣṇa. So, taking great tribulations and difficulties he spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world and he is empowering different people to continue his movement.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.115

kṛṣṇa-tattva, bhakti-tattva o rasa-tattvera sīmā-śikṣā:—

kṛṣṇatattva-bhaktitattva-rasatattva-prānta
saba śikhāila prabhu bhāgavata-siddhānta

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī the ultimate limit of the truth about Lord Kṛṣṇa, the truth about devotional service and the truth about transcendental mellows, culminating in conjugal love between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Finally He told Rūpa Gosvāmī about the ultimate conclusions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya taught Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī the esoteric aspects of Kṛṣṇa tattva, rasa-tattva and bhakti tattva. So, Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote these things in his various books.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.116

rāmānanda-kīrtita bhaktisiddhānta śrī-rūpake upadeśa:—

rāmānanda-pāśe yata siddhānta śunilā
rūpe kṛpā kari’ tāhā saba sañcārilā

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught Rūpa Gosvāmī all the conclusions He had heard from Rāmānanda Rāya and duly empowered him so that he could understand them.

Jayapatākā Swami: Its not a simple thing to understand these conclusions, one needs the special mercy of the Lord, that mercy Lord Caitanya gave to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.117

śrī-rūpa-hṛdaye sarva-tattva-sphūrtti:—

śrī-rūpa-hṛdaye prabhu śakti sañcārilā
sarva-tattva-nirūpaṇe ‘pravīṇa’ karilā

Translation: By entering the heart of Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu empowered him to ascertain properly the conclusions of all truths. He made him an experienced devotee whose decisions correctly agreed with the verdicts of the disciplic succession. Thus Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī was personally empowered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Purport by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupāda: The principles of devotional service are only apparently under the jurisdiction of material activity. To be rightly guided, one must be personally guided by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This was the case with Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and other ācāryas.

Jayapatākā Swami: Just as Lord Brahmā, the Lord enters his heart and teaches him how to create and how to understand the Vedic truths, similarly Lord Caitanya entered the heart of Śrī Rūpa and other ācāryas so they could understand the inner meanings of the different siddhāntas or spiritual conclusions and thus having understood them thoroughly they could in turn write them down. The Nectar of Devotion is by Bhaktivedanta Swami is a condensed version of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.118

kavi-karṇapūrera svakṛta-granthe śrī-rūpa-śikṣāra ullekha:—

śivānanda-senera putra ‘kavi-karṇapūra’
‘rūpera milana’ sva-granthe likhiyāchena pracura

Translation: In his book Caitanya-candrodaya, Kavi-karṇapūra, the son of Śivānanda Sena, has elaborately described the meeting between Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami:  So, we should also have the Caitanya-candrodaya and hear the elaborate instructions of Lord Caitanya to Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.119

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 9.38

śrī-rūpa-sanātana-dvārā prabhura vraja-līlā kathā-prakāśa:—
Śrī-Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭake (9.38)—

kālena vṛndāvana-keli-vārtā
lupteti tāṁ khyāpayituṁ viśiṣya
kṛpāmṛtenābhiṣiṣeca devas
tatraiva rūpaṁ ca sanātanaṁ ca

Translation: “In the course of time, the transcendental news of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana was almost lost. To enunciate explicitly those transcendental pastimes, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu empowered Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī with the nectar of His mercy to carry out this work in Vṛndāvana.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupāda: This verse and the following two verses are from Act Nine (38, 29, 30) of the Caitanya-candrodaya, by Śrī Kavi-karṇapūra.

Jayapatākā Swami:  So, the pastime places of the pastimes of Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa were almost lost. So, Lord Caitanya empowered Rūpa and Sanātana to find out these places and to propagate these pastimes.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.120

also Śrī-Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭake (9.29)—

śrī-rūpera anugraha-vidhānakārī prabhu:—
Śrī-Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭake (9.29)— 

yaḥ prāg eva priya-guṇa-gaṇair gāḍha-baddho ’pi mukto
gehādhyāsād rasa iva paro mūrta evāpy amūrtaḥ
premālāpair dṛḍhatara-pariṣvaṅga-raṅgaiḥ prayāge
taṁ śrī-rūpaṁ samam anupamenānujagrāha devaḥ

Translation:  “From the very beginning, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was deeply attracted by the transcendental qualities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus he was permanently relieved from family life. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and his younger brother, Vallabha, were blessed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Although the Lord was transcendentally situated in His transcendental eternal form, at Prayāga He told Rūpa Gosvāmī about transcendental ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. The Lord then embraced him very fondly and bestowed all His mercy upon him.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya personally empowered Rūpa Gosvāmī to explain the truths about Kṛṣṇa-prema.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.121

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 9.30

prabhura dvitīya svarūpa, prabhura sarvasva śrī-rūpe bhakti-rasa-tattva-śāstra-vistāra:— Śrī-Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭake (9.30)—

priya-svarūpe dayita-svarūpe
prema-svarūpe sahajābhirūpe
nijānurūpe prabhur eka-rūpe
tatāna rūpe sva-vilāsa-rūpe

Translation: “Indeed, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, whose dear friend was Svarūpa Dāmodara, was the exact replica of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he was very, very dear to the Lord. Being the embodiment of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s ecstatic love, Rūpa Gosvāmī was naturally very beautiful. He very carefully followed the principles enunciated by the Lord, and he was a competent person to explain properly the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu expanded His mercy to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī just so he could render service by writing transcendental literatures.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually Rūpa Gosvāmī is the ninth gopī Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, so he is a direct expansion of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī, and he was empowered by Lord Caitanya to write transcendental literatures, He wrote the literatures on palm leaves, which were taken back to Bengal and copied.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.122

ei-mata karṇapūra likhe sthāne-sthāne
prabhu kṛpā kailā yaiche rūpa-sanātane

Translation: The characteristics of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī have thus been described in various places by the poet Kavi-karṇapūra. An account has also been given of how Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestowed His causeless mercy upon Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī.

Jayapatākā Swami: As I said earlier unless one gets the mercy of the Lord, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be spread. So Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī received the causeless mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.123

śrī-rūpa-sanātana—samagra gaura-bhaktera priyatama:—

mahāprabhura yata baḍa baḍa bhakta mātra
rūpa-sanātana—sabāra kṛpā-gaurava-pātra

Translation: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī were the objects of love and honor for all the great stalwart devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: Some devotees, they came before and after Srila Rūpa and Sanātana but they were respected by all, since they have received the special mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.124

sakalera ādarera dṛṣṭānta; vṛndāvana-darśanakārīke rūpa-sanātana-sambandhe sāgraha jijñāsā:—

keha yadi deśe yāya dekhi’ vṛndāvana
tāṅre praśna karena prabhura pāriṣada-gaṇa

Translation: If someone returned to his country after seeing Vṛndāvana, the associates of the Lord would ask him questions.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.125

“kaha,—tāhāṅ kaiche rahe rūpa-sanātana?
kaiche rahe, kaiche vairāgya, kaiche bhojana?

Translation: They would ask those returning from Vṛndāvana, “How are Rūpa and Sanātana doing in Vṛndāvana? What are their activities in the renounced order? How do they manage to eat?” These were the questions asked.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.126

kaiche aṣṭa-prahara karena śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana?”
tabe praśaṁsiyā kahe sei bhakta-gaṇa

Translation: The Lord’s associates would also ask, “How is it that Rūpa and Sanātana are engaging in devotional service twenty-four hours daily?” At that time the person who had returned from Vṛndāvana would praise Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya would always ask whoever coming back from Vṛndāvana, The Lord’s associates would praise them that they were doing bhajana 24 hours a day.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.127

śrī-rūpa-sanātanera vairāgyayug-bhakti-rasapāna-mattatā-varṇana:—

“aniketa duṅhe, vane yata vṛkṣa-gaṇa
eka eka vṛkṣera tale eka eka rātri śayana

Translation: “The brothers actually have no fixed residence. They reside beneath trees — one night under one tree and the next night under another.

Jayapatākā Swami: They would sleep in the shade of trees, this is true renunciation, we cannot imitate them.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.128

‘vipra-gṛhe’ sthūla-bhikṣā, kāhāṅ mādhu-karī
śuṣka ruṭī-cānā civāya bhoga parihari’

Translation:  “Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī beg a little food from the houses of brāhmaṇas. Giving up all kinds of material enjoyment, they take only some dry bread and fried chickpeas.

Jayapatākā Swami:  Rūpa and Sanātana were taking little prasāda, little food from the house of the brāhmaṇas and thus their life was very simplified.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.129

karoṅyā-mātra hāte, kāṅthā chiṅḍā, bahirvāsa
kṛṣṇa-kathā, kṛṣṇa-nāma, nartana-ullāsa

Translation: “They carry only waterpots, and they wear torn quilts. They always chant the holy names of Kṛṣṇa and discuss His pastimes. In great jubilation, they also dance.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, although had very little material possessions were filled with spiritual bliss and they were chanting and dancing in ecstasy.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.130

aṣṭa-prahara kṛṣṇa-bhajana, cāri daṇḍa śayane
nāma-saṅkīrtane seha nahe kona dine

Translation:  “They engage almost twenty-four hours daily in rendering service to the Lord. They usually sleep only an hour and a half, and some days, when they continuously chant the Lord’s holy name, they do not sleep at all.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, in this way passed the days completely absorbed and serving Lord Krsna.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.131

kabhu bhakti-rasa-śāstra karaye likhana
caitanya-kathā śune, kare caitanya-cintana”

Translation:  “Sometimes they write transcendental literatures about devotional service, and sometimes they hear about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and spend their time thinking about the Lord.”

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.132

rūpa-sanātanera bhajanācaraṇa-śravaṇe bhaktagaṇera sukha:—

ei-kathā śuni’ mahāntera mahā-sukha haya
caitanyera kṛpā yāṅhe, tāṅhe ki vismaya?

Translation: When the personal associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would hear of the activities of Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, they would say, “What is wonderful for a person who has been granted the Lord’s mercy?”

Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī had no fixed residence. They stayed beneath a tree for one day only and wrote huge volumes of transcendental literature. They not only wrote books but chanted, danced, discussed Kṛṣṇa and remembered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes. Thus they executed devotional service.

In Vṛndāvana there are prākṛta-sahajiyās who say that writing books or even touching books is taboo. For them, devotional service means being relieved from these activities. Whenever they are asked to hear a recitation of Vedic literature, they refuse, saying, “What business do we have reading or hearing transcendental literatures? They are meant for neophytes.” They pose themselves as too elevated to exert energy for reading, writing and hearing. However, pure devotees under the guidance of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī reject this sahajiyā philosophy. It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mṛdaṅga. Consequently, we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, one can become a rūpānuga devotee.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see that Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī spent their time chanting, dancing, and writing books and they discussed about Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya. So this writing books and distributing books is the work of our paramparā and although the prākṛta-sahajiyās are very proud and think themselves above all these activitieṣ, for our devotees following Rūpa Gosvāmī, this is the essential activity. Śrīla Prabhupāda established that in the Society for Krishna Consciousness reading, studying the books and distributing them.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.133

sva-kṛta ‘bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu’te prabhu-kṛpā varṇana:—

caitanyera kṛpā rūpa likhiyāchena āpane
rasāmṛta-sindhu-granthera maṅgalācaraṇe

Translation: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has personally spoken about the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in his auspicious introduction to his book Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.2).

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.134

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.2)—

hṛdi yasya preraṇayā pravartito ’haṁ varāka-rūpo ’pi
tasya hareḥ pada-kamalaṁ vande caitanya-devasya

Translation: “Although I am the lowest of men and have no knowledge, the inspiration to write transcendental literatures about devotional service has been mercifully bestowed upon me. Therefore I am offering my obeisances at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given me the chance to write these books.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see the humility of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī how he gave all the credit to Lord Caitanya and similarly, our spiritual masters have written books as a service to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.135

prayāge daśadina yāvat prabhura śrī-rūpake śikṣādāna:—

ei-mata daśa-dina prayāge rahiyā
śrī-rūpe śikṣā dila śakti sañcāriyā

Translation: For ten days Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed at Prayāga and instructed Rūpa Gosvāmī, empowering him with the necessary potency.

Purport: This is a confirmation of the statement kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana. Unless one is specifically empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. An empowered devotee sees and feels himself to be the lowest of men, for he knows that whatever he does is due to the inspiration given by the Lord in the heart. This is confirmed by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10):

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

To be empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has to qualify himself. This means that one must engage twenty-four hours daily in the loving devotional service of the Lord. The material position of a devotee doesn’t matter because devotional service is not dependent on material considerations. In his earlier life, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was a government officer and a gṛhastha. He was not even a brahmacārī or sannyāsī. He associated with mlecchas and yavanas, but because he was always eager to serve, he was a qualified recipient for the Lord’s mercy. A sincere devotee can therefore be empowered by the Lord regardless of his situation. In the preceding verse from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described how he was personally empowered by the Lord.

He further states in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.187):

īhā yasya harer dāsye
karmaṇā manasā girā
nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu
jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

“A person acting in the service of Kṛṣṇa with his body, mind and words is a liberated person even in the material world, although he may be engaged in many so-called material activities.”

To keep oneself free from material contamination and attain the Lord’s favor, one must be sincerely eager to render service to the Lord. This is the only qualification necessary. As soon as one is favored by the mercy of the spiritual master and the Lord, one is immediately given all the power necessary to write books and propagate the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement without being hampered by material considerations.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the secret of how Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī could write transcendental literatures and all the spiritual masters in the disciplic succession who endeavor to write should be empowered by their spiritual master and Lord Caitanya.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Conduct of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī in Vṛndāvana 
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī